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Koloa Fish Market
Categories: Food Specialty Food Seafood Markets Restaurants Hawaiian Seafood Markets, Hawaiian [Edit]
5482 Koloa RdKoloa, HI 96756
(808) 742-6199
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 6 pm
Sat 10 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
194 reviews for Koloa Fish Market
Review Highlights
"The lau lau was delicious as was the kalua pork."
(in 38 reviews)
"We tried the shoyu poke, wasabi poke and poke bento."
(in 24 reviews)
"Try the grilled ahi w/ wasabi cream sauce."
(in 9 reviews)
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194 reviews in English
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Review from Christopher T.
Denver, CO
2/7/2012
Great place. Never had poke before and this place didn't disappoint. The kaula pork and lau lau were great according my better half, but I was too busy shoveling down poke to really give it a shot. There were other fresh fish selections that seemed to change day to day. Service was fast and friendly, but try to know what you want before you step too close to the counter. They want you to know what you want.
On another note, the Best Save market has GREAT poke as well. -
Review from Geoff G.
Olney, MD
2/7/2012
Fresh fish that is supposedly all caught that morning. By the taste of it, I would say they live up to the expectation that their fish is all freshly caught the morning of. The fish selection could have been broader, but I guess that is what you get when you are dealing with the fact that they are only selling what they catch. We cooked fish from Koloa Fish Market on 2 separate occasions during our visit to Poipu beach. We had Mahi Mahi and Opah and both were absolutely delicious. I would have liked to have seen a better selection of fish marinades, since some of the locals seemed to rave about their marinade. The only one I saw was a terriyaki style marinade which didn't blow me away and kind of overpowered the fish.
All in all, a great place to go for a fresh piece of fish to throw on your grill. I would definitely put this on my list of places to go for fresh seafood. Your only other options in the area are small markets/grocery stores where you can tell the fish isn't as fresh. -
Review from Joanne B.
1/30/2012
The best place to grab-to-go Korean poke and a pork laulau plate in Kauai.
Excellent! -
Review from gwynnie p.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2012
Our one trip to Koloa Fish Market was ok, and I would definitely go back and order more selectively. Maybe we aren't quite as thrilled w/it as others reviewers..on a Kalua pork plate, the pig, rice and long rice were good, the lomi salmon was watery and flavorless, and the condiment size serving of poke too small to matter. The husband had the lau lau which he reported was great.
Cash and to go only, tho there appear to be some chairs/tables on the porch running along the other shops in this downtown area so you might be able to sit there.Listed in: A Week on Kauai
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Review from Meagan F.
Hacienda Heights, CA
1/29/2012
I absolutely love the Korean Poke! Ate it 3 days in a roll, got my Poke fixed!
Fish is fresh and the seasoning is very tasty.
I also got the Kalua Pig which was "ok" however the Lau Lau was good!
I would definitely recommend this place! -
Review from Nina S.
Bay Area
1/19/2012
I LOVE Poke and am definitely a fan of this place! Simple menu, fresh food and fair prices. The lau lau pork was cooked just right and soo delicious. The plate also came with kalua pork (also good but I liked the lau lau much better), noodles, rice, lomi salmon and a small side of poke. The highlight of the plate was certainly the pork.
We also got the Wasabi Poke, Korean Poke and Marlin. The Wasabi and Korean Poke are awesome!! The Marlin I would skip. Wish we stayed another day so I could come back to try all the other types of poke, ahi tuna and everything else on the menu :)
P.S. It's across the street from the post office. If you blink you'll miss it -
Review from Heather L.
Missoula, MT
1/11/2012
Umm... what to say? My husband and I stopped in to get lunch here yesterday, and we will be going back every day until we leave. The poke bento box is AMAZING, the kalua pork lunch plate is so flavorful it is making my mouth water just thinking about it. The wasabi and korean style poke is absolutely the best I've had- bar none. YUM! And the haupia sweet potato pie? Yes please!
Get there early, be prepared for a line (which moves quite quickly), and bring cash. There is no where to sit- but who cares? You are in Kauai and you have in your hand the best lunch ever- go sit on a beach or a lanai and eat it! -
Review from Teresa M.
1/2/2012
You can get great fresh wild-caught fish here, as well as box lunches. These are much better than other box lunches we had on the island for the same price. Service is fast, prices for fish are fair.
We got Blue Marlin and it was delicious. It's nice that they sell sauces too-- we really liked the wasabi sauce.
The one thing is that I would recommend to get here earlier rather than later in the day; at 5 pm they only had 3 pieces of fish left total! Would def. go back.
Parking can get a little tricky as with most of koloa; just park wherever you can along the main street and consider yourself lucky. -
Review from Lisa F.
Los Angeles, CA
12/21/2011 5 Check-ins Here
For those reviewers who are bitching and complaining that "there is nowhere to sit", blah, blah, blah....get over IT.
That is how this place was designed. Quick, delicious, native Hawaiian fare. who cares if there is nowhere to sit.
MUST HAVES:
*Lau-Lau - as authentic as an aunties roadside stand offering
*Kalua Pig - OMG. delish
*Wasabi Poke - Can I say LIFE CHANGING? hands down the best Poke I have had in my life...I will be popping back over there tomorrow to get some more
*Scallop Salad - mmmmnomnomnomnom.....this is done in the style of a traditional octopus salad
*Korean Poke - decadent
They also serve this clear glass noodle that tasted like a fabulous ramen called a "Chicken Long Rice"
Not crazy about the Maui Onion/Seaweed Poke - Meh...not enough flavor -
Review from Jenna H.
Pasadena, CA
1/13/2012
If you're visiting Kauai, it's worth your while to try this place once. It's cash only so that's something you want to remember ahead of time in addition to it being take out only. We went here twice on our trip and both times I had the seared ahi tuna lunch with a wasabi cream sauce. It came with TWO tuna steaks, white rice, macaroni salad, and a thinly sliced cabbage salad. All very delicious and only $8.99! Incredible! The bf/fiance tried the lau lau meal on its own and then the lau lau/kalua pig combo. The lau lau is like a pulled pork and the kalua pig is wrapped up in taro leaves. OMG so good. These pork combos come with a side of the lomi lomi salmon (fresh diced tomato and salmon salad), vermicelli in chicken broth, and a small container of poke. We also had the shoyu (soy sauce) poke and Korean poke. Both nice and fresh!
You might as well try this place for some fresh seafood while in Kauai! -
Review from jason B.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
Great poke, seared tuna, and other seafood raw and cooked. I usually don't like raw fish except in authentic and snobbish sushi places, so this is saying a lot. A bit too salty if having without rice, so make sure you get sticky rice.
Service was top notch. A hole in a wall with no attitude -- we got there just as the store was closing and they took 15 minutes to make sure we got everything we wanted. They even made a fresh bowl of poke for us as they sold out.
We got a selection to go, grabbed a wine, and enjoyed the sunset sitting on the beach in front of the beach house restaurant just down the road. It was awesome. -
Review from John B.
San Francisco, CA
11/28/2011
Local place in Koloa is great, the fresh Ahi Poke is awesome and some of the freshest fish we had while in Kauai. Try the Korean Style Poke as well. They also have plate lunches which are good too.
Cash only tho. -
Review from Jennifer B.
Seattle, WA
1/2/2012
Between four of us, there was a bunch of poke and plate lunch and Haupia pie and smoked marlin and aku shoveled into food holes. Not one of us complained. We went twice in under a week.
Enough said. -
Review from Myle S.
11/26/2011
After reading about this fish market we had to try it, despite our GPS taking us somewhere else. If you can't eat raw fish then its not quite as exciting either. I had the Teri chicken plate while the husband had the Ahi Tuna plate. Definitely a giant portion of food. The chicken was all dark meat :-(
We beat a giant storm rush of people but that made it such a hurried stressful experience. There are no tables outside to sit so we headed to the car and they did not warn us that the containers were going to leak Teriyaki sauce. So upon getting in the car, I was pretty much covered in sauce.....not fun! The Haupia pie was just okay, nothing that I would return for......and after having had some true local Hawaii fare I'd say this is not all its cracked up to be...... -
Review from Peter R.
San Rafael, CA
2/2/2012
Got the Hawaiian combo (kalua pig and lau lau); my friend got a little each of a couple of tunas. The kalua pig was good, but the lau lau was outstanding! I love lau lau and order it whenever I get a chance while in Hawaii. This pork lau lau was moist, savory, and large. Of the tunas, the wasabi tuna trumped the rest. Delicious food, modest price, sensational value. Take out only: but there are ample parks in the area.
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Review from Garry K.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2011
Definitely worth a at least one visit every time we are in Kauai.
Great local food. The plates are awesome and highly recommended for lunch time.
I've bought fish here and grilled it at home. Great quality. They are very helpful in this regard.
Only negative part, I wish they were open later than 6:30. -
Review from Allison M.
Pacific Grove, CA
12/23/2011
This place fixed a huge craving that my husband had for some authentic Hawaiian Poke! What a great find! We got three different kinds of poke, for a steal! Don't miss this place. It is take-only, so get some poke and go sit on a beach with a fork! You won't regret it.
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Review from Leona W.
Los Angeles, CA
11/3/2011
On our honeymoon at Hawaii, this was one of the first places we ate. The poke did live up to its hype. It's a small little place in Old Koloa town, cash only as others have said.
They had an assorted variety of Poke. We tried the shoyu poke, wasabi poke and poke bento. For me, all were a little bit too salty. I'd have to say my fav was the shoyu.The fish was definitely really fresh.
Only grub was a bit expensive and salty. -
Review from Brian A.
Albuquerque, NM
1/30/2012
Had a great pupu platter with ahi poke, seaweed salad, cocktail shrimp, and seared ahi medallions. All delicious. An intimidating array of choices at this deli counter, but all looked delightful.
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Review from James G.
Chicago, IL
12/12/2011
Get some Poke from Koloa Fish Market and sit on a beach. Then go home and tell people you got Poke from Koloa Fish Market and ate it on a beach.
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Review from DaveVivian K.
Long Beach, CA
10/16/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Amazing Shoyu Poke & Scallop Salad!!!! Got some yesterday for lunch, and going again today for beach snacks!
They also have Taro & Haupia Pie
CASH ONLY - if you do not have cash on you, go next door to the Big Save and buy a pack of gum, and get Cash Back!
DELICIOUS! -
Review from Lucy Y.
Los Angeles, CA
This tiny, to-go only food shop has lots of fresh, yummy choices! When you walk in, they have this system down so that everyone gets taken care of and out as fast and smoothly as possible. Efficient and pretty friendly is their game - and they even gave us samples of the pokes when we requested.
We got:
Lau Lau & Kalua Pork plate - pork and greens steamed in a banana leaf, a side of flavorful shredded pork, a little poke, a little lomi lomi salmon, some glass noodles and a couple scoops of white rice made this a yum combo!
Korean Poke - slightly spicy, slightly salty, slightly sweet
Soy Sauce Poke - soy and green onions seasoned these fresh ahi chunks
Onion Poke - my fave - flying fish roe and sliced onion with chunks of fresh ahi
Wasabi Poke - my 2nd fave, a creamy wasabi sauce with ahi chunks
Haupia Ube Pie - my REAL fave thing! A layer of gorgeous and perfectly sweet ube, topped with a layer of coconut haupia pudding, all on top of a buttery pie crust. Yum!!!
From the looks of the constant line here, the secret's out! Don't miss this place when you're in town!Listed in: Kauai
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Review from Pete T.
Tustin, CA
12/2/2011
Best Poke on the island! we stayed at the grand hyatt and the poke was really good there but even better at the Koloa fish market plus it was around $15 cheaper! they have several different choices of poke and they are all good!
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Review from Amy X.
San Francisco, CA
9/12/2011
All you need to know is order the KOREAN STYLE AHI POKE. It's so bomb. You won't regret it.
You can skip out on the marlin, it was alright, kinda too hard, maybe it was overcooked? And the shoyu chicken rice plate was good, but you are not missing out.
And lastly, the sweet potato haupia pie was so bomb. -
Review from Steph C.
11/2/2011
Matt B. and I stopped by Koloa Fish Market to grab a quick plate lunch on our second day in Kauai. It was the first of three plate lunches on the trip, and though I enjoyed it fine, it was the weakest by a fair margin.
The place was really just a fish market, so it was tiny with nowhere to sit. The lunch menu was small and almost as soon as we ordered and paid, our food was ready in styrofoam boxes.
Seating was a real issue. We settled on a low concrete wall that we shared with another couple. We held our lunches open in our laps and spent a lot of energy warding off insects.
I got the Hawaiian combo plate with lau lau and Kalua pig and it was a ton of food. I really liked the variety, with sides of poke, lomi lomi, chicken long rice, and white rice. The lau lau was very good, tender moist pork wrapped in banana leaf. The Kalua pig was decent but very fatty, with less of a shredded than a potted meat consistency. I didn't eat very much of it. The sides, though, really made the dish, as just the pork would have been too heavy. The rice was well cooked and I liked the slippery rice noodles. Most of all I loved the flavorful fresh ahi poke and the salmon and tomato lomi lomi. Unfortunately, Matt's plate lunch was a disaster. He got the beef teriyaki, and it was well marinated with a nice sweet flavor, but so tough that he actually gave up trying to eat it. I had a chew and the texture was unforgivable. The beef came with sides of salad, rice, and macaroni salad, which I dutifully ate for my picky boyfriend. All decent, especially the flavorful macaroni salad. We ended up throwing away a lot of our food, which was sad and not entirely due to volume.
My plate lunch was good, but if I find myself back in Kauai I'd be much more interested in exploring Sueoka's menu down the street. I enjoyed the lau lau, poke, and lomi lomi, but the teriyaki beef put me off trying the other options.Listed in: A'lo'ha Ka'u'a'i
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Review from April rose D.
Pleasanton, CA
9/8/2011
I ordered the ono and ahi plate lunch and was definitely not up to par. Both the fishes did not taste fresh and they were overcooked. I hate overcooked fish!! 1 star.
The only reason this place deserves 3 stars is because my son thoroughly enjoyed the kalua pork plate. The shoyu chicken was missing something...seasoning! -
Review from Jason H.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 11/27/2011
We had an amazing seared ahi tuna done just right. Also their poke bento box was quite good. Be forewarned absolutely no seating.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/7/2011
We had an amazing seared ahi tuna done just right. Also their poke bento box was quite good. Be… Read more »
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Review from Erich D.
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
So much good stuff here and if you come here at 12:00 pm instead of 11:55 am it could mean the difference between being first in line and waiting in a ten minute line. Yeah, there is a little lunch rush at this tiny market and kama'aina, as easy going as they can be on the roads and in most other aspects of life, can seemingly be pretty impatient as they wait behind tourists figuring out what it is they want to order.
The kalua pig and lau lau combo comes with the two aforementioned items as well as lomi salmon, chicken long rice and a small side of ahi poke. The lomi salmon and chicken long rice were unremarkable but the lau lau was certainly one of the best I've had ever -- very tender, juicy, flavorful, and savory pork encased in surprisingly well-cooked and equally flavorful taro leaves that didn't have a bitter taste to them. The kalua pig didn't go unnoticed however, it was quite good. Poke bento featured some top notch fresh, marinated raw ahi over a bed of rice and topped with furikake. Wasabi poke was good, but not spicy in the least bit though it retained a faint wasabi flavor. Maui onion poke was notable as well.
I really want some more of their excellent lau lau, now now! And a poke bento to go with it.Listed in: da kine grindz
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Review from Russell B.
Fontana, CA
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
In our quest to find some quality fish to cook up at the condo we landed here when the store first opened up and snagged some fresh opah for the six of our group along with some ahi poke. They sliced it up into fillets and were even nice enough to give me a taste of their wasabi ahi poke without me even requesting it. It was sooooo good. I wish the rest of my group liked spicy or else I would've gladly picked that over the standard poke.
I marinated the fish with their seafood marinade for a bit and pan seared it real quick and finished it in the oven. No, I'm no slouch in the kitchen, but I have been foiled by many a piece of fish in my time. This fish however, I felt like I couldn't cook it poorly due to its high quality. It had a perfect crisp crust and perfectly done and still extra moist and flaky. The poke you ask? I ended up pretty much hoarding that to myself. Super fresh and tasty.
Oh I wish I had a place like this at home. Not your local grocery store prices, but then again also not your local grocery store quality. You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Anton Q.
San Diego, CA
12/14/2011
Best plate lunches on the island. I had the kalua pork and lau lau combo; not only were the proteins delicious but the sides of poke, salsa and the rice noodles in chicken broth were flavorful and could easily stand alone as a meal. My brother ordered the fried chicken; go early if you plan on ordering that because on the weekends they'll run out by the afternoon. The cold case of seafood is out of this world; seared ahi, several different types of poke - go a few times to try everything. No seating, but if you grab a soda at the koloa deli next door you can grab a seat on their patio. Enjoy.
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Review from John F.
If you are at the south shore, do not skip this shack for lunch. They serve local fish, lau lau and a few other dishes a couple of ways, such as butter caper, teriyaki, etc. They have a couple drinks to pick from and will prepare everything for you to take out in Styrofoam containers. They only accept cash so be prepared for that.
Now, I ate here two years ago and had a fantastic fish plate with rice and salad (around 8$). I liked it so much we went back this year, several times and each visit was well worth it. The ahi I had was so good I could have eaten twice the already healthy portion.
Do yourself a favor, don't stop at KFC in Lihue on your way to Koloa/Poipu, hold out for this local treat - you'll be glad you did. -
Review from asia e.
Pasadena, CA
1/5/2012 1 photo
one of the best bento boxes i ever had. great lunch specials, I had the lau lau with poke, comes with rice, some soba noodles and lome lome salsa. super fresh, great price, and delicious!
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Review from Shannon B.
Chicago, IL
8/22/2011
Great Hawaiian and Local food! I have had several types of poke, lau lau, kalua pork, Lomi salmon and the chicken long rice. All great. I am a huge fan of the haupia... best I have had (and I try it everywhere I can get it).
I don't know if it beats Young's on Oahu, but it is a close second if not a tie. The line can get long, but it moves fast and is worth the wait. -
Review from Angela C.
Benicia, CA
11/15/2011
This place is delicious! It's to-go only but worth it! Go in, grab an inexpensive fish meal and go sit on the porch or in the park down the street. Amazing Poke! We went twice in our 5 days on the island.
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Review from Jessica H.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2011
This place was as fantastic as promised.
We came here twice - once for poke, cucumber salad, and edamame for a picnic and once to get fish for the grill. Our home-grilled wahoo and shrimp, with the Koloa Fish Marinade, ended up being the tastiest meal of the trip.
Prices are totally reasonable for great quality food. -
Review from Adrian M.
Tehachapi, CA
11/19/2011
Stopped for takeout lunch. Fantastic! We had several types of sautéed Ahi, and the butter caper sauce version and teriyaki versions were just delicious. Came with good rice and salad. Moist and flavorful. Hard to beat for cheap takeout seafood that rocks.
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Review from Loe B.
10/15/2011
Simple menu, fast service, good prices, good fish. What more can you ask for? Its all to go orders...no tables.
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Review from Annie F.
7/5/2011
If you eat the Korean-style poke or poke bento, you will get down on your knees and cry because you made it to food heaven.
Cash only. Just do it. -
Review from Joel F.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2011 1 photo
Hands down, this is my favoriate place to eat in Kauai. I ate so many Poke bento boxes from here during my first vacation trip here. The market serves local fish, sashimi, poke, seared ahi, and great combination platters. I'm getting hungry as I write this review!! Order a poke bento box, which is a must, and make sure you order it "warm poke bento box, Jenn style". Heaven
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Review from Philip H.
7/4/2011
I sampled most of the kimchis and pokes and both pork dishes.
Lau lau and the seared Ahi is what to get here. This place is comparable to Pono Fish Market in Kapaa, so I will provide some opinions that compare identical dishes that I tried at both markets!
Lau lau: A
The pork was softer and juicer than the one at Pono. Both were awesome, but I would say the lau lau at Koloa definitely wins.
Korean Spicy Tako: F-
The octopus was NOT sashimi grade and had been poorly frozen previously. When I bit into it, defrosted ice oozed out of the octopus flesh. Nasty. That ruined the balance to any kind of seasoning and marinade that had been applied to the bastard fish! The one at Pono market is AWESOME and wins hands down.
Spicy Cucumber Kimchi: B-/C+
Not spicy enough. Pretty good crunch and taste, but something was missing and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was the type of cucumbers that they used. Could have been pickled a little bit longer.
Seared Ahi: B+
It was very good, but not sure it was the best in the world. You have to get a minimum of 3 pieces. The sesame seed and mac nut crusting was a nice touch. The quality of the ahi could have been better though. The 4 pieces I got all had a little bit of white stringiness to them (not the desirable toro type)
Wasabi-cream Ahi Poke: B-
The wasabi was nice but it was too salty. Quality of the ahi was fine.
Smoked Marlin Poke: B-
Real smoky flavor. You need to be in the mood for beef jerky to really enjoy this.
Lomi Salmon: C-
Not really that exciting to me. Where are the salmon flakes amidst the watery, diced tomatoes ?
Coconut-taro Dessert: B
Really large portion and tasted good. Not the best dessert I've ever had. I had enough after 3-4 bites.
