Overview
Chicken In a Barrel BBQ & Da Pizza Place is a casual barbecue-and-pizza spot on the Waimea side of Kauaʻi, set at 9400 Kaumualii Hwy near Waimea Plantation Cottages. The current Google Places record is consistent with the restaurant’s own site on name, address, phone, website, and operating status, so there is no major identity ambiguity here. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
For travelers, the appeal is practical: it is an easy, family-friendly stop for a relaxed meal with a wider menu than a typical BBQ joint, plus the added draw of ocean-side resort grounds and a beer wall. It is especially relevant for people heading to or from Waimea Canyon or staying on the west side and wanting something casual rather than polished. (tripadvisor.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
The food leans into smoky, casual comfort cooking: barrel-cooked barbecue plus pizza, with a bar program layered in. The official site describes the menu as BBQ cooked in signature barrels and pizza, and recent traveler reviews still describe the place as a mixed BBQ-and-pizza stop rather than a single-cuisine restaurant. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
- Overall menu style: casual BBQ joint with pizza, sides, and drinks; more family- and group-friendly than chef-driven. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
- Notable dishes/specialties: barrel-smoked chicken, ribs, pulled pork, sampler-style plates, loaded fries, chicken wings, pulled pork quesadilla, and pizza. The sampler plate and loaded fries come up repeatedly in traveler reviews. (tripadvisor.com)
- Drink focus: the self-serve beer wall, branded “Da Barrel Taps,” is one of the most distinctive features and is often mentioned as a draw for beer drinkers. (tripadvisor.com)
- Price expectations: Google Places lists it at price level 2, and recent reviews suggest casual-to-moderate spend rather than bargain-basement pricing; food portions are often described as generous, but drinks are sometimes seen as pricey. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limits: there are family-friendly and mixed-order options, and the pizza side broadens the appeal for mixed groups. The evidence is thinner on detailed dietary accommodation, so it is safest to assume a flexible but not specialized menu. (tripadvisor.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
The setting is a big part of why people stop here. It sits in the Waimea Plantation Cottages area, and reviewers consistently frame it as a laid-back, scenic, open-air meal with ocean-view seating and a relaxed west-side feel. (tripadvisor.com)
- Service model and seating: this is mostly counter-order / casual dining, though the restaurant’s reservation page now says “Request a reservation,” which suggests some limited seat-request handling for larger or planned visits. A few reviews also mention QR-code ordering, so the ordering flow appears to be hybrid and may vary by visit. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: casual, family-friendly, low-key, with a resort/plantation feel rather than a standard strip-mall setup. People repeatedly mention the back porch/lanai and the ocean-view setting. (tripadvisor.com)
- Practical features: free parking is widely implied by the resort setting and traveler reports; the venue has a bar, self-serve taps, and outdoor seating. The official site also promotes events, which suggests it functions as a community gathering place as much as a restaurant. (tripadvisor.com)
- Best fit: a relaxed lunch or dinner stop, especially for families, mixed groups, and travelers who want BBQ without giving up on pizza or drinks. It also fits a post-canyon or west-side sightseeing meal. (tripadvisor.com)
- Weaker fit: diners looking for quiet, polished service, fast fine-dining pacing, or a highly controlled reservation experience may be less happy here. Peak-time waits and mixed ordering systems are a real possibility. (tripadvisor.com)
History & Background
There is meaningful local context here. The restaurant is part of the Chicken in a Barrel family of businesses, and the official Waimea site says 100% of profits support Makanalani Kids, a Kauaʻi youth camp. The published legacy material also ties the Waimea location to Barrel and BBQ, LLC and describes the site as an expansion of a broader local BBQ brand into a west-side resort setting. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
The newer “Da Pizza Place” branding appears to be an addition layered onto the BBQ concept rather than a separate restaurant. The current web presence still presents the operation as a combined BBQ, pizza, and bar venue, which matches how travelers describe it today. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Reviewers most often praise the smoked chicken, generous portions, and the convenience of having both BBQ and pizza in one place. The beer wall is a standout novelty, and the ocean-view lanai gets repeated praise as the reason to choose this location over a more ordinary BBQ spot. Friendly staff and a very casual family atmosphere are also recurring positives. (tripadvisor.com)
Common Gripes
The most consistent complaints are about wait times during busy periods, especially for made-to-order pizza, and some mixed feelings about value on drinks. A smaller but real thread of criticism concerns food consistency and occasional undercooked or otherwise off days; that downside is supported, but it does not dominate the overall review picture. (tripadvisor.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: Google Places lists daily hours starting at 8:30 AM, with later closing on Friday through Sunday; the official site also shows it as an active daily business. Hours can drift, so check before going if you are timing a meal around travel. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
- Go early if you want BBQ: several reviews say popular smoked items can run low later in the day, and busy periods can slow the kitchen. (tripadvisor.com)
- Expect a casual ordering flow: reviews mention counter ordering and QR ordering, so the process may not feel like traditional table service. (tripadvisor.com)
- Best time for a scenic stop: late afternoon or early evening is the strongest bet if you want the ocean-view porch and a more relaxed pace. (tripadvisor.com)
- Good fit for Waimea Canyon days: multiple traveler sources frame it as a convenient stop before or after a canyon visit. (tripadvisor.com)
- Reservations are not clearly a full traditional system: the site has a “Request a reservation” form, but review evidence still suggests walk-in, casual operations are the norm. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
Verification Notes
- Official identity details line up across Google Places and the restaurant site: Chicken In a Barrel BBQ & Da Pizza Place, 9400 Kaumualii Hwy, Waimea, HI 96796, (808) 320-8397, website waimeapizzabbqbar.com. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
- No major verification issues found.
- One minor caveat: the current site uses “Waimea Pizza BBQ & Bar” in page branding while Google and traveler sources still use “Chicken In a Barrel BBQ & Da Pizza Place.” That looks like branding variation rather than a different business. (waimeapizzabbqbar.com)
Sources
- Official Waimea Pizza BBQ & Bar site —
https://www.waimeapizzabbqbar.com/— retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for current identity, official contact info, profit-donation note, and the restaurant’s own description of BBQ + pizza. - Official reservations page —
https://www.waimeapizzabbqbar.com/reservations— retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for confirming reservation-request posture and current contact details. - Google Places data provided in prompt —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=8904429350515521781— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful as the identity anchor for name, address, phone, business status, rating, hours, and price level. - Tripadvisor restaurant page for Chicken in a Barrel BBQ-Waimea —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60627-d15131665-Reviews-Chicken_in_a_Barrel_BBQ_Waimea-Waimea_Kauai_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for recurring review themes: portions, loaded fries, pizza, beer wall, self-ordering, and mixed service/value comments. - Tripadvisor Waimea Plantation Cottages restaurant feature/reviews —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60627-d10027680-Reviews-Waimea_Plantation-Waimea_Kauai_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for setting, ocean-view context, and older-but-still-supportive traveler descriptions of the on-site restaurant experience. - Tripadvisor traveler forum references to this restaurant —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29218-i304-k14805166-Beachfront_restaurants-Kauai_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful as lighter corroboration that travelers associate this place with ocean views and a casual stop on west Kauaʻi.
