The Kauaʻi DeskBest local food on Kauaʻi · mom-and-pop onlyRanked by locals
Island Guide
Plate Lunch
on Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi is the smallest of the four islands and has the tightest local food culture. Kapaʻa is the plate lunch hub. Lihuʻe has the airport and the lunch counters that feed the people working at it. Hanapepe is the south shore sleeper. Here's the list.
183 curated joints · zero chains
Hamura Saimin · LihuePono Market in Kapaʻa is the standard-bearer — a lunch counter that locals have been defending to tourists for thirty years. Their poke and chicken katsu are what you order. The plate lunch format here leans slightly more Japanese-Filipino than it does on Oʻahu, reflecting the plantation labor history of the north shore.
The Waimea side (west shore) has roadside stops that close before 2pm. Go early. If you miss the window, it's frozen acai until tomorrow.
Kauaʻi Picks
Explore Kauaʻi by Food
Plate Lunch 131Fresh Fish 11Seafood 9Beef 8Pastry 8Coffee 7Pizza 6Chinese 6Saimin 3Burger 3Thai 3Mexican 3Sushi 3
By Town
Kapaa55 spotsLihue42 spotsHanalei20 spotsKoloa16 spotsWaimea14 spotsHanapepe11 spotsKalaheo8 spotsKilauea4 spotsPrinceville4 spotsEleele4 spots
Plan the whole day
A Perfect Day of Eating on Kauaʻi