As I walk up to this tiny, but lively-looking restaurant, two things come to mind: One, how I miss ‘The Crack,’ also known as ‘Taquería Norteños,’ the mini Mexican restaurant that used to occupy the Grill’s space until the end of last year. Two, how surprised I am at how nice they’ve made the new place look by removing the ugly, years-old Christmas lights from the outside ceiling, repainting the walls, adding a shiny red ‘Poipu Grill’ sign, and relocating the main window from the corner, to a few feet to the right, facing the parking lot.
I approach the counter and ask the nice woman in the window for the Chicken Katsu, and am disappointed to learn that they have run out. Oh well. I decide to order a Coke and the Grilled Fish of the Day, which happens to be Ono.
One thing that I learned while waiting for my meal was that you can call to order ahead. I found this out when a man got out of his car, went and paid at the window, and almost immediately received his order. As a walk-up customer, I ended up having a moderate wait time of about fifteen minutes, receiving my food after four or five other people waiting around the area. I immediately snuck a peek inside the box and enjoyed the smell of freshly grilled fish and hot fries.
Then I took it back home. Opening the box for the second time once I was back at my house, I realized that the meal also came with corn and pasta salad. I paid just shy of $12 with tax, so I felt like I was getting a little more of my money’s worth.
After squeezing what juice I could from the included lemon slice onto the Ono, I took a piece of the fish, dipped it in the tartar sauce, and took a bite, not knowing what to expect. It was really good! It was cooked well and wasn’t at all fishy-tasting. I tried the fries. Crisp, golden, fries, comparable to those you would receive in a full-service restaurant; quite tasty!
The corn, off the cob, was pretty average, but it helped to complement the meal. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pasta salad, but I’m not usually one anyway. That was fine, though, because they gave me quite a lot of the rest of the food. Also, I’m not sure if they charged me more for it, but they gave me a large Coke, and I ordered a regular size, so that was a nice little upgrade.
The Poipu Grill is located in the small strip mall-type complex with Seasport Divers, Outfitters Kauai, and the Kukuiula’s general store, along Poipu Road. The restaurant opens for lunch at 10am. They add another list of dinner items to their diverse menu at 4:30pm, and close at 10pm.
On the menu for lunch is a wide variety of burgers, from the ‘Ms. Teri’ burger to the ‘Magic Mushroom’ burger. They also have seafood tacos, fish/shrimp and chips, a chicken sandwich, a fish burger, and ala carte orders of fries and other sides.
For dinner, they have my order, the Grilled Fish of the Day, along with the Chicken Katsu I wanted, Teri Chicken, Teri Steak, and a Hamburger Patty meal. Prices range from $5.75 for the basic burger to $9.50 for my fish order.
From what I could see through the order window, the kitchen conditions looked very clean and sanitary, the food was presented in an appetizing manner, and the employees were very friendly. My final opinion? If I’m in the mood again for some tasty take-out on the South side, I’ll definitely choose the Poipu Grill.