Hawaiʻi Eats · Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
Kailua-Kona restaurants: plate lunch & drive-ins, poke, loco moco and more
In and around Kailua-Kona: 1 plate lunch spot, 1 poke counter, 1 loco moco spot, 1 James Beard honoree and the oldest restaurants (back to 1929). The Hawaii lists were checked by hand in October 2026 against 2025–26 sources. The Hawaiʻi Eats app and the web search include 189 restaurants, cafés, bars and bakeries in Kailua-Kona, closest first once you share your location.
A place outside Kailua-Kona is listed here only when Kailua-Kona is the closest of our 20 city pages and it's within 15 miles on the same island, so each place is on one city page. Kailua-Kona is on Hawaiʻi Island.
Plate lunch & drive-ins in Kailua-Kona
Places in Kailua-Kona. Each one was read against a 2025–26 menu or news story in October 2026. Every island: 19 plate lunch spots in Hawaii.
Big Island Grill
75-5702 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua-Kona
Plate lunchLoco moco On the menu: loco moco, plate lunches
A Kailua-Kona local-food restaurant that HAWAIʻI Magazine readers named for loco moco and plate lunch in 2026.
Poke in Kailua-Kona
Places in Kailua-Kona. Each one was read against a 2025–26 menu or news story in October 2026. Every island: 13 poke counters and fish markets in Hawaii.
Da Poke Shack
76-6246 Ali‘i Dr, Kailua-Kona
Poke On the menu: poke
A Kailua-Kona poke counter in the Kona Bali Kai (Suite 101) that may close early when it sells out.
Loco moco in Kailua-Kona
Places in Kailua-Kona. Each one was read against a 2025–26 menu or news story in October 2026. Every island: 7 loco moco spots in Hawaii.
Big Island Grill
75-5702 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua-Kona
Plate lunchLoco moco On the menu: loco moco, plate lunches
A Kailua-Kona local-food restaurant that HAWAIʻI Magazine readers named for loco moco and plate lunch in 2026.
James Beard honorees in and near Kailua-Kona
Honors the James Beard Foundation gave, from semifinalist up to winner and America's Classic. They're facts, not ratings. Every island: 6 Hawaii James Beard honorees.
Manago Hotel
82-6155 Hawaiʻi Belt Rd, Captain Cook · 12 mi from Kailua-Kona
America's Classic
James Beard: America's Classics 2023
Oldest restaurants in and near Kailua-Kona
Oldest first, each dated at the address it has now from its own account or a published history; the note under each one names the source. Every island: Hawaii's oldest restaurants.
Teshima's Restaurant
79-7251 Hawai'i Belt Rd, Kealakekua · 8 mi from Kailua-Kona
On the menu: No. 3 teishoku, shrimp tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi · Since 1929
A Kealakekua family restaurant on the property where the Teshima family opened a general store in 1929; the restaurant replaced the store there in 1957.
The Teshima family opened their store on this property in 1929 and built the restaurant there in 1957 (Honolulu Magazine).
What Kailua-Kona eats
The most common kinds among Kailua-Kona's 189 places to eat, counted from open map data.
| Kind of place | Places |
|---|---|
| Coffee & Café | 34 |
| Bar & Pub | 27 |
| Hawaiian & Local | 16 |
| Bakery & Sweets | 15 |
| Japanese & Sushi | 13 |
| Mexican | 11 |
| Sandwiches & Deli | 9 |
| Seafood | 9 |
| Thai | 8 |
| Pizza | 7 |