Nachos in Paradise: Verde + Sightseeing around the island

If you have time to kill before hopping on a plane in Lihue, Verde has yummy Mexican food and happy hour till 5pm. They serve grass-fed Kauai beef, antibiotic & hormone-free chicken & pork, and fresh, local produce. The margaritas are crafted with fresh ingredients and the food comes out fast. After a long day of driving around the island to soak up as much sun and sights as we could on our last day, this was a very refreshing stop before we turned in our rental car in and flew home. The airport is just a 10 minute drive away.

The nachos were baked (which I always love) and smothered in real cheese. The one bad thing that happens if you have something wet like refried beans smothered in real cheese is the moisture gets locked in while baking and turns all the inside chips to mush. The cheese makes an impenetrable top layer. The beef was super delicious and the chiles sprinkled on top kicked it up a flavor notch. The chips were average and didn't stand up to the heavy toppings. My biggest complaint was the lack of spice. I like my food spicy, especially my nachos. I wish that every single order of nachos had slices of fresh jalapeno on them. During happy hour the nachos are 10% off. Overall we gave them a 3.75. They were yummy, hit the spot, and we would probably order them again.

Check out some pics of Hanalei Bay, Kilauea Lighthouse, Wailua River, and Wailua Falls down below on one of the most clear and sunny days I have seen on Kauai. We were so lucky with how wet the weather has been.

Choice of Makaweli Kauai beef, citrus-marinated chicken, pork carne adovada, al pastor pork or sauteed veggies topped with beans, cheese, christmas chiles, sour cream & guacamole - $12 (no meat $10)