La Spezia Restaurant and Wine Bar

Good food!

Good restaurants can have hard days and I think our visit synced with that. We arrived and the dining area had no seating for our party of four. The only table was a high one with extra tall seats. We either wait 30 minutes or seat our two hungry kids at the higher table. Considering the time, we opted to sit there and hope our youngest child doesn’t fall off the chair.
So we sit down and the noise level was excruciating, with a farewell dinner party of around 15 people overwhelming all the diners. Everyone on the dining side kept rubbernecking and looking into the bar side, as if to say «Who on earth is making so much noise?»
We debated leaving when our server inquired if she could take our order. We had to yell just to speak to her. And even she commented that she couldn’t keep her own thoughts straight as to what the specials were because of the parties cacophony of screams two feet from us.
She offered to tell them to quiet down but we declined as we felt they were there first and we had just arrived. She again asked if she could get us some food saying the farewell party had been there since 5:00 so they should be leaving soon.
We opted to stay, hoping they would leave…
But in hindsight, the restaurant management should have curtailed this situation rather than put that decision on a brand new customer.
I think a restaurant of this size (quite small) should look at ways they can better manage a large party from impacting the rest of their dinner guests. Fifteen people should not rule an entire restaurants noise level, especially when you have 20 – 30 other paying patrons. I digress…
Food wise, I think the chef clearly has talent. We tried the ravioli, lamb and kale salad. All had very rich competing flavors which made each dish too strong and bold. There needs to be more subtle blending of ingredients married within each dish to be considered true, fine Italian dining. But from what we tasted, the chef could certainly get there.

If there were ten stars possible, I’d give it to this restaurant. We had dinner. The freshness of the salad vegetables was as if I picked them from the garden just a few minutes before. Eggplant, lasagna both were excellent. My wife and I use the Chinese term «Ching» to describe clean, fresh food. Even the sauces were ching and absolutely delicious. Great food, and just as good service. When they’re at your table, you’re treated as if you’re the only ones in the place.
Go. You’ll love it.

Great Italian food and atmosphere. Food prices are fairly reasonable for Hawaii. Definitely recommend to anyone that’s new to Hawaii and looking for a nice place to have dinner.

La Spezia would be a great find in pretty much any neighborhood of Manhattan. That this Italian restaurant is located in the small town of Koloa on Kauai makes it that much more special. Our extended family of 7 — kids, parents, and grandparents — enjoyed a lovely dinner here a few nights ago.
We were particularly fond of the antipasti, the gnocchi in brown butter sauce, and the lasagna arrabbiata. Less successful was the Vongole e Gamberetti. There just wasn’t enough flavor in the clams and broth or heat from the chili flakes to support the pasta. That said, from a previous visit I can very highly recommend the spicy spaghetti with meatballs. I know it sounds absurd to recommend spaghetti… but sometimes the best dish is a simple one done perfectly. Similarly, the vegetables in the Winter Risotto just didn’t impart enough flavor into the rice. But again, on a previous visit we had a mushroom risotto that was aromatic, savory, and packed with umami.
Pushing the 4 ½-​ish star rating of this dinner into 5 star territory were the drinks, service, and atmosphere. The Ciao Bella and Bitter Mai Tais were very much appreciated by my wife and mother. I very much enjoyed a flight of Amaro liquors ranging from sweet to balanced to downright bitter. And we all enjoyed a reasonably priced yet delicious Tuscan with our dinner.

Great food and great ambiance!!! Visiting Kauai and staying at a nearby hotel and visited this restaurant. Delicious… Cute restaurant!

The service was great and the atmosphere was nice. The food was amazing. We had lasagna one night and the seafood pasta the next.
The deserts were wonderful. Lots of surprises in the seasoning. Can’t wait to try their breakfast.

A great place to get Breakfrast. Very friendly staff and reasonably priced considering the location. Nice place to walk around a bit after you eat.

Our group ate here in Feb 2016
tl;dr — Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, mediocre app experience, excellent steak, good prices. 3.5÷5.
Atmosphere: Very nice. Sunday night. Not that busy. No reservations. Relaxing clean atmosphere and were seated right away. We came here based on the overall Unilocal rating.
Service: The female server was accommodating and prompt. Did not appear overly friendly when we requested a table change but overall not a big issue. Seemed friendly.
We both ordered the kale salad apps. Both salads were sent to us without one of the toppings and had to be corrected.
Wine selection was fantastic and well priced.
Quality of food: The dressing on the Kale salads was good but the amount of goat cheese was lacking in one of the salads. The kale salad app was 3.5÷5. Not bad. The other in my party said the kale salad app was boring. I think it was decent not excellent. I’d try another app next time.
The hangar steak was cooked perfectly and the green beans were delicious. The steak was excellent. The sauce on the steak was too sweet but this is subjective. The other in the party ordered the gnocchi. The menu stated the gnocchi was homemade. Trust me, do not order the gnocchi! They were overcooked and dry. My partner did not eat ¼ of them and I tried them and they were not at all good. Hard little bullets. Skip the gnocchi.
The French press coffee was delicious.
Price: The entrees are $ 20-​$ 30 and decently priced. The wine was also very reasonable. Overall I’d say the prices are good. Relative to our resort though, anything is!
3.5÷5.

I had very reduced expectations going to this place – I mean, great Italian food on Kaua’i, at reasonable prices? Highly unlikely, right? We were knocked out by the cuisine, the service, and the ambience, I can’t praise this place enough. They have created a small masterpiece in the funky town of Koloa, and I highly encourage anyone going to Kaua’i to go out of your way to get to this place, for dinner. More than once, if you can. You won’t be sorry.

oh my what a night… we really enjoyed this dinner. all 6 of us. we shared a antipasti plate which I think was on wood… wonderful way to try different thing. great wine selection too. we loved it so much… we had breakfast here on our last morning. A true gem in the tropics !!

I was able to stop here on my last visit to Kauai! I love coming here, it’s by far one of the most charming restaurants with flavorful food on the South Side. I came for brunch, enjoyed the eggs Benedict, and blueberry french toast with some friends! Both winners in my book… Artfully plated, flavors on point and the service topped it off. Next time, I will make it here for dinner!

This humble appearing restaurant impressed us very much with the quality of food and service. The wait staff is very friendly, knowledgeable, and can serve you appropriately whether you are in beach attire for a casual meal or evening wear for an elegant date.
The food was very impressive in flavor and presentation. We especially liked the antipasti, mozzarella and fig app, the roasted chicken and the eggplant. I highly recommend planning one night at this restaurant before leaving the island.

Best breakfast in Koloa/​Poipu area.
Went to breakfast with foodie girlfriend who knowingly declared that they have the best Bloody Mary on the island chain and that it rivals even the best mainland Bloody Mary. It’s a super fresh house made mix, with just enough spice.
I’ve tried almost everything on the menu and love it. I’m not a big fan of French toast, but theirs makes me squirm with delight.

Came here last year. Was not impressed but came back today to give it one more try. I’m so glad I did.
AWESOME food. Loved the ambience and the service as well. Will definitely be back when I’m on the south side. The bar lounge is fun to be in…
Would LOVE to see more vegetarian options :)

Great service n delicious food. I tell all tourist to stop by. I only had breakfast but I’d assume it’s all amazing

Again, this place delivers on incredible banana pancakes. Exactly like they were last year when we were in town. Sweet fluffy cakes and caramel tasting banana slices with sticky syrup. I’m over the moon for these!

Los Pancakes de banano son los mejores que he probado. El Omelette es muy bueno y tiene un queso manchego delicioso en el centro. Los precios son razonables y la atención es muy buena. Las mesas están hechas con cajas de madera de vino y el ambiente acogedor y agradable.

Update***
We returned to La Spezia for breakfast, just as we planned and we were just as happy with breakfast as we were with dinner. We had the Blueberry Marscapone French Toast and the Brie and Bacon French Toast. They were both prepared perfectly, and went great with two fresh squeezed mimosas. Definitely keeping La Spezia at a 5 star review.
La Spezia was a delicious, unexpected Italian find during our stay on Kauai. The owner and staff were very friendly and the ambiance inside was perfect. The recipes have been in their family for years and all of the ingredients were exceptionally fresh. My husband and I were unsure of which wine would go well with our meals (the wine list is huge!), so the owner went out of her way to have us sample a few different choices before committing to a bottle. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and are dying to go back and sample their breakfast.

Definitely worth coming back. Had the Brie French Toast. Bacon and cheese inside! Delicious!
Ps– tourists, if you come to Kaua’i. Learn some respect. If you don’t like your food, no need to shout, refuse to pay and give attitude to the waitress. Go eat somewhere else.

I was on vacation recently and discovered this lovely place via Unilocal.We wanted to get out of the typical tourist restaurants on the island and came here based on the reviews. This is a wonderful, delicious change from the typical island fare. The menu is Italian and it was as good if not better than some of the restaurants in Los Angeles. Our party of 14 people was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Italian dishes they offered.
This must be an old house that was renovated to become a small restaurant because as you drive up and park, you are literally parking in front of another home.
I had the Ono fish over risotto and my friends got various other dishes like Bucatini in a cream sauce with pancetta and vegetables, roasted chicken with new potatoes, etc. The kids got buttered pasta with chicken and freshly made pizzas. This is definitely a must try when in Kauai!