Hawaiian menus read like a United Nations lunch order: sushi, pasta, crispy gau gee, kim chee, tortillas, tandoori chicken, Wienerschnitzel, spring rolls – you name it, they eat it in Hawaii. Island restaurants span the gamut from roadside shack to swanky and formal. In between is everything from casual beachfront tiki bars to family-friendly diners and bistros. Within a relatively small geographical area, visitors find a universe of dishes served in surroundings both down-home and haute, from casual eateries that serve two scoops of rice for a “plate lunch” to candlelit corners with chateaubriand and chocolate mousse on the menu.
Most of the time, the best restaurants are located in central commercial areas: on rare occasions, good restaurants will stand alone. It’s common to find multiple cuisines clustered in one area. The exception is Honolulu’s Chinatown, which boasts a preponderance of restaurants serving Asian food.
Dim sum, Honolulu Chinatown
Hawaii Tourism Authority/Tor Johnson
Local Cuisine
The most recent take on island food is called Hawaii Regional Cuisine – a variation of what’s known elsewhere as Pacific Rim Cuisine or New Australian Cuisine. This movement gained momentum in 1992, when a dozen curious, creative and congenial chefs began getting together to share their ideas as well as their wish lists for a wider variety of fresh produce and other more varied ingredients.
Desert at Mama’s Fish House
Steven Greaves/Apa Publications
The growth of Hawaii Regional Cuisine has made a difference on Hawaii’s culinary scene. Today, any number of farmers are growing crops to the specifications of chefs who visit the fields and make known what they want for their own restaurants. Tomatoes are vine-ripened; arugula and baby lettuces fill upcountry fields on Maui and the Big Island. Several hotels grow their own fresh herbs, while a number of hotels in Waikiki have their own rooftop hydroponic gardens, and at least one Maui resort harvests fresh tropical fruit and other produce from an organic garden that surrounds its parking lot.
Hawaiian Regional Cuisine has become a palate-pleasing password even beyond island shores. Names such as Alan Wong, Sam Choy and Roy Yamaguchi, owners of several restaurants who have published cookbooks and hosted their own television cooking shows, have become synonymous with Hawaiian cooking. The current greats include George Mavrothalassitis, Peter Merriman and Daniel Thiebaut, each with their own signature restaurants.
Hawaii has many to thank for its tasty diversity. Chinese immigrants, for instance, taught islanders that rice goes just as well with eggs at breakfast as it does with lunch and dinner. Supermarkets stock supplies of cilantro, lemongrass and ginger, and restaurants turn out everything from Mandarin, Sichuan and Cantonese to Mongolian barbecue and stir-fry.
Sashimi platter
Hawaii Tourism Authority/Tor Johnson
From the Japanese came the gifts of shoyu (soy sauce), sashimi (thinly sliced raw fish) and tempura (deep-fried vegetables and meats), and almost every street has a sushi bar. Thailand has introduced spring rolls, mee krob (noodle salad), and a coconut-milk/hot pepper-flavored dish called Evil Jungle Prince, best followed by Thai iced tea with sweetened condensed milk. Vietnamese food – less spicy than Thai – is particularly popular for its phô, a broth with noodles and beef or chicken slices. Portuguese influence makes itself known in pao dolce (sweet bread), sausage and a robust bean soup.
Where to Eat
It’s easy to eat well on the Hawaiian Islands. With a multitude of good restaurants serving up a bevy of different cuisines, there are options at every price point. If you’re eating breakfast or lunch, reservations aren’t necessary. For dinner, however, especially in some of the busier tourist spots such as Honolulu on Oahu and Lahaina or Paia on Maui, it’s always a good idea to book a table in advance by phone or online.
Etiquette in Hawaiian restaurants is the same as it is in restaurants on the US mainland. Beach attire is generally acceptable for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner guests should spruce up a bit (read: no ballcaps or tank tops). Tipping servers also is customary; 15 percent is standard for average service; good service deserves 20 percent. For all restaurants, for more information, click here.
Sunset drinks and pupus
Sunset is a time to slow down, pull up a chair, and enjoy drinks and pupus (hors d’oeuvres). Nearly anywhere in Waikiki is good. Some of the best are at the Halekulani or the Sheraton Moana-Surf rider. The Halekulani’s House Without a Key is a great place to enjoy Hawaiian music, hula and “heavy pupus,” that can easily serve as dinner. On the western shores of all of the islands, you’ll find similar venues, including Huggo’s (Kona) and Hula Grill (Lahaina). On Kauai, head to the St. Regis at Princeville.
Food and Drink Prices
Price categories are for a two-course meal, paired with a glass of wine, if served at the restaurant.
$ = less than $25
$$ = $25–50
$$$ = $50–75
$$$$ = $75 and up
The Moana Surfrider beach bar
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
High-end restaurants
For fine dining, Alan Wong’s on Oahu, just a few miles out of Waikiki, is the best. Reservations are required. Chef Mavro’s French cuisine, Morimoto for the best Japanese food and presentation, and BLT in the Trump Hotel are also highly recommended. On Maui, Mama’s Fish House is the best of both worlds – fine dining and ocean views, or Ko, in Wailea, for the best of Pacific Rim. On Kauai, consider Postcards at Hanalei, or Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt Poipu. If on a budget, consider instead going for lunch, but call ahead to ensure the restaurant is open.
Farmer’s markets
For the best and freshest produce, explore some of the islands’ farmers’ markets. Not just for buying your produce, they all offer fresh meals as well. On Oahu, check out the People’s Open Market in Honolulu, the Saturday market at the Kapiolani Community College on Diamond Head Road in Honolulu for breakfast, and the Thursday market at Kailua Square Shopping Center in Kailua for dinner. On Maui, the Maui Swap Meet on Kahului Beach Road at Maui Community College is a great option. On Hawaii Island, the Hilo Farmers’ Market is great for fresh fruit (especially papaya). And on Kauai, the Kauai Community Market goes off weekly on the campus of the local community college across from Grove Farm in Lihu‘e.
Plate lunches
Hawaii Tourism Authority/Dana Edmunds
Ethnic restaurants
Every town in Hawai‘i is home to Japanese, Chinese and often, Vietnamese and Thai food as well. These are wonderful experiences for lunch and dinner. On Oahu or Maui, head to Sansei for the freshest sushi bar. Sit at the bar and eat what the chef suggests for the best experience. Chinatown, on Oahu, offers the greatest number of Chinese restaurants. Little Village, a casual family-style restaurant, is the local favorite. Vietnamese phô can be found in almost any strip mall in Hawai‘i, and Saeng’s Thai in Wailuku is a must stop for Thai food aficionados from all islands when visiting Maui.
Traditional Hawaiian food is best found at a lu‘au and includes kalua pork cooked in an imu (underground), sweet potato, squid lu‘au, lomilomi salmon and more.
Drive-ins and chains
If all this choice sounds a little overwhelming, start with Hawai‘i’s version of the basic meal. Try a “plate lunch” – the statewide institution defined by a few simple elements. You’ll get a styrofoam container loaded with “two scoop rice”, plus a mound of heavily mayonnaised macaroni salad. Order one with teriyaki beef, breaded pork or chicken (katsu), fried fish, or Spam, an unexpected passion among local people. Try Rainbox Drive In, just outside of Waikiki on Kapahulu Avenue.
Fruit stall at Hilo Farmer’s Market
Steven Greaves/Apa Publications
Drinks
Drinking in Hawaii is almost as important as eating; with the blazing sun overhead, hydration is an essential part of life. Local water in the Hawaiian Islands is absolutely fine to drink; doing so actually benefits the environment, since bottled water only creates more trash. Many restaurants and hotels have established their own in-house water filtration systems. While the local people love their soda, coconut water is now sold in restaurants and stores, and is a sweet and healthy alternative. Look for local brand Waiola – they even carry it in 7-11.
In terms of alcoholic beverages, the Mai Tai is a part of the local culture, and you’ll find it on every menu. Perhaps the best place to experience a real tropical drink is an authentic tiki bar – an open-air establishment with South Pacific-style decor. Some of the best bars in the islands are actually “barefoot bars”, meaning they are situated on the sand and the management encourages patrons to take off their shoes before partaking. The best of the barefoot/tiki bars are The Hula Grill in Whaler’s Village, on Maui and La Mariana Sailing Club in Honolulu (for more information, click here).
Beer-lovers swear by some of the local brews in Hawaii, too, namely those from the Maui Brewing Company and the Kona Brewing Company, which has restaurants in Kona on Hawai‘i Island and in East Oahu, as well.
In recent years a number of small-batch spirits producers have sprouted up on the islands. One of the best: Koloa Rum – available in bars and grocery and liquor stores throughout the islands. Note that in Hawai‘i, like the rest of the US, the legal drinking age is 21.
For the love of spam
Spam has a special place in the Hawaiian diet; it is sometimes referred to as the “Hawaiian Steak”. Residents of the islands consume more Spam per capita than any residents of any other place in the US. This popularity can be attributed in part to the military; in the years that followed World War II, the meat product was used as a substitute for fresh meat, and, gradually, surplus supply of it made its way into native diets. Today in the islands, the canned meat is most commonly eaten atop a rectangle of rice and bound with a piece of nori seaweed. The resulting sushi-like creation is called Spam musubi.