Location: Koloa
Top Restaurants in Koloa
Where to eat Polynesian food in Koloa: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Reviews on Polynesian food in Koloa, Hawaii, United States. Step off the beaten path to Koloa, a community steeped history. Hike, bike or drive the Koloa Heritage Trail to experience such sites as the spectacular Spouting Horn geyser, the ancient walled temple of Kihahouna Heiau, the archaeological sites at Keoneloa Bay, the Puuwanawana Volcanic Cone from which Kauai was born and the Sugar Monument, celebrating the sweet history of sugar production in Hawaii. If history isn't your thing, Poipu Beach and the Kiahuna Golf Club are nearby for your pleasure.
Things to do in Koloa
7. Duke's Kauai
Overall Ratings
4 based on 5425 reviews
On the sand at Kalapaki Beach, Dukeâs is dedicated to legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaiiâs Ambassador of Aloha. The restaurantâs open-air design offers stunning, sweeping ocean views while the 30 foot waterfall plunges into a koi pond below that mea
Reviewed By SteveN228
When we landed in Kauai, HI a week ago to celebrate my birthday weekend, the missus was on the lookout for a nice place to have a celebratory lunch. We're so glad that she decided on the original Duke's (first of its name, literally!) because the place was all about embracing the Aloha spirit, and tasting the real Hawaii!Location (10/10):We used Google Maps to get here from the airport, but it took us to the Marriott entrance instead. The kind valet there informed us that we could use the free parking and take the short down hill path to our destination. En route we passed by Duke's cheerful and helpful valet who pointed us in the right direction. When we arrived at the beachfront entrance, we were blown away by the beautiful view of the blue ocean and the green hilly coast! Service (15/10): We received jovial Alohas from the staff and, though the tables with the best view were taken, were promptly escorted to a table which had a lovely view. Jake L served us for the remainder of the afternoon, and what a delight it was to converse with him! When we were struggling with narrowing down on drinks and food to order from a menu filled with yummy offerings, Jake came to our rescue and recommended the most delicious items. He was also my wife's partner-in-crime when it came to surprising me with a huge complimentary Hula Pie as a birthday treat (the same way I had surprised my wife during her birthday dinner at Duke's Waikiki 3 years ago - what goes around, comes around!). Jake and the valet (my bad that I forgot the nice chap's name) enthusiastically shared helpful tidbits for our camping plan at the remote Polihale State, and pointed us to Ishihara Market for shopping local (where we found some really yummy poke). Mahalo, folks! Food and drinks (12/10):Everything that we drank and ate was yummilicious, I kid you not! The lip-smacking drinks that we ordered were La Pina (Fresh pineapple, coconut cream and hana bay gold rum with a dark rum float served in a locally grown pineapple) and, on Jake's recommendation, Kalapaki Mai Tai (Koloa spice, coconut and dark rums, fresh squeezed passion and pineapple juices). The pupus (appetizers) of Crispy Coconut Shrimp and Macadamia Nut Crab Wontons with plum sauce were both scrumptious. We decided to share the delicious entrée - Fresh fish of the day, and Jake kindly split it for us. The complimentary Hula Pie was rich, creamy, chocolaty, and might I add overwhelming! This is the only item that we couldn't finish and had to take to-go! To summarize, of the three Duke's that we've been to so far (Oahu, Seattle and Kauai), this one takes the top spot hands down. True that the visit left us with a decent dent on the bank balance, but the entire experience (not to mention how it got our trip off to a fantastic start) was totally worth it!
6. Dim N Den Sum
Overall Ratings
4 based on 21 reviews
Reviewed By Anchored
I was so excited when I saw this food truck; we literally âsavedâ our meal here for one of our last days on island. We were so disappointed. We ordered the shumai stick (slathered in a heavy sauce that ruined it), breakfast sandwich (dry and flavorless), poke nachos (again, heavy disgusting sauce, still partially frozen and pale tuna, inedible) and shrimp bao (the best of the worst- basically fried shrimp on a flat bao- like a taco). Maybe Hawaiian-style dim sum is supposed to be this heavy and clunky? Regardless, we did not like it and threw almost everything away. I was frustrated we wasted a meal here.
5. Grand Hyatt Kauai Luau
Overall Ratings
4 based on 375 reviews
The Grand Hyatt Kauai Luau - Poipu's best Polynesian review. Sumptuous Island-style buffet, tropical beverages, and a spectacular show produced by Tihati Productions. Wednesday & Sunday.
Reviewed By TexasRayDoc
Disappointed given the rave reviews! We were staying at the Grand Hyatt so this seemed like the most convenient option. Until the last minute you can't find out if they are doing this in the courtyard by the conference center (most of the time) or inside (skip). Rarely they have it close to the beach which is certainly more desirable and should be the standard location given the hefty price for a buffet meal! The location definitely killed the ambiance for us from the start. The cheesy pics by the "ALOHA" sign didn't improve things. Most in attendance seemed to not be staying at the resort which speaks volumes. It's obvious that the show is outsourced by the Hyatt. The food was just OK. The performances a bit lackluster. Would not repeat or recommend!
4. Tidepools
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2256 reviews
Embrace the tempting combination of contemporary Hawaiian cuisine served in a unique Hawaiian setting. Thatched-roof bungalows float above a koi-filled lagoon at the base of a waterfall to create romantic ambiance. Inspired by local ingredients and the ri
Reviewed By BobKatUSA
We were very disappointed with our meal last night, though service by Wilma was very good. The compressed watermelon salad as a starter was quite good, so things started off well. However, when it came to what should have been their best showing, the fish entrees were disappointing. My husband had the Opah. He described it as âadequateâ but said the fish was not the star of the show as it should have been. I had the Macadamia nut topped Mahi-mahi. It was over cooked to the point of being dry and lacked any macadamia nut flavor. To be fair, they offered to remake it or provided something else, but by that time by husband would have finished his meal. The manager also came over to apologize. We were very surprised when the check came, that they took off the bottle of wine we had, which was about twice the price of the fish entree, so they really did try to make it right in every way possible. They also gave us a complimentary dessert as we were celebrating a special occasionâa baked Hawaiian, made with coconut and passion fruit ice cream. Too sweet for me, but my husband really enjoyed the combination of flavors. We have been to Kauai many times and dined here every trip, so we were very disappointed that the quality of the food and preparation has declined. It is a spectacular setting and the service was very good, however.
3. Plantation Gardens Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1306 reviews
Plantation Gardens Restaurant & Bar is located in a beautifully restored plantation manor on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Dating back to the 1930's, the estate once served as the plantation manager's home for Hawaii's first sugar plantation, the Koloa pl
Reviewed By hollytravl
I recently worked with Amy Evans with a small group private dinner at Plantation Gardens Restaurant. She made the whole planning process easy planning from Nebraska. The chef's and staff made an AMAZING dinner with delicious options for our unusual special requests of vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free special diets. The patio dining was lovely, the servers were amazing and it was a stress free lovely evening. My compliments to all.
2. Eating House 1849
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1076 reviews
Reviewed By Robert D
My wife and I had dinner at Royâs Eating House 1849 in Koloa in late September 2019. My wife had the Butterfish bowl and I had the Blacken Ahi. My Ahi was excellent however, my wifeâs Butterfish was fishy tasting and disappointing. Our service was slow for reasons never explained to us. Royâs is expensive and it is nice to treat yourself to a great meal occasionally but our dining experience was not special that evening. We have eaten at numerous Royâs before and will again as this dining experience was probably an anomaly. There is free parking nearby.
1. Keoki's Paradise
Overall Ratings
4 based on 5435 reviews
Reviewed By TwilightOverBoard
My husband and I made dinner reservations, which I recommend, since it gets very busy for dinner. The grounds around the restaurant are beautiful; feels like you are in the jungle. There was live music and service was excellent. Highly recommend.
