Scotty’s Beachside BBQ in Kapa’a, Kauai

July 26th, 2007

The better half and I went by this restaurant to see if the BBQ lived up to their hype. If you’ve ever read the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, this restaurant popped up in their last edition saying that they had an interest in the establishment. While they stopped short of giving it an “ono” to be fair, they thought it was pretty good.

We decided to each get a combo meal and split them so we could try an array of items. I got the rib and chicken combo and he got the pork and brisket combo. We both got the baked beans (their “pride and joy”) and french fries and one of us got the garlic bread while the other got the cornbread. The pork and brisket are both smoked and they’re both a little too smoked for both of us. They tasted almost the same despite being two separate animals and personally I think the smoking process on meat should compliment it, not overpower it. Just a preference. So a miss on those…onto the ribs and chicken. The chicken was hmm…it wasn’t really plain but it wasn’t well seasoned either. It was like they boiled the chicken and sprinkled some spices on it when it came out. I dipped mine in 2 of the BBQ sauces we got (the original and the plum) and didn’t care for either of them and didn’t finish it. The ribs were good because they give you the sauce on the side but I did want a good BBQ sauce on them, it just wasn’t coming from them. But on their own the ribs weren’t bad. Now the baked beans we differed on opinion. He said they were okay because he’s had baked beans like that before but I don’t like every cajun seasoning in the book dumped in my beans so I didn’t eat more than 2 bites. I grew up with brown sugar and bacon baked beans so this wasn’t appetizing to me. (You give me a can of Bush’s Country Style baked beans and I don’t need to doctor them up) The garlic and corn breads were good.

Oh I didn’t mention how much we paid for this meal, did I?
$56.00!! I am no stranger to the sticker shock like mainlanders get when they’re in the islands but $56.00 for 2 BBQ combos is a little ridiculous.

Reviewing a BBQ place is a tricky thing because everyone seems to like something different in their BBQ. I like a slightly smoky sweet sauce for my ribs (ie- Cattleman’s Original is my favorite store bought sauce) and am not a fan of an overly mesquite (kiawe) flavor. If you’re getting a hankering for BBQ on Kauai and go in knowing that for lunch the cheapest BBQ item is $9.99 and for dinner the cheapest BBQ item is $20.99, then give it a try. If nothing else you’ll get a good view while you eat. The location of the restaurant is ideal, sitting practically on the beach in Kapa’a. Parking is limited and a bit of a tight squeeze if you end up in the front lot or garage below the restaurant.

Scotty’s Beachside BBQ
4-1546 Kuhio Hwy.
Kapaa, HI 96746
Ph: 808-823-8480