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Been coming to Kauai for seven years, and Pono Market just hits different from the rest. The market itself is small and the line can get long, but the service is quick, efficient, and worth the wait. The fish is unbelievably fresh, like melt-in-your-mouth fresh. Honestly tastes like butter. There are definitely other good poke spots on the island, but Pono continues to be my favorite and has never disappointed. It is a must for me at least once, twice, or even three times every trip. If you know, you know.
This market is an island favorite for all things poke, Hawaiian plates, chicken, spam masubis, lau laus, and many other traditional Hawaiian staples. Poke is prepared daily and with different dressings. Their daily selection entrees are different every day so you can build your own combo plate depending on what you're craving for. I absolutely loved their poke -- I tried three different flavors, and the mac salad was a hit for me. The hours are really limited because they sell out fast. And because they know they are a forever favorite so locals and tourists will line up to support especially during the lunch rush. Monday - Friday from 6am - 2pm Closed on the weekends.
The food is incredible. This was by far the best food we had during our week of exploring different options throughout the island. We tried the spicy ahi poke, the beef curry, sweet and sour ribs (name could be wrong), and the macaroni salad. It was all so delicious. The macaroni salad was the best I have had in a long time, and the curry was so good, we not only went back for more, but my husband vows to recreate it. We stumbled upon the Pono Market because we had parked right outside and decided to try it. The locals in line all agreed that everything is delicious and we couldn't go wrong with our order. There is no place to sit and it is not a fancy establishment on the inside or outside, but the food and service are excellent. We will definitely return the next time we visit Kaua'i. Highly recommend!
I haven't come here in years.So I came back to pick up some lunch.Of course parking was hard to find especially around lunch time.So I had there fried chicken plate with side order wonbuk kimchee.The food was good!.The portions was just right.Customer service was good.So if you want some fresh island poke come here.They also have daily specials,Hawaiian plate,Snacks,Sandwiches n more.The only thing is good luck finding parking?.But it worth it.
This place is legit and definitely worth a stop if you like poke. I wish they had better hours, so if you want to come be sure to do so before 1:00 p.m. it's worth it, I promise. You can also check their website or Instagram for their daily specials so if you're here on the island for a few days, you can pick which day you want to go. Some foods they have everyday, like their poke. We got a few varieties of poke, including their sesame tako, shoyu salmon, and shoyu ahi. Also got a couple hot things, we got a little bit of their Kahlua pork, and a pork laulau. For everything it was around $40 which was a nice hearty meal. The poke was fantastic and made for some lunch later in the day. Remember there is no seating at this restaurant so whatever you buy you have to take out and eat elsewhere.
It was such a good deal and made fresh. Everything tasted good. We wanted to try the fried chicken but they ran out. We also wanted to try the shoyu ahi instead of what was supposed to come with the sesame ahi, but I do regret this decision because the texture of the shoyu ahi was chewy/gummy. Still we enjoyed it and would come back to try all their other food options. Great local place. There was a line but they move quickly and they are still quite nice and friendly. It is take out only FYI.
Best recommendation I got for local food in Kauai. This is a small family hole in the wall restaurant with delicious food. We were the only open for morning to 3 PM. So better get it while it's hot. I came here and was recommended to try the pork lau lau and the Poké bowl. My mouth is still salivating and craving this as I'm speaking here in the mainland. Besides that they also have cookies and other grab and items to go. Definitely recommend eating here if you really want to eat like the locals. The staff is friendly so if you have a question, just ask.
Pono Market was the last poke shop we would eat while visiting Kauai and I thought it was the best compared to the others. It might look like they have long lines but they limit the amount of people inside. And everything moves pretty fast because most of the food is already prepared. There's an option to order ahead by texting them but if you want to see the daily specials, visit in-person to see all the options! We ordered the #5 Plate which comes with a hot entree, rice, and sesame and spicy ahi poke. For the hot entree, we picked the fried chicken. On top of this, we also ordered pork lau lau and two spam musubis. Overall, a lot of food for two people but we wanted to try as much as we could. The poke was super fresh but I think the marinades could have had some more flavor. The portion size also isn't that big for the price. The fried chicken was solid though. The pork lau lau was delicious and I loved the little chunks of pork fat. For the musubis, we got Teri Chicken and Fried Chicken. Solid size for the price and very easy snack to take for the road. We ended up eating everything in or car with the A/C on but if you're okay with the heat, there's an outdoor dining area with food trucks nearby, or just walk over to the beach!
We tried the spam musubi, teri musubi, fried chicken musubi and the poke. The poke was just okay. It says on their sign it's treated with carbon monoxide as a preservative. I don't know if that's it, but it just wasn't my favorite. Texture and flavor weren't the best. It was kinda salty, not super flavorful, texture wasn't the best and it was on the pricey side. I wouldn't get it again. Musubi's were good and affordable, I would try the chicken next time. It seemed like a lot of locals got the chicken and the musubi. Maybe we didn't get the right stuff.
Cute little market to grab delicious meals! You line up & tell the staff your order. They sell a lot of plates with hot & ready-to-go food. We were looking for a quick bite so we grabbed the premade spam musubi & chicken. Decent price & delicious! They also sold poke, adobo, & other meals. We want to go back to try their main meals soon!! Staff was so friendly & kind to us ! It's located on a busy street so we did Street parking right in front.
11 months ago
1 year ago
Wow wow wow wow wow! Came in 10 minutes before closing and we were in and out with the goods. A local recommend this market at the beach, and boy oh boy this place did not disappoint. Picked up some delicious food and parked at a nearby park for a little date. Talk about 10/10. read more
11 months ago
2 years ago
I love Pono Market! It is our ritual for our last day on Kauai to grab food from Pono Market and eat at Kapa'a Beach. The portions are huge and you can get delicious local food. On our last visit, I got their Hapa Plate which comes with rice, a hot entree (I chose meatloaf), mac salad, and spicy tuna poke. I also bought some ala carte scallop poke and a sweet potato coconut pie (think ube AND haupia layered in a pie with whipped cream). The hubs got a #1 which came with rice, hot entree (he chose fried chicken), and mac salad. The staff is always so nice here and the food is amazing, which is why we always go back. You still have to do takeout sit they haven't allowed seating since COVID, but the beach is only 2 blocks away so it's a win-win! read more
2 years ago
Solid poke spot for a quick lunch to go. The shoyu is heavy on the sauce which I like but be aware of it. The onion sesame is also good. My favorite mac salad on the island! read more
10 months ago
This is the best tuna i've ever had. It is so fresh, tender and has the perfect amount of marinade. Gets busy so recommend getting there early. Robert served us and was incredibly kind, helpful and served everyone quickly. They have no seating inside so can only take to go but a great beach snack. read more
Out of all the places we ate at during our vacation time Kauai I can confidently say that this was both my fiance's and my favorite place we went to. We went early in the morning to get some food that we put in a cooler to eat at the beach and even in the morning it was really busy and had a line but the line moved fast. Lots of people knew what they wanted and grabbed things that were ready so I felt bad slowing the process down but they were still kind and understood. We got two kinds of poke, mac salad and I got a mango smoothie as well (which was really good) and my fiance got some sort of coffee drink that she enjoyed too. The best poke was definitely the sesame as it was so good and the mac salad was also really good and better than any other place we got it at on the island. I think it may have had spaghetti noodles in addition to macaroni which added a fun texture. My only regret is that we weren't able to come back here a second time as I would've loved to have tried some of the other things they had. read more
Our last meal in Kauai! Had some trouble deciding how to make the best combination to try everything we wanted, they have so many plate options!! ---2 item plate with mac salad: got the pork and chicken lau lau, both were really good, like a home cooked meal and the mac salad was also sooo good! ---poke half pound: wasn't our favorite, I'd stick to the plates over the poke next time No seating here so we walked over to the beach and sat under a tree, food with a view! read more
11 months ago
Amazing, fresh food! Musubi was SO GOOD! Everyone was super friendly and helpful there. I got a shrimp poke bowl and my husband got a lunch plate with pork laulua.... Said it was the best he's ever tasted. read more
Really amazing Hawaiian food! There are many combos to choose from and you can't go wrong with any of them. The pork laulau was so delicious and I enjoyed every bite of it. The salmon poke was really fresh. The service is great and there is plenty of seating nearby. read more
Pork Lau Lau,Mac and Cheese ,Rice,Spicy Ahi Tuna! That was my solid Hawaiian plate lunch to go. Served up by these lovely people,your choices here for great traditional Hawaii food are endless. Somewhat confusing at first but,relax,you're on island time and they're very helpful. Order at the counter,grab a drink,pay and the door will be opened for you with a pleasant, Mahalo on your way out. Unfortunately the old Hawaii i experienced only 30 years ago is going , going,gone. But,Pono Market will give you a taste of what once was read more
When you see 'market' in the name of a Kauai estabishment, they sell poke. Whatever the poke made, it's delicious. Pono market is not different. On top of local sides, Pono Market has a rotating list of dishes that are produced daily. We came on Wednesday and lau lau was tops on the menu (meat slow cooking in taro leaves). We tried the chicken and pork, both good. We ordered the spicy and seseme seed poke as sides, I like the seseme seed one more because the ahi flovor came through more. Macaroni salad, very good. Pono Market limits the number of patrons who can come into the shop at a time, still very careful with social distancing. You can expect to wait on the street to enter/order. Didn't bother us at all, plus we received some great tips from others in line. To go orders only. The beach is one block away. I can't think of a better place to picnic. read more
The food here is authentic and so DELICIOUS! I came here two years ago and had to come back again this year. The employees are very kind and helped us pick what to get. The Hawaiian fried chicken is super tasty and so flavorful! I would move here just to be able to eat here every day. The poke is also pretty good too and affordable when paired with the plate. The ambiance was clean and had plenty of options for drinks and dessert too! read more
3 years ago
Not sure if it's everyday or just the day we came, but the kitchen was closed 30 minutes before close. They still had some cold options in the fridge to pick from so I got a sample of salad and poke, which was very good. I wanted to try the lau lau, but maybe next time. read more
7 months ago
So excited to try this place and my wife and I finally did on a Monday. We went early before 11am and the lines were short. Their menu selections are quite simple and you choose how many items you want and whether you want to add one or two types of poke. We tried the laulau with seaweed and onion poke. I was quite disappointed in a few things in this store despite all the hype. 1- They charge you 0.37 cents for a small container of shoyu mustard 2- Ahi doesn't taste any fresh at all compared to another place we tried a day before 3- They're still limiting people inside the store like it was still a pandemic. I really wanted to like this store but the only item that stood out was the pork laulau. Perhaps their cooked foods seemed to be more better than the ahi and next time we'll try the Kalua pork. read more
Great little market! They have pre package food like spam musubi, rice and fried chicken and other combo boxes package food. We came here because people raved about the poke. And it wasn't wrong. We got shoyu ahi, a spicy Mayo tuna, a salmon and a tako (octopus). Everything was delicious!! I loved their flavors. It was all fresh and very flavorful. The people here were also very friendly. You can tell they had pride in their food. Come here for some poke and lunch! read more
I always order 1 pound of fried chicken and a few half pounds of poke! Food is always amazing and fresh! This place is takeout only so just wait in line to order and take it to a beach to eat! Service is usually fast and the vibe is giving Hawaiian version of Panda Express. read more
We've heard great things about this place, and came in multiple times during our trip. The line was out the door when we came in around lunch time, but it moved quickly. The staff was super friendly. Ambiance is like a typical small fish market. - Tuna poke (4/5): Tasted fresh but not the best I've had in Hawaii. Still delicious and would recommend! - Spicy tuna poke (4.5/5): I enjoyed this better with this spicy mayo sauce. It was pretty creamy but very tasty. Perfect beach snack! read more
2 years ago
This was a letdown, since this place came highly recommended. Apparently it's the best poke on Kauai, I have no idea how it got that reputation. The texture of the fish was a little tough and chewy, rather than being silky smooth. The shoyu was extremely oversalted. The fried chicken was dry. Miss after miss, this was just disappointing. The poke is average at best, and I thought the customer service was rude. It's a no for me. read more
11 months ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
Absolutely amazing food for such a great value. Everything was so comforting and delicious. We tried their poke and hot food, and every item is mind-blowing. Also would recommend their manju. read more
When we were visiting Kauai in summer, we stumbled into this small store using Yelp and it instantly became our favorite spot. We probably came to Pono Market almost every day to get poke and SPAM musubi for our breakfast. They have quite a few options available including Lau Lau but since I LOVE LOVE LOVE poke, I kept having their poke varieties daily. Their prices were reasonable, their staff were very friendly, and I felt like I was at a friend's family store. They basically knew everyone who was walking in, making small talk. Such an amazing atmosphere and the whole place was full of hospitality and aloha. I loved being in Pono Market and everything they had to offer. We loved the beaches on Kauai. We loved a lot of tourist activities on Kauai. But I will definitely remember my first bite of poke from Pono Market. read more
First time checking this place out!! Several times I have been in town unfortunately have been days they were closed. Today I was lucky! Owners were kind and welcoming. The food definitely reminded me of the comfort of being at home and the kind of food that you enjoy at family celebrations!! Their California Roll sushi was actually pretty good and the price was very reasonable! I also bought some poke to share with Ohana. I recommend you support this local family market. Btw, The poke was fresh!!!! read more
10 months ago
What a gem of a market in Kauai! Freshest tasting fish I had on the island - I got the Hapa Plate which was a perfect mix of poke, rice, a hot entree, and mac salad (perfect for someone so indecisive as me who wants to sample a bit of everything). The Sweet Potato Haupia was also such a pleasant surprise - what started as an impulse grab at checkout because I loved the look of the purple sweet treat turned into a delicacy that I simply cannot stop thinking about several days later (the intermingling of the ube and the coconut was absolutely lovely). I came here on my last day, otherwise I could have seen myself returning again and again read more
2 years ago
Love this place. No frills, just Hawaiian staples like poke and Kahlua pork over rice. I don't have a ton to say about it, but you should definitely stop by for a reasonably priced and satisfying lunch. read more
This place is always busy for a reason! Hot and cold options are delicious. I ended up getting this basic roll, and my boyfriend got fried chicken. Perfect place to stop on the way to go kayaking! The inside is small but they use the space to its fullest. Staff are very friendly and service is quick! read more
This intimate spot seems to be popular among locals. While in line, the other customers seemed to be friends with the workers which suggests this is a good place to grab some authentic Hawaiian food! They offer combos of hot entrees and poke, or just poke bowls themselves. I ordered a sesame ahi poke bowl, which costed around $10. The bowl cake with half rice and half ahi. They also offer poke by the pound. The fish was yummy but they do previously freeze them! read more
1 year ago
Best find during our trip to Kauai. It was one of the places we came back to a second time. You have to come early though, because they do run out of food! We also picked up spam musubi here to take as a snack while kayaking. All street parking but we didn't have trouble finding parking either time. There is parking behind the restaurant as well. No bathrooms or tables, but there is a small food truck area nearby with picnic tables. There are also a bunch of cute little shops around to check out too! 10/10 will be back the next time we're in Kauai. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
This is the spot you're looking for!! Great local poke! It's everything you could ask for - and the price is MUCH lower than it should be! Both options are worth it, and the ocean salad tastes like it was seasoned with ocean water, it's delicious. read more
More info about Pono Market
4-1300 Kuhio Hwy
Kapaa, HI 96746
Directions
(808) 822-4581
Call Now
Visit Website
https://www.ponomarketkauai.com
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Ask the Community - Pono Market
Do they have a lot of gluten-free options, including GF soy sauce (tamari)?
I don't think so.
Is this place closed all week? It's highly recommended but every time I drive by they're closed. Maybe they return on 1/2?
We will be open again for regular business at 6AM tomorrow. Come early for your best chance at the full selection.
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Pono Market - hawaiian - Updated July 2026
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