Keei Cafe on Our First Day in Hawaii

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Once we finally arrived in Oahu we were headed straight to the Big Island, also known as Hawai'i.

After we found our way to the bed and breakfast (which I'll talk about at a later date since it deserves its own post), we went to the nearby Keei Cafe in Kealakekua, HI.

Housed in a two story building nestled into a steep slope on the mountain side of the road, Keei (pronounced KAY ay) Cafe takes residence in the top floor. Tables sit out on the porch that runs along the front of the restaurant.

Even though the bottom floor has a business that isn't very glamorous (pool supplies, maybe?), it doesn't detract from the tastefully decorated dining room upstairs. With a Hawaiian plantation feel to it, the owners create an inviting and friendly atmosphere. Tastefully decorated, Hawaiian island style, we took a particular liking to the two Hula girl lamps in the waiting area.

The night we were there the service was a little bit slow since there were only two servers working. It wasn't a total surprise to us, though, since past reviews had warned of such things. In fact, Hawaii Revealed said that in the past that, "you needed a flair gun to get the server's attention."

The menu was well represented by contemporary Hawaiian fare. As with most things here, everything pretty muchncame with rice.

After the long flight I was absolutely famished, so I opted for the Pineapple Glazed Pork Chops with rice, and julienned vegetables. I thought the chops were tasty, but I would have liked just one big thick chop.


It seems that during every vacation each of us falls in love with some sort of food. While I didn't start my affair until will we went to Oahu, Regina had the fortune of finding sensuous Butterfish on the very first night she was here. She ordered the Wahoo (Butterfish) with Thai curry sauce (which she had taken a liking to at Ty Fun), with rice and veggies.



Since I didn't want to eat all of that rice I had plenty of room left for the Kailua Candy Company's award winning Lilikoi Cheesecake with Honu chocolate crust & chocolate ganache frosting. The lilikoi adds a tartness that went great with chocolate and cheesecake.



Regina is always a sucker for ice cream, so she went with the Keei Cafe Hot Fudge Sundae.

I think the restaurant is a definitely a must try. This is as good as anything you're going to find down in the Kona area. If you find yourself down in this neck of the woods (south of Kona) I think you'd do well to call and make a reservation.

Keei Cafe
79-7511 Mamalahoa Hwy
Kealakekua, HI 96750
(808) 322-9992