Eating & Drinking Out in Kona

A major tourist destination, Kailua-Kona is still a small town, and that's one of the reasons it's fun to party here. Location is another draw. Because the business district wraps around Kailua Bay, most restaurants and clubs—many of which are open-air, two-story structures—are blessed with ocean views and cooling breezes. Its long, beachfront walkway invites foot travel from club to club, and most bars, discos, restaurants and dance clubs are within walking distance of the town's hotels.

That's the infrastructure. The rest is a good time mix of places to go and things to do.

Along Alii Drive, you'll find restaurants from fine dining to casual, martini bars to kava bars, jazz to Hawaiian, disco, rock and karaoke. It's all there, and it's not going to shut down before you've worn out your dancing shoes.

On the other hand, some places get going early and keep it coming until the wee hours.

Huggo's on the Rocks, which looks more like a grass shack than a hot nightspot, hangs on the edge of Kailua Bay, Tidepools are almost close enough to touch, and salty ocean air mingles with the boozy aroma drifting from the bar. Most nights, this casual thatched-roof bar is packed shoulder to hip with a crowd come to dance until the band shuts down. The bar is next door to Huggo's Restaurant, which serves fabulous ocean views with its seafood.

Bongo Ben's, the new stop on the strip, features Latin music, and is getting known for its super breakfast menu. Bongo Ben's is located in Dirty Jake's former spot under Lulu's in the Coconut Grove Marketplace.

On the street level behind Bongo Ben's, two small establishments generally play to a full house. Wasabi's, with both indoor and outdoor dining, serves Japanese cuisine, sake and beer. Next door, a happy-face crowd sits around a long table drinking kava from wooden shells. Kava is a non-alcoholic drink, used for centuries by South Pacific cultures to mellow out and get happy. The Kanaka Kava Bar is the place to try it.

Cross the street and take a short walk for food and entertainment distinctly more mainstream.

Sushi En Fuego, upstairs in Waterfront Row, is a Latin and Japanese fusion restaurant with an outrageous martini bar. Try for outdoor seating. Here the rhythm of the ocean, rocking against the shore two stories below, is the only music you'll need.

Sushi En Fuego has a full bar, including a variety of Sake drinks, but check out the martini menu before you order. Don Juan Da Mango may be the smoothest martini on the planet. There is a temptation to try them all, but that could take a week or so. The Tapa menu is equally enticing, and it will probably take a couple martinis to leaf through the sushi menu and make a choice. This restaurant is definitely not a quick stop.

Expect to hook up with a younger crowd at hot spots like Huggo's on the Rocks, Lulu's or MIXX Bar and Bistro (check out the martinis and mojitos). There'll either be a live band or a DJ, and Lulu's will keep it going until 1:30 a.m.

Alii Drive isn't the only place for after-hours entertainment. Sunset dinner cruises and oceanfront luaus are always a hit. Or how about dinner with a manta ray? Hook up with a diving boat and watch the rays shoveling plankton into their toothless mouths. It's all part of Kailua-Kona's after hours show.