Creamy mango ice cream, granola-topped acai bowls, spicy ahi poke, slow-roasted pork, coconut coffee…even months later, I still haven’t fully recovered from Kauai’s epic food scene.

Every now and then I’ll find myself with a monstrous craving for Chito’s breakfast sandwich or Hanalei Bread Company’s iced coffee, only to be crushed by the realization that they’re a six-hour flight away.

*Sigh*

I’ll be honest, when I first started planning our trip to Kauai, food wasn’t the first thing on my mind. I definitely consider myself a foodie; I’ve tasted a lot of incredibly cuisine around the world, and while I’m no expert, my standards for good food are at least a liiiittle bit high.

And, well…Kauai is an island, which means limited food supply. Plus, I had never actually heard anything about the food there. So, how good could it be?

The answer: so good, in fact, that it demanded an entire blog post dedicated to it. Demanded.

I think my favorite aspect of Kauai’s culinary scene is the food truck presence. I LOVE food trucks (hence why I had one at my wedding)!

Not only are they fun to order from, but in my experience the food is always amazing – soulful, fresh, and authentic…a winning combination. And Kauai has so many to choose from!

In this Kauai Food Guide, I’m sharing 10 of my favorite spots to sample classic Hawaiian cuisine like poke, kalua pork, shave ice, açaí bowls, plate lunches, and more. Happy eating!

1. Kealia Poke (Food Truck)

I’m pretty sure it would be a borderline sin to visit Hawaii and not indulge in poke, one of the most beloved traditional foods. I also happen to be an absolute poke addict (I typically eat it on a weekly basis at home in California) so scoping out the best poke spots on Kauai was my personal mission.

In the end I sampled poke from four locations, but Kealia Poke in Hanalei would definitely be among my top recommendations.

I ordered the Local Girl with avocado (bottom), and Derek ordered the Local Boy (top). Both were absolutely incredible; the quality of the fish here was amaaaazing. Mmm, that texture!

2. Pink’s Creamery

Grilled cheese and ice cream…sounds random at first, but when you think about it, aren’t these two of the most delicious foods on the planet? Yes? Then doesn’t it make sense to be able to enjoy both in one spot?

That’s the philosophy at Pink’s Creamery! Our first visit here was for dinner, to try out their famed pineapple and pork grilled cheese sandwich.

…Oh yeah, you read that correctly.

Tender, smoky kalua pork meets juicy, sweet pineapple and muenster cheese in this gooey grilled sandwich. Served with a heaping side of chips and a pickle.

Yummmm, guys…that’s really all there is to say. YUM.

Of course, we had to make a return trip (okay, maybe two return trips) to sample their incredible ice cream selection. Pink’s Creamery has a fun assortment of tropical Hawaiian flavors, like coconut, macadamia nut, and Hanalei Sunrise (orange & pineapple).

Our flavor of choice? Mango, pictured above. For a fruity ice cream, it was incredibly creamy and smooth; no hint of iciness at all. Just pure, melt-in-your-mouth mango goodness.

I also tried the Kona Mud Pie (coffee ice cream with Oreo crumbles and fudge) and the Chocolate Macadamia Nut, both pictured above in the cup. Both amazing, but the texture and flavor of that mango ice cream was really on another level.

3. Chito’s (Food Truck)

UPDATE 1/8/20 – Good news! Chito’s is BACK under a new name: Saenz Ohana’s Breakfast! Woohoo!

Guys…I’m so sad. Just a few weeks after our trip to Hawaii, I leaned via social media that Chito’s has closed for good!

NOOOOOOO!!

Even though we were only on Kauai for a week, Derek and I ate breakfast at Chito’s THREE times – a testament to just how amazingly scrumptious it was.

A breakdown of the above photo: build-your-own breakfast sandwich, featuring taro bread (!!!!!), kalua pig, bacon, sauteed onions, avocado, cheddar cheese, and a side of garlic aioli. Holyyyy smokes y’all, the flavor developed here was UNREAL.

The smokiness of the pork; the salty, fatty flavor of the bacon; the subtle sweetness of the taro bread and onions; the creaminess of the avocado; the cheeeeese 😍 Heaven on a freaking platter.

This sandwich was so amazing I ate this exact same combination twice, but I also tried the eggs Benedict with kalua pig…which, no surprise, was also completely fabulous.

I hesitated including Chito’s on this list since, well, it’s not in business anymore. But word on the street is that the owners may be planning to reopen (possibly under a new location and/or name?) so until then, I’ll be crossing my fingers that it’s true!

Kauai without Chito’s is a sad thing indeed.

4. Trucking Delicious (Food Truck)

Located in the same food truck lot as Chito’s, Trucking Delicious was another excellent find. I was eager to try my first Hawaiian plate lunch (entree + white rice + macaroni salad), and rumor had it that nowhere does it better than Trucking Delicious.

Although my plate lunch expertise remains quite limited, I can confirm that this meal was damn good. I ordered the coconut shrimp, and my only regret was that I wasn’t hungry enough to finish every last bite!

Succulent shrimp encrusted with crispy, perfectly sweet coconut flakes…mmmmm. Derek opted for the salmon stuffed with crab and shrimp, and we both ordered a dragon fruit limeade to drink.

The perfect tropical meal after hiking along the Na Pali coast!

5. Wishing Well Shave Ice (Food Truck)

After indulging in a few too many (…or not enough?) greasy breakfasts at Chito’s, both Derek and I were eventually ready for something a bit lighter and fresher to start our day.

We found the perfect thing at Wishing Well Shave Ice, located in downtown Hanalei just a block or so down the street from the food truck lot.

We both ordered the “Good Times” Acai Bowl, which can honestly best be described as “heaven.”

No joke, I can’t even allow myself to look at this photo for too long, or else I can feel the cravings start to come on strong.

Acai topped with granola, banana, peanut butter, macadamia nuts, chia seeds, coconut flakes, and honey. Ohhhh my goodness guys, this was tropical paradise in a bowl.

6. Chicken in a Barrel

If you happen to find yourself craving hearty BBQ that’s good enough to rival what you’ll find in Texas and the Deep South, look no further than Chicken in a Barrel (and I say that as someone who has lived in both locations).

Although the name suggests that that main delicacy here is, well, chicken, I followed my taste buds and went with the pulled pork plate. For my two sides, I chose the chili (mmm) and the Hawaiian coleslaw (it has pineapple in it!).

7. Hanalei Bread Company

Over the course of our week on Kauai’s North Shore, Hanalei Bread Company became a staple. We stopped by almost every morning for one of their iced coffees and lattes, especially the coconut flavored one. So smooth, creamy and perfectly tropical.

Pro Tip: Take your coffee to-go and enjoy it in the sitting area just outside Ama Restaurant. It’s much more scenic!

We also had breakfast at Hanalei Bread Company on two occasions, but while their brekkie sandwich was definitely a winner, the two other entrees we tried – the breakfast burrito and the breakfast skillet – were decidedly not.

Honestly, I recommend coming to Hanalei Bread Company for the two things they’re known for: their coffee and their baked goods. Find your breakfast elsewhere; though, I suppose with Chito’s being shut down that makes things more difficult 🙁

8. Ama Restaurant

I didn’t snap a photo unfortunately, but trust me when I say that the ramen at Ama in Hanalei is gooood.

I actually went with the pork belly mazamen, a variation of ramen with no broth. It was super tasty! I didn’t sample the actual ramen myself, but from what I’ve read online it doesn’t have the best reviews; maybe mazamen is the way to go here?

And weirdly, Ama’s donuts get rave reviews. Go figure!

Non-North Shore Recommendations

Because Derek and I were based in Hanalei throughout our weeklong stay, the majority of the restaurants and food trucks we tried were located in that area. That said, I do have a handful of food recommendations on Kauai’s East and South Shores.

9. Ishihara Market (Waimea)

We actually enjoyed our first meal on Kauai here, and it was the perfect introduction to the island’s laid back food scene. We ordered the spicy ahi poke (pictured below), which was amazing.

Oh, and don’t be surprised when you roll up and find that it’s literally just a supermarket; grabbing a to-go container of poke from the seafood counter in the grocery store appears to be very common on Kauai. And with good reason – the fish is fresh and delicious!

We also enjoyed the spicy ahi poke from Pono Market in Kapaa, on the East Shore, as well as the sesame ahi poke from Kilauea Fish Market (technically on the North Shore, but not quite noteworthy enough to be included above).

10. Wailua Shave Ice

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Hawaiian vacation without shave ice! To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan on shave ice (I’ll take ice cream any day) but the menu at Wailua Shave Ice was good enough to make me take notice.

I ordered Da Mango: shave ice with mango juice, and topped with fresh fruit. Icy and sweet, perfect for a sunny day on Kauai!

Read Next: Aloha, Paradise: Our Stay at Hanalei Bay Resort

---

Pin It!

---

Let’s Connect!

Bloglovin‘ | Facebook | Instagram |  Pinterest | Twitter