Where to Eat on the Big Island with Kids

Traveled in May 2024

Hungry from exploring and ready to eat on the Big Island of Hawaii? I always like to have a list of places to eat ready to go because the time it takes to search “where to eat” can get us from hungry to HANGRY, especially when traveling with a toddler. I wish I had more pictures of the food to entice you, but you’ll just have to believe me that the food was so good we didn’t have time for photos. We were not able to visit every restaurant on this list, but these are all the restaurants that had good enough reviews for me to want to try them. The restaurants in bold are the ones we did try and would recommend.

Since we were based on the Kona side of the island, most of these restaurants are located on that side. There are a lot of resorts on the Kona side of the island, so of course there are many resort restaurants. We tend to like the smaller family-run restaurants more than resort places, but have included some of the resort restaurants that had better reviews. Also, food is pricey on the Big Island, so be prepared. We usually eat early because our kiddo sleeps early so we were always able to get seated right away without a reservation. But if you eat at a regular dinner time then reservations would probably be wise. Since we were traveling with our toddler, we were mostly looking for family friendly restaurants and so the fine dining restaurants of the island are mostly not included in this list.

Kailua-Kona

• Basik cafe – açaí bowls
• Broke da mouth grindz – furikake chicken
• Matsuyama food mart – spam musubi 
• Umekes fish market and grill – fish tacos
• Kona Brewing – beer flight with local beers, island-inspired bar food. Also check out the Puna Chocolate Company next door for some of the smoothest chocolate to ever grace your tastebuds.

Hilo

• Hawaiian style cafe – breakfast 
• Big island candies – shortbread cookies 
• Tex drive in (on hwy 19 on the way to Hilo) – malasadas
• 2 Ladies Kitchen – strawberry mochi. Closed Sunday and Monday. I am so sad we missed this.

Waikoloa Resorts Area

• Manta at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel – brunch buffet or go for dinner to see the manta rays from the dock
• Kuleana rum shack at the Queen’s Marketplace – ube colada, seared ahi. Food and drinks better than Lava Lava Beach Club, in our opinion.
• Beach tree at the Four Seasons Resort 
• Napua at the Mauna Lani Beach Club – this was our splurge dinner. It has a beautiful view of the Makaiwa Bay beach and delicious food using local ingredients. A feast for the eyes and the mouth! Make reservations here.
• Lava Lava Beach Club – this place has great vibes because the tables are on the beach for watching the sunset, but the food was meh. Go for the vibes and lower your food expectations and it will be a lovely evening. They are first come first serve and do not take reservations.
• Original Big Island Shave Ice Co at the King’s Shops – the BEST shave ice.
• Island Vintage Coffee at the Kings Shops- breakfast bagel, açaí bowls. We came here every day for breakfast because it was the only place open at the crack of dawn. Why were we awake at the crack of dawn on vacation? Toddler + time difference. IYKYK.  
• Island Gourmet Market in Queen’s Marketplace – mochi malasadas, spam musubis 
• Island Hopper Taproom at the Shops at Mauna Lani – great variety of burgers, fries, and beer

Waikoloa Village

• Pueo’s osteria – get the short rib pizza. I know it sounds weird, but it works. Long wait, but I think this was my favorite meal of the trip. Make reservations if you want to dine there, or they also do take out.
• KTA supermarket for bentos 

Waimea

• Village burger – burgers
• Moa kitchen – Japanese noodles 
• Big Island Tokyo Table (Waimea Parker Ranch center food court) – butterfish miso bento, sushi rolls 
• Big Island Brewhaus
• Patisserie Nanako – Japanese pastries 

Looking for things to do on the Big Island with your toddler? Check out my post on the best toddler-friendly beaches and activities on the Big Island!