FlyinHawaiian

Bumping this to see how things might be on the Garden Isle after a most difficult year. Any recent reports from members who have visited?

ILuvParis

I have not been but have it on good authority that Bubba's, Puka Dog and Lappert's are all open.

Merriman's downstairs (which was a series of unsuccessful attempts at different ideas) is closed, Tortilla Republic and whatever replaced it are both gone.

renila

Anyone have a current update on what's open? Especially near-ish to Poipu.

TWA884

Friends just spent more than a week at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort in Poipu. They posted about meals at Red Salt, Mark’s Place, Konohiki Seafoods, The Beach House, Keoki's Paradise, Koloa Fish Market, Stevenson's Sushi and Spirits, Ilima Terrace Restaurant and Tidepools.

renila

Thanks! Quite helpful.

ILuvParis

I just got back a couple of days ago. Pretty much everything is open - a least the places I was interested in. But be prepared to have a reservation at the nicer places. Ruth's Chris is permanently closed, but who would go to Kaua'i to eat at Ruth's Chris? This was the location of Josselin's Tapas (loved that place) in Kukuiula Village.

BTW, Puka Dog has moved to Brennecke's ground floor. What a great location, across from the beach!

Be prepared to wear a mask everywhere!. Drive up windows have signs that say, "No mask, no service." Even Da Crack (which is a walk up Mexican place) with a window that you walk up to and you're outside, requires a mask to order.

ILuvParis

This is a picture taken yesterday at Bubba’s Poipu. Without posting anything political, let me just say it may help some people determine whether they want to (continue to) patronize this establishment.

sullim4

To be fair, they've had that sign up since at least November 2020, which is when we were most recently on Kauai and were walking around the Shops at Kukui'ula.

I guess I'll ask a different question - have any new restaurants opened recently? We have reservations for some of our usual haunts (Beach House and Tidepools), and a new-for-us place (Jo2) for our trip coming up in a couple weeks. Has anything new popped up that's worth trying?

ILuvParis

I was there in November and didn't have time for Bubba's. Speaking of which, they need to figure out a way to get the right kind of water/syrup mixture for their soft drinks. They are historically awful.

Not aware of anything new, but Jo2 is definitely a good choice.

sullim4

We just got back. Some thoughts on our trip restaurant-wise:

- We went to Hualani's - the restaurant at the Timbers resort, for the first time. This was an unexpected gem - we went on a Tuesday night which is when they run a constantly changing farm-to-table prix fixe menu for $75. The dessert last week - a play on a rambutan, was one of the best I've had in Hawaii. They contract out with the owner/pastry chef of Orly Patisserie (he runs a shop in the Safeway plaza) for the dessert course - had we been in Lihue more often, I would have made a point to visit that patisserie.

- Sweets on this trip as a whole was kind of a disappointment outside of that meal. From Lapperts having half of their flavors missing, to very lean selections at dinnertime, to some stingy syrup pours at Jojos - I felt disappointed across the board.

- Jo2 was great! I love it when we find a place like this, a bit off the beaten tourist path, that serves up fancy dishes like this. The tapas-style appetizers were the best on the trip.

- I think Red Salt doesn't get enough credit, generally. I thought their furikake ahi was the best seared ahi I had on the trip and the shaken tableside cocktails were great as well. I'm not a huge fan of Koa Kea as a resort, but I do like the restaurant a lot.

- Kalaheo Cafe for breakfast is a must... that cinnamon bread french toast is to die for! We had lounge access at the Hyatt and were considering skipping Kalaheo on this trip, but we were so glad we didn't. I forgot how good that french toast is.

- Speaking of the lounge at the Hyatt, since it's food related... I felt like the selection here was just okay. It's definitely not as good as previous reviews. Each morning had a mixed bowl of fruit, sliced papaya, meat/cheese, lox, and some basic bread and bagels. The only things that changed daily were the pastry basket and the two hot items, one of which was almost always scrambled eggs. The evening hours featured the same crudite every day, two varieties of cheese, and a single hot item. They desperately needed more variety, and notably, things like pineapple were just missing. They mixed it into the fruit bowl but come on, it's Hawaii - people want nice pieces of pineapple in the morning and evening. Getting pancakes as the hot item instead of eggs one morning felt like hitting the lottery.

- We went to Midnight Bear Breads in Hanapepe for lunch one day after spending the morning at Salt Pond. The bread on our sandwiches was great. The sandwich's contents? Meh. The turkey was pretty processed and it was slathered with a bit too much mustard. I'd return for the breads, not sure about anything else.

- Beach House. We had some of the best seats in the house here, off towards Lawai Beach. But the food was a serious disappointment. Everything came out very quickly, dinner was rushed, and the menu was very limited compared to years past. I also felt like the ahi I had here was cut too thin and also overcooked - more like medium rather than the rare I had ordered.

Overall, a really good trip - we found some new places and also hit some old favorites.

ILuvParis

I notice Street Burger has reopened. It had a long pandemic closure. The dessert menu seems to have expanded but it appears that one of the better desserts on the island (IMHO) seems not to be available - molasses cookie sliders (molasses cookie sandwiches, stuffed with Lappert's vanilla and sitting on caramel sauce).

Jailer

I am sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the Beach House as I’ve had a couple of memorable meals there and have reservations for February. I love ahi, and so I’m off to see about a table at Red Salt based on your recommendation.

ILuvParis

If you like Mai Tais, make sure to have one at the Red Salt/Bar at Koa Kea with a Koloa Dark Rum float. Best I've had anywhere and very sneaky. (We try not to drive there. It helps that our condo is within walking distance. ) As I recall, the recipe was developed by their bartender when they opened. That bartender went on to open the Wine Shop in Koloa.

And, I would take Red Salt over Beach House too.

TWA884

Better than at Tahiti Nui in Hanalei?

ILuvParis

We don't usually do much drinking up north because of the long drive back to Poipu so, admittedly, it's been a while.