We had eaten at Kohola Burgers and had delicious burgers and fish tacos and now it was time to eat at Kawaihae Seafood bar and restaurant. This quaint place is a throwback to 50 years ago in my estimation and I imagined it from a scene of John Wayne’s South Pacific movies. The small restaurant is upstairs on top of a wooden building overlooking the Kawaihae port filled with cargo containers and gas tankers. The view is not exactly picturesque or made for Hawaiian travel brochures.
Inside the restaurant has a long tiki bar designed as a grass hut and not too many tables for dining so getting there early is the key for this popular place. There are Polynesian grass skirts and coconut bras in frames hanging on the wall and what history could be told from that wall art.
Happy hour mai tais are $5. Our meals consisted of cocunut shrimp, calmarai steak, seafood quesadilla, rib eye, fresh fish with ginger sauce and ending with Kona macnut pie. A fun and lively experience sure to be repeated.
