22 Best Restaurants in Big Island, Hawaii

Beachy yet upscale, the restaurant has an in-house beer sommelier who advises on the perfect pairing with your food choice, which can range from fresh catch, steak, burgers, and sandwiches to crab cakes and escargots; many dishes incorporate Hawaiian touches. This sports bar offers a 24-tap digital beer tower and 10 TV screens. An innovative frost rail on the cocktail bar keeps your drinks cool. Patio seating outside offers additional dining options. There's a second location in Kona.

From its upstairs, open-air dining room decorated with kitschy surfer chic, this new restaurant invites customers to enjoy views of the pier and a bustling corner of Alii Drive. Fortunately, an excellent, extensive menu makes it well worth a stop; fresh fish plates including fish tacos are a sure bet. The clam chowder is some of Kona's best. Try the smashburger (a cooking technique that adds flavor while reducing grill time) or the marinated sirloin or New York strip. Death by Chocolate is the dessert to die for. They also serve breakfast from 7 until noon, and there's a happy hour as well as live music nightly. Great prices keep the locals coming in. 

Unquestionably the fanciest spot in Honokaa, this cozy Italian bistro known for its pizza and other options feels like you've taken a step into Florence. Wood details, a full bar, travertine finishes, antique furnishings, pendant lighting, and a fantastic stone pizza oven combine to create a thoroughly welcoming atmosphere. On the menu, pizzas and calzones dominate, but there is a full selection of pastas, salads, and sandwiches. Prices are surprisingly affordable. Local entertainers play on weekends.

One of the most romantic settings on the Kohala Coast, this landmark, oceanfront restaurant showcases traditional Hawaiian flavors, artful presentations, and locally grown or raised products. The progressive menu spotlights standout entrées such as roasted beef tenderloin, lamb, fish caught locally, shellfish, island-fresh greens, and local goat cheese. Choose a fine wine from a roster of premium varietals to complement your meal. 

Ocean breezes flow through this open-air, bayfront restaurant on Alii Drive, known for a quality menu infused with Cajun and island influences; almost all dishes are made to order and feature non-GMO, hormone-free, or USDA-certified organic ingredients. A must-try is the seafood pesto puff pastry on the appetizer menu, and for dinner, the steak house pasta (creamy mushroom pasta topped with a New York strip steak) is a good bet. Signature cocktails blend freshly muddled fruit and fresh juices with no commercial mixes. With happy hour daily from 3 to 5, and live entertainment nightly, Foster's Kitchen is a cool spot to enjoy a sunset cocktail or late-night libation.

On the docks at Kona's sleepy harbor, this open-air restaurant is an authentic place to grab a beer and a bite after a long day fishing, beach-going, or diving. The venue is nothing fancy, but it's one of the best spots in Kona for fresh-fish sandwiches, a variety of fried fish-and-chip combos, and even burgers. Frosty 18-ounce schooners of Kona Brewing Co. ale cannot be beat price-wise anywhere on the island, either. Come early, though: it closes at 6 and on Sunday at 5. Happy hour is from 3 to 6.

Tiny and locally owned, this sushi shack in the heart of town has gained an incredible following and specializes in "reverse" (rice on the outside, nori on the inside) rolls, filled with three or four ingredients of your choice. It's super popular and gets crazy crowded, so expect a long wait—but it's worth it. (Wait times can exceed an hour, but they let you know how long before you order.) Hayashi's has been in take-out mode only since COVID-19 (call to confirm this), so you have to phone your order in. The restaurant also makes fantastic party platters that you can order in advance.

Overlooking Hilo Bay from its towering perch on the waterfront, this popular, upscale restaurant with great water views has a sophisticated second-floor dining room that looks like it's straight out of Manhattan. A sushi bar complements the excellent selection of fresh fish, pork, beef, and vegan options. Premium wines and sake are available.

What this casual pub-turned-burger-joint lacks in space and parking is more than made up for in burger choices: more than 22 varieties of gourmet burgers, from a bacon ranch burger to a southern BBQ burger. Many of the ingredients come straight from the Big Island, and non-beef selections such as fish burgers are available as well, so it's definitely worth checking out.

It figures that the best laulau (pork or chicken wrapped in taro leaves and steamed) in West Hawaii can be found at a roadside hole-in-the-wall rather than at an expensive resort luau; in fact, this humble family-run eatery was featured on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Plate lunches to go include tender chicken or pork laulau, steamed for up to 10 hours. The kalua (earth oven–baked) pig and cabbage is delicious, and the lomilomi salmon features vine-ripened tomatoes. Owners John and Janice Kaaloa grind their own poi sourced from taro in Hilo and Waipio.

This authentic little pizzeria with tables inside and outdoors might just make the best hand-tossed pizza on the Kohala Coast, if not the whole island. The New York–born owner does not scrimp and has even imported special pizza ovens and dough machines from New York, as well as Fontanini-brand ingredients, to give his pizzas that extra pizzazz. Try the Dr. Goody, named after a beloved local ER doctor. It's baked to perfection with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, banana peppers, sausage, arugula, garlic, and mushrooms. The chicken pesto and Gorgonzola are other standouts.  Because each pizza is custom made, there might be a wait. For the quickest service, order online and pick up. 

An ultrapopular destination with an outdoor patio, Kona Brewing offers an excellent, varied menu, including famous brews, pulled-pork quesadillas, gourmet pizzas, and a killer spinach salad with Gorgonzola cheese and macadamia nuts. The sampler tray, a good value, offers four of the 10 available microbrews. Try the notable Hefeweizen. If you're staying in town, purchase beer to go in a half-gallon jug ("growler") filled on-site from the brewery's own taps. 

Dig your toes into the sand and enjoy one of the most happening, entertaining, and memorable bar/restaurants on the Kohala Coast. There's something for everybody here, whether you want cocktails and pupus (appetizers) for sunset or a fine-dining experience; highlights include Black Angus truffled New York steak and the chef's signature gazpacho topped with macadamia nut pesto. The atmosphere is super-casual—you can dine in your beach togs, and there's always something going on: the blowing of the conch shell at dusk, the lighting of the tiki torches, tropical cocktails served in Hawaiiana ceramic ware, and live entertainment featuring stellar Hawaiian recording artists.

Perched on the edge of a bluff overlooking the sparkling waters of Kaunaoa Beach, the resort's flagship restaurant is a compelling spot for a romantic meal at sunset, especially at one of the outside tables. The culinary team's take on Hawaii Regional Cuisine highlights locally sourced, sustainable fish, chicken, and beef. The grilled chicken, for example, comes from the Kau district of the Big Island, while the Kona kampachi is raised on the coast.

This open-air restaurant at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort has high ceilings and a lanai that overlooks the pool and the sandy-white shores of gorgeous Hapuna Beach. The focus is on the freshest seafood, and the small-plate appetizers and main course options also showcase a bounty of Big Island ingredients infused with Mediterranean influences. Other features are a charcuterie and crudo bar and an artisan bread nook.  Arrive early for the best table. Lines begin forming before the 5:30 pm seating time.

With vintage memorabilia and a bluesy soundtrack as a background, this cool deli in a tiny strip mall has a lot more to offer than the average sandwich shop. Yes, there are gourmet sandwiches, salads, and wraps, but Poi Dog's wide-ranging menu extends to an impressive list of wines, craft beers, ales, and pilsners from all over the world. On the lighter side, they have a great mix of hard ciders as well. But there are also kombuchas, coffees, and other nonalcoholic beverages to choose from. Hailing from New Orleans, the proprietors love to bring a touch of the Big Easy to Kona, which you'll feel throughout the place. 

With the bar in the front and the dining patio in the back, Quinn's may seem like a bit of a dive at first glance, but this venerable restaurant serves the best darn cheeseburger and fries in town. The menu has many other tasty options, such as fish-and-chips and beef tenderloin tips. If time gets away from you on a drive to the north beaches, Quinn's, which stays open until 10, awaits your return with a cheap beer and a basket of fried calamari. Drinks are strong—no watered-down cocktails here. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10:45 during football season, and it's sure to be lively, especially if the Green Bay Packers are involved. Park across the street at the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel and get free 90-minute parking with validation.

Upstairs in a historical building, this seafood tiki bar has been a hot spot for years, known for a dynamite and well-priced bar menu with tasty pupus, signature seafood dishes such as the coconut shrimp and poke burger, and even a prime rib special on Tuesday. Don't let the retro appearance deter you; this place is frequented by legacy celebrities whose names you know or whose records you've bought. Service is impeccable. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6, and the calamari is a standout. 

There's a reason why locals flock to this hideaway for the best Thai cuisine in Hilo. Fresh local ingredients highlight proprietor Sombat Saenguthai's menu (many of the herbs come from her own garden) to create authentic and tasty Thai treats like coconut curries, fresh basil rolls, eggplant stir-fry, and green papaya salad. Most dishes can be prepared with your choice of tofu, pork, beef, chicken, squid, or fish.

A local institution, this casual place is famous for its malasadas, the puffy, doughy, deep-fried Portuguese doughnuts without a hole, best eaten hot; there are also cream-filled versions, including vanilla, chocolate, and coconut. For more than a snack, go for the Hawaiian burger, with a fat, juicy slice of sweet pineapple on top, the overstuffed burrito, or some decent house-made pizza.

Casual elegance takes center stage at the resort's flagship oceanfront restaurant, one of the most upscale restaurants on the Big Island. Breakfast can be à la carte or buffet, but nighttime is when the magic happens, with diverse menu choices—roasted beet salad, flame-grilled prime New York steak, Kona lobster, shrimp pad Thai, and more—that make deciding what to order a challenge. At least 75% of the food served here is locally sourced. There's also a full sushi menu. The impressive wine program includes boutique wines and world-class imports. 

Locals flock to this downtown Kailua-Kona restaurant for good reason: the poke is the most onolicious (superdelicious) in town, and the many other seafood offerings are just as stellar. Poke does not get more authentic than this, and you can get it by the bowl or the pound. Sandwiches, burgers, desserts, and salads round out the gourmet menu. A kids' menu features affordable burgers, poke bowls, and sides. Happy hour runs from 3 to 5.