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    Kawaihae Kitchen

    4.4 (148 reviews)
    InexpensiveHawaiian, Sushi Bars, Salad
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

    Kawaihae Kitchen Photos

    KAWAIHAE KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Kawaihae Kitchen

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    Sign out front
    Elizabeth T.

    How to do it: Drive up, park, ring bell and the window slides open. Order and hang out while your items are made by hand by a nice guy. There is no place to eat it so take it home or eat in your car. There are normal fish items, and one vegetarian roll with avo and veggies. The veggie rolls was good. One per person seems about right.

    Plate Lunch w/ Teriyaki Beef @ $12.00
    Kimiko D.

    We called our order in - ready to go at 20 minutes (we had a later lunch, like 1:15 so didn't have to deal with the lunch rush & lines). Delish, refreshing, nice size portions, great value, nice customer service - food wasn't "knock your socks off" but it was good. Would def return. Took our lunch to Spencer Beach Park (1-1/2 miles away) - kicked back at the picnic tables and enjoyed the good life!

    Chicken karaage
    A M.

    Super yummy, tasty, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside! Such a good price too!

    Korean Fried Chicken salad
    Nadine O.

    Great spot on Kohala coast, Kona side of Big Island for delicious local takeout. Love their Korean fried chicken, very umami flavors - had mine in a fresh green salad to alleviate my guilt of eating fried (not so healthy but worth every bite!) chicken. My friend opted for their Poke bowl. We took our eats down to nearby Spencer Beach Park to enjoy the views while savoring our ono lunch.

    Korean chicken bowl
    Jessica S.

    An Ono find! We got the ahi roll, korean chicken rice bowl, and chicken Katsu bento. We were very satisfied with all 3! The ingredients were fresh and made with aloha. Good value for Ono grindz.The cashier was super kind! Good to take to the beach or eat after the beach. There is no seating available. I recommend going early before the fresh ahi runs out! Will definitely come back!

    the front of the restaurant
    Rene H.

    This is a little out of the way from the resorts in Waikoloa but I think it's worth your drive to get some good cheap sushi. It's a very small take out place. It is only open for a few hours a day (it closes at 2PM as of June 2022). I think there is one guy who works there. So it's kind of slow. The wait it about 15 minutes per customer. One time we had to wait about 30 minutes. Another time about 15 minutes. So it really depends on how many people are waiting for food. Stop by here and grab some sushi on your way to Hapuna beach.

    Alice Z.

    Stopped here for lunch. I recommend calling in advance cuz it takes around 30-40 mins for the food to be ready and that way you're not standing around waiting. I tried the tuna sushi roll and Korean chicken bento box. Soooo yummy. One of the best lunch spots on this side of the island

    Taylor S.

    A small restaurant with delicious food! The menu is pretty limited and there is also limited seating. You'll probably have to wait a while for the food to come out because only 1 man works the entire restaurant! Patience is key! I ordered: A rice bowl w/ teriyaki chicken and spicy ahi ($9.95): everything served over a bed of greens, avocado, wasabi+ginger. Teriyaki chicken actually comes fried (which I didn't like when I found out upon ordering), but the coating is actually very light and crispy! The teriyaki sauce gives it sweetness which made it more tasty. The ahi is bought from the fish market across the street so it was super fresh! I liked the spicy sauce as it wasn't heavy; 4.5/5 starts My group had a lot of people so I felt kind of bad to make him so busy haha but the food was great!

    Fish and Chips with POG at Spencer Beach
    Kristian D.

    This is another one of those great Yelp finds. Kawaihae Kitchen is literally a small kitchen in a roadside strip mall with the owner making each dish by hand. They are only open for lunch with a limited menu of plate lunches and other specials. Parking can be tight since they share the location with a popular shave ice stand and a few other eateries. I arrived at the beginning of the lunch rush mid week, but was quickly told their would be a 20-30 min wait due to a bunch of phone in orders. That is usually a good sign, so I placed an order for fish & chips and explored the art gallery and other restaurants in the area. After a while, I returned and got an amazing take out order of fresh fried fish with amazing French fries, macaroni salad, and condiments. There is no real seating at the restaurant, so I took my order to the nearby Spencer Beach Park. It is a close and short option to eat by the water under a grove of shade trees. The fish was cooked perfectly with a great fresh flavor. The fries were thick and crisp with a generous portion. Even the macaroni salad was very good and homemade. This is a great option for those visiting the area. If you venture outside the tourist areas on Hawaii, you can often find gems like the Kawaihae Kitchen. You may have to tolerate some hassle compared to the bigger places catering to tourists, but this local kitchen has some amazing food that fits the location.

    Teriyaki beef.
    Donnie Mac M.

    Incredible that this one guy can produce so much great food in such a tiny little kitchen. You need to be patient--it is a one man show and he prepares each meal with extreme care. We had the teriyaki and chicken Katy's bento boxes. They both came on a huge bed of rice flavored with some seaweed and served with a slab of Spam and pickled daikon radish. There are tables outside. Afterward, go next door for some excellent shave ice!

    Plate lunch w/ nori chicken and korean chicken

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    1 month ago

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    9 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Love love their cooked to order food; especially the nori chicken and Korean chicken. Wish they had longer hours

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Disappointed because went out there and no fish and chips. Based on their previous review, waste of a drive

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The Ahi sushi rolls, with the most fresh ginger, were onolicious! I could eat them everyday.

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Overpriced - dinky portions - the owners talk waaaaay too much. The food looks pretty.

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    4 years ago

    Great food and great service. Are go to place every time we visit family in Waimea.Food portions are large.

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    4 years ago

    Evertime I go there closed.Is the shop still open. Went there last week Wednesday and this past Friday and it was closed.

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    4 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

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    Seafood Bar & Grill - Fresh catch

    Seafood Bar & Grill

    4.1(801 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    We have been coming to Seafood Bar and Grill for years on our annual Hawaii vacation and it never…read moredisappoints. The owner Dave is always friendly and a pleasure to chat with. I got the ginger steamed clams and they were amazing. We also ordered an extra serving of Parmesan bread because it was so tasty. My dad got the prime rib, which is only available on Tuesdays, and it was great as always. Our server Matt recommended my mom try the black bean seafood combo, and she was pleasantly surprised by how much she loved her meal! My husband got the cajun style fresh catch and loved his meal! We highly recommend this restaurant and love supporting Dave and his team. It's always a great experience!

    Casual vibes, stellar food, and friendly staff…read more You may accidentally drive right on by this casual eatery if you didn't know it was here! We stopped by during happy hour on a Sunday with a party of 4 adults and one child and were immediately seated. We ordered a round of very solid (and strong) mai tais along with some pupus: the coconut shrimp and seafood quesadillas. Both were repeatable, but the seafood quesadilla was especially delicious! For the main, I ordered their fish sandwich, which came with swordfish as the catch of the day. The tartar sauce had a nice tang and just a hint of spice that really made the flavor shine. Would definitely recommend visiting!

    Photos
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    Love the lamps!

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    Seafood fried rice

    Seafood Bar & Grill - I couldn't decide between the calamari and the seared poke for the island salad  and Donnie suggested getting both! Wow amazingly tasty!!

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    I couldn't decide between the calamari and the seared poke for the island salad and Donnie suggested getting both! Wow amazingly tasty!!

    Broke Da Mouth Grindz KONA

    Broke Da Mouth Grindz KONA

    4.4(2.7k reviews)
    29.1 mi
    $$

    This is an unassuming spot located in the center of a little strip mall. However, once you enter,…read morethey actually have plenty of seating and were quite busy! We also came on a Friday evening, so it was nice to see of people here. The spot serves Hawaiian plate lunches, and it definitely did not disappoint. Portion sizes were huge, we probably had the best macaroni salad of our entire trip here, and flavors were super bold, but not overly salty. Pork Belly Fat Adobo (10/10) - this was fantastic! The meat was literally fall apart tender, and was able to retain its juiciness. Sometimes braised meat gets a little dry for me, but this place definitely does it right and preps some juicy pork. - the pork belly sauce mixed with the rice was probably one of my favorite things on this entire trip Spicy Garlic Furikake Chicken (8/10) - this was a huge plate! The fried chicken is super crispy and retains its crispiness on the outside for a while. It packs a very mild kick will not being overly salty or spicy. - to illustrate the crispiness, we were able to get our food to go, drive over to the beach, and while eating the chicken was still delicious and crisp Overall, a pretty unassuming spot from the outside, but as you can tell from the reviews of this place definitely hits the spot. Huge portion sizes, super crispy foods, and amazing flavors.

    Sadly disappointed…read more Was looking forward to an "out of this world" experience based on IG posts but turned out to be a bust. We came here just before their lunch break and it seems as if we got the last of the AM batch of food they had already prepared. I HAD TO get the Garlic Furikake chicken plate that they were known for and it was dry. Not only that but the rice was dry as well. The Kalua Pork was dry too and the "spicy" garlic butter shrimp barely had any heat or garlic flavor at all. About the only thing that was decent was the Mac salad which was probably made and bought from somewhere else. I was also looking forward to buying a shirt, a tank top or a hat but here was ZERO apparel anywhere. The whole back wall was a big gridwall panel that was completely bare. I'm really hoping that the next time I drop in I will have a much more positive experience.

    Photos
    Broke Da Mouth Grindz KONA - Inside

    Inside

    Broke Da Mouth Grindz KONA - Animal Cheeseburger upgrade to Pork Bell Fries

    Animal Cheeseburger upgrade to Pork Bell Fries

    Broke Da Mouth Grindz KONA - Garlic shrimp braised short ribs and Korean chicken.

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    Garlic shrimp braised short ribs and Korean chicken.

    The Fish and The Hog - Brussel sprouts and Caesar Salad

    The Fish and The Hog

    4.5(1.6k reviews)
    11.5 mi
    $$

    We had the pleasure of being served by Ben. Very sweet and attentive greeting when we walked in…read more We felted so welcomed The fish and chips was delicious - as well as the gumbo- i didn't order either or, but i had to try what my company was ordering. I enjoyed the pull pork sandwich w onion rings. Everything on the plate was fresh and delicious. Their Lava Flow and Blue Hawaii were also super tasty and refreshing. Thank you for the wonderful experience

    my Son raved about this restaurant because he had eaten there on previous trips to the Big island…read more. I was so looking forward to dining on delicious BBQ . we had to order our meals as take out online because of young children , so we looked to order at 4:30 pm . so i went online and believe it or not I was incredulous that they were sold out of Every single BBQed Dish pork, chicken, ribs etc I was so disappointed and in disbelief That I called the restaurant and sure enough it was true! shocking for a BBQ RESTAURANT to run out of BBQ! because our hearts were set on having their food , so burgers were ordered by the family and i ordered the ONO grilled with a side of cole slaw and grilled pineapple, and O NO the fish was so tough it was difficult to cut with a knife... it was tastless and chewy ... threw away half of it ! It was not the fresh Ono I expected and love! hopefully this does not happen often !!! I understand that Restaurants have an off night sometimes ... but this was SO SAD !!! in addition there was something (maybe a spice or something on the grill ) on either the fish and/or the pineapple , that I had an allergic reaction to ! my tongue swelled and was extremely uncomfortable!!! I have never had that happen before... it is sad that the cornbread and the coleslaw were the best part if the meal! The burgers were enjoyed so that boosted my score !

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    The Fish and The Hog
    The Fish and The Hog - The Sampler

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    Merriman's - Bread Pudding and Chocolate Purse

    Merriman's

    4.4(1.4k reviews)
    10.0 mi
    $$$$

    I reviewed Merriman's 10 years ago, but we have eaten here every other year since so I decided time…read moreto update my review. As you can see still 5 stars! Kayla gave us attentive and personal service. Scrumptious Mai Tai's, great wine choices, perfect service and fresh local foods prepared perfectly. What a treat to eat here. Make sure you have a reservation, they were turning people away tonight. We shared Mushroom Bisque, Beet Salad, Mahi Mahi and Lobster Ravioli duo. With their fresh rolls so yummy and satisfying. We will be back in two years for sure on our next Big Island visit!

    I want to preface my 3-star rating by saying we did enjoy most of what we ordered, and the service…read morewas honestly amazing. However, as a vegetarian, I felt like we really just had one option for our entrée. We ended up getting full off starters and sides. The only main we could really do was the mushroom pot pie. It was good and comforting, just not anything super memorable. Lastly, I don't mind spending on a nice meal, but a few things felt a little pricey for what they were. For example, the tomato and blue cheese salad with capers was $25, which felt a little steep for essentially five slices of tomato. That being said, everything tasted very fresh and the quality of ingredients was definitely there. Overall, still a good experience, especially because of the service.

    Photos
    Merriman's - Restaurant

    Restaurant

    Merriman's - Purple Sweet Potato Chips

    Purple Sweet Potato Chips

    Merriman's - Merrimans Duo: beef + special of the day

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    Merrimans Duo: beef + special of the day

    Kawaihae Kitchen - hawaiian - Updated May 2026

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