hawaii-bound

Personally I would pass on Manta, the food has not been great recently - but definitely Canoehouse is a must - probably the best restaurant on the island

Seafood Bar in Kawhaiae Harbor - another local place with a great happy hour menu

italdesign

Anyone know of amazing banana bread on BI?

Weatherboy

A year ago I would have recommended Patricios Taqueria by Pine Trees, but I've had 3 less than good meals there in a row and decided to not go there anymore. For other casual fare up the coast, check out Island Fish and Chips in the Kings Shops near Roy's (on the lakefront side of the mall) for some good fried fish and chips. And be sure to truly their fried pineapple with coconut dipping sauce! Another casual place with local comfort
food is the Bistro at Waikoloa Luxury Cinemas at the Queens Shops.

And I agree with the other poster that Seafood Bar at Kawaiahe is a good choice.

Casual Option - For those on the resort coast, another casual option is the Waikoloa Nightmarket at the new Waikoloa Plaza Shopping Center in Waikoloa Village above the beach resorts.

The Plaza is still under construction , but each Saturday from 4pm to 8pm they bring out assorted vendors and lots of food trucks representing lots of different local flavors. Great way to sample lots of very different food items without breaking the bank in a very casual outdoor environment.

italdesign

Well, it finally happened - for the first time, I did not enjoy the food on a trip to Hawaii. Previously, I always found a few amazing eateries each trip (last trip was in Jan 2022). But the food on this trip has been one disappointment after another. It says something when the best food I had in the first 3 days was a random Vietnamese restaurant (next to 808 Grindz which was closed), which Hawaii is not known for and indeed below the Viet food I get in San Diego (which is far from the best Viet food in CA). I'm now on the Hilo side for a few days, hoping for better luck there.

Umekes was the biggest disappointment. We ordered 3 dishes over 2 meals just to make sure it wasn't bad luck. It wasn't. 2 separate pokes were overbearingly salty, while the fish tacos lacked flavor. I had amazing poke in Lihue and Hanalei in January.

Canoe House - I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the oceanfront restaurant AND the hotel. Possibly the most beautiful lobby area I've ever seen (puts the Four Seasons Hualalai to shame, and I don't say that lightly). However, the food was disappointing overall given the "best food on the island" reputation. The highlight for us was the Steamed Canoe Nabe - the soy sauce was perfect; but the $18 bread we got to dip the sauce (something the waiter highly recommended) was overly salty, not a good match (the bread would be good by itself). On the other hand, I was extremely disappointed with the Grilled Kona Kampachi - from waiter's description, I got the impression that it would be tender/fatty like halibut and salmon, but it was more firm, lacked flavor, and had an unpleasant odor (I love fish done right; this was something else). Also wasn't too impressed with the 2 desserts we got - the fruit Panna Cotta and the Flourless Chocolate Cake.

Another big disappointment was Tex Drive-In. I'm not a fan of donut but love beignet. These malasada babies are humongous; not knowing their size, I got 4 different kinds (1 would be a meal by itself!). I found them rather boring. And while someone did warn upthread not to get anything else, it was convenient so I ordered a Lomo Moco. Definitely the worst Loco Moco I've ever had. However, my disappointment rests with their famed malasada.

I got familiar favorites at Big Island Grill and Pine Tree Cafe, they too were just good but not great. I attribute some of that to being more exposed to this type of food since coming here a few years ago. For example, Korean wings were a novelty for me back then and why I loved Pine Tree, but now I regularly go to better ones in San Diego.

The best food I had so far was at Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea.

escapefromphl

We tried Canoe House for the first time and I was very impressed, it certainly surpasses Manta by a ways. Prices were about the same as well. I had the Fresh catch of the day which was red snapper/Onaga. I paired it with garlic fried rice. It was the the most delicious fish I'v'e had for a while. We had the coconut pineapple cake for dessert which did not disappoint. It was pretty easy to get a reservation, seems like they open up a week ahead of time. I am not a fan of Kona Kampachi.

FlyinHawaiian

If it makes a difference to folks, Onaga (Queen Snapper) is a wild, line caught fish whereas what is called Kampachi (Almaco Jack) is farmed. The wild cousin of the Kampachi in Hawaii is the Kahala (Greater Amberjack) and is normally not offered commercially due to risks of reef toxins and parasites.

escapefromphl

For me Kona Kampachi is fine in tacos or a fish sandwich, it doesn't quite measure up in a ~$50 fine dining entree. I know many rave about it though, I will probably give it a try again sometime.

david55

My husband and I are headed down in a few weeks with some friends ( our first trip in 3.5 years) for 10 nights at the Mauna Lani. We have reservations for a few nights at the Canoe House. Psyched.

italdesign

Ditto. Booked a few days before arrival; the peak hours were gone, grabbed a 5:15 reservation and utilized the 20min grace period to overlap with sunset.

rayfound

Had a few days on the west side of the island in October. Food impressions. Overall was VERY GOOD.

On the Rocks - Great lunch spot. Food and drinks both good.
Kuleana Rum Works - Absolutely fabulous, we went twice. However, their menu is smaller than in the past, so options are a bit limited. Great cocktails.
Da Poke Shack - What else can be said: they are legendary for a reason. The poke itself is just so good. The freshest fish taste imaginable.
Kai's - another killer lunch spot. Pizza is VERY good. Fish tacos were excellent.
Browns Beach House - Fancy... totally underwhelming IMO. Most expensive meal I ate and one I wish I could go back and skip.


Was a short trip and I wish I had more places to talk about.

irvington

Thanks, this is really helpful. Heading there in a few weeks to stay at Mauna Lani, and I'm the one in our group who is expected to figure out where to eat.

david55

We spent 10 nights at the Mani Lani recently. We never left the property. The food was okay. But our group (my husband and I did not go) strayed one night over to the Napua ( a short shuttle ride from the resort) and absolutely loved it...saying it was the best meal of the trip. We actually are going back for another 10 days in April and plan to celebrate my husband's 79th at that restaurant. BTW....The Canoe House was all it lives up to...we had two meals there. One extraordinary. The second marred by a pretty bad waitress who just couldn't keep up.

ERtraveler

Been going to Kohala Coast for over 20 years. The best dinner on the island is still Ulu with their food being in a category above and beyond the solid 2nd place Canoe House. However, the service and crowded feel at Ulu and that Four Seasons has really declined since Covid and as of last week still has not recovered. The Auberge service while very good is not at the level of the previous great service at Four Seasons but does exceed it these days. The Canoe House is solid but I would not say best food on the island at all, just waaaay better than the old Canoe House. Halani is pretty good too, all day long. We like Napua but their menu has not changed in years and is seeming a little old school and boring. I think people like the prices there and it is certainly nice to have nightly music. Manta was downright awful last time I went there 6 months ago. Merriman’s is good but the service and ambiance are not as good as their Maui location. Brown’s was actually surprisingly good on our visit this week…always hit or miss. Going to FORC this week, we’re hearing good things even though it’s quite casual.

ERtraveler

Just had a fabulous dinner at FORC in Waimea and all I can say is wow, wow! Really great inventive, seasonal menu, steaks cooked to perfection, a real local, casual vibe but wonderful good, interesting wine, drinks and service was wonderful. Definitely worth the drive from the Kohala resort area and in terms of just the food…it rates up there with any of the best resort area restaurants. A bit loud would be my only complaint.

escapefromphl

Returned to Canoe House recently, was again very impressed, the Mahi Mahi was the fish of the day, not as good as as the snapper/Onaga I had previously but still very good. Tried the ahi poke for a starter, nothing like supermarket or fast food poke.