This restaurant is now closed down, save yourself the trip. It did not appear to be re-opening soon. So save yourself a trip to this spot.

This is a local place that offers plate lunches. Although this place was given rave reviews by a local tour book, we weren't impressed with the plate lunches here. A plate lunch is something worth trying while in Hawaii, but we certainly didn't find a great place on this island for plate lunches (The Big Island is the place for great plate lunches). Plate lunches consist of two heaping scoops of white sticky rice and a main dish such as Kalua pork, stir-fry vegetable, chow mein, or teriyaki chicken. Although this local place offered this and in very large portions, the taste was too greasy for our liking, and it sat like a brick afterward!

After a morning of snorkeling at Anini Beach and stopping at every overlook and beach between Anini and Ha’ena State Park, we were ready for some lunch—local style! Hanalei Mixed Plate is right on the Kuhio Highway in Hanalei.

My husband and I shared a plate of Kalua pork and cabbage with vegetables and rice. One plate was plenty for both of us. Hubby was a little tentative about trying this local dish. I have to admit, it doesn’t look all that appetizing, but the luscious smell will lure you into at least taking a bite. Memories of luaus at Kole Kole Park on the Big Island came flooding back as I ate. As kids, we always called it Kalua pig, but I guess that sounds even less appetizing than it looks.

If you stop in Hanalei for a little souvenir shopping during your tour of Kauai, be sure to stop for local hospitality and food at Hanalei Mixed Plate.

We came here not knowing what to really expect. The book (The Ultimate Guide to Kauai) had given it an "ono" (which means "best"), but we were unfamiliar with the "Mixed Plate" cuisine, which seemed to be fairly prevalent around Kauai. It was later explained to us (in Maui) that Mixed Plate refers to the collision of cultures that can be found in Hawaii--when people from all different countries came to the islands to work, they brought with them their different cuisines and would share their food amongst each other, creating a very diverse array of foods in a meal.

Anyhow, we drove around and tried to find this place, which is right off of the road next to the Ching Young Village, a large shopping complex. I expected to find a sit down restaurant, but instead found basically a food stand, with cafeteria-style service. The service was very friendly, the woman working behind the counter (who looked very much the part of the Hanalei bohemian) gave us some samples to try. I ended up getting the special pineapple-curry ahi tuna which came with rice and macaroni salad. My husband got the kalua pig sandwich. They were both amazing! His kalua pig was the tenderest that we had had the entire time we were in Hawaii, including at the luau (which was probably the worst). The prices were extremely reasonable, particularly for Hanalei. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, inexpensive meal.

After exploring the fun shops and art galleries of charming Hanalei on the North Shore, head for the Hanalei Mixed Plate for a superb casual meal eaten outdoors. The people watching is fun here, and the food is an ecletic mix of stir fries, fish sandwiches, amd fresh specials of the day. Absolutely great is Shoyu Ginger Chicken over 2 scoops of brown rice. Under $5. Comfortable teak tables and chairs from which to view the passing parade.