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    Friendly Waves

    4.1 (174 reviews)

    About Friendly Waves

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    FRIENDLY WAVES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Touristy
    Trendy

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    view from the restaurant
    Sam S.

    This place is a celiac's dream! We stumbled on this place looking for somewhere to watch live sports and returned 3 times in a week. About 95% of the menu is or can be gluten free, and the staff and kitchen are super knowledgeable and conscious of allergies. Everything we had was delicious including multiple burger options, the fried chicken sandwich (bao pancakes as buns to make the gluten free swap), wings, and fried pickles. Portions are generous and reasonably priced for the island too. To top it off, the restaurant has a really fun indoor outdoor balcony vibe. I already can't wait to go back, this is hands down the best place on Kaua'i for those who can't eat gluten (and my gluten-eating husband loved this spot too)!

    Juliet O.

    I came here because I saw in the reviews that they are vegan friendly but that's not quite the case. You can get a nacho plate with coconut cheese but it just tastes really bad. They also offer a vegan burger but the vegan bread was so disgusting I couldn't eat it. They need to work on making the vegan option not only just exist, but also taste good. Loved our server though! And loved to see that they offered various non alcoholic beer options.

    Strawberry Guava pancakes
    Susan M.

    Went for breakfast and ordered the strawberry guava pancakes. The consistency of the pancake was more like a regular cake. It was dry and fell apart. Not good. The sauce was tasty, as was the fruit. Service was fine.

    The place.
    Berna D.

    Yes good. Not good the bar being closed Hm.. weird xx. Anyways the food was medioquore which was ok. Thank you. Server was rude and snotty but all is well. Bye xx.

    Chicken nachos
    Jack M.

    I've been to this location a few times - the vibes are good and nachos are very tasty. They didn't have alcohol available unfortunately on this visit, and it took a while for someone to take our order (even though it wasn't too busy). Will definitely be back!

    Local vegetable hash
    Dara W.

    This place was perfect for us. We had a group of seven and wanted to watch the Celtics game. Plenty of space here with all the windows opened up that provided a beautiful breeze. The main bar area was surrounded by TVs, the staff were very friendly and helpful, and the food was absolutely delicious. We ordered wings, nachos, veggie hash, and beef bowl. We shared most items and everything was tasty. I was impressed that they offered a coconut miso "cheese" alternative for the nachos which was fantastic. You also had your choice of fresh fried nacho chips or root chips. The variety of food and drink offerings is fabulous. We'd go back for sure.

    Fried Chicken sandwich
    Vince L.

    In the recently built commercial courtyard, we found this restaurant for lunch on the second floor. From the name, it wasn't immediately obvious to us that it was a restaurant. It sounded more like a clothing store. We entered and were seated immediately by one of the large windows. It was nice and breezy with a great view. We ordered the fried chicken sandwich (green onion dip, lettuce, tomato, buffalo wing sauce on the side) and the OG burger (9th island sauce, shredded lettuce, charred onions, tomato, pickle, american cheese). Both came with crispy fries that were delicious. The fried chicken was well made--good seasoning with a nice crust. I'm glad I had sauce on the side as I didn't want it to be soggy. The burger was fresh and delicious as well. This new restaurant is off to a good start. And the best part? The staff! They were so friendly and accommodating. That will go a long way to their success.

    fish tacos + sweet potato fries
    Abby C.

    fish tacos were filling and good :) sweet potato fries were good too, but nothing special. we went in the morning because it opened earlier than most places do on the south side. they let us order chicken wings around the time we went (10amish), even though it wasn't on the breakfast menu. all the servers there were really nice and attentive

    Breakfast
    Raquel T.

    We went on our search for a good breakfast place here in Kauai. Yes there are some quaint restaurants with the hometown feel, but we wanted something a little more. We found friendly waves in koloa. We were seated immediately with a beautiful view as we enjoyed our meal. The staff was friendly and the service was quick. The food was 5 stars. I would encourage anyone to come and enjoy this amazing restaurant.

    Spicy Bloody Mary and a HBW Kewalo's Cream Ale
    Kim K.

    Enjoyed watching our college basketball game at Friendly Waves. The staff were welcoming and Kara ensured we were setup with the TVs. Our bartender, Jonathan, was attentive yet gave us time to sit and enjoy our beverages, nice & spicy Bloody Mary & a local beer, before ordering food. Happy we split the Maluhia steak breakfast burrito. It was loaded with meat, potatoes and pico with crisp pickled onions on the side. And we decided to try a side of goteborg sausage , a blend of beef and pork, very tasty. Great sports bar environment with an open airy bar and dining area.

    Kalbi burger with gluten free bao bun and sweet potato fries
    Victoria S.

    Friendly Waves is THE place to go if you're Celiac/gluten free or just want something delicious with a chill vibe. Almost the entire menu is gluten free and they always have lots of sports playing. Friendly Waves is on the second floor of The Village Marketplace and open air, giving the feel of being in the forest. Bonus points - Friendly Waves has kama'aina discounts.

    Fried chicken sandwich with bao bun and sweet potato fries
    Kennedy L.

    This is a super great second-floor bar restaurant atmosphere to stop in and have a drink and some food. They are very conscientious to allergies - options for gluten free modification to almost everything on the menu! They used a bao bun in place of wheat bun for the chicken sandwich. Fries were great and full bar selection. Wait staff were very accommodating of food restrictions and provided great recommendations. Will definitely return!

    Burger and wedge salad
    Tim H.

    The food is delish, cold beers on tap. Service is friendly. Ambiance is great when the wind is blowing through the restaurant.

    I believe was the OG burger (recommended by our waitress).

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    3 years ago

    We did takeout and the food was great. Had no idea the place was there. We'll definitely be going back for an in person meal.

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    Page 5 of 5

    Ask the Community - Friendly Waves

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    Kalapaki Joes

    Kalapaki Joes

    3.2(990 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    •$$

    I want to check out the western most sports bar in the USA. We arrived about 5:30pm and were…read moregreeted and seated immediately. As with most restaurants in Kauai it open air environment and a view of ocean. A great place to watch games and a lively atmosphere. Happy hour is available daily from 3-6pm. Our waitress was very accommodating as she notified us that we could order our two drink minimum to qualify for the happy hour food specials before 6pm and she would serve later. Flashback price on chicken wing of $0.25 each, max 10 per person. We ordered 20 buffalo wings and fish tacos. They have a great selection of the local Kauai Brewing Company beers, another reason we want to try this place. We started we the pale ale and the Cook IPA. Cold, tasty and refreshing. We also tried the chicken IPA and Fonz IPA. All were great! Our favorite was the Cook IPA. The chicken wings had a nice heat level and were perfect accompanied by beer. The fish grilled tacos were fantastic. This will definitely be our go to place to watch a game and just a quick bite. Looking forward to returning. Highly recommended!

    This is a great, fun, affordable option while staying in Poipu!!! We've already been here twice…read more The key is to go during their happy hour time from 3-6pm daily. The first time we spent just over $100 for a family of 5, and last night we got out of there for $88. That is a feat in this part of town! The happy hour is unbeatable. $7 drinks and 25 cent wings. Note that you have to have minimum two drinks per person, but they don't have to be alcoholic--we got a cocktail as our first and soda water as the second. The cocktails are quite large, so you can still get the $7 price if you order a soda or sparkling water as your second drink. The waitress was super helpful and let us know that last night! We went for taco Tuesday yesterday and the tacos were $1 each! They were good--not insane but great for the price and hit the spot. The service is great and the food and drinks come out quickly despite being busy. The drinks are standard fare, nothing crazy delicious, but for the price it's great. The food is all yummy. We especially love their chicken wings! Home-fried and lots of meat. All of the dipping sauces are excellent too. We haven't had a bad dish here! Truly wonderful prices, good food, and great for the whole family.

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    Kalapaki Joes - Sports Bar

    Sports Bar

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    Banana Mac French Toast

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    Keoki's Paradise

    Keoki's Paradise

    4.0(4k reviews)
    1.7 mi
    •$$$

    We had a genuinely amazing dinner here! Really great. The vibe of the restaurant is done so nicely,…read morebeautiful architecture, live music, and an indoor/ outdoor feel. The drinks were delicious (I loved my lychee martini) and the appetizer we had was incredible! Taro rolls and carrot muffins. The taro rolls were sooooo soft and delicious, never had anything like it. Then for dinner we each tried something different, I had the burger which was excellent! Special shout out to our amazing waiter, Tyrus. I don't think I've ever had such a personable, kind, and engaging waiter. He was hilarious and so fun to talk to. He gave great recommendations on the island as well. Overall amazing experience. Highly recommend!

    Beautiful ambience and great service. We were seated very quickly, and our server came right away…read more We started with the carrot muffins and taro rolls. They had a lovely flavor, but were a little dry. My wife had the guava barbecue ribs, and I had the guava barbecue chicken. The ribs were delicious. My only note is they would've been even better if they had been cooked in a smoker. My chicken was also a bit dry. I had them bring me a ramekin of barbecue sauce, and that moisten did it up enough. that it was pretty good. Sides were locally grown, and well-prepared. Their signature dessert is called hula pie. It's an ice cream and macadamia nut take on a baked Alaskan, and it's delicious. It's really big, so you might want to start with dessert, and then see how hungry you are after. The noise level is good, it was nice for a romantic evening it also seemed like it would be good for groups up to 12.

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    Keoki's Paradise
    Keoki's Paradise
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    Friendly Waves - burgers - Updated October 2026

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