ILuvParis

There is a brand new place in Lawai - Kiawi Roots. Getting good reviews. Friends went there on Saturday and raved about it. It is very small so reservations are a must. https://www.eatatkiawe.com/

Personally, I would drop Merrimans and choose Roy's and/or the Dolphin instead (mediocre service and management that doesn't seem to care about it).

Other choices - Red Salt and Jo2.

Great lunch, but carryout only - Da Crack
Pizza - Brick Oven
Casual breakfast, lunch or dinner - Kalaheo Coffee Co.

gaobest

Thank you! I greatly appreciate your post!
I sent the link and screenshots of your message to my spouse.

We have enjoyed merriman’s in Maui. My assumption is that our group will still go there. Ideally a decision will be made for the other suggestions. We tend to not eat pizza in Hawaii only because we get pizza often at home and at OGG we will enjoy CPK compared to the burger place :-). Of course it’ll not be my decision.
We tend to always enjoy “Hawaiian” food simply because it’s fun in Hawaii and less special for L&M / ohana fast casual chains in San Francisco. I love the casual food at abc general store in Kapalua (Maui).

I shall probably send this full thread to my spouse…

gaobest

Savage Fish casual near Poipu is ace. It’s in the same outdoor mall as Merriman’s, bubba’s burgers, long’s drugs, Laeppert’s ice cream…

bubba’s is closed sun / mon due to staffing.

I ordered spicy shrimp which was savage spice. So spicy that it is not good to drink ANYTHING until finishing the entree due to the spice. So good. I love spicy food. I also am savage myself so I eat ALL of the shrimp. None of that peel nonsense. I eat it all. Yum.

for dessert I chose Uncle’s shaved ice with the ice cream “bottomer” and boy was it soothing plus yum. My friends felt that the syrups tasted more artificial compared to Uelani’s in Maui. I felt mega satisfied and ate the whole thing :-)

ILuvParis

Not to get too political, but we'll never eat at Bubba's again. They post right wing political crap. They feel their staffing shortages are due to people getting free hand outs. I suspect the real reason is they don't pay as well as their competitors. Further, their soda, even though they allegedly have Coke products, tastes like it's made with sewer water. At least McDonald's knows how to mix the syrup with the carbonated water with the correct percentages.

gaobest

today we went to Kuiuiola Market (Poipu) which is near our lodging. We ordered sushi and poke from an inside spot. There’s also açaí / juice vendor; outside is a Mexican spot and a shaved ice food truck. I get great Mexican taqueria in my home town of San Francisco so I would return for more poke; I know that not every tourist in Kaua’i gets great Mexican at home. So high endorsement for Kuiuiola Market.

merriman’s tonight :-)
I love their Maui (Kapalua) location even if I’m still bothered by their “Hawaiian” lobster which is East Coast lobster that’s bathed in Hawaiian waters. Sigh.

I really appreciate this. I’ll discuss. I personally don’t see the need for a burger or other Aina (meat) food in Hawaii. Plus our hotel restaurant has a burger. With Bubba near Savage I would have returned to Savage Shrimp for more spicy shrimp, including peel.

gaobest

I love poke esp in Hawaii. I don’t get poke bowls that often in San Francisco even though it’s also good.

kaua’i Poke co is casual dining spot on the golf course at grand Hyatt by poipu beach. It’s really great. The potty is by the locker room for the golf course which is a golf museum of its own and just so nice.

shaved ice again at uncle’s in Kuiuiola shopping mall.

gaobest

Uncles shaved ice is a generous size. I get the $11 combo. The ice is $7 and similar size.

gaobest

Pizza after all. The other family chose kaloa pizza which was great. Bonus location by big save (Times) because we already ran super low of the taro buns and Hawaiian sweet milk rolls so I parked and got these 2 items and was back to the car thanks to SCO :-)

Jailer

For shaved ice we continue to like JoJo’s in Waimea, thinking it worth the drive…and wait in line.


We had three intentional and reserved meals this week:

The best by far was Tidepools at the Hyatt. All agreed that the food and service were exceptional. It’s in an adjacent zip code—just a dogleg to the south—to Mama’s Fish House, and from me that’s high praise.

Back for the third time to the Beach House. I thought that it slipped a cog the second go round. Now owned by the Monkeypod folks, they picked up some favorites from that menu including the lobster deviled eggs and signature Mai Tai. But the menu is now limited and seemingly corporate. Other than the to die for view, all that was special feels gone. A very good solid dining experience; I’m not pining for a fourth visit.

Red Salt missed, and here are the over and unders: my fish was a tad over cooked and the service underwhelming. Nobody was particularly happy nor particularly disappointed, but expectations were not met.

Were I to assay these three restaurants once a month for a year I am confident that the win/place/show order would be fixed.


One of our group of four is vegan and we stumbled upon Russell’s in Kapaa. I thought it was very good and would happily go back even if I wasn’t looking for a vegetarian place.

gaobest

Fun! Going to beach house tomorrow :-) Great to see your endorsement.
I thought monkeypod was part of merriman’s group. I don’t really know.

I agree that jojo’s could be better shaved ice. We are at koloa landing which is near kukuiola shops where Uncle’s is and I already am NOT a shaved ice expert. I enjoy Uncle’s enough to not need to find another spot. I enjoyed Uilanis (sic) in Maui and on Kaua’i I’ll continue with Uncle’s - if I get near jojo’s then I’ll try it out.

this is my first time in Kaua’i so I’m definitely in that new arrival love phase. We’ve gone to Maui 7 times between 2011-2019; our 2020 planned trip had to be cancelled.

as for Tidepools, I really enjoyed today’s luncheon at the kaua’i poke co also at Grand Hyatt golf. I’m not sure if we will dine at Tidepools during this trip.

FlyinHawaiian

In your photo from Uncle's, note that in Hawaii, the product is called "Shave Ice" - no "-d" at the end.

My personal favorite is Wailua Shave Ice in Kapaa. https://www.wailuashaveice.com/

gaobest

Papalani gelato (near Keiki’s / SBUX near Koloa / poipu) has nice hawaiian sorbetto
very yum

beach house was yummy - very merriman’s







thank you :-)
this one is a bit far from our hotel in Koloa… I’ll check out their pdx location. Our travel friends here actually live in pdx!

gaobest

Both merrimans & table are closed.
merrimans had a fire on Wednesday or Thursday. We ate there on Monday!
table is closed due to sharing with merrimans or for other problems.

Rare

Correct spelling is "Kukui'ula" market. I highly recommend that "shave ice food truck", aka Waikomo Shave Ice. IMO it's one of the best on the island. All natural fruit syrups with coconut cream and fresh fruit on top; you can get all one flavor or half and half two flavors, and optionally have it in a coconut cup. Wailua Shave Ice in Kapa'a next to Safeway is also very good (I see FlyinHawaiian already mentioned it).

We didn't think that "Mexican spot", Da Crack, was all that great. I know a lot of people like it, but growing up in the Bay Area I got spoiled with great Mexican taquerias and restaurants. I think you'd be disappointed. On the other hand, Tacos Al Pastor, a food truck in Kapa'a, has some of the best fish tacos on the island. Also good is Tiki Tacos, where they make their own tortillas. (I know you said it's a bit far, but even when we stay in Poipu we plan at least one day to drive to Kapa'a to eat!)

Most people on FT seem to like the fancy, expensive, sit-down restaurants. My wife and I prefer more casual venues, and love the variety of food trucks there. Sadly, some of our favorites have come and gone. On our last trip we went to one in Koloa called Big Monster Sushi (they also have a restaurant in Lihue). Their "sushi burrito" was fun and delicious!

And if you're looking for healthy fare, the bowls and smoothies at Le'ahi Health in Koloa are excellent!

gaobest

Thanks for the endorsement of the shave ice truck by Kukui’ula market! Another Sf family who was staying at our hotel also endorsed it for the very fresh syrups. They also said similar for a shave ice spot by Sueoka market. I am now enamored with Uncle’s passionfruit topper combo; for future shave ice this might become my new preference.

our final suppers were Sam’s Ocean View (before the Smith luau) and Brennecke’s Beach Broiler. I loved both. I enjoy the elevated views. I got seared ahi at both spots.

we loved luncheon at Duke’s which also had a gorgeous decor. Ahi poke bowl ftw.

We ate most suppers with our west coast friends - I myself loved getting fish / ahi in general. While I’m also a fan of more casual dining, it was great to let other people take the lead with restaurants.

this was my first time to kaua’i ever. Totally loved it. As we went to Maui 7 times between 2011-2019, I’d actually prefer to return to Kaua’i for future explorations even though I’d prefer to stay at the same hotel. I love Maui very much. I can also imagine returning to Maui and then kaua’i on a future Hawaii trip. I don’t imagine going to both islands during the same trip.

favorite ahi poke bowl indoor dining - Kaua’i Poke Co (hyatt regency)
favorite ahi poke bowl carryout - poke-sushi spot in Kukui’ula Market
favorite seared ahi meal - Sam’s Ocean View restaurant