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The Eastside
Categories: Restaurants Hawaiian Restaurants Asian Fusion Restaurants Seafood Hawaiian, Asian Fusion, Seafood [Edit]
Kapaa Town4-1380 Kuhio Hwy
Kapaa, HI 96746
(808) 823-9500
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 5:30 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
104 reviews for The Eastside
Review Highlights
"The live music also added to the great atmosphere."
(in 26 reviews)
"...also got to try the Huli Huli Chicken which was a huge half..."
(in 6 reviews)
"TANGERINE MARTINI ***** yum."
(in 8 reviews)
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104 reviews in English
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Review from Ryan M.
Topanga, CA
2/9/2012
Summer and the rest of the staff were so kind, thoughtful and wonderful!
Now, about the food....
Unbelievably good. World Class. Complex blendings for the salads, entrees, and desserts. Each one exceeded our expectations. We like to eat seafood in Los Angeles, so, I think we have a decent idea of what good fish is like.
In terms of waiting, we were there the week of 1/29, got there at 5:30, and were the only ones there.
Yes. the bathroom on the second floor at the back is a negative, but, this is about the food, and I would only take off .25 points for that issue. -
Review from Lauren O.
Scituate, MA
1/29/2012
Literally the best food I've ever eaten. Simple menu, comfortable setting. Never been out to eat at a more silent table... we were all too busy eating to talk. I had the seared ahi tuna, and the coconut creme brulee for dessert. I closed my eyes in happiness every time I took a bite.
The waiter was extremely nice, and even remembered us and said hello at the end of the week when we were walking by.
Not one of us was unhappy with our dinner... though we all wanted the other people to try OUR dish, insisting it was the best. Honestly, I had a bit of everyone's and there wasn't a thing I didn't like.
My husband had made reservations, so we didn't have to wait... but it was also mid week, and a little earlier than people start going out to drink.
I would recommend flying to Hawaii just to have a meal here. -
Review from gwynnie p.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012
OMG. Fabulous food! Best dinner we had during our week on Kauai. I had the fish tacos, which were most excellently amazing. Best this side of Ensenada, whichever side we're on. And huge - no way to eat all 3. The husband had mahi mahi which he said was great, and our guest had a Caesar salad which looked worth going back to try.
Worth a journey!Listed in: A Week on Kauai
-
Review from Andre B.
Pittsburgh, PA
12/25/2011
Some big pluses and minuses here. I should start by saying that I should have made reservations. Having said this the host should have had a more accurate sense for the wait. I was told half an hour and ended up waiting for an hour an ten minutes. By the time I was about to give up it was too late to go anywhere else (things start shutting down at eight in Kauai.)
Again to the plus column. They gave my party a comp appetizer to make up for the long wait.
The entrees are gourmet-ish and the plates are big. The prices are also pretty big too coming in at about $40 a person if you order an entree and a drink. Which brings me to drinks: they mix the drinks generally weak (six plus mixed drinks were ordered for the table and all of them were wattery).
The food was well presented but under spiced. They cooked the fish well to order. There was a lack of vegetable matter on the plates in my opinion.
I think that this place would be better for a two person dinner honestly. -
Review from Deb W.
Kapaa, HI
1/30/2012
Fish tacos were good... Bathroom on another floor, eat before or after not a lot of food for price. Definitely NOT a kids restaurant.
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Review from Desiree L.
Honolulu, HI
12/18/2011
BURNT AHI ON MY AHI TUNA PLATE! Make sure you tell them to make it right.
I wish I would have sent it back. Service was pretty good but you can't serve burnt food. -
Review from Julie R.
12/7/2011
Yelpers liked this place and we agreed. Kapaa is full of lots of little hippy cafes and bars, the East side stood out for us as something more upscale to consider.
The inside dining room was a bit generic but still comfortable. I liked the painted fish tables. We started with the island caprese which was amazing. It had the usual tomato, mozzarella, basil but had additions of avocado and mango. The balsamic was so rich. I loved this salad. I now want to make all my caprese salads this way!
We shared a huge rib eye with mashed potatoes. The steak was so juicy and perfectly cooked. It was at least 16 oz if not more, definitely share this steak. The yukon potatoes were creamy and delicious.
Service was really friendly. The guy we had was always around yet not overbearing.
We really enjoyed dinner there and highly recommend! -
Review from Josephine L.
Boston, MA
1/9/2012
The Eastside is Kauai's version of upscale (but still tres casual by mainland standards). There's actual glassware on the tables when you sit. The food is interesting and features staple Hawaii ingredients (mango, papaya, ahi, etc) and the service is good. There's a long walk to the bathroom but that's about the only criticism I have of the place.
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Review from Adove R.
Kilauea, HI
1/31/2012
if we are talking cocktails, pupus and dessert, eastside is where it's at...the tiny bar keeps it personal and easy to make friends or meet your peeps. fresh squeezed tangerine juice martinis and watermelon margaritas are to live for. anything on the pupu list is worth the order, especially the poke served with fried plantains in half shell coconut. saving room for the apple volcano is a must as it is one of the finest desserts offered island wide.
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Review from Robin W.
Kapaa, HI
1/26/2012
Thought after reading previous reviews and it's 4 1/2 star rating that this place would be a good place for the entire family to go. I was NOT impressed!!! Besides the fact that the decor is more like a hokey burger joint, the lighting above us flickered the entire time making us all feel like seizing, the meals were good in flavor but the mahi mahi was the size of a halibut cheek with a dollop of mash potatoes that was NOT worth the $24 price tag!! If you want good food, ambiance and more food than you could eat for less money, I suggest Dukes 100 times over this place!
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Review from Joseph S.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2012
Best caprese salad ever
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Review from Blair C.
Hailey, ID
11/2/2011
The food here had great flavors, but everything was muddled and not quite cooked well enough for a fourth star. Bok choi overcooked and mushy, fish just a tad undercooked and every plated haphazardly. The desserts were interesting but not quite perfection...
The wait staff was great and seated us quickly for a busy night, no place to wait so we strolled the street with a watery and too sweet Mai Tai... This place is on the corner of a very busy street, and they have the front doors wide open, and many of the windows open, which makes for a lot of street noise (not exactly the elegant dining experience) even though we were in the back. -
Review from Jacqueline C.
Oakland, CA
We found The Eastside on Yelp, so we drove down to Kapa'a to give it a try! We made reservations before coming, which I am not sure were necessary.
Thanks to Yelp, we knew we would be getting upscale Hawaiian food with a modern twist and that the prices would generally reflect that. Had I not known these things, I would have been pretty thrown off when we walked into a restaurant that looked super casual!
Like I said, the ambiance was pretty casual. I got the impression that a lot of locals were sitting at the bar (bar was in earshot). Our waiter was super friendly and knew the dishes quite well.
We started with some local beer and the Ahi Tuna Poke pupu. The poke came in a coconut shell, and comprised of ahi tuna, ginger, chiles, mango, and coconut milk. It came served with plantain chips. Very yummy! Good poke with a kick of chile and ginger, with the sweetness of coconut and mango. The plantain chips were a nice touch.
For my entree, I ordered the Huli Huli Chicken, described as "key lime, coconut and cabbage slaw, spicy shoestring fries, papya shoyu glaze." See my pictures! They gave me half a chicken (which made sense, because it was probably one of the lower costing (to produce) dishes) with this amazing glaze on it! I am not normally a cole slaw fan, but this slaw tasted a lot fresher than usual. The fries were actually not shoestring fries, but sweet potato fries, which were quite tasty. The chicken was so yummy -- the glaze both sweet and savory -- that I ate nearly the entire thing by myself! My husband helped a bit, after he finished his Seared Ono. I can't remember quite was on my husband's dish, but it was different than the seared ono dish I see on the online menu. He couldn't stop talking about how much he loved his entree!
Would definitely come here again. -
Review from Season S.
Los Angeles, CA
1/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
One of the store owners nearby recommended The Eastside for dinner and we were not disappointed. I went with my husbnd and 5-year old daughter. I checked the Yelp reviews and everyone recommended the Huli Huli chicken, which was delicious!! We also got the spring rolls as an appetizer and they were delicious. They were wrapped in butter lettuce cups with fresh herbs and dipping sauce. We also got the fish tacos which were excellent. Overall, the food was very delicious and portions were very generous!! We would certainly go back and we highly recommend it!
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Review from Gayle M.
Kapaa, HI
10/15/2011 2 photos
I live on island and I am a total foodie - so this is one of the restaurants my husband and I frequent.
The owners, Dylan and Chef John and their staff do an amazing job at their Kapaa location.
You receive large portions for your money. I have never had a bad meal! Trust me....I think I have tried everything on the menu! They use fresh juice in their mixed drinks - I am a sucker for their tangerine martini! And OMGoodness - their deserts are to die for! You usually see me the next day running the Sleeping Giant trail the next day to burn off those calories! LOL
If you are staying on the east side of the island, The Eastside is a must for dinner! -
Review from Sean T.
Washington, DC
12/29/2011
This place was excellent. Food was exquisite and interesting. Service was top notch. Atmosphere nice too.
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Review from Shawn C.
Miami, FL
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is a must visit on Kauai. First, our server was very friendly and funny and for me, good service counts! The Huli Huli chicken tonight was the best chicken I have ever had in a Resturant. The baked Papaya was also fantastic.
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Review from Scott W.
Jacksonville, FL
11/1/2011
Go!
Best Mai Tai, great food and service, right near the beach and bunches of other good stuff too. -
Review from Kevin C.
Rancho Cordova, CA
10/5/2011
My wife and I saw the exec chef at the Coconut Festival this weekend where he and one of his chefs were making the Ahi Tuna Poke and decided to stop into the restaurant to see what else was cooking.
We made reservations, but they really weren't necessary - not sure if it was the season or the norm. The ambiance was open and airy with doors open to the street and people popping in and out of the bar. The walls could use a touchup of paint, and I still haven't figured out who thought the fish covered tables were a great idea, but those were easy to look past.
Our drinks were the Tangerine Martini and the Grapefruit Citrus Cooler. Both just like they sound. Maybe a little better than they sound. We decided to go pupus and had the poke again, along with the shrimp and scallop springrolls and the 5 spice calamari. All three were great, especially the poke and springrolls. My wife still hasn't stopped talking about the poke.
Finished up with the coconut lemongrass creme brulee. I like creme brulee, and I really liked this one. I don't often taste lemongrass in dessert, but I certainly liked it.
The meal was a touch pricey for the servings, but certainly worth the price for a nice meal with the wife. Service was very attentive, and the food and presentation rivaled some of the most touted restaurants I have been to stateside. Thinking of going back again tomorrow... -
Review from Jim D.
Marina del Rey, CA
9/10/2011
My wife and I had a nice Friday night dinner at The Eastside. We ordered the Island ceviche, Huli Huli Chicken and their current daily special was this Grilled Ono over some lobster risotto. Everything was delicious.
The only drawback, and my reason for not giving 5 stars, was the table next to us was a young couple with what had to be their six month old baby. The Eastside seems to market itself as an upscale, modern take on Hawaiian cuisine, which is NOT the proper environment for a newborn baby. Couples were trying to have a nice, romantic, intimate dinner and this little bastard was ruining it for everyone. They should've denied them service or asked them to leave after that baby wouldn't stop crying. The Olympic Cafe is only a few doors down and would've been better suited to serve them. -
Review from Dorcee S.
La Mirada, CA
9/27/2011
Hubby loved his meal, I didn't - not sure I'd go again
Dinner at The Eastside
I had an Eastside Mai Tai - 3 stars
Friend and I had Blue Crab Crusted Ono that came with rice seasoned with ginger and lots of shallots, fish was OK, friend did not think the crab was Blue Crab, crab didn't have much taste. The rice was overpowering with the shallots -
3 stars fish, 0 stars rice (I had heartburn all night into the next morning even with Alka-Seltzer)
I had Mango White Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert, it was whipped (I expected baked) and not real cold - 3 stars
Hubby had a Ribeye Steak (perfectly well-done, still juicy) He's still raving about the steak - 5 stars
Service was very good. Location is noisy, no A/C so doors are open in front (road noise) and back (parking lot). Tile floors with wood chairs. I doubt we'll go back. $85.94 -
Review from Mike S.
Bend, OR
11/20/2011
On vacation from Oregon. We loved it! Went there twice in one week... We had the best meal during our stay in Kauai at the Eastside. We went back to the restaurant just for the desert! Highly recommend.
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Review from Melody T.
5/26/2011
The best thing is when you sit down for food, and EVERY dish that comes out makes you go, "OMG this is SO good!". That's the best, why we give 5 star ratings, no?
This place did it for me and the boy. Low key restaurant with tables facing the open entrance. They didn't have live music that night, but it was fine.
Service was good, food was GREAT. AMAZING. KOWABUNGA GOOD.
MAKE SURE TO TRY:
-island caprese -- reg caprese + mangoes + avocado + crustinis
- kungpao calamari
- ahi tuna
- rib eye steak -- huge piece of steak, asparagus, maui onions, and potatoes
**TANGERINE MARTINI ***** yum!!!! :)
Thank you to the couple from the OC that recommended this place. SO glad we came here our last night vs. Tidepools. -
Review from Terry S.
Lakeside, CA
6/6/2011
Saturday night in Kapaa - We yelped around to see what looked good and decided to give it shot. the food is AMAZING. Showed up in local attire (shorts & flip flops) and we were seated right away by a professional and polite hostess.
I ordered :
Hawaii Nui Golden Ale
HULI HULI CHICKEN
key lime, coconut and cabbage slaw, spicy shoestring fries, papaya shoyu glaze.
My wife ordered:
POTATO CRUSTED MAHI MAHI
garlic mash, wok'd Mandarin vegetables, jade pesto, sweet chili sauce.
Service was 5 star - prompt, efficient, and served professionally.
The Huli Huli Chicken was the best chicken I have EVER had, cole slaw with key lime/coconut/cabbage - brilliant!
We split a desert - it was so hard to choose just one - we ended up licking the plate of - COCONUT LEMONGRASS CRÈME BRULEE
with tropical fruit compote and berry sauces
I would give The Eastside 6 stars if possible. -
Review from Scott C.
San Francisco, CA
5/16/2011
What a great find. Gourmet food in a casual bar setting. We had everything from ribs in hoisin glaze, to the sauteed opakapaka to the seared ahi and finished with the coconut creame brulee. Everything was fantastic. Ribs were fall off of the bone tender and the pineapple fried rice was a nice satisfying compliment to that appetizer. both fish dishes were cooked perfectly, The Ahi was basically raw in the middle with a thin sear all around. And the opakapaka (which was now my favorite fish) was firm but very moist.
I would totally go back. -
Review from Addie N.
Portland, OR
11/8/2011
Dined here while on vacation and we instantly made the decision we would be back to try more before the week was over. I had the Mahi Mahi in a coconut ratatouille while my friend had the chicken. We loved both dishes- local food with great waiter recommendations.
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Review from Alex B.
Huntington Beach, CA
10/12/2011
Strong drinks, and well crafted food. Pretty damn good. Went back for another coctail the next night.
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Review from Tom W.
Los Angeles, CA
10/26/2011
My friend and I spent four lovely nights in Kauai. Two of our dinners were at The Eastside. That says a lot.
We decided to go because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Yelp (thanks, Yelp!), but it was the food that brought us back. The fish was so fresh and delicate. The ribs (very, very highly recommended) were fall-off-the-bone tender and tasty beyond compare. The Ahi Tuna Poke was a revelation - so many amazing flavors dancing in my mouth and not a single misstep. Service was excellent as well.
The food was so incredible I won't take off a star for the church singers who camped outside the restaurant the first night and sang for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS, or for the drunken guys at the bar who were arguing about sports for TWO STRAIGHT HOURS. Seriously, the food was that good. Make sure to stop by if you're in Kauai. It's pricey (and potentially filled with annoyances), but it's worth it. -
Review from Angela b.
Kapaa, HI
7/6/2011
I am never disappointed with The Eastside.
Always amazing flavors & their mixed drinks are to die for! -
Review from Michael S.
San Jose, CA
5/26/2011
Rude service doesn't overcome excellent food!
Had great food there, but can't seem to forget how rude our server was to us when our party of eight asked for separate checks. Sure we should have mentioned this at the start of our meal, but is a hissy fit really necessary? Our server had a "stuffy, don't bother me attitude" from the start and became a real diva by the end. Too bad, because the food is really good. -
Review from Nick P.
Saratoga Springs, NY
2/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Great place to hang out, drink and eat. I went on a couple of Thursday nights and they had live music from a local duo who were really great. The bar area and seating are a little small and if you are not eating you feel crushed behind the chair and traffic behind you.
The food is legit and has been though about. it was a little salty, but made with style.
I had several appetizers with B.Cherry along with some martini's and the night was a good one. -
Review from C B.
West Menlo Park, CA
11/29/2011
Perfect food, great service, wonderful drinks. This place is the best.
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Review from Donny K.
Kapaa, HI
2/10/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The east side is the best side.
what else can I say? -
Review from Sal G.
Brooklyn, NY
12/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
I'll get straight to the point- I had one of the greatest meals of my life at this place: Plantain and pistachio crusted mahi mahi w/ wasabi whipped potatoes, cooked to perfection. The taste lingered in my mouth for the remainder of my Kauai adventure. Now I can only dream of this tropical island paradise of a meal and hope that one day I will return to devour it once more.
The restaurant had even more tasty options that the large party of people I was with ordered, leaving me with lots of different plates to try. I have a faint memories of enjoying the bite-size tastes of my peer's dishes, but I must admit, my mind was a bit foggy due to the euphoric state I was in.
Local beer was good, service was good, atmosphere was what you'd expect from a good Hawaiian restaurant. Just remember this one bit of advice- it's all about the MAHI. -
Review from Hauke G.
Seattle, WA
2/15/2011 1 photo
Great spot Batman! I have to say I was a bit hesitant at first. The ambiance at this place is pretty weak (note, this is before the live music started and it's was still light out), the decode was so so and you could tell the space used to be a sports bar. But the service an food was top notch.
I had the special of the night, a petite filet steak and rare hawaiian fish (similar to red snapper) with scalloped potatoes and spinach on the side. It was fantastic, cooked perfect to prefer and very well balanced. My wife got a Ono fish dish that was excellent, with a crab risotto aide which was very tasty.
The drinks were superb, I got a watermelon margarita and my wife got a tangerine martini. She picked best on that choice. The creme brulle coconut/lemongrass desert was tasty if not a bit to "Thai" for my taste.
All in all the place beat my expectations for food, but didn't match my expectation for mood. But I have to give it 4 stars for the solid meal and service. Well worth the stop! -
Review from Jennifer S.
Laguna Beach, CA
11/5/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Thanks to Yelp reviews, we found this Kauaian gem right before we left the islands.
Dylan is an excellent bartender and his martinis are super cold, even in the island heat. If you ask him nicely he'll make you a kiwi-basil martini that is delicious, and I usually like my martini completely straight, not even the slightest bit dirty.
The food, ah, the food. Chef Jon is a fellow Laguna Beach local, but thankfully he's moved out of town so he can do his own thing. The calamari is absolutely worth going for, and the mahi mahi blew my mind. We had been to Red Salt a few days before, and this is easily on par.
Every dish and drink we had was top notch--we even went back for dinner before getting on our flight home, and it was the night after we went the first time.
This is a don't-miss spot on Kauai! -
Review from Sandra R.
Santa Cruz, CA
9/24/2011
It was a Wednesday night and the menu seemed limited. I ended up with potato wrapped Mahi Mahi topped with proscuitto and pesto all on mashed potatoes and a coconut milk sauce with micro basil and veggies... OMG it was so damn good (as I'm salivating writing this)! BF had Chili Aioli Seared Ahi with tempura avocado and corn risotto. It was good.
Service was good.
Right when we sat down - water and edemame! Now that's service, right on!
The food was excellent. Highest item was $30, most pupus were 12-13, fish 25-26, drinks were 8 each. We had the watermelon margarita (so-so) and the tangerine daquari (tasty).
May or may not visit again, it would depend on the menu. -
Review from Lucky M.
1/14/2011
Nice spot. It's a busy place being in the center of the bustling metropolis of Kapa'a. Made reservations but they weren't necessary on a Wednesday in January. Had cocktails; Tangerine martini , strawberry papaya punch
Pig chowder
Butternut squash soup
Seared Ono
Big Salad
All very nice, my only complaint, is that they brought things too fast, even though I said there was no rush on the food at all, that we would like to take our time. But no, in came the soup.... during cocktails and on finishing, immediately followed by the other courses. There was simply no slowing it down. I've noticed this at a few places on the island. I think they don't want to be known as having slow service.
Nice live music, local musicians and island sounds. Would certainly return. -
Review from Melaina E.
San Francisco, CA
7/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I got the fish, which was tasty, though came as a very small portion. My fiance ordered the ribeye, which was a huge portion size, but not very tender. And he was disappointed that there was no salt and pepper on the table. The discrepancy between portion sizes of our two dishes was striking and surprising. I had a mandarin martini, which certainly improved my over-all experience. And we loved the live music with one man singing and playing guitar and another gentleman on mandolin, drum, and fiddle. The live music definitely helped to create a more enjoyable evening overall and can probably be credited for at least one of those four stars!
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Review from Deirdra S.
San Rafael, CA
11/12/2010
Best dinner we had in Kauai ever! I don't even know if we could find this on the main land.
We ordered a bunch of things because they all sounded so tasty. My complements to the chef, he really knew what he was doing with flavor. We saw a lot of people there eating hamburgers or pizza, they really had no idea what they were missing and not sure why they came to this type of joint in the first place (maybe close to where they were staying and still had no idea what an adventure for the mouth this food was?)
This is what we ordered:
FRESH CATCH SASHIMI
shaved Japanese cucumber, daikon root, Maui onion and avocado, yuzu ponzu
AHI TUNA POKE
coconut milk, ginger, chilies, mango and Thai basil, plantain chips
CHINESE FIVE SPICE CALAMARI
lemon "sticky" rice, dashi broth, watercress
SEARED ONO
This one is not on their online menu but it had this butter sauce with lemon grass, Chinese mustard, and another type of mustard all on top of green tea noodles.
Service was excellent.
Mixed drinks were the most tropical I have had on the island too.
STRAWBERRY PAPAYA PUNCH
42 Below vodka, fresh strawberry puree, papaya, pineapple and coconut juice
Delicious dessert (and we aren't ones for dessert)
BAKED PAPAYA COCONUT BREAD PUDDING
with vanilla bean gelato, caramel sauce and crème anglaise
This place is right next to the water so you get a cool breeze sneaking in while the windows are open. Lots of parking in the back. Live bands every night.
