I have never been to any of the islands and will be visiting the Kona coast from May 16th to the 23rd. I will have a car so I can hit other parts of the island as well. I am looking most at beaches, snorkeling, food (seafood/poke, pork and Spam loom large on my horizon) and the seahorse/dragon farm. That last one sounds bizarre but I saw leafy seadragons once and thought they were the coolest things in the sea.
Anyway, I have a list of places I am thinking of going and would love any feedback, positive or negative.
Da Poke: Any place that says âwe serve it fresh so if you arrive in the afternoon we may be outâ is going to be on my list. Anyone been? I hear the fish tacos and the fish and chips are good, too. This may be a place where I dive a bit deeper into the menu.
Jackie Rey: Seafood Trio is $40 but looks good. Wonder if it is worth it. I need to get used to island prices.
Fish Hopper: Great sunsets and a decent choice of tuna dishes for $34. Reviews were split.
Rebel Kitchen: Friends say it is great for fish sandwich and Pupus. I can not even find the sandwich on their menu so it might be a daily special. But looks interesting to me.
Broke da Mouth: A Guy Fieri recommended cafe, so it seems to have people who love it or hate it in part due to the waits.
Big Island Grill: The bomb for breakfast, supposedly. And a bargain for Hawaii, so there is that. Breakfast is crucial so I will try but not sure what dishes.
808 Grindz: Another good breakfast spot, any favorite dishes there?
My friends were only there for a couple days and did not really get a good feel for the place so any input regarding cafes or destinations would be warmly welcomed!
That looks like a great road trip destination! I have favorited it on Google Maps already. Sounds odd but the Hamburger Steak Loco Moko sounds good!
Oh no⌠I just saw a helicopter tour place right next door. Must resist!
$400 for 50 minutes!
Thank you!
I lived on the Big Island in Waikoloa in 1996 while working as a tour guide/driver/interpreter for Japanese tourists coming off of the then new Japan Air Lines direct flights from Tokyo.
Most of the tourists were honeymooners and they all stayed in the Waikoloa area of the Kona Coast at either the Hilton Waikoloa Village, the Fairmont, the Hapuna Prince or my favorite, the Mauna Kea. Their first day always included lunch at this lovely restaurant which sadly is now closed.
None of the tourists rented cars and as they would get tired of hotel meals, I would sometimes take them to this legendary restaurant and they liked it very much.
https://www.merrimanshawaii.com/
Though we never stopped at one of the many roadside stands for huli-huli chicken because I didnât want the responsibility for a foreign tourist possibly getting sick (insurance issues would be difficult), I highly recommend stopping to get some.
Itâs not exactly the Kona Coast, but if possible, I recommend driving up to Honokaa to get malasadas at this legendary place.
I know the Big Island quite well in terms of where to go/what to see, but other than the above Merrimanâs and Texâs, I canât recommend any other places because the ones I knew seem to be out of businessâŚafter all, I did live there nearly 30 years ago!
I loved my time living there, but the price of most things will surely shock youâŚso be prepared.
Two more in Google Maps favorites! Thank you!
Malasadas kind of look like the home made doughnuts I got at the Pelikan Kipos in Santorini/Thira. I usually do not eat sweets but this will be worth trying!
I keep seeing Portugese Soup on the menu and I had not heard or noticed it until now. I am curious to see what it is like. And I have no idea of what Won Ton Mein is, wrapped noodles? Sound interesting as well.
I am showing my lack of knowledge but I like it. 
Youâre welcome.
Though Iâve never been, this place has been popular for ages. I do worry that itâll be a bit too touristy for someone like you though because of where itâs located.
Three must-eats for me anytime I visit the Islands.
Malasadas, Loco Moco, and Poke
If youâre going to the Hilo side, not only should you hit up Tex for malasadas on your way, but also Two Ladies Kitchen for mochi (if you get nothing else, get the fresh strawberry mochi!) in Hilo and the Hilo farmerâs market, too. Two Ladies is easy walking distance from the farmerâs market, so you can hit both at the same time.
I am not sure what mochi is but i will give it a shot!
You are in for a treat!
Have fun! Some of the little mom & pop hole in the walls can be a true delight, but you have to step out of the Alii/main drag in Kona.
Won Ton Mein seems to be wonton noodle soup (Wonton Mee):
Portuguese Soup appears to be sausage and bean soup with macaroni (or rice, depending on your family). Kind of like the Hong Kong one. Kinda.
Loco Moco is a must-have comfort food for me, and Iâm not even Hawaiian.
Poke from Safeway has always been surprisingly good, but only in Hawaii.
Oxtail soup!!!
Poke anywhere on any of the islands is always good.
Tuna terroir, it must be.
Hawi is a little hippie town at the far north end of the Kona coast. Everything there was good.
Kanaka Kava downtown Kona. Worth going not only for the kava but also for traditional Hawaiian foods.
Thereâs a malasada place somewhere near the south end of the island, if youâre driving around to see the beach with the turtles or the volcano.
If you havenât scuba dived, you should - you donât need to be certified to do a resort dive with a group. But otherwise, yeah, snorkeling.
We had a big group dinner at Quinnâs in Kona. The menu offered something for everyone (visitor friendly), was tasty and the service was very nice. I had a memorable marinated waygu beef kebab thing with a Caesar salad. There was a huge cocktail involved, but I couldnât remember what it was. Blue Hawaiian? 
My favorite spots are in the Hilo side. For poke, you canât get fresher than Suisan fish market. Tinaâs garden cafe is wonderful, with very fresh foods and a local Thais fusion. Be ready for a wait, Tina does most of the cooking herself. Paulâs Place is a very special little place for breakfast/lunch, but definitely act like a guest in his space. Iâve found his hospitality to be fabulous. Do make a reservation. From the reviews, he can annoy really entitled people. If he doesnât have anything booked he may go surfing. One reviewer was furious that they showed up 20 minutes befor closing without a reservation and he refused to serve them, âNah man, Iâm going surfing.â
Pedxing, a Poke bowl at Suisan w 2 choices for just $16?
Sign me up!
I take off for Hawaii in 10 hours.
I can not wait to get there!
Mts, Quinnâs is less than a mile from my hotel but i do not get my rental car until day 3âŚ
HmmmâŚ
I was thinking about hitting On the Rocks my first evening. It is only a 5 minute walk to my hotel. I am probably going to fall out early my first day. I am getting up at 0430 tmrw.
I have fond memories of Hana Hou, a cafe that is the southernmost restaurant in the US. If you are heading to Volcanoes or anywhere along that way, definitely worth scheduling a meal there. Portuguese sausage, rice, fried eggs, nom nom nom.
