Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [114]
COCONUT COAST
Mermaids Café (1384 Kuhio Hwy., Kapaa; 80 8/821-2026). This tiny hole-in-the-wall is loaded with veggie dishes, from the tofu sate plate to the tofu stir-fry to the bean burrito, and prices are very frugal.
KILAUEA
Kilauea Bakery & Pau Hana Pizza (In Kong Lung Center, Kilauea Rd., off Hwy. 56 on the way to the Kilauea Lighthouse, Kilauea; 80 8/828-2020). The vegetarian pizzas here are the best! I’m also partial to their great vegan soups (like the yummy curried carrot soup or the pumpkin soup).
HANALEI
Postcards Cafe (On Kuhio Hwy., at the entrance to Hanalei town; 80 8/826-1191). Vegetarians will love this small, picturesque cafe, with a very veggie-friendly menu. My picks from the changing menu are the sombrero (puff pastry filled with organic cheeses, green chiles, onions, mushrooms, and garlic) or the Shanghai (tofu with veggies and roasted cashews in a tamarind ginger sauce). Save room for the chocolate silk (a chocolate pie in a crust of graham crackers, dried cherries, and crusted cashews)—yum-yum.
Mema THAI/CHINESE If you’re looking for a casual dining experience with something exotic but priced reasonably, this is your place. This family-run restaurant is decorated with a profusion of plants and flowers, and the waitstaff wear traditional Thai costumes. The large menu offers some 50 different appetizers, a range of curries (we recommend the house curry, a Siam-style panans curry with lime leaves, lemon grass, and coconut milk), and a host of traditional Thai and Chinese specialties. Most of the dishes can be ordered mild, medium, or spicy, with vegetables, tofu, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, or seafood.
4-369 Kuhio Hwy., Kapaa. 80 8/823-0899. Main Courses $11–$20. MC, V. Mon–Fri 11am–2pm; daily 5–9pm.
Wailua Marina Restaurant AMERICAN This is a strange but charming place, anti-nouvelle to the end. I recommend the open-air seating along the Wailua River to munch on your sandwich (mahimahi is a favorite) and salad. The interior is cavernous, with a high ceiling and stuffed fish adorning the upper walls—bordering on weird, but I love it anyway. The salad bar makes the place friendlier to dieters and vegetarians; otherwise, you’ll find the Alaskan king crab legs with filet mignon (or filet paired with lobster tail), stuffed prawns, famous hot lobster salad, steamed mullet, teriyaki spareribs, baked stuffed Island chicken, and some 40 other down-home items heavy on the sauces and gravies. Although the open salad bar is a meal in itself, the more reckless can try the mayo-laden mini–lobster salad appetizer, or the crab-stuffed mushrooms. Money-saving tip: The early-bird specials (5–6pm) start at $10 for spaghetti dinner and go up to $14 for a mixed plate of shrimp tempura, chicken yakitori, and teriyaki top sirloin.
5971 Kuhio Hwy., Wailua. 80 8/822-4311. Reservations recommended. Lunch $8.75–$27; dinner main courses $16–$45. AE, MC, V. Tues–Sun 10:30am–1:30pm and 5–8pm.
INEXPENSIVE
Bubba Burgers AMERICAN At Bubba the burger is king, attitude reigns, and lettuce and tomato cost extra. They dish out humor, great T-shirts, and burgers nonpareil, along with Boca and taro burgers for vegetarians. Grilled fresh-fish sandwiches cater to the sensible, fish and chips to the carefree, and fish burgers to the undecided. But old-fashioned hamburgers are the main attraction. You can order the Slopper (open-faced with chili), the half-pound Big Bubba (three patties), or the Hubba Bubba (with rice, hot dog, and chili—a Bubba’s plate lunch), among others. Chicken burgers, Bubba’s famous Budweiser chili, and other American standards are also served here. For a burger joint, it’s big on fish, too, with a daily trio of fresh-fish specials, fish burgers, and fish and chips.
4-1421 Kuhio Hwy., Kapaa. 80 8/823-0069. All items less than $9. MC, V. Daily 10:30am–9pm.
The King and I THAI This medium-size restaurant, in a small and nondescript roadside complex, serves reasonably priced specials and vegetarian selections,