Kona: Walking Food Tour with Ali'i Drive Tastings & Drinks

4.80

(373 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t think I’d get so giddy about a walking food tour in Kona, but there’s something about starting out near the Kailua Pier — the salt in the air, all that bright sun bouncing off the water. Our guide (I think her name was Malia?) had this way of weaving little bits of history into everything, like pointing out Hulihe’e Palace and then suddenly we were talking about Hawaiian royalty while eating poke. I tried to pronounce “Hulihe’e” right — got a laugh from one of the locals at our first stop. It broke the ice though.

We wandered down Ali’i Drive, stopping at places I’d never have found on my own — some tiny, some buzzing with families. The main keyword here is food tour Kona, but honestly it felt more like being shown around by someone who actually eats here. There was this grilled fish at one spot, super simple but so fresh it almost tasted sweet. At another place, someone handed me a cocktail with lilikoi (passionfruit) and I’m still thinking about how that smelled — sharp and floral and kind of tropical-cool against the heat. Not every bite was my favorite (I’ll admit, poi is… an acquired taste), but that’s half the fun.

Between stops we’d get little stories about restaurant rivalries or how certain dishes ended up on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. There was even a quick pause outside Hawaii’s oldest church — not really for food, just to catch our breath and hear about old Kona days. The whole thing moved at an easy pace; nobody rushed us if we wanted to linger or ask questions. By the end I had this happy mix of flavors in my head and a list of places to come back to later. If you’re looking for a day trip food tour in Kona that feels real (and includes drinks), this is it.