Fine Big Island dining is no longer limited to the big resorts. Coffee-houses have boomed, bakeries have flourished and several top-class world renowned chefs have set up home in upcountry Waimea.
Go off the beaten track or live it up with five-star dining. So many places, so little time might well be your mantra as you drive around sampling its culinary delights!
Freshly Grown on Volcanic Soil
The Big Island is well known for its Kona coffee, which grows on the slopes of the volcanoes. But did you know that the fertile soil also produces great fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuces, beets, herbs and fruit and a sweet pineapples?
From local ranches, chefs get the pick of lamb and beef and local fishermen produce the fresh local catch. With such wonderful ingredients at hand, it is no surprise that Big Island dining is earning accolades from gourmet critics and fans around the world.
Go North to Hawi
A 30 minute drive north of the Kohala resorts is Bamboo restaurant in the small town of Hawi.
It was originally built as a hotel for plantation workers nearly 100 years ago.
Now, this atmospheric restaurant has bamboo finishes, bold artwork, an art gallery selling the work of local artists and creative dishes using fresh island fish and produce bought daily from local farmers.
Try their specialty chicken sate pot stickers which are hand-wrapped won tons with chicken, herbs, and peanuts served with a chili mint sauce. Wash it down with passion-fruit ice-tea or their renowned passion-fruit margarita, and you will be a fan for life.
Dine to entertainment by local musicians on Friday and Saturday nights.
Ono Kine Grindz, as they say in Hawaii
Every meal is a feast at the upcountry Hawai'ian Style Cafe in Waimea. Beloved for its ono (delicious) kine grindz, lines form early in the day for such plates as the “Big Mok”, a Loco Moco with spam, Portuguese Sausage, and breakfast sausage. The café uses local grass-fed beef in their burgers and the two chefs dish it out as quickly as you can eat it.
For exquisite Big Island dining, blow your budget at the elegant Pahu i’a at the Four Season resort at Hulalai.
Pahu i’a means aquarium and fittingly, the centerpiece is a large aquarium. The ocean is just steps away but the refined presentation and an outstanding Asian-influenced menu might very well tempt your attention away.
Try yummy signature dishes such as the Hawaiian anthology which is made of servings of ahi poke, lilikoi barbecue kalua pork steamed buns, Hawaiian abalone and lobster cappuccino.
In Big Island dining circles, Manago is revered. It is a local icon in Captain Cook town serving American-Japanese style food.
You must try it at least once and make sure you order the pork chops!
Both residents and tourists come from all over the island for these simply prepared pork chops which are cooked in a large cast iron skillet with light seasonings of salt and pepper.
Served with white rice, a choice of potato or macaroni salad and two side servings of vegetables, it is basic Hawaiian style cooking at its best - not found in other Big Island restaurants.
With such a wonderful choice of Big Island dining, it has become as much a culinary attraction as it is a holiday destination.
The Big Island is not called BIG for no reason. It is still growing and its several micro-climes create a diversity of fabulous attractions and opportunities for unusual adventures.
