Tahiti Nui

Top choice in Hanalei


The legendary Nui (rendered famous by its cameo role in The Descendants) is a tiki dive bar with heart and history, and a rather tasty dinner menu. Usually crowded from mid-afternoon onward, it gets rollicking nightly with live Hawaiian music from 6:30pm until 8:30pm. It’s especially busy on weekends, when it’s the only place open past 10pm.

As for the food (mains $18 to $32), we love the seared ahi with wasabi cream and purple sweet potatoes, and the pizzas aren’t bad either. A small room opens up nightly at 5pm to serve as a separate wine bar.