Restaurants

Tomkats Grille in Old Koloa Town, Kauai (Jennifer Miner)

One of my favorite things to do in the Hawaiian islands (besides the snorkeling, the hiking, the soaking up of the sun and mai tais) is finding relatively unknown restaurants and trying them out. You know it’s probably a good bet, for example, when you see a crowd of locals waiting to get in a restaurant that the concierge at your fancy resort never thought to recommend. I had just such a happy experience at Tomkats Grille, in the Poipu resort area’s Old Koloa Town, Kauai.

Old Koloa Town was Hawaii’s first real (read: successful) sugar mill. Today, however, it’s a humble Hawaiian village, dwarfed in popularity by the shopping area of Poipu Beach. There are only two real restaurants here; a pizzeria, and Tomkats Grille. Now, pizza’s fine any time of the year as far as I’m concerned, but if you’re on vacation in Hawaii, why not eat at a real Hawaiian joint? Tomkats fits the bill nicely.

This is NOT a health food restaurant by any stretch. The big plates of burgers, fish sandwiches and fries are

Mahi Mahi Sandwich at Tomkats Grille in Kauai, Hawaii (Jennifer Miner)

all very satisfying, and not for dieters. I made the mistake of ordering a Caesar salad appetizer, which frankly was subpar. The specialties here definitely run towards the greasy and satisfying. The size and selection of beer here surprised me; stouts, lagers, local and Maui micro brews…a beer goes down great after a morning in the sun, and we enjoyed ours immensely.

Old Koloa Town is a handy pitstop on the way back to Poipu from, say, a hike in Waimea Canyon. Hungry children will be very, very happy with Tomkats Grille, and their paper and crayon creations often end up hanging on the wall. Daily specials vary, of course, but when I was there the macadamia nut-crusted ahi and the fresh caught mahi mahi sandwich were both really great, and generously proportioned. One of my kids gobbled up every last bit of her fish and chips – made with locally caught ono – and said they were “better than the fish sticks at home.” I should hope so! The relaxed, casual atmosphere at Tomkats Grille perfectly epitomizes small-town Hawaiian restaurants, and we all enjoyed our midday meal there.

Tomkats Grill

5404 Koloa Rd,

Old Koloa Town, Kauai