A Foodie’s Guide to The Big Island

When you visit the Big Island, you must stop at the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
The park features two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. The park offers visitors a chance to witness the processes of volcanic activity, including lava flows, volcanic craters and steam vents. Park goers can witness the stunning ecosystems, from lush rainforests to barren volcanic landscapes. Visitors can explore the park's many hiking trails, scenic drives, and overlooks. The park is also home to significant Hawai'ian cultural sites, including petroglyphs and historic lava flows.

Swim with manta rays As a lover of ocean life this experience is not one to miss. Embark on an adventure to witness the graceful presence of stunning wild creatures as you snorkel near an illuminated raft. Knowledgeable in-water guides locate mantas feeding at the surface after dark. Opt for our early launch, featuring a sunset backdrop. Big Island Divers offers an amazing chance to encounter these stunning giants.

While The Big Island isn’t known for its sandy beaches, there are still a few great options. Hapuna Beach, located north of Puako and right next to The Westin, has a large, wide, open, white, sandy beach, which is perfect for your beach days. There are lots of tables up above the beach and plenty of space for sunbathing.
Waikoloa Beach while small, it has calm waters and is close to a personal favorite breakfast spot - The Lava Lava Beach Club. It's also right in front of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort. Two more Unique beaches are Papakolea Green Sand Beach and Punalu’u Beach the black sand beach, both are worth seeing for the different colored sand.

Take a coffee farm tour. Even if you're not a lover of coffee this is a really cool experience learning how they grow and harvest Kona coffee and what makes the coffee “Kona coffee”. I visited Hala Tree Coffee Farm, and took in the beautiful views from almost the entire farm. I did a tasting of three different coffees; the tasting alone was very educational too. They made me tea from the coffee berry, which I had no clue this was a thing, or that its even called a coffee berry. This is something I will always suggest to people visiting The Big Island.

Take a day and drive to the opposite side of the island. I loved how many different terrains we witnessed on our drive. The breathtaking views of Kohala Forest Reserve and Pololu Valley, the beautiful rainforests with stunning waterfalls around Hilo, the insane cliffs near Captain Cook and of course the lava fields! There is so much to see and take in, so take a little bit of time on your journey.

The Lava Lava Beach Club

This is a casual and lively ocean front restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails. Some tables are right on the beach while others are on the deck with gorgeous views of ‘Anaeho’omalu Bay. The LLBC has live music nearly every day to enjoy along with your meal and drinks. With an expansive menu for every meal, you are sure to find something you love. Some of my favorites are the Loco Moco, the Avocado Toast and the Pineapple Chicken Fried Rice Bowl.

Broke Da Mouth Grindz

Get ready for some killer local eats at a great price. This was recommended to me by a handful of people back home in Oregon, including a bartender and waitress, so how could I pass it up? Also Broke Da Mouth was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The garlic furikake chicken and Spicy Garlic Butter Shrimp was fantastic, I also enjoyed to fresh juices in the cooler!

Shaka Tacos

I heard about this palace online while researching restaurants before my trip and the tour guide at Hala Tree Coffee Farms also mentioned it. Shaka Tacos is a small taco shop in Captain Cook and Kailua-Kona, I visited the one in Captain Cook. You order your food inside and pick it up outside at the food truck/bus. Outside and in back of the restaurant is a lanai with a killer view of the ocean. As a seafood lover, I suggest getting the Ono Fish Tacoz, but the regular tacos are also amazing. Make sure to get extra Shaka Sauce, you won't regret it!

Kona Brewing Company

If you're a beer drinker, I recommend stopping by the iconic Kona Brewing. It's located in Kailua-Kona, just a block away from the Kailua Pier. Make sure to grab a flight and something to munch on like a pizza. It's a great place for lunch, or if you have the time take a brewery tour to get a glimpse of how the beer is made.

Residents’ Beach House

This spot is located in the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Come here for a great oceanfront dining experience and for an absolutely stunning sunset over the ocean, with the best ambiance for a romantic dinner or quiet, relaxing celebration with a small group of people. We took my husband's grandmother here for her birthday dinner and she had a wonderful time. We experienced top-notch food and service to match. While the walk from the parking lot is a bit far from the restuarant itself, it's quite a beautiful stroll. After our dinner, the friendly hotel staff offered to give us a ride back to our car to help out my husband's grandmother, which was a very nice gesture.

Kuleana Rum Shack

Inside the Queen’s Marketplace in Waikoloa is Kuleana is a casual restaurant with a focus on their rum and cocktails. Kuleana is also a distillery, so they use their own rum in their signature cocktails. Some standout cocktails are the Hi Punch - a create your own cocktail experience, Waikoloa Sour and the Mai Tai.

Hilo Bay Cafe

Beautiful bay front dining, come here for sushi and other seafood dishes. I had one of the best poke bowls of my life here. It was a good size and had a variety of fish in it. Hilo Bay Cafe serves lunch and dinner, and is located less than three miles from the Hilo International Airport. Visitors can enjoy contemporary, locally inspired dishes, artisan sushi and a refreshing range of drinks. With the choice to sit in the dining room or on the lanai, while soaking up the views of Hilo Bay. This is another restaurant on the Big Island featured on Dinners, Drive-Ins and Dives.


I am a coffee lover, so any time I travel to a new place I make it a goal to find local coffee shops and will avoid mega, Westernized, coffee chains like the plague. Here are a few coffee shops I love on the Island of Hawai’i

HiCO - Hawaiian Coffee

I absolutely adore the abundance of greenery inside HiCo, as well as the decor. Their menu has a long list of specialty drinks that are worth trying out. The Ube Latte is incredible. On top of fantastic drinks, HiCO has a great collection of quick breakfast items like pastries, avocado toast and spam musubi! If you visit a bit later in the day, you’ll be able to choose between coffee or a cocktail, including an espresso martini!

Island Vintage Coffee

This is one of my favorite chains in Hawai'i. There menu features a bunch of refreshing tea drinks, acai bowls, smoothies and of course, one of my favs - the Island Latte. Some other locations have a large food menu, but the one on the Big Island in the King’s Shops has a more condensed menu for food.