The restaurant scene on Kauai has recently come alive, with a number of new restaurants raising the bar on culinary excellence. We’ve been delighted on our last few hops over to Kauai to discover these five places to get an interesting and delicious meal.

Enjoy!


The Koa Kea Resort is the new boutique hotel built on the shell of the old Poipu Beach Hotel. Tucked in its lobby is a remarkably fine restaurant, named for Kaua‘i’s famous red salt.

The menu is not extensive, but everything is done with skill, precision and a nice sense of imagination. Wait until you see chef Ronnie Sanchez’s variations on Hawai‘i favorites. His kalua pork luau is unlike any luau food you’ve ever tasted, rich and flavorful, with pineapple-tinged demiglace. His poke is, quite literally, a work of art, a checkerboard of red and white fish.
 
Not everything’s fancy: His basic steak, 
14-ounces of Wagyu beef, is simple, direct and delicious, with a side of fries dusted with Pecorino cheese.

For dessert, you won’t believe how good the “reverse root-beer float” tastes, complete with a chocolate cookie warm from the oven. It will bring back your whole childhood.




Check out these related HawaiiMagazine.com posts:
Restaurant Week Hawaii: deals at dozens of eateries on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Big Island
Happy Talk Lounge reopens in Hanalei
Restaurant Week Hawaii: dining deals at 90 eateries on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Big Island
Big Island restaurant round up