An Evening by the Water in Waikoloa

A Waikoloa dinner beside the water can begin with a table close enough to the beach that the sand is underfoot. Other tables sit a little farther back, still looking out across the ocean, with shade making the setting especially appealing at lunch. This is open-air dining in the full sense of the phrase: sea, sky, breeze, and a meal that need not be hurried.

The restaurant suits a quick lunch break, but its most appealing rhythm is an unhurried evening. Come for a drink, settle into the beach view, order dinner, and let the changing light do the rest. Some people arrive intending only to stop at the bar and wind up staying through sunset.

Sunset is a popular time here, so an early dinner has a practical advantage beyond simply getting a better seat in the evening. There is time to get comfortable, look over the menu, eat at a normal pace, and watch the shoreline take on its later-day color rather than trying to rush through the meal at the last minute.

Reservations are available, with early and later seatings sometimes offered during busy periods. Planning ahead is particularly useful for a sunset-oriented dinner, though the relaxed layout also accommodates spontaneous visits for drinks that become dinner.

The restaurant is primarily outdoors, rather than a conventional enclosed dining room. That is central to its appeal: the meal stays connected to the beach from beginning to end. Island chickens and roosters may wander near the tables, an informal little reminder that this is not a white-tablecloth room trying to shut out its surroundings.

Cocktails and mocktails have an important place in the evening. A pineapple-mint mocktail offers a nonalcoholic option with a bright, cooling profile, and it fits neatly into an early arrival when there is still plenty of daylight over the water.

The mango salsa has developed a following of its own. It is the sort of starter worth putting in the middle of the table, particularly if the group is still deciding between seafood, meat, and more casual handheld choices for dinner.

Edamame provides another easy appetizer for a table that wants something to nibble while the drinks arrive. It is a small detail, but a useful one when dinner stretches comfortably toward the music later in the evening.

Seafood is well represented, beginning with poke nachos and continuing through fish tacos, macadamia-nut fish, and the chef's-choice fish of the day. The latter is a good way to let the kitchen's current selection guide the meal rather than trying to predict exactly what will be best that evening.

Macadamia-nut fish brings an island touch to a classic beachside dinner order. Fish tacos take the menu in a more casual direction, while poke nachos are well suited to sharing before everyone settles into an entrée.

Not every order needs to be fish. Teriyaki steak is notably tender, with a slow-cooked, stewed-meat quality despite its place on the steak side of the menu. Chicken curry and chicken fried rice broaden the choices further, which helps when a group includes diners with very different ideas about dinner.

Burgers are there for someone who simply wants a familiar plate by the ocean. Ribs can be a generously sized option; there may be enough left for a second meal, which is not the worst souvenir to bring back to your accommodations.

Live music commonly begins in the evening, often shortly after an early dinner is underway. It gives the meal another chapter without requiring anyone to relocate or make a complicated plan for the rest of the night.

Hula dancing may be included with the entertainment. Along with the sand, ocean, and tiki-style evening atmosphere, it gives the beachfront setting a fuller island character without changing the basic easygoing nature of the place.

This is a setting that welcomes lingering. Finish dinner, order another drink if the mood strikes, and stay with the music as the sun lowers. A beachside table makes the pause between courses and the pause after dessert equally pleasant.

The atmosphere works for anniversary dinners and date nights, but it is not reserved for couples. Families can settle into the same sunset view without the occasion becoming overly formal, and children's games offer something to occupy younger diners while they wait.

That mix is useful in a resort-area restaurant. One table can be celebrating, another can be feeding a hungry family after a day outdoors, and another can be easing into its first island evening with a mocktail and a plate of nachos.

After dinner, A-Bay is close enough for a walk along the water as the evening settles in. It is a natural next stop when the meal has already been paced around the sunset and there is no need to hurry back indoors.

For travelers just arriving on the island, the restaurant can also make a pleasant first stop before checking into nearby accommodations: a meal, a drink, a little live music, and a shoreline walk in one relaxed stretch of the evening.