Any ideas for the Big Island?
This one's a long shot, but I'm having a hard time finding places that I'll want to visit on the Big Island this December. We'll be on the Kona side, but will probably find ourselves on the Hilo side at some point, so any recommendations are welcome.
I've been checking the usual sources, but there is a lot more for the other islands, so I'm feeling a bit lost. Frankly, right now, there's Merriman's, a coffee place and a brewpub on my list.
I'm pretty open - when on Oahu, we did everything from Alan Wong's to a funky little dive bar that was recommended as "the place where the chefs eat when they're not working." I'm not a huge seafood eater (which I concede is fairly stupid in Hawaii), and I don't want to find myself eating at the Sheraton every day!
Any suggestions - from malasadas to bakeries to lunch places to fine dining - would be welcomed.
Thanks!
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6 Comments:
i've never had the chance to go to hawaii, but luaus have always appealed to me.
i bet you could get some good eats at one though?
maybe do a search for pig roasts, since you don't care for fish?
i'm so jealous-be sure to put fresh coconuts on your list :)
gastronomeg at 2:36PM on 10/21/09
it's been years since i've been back, but these are the places i remember, buns in the sun (kalua pig sandwiches), manago hotel, merriman's
this is a pretty decent blog:
http://bigislandgrinds.com/
also, there's a great farmer's market.
dmarina at 3:07PM on 10/21/09
Why not consult www.yelp.com?
Type "restaurant" in the "Search For" box in the header, and "Hilo, HI" in the 'Near" box.
Voilà, 172 reviewed businesses.
salpico at 7:42PM on 10/21/09
Thanks everyone.
Not a huge fan of yelp - I trust Serious Eaters much more, but the blog is really helpful.
cyberroo at 7:48PM on 10/21/09
Sorry I'm only familiar with Maui but I second Kalua pig and farmers markets. There should be a lot around the island and some markets have food stands where you can buy prepared local dishes.
You can't go wrong with fresh island-grown fruits! I love apple bananas...
http://www.konaweb.com/konaweb/farmer.shtml
I definitely go super heavy on seafood when I'm in Hawaii, as I'm constantly seafood-deprived (boo St. Louis), but I think there are a lot of non-seafood local food options. Saimin, huli huli chicken, plate lunches, and loco moco come to mind.
hmw0029 at 10:16PM on 10/21/09
I grew up in Hawaii and LOVE going home (Honolulu) and then taking side trips to other islands. Favorites on the Big Island:
Kona side
- Cafe Pesto, Kawaihae - I've been going here since I was 5. It's really popular, so try to make a reservation for dinner otherwise you will have a dull wait in a strip mall full of mostly tacky art and dive shops. I sat at the bar last time and split a flight of local beers with my bf. Keoki brown ale from Kauai is seriously delicious. This is one of the only places anywhere that carries it.
- Kealakekua town (upland from the beach 15 minutes or so?) has a few good country style cafes if you need a tasty lunch on your way up/down the coast. There's one that's connected to an old theater that I like, but I can't remember the name of it.
- the Lu'au at Kona Village. Make reservations. As someone who grew up in Hawaii and who is part Native Hawaiian, I have an especially low tolerance for hokey lu'aus. The dance performance here is absolutely not the star of the show--ignore the strange collapsing of all Polynesian cultures into one. Instead, pile your plate as high as you can with everything at the buffet. This has a very good selection of actual Hawaiian food as well as Hawaiian-Japanese, Hawaiian cowboy, and Pacific Fusion. I hope you like raw fish because their poke (pronounced pokay...raw fish salad? way tastier than that sounds) is some of the best.
For higher end food, either Merriman's or the restaurants at Mauna Lani Bay Resort.
Waimea: neither Kona, nor Hilo
I love Waimea. It's an incredibly beautiful valley and has the slow town feel that I miss so badly in Manhattan.
Hawaiian Style Cafe there has gargantuan platters of local takes on country food. This is truly the stuff of thisiswhyyourefat.com The bf got an epic oversized take on the famed Loco Moco which included a massive platform of fried rice (rice, egg, portuguese sausage, spam, peas, soy sauce), then a hamburger patty, slab of more spam, sausage, sauteed onions, a fried egg and covered in a cup of brown gravy. Delicious. PS, yes we eat spam, and it is tasty.
other parts
If you go to Puna (southwestish side, inland) there is a huge hippie community making delicious smoothies and fruit treats with the abundant local produce. The whole town smells like incense and pot. Just a heads up.
Ka'u Oranges (from Ka'u, near Puna and Na'alehu) are very ugly but very tasty. They are so sweet and juicy. Oh man, I could really go for 5 of those right now. Little markets and grocery stores will probably carry them.
I'm going to stop now before I get myself too homesick to function. Have a great trip!
urbanruralist at 1:20PM on 10/24/09