Wailua Drive In is a popular Hawaiian restaurant in Kapa'a, Hawaii, known for its fresh, local…read morecomfort food like plate lunches, burgers, and katsu. Popular menu items include ahi katsu 10/10, chili pepper chicken 9/10, and Hawaii's own- loco moco (not a huge fan in general). They offer a variety of other options, including poke, ramen, and sandwiches, with convenient takeout and delivery available. It's definitely a local favorite due to its generous portions, authentic Hawaiian cuisine and friendly service. We ordered the fried chicken and poke combo with wonton chips and the ahi katsu (my absolute fav). The ahi was fried to perfection- crispy on the outside while rare and tender on the inside. The sauce on the katsu was absolutely fire!!! So good! Macaroni salad was creamy and delicious. And the rice was perfect. Obviously, you cannot visit Hawaii without having some of their poke- always fresh and delightfully tasty. The marinade was savory and packed with flavor.

First time to Kaua'i and I'm looking for some local eats. From the reviews I've read, this seems to…read morebe a popular place. GETTING THERE: It was extremely easy to find. Its right off a main road and you cannot miss it. Parking lot was a bit small, but there was plenty of parking. AMBIANCE: When I went there was plenty of seating. A bit dead, but I also did go pretty early. There were a bunch of decor of older American pop culture like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, etc. But also Hawaiian themed decor (obviously). SERVICE: You gotta walk up to the front to order. I was approached almost immediately as soon as I walked up to the menu on the screen. The girl working was super friendly and welcoming. I made my order and she gave me a pager for when my food was ready. FOOD: I ordered the chili pepper chicken, which was recommended from the girl at the counter. My friend ordered the ahi katsu. The chili pepper chicken was good! It was crispy and extremely flavorful. It was slightly too salty for my taste, but luckily the rice does help balance it out. Some of the crispness was sacrificed for the sauce, but it was overall still pretty crispy. I loved that they used boneless chicken thigh. I was expecting bones or lots of breading but it actually had a perfect ratio. I wasn't much a fan of the mac salad. It was like a mix of mac and potato salad, but more like a potato salad. I'm not big on potato salad, so that makes sense. My friend's ahi katsu was alright in my opinion. The sauce that's on it was good and enjoyed all the flavors. The tuna was just a bit overcooked to my liking, but idk how else one would make a katsu without overlooking it too much. Maybe bread the fish and freeze it before frying? Idk man, I'm not a chef lol but the tuna would definitely be better if it was less cooked. OVERALL: Honestly, I would still come here again. I still enjoyed the meal and the service was pretty quick. Both items were both worth trying. All the flavors were there and the little things I didn't like were just personal preferences. Its a great place to pick up a lunch plate and enjoy it at the beach.

If you're visiting Kauai and looking for a local lunch spot, Pono Market is a must…read more We stopped in for lunch and ordered a little bit of everything: pork lau lau (which was a hit with my toddler, no less!), a couple of different poke options, and a plate with karaage and poke. I can't remember exactly which poke varieties we got, but I believe one was their shoyu poke and the other was a spicy ahi. Regardless, everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. This is exactly the kind of mom-and-pop spot I love finding while traveling. No frills, just friendly people serving great food at reasonable prices. The poke was fresh, the karaage was flavorful, and the lau lau was tender and comforting. The staff was welcoming, the portions were generous, and the prices were fair, especially considering the quality of the food. There are plenty of places to eat on Kauai, but spots like this are what make a trip memorable. We'll definitely be back the next time we're on the island.

Pono market was legit everything they say it is on tik tok!…read more the fish was super fresh. They also have options for poke bowls if you'd like, they offer half and half options of ahi fish just different flavors. If that make sense. Honestly loved it so much! Service was super fast paced everyone going in knew what they wanted and it was also lunch time so everything was moving fast! It is a store like place, so it kind felt like I was walking into a deli but with fish options!

Ambiance is gorgeous, 5 stars Service was great but food 1…read morestar. Catch of the day was swordfish supposedly caught fresh that day but the texture & color was so off it tasted at best previously frozen for $50 it was mehhh at best. Ceviche was so so. Definitely wouldn't order again. Mezcal cocktail on menu was okay ... wouldn't order another round. Overall, would not go back. I kinda felt scammed & felt treated like "dumb tourist" by a used car salesman. Far better restaurants to visit ...

Went here for one fancy occasion. Had one nice server, his name start wit T, Taylor or someting. He…read morewas super nice and informative, no make me tink too hard. Told me what was good and where everyting came from. Vibes were chill, can look out at da water, locally sourced food. Only issue is da pricing feel like it's for tourists, and it wasn't da best food I ever had. For da prices, us locals kinda expect little discount, but whateva. Still, go here ova da odda restaurants, but save um for special occasion only.

The food was great!!! we came twice and both times delicious !!! I really like the burgers. I would…read moretotally recommend coming here if you want authentic Hawaii food!!!

Grab and go spot. Service is very fast here. After ordering, we waited just a few minutes…read more Large variety of food but the combo plates is probably the safe bet. We got the chicken and shrimp combo plate both with chili sauce. It was incredible. The chicken was crunchy and moist. The shrimp was smothered in garlic sauce. Grab this and eat in your car or at the park nearby. You just gotta be careful with the chickens

My hubby and I are foodies, and this was one of the best restaurants and foods we ate on the…read moreisland. Made reservations the night before for a weekday, which was relatively easy to get. I'm sure on weekends would be harder. Food was delicious! Hubs and I both got fish dishes for the evening and it was on point. Fresh and flavorful. They also have their own freshly baked focaccia bread (free!) with olive oil and vinegar. And wow !! We needed another helping of it because it was so good. We ordered off the keiki (kids) menu for our 3yo and I tried some of her pasta Alfredo sauce... I was impressed. Al dente and very flavorful. Came with fresh (and very sweet) pineapples and scoop of ice cream! She loved it. Service was great! Fast and attentive. Ambiance is nice, no need for formal clothes but you can dress up if you'd want!

It's been a few years since I've been back home and I wanted to take my partner to experience where…read moreI was raised and enjoy Kauai! We decided to celebrate our 5 year anniversary yesterday here at Hukilau Lanai. We are both extremely big foodies and had high expectations based on the reviews (and price). We specifically came here for the fish dishes that use local fish. I never had the chance to eat here before so this review is solely based on my experience yesterday. Poke nachos ($23): 7/10, solid nothing special Soup of the day, Fisherman's Jalapeño corn chowder ($5): 6.5/10, also decently solid but nothing special. The little kick of spice was nice. Hukilau mixed grill ($49): 7/10, the sauce was delicious and trying the various fish was fun. Fish were cooked well and not too dry. The one on the far right was my favorite. Nairabi ($48): 6/10, the crust was excellent but I did not like the pumpkin curry sauce. The marlin actually tasted better when I mixed it with the sauce of the mixed grill. Mashed potatoes were decent. Marlin was a tad bit dry but not sure if that's how it's supposed to be. Coconut cheesecake ($14.5): 9/10, I LOVE COCONUT! Delicious dessert, portion was a lil small tho Lava cake ($18): 3/10, very okayy I personally did not like it especially the outside chocolate cake part tasted off We were seated in a spot on the lanai to the side which was beautiful and peaceful. The service was great, we were constantly being checked up on which was nice. Our server was welcoming and kind. I liked that they give a vase of water so you can pour yourself since we drink a lot of water. Would we come again? No. Although service was great and the fish was decent it was still quite lackluster taste wise especially when compared to the price point. There was a lot of flavors going on with the dishes that felt distracting to me that didn't truly bring out the taste of the fish. Sauce is the most important part of fish dishes. I also don't know if it might've been the food but my partner had a stomach ache afterwards. We also gave our fish leftovers to my brother and it hurt his stomach too lol I was fine though so not sure from what.

We stopped in here on a whim after a morning at the beach. The Hawaiian style smoked meat was soooo…read moregood and I loved the kimchi. The service was friendly and fast and the truck is so cute!

Just a little trailer with picnic tables. The food was…read morereally good. The loco Moco as especially good. Parking is available in the lot. The person running it was friendly and welcoming.

Welcoming, kind, cozy, delicious, amazing people, amazing service. I cannot speak highly enough…read moreabout this place. Looks like a hole in the wall but I assure you it will be some of the best food of your life! Everything we ate was delicious- the ahi tuna wrap was spectacular, as were the Ono tacos and shrimp tacos. The guy working behind the register was so kind and even took us back to see the tuna they were prepping for the next day! This place is a must try! When a place serves food on plates like these- you know it's gonna be good! MUST TRY!

Food 9/10 I had the grilled mahi mahi and it was one of the…read morebest meals I had on the island Service 9/10 They were nice and the service was fast Ambiance 8/10 The place was small but we sat outside so it didn't feel dark and cramped.

Honestly, i thought this place would be overpriced restaurant to milk the hotel guests. I was…read moresurprised to find the prices reasonable for the food, view and proximity. I had dinner there twice and had poke bowl, fish salad and tacos. Everything was ok but i am not gonna lie, i looked at other people's plates and wished I had their food instead of mine lol. Their burgers and chicken fingers looked great. You order at the bar and pick up at the bar. So there is really no "service" since you also have to bus your own dishes.

Near Lydgate beach is Mamahune's serving drinks and some grub. My family enjoyed the snacks…read moreespecially the fish tacos, comes with two and came with fresh grilled ono. The poke was delicious too. The pina colada was my favorite. Service was fast and they were super nice as well. Order at front and they call your name. There's a good amount of seating that overlooks the beach. The area is well kept and clean, with colorful beachy decor all around.

We had breakfast here during a tropical storm when a lot of placed didn't open. We really…read moreappreciate them taking care of the tourist. There is plenty of parking in the lot in front. Prices are fair. The greeting and services were really nice. Food was great with generous portions. I had the corned beef hash. It's patties of hash deep fried to a nice crispy texture and topped with brown gravy. It was served with tasty fried rice and eggs. The ham and cheese omelette was filled with a good amount of ham and melted cheese. Served with lots of golden brown hash-browns. The coffee was good. This is a casual spot where you order at the counter and the food is served to your table. I would recommend it highly.

I grew up eating here, so this place is nostalgic to me. The chicken cutlet with gravy has always…read morebeen my comfort meal and it hasn't changed. Surprisingly everything still tastes the same. They still had desserts left in the fridge, so I grabbed the blueberry cream cheese pie and the pumpkin crunch. The blueberry was really good. It could use a little more blueberry but the crust and the overall taste was nice. I called ahead to place an order for pickup. What was nice is that they called me to let me know my order was ready. Really thoughtful and welcoming when I arrived.

Previously stopped by to grab lunch shortly after landing in Kauai. Really great hot bar options,…read moreand it came out fast!

This is a good market and fast food grab location. The prices are some of the best in the area. We…read morereally wanted Poi and other lunch food to go but it was late. This location is located on a main street that can be very busy. Since it was late, they were closing up and packing away from the 'deli' area so we could not do any food orders. We were able to get our Poi and other food items with no issue. It is a smaller and narrow location that is deep from the front counter to the back. Best of low cost local food and to go.