Kiahuna Sunrise Cafe opens in Poipu, adds new South Shore breakfast spot

Kiahuna Sunrise Cafe has opened in the historic Kiahuna Plantation grounds in Poipu, giving Kaua‘i’s South Shore a new breakfast and coffee stop at a time when morning options in the area remain tight. The cafe, at 2253 Poipu Rd in Koloa, opened by April 7 and now serves daily from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Owned by Kirk and Paula Coult, the cafe is the couple’s seventh restaurant and their latest Kaua‘i venture. The Couts already operate Bangkok Happy Bowl in Poipu, and their expansion into a breakfast-focused concept signals confidence in the South Shore’s daytime traffic from nearby residents, resort guests and workers moving through the Poipu corridor.

The setting is as much a draw as the menu. Kiahuna Sunrise Cafe operates from a restored plantation-era home on land tied to Kihahouna Heiau and later shaped by the Kōloa sugar plantation era. The site is also part of the Kōloa Heritage Trail and sits within the larger Kiahuna Plantation Resort Kauai by OUTRIGGER, a 35-acre plantation estate on Po‘ipū Beach. That blend of history and high foot traffic gives the cafe a built-in audience before a plate is served.

The menu leans into familiar breakfast and brunch fare: pancakes, breakfast burritos, Eggs Benedict, sweet and savory crepes, Chicken and Waffles, Chicken Fried Steak and loco moco. The coffee program uses locally roasted beans from Kaua‘i Roastery, and pastries come from Orly Patisserie, linking the business to other island food producers instead of relying on a generic resort menu. Lanai seating overlooks a koi pond and gardens, and the cafe offers free parking and free Wi-Fi.

The opening also comes alongside broader development pressure and transportation work along Po‘ipū Road, where Kaua‘i County has planned a roundabout at Kiahuna Plantation Drive and Po‘ipū Road as part of a Po‘ipū Road Safety and Mobility Project estimated at $22,626,000. In a corridor where visitors, beachgoers and local drivers already compete for space, a breakfast spot that opens early and stays open through lunch fits the rhythm of the neighborhood. Early online attention suggests the cafe is already finding an audience, with Tripadvisor listing six reviews and a 3.7-star rating.