Koloa Fish Market

Another must eat while on Kauai. Their prepared dishes are fabulous and their fish is always fresh. I roasted a wahoo marinated in their house recipe for half a day and it was wunderbar.

First visit, just got the soy poke. There were many other things on offer from the usual meat/​fish with rice and macaroni salad for around $ 12 – 15 to the lau pig thing that is so addictive. As you can tell I have no experience with Hawaiian food, but if that’s the case for you, you might find my experience helpful.
It was basically what it looks like: raw tuna in a soy sauce marinade. No idea what they put in it, but the soy sauce was more umami than usual and had a nice smell to it that went really well with the tuna, which was fresh and firm. Not sure if $ 7.50 for that cup of tuna is entirely justified, if the tuna is sourced locally. I get the feeling sometimes that I could go and buy a sushi-​grade tuna steak and make this at home for much less (hell, for $ 7.50 I can buy — and have, in the past, bought — a 2−3kg bonito at the market and get days of it), and the difference is not disappearing down the rent — the place is tiny. I guess it’s because food is generally expensive in and around Koloa by US standards.
Service was really lovely, patient, helpful and very fast. That was, so far, the exception in this part of Kauai!
I can’t realistically give it 5* based on a single cup of poke, so I’ll have to come back and try other stuff.

Koloa Fish Market has excellent poke and ocean salad (seaweed salad). This is a take out place only.

The food was very good. Service was a bit grumpy but we shared an ahi plate and the lomi lomi salmon. Can’t beat it for the price. This place is cash only which is hard to believe in this day and age. The Wasabi sauce on the ahimsa was very good.

Yummy poke. Seating is hard so be prepared to find a picnic spot or take it home

Fresh fresh fresh poke! Tried the Korean & the wasabi poke. The wasabi wasn’t too spicy but had just enough kick. The Korean poke was nice and fresh with just enough sesame oil for people who like that flavor (I love it!). Very small space and, for that reason, it’s take-​out only. Also, it is cash only as with a good handful of spots on Kauai. Staff is super friendly and not pushy even when you don’t know what you want yet. The place is also frequented by plenty of tourists and locals alike.

I have no idea where these 4 – 5 ratings are coming from.
So not impressed. We ordered the sauteed (lightly breaded) ahi and it was pretty basic. Maybe the poke is the better choice.
Salad and mac salad sides were small and average.

Wasabi poke — my favorite.
Korean poke — salty, not super spicy, not garlicky like I thought it’d be
Korean tako — very salty, not super spicy
Avocado poke — very good
Ocean salad — really good
Lau Lau plate — delicious laulau. Very moist and smoky. Comes with poke and lomi salad and glass noodles.
They have good sweets — try any one of them.
The girls working there are friendly and work fast!
Spot is easy to miss. Small store front sign is tucked under a bit, so keep an eye out for it. Parking is a bit hard to find, but we parked in a lot that is not for public to grab our to go orders. Eek!

Awesome poke and local plates. Love their kalua pig and lau lau. I always look forward to eating here every time I am in Kauai. Pick up a local plate and a poke bowl, then drive on down to Poipu Beach Park and have yourself a nice little oceanside picnic. They tend to run out of things the later you go as well. Cash only.
Also should mention we did a catering order from them for a big party a few years ago and they were super easy to deal with. Highly recommend these guys!

Bring cash! This is a little hole-​in-​the-​wall mom and pop shop located across from the Koloa post office. It’s takeout only and sometimes (a lot of the time) the line can go out the door but it’s worth it! Service is quick and the prices aren’t bad for what you get.
They have a fair selection of poke and other items, but if you’re coming here you should either be getting a Hawaiian plate or poke. I’ve had some of their other specials and in my opinion, they’re just so-​so. But the poke, WOW! We’ve made trips from the west side just for that. If you don’t usually order poke, it’s typically ordered and priced by weight. You can of course do that here, but you can also get it as a plate with rice as well.
I REALLY like the avocado ahi poke. There is a nice contrast between the texture of the avocado and the texture of the ahi. Of course all of the poke choices are pretty solid but I would definitely recommend the wasabi ahi or avocado ahi.
If you’re on the south side, this is a great place to grab some lunch before heading over to the beach!

Came here twice on my trip.
1^st visit, I found the lady serving me to be quite short and rude. I have a feeling it has to do with how busy this small shop gets and how rude some of the patrons get.
2^nd trip — this place was packed! I had to wait outside while everyone else inside finished.
The lau lau is phenomenal. I’ve only had it here and somewhere else on the island so I’m not an expert by any means! The lau lau was perfectly seasoned, not too salty and the leaves were perfectly tender without being mushy. The chicken noodles that comes with it was tasty. I’ve never been a fan of lomi salmon anywhere and so I can’t comment on it as I’m very biased.
The haupia sweet potato cake was right up my alley. I’m not a fan of overly sweet or overly sauced desserts so this got my two thumbs up. This was a little too dry but the flavor was excellent. A layer of coconut jelly on top with a middle layer of local sweet potato and a bottom pie crust. Delicious and delicately flavored.
The star was the poke. Best onion ahi poke on the island. Had poke at 5 different places on the island and this was my favorite. It was so fresh and seasoned perfectly. Some places it was too salty or the fish wasn’t the freshest or too much onion overpowering it. Here, it was amazing. It was everything I missed about poke from my last Hawaiian vacation 9 years ago.
Mahalo for two amazing meals. I’ll miss this place!

I love this place because it has the BEST laulau I’ve had in all of Hawaii so far! And the prices are unbeatable.
I shared the Hawaiian Plate combo, which comes with Lau Lau, Kahlua Pork and sides of Lomi Salmon, Rice, Long Rice, and Poke. Woah! Thats a lot. And it comes out to under $ 12 without tax. It’s such a large portion it’s perfect to share with another person.
The Lau Lau was the best I’ve had. It was a heaping serving of pork that was perfectly seasoned and oh so moist. I feel like I haven’t had a true lau lau until I tried the one here!
The Kahlua Pork was delicious as well. I wished they threw in some cabbage, but I guess you’re getting more bang for your buck so I can’t complain!
Lomi Salmon was good. It tastes just like salsa, but I did find some chunks of salmon in here. I’ve tried this elsewhere and didn’t like it because it was too fishy, but didn’t have that experience here.
Long Rice was delicious! Really flavorful and I wanted more.
Poke was served in one of those tiny little ketchup cups you find at a fast food restaurant. This was really disappointing. It tasted pretty warm and not fresh at all. After a few bites, I stopped eating it because I was scared I’d get sick. I think they serve different poke when you actually order it as a separate dish though! Or so I’d hope.
Overall, Koloa Fish Market serves amazing local grindz with generous portions and unbeatable prices. I’d definitely come back for more!

Here’s the scoop (no pun intended) on the best sunset dinner on Kauai… go to the Koloa Fish market about 30 – 40 minutes before sunset. Make yourself a «Poke Sampler» — my husband and I got 1 pound Maui Onion and a half pound each of wasabi and shoyu. We only got 2 scoops of rice, should have gotten 3. Grab some utensils and napkins and head a short drive down the road to Poipu beach for a the sunset and a picnic dinner. It will cost you less than $ 30 and you can’t get a better romantic (or just beautiful) setting!
The Poke was the best we had on Kauai… hard to say which flavor we liked the best because they were all so good!!! Not a dine in place… just take out.

Wow! We showed up at 10:15 and they opened at 10am and the coconut turnovers were sold out! We had to preorder them for the next day! Besides that we ordered a quarter lb of every poke in there. My favorite is the shoyu poke. And you can buy scoops of rice for .75 $ each. The poke is fresh and very flavorful but remember if you want the coconut turnovers you need to show up early!

We came here twice on our three day stay in Kauai. It’s a small shop without any seats. But if you’re looking to pick up some food to bring to the beach or park, this is the place.
The first time we were here we got the Kalua pork plate and poke over rice with wasabi cream. The Kalua was super good, my long rice had kind of a weird taste but that’s alright. The second time we got the sautéed ahi with caper butter and Korean poke over rice, for dessert we got the haupia and sweet potato pie and a brownie. The Korean poke and the one with Maui onion taste fairly similar but both are good so I’m not complaining. The sautéed ahi is awesome, it was great with the caper butter but I’m sure it would be just as tasty with the wasabi cream. The only thing I wish they had here is spicy ahi. But if we’re ever in Kauai again, I’d probably only eat here.

WOW! What a find! One of the tastiest meals I had on Kauai came from this little hole-​in-​wall place in old Koloa Town.
No white-​tablecloth service. In fact, no tables! Also, no parking, no waiters, no frills and almost no waiting. What it did have was fresh poke, fresh sushi, mouth-​watering Kalua pork and take-​out, all at the most inexpensive prices you’ll find in this tourist haven.
Our helicopter pilot, who grew up in Koloa Town, recommended this place for authentic local food.
We ordered the lau-​lau and Kalua pork combination with a side of Korean poke. I was not disappointed. Lau-​lau and pork was tasty and the poke doused with a bit of kimchee, onion, ginger and soy sauce was fresh. Shrimp that was included was also fresh and good. What a bargain! The glass noodles side was difficult to pick up with a fork. I suggest using chopsticks instead.
If you’re tired of the all the fancy food at the expensive «name» restaurants (and if you’re tired of their prices), go this deli-​like establishment to brighten up your tastebuds and keep your wallet fat. I’d come back here again but ran out of time (it closes at 3 p.m.) and you can only eat so much.
There was a lot of hustle and bustle behind the counter but when staff stops to take your order, they’re patient and friendly.
HINTS: Cash only! Street parking is hard to find but there is a small parking lot in the back. No tables but there’s a small park a block away where you can find a patch of grass or the boulders in the shade and with aroma of sweet mango blossoms in the air.

Awesome Poke
FOOD:
I’ve only had the poke here, but it’s great. Plenty of variety and so flavorful!
The fish is fresh and cut well — is you’re a first time poke eater, this is the place to go! You’ll be hooked.
SERVICE:
Well it’s a deli counter, but they are pretty friendly.
Hope you like eating curbside… it adds to the authenticity of the place.
PRICE:
Pretty fair for the quality of fish.

Maybe 4.5 stars…
Went with my family (4 of us total) and got 1 lb avocado poke, ½ lb wasabi poke, ½ lb lomi salmon, ¼ lb seared ahi, and a sweet potato haupia pie = $ 38
My favorite: avocado poke and sweet potato haupia pie!
Pretty good: wasabi poke
Average: lomi salmon (a little fishy) and seared ahi
We still had leftovers so it was a good price for the amount of food we got. I would definitely come back to try their other items.
A must try if you’re in the area!

After the Safari Helicopter tour (must do!), came here for some lunch.
Small market. Parking in back. Glad I came.
Had the Korean Poke, Avocado Poke, and Ocean Salad (seaweed salad).
I’ll make it brief. Probably some of the best poke on the island. I came back here again to get some for another snack. And generally, I like trying new places and not repeating, but this was an exception. Korean Poke especially on fleek.

Amazing plate lunch and poke spot, you have to go.
If I was a tourist I would walk in and say «I am a tourist and I am very hungry, please give me a plate of your finest foods» and just scarf what they give you.
Pros:
Super fresh
Good price
Variety as things always change
Dessert too
Nice people
Fast service
Cons:
No tables to grind right away
Street parking only

Best poke of the three markets we tried on Kauai!
The other two were Ponu Market and Ishihara Market.
Favorite was the wasabi poke.

We made a decision while we were in Kauai to eat as much local Hawaiian and cultural foods as possible. Because of that, we steered clear of most of the chain restaurants and big time names to focus on the mom and pop joints and the markets. After trying our luck at a few fish markets, we were pretty confident that everywhere on the island had good poke and friendly service. Sadly we were not entirely correct.
We found Koloa market on our last day on the island and stopped in for a few boxes to eat while we watched our last sunset. The staff seemed frazzled and irritated that we didn’t know what the protocol was for ordering, and were quickly losing patience with our questions. Once we cleared that hurdle and all got on the same page, we were able to order two rice boxes topped with poke, some wakame seaweed salad, and a haupia pudding pie.
After boxing everything up we took our glistening gems to the beach and worked into the boxes. Wakame was solid and well seasoned while not being too squishy. My poke was also well seasoned, but seemed to have a lot of ahi connective tissue in the chunks which made the chewing very laborsome. My husband found his sea onion poke to be too aquatic for his tastes, and I agreed it was very fishy and unappetizing.
The saving grace was the haupia pudding cake, which was a delightful and much needed positive surprise after a bit of a downer in the poke department. Their of the issues with staff and product sadly left us with a literal bad taste in our mouths for our last meal on the island. We really were hoping for an island sendoff as wonderful as our island greeting, but if we returned to Kauai, we would not include this market on our visit.