With only 2 nights in Kauai, most of our time on the beautiful island was spent enjoying the grounds at the Grand Hyatt Kauai (related post). We didn’t have much time to do any of the cool adventurous excursions such as the helicopter tour or zip-lining, but we are certain that we will return to Kauai again in the near future to experience it all.
I mentioned in an earlier post that dining at the Grand Hyatt Kauai is extremely expensive, and I provided the price of a hard boiled egg as an example (see below for proof). With that said, we took it upon ourselves to find some great eats nearby, without being restricted to the resort’s restaurant selections.
A hard boiled egg for $7? No thanks! We're off to find some great cheap eats in Kauai!
Here are three restarants that we tried while in Kauai:
Keoki’s Paradise: On our first night, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant called Keoki’s Paradise. Keoki’s Paradise is located inside the Poipu Shopping Village, just a few miles away from the Grand Hyatt Kauai. Though the food wasn’t nearly as exceptional as the other two spots we found (the food was good, but Kevin and I are tough critics), I felt this place was enjoyable because of the wonderful ambience. It’s an indoor/outdoor restaurant nested among lush gardens, ponds, and tiki lamps, which was very beautiful at sunset. There was also live music (acoustic singer), which added to the already-fun, and lively atmosphere. There was a mixed crowded ranging from families and couples all ages, and a full dinner for two cost us around $75 including gratuity.
Koloa Fish Market: The Koloa Fish Market is a local hot-spot that’s about a 7 minute drive from the Grand Hyatt. Since it’s a small in-and-out joint without a designated parking area, we parked our car in the Big Save Mart supermarket parking lot and walked on over. The Koloa Fish Market is a tiny deli that serves good cheap eats and the freshest fish we’ve had in Hawaii, period. Since it’s just a take-out deli without a seating area, the Koloa Fish Market does not have a website, but I challenge you to Google the place and see the hundreds of 5-star reviews. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover – this place can easily be mistaken as a shack, but it’s certainly a must-try (and only open for lunch); we liked it so much that we ate here several times during our short two-day stay (did we mention that we love to eat constantly?), including on our trip back to the airport. Plate lunches run in the $8-$10 range, and I highly recommend that you try the wasabi cream ahi tuna lunch plate (my favorite), the lau lau lunch plate (Kevin’s favorite), the scallop salad, and the spicy Korean ahi poke.
- Me in front of the Koloa Fish Market in Kauai
- Kevin’s lau lau lunch plate
My wasabi cream ahi tuna lunch plate
Josselin’s Tapas Bar and Grill: To celebrate our last night in Hawaii, we chose a “fancier” option for dinner – Josselin’s Tapas Bar and Grill. Josselin’s is located inside the Kukui’ula Village Shopping Center, and is about a 5-7 minute drive from the Grand Hyatt Kauai. We chose this place because of the food’s rave reviews…and their signature “sangria cart”. The ambiance is trendy, upscale, modern, and unique, featuring an array of Tapas (sharing plates) ranging from fresh seafood, fusion-dishes, and international favorites. Everything is made to order in their open kitchen, and we had fun ordering a bunch of small plates to sample from their extensive menu. We ordered the scallop pillows, Kekaha shrimp dumplings, slider sampler, organic beet ravioli, and the sesame crusted mahi to share… along with two carafes of their famous lychee sangria… yum. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious and flavorful. A full dinner for two ended up costing us around $125 including tax, gratuity, and alcohol. We can’t wait to go back!
The sangria cart at Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill.
For those of you who have visited Kauai, what are some of your favorite restaurants and local spots to dine at? Please share below!
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There was a somewhat fancier place called Casablanca that my wife and I dined at and enjoyed a lot.
22 North near Lihue is absolutely fantastic. The menu is seasonal and they focus on farm-to-table cuisine. The modest prices for the high quality of food rival what I expect to find in cities like Chicago and DC, not the middle of the ocean! Furthermore, this is my top pick across all the islands.
The one thing I really liked about Kauai was that there were some very reasonable priced places to eat so you didn’t have to kill your budget on food. Can’t wait to go back.
For fancier, I highly recommend the plantation gardens and restaurant. http://www.pgrestaurant.com
I’m here in Kauai right now….I can highly recommend Bubba’s Burgers and Savage Shrimp (OMG Coconut Shrimp!). Am going to try the Fish Shack you recommended tomorrow…can’t wait and thanks for the recs!
Stacey