This roadside stand is a favorite among local surfers. It's always crowded and the wait can be tedious, so do like the natives and call in your order ahead of time. That way, when you arrive, your charbroiled teriyaki burger will be ready to savor at the outdoor picnic tables. Dip your fries in the house blue-cheese dressing and pity those who salivate as they wait for their own tasty burger.

Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Once part of the Kilohana Sugar Plantation owner's house, Gaylord's is a sweet incarnation of the island's plantation past. With its large stone courtyard and beautifully landscaped grounds, it evokes glamorous island life in the 1930s. Views of the verdant mountains make this an ideal stop for a lunch of fresh island fish, like ahi and snapper, or baby back ribs. Afterward, you can tour the 16,000-square-foot plantation home, walk the grounds, or take a tour (20 minutes on a horse-drawn carriage, or 40 minutes on a train). On Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, there's a theatrical presentation of the Polynesian migration to Hawaii in the renovated carriage house. Avoid holidays: Service can be spotty and the waits are long, although reservations are accepted.

Open 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. for breakfast, 11 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and dinner from 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 9 a.m.to 2 p.m. for Sunday brunch, no dinner on Sundays.

Situated along a riverbank on the north shore in Hanalei, this restaurant has been around since the 1970s and is still thriving. The prices are reasonable, the service friendly, and most entrées come with side dishes and a salad served family style. The squaw bread, made with molasses, is sweet and dark. A full bar and outdoor seating make this a fun stop for cocktails as well, but stay for dinner and order fish (the ono is particularly good). It's hard to go wrong, since all the seafood comes from the Hanalei Dolphin Fish Market, which is just behind the restaurant.

Open every day 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.  for lunch, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. The fish market is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This humble hole-in-the-wall in Hanapepe, a little plantation town just west of glitzy Poipu Beach, promotes a purposefully healthy take on food—which is refreshing in an area where steaks, burgers, and fried seafood are the norm. The signature dish is the local catch, grilled and served with steamed rice and fresh, Hawaii-grown greens. Breakfast orders (muffins, scones, fruit plates, etc.) are mostly to go, but this place gets packed at lunchtime. It only opens for dinner on Fridays (when there's also live Hawaiian slack-key guitar music). It's difficult to find budget-friendly food on the south shore, and even harder to find vegetarian options, so this has been a welcome addition to the scene.

Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner only on Fridays. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.

Alongside Highway 50 you'll find a bright, painted wood shack that says "Jo-Jo's." Stop by for the island delicacy called "shave ice," a sweet, cold, refreshing treat. Similar to a snow cone but better, shave ice is a great way to try island flavors like passion fruit and coconut. Be adventurous and add red adzuki beans to the mix. Don't be intimidated by the lines; they move quickly, and it's worth the wait.

One of the newer discoveries in Hawaiian agriculture is that cacao grows well on Kauai. The outcome is this mom-and-pop chocolate shop in Port Allen (where boat tours leave for the famous Na Pali Coast). Among the crave-worthy best sellers are Chocolate Opihi, a shell-shaped combination of shortbread, caramel, and macadamia nut covered in rich creamy chocolate, and Da Brick, a variation on fudge with more caramel and macadamia nuts. Simple treats, such as a dark chocolate–covered marshmallow on a stick, are good to eat while driving back to your hotel. The only drawback is that it's tough to transport these temperature-sensitive treats home with you to the mainland.

Open Mondays through Saturdays 11 am to 5 pm.

Fresh hummus, tabbouleh, and baba ghanoush are a bit unexpected in the Hanalei Colony Resort's remote corner of Hawaii. Yet you won't be disappointed with The Mediterranean Gourmet's menu, which reflects Middle Eastern, Greek, and French influences and also includes well-executed standards such as Caesar salad and filet mignon. The venue recalls the dive bar from Coyote Ugly (trading the bras strung up as decor for a belly dancer who wiggles between the tables on Friday nights), yet somehow, even when you're perfectly sober, it works out to a lively and tasty (not to mention affordable) evening. Picking up a picnic lunch is a good idea, too, but skip the overpriced couple's dinner ($300 per couple, not including alcohol) unless you relish the idea of having chatty Imad Beydoun, the Lebanese owner, cook for you tableside.

Open Mondays through Saturdays 11 am to 9 pm.

Wraps don't usually inspire passionate praise, but not all wraps contain seared tuna, nutty brown rice, cucumber slices, and pickled ginger doused in a heavenly wasabi cream sauce and offset with a splash of soy. This simple sidewalk café in Kapaa also serves tropical tacos, coconut curry, and basic salads and sandwiches. Whichever you choose, it'll be delicious, filling, and under $11; indeed, one serving can be shared or may suffice for both lunch and dinner.

Open 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. every day.

While the condos of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas are generic and too far from the ocean for us to recommend, the property's unpretentious restaurant, Nanea, is a Kauai standout. Diver scallops stuffed with crab, sesame-crusted mahimahi, and rack of lamb rubbed with locally grown coffee are just a few of the dishes you'll recall fondly after returning home. The menu of island fare also includes vegetarian options like agedashi tofu, and anyone with a sweet tooth should save room for one of the daily special desserts. There's both indoor and outdoor seating, and note that at this casual eatery, the only thing that's dressed up is the food.

Open daily 6:30 to 10:30 am and 5:30 to 9:30 pm; bar menu available 11 am to 11 pm.