My second post about the island of Hawai'i is dedicated to great restaurants in the Kailua-Kona region. As I mentioned in my last post, the Big Island has ample farmland and thus it is an agricultural cornucopia. When you couple that with the various cultural influences on the cuisine and the access to fresh seafood, it's no wonder that the island of Hawai'i is both a tropical and foodie paradise.
Lanihau Beach in Kailua-Kona
I'll start my Big Island food tour in Kailua-Kona (or Kona for short), the second largest settlement on the island of Hawai'i. This expansive region occupies almost two thirds of the west side of the island. Kona is shielded from winds by the Mauna Loa volcano. Therefore, the waters along its shoreline are clear and calm.
Old Kona Airport State Beach
This makes it a prime location for spotting and swimming with manta rays, green sea turtles, and dolphin, as well as for fishing.
ULU Ocean Grill
Four Seasons Lobby
Kona is filled with amazing restaurants. So many in fact, that I will share them over two separate posts. I'll begin with ULU Ocean Grill, located at the Four Seasons resort. ULU gets the prize for my favorite overall dining experience during this particular trip to the Big Island.
Kohala Coast
ULU Ocean Grill is a restaurant in the northern part of Kona on the Kohala Coast. Before I dive into the food, I want to emphasize that the ambiance at this restaurant is exceptional. The restaurant sits beachfront and is a perfect place to eat extraordinary food while watching the waves crash, the palm trees sway and/or the sun setting over the Pacific.
Beachfront View from ULU Ocean Grill
It is no wonder that ULU has been named both one of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants and one of the 100 Best Al Fresco Restaurants in America.
House-Made Potato Chips with French Onion Dip
ULU begins your meal with two different complimentary types of chips. The first are house-made potato chips with a french onion dip that is sprinkled with crispy, curly, fried onions.
Shrimp Chips
Next, they present shrimp chips made with tapioca flour. These chips are sprinkled with matcha salt and have so much umami flavor.
ULU sources all their food from over 160 local farmers and fisherman, making your meal a true farm-to-table dining experience. The quality and freshness of the ingredients is unmistakable.
Hamachi Carpaccio
ULU is especially known for their fish which is so fresh that the best way to experience it, in my opinion, is raw. Therefore, for my appetizer, I ordered the hamachi carpaccio. This yellowtail tuna was drizzled in jalapeno-infused ponzu, and sprinkled with ali'i salt.
Ponzu Gelee
It was also served with small cubes of ponzu gelee which were absolutely delightful on their own or along with each bite of fish.
Usuzukuri Hamachi
The hamachi was served usuzukuri style. "Usuzukuri" is a Japanese word that means "thinly sliced." This refers to a technique whereby the fish is cut no more than a few millimeters wide to highlight its translucence. The presentation is both aesthetically pleasing as well as pleasing to the palate because the fish melts in your mouth.
Spicy Crab Noodles
For the main course, I ordered the spicy crab noodles. They were exceptional.
In addition to crab, these noodles were tossed in ebi butter, garlic, ginger, red pepper, bok choy and scallions.
The chef did not skimp on the plump chunks of crab, nor did he fail to make high-quality, udon noodles which were thick without being dense, and springy rather than gummy.
If you are looking for a fine dining experience in Kona, I enthusiastically recommend ULU Ocean Grill. If you are on a budget, I still recommend coming by the restaurant for a drink and a sunset. You won't be disappointed.
Manago
Manago Hotel and Restaurant
The second restaurant that I want to highlight is Manago Hotel and Restaurant. Manago is actually located in the town of Captain Cook, which is just north of Kailua-Kona. The restaurant is absolutely iconic. In fact, Manago was given the James Beard American Classics award in 2023. The award celebrates restaurants with “quality food that reflects the character of its community.”
Manago, which opened in 1917, also happens to be Hawaii's oldest continually operating restaurant. I don't mean the island of Hawai'i; I am referring to the oldest restaurant on any of the Hawaiian Islands. (See my last post distinguishing between Hawai'i and Hawaii.)
The restaurant is located on the hills of the Mauna Loa volcano and overlooks Kealakekua Bay. To reach it, you ascend some country roads, passing coffee farms, until you arrive on a quaint street lined with cafes and antique shops. You won't find many tourists here.
Manago Lobby
When you enter, you take a trip back in time. The lobby is filled with newspaper clippings and photographs revealing the establishment's storied past and honoring the family that opened it. The hotel and restaurant were founded by Japanese immigrants Kinzo and Osame Manago and have been run thereafter by four generations of family members.
Pork Chops
When I asked what the restaurant's speciality was, two servers chimed in unison, "our pork chops." Indeed, the chops were on every table around me. Not only that, I then noticed that t-shirts worn by many of the staff actually say, "Manago Hotel Best Pork Chops."
So, pork chops it was.
The chops come "plate lunch" style without a plate lunch presentation. If you are unfamiliar, a Hawaiian plate lunch refers to a meal served on one plate that includes a protein, two scoops of rice and a scoop of mayonnaise-based macaroni (or mac) salad.
At Manago, the rice and mac salad are served separately along with vegetables as well.
The pork chops were juicy and flavorful. You could taste that they had been prepared on sturdy, well-seasoned, cast iron skillets that had soaked up years of flavor. The grilled onions that are served with the pork chops are sautéed in those same skillets and are thus extremely saporous.
The addition of the onions to the pork chops at Manago goes uncontroverted. The gravy, on the other hand, is a separate story. The debate among the regulars is whether the chops are better with or without gravy and there's passionate advocacy on both sides.
I decided to find out for myself, so I ordered my gravy on the side and tried the chops both with and without it. So, which was better? You will have to visit and decide for yourself.
Teshima
Teshima's
Just north of Manago in Kealakekua is Teshima's, another iconic restaurant. The roots of the restaurant begin with Goichi Hanato who opened a tofu shop and store in 1899. He and his wife had a daughter named Mary to whom they gave the store in 1928.
Teshima's, as it is known today, opened its doors in 1929 as a general store founded by their daughter (who is affectionately referred to today as), "Grandma" Mary Shizuko Teshima. With the help of her husband, Fumio Teshima, the store evolved into a restaurant in 1957 with a focus on traditional Japanese and Hawaiian cuisine.
Kaimi and Christian
Mary worked in the restaurant until she was 105 years old. In 2013, Mary passed away at the age of 106, leaving the restaurant to her children and grandchildren. Kaimi and Christian, pictured above, are fourth generation family members who work at the restaurant today.
They were kind enough to tell me a little bit more about the family while I sipped on my green tea.
The Teshimas are a large family. Grandma Mary had five children, 12 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren. She was a powerful matriarch and a woman who valued character. Ten years before she died, she penned a letter to the family, as a gift to them on her 96th birthday.
In the letter, Mary wished her children "good health, an honest heart, patience, and room for forgiveness." She further stated, "if we listen more than we speak and follow as well as we lead, ultimately we will endure and prevail." She followed her own advice and prevailed indeed.
Japanese Breakfast
In my conversation with family members, they suggested I order the "Japanese Breakfast," pictured above.
My meal came with vegetables, a small salad, rice, a shrimp cake, fried fish, ...
... a perfectly cooked over-easy egg and lovely conversation. Teshima's is a special restaurant with a rich history. I look forward to returning again one day and trying more of their menu offerings.
I also look forward to continuing this post. Coming up soon, I'll share four more of Kailua-Kona's great restaurants. In between, this series will discover more features of the Big Island like its green, black and white sand beaches and so much more. Stay tuned.
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