Kapa'a | Kauai

Kapa'a is a funky little beach town on Kauai's east side. We stopped here on the drive North for a walk on Kealia Beach and the drive back for brunch at Nom Kauai and a treat at Wailua Shave Ice. 

Nom Kauai dishes local ingredients with southern roots and prides themselves on a motto to keep brunch weird. I really went for it and ordered the Cheeky Moco ($20) featuring Shoyu braised beef cheek served atop a fried coconut grit cake, smothered in house savory brown gravy + finished with a sunny egg. Bob sent it with - The Ultimate ($16) - a Belgian Waffle bun sandwiching buttermilk fried chicken, bacon + a sunny egg with pineapple bourbon butter, topped with maple syrup. These radical brunch creations are just two of many. I recommend a stop in Kapa'a to check this place out. All menu items are available all day and they've got a well rounded coffee and cocktail list.

After brunch we explored the main street with local gift shops and cute boutiques. Kiko + Hee Fat General Store both top my list! Around noon the food trucks opened up in the center of town - Wailua Shave Ice was a must try, we had the Lava Flow (strawberry + pineapple).

We had some time to kill before our flight to Oahu and Kapa'a was the perfect place for casual exploring, checking out local boutiques and for good eats! 

Nāpali Coast x Hanalei Bay

Shout out to Napali Coast Hanalei Tour for a terrific four hours on the water. 

In their small vessel we navigated the sea caves, went snorkeling, and they provided us lunch. The tour felt personalized - we had a lot of laughs and it was informative at the same time. 

Everyone recommended to us it is worth booking a water excursion in addition to the helicopter tour and I'm glad we did. There's nothing quite like seeing these majestic wonders from another vantage point. The red cliffs covered in bright green vegetation as they meet the sparkling blues of the Pacific is just mesmerizing. 

The boat launch was on Hanalei Bay Beach. We stayed to explore when they dropped us off. The afternoon took a sudden gray and cloudy turn - almost fitting for the mood conveyed in the photos of the beachfront homes devastated by the April floods. Believe it or not, it is not all sunshine and rainbows in Hawaii!

North Shore Kauai Eats

Here's some insight into our dining experiences on North Shore of Kauai. For starters, a Mai Thai at The Nui is a must!

We had a great dinner at BarAcuda in Hanalei Town offering small plates sourced from Island Fisherman + local organic farmers. 

We ate Papas Ajo - fried marble potatoes tossed in fresh garlic with paprika aioli. These were basically the local version of my favorite tapas - Patatas Bravas! There were tender Banderillas - grilled flank steak skewers rubbed with ancho chili coffee spice and a chipotle honey sauce, and a beautiful piece of Hawaiian Ono with roasted corn puree, grilled summer squash, green coriander + True Leaf Farms sunflower sprouts. 

And a Lilikoi Cheesecake with graham macadamia nut crust and lilikoi curd for dessert!

It was so nice to have the gorgeous St.Regis luxury resort a ten minute walk from our Airbnb condo complex Hale Mole. We fell in love with their Macadamian Old Fashioned. It was one of the best cocktails on this trip! 

On our first night we were met with a super lively bar crowd. The whole place was dancing to a husband wife duo who played local instruments and fun cover songs. We grabbed a front row table and ordered dinner. The bar menu features Japanese plates; really good ceviche, maki rolls, miso soup, edamame and more. We were delighted with our first experience here and knew we'd be back. 

A couple days later we dined at the glamorous Makana Terrace. The views over Hanalei Bay are incredible, but that was about all. The menu was lacking - they were out of a lot of items we wanted to order and we were not overly impressed with the food or service. We got the sense our waitress didn't like us - never a good feeling on your honeymoon or at an exceptionally luxe venue. 

The bad experience at Makana didn't outweigh our love for the good vibes at the bar. We came back on our last night for a final round of Macadamian Old Fashioneds at sunset. 

Tahiti Nui or the Nui is the local Hanalei dive. Live music plays late into the evening and the Mai Thais are flowing. The food was decent. We had coconut shrimp (can't go wrong), beef poke (not my favorite) and a local fish and rice dish (average).

Piazza was a real treat and somewhat of a surprise! Serving local Italian cuisine in the Princeville Plaza (next to Foodland) this polished establishment served us well on our last night in Kauai. We sat at the bar where the staff was fun and attentive. The masterful Ahi Tuna Carpaccio with a deconstructed tapenade, lemon confit and black lava salt was one of my favorite plates in all of Hawaii. The wine list and cocktails were on point - my Vespa with Aperol, lychee puree and prosecco was the perfect blend of Italia meets Hawaii! The Kauai Shrimp Scampi with handmade squid ink linguine, garlic butter, tomato, lemon preserves and chili flakes was a terrific entrée. As was the gorgeous Tagliatelle Bolognese!

Overall, we had some pretty great food on Kauai's North Shore, but not without a couple misses in the mix. If you've visited this part of Hawaii, where are your must eats?!