Smiley's Local Grinds

Smiley's Local Grinds was one of the absolute highlights of our time on Kauai! From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with genuine warmth and kindness by the amazing staff, who made us feel right at home. The food was simply unforgettable — fresh, incredibly flavorful, and clearly made with love. You can taste the passion and aloha spirit in every dish. And the portions are enormous, even by U.S. standards! Outstanding quality and fantastic value. What impressed us most was their hospitality. We called while on our way from the airport, knowing they were about to close, and they kindly waited for us so we could enjoy our first meal on the island. That level of care and aloha is something special and deeply appreciated. Delicious local food, huge portions, and some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. Places like this are what make a trip memorable. Mahalo for the amazing welcome and an unforgettable experience — we'll definitely be back!

Quick to go spot. Got the chicken and shrimp combo. Both had LOTS of flavor, it was so good. My favorite place after 2 days on the island so far.

tried a mixed plate with smileys chicken, beef patty w gravy, and kalua pork. additionally we got a smileys chicken plate as well. this was probably the best food out of my entire 2 weeks in hawaii and across 4 islands. the chicken is boneless and crispy/flavorful, pulled pork is juicy and tender, and the beef patty is cooked to perfection. didn't take a picture but we got the banana cream pie for dessert and bought a second one to bring to our family. we'll definitely be back here on our next vacation!

We got two things: 1) Combo with garlic butter shrimp + smileys chicken (garlic chili) 2) Loco Moco I would not get the Loco Moco again (it was quite average, not flavorful, and personally was not a fan of the butter on rice) but would HIGHLY recommend the garlic chili Smiley’s chicken. The garlic butter shrimp is good, but not amazing. Mac Salad was great! Side note: they are quite stingy with their napkins. We spilled the sauce all over but when asking for more napkins they only gave us 2 lol

Holy cow! This place was recommended by our Atv tour guide, giggles! Best food I’ve probably ever had. I will be dreaming of this place. My husband and I split a combo but after tasting it we wished we hadn’t! 🤭 luckily for him I eat like a bird so he enjoyed most of it. The chicken wasn’t very spicy but that’s okay. SO much flavor. Will be back before we leave to head home!

This was the best food I had on the island (visiting for 5 days). The kalbi ribs had amazing flavor and were almost all meat and no fat. The garlic shrimp was also amazing also, especially since it it hard to find unlike Oahu. The only negative is, that it is take out only and there are no tables at all. You should definitely try it. Trust!

Be prepared to wait a little bit for your order but it is absolutely worth it. My partner got the crispy pork belly but it was too fatty for him. The shoyu chicken was a Tuesday special and had great flavor, the portion is massive and able to share between two people. We were excited about the kalbi ribs after reading reviews but that was a bit tough and chewy and we did not enjoy those. The ube cheesecake stole the show. Conveniently located 5 minutes from the airport and was absolutely delicious, we look forward to trying different menu options before we leave Kauai!

Smiley's is a great place for takeout food. Note that the counter for order and pickup is outdoors, there is no indoor portion. Lines can get long, and there is no seating available, but the food is worth the wait! We grabbed some Kalua Moco and Smiley's Chicken with garlic chili. Meal portions were very generous, and we couldn't finish it all! Meals come with rice and macaroni salad included. We got ube cheesecake for dessert, and that was worth it as well!

Large portion no-nonsense classic Hawaiian plates. Lots of parking, takeout only window. Overall service was great, super smooth and quick. The food itself was solid, I got the combo plate with kalua pork and smiley’s chicken for $24, which came with a side of Lomi, Mac salad, and rice. The chicken was great, not super crispy but good flavor. The kalua pork was tasty but a bit on the dry side.

Really yummy and large portions! The chicken cutlet is awesome. The area isn't super great - it's takeout only. I'd recommend outdoor seating if that could be possible in the future!