Chef Roy Yamaguchi is returning to Kauaʻi’s dining scene with a new oceanfront restaurant that blends seafood, sustainability and a deep love for Hawaiʻi’s land and waters.
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels announced this week that Ocean House by Roy Yamaguchi will open next month at the newly renovated Outrigger Kauaʻi Beach Resort & Spa.
Ocean House, set steps from the shoreline, will serve breakfast and dinner with a menu centered on local seafood and island ingredients, a movement Yamaguchi helped pioneer decades ago.
“It only makes sense,” Yamaguchi said about partnering with Outrigger. “Their love for the ocean and culture really aligns with how we think about food and hospitality.”
The celebrity chef told Kauaʻi Now that the concept grew naturally from both his longtime relationship with the resort brand and his personal connection to the sea.
“I’m not really a good swimmer or surfer,” Yamaguchi joked. “But I do enjoy the ocean and all the different bounties that come from the sea.”
The June 8 official opening is timed to coincide with World Oceans Day.
“At the end of the day, we want to be good stewards of the land and sea,” Yamaguchi said. “To work with a hotel company that treasures and that honors that is a great thing.”
Ocean House will be led day-to-day by Executive Chef Samual Taganeca, former Chef De Cuisine at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on Kauaʻi’s North Shore. Yamaguchi said the pair is collaborating closely to create vibrant dishes that will feel rooted in Kauaʻi.
“Great cuisine tells a story of place — and here, that story is Kauaʻi,” Yamaguchi said. “Our cooking is layered, built on depth of flavor and rooted in what this island gives us. Every dish is a vibrant expression of where we are — wavelengths of flavor that connect the plate to the place.”
The menu is expected to feature dishes such as the Kauaʻi Bag & Boil — combining island shrimp, daily catch, clams, Portuguese sausage and corn in a brown butter coconut sauce — along with sushi rolls, sashimi, noodle dishes and a lūʻau-inspired plate celebrating local flavors.
According to Outrigger, the restaurant is designed to serve as the centerpiece of a broader resort renovation, including redesigned guest rooms, updated gathering spaces and a new ocean-inspired arrival experience.
“The ocean has always been central to how we think about hospitality,” Outrigger President and CEO Jeff Wagoner said in a statement.
“With Chef Roy at the helm, Ocean House becomes something truly special.”
While Ocean House is new, Yamaguchi’s history with Kauaʻi stretches back nearly three decades. The chef previously operated at Roy’s restaurant in Po’ipū before transitioning to Eating House 1849 at The Shops at Kukuiʻula.
“We have ties to the islands for a long time,” he said. “Our goal is to be good neighbors. We want to be a great addition to the community and part of all the great things Hawaiʻi has to offer.”
Yamaguchi added that Kauaʻi’s growing agricultural community also helped inspire the decision to expand on the island once again. He pointed to local farming operations and seafood producers as part of a broader movement he hopes Ocean House can support.
Outrigger Kaua‘i Beach Resort & Spa will host an in-person career fair on Monday, May 11, to help fill some of the positions. Learn more here.
.
