Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
course club restaurant. Wong's distinctive cooking is the star in this already star-
studded location (overlooking the golf course and the Pacific). Your kids will love
the indoor-outdoor feel to the restaurant. Lunch features soups, sandwiches, and
daily specials (such as seared peppered ahi over crispy Asian slaw). Dinner entrees
include ginger-crusted onaga, steamed moi (raised on the property at Hualalai
Resort), mac-nut-crusted lamb chops, and a host of other mouthwatering items.
Kids get their own menu, where burgers, pizza, and chicken fingers rule. Save
room for dessert: chocolate crunch bars, lilikoi cheesecake, or homemade ginger
ale floats with house-made sorbets. Don't pass up the opportunity to enjoy one
of the Big Island's best restaurants.
In the Hualalai Resort, Queen Kaahumanu Hwy., Kaupulehu-Kona.
&
808/325-8525.
www.hualalairesort.
com. Kids' menu, highchairs, boosters, crayons. Reservations recommended. Main courses $10-$20 lunch,
$26-$37 dinner; kids' menu $7.50. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11am-3pm and 5-9pm.
Huggo's
PACIFIC RIM/SEAFOOD You can't get closer to the water than
this or you'd be swimming. But the food still is the star here. Fresh fish rules lunch
and dinner, but Huggo's also has a well-deserved reputation for its barbecued ribs.
Your kids will love watching the tide pools in front (ask for an oceanside table)
and may not even be interested in the keiki menu. (Order the teriyaki steak
for them; it's the most popular item.) Next door,
Huggo's on the Rocks
, a
mound of thatch, rock, and grassy-sandy ground, is a sunset-lover's nirvana. At
sundown, it's choked with people either on chaises or at the 50-seat thatched
bar, sipping mai tais and noshing on salads, poke, sandwiches, plate lunches,
sashimi, and fish and chips. From 6:30 to 11am, this same location turns into
Java on the Rocks
, an espresso bar
not
to be missed—it's your chance to
sip Kona coffee, enjoy your eggs, and watch the waves roll onto the shore.
Island-style pupu are offered here from 11:30am to 10pm. From 5:30pm to 1am
there's dancing at the water's edge.
75-5828 Kahakai Rd.
&
808/329-1493.
www.huggos.com. Kids' menu, highchairs, boosters, crayons. Reser-
vations requested. Main courses $9-$23 lunch, $18-$46 dinner; kids' menu $7.95-$9.95. AE, DC, DISC, MC,
V. Daily 11:30am-2pm and 5:30-10pm.
Kona Inn Restaurant
AMERICAN/SEAFOOD This is touristy, but it
can be a very pleasant experience if the sun is setting or you've just arrived from
the airport and don't want your hotel's offerings. The wide-ranging menu and
fresh seafood in the open-air oceanfront setting tell you why you have come to
Kailua-Kona. Kids will love the large, open room and panoramic view of the
Kailua shoreline. Adults will probably be more interested in the huge menu,
with choices ranging from nachos and chicken Caesar salad to sandwiches,
pasta, stir-fried dishes, and the highlight: the fresh fish served Cajun-style or
broiled and basted in lemon butter. The restaurant also has a section called the
Cafe Grill, which serves casual food. Kids get their own menu, where cheese-
burgers are the number-one choice.
In Kona Inn Shopping Village, 75-5744 Alii Dr.
&
808/329-4455.
Kids' menu, highchairs, boosters, crayons.
Reservations recommended at dinner. Main courses $13-$36; Cafe Grill $7-$13; kids' menu $3.95. AE, MC,
V. Dinner menu daily 5:30-9:30pm; Cafe Grill daily 11:30am-10:30pm.
Moderate
Bianelli's Pizza
PIZZA/ITALIAN The draw here is pizza, made with whole-
some ingredients and cheeses. Although the kids have their own menu, most
families choose to share one of Bianelli's greats, like the sensational ricotta pizza,
dripping with garlic, Parmesan, and ricotta, yet 40% less fatty than most pizzas.
