Bar Acuda

Best drinks I've had in a long time! Upscale place to get a delicious dinner and unique specialty cocktails that use local ingredients and flavors. A definite gem on the island.

We went here for my wife's birthday. The food was fantastic, and the service was FAST. We never felt rushed, but barely waited for food or drinks at any point in our meal. This is the best place we've eaten on the island so far.

Went here twice during our 5 day stay, that’s how good it is. We went the first time without a reservation, got lucky and got a nice spot outside on the porch. They just implemented a new reservation system, so I do recommend you make one. We shared 5 tapas for two on each visit. The scallops and the special they had that week (fried eggplant with Burrata) were delicious. Service is friendly and quick. Baracuda is wonderful for a special occasion or just a romantic evening.

Best ever fresh tasting tapas, lots of different selections. Drinks are freshly made, no pre made syrupy goo. Food comes out fast but gorgeously plated. We had to pause before diving into them! Servers are knowledgeable and don't try to rush you off.

Great tapas style restaurant in Hanalei. Food was delicious and service was excellent. Recommend booking reservations ahead of time.

Great meal. Shot out to Amanda our waitress. Loved the personal attention and conversation. Small details like fresh bread and delicious cocktails go a long way. Tapas menu is great for making a light dinner.

Service was great! Everything we tried was awesome! Scallops with garlic mashed potatoes and lamb chops, were to die for.. so yummy! *Sorry not shown* This dish is great, just can't remember the name.

Best place to eat on this part of the island! Reservation is a must! Everything was so delicious! Lamb chops and also the potato dish was Amazing!!!!

Nice relaxed atmosphere, good service, delicious food with quality ingredients. Prices were a little steep for the quantity and disappointed to learn they add a 4% fee to the check to pay for the employees health insurance. Is this everywhere on the island or all of them? If that’s the case we have no choice. In all, I would go back as delicious, quality food with good service is most important to me.

This is among my top three best Fine Dining Restaurants in Hawaii or America. The Staff are extremely professional- a cut above. And they resonate with the calm peaceful atmosphere of the local area- even though the place is crazy busy.Reservations are necessary, so we sat at the bar and received immediate and most excellent service. The view behind the restaurant is among the best in the world. The food is way above and beyond... the flavor, the quality and presentation.Cost is higher than published $$. But it's worth it. Tip big too. However, too many people have discovered this town. The traffic is has become overwhelming for locals and a pain in the butt for frequent visitors.We have to work collectively to create solutions for this here and other paradise destinations.

It’s definitely one of the best restaurants on this island. Most of the restaurants outside of the resorts are very casual dining. Bar Acuda has way better ambiance. We felt we were more back home in San Francisco. It’s more modern. If you love Outback or Macaroni Grill type of restaurants, I would not recommend this place to you. You will feel money wasted. The food is pretty at par with SF standards, but bigger portions. Tapas in San Francisco literally give you 2 or 3 bites. The lamb riblets are fantastic. The char adds on such a great taste. I loved the scallops and the ahi. Great flavor combinations. The only plain dish is the baby greens, lack of ingredients. It would be nice to have some sort of nuts or seeds, pear or squashes. Overall, we recommend this place to our friends.

You cant miss Bar Acuda when you come to Kauai!! Tapas style restaurant with amazing choices from ahi kale salad to homemade coconut ice cream. Service was exceptional! Make sure to make reservations prior to going.

I had never been here and was unsure of what to expect. I have never experienced tapas style dining. We went in a group of six and ordered several drinks and different tapas options. It honestly was excellent, and many of the things we got were creative, beautifully prepared, and delicious. It's pricey, but it was an amazing experience and it was excellent food and service.

First tried Bar Acuda years ago when vacationing here and it was awesome. Now that we live here it is top on our list when looking to get a nice dinner. We even drive from the south shore! You need to call ahead to get a reservation - recommend doing first thing when you arrive to Kauai. Everything is served tapas style and for the two of us 4 dishes and desert was a good amount. Our mains were the fresh fish and meatballs. Each dish was excellent and honestly we wanted to try them all.

If you're a foodie, you MUST visit this spot while in Kaua'i. Professional friendly service, excellent quality and flavourful dishes, and very creative plating.

The food here is always amazing and our visit this time was no exception. The service is excellent and the food comes out quickly. The lentils were one of the best things we have eaten in a long time and are a true mark that the chefs know what they are doing. Can’t wait to come back!

Such an eclectic and amazing experience of flavorful dishes and drinks. We had the Bison tongue, roasted eggplant, and the Honeycomb was incredible! The drink I enjoyed was the Smoke & Ginger, and my man said the Mai Tai was the best he's ever had!!

This is an outstanding place. The hard work of owner/manager is evident in every way: the people, the brand and the food. I never been greeted by a bar tender (the place was packed and we didn’t even have seats) that walked outside the bar to offer us drinks. Both bar tenders were super friendly and attentive to all: visitors and locals.The name and logo were so cool, I bought a shirt.I recommend the cucumber salad and the lamb chops.

Fantastic tapas! After a week on the island I finally found a great meal. Granted, you will pay handsomely but a great experience overall. Highly recommend.

Had a bottle of Piancornello Rosso di Montalcino. Started with olives,then mushroom risotto and scallop, followed by riblets and potato’s bravas, for desert went with the honeycomb. All excellent.

Impeccable food, good genuine service, and a good vibe. If you can live with small portions and a North Shore prices, this is a good place to go. The bar is a happening place and the table set up is really great. I just wish that this place is a bit tucked away, not in the middle of Hanalei...

Fantastic food. A little bit on the pricier side but the tapas were larger portions than at a typical tapas place. The cucumber salad was really good and so were the banderillas. The potatoes were also quite good. 2 tapas is definitely enough food for one person. The deserts were also really good highly reccomend the cheesecake. This is a great option for dinner in Hanalei.

Certainly one of the best spots in Kauai. The dishes are fun, creative, unique and flavorful. The lentils, pizzata and the albóndigas were all excellent tapas.

Badass! The bartenders we had yesterday were amazing. Best Last Word on the island. Make reservations.

Excellent tapas! The Hawaiian fish and the sea scallop are great. So is the beef on a stick! Highly recommended.

The food was good but not outstanding. I think it is imperative not to over praise restaurants. The tapas we were served was very salty indeed and the portions did not justify the price we paid. It is so easy for restaurants like this to sell you ‘tapas’ as small plates to share (as it says on the wall) but actually charge you main course prices. It’s unreasonable and frankly mocks the diner. I would tread carefully Bar Acuda as people will catch on...

Delicious meal. Vegetarian options we tried were absolutely delicious! Went back the next night for more cucumber salad. It’s pricey and dishes are small- but we felt it was worth it. We will definitely be back.

A relatively unique dining experience for the North shore of Kauai. High end tapas and awesome cocktails.

Filet Mignon was great but the ahi tuna carpaccio was the most delicious carpaccio I ever had. I came back for it three times!

We sat at the bar since we got there early - our reservation was 2 hours later. A great experience. I had roasted cauliflower with anchovies. I know it sounds gross but it was delicious!

Creative dishes in a relaxed environment. Roasted and Moorish spiced carrots with Medjool dates, Marcona almonds. Spanish Manchego and mint was a nice start, as was their cucumber avocado chickpea salad. Special ink squid bucatini with clams, smoked bacon and cherry tomatoes in a rich broth was unusual. Lamb Riblettes with garlic aoili and mint was exceptional. Their espresso was great, as expected. White chocolate cheesecake was decadent but a bit heavy for my liking. Reservations are a must here.

My wife and I came here three back to back nights we loved it so much. Best food on the north shore arguably the best on the island. Try their cucumber salad for a bright and refreshing start to the meal. Also their lamb is a must.

Love it here. Great team, delicious tapas. Sophisticated but casual vibe. The guava spritzer is fantastic. The veggie options really shine.

I was a bit disappointed with the food considering the cost. Skewers were under seasoned and pizza wasn’t great. The meatballs were nothing special. The lamb and scallops were definitely highlights. The service, however, was impeccable.

Overall good. Rather expensive which is not surprising. Limited vegan options

Everything about this experience was fantastic. Superb selection of plates and each one (we had almost all of them) was delicious. Even some that I would not typically rave about, I enjoyed.

The food and drinks were amazing. The waitstaff and kitchen were personable and informative. We would highly recommend Bar Acuda!

As with other reviews, the food here is remarkable, you will not be disappointed. That being said, portion to price tag ratio is nothing short of insulting. We spent $100 and walked away...hungry. That’s no meal. I also strongly discourage anyone from buying the $15 cocktails here. You will not get a $15 dollar buzz. It’s juice. You are essentially buying $15 12 oz juice. Ambiance is good, food is good, but these are serious cons for me. Edit: updating my review from three to two stars because of how hungry I am.

Excellent service and great food. Probably the best meal we had on the island. The eggplant was excellent and so were the lamb chops. Highly recommend!

One of the best dinner I had in Hawaii. Relaxing outdoor tables, really nice service. Really good food.

Food great. Drinks pretty good. Service decent. Prices pretty nuts, even for Hawaii. For what it’s worth, Pierce Bronson was sitting behind me...

Great food and excellent service. The tapas plates are good portions despite what some say in their reviews. Excellent wine list for the island. High end but casual Hanalei dinning. Nothing else comes close on the north shore.

Fanatic dinner. This is the best spot on the island for progressive and interesting food. Make it your fancy dinner night. The wine list is great and the service was fantastic.

Super tasty! Cool joint with yummy pupu style options. Portions are new large but the flavor makes up for it.

It was a bit pricey for what you get. We ordered on and it was way too salty. Service was great though, the waiter did a phenomenal job

If you’re on the island of Kauai, Bar Acuda is a must visit ! Hands down, best food I’ve had in all my years traveling to the islands of Hawaii. The owner and staff are wonderful ! My husband and I still rave about the food here.

We were a party of five people and accidentally found this restaurant. What a gem . Vegetarian choices were amazing and each dish had a unique flavour. I am not a big fan of carrots, but must say that your carrots were amazing Pizza was one of the best, ended up ordering extra pizzas. Honey comb, cauliflower mushroom/risotto all were fabulous dishes. Service was above par. If i visit Kauai in future , will definitely eat here again. Thank you guys, keep it up