The Bistro

Our evening at The Bistro in Kiluaea started with Happy Hour Mai Tai - it was quite tasty - I especially enjoyed the unique flavor addition of a layer of guava puree is visible in the bottom of the glass. I opted for two items from the small plates menu - Mushroom Risotto Goat Cheese Croquettes and Fish Rockets. The Fish Rockets were ahi tuna with a wasabi mayo and Asian Slaw; yummy - I will order them again if the opportunity presents. The Croquettes were subtle in flavor and very good - I liked them (I'll have the last one with my eggs this morning!) My partner enjoyed his blackened ahi tuna entree with a dark beer. Our companion ordered the clam chowder and reported that it was very good. For dessert (because, why not?!) we indulged in Grasshopper Pie - a large piece of deliciousness, plenty to share three ways. It was cool and refreshing, not at all rich; perfect finish to a lovely meal. I had hoped to personally compliment the chef, but was unable. Our server, Sarah, was attentive and pleasant - exactly perfect for a server. We'll return on our next visit to Kauai. Thank you for a great meal and lovely evening!

It had been a long time since my last visit, and this restaurant is just as wonderful as I remembered. The atmosphere is cozy, welcoming, and full of good energy. Nearly every dish on the menu is outstanding. Even though meat dishes aren’t usually my favorite, the flavors here easily won me over — truly deserving of five stars. Highly recommend stopping by! With plenty of fun places nearby, it’s perfect for a meal and a little exploring before or after.

This was one of the best semi-formal dining experiences in Kauai island. Great interior with various rooms and a great bar area. You can choose where you want to dine to suit your level of interest. Highly recommend you make a reservation, it’s a popular place and this way you avoid waiting. Service was fantastic and at the level fit for this type of dining. Our cocktails and drinks were fantastic, the menu is well curated. Food was the star of the show. Great portions, you could even share a main if you wanted to. Great flavors and cooked right. Braised beef was falling off and super delicious. The blackened mahi was superb - cooked just seared. The atmosphere is lovely, on quiet side so you can actually hear each other without screaming across the table. Lit but not too bright, soft and welcoming mood for a romantic evening. Made it to my replay list - hope you enjoy it too! Aloha 🌺

I had delicious, tender, perfectly cooked local ahi (the blackened fresh catch). Best fish of the trip by far. My partner said his pork chop was also perfectly cooked. Loved the combination of great food with a friendly, laid-back, unpretentious setting - so often it's one or the other. Highly recommended!

We loved coming to this bistro one our 9-day stay in Kauai! Although the menu is slightly limited the choices are delicious! We came here on New Year’s Eve, once for a cheeseburger takeout which was great, and one last time before our trip ended. The service and ambience was great, super friendly and comfortable. We felt right at home here and would definitely recommend this restaurant and would return on our next trip here!

Our family of 4 was looking forward to a nice diner and evening out. We were able to make reservations and the location was great. We probably caught them on an off day but the drinks were watered down, they mixed up the catch of the day and brought the wrong fish, served banana foster with forks and said they had no clean spoons. Dinner was ok, felt a bit over priced for what it was.

We’ve been coming here since the beginning. 25 years ago. It’s always been consistent. Decent food fair price pleasant service. A few times the music did not fit the atmosphere either too loud or some of the live music was not appropriate, for the small setting. This time the music was perfect, Fleetwood Mac, etc. They charge extra for the use of credit cards so if you’d like to avoid the fee bring cash. Overall, very reliable. Enjoy.

Popped into this restaurant because the cool vibes were so inviting!! The restaurant was quite packed. It happened to be happy hour and we enjoyed our food and drinks. Food takes a little bit to get to the table. But the servers were attentive, and kept our drinks coming. The chilli pepper chicken was okay, good quantity, might've tasted better if it packed a little more flavor. The beet salad was however enjoyable!!

Food fantastic Ambiance cool and airy Service- perfect service. Value- $$ I'd return in a heartbeat. Must stop if you are on the North-side of Kauai.

Ambiance & service good. Lovely hostess whose mom was our server and also good, laid back and friendly. It had been many years (well before pandemic) since I have dined here and the atmosphere was familiar, if a bit more casual these days. I did not have any specific expectations and went in with an open mind. I was thankful that on a Sunday evening around 8pm we were seated for 3 immediately. It was a bit hard to hear our conversation due to the style of the restaurant and loud full tables nearby. Food was ok. Nothing special or groundbreaking and high prices very expected & in keeping with expensive island food. It felt like a "no try hard" place unfortunately. The shrimp skewers were extraordinarily SALTY. This morning after eating I can concur the salt intake was unhealthy despite much hydration. Speaking of water, I appreciated the bottle of water and glasses of ice on the table. I had ample h2o yet that salt! I literally had one shrimp only. Server said "oh yes that's the kimchi", she definitely heard "salty" on that one before. Also I think maybe frozen shrimp, kinda sad and dry. Wine selection was good and we were all satisfied on our individual choices there. When our check came there were odd prices added to each item and this did not correlate to the menu. When I inquired, I learned from our server that it was a credit card fee. She said it was a credit card company incentive for them and that they couldn't do anything about it. So I guess this is something some restaurants are doing... however, it is the FIRST time I have received a bill at a restaurant where I was NOT informed prior that the price I see on the menu would be inflated on the bill (4% she said). The law is that it has to be clearly stated on the menu, in fact it should have a cash price column and a cc price column. The menu had neither nor and other declaration of added 4% in addition to regular tax. I did end up paying with cash as they so clearly preferred. I see the incentive was to charge customers more for cc so that they would use cash. It felt devisive and after a pricey meal of so so appetizers & salads it was disheartening. This review is hopefully constructive. These feel like easy fixes to a long standing local dining experience who has survived the toughest time. Perhaps your customers also have gone through hell over the last several years. They / we are coming to restaurants to have a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The happy hour is really fun, bring your friends. Half-price drink, menu and extra large appetizers. Fun local draft beers to choose from. Love the open air back porch area . It has a nice cool breeze on the right days.

Very impress with the service and the quality of their food. I ordered the mushroom risotto goat cheese croquette for the appetizer and the beef tenderloin for dinner. I wasn't expecting a fancy croquette but to my surprise it looked great and it taste great. I thought I was eating in a fine dining restaurant and not a hole in a wall restaurant. The tenderloin beef came out perfect as well, the only problem was that I wanted to eat another one. From the outside it doesn't look much like a restaurant but well worth it when you eat there. Try their bistro 75 which is there version of French 75.

One of my favorite places to eat in north shore Kauai. Great selection of wines by the glass and a cute little wine-by-the-bottle distribution area/liquor store next door. I love the happy hour food and drink options! Also their fish rockets - essentially flash seared/fried egg roll/lumpia ahi rolls. The servers are all very friendly and offer up their recommendations!

Came here for dinner our first night on the island. It was before their dinner service so we ate from their small plate menu. Food was really good and the drinks were great. Service was outstanding. Will definitely go back and try their dinner menu.

The food was excellent and beautifully presented, although my ono fish was kind of dry. I had to use a knife to cut it. If the fish is prepared correctly and not overcooked, it is usually so tender that you can cut it with a fork. But everything else was prepared beautifully. The bok choy was tender and crunchy at the same time, the lilikoi lemonade was out of this world, and the lilikoi buerre blanc sauce for the ono fish was heavenly! I love lilikoi and ordered the lilikoi cheesecake dessert. The server was so kind to put extra lilikoi sauce on it for me at my request. The food (except for the dry fish) and presentation of it was actually 5 stars! The service was kind of slow, and the greeter was kind of glum and not particularly personable. But I would still come back, the food is delicious.

Re-visit September 2023. Delicious dinner. Had 3 courses, 2 different wines. All good, no mis-fires. Welcoming greeting. Attentive & friendly service. The live guitarist/ singer was truly talented. He made the place feel like a true island paradise. Been on Kauai 2 weeks. Best restaurant meal by far. Dinner for two = $145 before taxes and tip. Not scary tourist expensive but still pricey if you're a working class guy like me. Still enthusiastic 5 stars! Recommend.

Lovely seating in the back with cool breeze throughout our dinner. Mushroom risotto balls and beet salad. Both excellent appetizers. Fish rockets and swordfish for mains. tramen Pinot Grigio fantastic and during happy hour do 2:1

My husband and I came her as this place offered gluten free options. I did think it was a fancier restaurant and it was more casual but it was still a great experience. Our waitress was kind, however the service was a little slow and the hostess was not very personable or welcoming. The food was delicious. I was happy to have some gluten free options and they took great care given it was an allergy.

Menu was limited. Food was good but not great. Service was good. Charge extra for using a credit card. Live Hawaiian music was great.

First dinner in Kauai! The food was really good! We got the Kale salad but I had forgotten to take a picture of it. Lol also got the seafood gumbo, chicken Marsala, mac nut basil burreblanc, and our friend got the braised beef. Others on our table got the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken or shrimp (can't remember), the bistro burger, and 2 prime rib. They said that all their food is really good! The service wasn't bad but it was a little slower. We had to wait quite a few for our water refill in the carafe. The men's bathroom was out of service so everyone needed to use the women's bathroom as well. It looked like a bar and restaurant so the atmosphere is a little louder. Overall the experience is good for our first night in Kauai and glad that the food was ready good! If you're in the area, definitely check them out because the food is really good and I would come here again when I'm in Kauai.

The vibe is a lot more casual then the dish presentation (or the prices) would imply. Has a local pub vibe with sports playing on tvs. It was packed when we went - staff was very friendly and overheard it was a birthday and brought out dessert with a candle. The food was good - mahi nut fish and fresh catch both excellent. Appetizers were also good though portions very small. The pineapple cobbler and cheesecake were delicious. Despite the food being very good not sure the atmosphere justified the price tag. Feels like a sports bar with a fancier bistro prices.

My family highly recommended this restaurant. It was the worst food I've had in Hawaii and probably some of the worst food I've had in the Bay Area. We arrived at 5:15. They gave us a table and then told us we could only order off the happy hour menu and we had to leave by 6:15. The food was disgusting, I ate two bites but no one asked why or cared. Then at 6:07 they said they needed my table despite spending almost $200 on terrible food and drinks. I was glad to leave and I will never return. It was also dishonest that they seated us without telling us (family of four with two kids) that we really couldn't eat dinner. Terrible food, terrible service, and ambiance was meh. I would not visit this restaurant again under any circumstances. You'll find better food at food trucks or the premade section of the grocery store- even dorms have better food.

Great atmosphere with live music - wish we had gotten here for happy hour. Drinks amazing, and the food is really good. Kayla our server was polite and efficient! Perfect for our group of 11!

We've been going for years don't our vacation and we're disappointed to see they dropped our fav dessert, bananas foster.

The best part was my sauvy b wine and the lilikoi cheesecake! Heads up, no creme brûlée

Tasty food, a friendly staff and the only thing resembling "fine" dining in Kilauea. Definitely overpriced but so is everything in the island. I enjoyed my food but would have paid half for it at home in LA

This place was fantastic. My kids loved it. I think the Baked Fresh Catch with Macnut-Basil Crema, vegetable, rice, lilikoi beurre blanc is one the best pieces of fish I have ever had.

After day 4 we were kinda over the offerings in Hanalei and decided to venture outside of town. The Bistro popped up on my radar. I'll cut to the chase the food is consistently only ok across the board. Everything was decent enough absolutely nothing will wow you. Very straightforward. The waitress we had was pleasant enough but she was probably five years past moving on to do something else. Absolutely phoning it in and had zero opinion about anything on the menu. As if she were under an NDA not reveal truths about the food.

Aloha, when visiting Kauai we dinned at The Bistro in Kilauea town. Very nice atmosphere with open air dining and background music was awesome, it set the setting for a wonderful dinner. The food was well portioned and delicious. We had a few shared pupus and beet salad as well as our own main course. Everything was good and satisfying. Kilauea is growing into a quant up-coming town. New shopping areas popping up with the latest Kilauea Market (aka Foodland). Definitely make a stop here. You'll be glad you did. Enjoy!

Great food! The Chili Pepper Chicken was the star of the meal but the grilled pork chop was delicious. Service was friendly and efficient. Open air restaurant is located in a small shopping plaza. You may disregard the Bistro because of the location. Don't! It's worth the visit.

We have a vacation home here and come to The Bistro about once a week while we are on the island. We bring any and all friends who visit us here for happy hour or dinner. Everything is top-notch. It has a local vibe which we love and we usually grab a sweet treat at the bakery next door on our way out. Great Mai tais, fish rockets, and oh the beet salad. Please note: They do not have free wi-fi and you have to mix the dark rum float into your drink yourself.

We always go back because we love the servers, bar tenders and staff - they are knocking it out of the park! Cocktails quick, appetizers perfect - everyone's meal was enjoyed - I can't remember the details of my companions meals [I do know they were pleased with beet salad, short rib, fresh fish , etc] because my lobster pasta dish was sublime. Make a reservation - Bistro is back and Better than ever! Fair warning if your highly allergic to cats let them know - sweet cats are in the dining room.

The mac nut fish and braised beef were excellent. We tried the grasshopper ice cream pie that was refreshing and not too sweet.

My sister and I are from O'ahu and were visiting Kaua'i. We decided to go to The Bistro for her birthday dinner because it had good reviews and we thought it would be upscale (it was not) with the cute name and pricey-er entrees ($38-72). We both got a corned beef soup which was good. I ordered the $44 seared ahi and she got the $44 baked fresh catch which was mahi mahi. The ahi sauce was super strong; I scraped most of it off. The ahi steak had the stringy connective tissue so it wasn't a good cut. We were both shocked at how bad the rice was--it was short grain rice but really hard and dry, worse than plate lunch rice which is sometimes bad. I took a bite then asked to substitute for anything else and the waitress who was very helpful and friendly said no problem, you can have mashed potatoes or asparagus. I asked for asparagus. It was five stalks and they were blackened and sour?? When I got the bill I saw I was charged $5 for the substitute. I probably just ordered wrong; maybe their other entrees are better. Don't get the fish.

Food: Prosciutto and goat cheese: was to savory for my taste but a quality dish. Kale salad - a lot of kale but very fresh Marsala - great flavored dish but the chicken was little rubbery Drinks: John Daley and Maitai were made to feel not made for a nice taste. Not a bad thing, just be aware. Service: Are service was average. Our waitress was attentive but not particularly descriptive or helpful with the menu. Overall it's not a bad place to eat but I wouldn't plan my day around going here.

Very charming and quiet restaurant. Service was good and the food was terrific. My wife and I shared a beet salad, which was plenty for two. I had seared Ahi, which was beautifully presented and tasted great. My wife had Ono, which was also wonderful. We tried many of the more popular spots on the North Shore but liked this best.

Fantastic restaurant with great food and service! We can't wait to go back. The Rocket appetizer was wonderful with a very unique slaw that was delicious. We shared an entree of blackened ahi that was wonderful and beet salad also wonderful. Since we shared a dinner we felt entitled to a desert so had the lilikoi cheesecake soo good!

On our first visit, the fish rockets, beet salad, Ceasar salad all came in at the same time after 20 minutes of seating and then followed by both my bratwurst, and my husband's burger about 5 minutes later, as we were enjoying our fish rockets. Our server was attentive enough, obviously busy herself; it's got to be a challenge being the only server in a busy restaurant that seems to cater to mostly tourists. Two other kitchen staff served our food. The fish rockets were delightful; seared ahi in a crispy wrap with a crunchy slaw that's both slightly tart and sweet. My husband found his burger to be satisfying and the Caesar salad to have more of a light lemon vinaigrette than the creamy style dressing. I ate the beautifully plated beet salad after my brats since it was cold anyway and I wanted to eat my main meal warm. I really enjoyed the sweet caramelized onions on my brats, which were satisfying themselves. I also liked the spicy kimchi cucumber it had on the side. Funny enough, I found the stoneground honey mustard to be so delicious that I asked my server about it and was told it was just some bottle ordered from the mainland...still it worked well with the brats! There was an occasional welcoming breeze during the evening we visited though it would've been nice to see the place during the day since it's an open air plantation style building. Our second visit was still in the evening and a guitarist was playing. We got seated in the perimeter, and decided to have fish from their bistro plate section, with me ordering the Grilled Fresh Catch of the Day (ahi) with Chimichurri and Asparagus and my husband getting the Blackened with side of Bokchoy Slaw. We both opted for seared done-ness (it's fresh ahi!). We tasted each other's dishes and found them extraordinary. The sauce in each married well with the seared ahi. The Chocolate Decadence was my favorite dessert in the whole island during our vacation; rich, creamy and velvety warm chocolate and ice cream! Traditional, yes, but damn, it's a classic done right. Service was friendly like our first visit. Timing seemed smoother with our minimal (but fantastically delicious) order.

One of my favorite places for a nice dinner. Food was regally flavorful & portions were generous. We started with the chicken (chili pepper chicken), gumbo as appetizers, beet salad and kale salad and for entrees the blackened fish (tuna with a spicy mayo and sweet soy glaze). Everything was so good and one of our favorite meals on the island. There aren't that many options for dinner on a Sunday so that was a plus.

Great happy hour and decent wine list in an approachable and aloha atmosphere. Service is laid back and friendly.

We always come here for dinner when we are visiting. They have happy hour until 6 pm and half off wine, beer, and two cocktails. The fire cracker chicken is always amazing. I ordered the chicken masala and it was excellent and very flavorful. My wife ordered the braised beef and it's one of the best things I've ever had. The meet was so tender you could cut with a fork and the sauce was excellent, but the mustard made it over the top. Highly recommend trying it.

I loved the Korean shrimp skewer, had a terrific terrific wait staff, and great evening all around.

Stopped at 7:30 on a Friday night and it was pretty busy but they were able to seat us right away! Everyone was masked up and super friendly. We are hitting all the places with vegan food and these guys have the Beyond Burger on the menu. I had an IPA from Maui which was rather unique. It's a lively place for dinner for sure, but the vibe was pretty good for a restaurant/bar with some reggae music playing to keep it chill. We had a small booth by the bar so the noise level was way more manageable. I liked the fries, and the burger had a nice bit of local greens and tomatoes. Overall a good burger and fun place to be on a Friday.

Great spot. Great food. Simple yet elegant atmosphere. Loved everything about it. Warm and friendly service. Honestly, I came here on first night of landing because I loved Matt's honest responses to negative "karen" reviews. And what I found was a well executed local bistro. I'll be back over and over.

Gave the Bistro a try based on the positive reviews but felt that our dinner was decent but not our favorite meal. Food: 3/5 We started with the Fish Rockets which were very good - great piece of tuna and overall an interesting starter. Mains were just OK we felt. The garlic shrimp pasta was a bit flat and the shrimp were a tad overcooked. We also tried the grilled fish which was also a bit overcooked. So while we weren't overly impressed with the food, it may have just been the entrees we ordered as our appetizer was great. Drink: 3/5 The Sauvignon Blanc was just OK. Service: 5/5 Extremely prompt and friendly service. Might suggest slowing the pace of courses coming out as was a tad fast.

The food is pretty good and the staff is super nice! The wings pretty CRISPY! The ahi fish of the day tasted super fresh and worth! The chicken Marsala was good to if and the pork chop also good if you're look for non Hawaiian food! The banana foster was pretty good too! In all a good spot to switch things up.

The first time we went, everything was wonderful. We were treated respectfully. Our happy hour drinks were great and the pineapple cobbler was delicious. We bought two soups to go. Yesterday we stopped because we had had such a good experience. It was 5:45, we didn't have a reservation, we were hesitantly seated next to a post at a table for two. We were there for drinks and a to-go order. When our waitress realized we were not going to have dinner she cooled noticeably and both of us thought she was going to ask us to leave, making us feel very uncomfortable. We drank our drinks and asked to take pineapple cobbl home, but were refused because she said they couldn't do it. They brought our soup out without a sack which we had to request. We paid our $48 bill, including a 20% tip, which she didn't deserve and we left never to return.

Busy place with a nice menu of options. Hostess wasn't having the best night so it wasn't an ideal welcome. Our server was nice and pleasant but did not introduce herself and checked to ask how everything was but didn't stop to listen for the answer. If she had listened this would have been the feedback: The ahi i ordered seared had zero pink and was far from seared. It was white all the way through so not as ordered. My husband ordered the pork chop with asparagus. It came without any asparagus and the veggies around it were pretty much raw onions and celery that was not really edible. The pork chop was well seasoned and flavorful but also well over-cooked and pretty chewy. Not quite what we would be hoping for. The beet salad was a good portion size and nicely presented. The potato soup was very good. The service was a solid 2-3 star experience. We did not see our server after the meal was served to give the feedback and make request so we ate the food that was not cooked as ordered. Our server was nice but it was overall an unfortunate experience. Our server did seem genuinely caring about our experience, and did comp the appetizer which was a bit sad because she was quite sweet and the problem really had more to do with the way the food was prepared.

Amazing Mai Tai, the fish rockets were great. My husband got a burger and fries and I don't usually eat fries but they were piping hot and delicious. The staff was excellent. The best blonde beer I ever had. Light and refreshing. We had a reservation 45 min after we showed up and they were able to seat us early. It was a great dinner near a lot of locals.

Mixed feelings about our experience. The hostess was not friendly at all, the waitress was lovely. We ordered the scallop special appetizer and were shocked when the bill came and the appetizer was $38. Definitely a bit of info that should be disclosed when describing the dish. Would not have ordered it had we known. Kale salad and baked fresh catch were delicious. Picky daughters both ordered Alfredo pasta which weirdly had large pieces of onion in it. I had a Mai Tai and it was just ok.

We went to this restaurant based on the recommendation from our Resort Concierge along with the 10% discount card. My wife had a pasta entree plus a salad and I had a hamburger. The check came and the only thing they took the 10% off of the pasta. My $22 was considered as a bar menu item not an entree. Very disappointing. Secondly, the Hamburger had no flavor. Also very disappointing.

Fair. Not great not the worst. Service was great but food was hit or miss and way over priced for portions and quality. Won't go back. Avalon is a better choice by far.

This a great spot to stop after walking the Loop or visiting the Lighthouse. First, the service is excellent. Huge shout out to Jenny - she was terrific. She is 5 stars. For food, you need to have the Fish Rockets - they are perfection on a plate. Also tried the brat which was good, but I should have stuck to those Fish Rockets. The Fish Rockets were ahi wrapped in a gentle egg roll wrap. I also grabbed a few beers on Happy Hour. This place would be 5 stars if they still had the "Grasshopper Pie". Please bring it back. Grasshopper Pie!!!! Grasshopper Pie!!!!

First the bad - Both of the chicken Marsala we ordered were super salty. There was definitely too much salt in the sauce (and I love salt!) My husband choked his chicken down, I ate half the piece of chicken after scraping the sauce off. My son got the grilled steak...again, the soy sesame sauce was so salty it was inedible. My daughter got the pepper chicken, batter was salty and kimchee was again inedible due to salt (we love kimchee...this was just yuck) Out of five meals the only good one was the pork chop. Well cooked, properly seasoned. Looked forward to eating here and made the reservation weeks ago. We won't go back the rest of the trip.

Great dinner spot out near the Kilauea Lighthouse. I waited too long to review so details will be sparse but we thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks. Service was attentive. About the only negative is that the place is very open with lots of hard surfaces, so it can be really loud if the right/wrong group happens to be seated nearby. Oh, and don't freak out if the house cat wanders under your seat and tickles your inner thigh with its tail... Definitely recommended.

The food was priced and portioned in a gourmet fashion. But the Ramen was quite filling. Service was absolutely exemplary and the setting and atmosphere was otherworldly.

The food is exceptional. One doesn't come to Kauai for the food but the bistro lives up to its good reviews. The food is delicious and and worth the price. The braised short ribs with mushroom risotto were flavorful and the portion was large. The fresh macadamia nut fish was also delicious and lightly sauced to perfection. The wines by the glass were also excellent. Save room for the chocolate decadence. A wonderful anniversary meal. Only the survey hostess was a downer. Our server, Kele was attentive and helpful.