Kitchen Table

This is one of my favorite spots on island. They have delicious organic food with tasty ingredients you can trust. The grounds are also beautiful and it’s lovely to walk around after a meal. It’s definitely worth trying their Sunday brunch.

Just walked out of Sunday brunch. Came in for an 11:45 AM reservation. Buffet had not been refreshed in what seemed like a long time. Steam tables practically empty, ditto salad bar. Glad we were just out for a family meal, otherwise would have been embarrassed with guests. Poor showing.

Mind boggled. Period.
We came to Kauai starting in 2001 and feel like we know the island decently well (my wife’s family lives on the island) so the brunch at Kitchen Table today showed us all the things we felt just started falling short of late represent only a small part of the island.
Kitchen Table represents exceptional people, some of the best food anywhere in the world (we live near some of the best restaurants in the world in Northern California so we might know a little bit — see French Laundry), and the intersection of local, sustainable, and unpretentious. We met the chef only because he stopped as he refilled stations at the buffet and found someone unequivocally passionate about his work. We ate the best food on the island, period, without question. We sat in the middle of a gorgeous backdrop and never got rushed, never got treated like unwelcomed tourists, and never received anything other than the best. I will say, without pause, nothing else exists on the island, even including the «had to give you great service and kinda sorta good food at the St. Regis because you paid 10X anything you would tolerate anywhere else on earth,» like what Kitchen Table puts forth.
Yes you will pay $ 45 for brunch and yes you can only eat there either Sunday for brunch or Wednesday for dinner. So what? Yes the café isn’t there anymore which means you had to suffer crap service and mediocre wannabe upscale food at The Bistro in Kilauea on any other day and time (not even worth writing a review about). So what? I just spent $ 130 including tip tonight for two kids corn dogs (and fries), one cup of soup (albeit pretty damn good), one salad with chicken, and one pupu (stupidest Hawaiian transliteration of a fake word ever) of four slices of smoked fish plus 6 beers. No so what so much.
Instead brunch ran $ 145 for a buffet fulfilling every single dietary need possible. Simply boiled Kauai shrimp without any fuss (head on)? Check. Best poke on the island, period? Check. Best kalua pork (not fatty, not dry, not a joke, not unflavorful, not faked with some other technique and some sho-​yu thrown in there to act legit)? Check. Fresh squeezed lemonade with mint? Check. Single best eggs benedict I’ve eaten in years (perfectly poached egg, aforementioned kalua pork, homemade english muffin, perfect hollandaise)? Check.
Yeah it’s a lengthy review and I’m sorry but I’m tired. The food on the island continues to falter year after year while the prices continue to increases almost exponentially. To see a group so passionate and to deliver an exceptional product means more than just the fact I finally feel like I spent money well spent on our twice yearly trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth. Props to everyone at Kitchen Table from top to bottom for representing Kauai the way the island, at core values, always intended to represent. (To anyone else living here either get there to eat at least once and/​or talk to someone who works there to find camraderie in the greatness this island can offer.)

You’re in Kauai, there’s a cool breeze, with a seriously happy guitar player, the only question is can this place elevate your palate like it does your spirit. Yes, with fresh, delicious and quality food. Easily the best food and service I’ve had on the island, and really anywhere for a brunch. They’re kind of cheating, it’s hard to compare anywhere with the beauty of the Garden Isle. The pumpkin spice waffle, gluten free pancake, wonderful poke, avocado and taro spread, assortment of native fruits, there’s something for everyone. I hope to come back here sometime in the near future.

The food is farm to table. The chef is brilliant. Best biscuits I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot). And the gravy that accompanies it: mmmmmmm mmmm good. Refreshing fresh juices. Delicious food. Sunday brunch selection is abundant. The setting is wonderful, amid a garden and a farm in the Kauai common grounds. If you’re here in a Sunday, it’s a must try.

Absolute must for Sunday brunch. So full after eating all that great food and so glad we had checked Unilocal the night before. If you are staying om the North Shore, take a break from the hotel fare and check this out.
Great salad starter but biscuits and gravy were incredible with warm flaky biscuits and this flavorful gravy that i could not get enough of. Eggs Benedict and the scrambled eggs were great too. Coffee was also some of the best on the island and also try the teas, which were very refreshing.
Save room for dessert, my wife put away a tiramisu on a spoon and she can’t stand tiramisu. Of course we were so stuffed at this point.
After stuffing yourself, feel free to walk around the property, which had a nice leisurely and pretty walk.
Live music too, which was perfect in terms of volume and tone.
Definitely make reservations, even if last minute. We showed up 30min before they opened and they let us in (thank you so much!)

We finished up our trip by having Sunday brunch at Kitchen Table. Unilocal and the google map had the directions a bit wrong-​this Hawaiian buffet style restaurant is located in the Common Grounds. $ 45 per person and $ 60 with alcohol so bring a HUGE appetite! Excellent service, great ambiance, live entertainment wonderful local food. Definite recommend!

Words are difficult to describe the pleasure of brunch here. Prime directive — local! So if you want maple syrup for you your waffle — go somewhere else. Here you’ll have island fresh coconut syrup and it’s amazing! In a land of mediocre food — this one experience makes me want to come back to this island and bring friends! If you go to one good experience your entire trip — make it this one.

Delicious. Skip the St. Regis brunch and come here! $ 60 for amazing local buffet brunch and truly bottomless champagne and mimosas.
Smoked ono, mozzarella, marlin sashimi, all made in house. Delicious. Also check out the seasonal juices for mixing with your champagne.
Last but not least, the grounds of the restaurant are beautiful. Wander around a little bit to work of your food coma!

My wife and I had the distinct pleasure of spending our Sunday morning enjoying brunch at the Kitchen Table. The first thing that stood out to us was the incredible customer service. It was as if our server, V, could sense when we needed her, and she always greeted us with a smile and a cheerful disposition. The spread was as impressive as it was delicious. In addition to traditional breakfast fare, there was sausage, pork belly, cheddar bacon biscuits with gravy, mango chutney ham, poke, shrimp, gluten-​free pancakes, fresh fruit and jams, guava juice, starfruit mango surinam cherry juice (amazing!), and incredible bloody mary’s. All fresh, all homemade, and all delicious. Usually when we go out to eat, we are disappointed because we are eating what we could have bought at Costco and cooked ourselves. At Kitchen Table, everything you eat is made from scratch, and you can taste the love they put into the food! Eating here was truly an experience, made even more memorable by the professional staff and incredible setting. Do yourself a favor and walk off the meal by exploring the grounds. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.