One of the best things about staying in a condo rather than a hotel is not having to go to a restaurant for each and every meal. It’s fun to try products that you don’t typically see at mainland markets, and the grocery store can also be a great place to pick up souvenirs or gifts for friends and family back home.
In case you arrive late, the condo is stocked with what you’ll need to make coffee on your first morning. General household items like paper products and dishwasher soap are also provided.
To pick up food and drink items, there are three main East Side markets to choose from, and they are listed below in the order you’ll pass them when traveling north on Kuhio Highway from Kaha Lani.
The first shopping center you’ll pass – Coconut Marketplace – is located on the makai (“toward the ocean”) side of the highway. While there’s a Whaler’s General Store there that carries some grocery items, it’s not a stock-the-frig sort of place. The three markets below are best for that, and they’re all located on the mauka (“toward the mountains”) side of Kuhio Highway.
Foodland
808.822.7271
4-771 Kuhio Hwy.
Foodland is located in the Waipouli Town Center, where you’ll also find a Blockbuster Video, a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf shop, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and a couple of other restaurants. It’s easy to apply for Foodland’s Maika’i discount card (just ask for one as you check out) which will afford you instant savings on featured products.
Safeway
808.822.2464
4-831 Kuhio Hwy.
Safeway is located in the Kauai Village Shopping Center, where you’ll also find a variety of shops and restaurants. If you shop at Safeway on the mainland, you can use your Safeway Club discount card for instant savings on featured products. The Safeway and Foodland shopping centers are separated by a small canal, and there’s a pedestrian bridge you can use to walk between the two.
Big Save
808.822.4971
4-1105 Kuhio Hwy.
Big Save is located in the Kapaa Shopping Center, along with a Shell gas station and Burger King. If you’re a shave ice fan, check out Hawaiian Blizzard near Big Save (follow the link there for the days/hours of operation). If it’s a slow day, you might even be treated to a little magic show!
In addition to the three food markets, you may want to also shop at Kauai’s farmer’s markets (see discussion below) and the following “specialty” markets:
Sweet Marie’s Gluten-Free Bakery
808.823.0227
4-788 Kuhio Hwy.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Marie Cassel moved to Kauai in 1992. In 1993, she joined Chef Jean-Marie Josselin as Pastry Chef at A Pacific Café in Kapaa, where she created unique desserts for that now-closed restaurant. After years of research and the recipe development/testing necessary to serve a wheat/gluten-allergic clientele, Cassel opened Hawaii’s first gluten-free bakery where she uses rice-based flour to make a delightful assortment of goodies like Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies and Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Sweet Marie’s Hawaii Bakery is located in the historical (1895) Awapuhi Building, directly across the highway from Foodland.
Pono Market
808.822.4581
4-1300 Kuhio Hwy.
This no-frills shop is a great place to pick up some to-go “island favorites” – various kinds of poke, lomi lomi salmon, kalua pork and cabbage, chicken lau lau, spam musubi, macaroni salad, etc. – for a plate lunch or a picnic at the beach. The menu changes daily, and you should try to get there before the main lunch crowd arrives as they typically sell out of some items. Pono Market opens at 6:00 a.m. (the bento boxes available then often sell out by 8:00 a.m.), and they begin serving plate lunches at 10:00 a.m. You’ll also find manju (a Japanese confection) and coffee drinks, plus reasonable prices and super friendly folks to help you at. (You can also get a marriage license here. Seriously!) Pono Market is closed on Sunday.
Kojima Store
808.822.5221
1543 Kuhio Hwy.
An independent local grocer for more than 50 years, Kojima Store is known for their prepared and ready-to-cook local favorites, including a variety of locally produced fresh meats and their popular Korean-style short ribs. There’s nothing fancy about it, but you can find lots of good, local groceries and probably lots of things you’ve never seen before in a mainland market. Next door, the Windward Market Deli carries “to go” items plus fish, meat and poultry. Like Pono Market, you’ll want to get there early for the best plate lunch selection.
Kauai Farmer’s Markets
We urge you to visit the island’s farmer’s markets and supplement your grocery shopping with the freshest fruits and vegetables Kauai has to offer. It’s easy to remember the three farmer’s markets most convenient to Kaha Lani because they all take place at 3:00pm, and the days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Here are the locations:
Monday at 3:00pm – Kukui Grove Shopping Center
Wednesday at 3:00pm – Kapaa New Town Park (Kahau Street)
Friday at 3:00pm – Vidinha Stadium in Lihue (Hoolako Road)
Those are Kauai’s East Side farmer’s markets. If you’re going to be out and about exploring the island, you may also want to check out this complete Kauai Farmer’s Markets schedule and work in a stop at another locale.
Be advised: Kauai farmer’s markets are quite popular, and patrons often begin lining up for them a half hour before they open. “The early bird gets the worm” definitely holds true for shopping at farmer’s markets on The Garden Island!
Comments on this entry are closed.