Kauai, HI

Eating out in Kauai, HI

The food in Kauai is a potpourri of flavors from America, Hawaii, Japan, China, Portugal, Korea, Europe, and the Philippines. Most restaurants incorporate Hawaii's freshest vegetables, fruits, macadamia nuts, seafood, and meat to concoct dishes that are simply divine. Island chefs take pride in presentation, paying special attention to texture, color, sauces, and seasonings.

Gourmet

A Pacific Café is casual, chic, and full of energy. The award-winning menu, which changes daily, contains everything from wok-charred mahimahi and firecracker salmon, to deep-fried tiger-eye sushi and scallop ravioli. Photos and paintings by local artists add character to the walls, while woks, a rotisserie, and a wood-burning grill add special flavor to the food. Coconut Coast.

Highly Recommended

The Beach House Restaurant offers both a wonderful dining experience and sensational sea views through floor-to-ceiling windows, making it the perfect place to enjoy a sunset cocktail. The menu changes daily, offering such treats as wok-charred mahi mahi with ginger lime beurre blanc, and grilled Black Angus filet with tumbleweed shrimp and port Gorgonzola sauce. South Shore.

Local Flair

Keoki's Paradise is a lively open-air restaurant with a lagoon - complete with lush vegetation, lava rocks, and waterfalls - that meanders between the tables. Diners are mostly families indoors and friendly young singles in the thatched-roof bar with live music. Favorite selections include the sashimi appetizers, seafood chowders, and fresh catch of the day. For dessert, few can resist the hula pie (macadamia-nut ice cream on a cookie crust, topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and macadamia nuts). 2360 Kiahuna Plantation Dr, Koloa.

Romantic

Gaylord's is set in a flower-filled courtyard that sits behind a 19th-century plantation main house. Guests enter through a complex of shops, galleries, and a living room filled with Hawaiian artifacts and period furniture. The menu features a wide variety of island specialties like grilled duck with mango sauce, poached filet of ono in a caramelized cream sauce with ginger, and herb-crusted whole rack of lamb. Kilohana.

Going party in Kauai, HI

Though there are a few good bars and clubs, Kauai is fairly quiet after dark. Much of the post-sunset entertainment is designed around traditional Hawaiian activities like the luau shows.

Duke's Barefoot Bar

A traditional Hawaiian trio plays to diners upstairs, while the beachside bar features contemporary Hawaiian music on weekends. Lihue.

Common events in Kauai, HI

Captain Cook Celebration

Canoe and foot races, and all kinds of food, mark the anniversary of Captain James Cook's arrival in the Hawaiian islands. Waimea, January.

Prince Kuhio Celebration

Commemorates the birth of Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, born in 1871. Had Hawaii's monarchy not been overthrown, he most likely would have become king, but was instead elected to the Senate in 1902 after the US annexed Hawaii. Island-Wide, March.

Buddha Day

To celebrate Buddha's birthday, islanders stage pageants, flower festivals, and dancing in the streets. Island-Wide, April.

Lei Day

Hawaiians gather to adorn themselves with floral garlands and participate in lei-making competitions, crafts, and feasts. Lihue, May.

Japanese O-Bon Festival

This series of ceremonies and dances that pay homage to Japanese ancestors. People dressed in colorful kimonos dance inside a large circle to live drums and Asian music. Rows of food stands sell local delicacies. Island-Wide, June - August.

Aloha Festival

This celebration of Hawaiian culture includes street fairs, hula performances, and crafts demonstrations. State-Wide, Fall.