Off the Eaten Path: Georgetown's Kauai Family Restaurant

Today, Off the Eaten Path looks at Kauai Family Restaurant, in the warehouse district of Seattle.

Right off 4th Avenue South on the Georgetown/SoDo border, you will find the area’s most authentic Hawaiian restaurant, the Kauai Family Restaurant. An unlikely location for such a popular restaurant, until you consider that much of its clientele comes in from the densely Hawaiian concentrations in Bremerton, SeaTac, and Tacoma. If you can find it (most GPS have trouble doing so), and if you can find parking, come in for a traditional meal that will transport you back to the islands.

Hawaiian regional cuisine is often hard to nail down as it has been influenced by Japanese and Polynesian, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Puerto Rican, and Portuguese cultures. When it’s available try the Ahi Poke, although some batches tend to be a bit heavy-handed on the soy. The tender, succulent Kalua Pork is another standout. The Lawai Crispy Ginger Chicken has been hit-or-miss, but when it’s on it is fantastic. Not to be missed are the Malasadas, Portuguese doughnuts that are prepared once-weekly, available only on Saturdays.

This restaurant, like most of its kind is most certainly on "Island Time." Be forewarned that you will not get out of here quickly. If you are on a tight schedule this might not be the best place for lunch, but the service is friendly and the ambiance is casual.

Kauai Family Restaurant
6324 Sixth Avenue South
Seattle, Washington
(206) 762-3469