I feel generous leaving one star. Absolutely the rudest and slowest places I have ever been too. I have no clue how this place is still in business. The bartender, Cindy, got in my friends face because he complained the food was taking to long and almost hit him. I have no clue what was wrong with her and everyone in the restaurant was in complete shock. Please don't eat here. Kaua'i is a beautiful place with beautiful people but this place doesn't belong. I am pretty sure she was drunk while serving us and it completely showed. I am in shock how someone could treat customers like this. read more

Do not go here for a drink if you aren't a local or a local drunk. At night they are extremely racist to "mainlanders" and the bartenders won't even look at you. Definitely the worst experience I've ever had at a bar. read more

Moat underrated establishment on the island. It's a dive bar. Yes. However the food, drinks and service were superior. Great food and amazing drinks. Best of all, unlike all the other places in town, the prices are reasonable. read more

Big Wave Dave's - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Great pupus. We ordered the garlic chicken...sooo ono and the kimchee cucumbers. It was a great football Sunday. They showed all the games. read more

Big Wave Dave's - Kimchee cucumbers. - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Great dive bar. I had a great time until a douche bag with a come over about mid 50's hit on my mom sister and cousin. And maid all of them uncomfortable. Unfortunately I didn't find out until we had left. I would recommend going unless he is there. read more

Patsy is an absolute doll who makes a killer mai tai! Great wings and low key atmosphere. This is not a tourist trap, it's a place where you will feel welcome and at home. Do yourself a favor! read more

We were floored at what we saw after so many good reviews. Dirty windows. Very few tables. Went to watch a football game and have happy hour. No food being served after 3:00 on Sunday. What?? A sign clearly said Happy Hour until 7:00. I heard the locals like it because they serve a stiff drink. Go figure.... read more

I'm sorry people but if you expect a bougie fufu place here you're totally wrong. Go accross to the "Olympic Cafe" if thats the case but if you want good drinks and cheap beer and a local feeling this is where you need to go for all you hipsters-- read more

My wife and I visited here on our first night on the island and we went back two more times. This is definitely a locals bar and I'd consider it a dive bar. The drinks are decently priced (meaning they are not island prices) and are made well - there is no measuring the pour which I found running rampant across the island. I did not try the food. I love their shirts, the wife bought one as a momento to this place. Overall, if you are looking for a bar to have some fun and drink without breaking the bank this is the place. read more

We stopped in for happy hour and quick bite to eat. This is the perfect hidden bar with cheap drinks and good service. Seems like a lot of locals hang out here. My husband had a burger and I got the chicken sandwich. Both plates were delicious and came with fries. The prices were decent too! read more

Big Wave Dave's - Chicken sandwich - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Okay, my wife and I have been visiting Kauai for about ten years. We also spent time on Oahu and the Big Island. This is the worst restaurant we have ever walked into with the rudest employees. No one would make eye contact with us when we walked in. There was no hostess or server or anyone interested in helping us. No tables were available, so we sat at the bar. The bar chairs were so mismatched to the bar that the bar was level with my wife's nose. (We felt like Hobbits on the bad part of the adventure.) I jokingly said that the chairs were pretty low. The female bartender who would not make eye contact said, "It is what it is." We can't comment on the food because no one ever gave us a menu and other patrons had any food on their tables. The fist truly rude locals that we have ever met in Hawaii. read more

We stumbled upon this gem and are we glad we did. This place reminded us of our bar and grills back home. It seems to be a local place and they had the BEST burgers I've ever had. Juicy and flavorful. Staff were friendly. Would definitely go back. read more

Typical dive bar, seems like they cater to locals mainly, not very friendly. Drinks were strong but haphazardly poured together. Happy hour was just a dollar or 2 off so nothing special. The bar food seemed iffy but after a few hard drinks and a buzz going I would eat something greasy to soak it all up. That is if I were to return which I probably wouldn't honestly . But the live music is a plus ! read more

Big Wave Dave's - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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If you like to dance come on a thursday night. A DJ breaks it down with dub step and house music. Its awesome...nice bartenders and fun dance space. only 4$ at the door. read more

Doesn't look like much from the street but ... MAN! Food is great. Fish and chips was great... tartar sauce was the best I've ever tasted. Will definitely come again read more

Service is decent. However, every big screen played hunting videos of cowards killing helpless deer, foxes, etc... It made me so sick to my stomach I had to move to the back tables. Blaring hip hop music where the majority of lyrics repeat fu(k, and motherfu(ker so many times I wanted to gauge my eyeballs out. One quick cocktail and I was out of there. The dollar bill wall is cool...but not cool enough to ever come back. read more

If I could give this place a negative Star I would. I literally never write reviews, unless they are worth reading. First let me say I grew up in the suburban areas of Las Vegas, so my idea of hospitality standars are a bit higher than average. With that being said these were some of the rudest/disrespectful people I've ever encountered in my entire life.. I get that the bar closes in an hour and you obviously don't like "Tourist," treating anyone like they don't matter is unacceptable. I guarantee I will never be back and I will make sure that anybody I know never goes to Big Wave Dave's in Kauai!!!.!.! I would rather everybody spend their money elsewhere on the island even if it means going to sleep and waiting until the next day.... read more

Terrible customer service, employees always having a bad day with scowls instead of smiles, and unless you look like a local they try to intimidate you, i've seen them be unkind to my friends that are white on more than one occasion! They would make much more money with employees that show a little more kindness! That's why it's called customer service, if they can't handle customers try another career! read more

4 stars for their strong drinks and their late night hours. 4/5 only because I didn't try the food since the kitchen closes at 9. Just like most places in Kauai. First night there and my boyfriend and I order some Mai Tais. Silly bartender said we washed those down quickly so she claimed to make us stronger ones next. Score! Don't tempt us with a good time ;) 2nd night there and we befriend some locals. This place definitely has it's local regs and is super divey. My type of place! 3rd night there...well let's just say we enjoyed this place enough to come a 3rd time in our 8 day stay at pono Kai. Also they have karaoke on certain nights so prepare to possibly get volunteered by the locals there such as I did. This place made me feel like a local and I'll never forget it! Cheers to good times*** read more

Great staff, excellent food, good prices. Best Mai Tai, and Hand pattied burger in Kapaa town. Karaoke, Music and Dance with a Home Town feel. read more

Big Wave Dave's - Best hand patty burger in Kapaa - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Decided to come here for breakfast. I ordered the French toast, which was delicious, enhanced by the coconut syrup. My wife got the big wave special with over medium eggs, white rice, and Portuguese sausage. If you are deciding between Kountry Kitchen (see KK review for explanation) and anywhere else you should try Dave's for breakfast. Small menu but all items are a good choice. We will be back a lot. read more

Big Wave Dave's - Hawaiian french toast - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Very good sit down burger joint. We had the Zesty & Terri burgers. Place was very slow. Bartender was the server and checked on us a couple times. Will come back if we are feeling like a burger. Oh... Loaded fries are like loaded potato skins. Good addition. read more

Great locals neighborhood bar. Drinks are great, prices are best in Kauai. Not a big place, but very welcoming. Live music, and Karaoke on certain nights, mostly by locals that can actually sing. Burgers are tasty. We stop here every time we are on Kauai, lots of fun. Feel at home. read more

Got to the restaurant at 6:08 pm. Kitchen was closed for the day. Would've nice to have that written somewhere. Everything I read said they were open until 2 am. Probably just the bar. Sad. Wanted to try their burgers. read more

I really can't explain how awful of an experience I had here. We waited well over 2 hours for our food and we were only a party of 6 people. We were very understanding when the bartender told us there was a new cook, then shortly after, a person in our party politely voiced his concern that it was taking a very long time and if there would be a discount of some sort, and Cindy (the bartender) completely went off on our entire table and cursed and yelled in front of the entire bar. I've never had an experience like this ever and have never felt so disrespected. No chance I will ever visit this place again and I highly advise that you go elsewhere for food/drinks. She was very aggressive and got in our faces and another person had to hold her back. DON'T GO HERE. read more

***$5 Mai Tai*** Barbara was the best. Hope you like a little bit of sass with your cheap drinks! Decent food and good drink prices. read more

Had the house club and fries it was excellent, Shay the bartender was great she always made sure our drinks were full and never had to wait for anything. Definitely my favorite place in Kapaa. read more

Big Wave Dave's - a woman behind the bar - Sports Bars Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Great local dive bar. Drinks are good and cheaper. Drink specials. Open early. All the rest if the bars open later. Did not eat here and didn't even consider it lol. Drink and move on. read more

Solid dive bar! Nothing fancy and again, a dive bar! But running from rain, we found our way! Drinks were deep and cheap! Garlic chicken, kim chee cucumbers were da bomb! read more

Damn. How after all these years I've never been here? Omg. This place is amazing. Great service and holy moly amazing food. Fish and chips. Garlic chicken. Steak. Burger. Drinks. Pure perfection. I'd rather come here then basically every restaurant on the island and bummed we didn't discover this after our ten years coming here. read more

We were looking for a less touristy spot for a quiet beer and good company, and found it here. Met a nice local named Bill who was excited to tell us all about the geology of the islands and stories about Kauai over the years. Cheap drinks are what we were looking for and what we found. Love a good dive! read more

Food is not bad, lady that served us was very nice and just made the meal that much more pleasurable. We had the fish and chips.

Gota love Dave's. It's the perfect, no-expectations kind of bar. Drinks are stiff, there's always a friend around, and it actually stays open past 10pm! read more

Came here for a late night dinner. Food was not out quick but was worth the wait. Drinks were extremely strong. Happened to be karaoke night. We got our sang on. Shaleah was the shit. Great voice. Go hear for a real Hawaiian experience. read more

Meh. The chicken appetizer was tasty but I didn't care for the ciabatta bun on the burger. The patty itself was juicy but could've used a bit more seasoning. The server didn't appear too happy. It could be due to the lack of air conditioning or customers. Won't return here. read more

Well, I take it that it's a locals bar. I walked in at 8pm on a Monday night, ordered a and started to watched the end of the Hawks Wizards game 4 of the playoffs. there were 2 people in the bar. One was a 60 something butt ugly woman with stringy grayish blonde hair. She leaned over towards me and said "your kind ain't welcomed here." I chuckled and said really, is it the fact I'm vertically challenged, bald, southern or that I'm a "haole"? she just repeated, your kind ain't welcomed here. The bartender was nice but I just paid for my one beer and left. Not great for biz, unless you just don't want the tourist money. read more

Went on a Thursday night after a long day of hiking and site seeing. ..it wasn't crowded at all which was a perfect way to end our night. Only place open for miles so our choices were limited but hey when you need to relax quite and calm is exactly what we were looking for! read more

We were at another bar nearby (Lava Lava) and were planning on staying there to watch our Seahawks play. However, the service stunk, so we drank our beer and looked up other sports bars that might be near. We came across Big Wave Dave's. Let me just say right off that this place ROCKS. Not only is the food super good, it's crazy reasonably priced. It is a dive bar at its finest. We watched the football game, drank beer and ate the best burger I've had in... I don't even know... maybe ever! By the end of the night, we were hanging with the locals, who thought it was funny that we were there because it's such a locals hangout. We met Dave, the owner and heard his story of how the place was established and one of the guys at the bar picked up our tab. Really? Yes, really. What a great evening with the locals and a Seahawks victory. read more

I absolutely loved this bar!!! I loved the bar tenders Mana and Leiani. We had such an amazing experience on the island and we are avid "dive bar" goers on the mainland and for us to find Big Wave Daves made us not only feel at home, the patrons and employees did too! I actually want to go back to Kauai for Big Wave Daves alone! Thank you again for such an amazing experience!!! read more

Friendly staff. Delicious food!! Great margarita and all for very cheap!! Very much a dive bar, so if you enjoy that, go here. Heard the burgers are best on the island. read more