If you’re looking for the quintessential Hawaiian dining experience, Keoki’s Paradise is the place to go in South Shore Kauai. From their pleasant tropical ambiance to awesome service bursting with aloha, they go all out in setting the stage for a truly memorable meal. Plus, they often have local musicians playing live music for their patrons – which you can easily hear all the way in the dining room – plus beautiful hula shows.
While all that’s definitely awesome, the real magic is in every dish they serve. They only use the highest quality island ingredients in their dishes, sourcing them on the daily from local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. Then, they take those selections to the next level with their expert preparations and artistic plating techniques.
In addition to their amazing food, Keoki’s Paradise has a full-service bar where you can get a front-row seat for the live music and hula shows. Their bar serves up all the most popular tropical cocktails plus beer and wine galore. You can order from the bar while seated in the dining room, too, if you’d like. Just let your server know what you’d like to enjoy.
The menus change all the time, so make sure to visit as often as you can to get a taste of all their offerings. On the weekends, for example, they roll out brunch and their ever-popular grinds menu. Beyond that, Tuesdays bring on the tacos, of course, Wednesdays are all about burgers and beer, and the paniolo platter hits the tables on Thursday.
Most days, however, are all about that basic lunch and dinner menu, which both feature all their fan favorites. If you come into Keoki’s Paradise from 4 pm to 5:30 pm daily, you can hop onboard for their chef’s tasting menu. On that culinary journey, you get to choose one starter and one entrée plus dessert for an extra charge.
The most popular items at Keoki’s Paradise include:
Ahi Sashimi
The Ahi Sashimi is only available until their fresh-caught fish runs out, so you definitely need to grab an order whenever it’s available. They create this popular starter by dicing up local line-caught #1 ahi and fanning it over a bed of shredded cabbage. Pickled ginger, wasabi, and shoyu come alongside for dipping.
Panko & Macnut Crusted Fresh Fish
When you’re in the mood for fried fish done right, you cannot go wrong with the Panko & Macnut Crusted Fresh Fish. To make this dish, Keoki’s Paradise takes fresh-catch filets and dusts them in parmesan and panko breading. Then, they fry them up to a nice golden brown and put it all on the plate with lemon caper butter. White rice, macaroni salad, and bok choy macadamia nut slaw come on the side to bring it all together.
Wild Mushroom and Spinach Ravioli
For a delightful journey through the magic of Kauai produce, get the Wild Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli. Keoki’s Paradise makes this dish by making vegan raviolis filled with wild mushrooms and spinach. Then, they cook them in a delicious sauce made using garlic chardonnay broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, locally-sourced veggies, basil, and macadamia nuts.
You absolutely must save room for their desserts, or you’ll miss out big time. Their desserts feature the perfect mix of island ingredients, all prepared to delight you from the first bite to the last. If you love chocolate, then get the Original Hula Pie. This decadent dessert features macadamia nut ice cream set on a chocolate cookie crust and covered in hot fudge, toasted mac nuts, and whipped cream. Want something a little more tropical? Go for their Banana Coconut Cream Pono Pie instead. The name truly says it all.
Insider Tips:
-If you’d like to skip the gluten, choose their gluten-conscious fare. Although these dishes do not have any wheat ingredients, they don’t run a separate kitchen, so there’s still a risk of cross-contamination.
-Keoki’s Paradise stays quite busy throughout the day, so make your reservations well ahead of time through their website or by giving them a call. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up waiting up to two hours for a table.