New and Noteworthy Dining on Kauai’s North Shore

As someone that loves food, good food, I’m always looking for somewhere different to eat when going out.  Now please don’t get me wrong here, I do still enjoy many of the already established restaurants, but the choices have been somewhat limited on Kauai’s North Shore. I recently had the pleasure of trying two of several new North Shore establishments and am thrilled to share them with you.

With the much-anticipated opening of the St. Regis Princeville Resort, I was excited to learn that they expanded from the usual hotel fare with the opening of Jean-Georges’ Kauai Grill.  I read a bit about Jean-Georges and flipped through one of his cookbooks prior to going. His recipes are too complex for me to attempt at home, but I definitely wanted to try them…prepared for me. After walking through the entry I felt as if I had been transported to a very hip New York eatery…until I spotted Bali Hai from the window. The décor is a wow, especially if you have dined there in the past when it was La Cascata. When you go there, be sure to check out the amazing glass chandelier in the middle of the restaurant that changes color every few seconds. We found our waitress helpful, but not overbearing.  The food, all a la carte, was outstanding both in presentation and to the taste.  And the prices were much more reasonable than I expected, especially for the quality and location.  I’ll definitely be going back there!

Now if you’re looking for something a bit more casual, a great new place to check out in Hanalei is the Iti Wine Bar, located next to the well-known Tahiti Nui Restaurant & Bar. I just happened upon this one after I saw a friend become a fan of it on Facebook.  This is the place to go and be seen.  They offer a huge wine selection, with wine by the choice of a 2 oz. taste, a glass, or a bottle.  If you don’t care for wine there’s beer and a full bar too. And they also offer a full a la carte menu ranging from focaccia (very, very good) to lamb!

A few others that I haven’t tried yet (but will soon) are Federico’s Fresh Mex Cuisine in the Princeville Shopping Center and Thai 2 Go located in Kilauea just off the highway on Ho‘okui Road next to Kauai Pacific School.

I found it a bit surprising that so many new restaurants are opening now, and in such a small geographic location.  But with the growing resident population, and consistent visitors, we all have to eat!