Oh, Kauai - You Are Delicious!

Oh, Kauai.

As soon as I step off the plane I can smell your intoxicating scent. You just ooze relaxation and adventure.

At the same time as my entire body starts to rejuvenate from the stress of life, my mouth starts to water...time for some ono grinds!

There is just something about a plate lunch and poke that I crave! And this craving didn't fail me on our recent trip back to Kauai!

Even before landing on the Pacific Island, we had our 'have to eat at' list of restaurants and hole-in-the-wall plate lunches planned.

Once on the island, our food list grew as we decided to follow our digestive systems to new excitement!

Old favorites and new favorites - below is our improved top 3 'have to eat at' locations while visiting Kauai!

(I have to admit, we didn't make it to the North Shore this trip due to the weather, so there may be deliciousness missing on the list below.)

First (and many times after) you have to visit Koloa Fish Market in Koloa (next to Poipu). The plate lunch options always include at least one kind of fish (plus your choice of sauce and a scoop of mac salad and sticky rice), as well as your traditional Hawaiian dishes of Kalua Pig and Chicken Lau Lau. Our favorite is the Ahi plate lunch with the cappers and butter sauce - we share the plate but get an extra scoop of mac salad! They also have five kinds of poke (five kinds!) - two of which we tried and loved (Korean Style and Avocado). But hurry! They sell out fast, with both locals and tourists line up out the door!

Our newest discovery! Hamura Saimin is an even more low key food experience then the Koloa Fish Market. You can honestly get lost trying to find its location in Lihue - a few days before eating here, we literally turned around right next to the restaurant without seeing it! The noodles are cooked right in front of the seating area, with lots of broth and toppings. The setup and taste brought me back to the Thailand noodle stands - I was probably embarrassing my wife as I slurped the food down! Another place with both locals and tourists - don't be afraid if you don't fit in, everyone's there for the food!

And for dessert...try the pastry shop Hanalima Bakery in Lihue. They have a large variety of treats but we continued to make our way there specifically for the Malasada (Portuguese doughnut).  We stopped here three times in our one week trip! P.S. This is another location that sells out fast!

I must add, the prices at these places are unbeatable for Hawaii! Cheap and delicious!

So next time you're in Kauai - try something new! And then let me know about it...I'm always looking!

Yours in exploiting life!
Quinn