Explore Kauai’s Restaurants

“You’ve been our valued companion, through your book, on all our trips since 1988.”
— TM, El Cerito, CA

Barbeque Inn

Where do local folks go for a lunch which includes soup, a beverage, fresh bread, an entree like a teriyaki chicken sandwich, and dessert for only $6.95? In this family-owned restaurant, you’ll find some of the tastiest food and one of the best food values on the island.

A local favorite since 1940, Barbecue Inn is the rare kind of place with something special for everyone in the family. At dinner, more than 30 choices — fresh fish, seafood, steak, prime rib ($6.95 - $14.95) include soup or fresh fruit, a salad, homemade bread, vegetable, dessert, even a beverage! At lunch, entrees cost even less, averaging $6.95 (but you don’t get salad).

Kids will love the cheeseburger ($3.95), which arrives still sizzling on a toasted sesame bun, smothered with melted cheese and garnished with fresh, local manoa lettuce! For only $4.25, kids can order fried chicken, hamburger, spaghetti, or chow mein dinners, ten choices in all, including a beverage, or a grilled cheese sandwich made on delicious home-baked bread toasted crisp and golden.

Grown-ups will love the teriyaki steak ($16.95), a tender rib-eye with perfectly flavored homemade sauce, or teriyaki beef kabob and shrimp tempura ($11.95), light, crisp and tasty.

You will be surprised at the high quality of the ‘extras’ which many restaurants pay scant attention to. Miso soup is superb. Bread is homemade — light, fragrant, and exceptionally tasty. You should also squander a dollar on some homemade "lavosh" which is buttery, almost like shortbread. It’s so good, you will want seconds, so splurge on an extra order (or buy some for the beach). The fruit cup appetizer is so fresh — pineapple, papaya, watermelon, honeydew, and mango — that you’ll almost hope your kids will refuse to eat theirs because there are no canned peaches!

The green salad would win no awards for imagination, but you’d be surprised at how much fun the kids have picking out the shredded cabbage and homemade croutons. And everyone will devour the homemade pies‹coconut, chocolate, or chocolate cream‹pies so light they are almost as amazing as the price: $1.00 a slice, same price as a Coke. Buy a bag of BBQ Inn’s cookies or crunchy Œcinnamon toast’ to keep in the car for emergencies!

You will see a lot of working people coming off the job, and the portions are so enormous you can understand why. Waitresses are unfailingly cheerful, even when small children decorate the floor with crumbs and ice cubes. All this makes Barbecue Inn a good dinner choice for hearty eaters and hungry families, for anyone who appreciates ordinary food cooked extremely well, as well as some very special treats.

For more restaurant reviews, consult your Kauai Underground Guide.