Craft Cocktails and Elevated Entrees

Source: hawaiimagazine.com

The dining options at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on Kauaʻi will take your vacation to another level.

“It’s like a pad Thai fell into your mai tai.” That’s how Johnny, tiggerish bartender at Kai Maikaʻi, described the Sugarcane Blaze cocktail, an unexpected and fiery combination of smoky mezcal, Kō Hana Kea rum, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, peanuts and Szechuan pepper orgeat and mango syrup. And he’s not wrong. The cocktail, with a kicked-up tajin rim, was complicated and interesting—and I couldn’t stop drinking it. I also didn’t want to stop drinking it. Because that meant I would have to leave my seat at the poolside bar at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, with breathtaking views of Hihimanu, Nāmolokama, and Māmalahoa mountains and the magical bay itself.

This bar, aptly located at the adults-only infinity-edged pool, is a gathering place at the hotel, where guests were grabbing pre-dinner drinks and chatting with the gregarious staff behind the bar. Next to me was a group of childhood friends from Houston celebrating their 40th birthdays. (And there weren’t even staying at the hotel.)

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay opened in February 2023, after a major transformation of the former St. Regis Princeville Resort. Everything about this property, perched on the cliffs overlooking Hanalei Bay, is intentional and decadent—and that applies to its food and cocktail program, too.

The hotel has several dining options, from the casual breakfast spot Neighbors Café (with a great breakfast burrito and açaí bowl) to the elegant Welina Terrace with panoramic sunset views and live music.

Whenever you dine, though, the menu features local ingredients (some grown on the hotel’s rooftop garden) and flavors—yes, even in the cocktails. Take the Kūnia Trading Post, a handcrafted mai tai at Ka Maikaʻi. It features Kō Hana Kea White agricole rum (made on Oʻahu), a macadamia nut orgeat from Hāmākua Coast Premium on Hawaiʻi Island, syrup made with the popular Filipino potato ube, local lime juice and a rim lined with black lava salt. Talk about local. The Princeville Mai Tai features aged rum from Kuleana Rum Works on Hawaiʻi Island, chocolate rum from Kō Hana on Oʻahu and the island flavors of pineapple and lilikoʻi (passion fruit).

Then there’s the food. 1 Kitchen, the hotel’s signature restaurant, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with menus packed with locally sourced ingredients including veggies, fruits, eggs, shrimp, venison and kampachi (a kind of amberjack grown on Hawaiʻi Island).

All of the pastas are made in-house, too, and for dinner there’s always an entrée that highlights seasonal plant-based ingredients from local farms. 1 Kitchen’s evolving wine list is one of the island’s largest, featuring more than 165 labels highlighting organic and biodynamic vineyards, plus zero-waste cocktails made with local rum and spirits.

Breakfast here is popular, too, with a farm-to-table buffet and à la carte items like lemon ricotta pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and a variety of tartines.

It’s not uncommon to see non-hotel guests enjoying the view and sipping cocktails at Welina Terrace, especially around sunset. It’s one of the most picturesque restaurants I’ve been to on Kauaʻi, with unobstructed panoramic views of Hanalei Bay.

The menu here is small—more shareable bites while you enjoy the view and live music and hula. Popular items include the baked snow crab hand roll with a dynamite sauce, the wagyu katsu sandwich with a black garlic aioli, and the plate of fresh oysters with chili pepper water. The bluefin tuna nigiri flight is a splurge, with three types of fresh ʻahi garnished with wasabi and wasabi relish.