Best Affordable Eats on Kauaʻi

This article was originally published on Sept. 28, 2019, and was updated Feb. 22, 2026.

Just a few of our favorite spots for no frills local-style food that will go easy on your budget. These are the ones where you can show up in slippers and board shorts and grab something delicious for the beach.

Mark’s Place

This is one of the most popular plate lunch spots for local Hawaiʻi cuisine. Tucked in an industrial area of Līhuʻe, you’ll find a variety of grab-and-go dishes you can enjoy at the beach or at one of the tables outside. Try a little bit of everything when you order Mark’s Famous Mixed Plate, served with chicken katsu, teriyaki beef, beef stew, rice and a scoop of classic potato macaroni salad.

Wailua Drive-In

A local favorite plate lunch spot with an extensive menu that also includes burgers, hot sandwiches, fried chicken and Hawaiian dishes like laulau. Guy Fieri featured Wailua Drive-in on Diners, Dine-Ins and Dives in 2019, turning the sweet and spicy Chili Pepper Chicken into the most popular dish on the menu.

Little Fatties Tacos

A taco shop that priorities high-quality, local ingredients. Tacos feature meats from Wailua Meat Company, Kauai Fresh Fish, Kauaʻi-grown produce and hand-made tortillas from Raiz Tortillas in Honolulu.

El Taco Feliz

This taco truck in Old Kapaʻa Town gets praise from locals for having the best Mexican food on island. The menu features carne asada, al pastor, carnitas, chorizo, chicken, shrimp, mahi mahi or vegetarian options. Order these in a taco, fajita, bowl, burrito, quesadilla or torta.

Wailua Shave Ice

Ethereal bowls of shave ice with toppings that include house-made real fruit purees, condensed milk "snow cap," haupia foam, roasted coconut flakes, chocolate sauce and root beer soda syrup. You can also add ice cream, mochi or lihing mui powder.

Hamura Saimin

Located in an obscure alley in Līhuʻe, Hamura's has bustled with customers since opening in the 1950s. Not much has changed since then, including its old-fashioned U-shaped counter. Visit on a chilly evening and order a warm, bowl of saimin, a ramen-like soup 100% local to Hawaiʻi, born from plantation days when workers would share food after a hard day’s work. Each bowl is made with ramen noodles, broth and a range of other ingredients, such as lunch meat, fish cakes and roasted pork.

Smiley’s Local Grinds

This Līhuʻe take-out spot has just about every single kind of local plate you can imagine. Try any number of items, including pork laulau, chicken long rice, kalua pork or loco moco at a fraction of the cost of other places. Bring your appetite, portions are generous.

Koloa Fish Market

Get your fill of locally-caught, fresh fish at this hole-in-the wall South Shore grab-and-go eatery. It's the perfect place to pick up something to bring to the beach for a picnic. Come for poke, fish plate lunches served with rice, green salad and macaroni salad, garlicky edamame and more.

Lana's Cafe

This corner cafe has been going strong for three generations. Come here for locally-grown fresh fruit, smoothies, shave ice, mango bread and banana bread.

Fish Express

Located in Līhuʻe, this is another take-out spot for fresh fish that serves an array of poke bowls, as well as plate lunches made with your choice of laulau or kalua pork, lomi salmon, rice and a side of poke. There is also have grab-and-go gourmet bento boxes with options like baked teriyaki chicken and furikake crusted salmon. Best of all, this is an excellent place to pick up fresh fish, such as ahi, ono or mahi mahi, to take with you and grill yourself.

Pono Market

This locally-owned and operated Kapaʻa eatery/convenience store, opened in 1968. The market is known for its Hawaiian plate lunches that include an assortment of flavorful options, such as spicy poke, lomilomi salad, chicken laulau and hefty scoops of rice. They also make musubi by the hundreds every day with different flavors and meats, including teriyaki beef or chicken, and, of course, Spam.