Oahu, Hawaii
If I could pick one domestic place to visit every year, with no hesitation, the answer is Hawaii. Hawaii has 5 major islands, all of them offering beautiful views, fresh ingredients, and a level of relaxation you won’t get anywhere else. I feel at peace every time I visit, and the views never get old. If anything, I become more appreciative of the places and things I encounter upon every return. This entry is specific to Honolulu, although I highly recommend visiting North Shore and other parts of the island too!
Oahu is by far the busiest island, especially in Honolulu. There is never a shortage of food to eat, places to shop, and excursions to try. If it’s your first time in Hawaii, you are likely staying around Waikiki (Honolulu). Booking a luau and snorkeling at Hanauma Bay are definitely rights of passage. For 21+ (especially if traveling in groups) I highly recommend the Sandbar Tour, where you can engage in shallow water activities and it’s BYOB! If you have a car, drive to North Shore and visit Turtle Bay, as many shrimp trucks as your belly can take, and the Dole Whip Plantation!
There are so many places I recommend to eat, so they are listed in the categories below. Before we dive in though, note that this is a collection of places over time, not in just one trip. I strongly encourage you to embrace the island lifestyle, take your time and breathe in that ocean breeze. Don’t overcrowd your days with long itineraries and tours. Watch the sunset and listen to live music. Yes, go snorkeling. Wake up early and go for a walk. Try the local fruit! Eat casually during the day, and make reservations in the evenings. Typical days in Waikiki for me include:
Morning hike or jog along the beach
Coffee with an acai bowl or pastry or island style pancakes
Lunch is usually spam musubis, poke bowl, or loco moco depending on how heavy the breakfast was. I really try to find local casual spots during the day, I find their menus to be unique and their service to be extra sweet!
Mid-day beach bum it (or schedule your snorkeling/activity of choice)
Catch the sunset
Dinner reservation somewhere where seafood is available. You’re in Oahu, do yourself a favor and eat more fish!
Nightcap somewhere along the main strip
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH:
Leonard’s Bakery - Malasadas, Portuguese Sausage Wraps, Pao Doce
Brew and Foam — This was my go-to place after a morning walk! It was right around the corner from my hotel and they open early at 6AM daily! My favorite items on the menu there are their Cold Brew (especially on those hot summer days) and their Acai Bowls. You need to try their Lilikoi Butter on top too (you can get it on the side if you’re weary). It was just the most refreshing way to start my mornings — maybe the fresh fruit in Hawaii hits different, but I just felt so nourished when I had breakfast here, and had all the energy to proceed with my day!
Liliha Bakery - Garlic Butter Rolls (they also serve these with your meal if you decide to eat at their restaurant, which is American/Hawaiian diner-style food), Donuts (Mochi, Croissant, Custard), Malasadas. I stopped by for breakfast, and when you walk in you immediately see all their delicious pastries. Around the corner is the restaurant, and I grabbed a seat at the bar. I was greeted with freshly baked butter rolls, which I devoured. I had a Guava Mimosa (light juice, always) and their Loco Moco over Fried Rice. The eggs were perfectly runny and I had plenty of gravy for my fried rice. This dish was huge! I barely ate half and packed the rest for my flight back to California! It’s a great breakfast spot with a huge menu, there’s something for everyone.
YogurStory - Ube Pancakes
Sweet E’s Cafe - French Toast, Omeletes, Eggs Benedict
Goofy Cafe & Diner - This is a really well-balanced spot. Whether you are starving or want to keep it light, there’s something for you here. They’ve got everything from acai bowls to eggs benedict to loco moco!
SPAM MUSUBI:
Musubi Cafe Iyasume - Still my favoritee spam musubi after all these years! They open bright and early at 8AM, but honestly, the line is incredibly long at the time. I recommend going around 9:30AM instead. In addition to the best spam musubis, they also offer rice balls, poke bowls, and more! My favorites though are the: Eel Egg Spam, Bacon Egg Spam, Inari Egg Spam, and their classic Teriyaki Spam. They also sell adorable merchandise and poke seasonings for you to take home! I love to pack these musubis in my backpack and take them to the beach when I’m laying out and reading a book :)
Komedokoro M’s - This is a traditional spam musubi and hand rolls - two ladies run the entire place! Everything is made to order, so be sure to carve out time if you come here in order to get everything your heart desires! Anything with cooked spam takes about 15 minutes, while simple salmon hand rolls take 5 minutes. They offer a variety of musubis, poke bowls, and rice bowls. I highly recommend trying a variety of their spam and salmon musubis, as well as their inari. While I didn’t get a chance to try their poke and rice bowls last time, they looked so traditional and delicious, it’s at the top of my list for next time.
Mana Musubi - This spot offers 4 varieties of rice for their musubis, and honestly you should just try them all! Outside of the usual spam, egg, and salmon toppings, they also offer ground beef, wakame, seaweed, and kombu. They open at 6:30AM and close at 1PM or until they are sold out. And believe me, they are usually sold out well before 1PM. If you can, swing by early in the morning and stock up for your day! They also accept orders in advance, and I highly recommend taking that route to de-risk the potential of not getting what you want!
POKE: I genuinely pray with my heart and soul that you appreciate seafood because in Hawaii, it’s the best. Hawaii consumes 3x the amount of fish as Americans, they’re still far behind Portugal, but safe to say Hawaiians know their fish. Their local consumption has increased to 51% and they import the rest. I genuinely never get sick of seafood every time I am here. My favorite dish of all time is their poke. The way Hawaiians approach poke is traditional, refreshing and freaking legit. To nobody’s surprise, the first thing I do when I stepped out of the airport, was eat poke.
Maguro Brothers - 2 locations: Waikiki Hotel and Maunakea Marketplace in Chinatown. This place hands down my favorite because they offer chirashi bowls too. All their fish is so damn fresh! Whether you get raw fish or poke, Maguro brothers keeps it high quality and elegantly done. Their poke is dredged in sauce, you can really taste the fish being the star of your dish
Fresh Catch - Where every local will recommend you to try!! They have SO MANY kinds of beautiful poke in their display - good luck trying to narrow it down! This is a true local spot that does poke right - they’ve got tuna, salmon, and octopus! They also offer lunch plates like Ahi Katsu and Ahi Seared over rice if you want to mix it up. Whatever it is, you cannot go wrong here. Especially if you are travelling in a group, I highly recommend just getting a variety of poke at a small weight, like 1/3 lb of each just so you can try as many as you can (and let me know your favorites!)
Maguro Spot - Not affiliated with Maguro Brothers, located in Waikiki. It was so easy to grab a poke bowl here on my walk to thee beach. They offer poke over salad, rice, or on its own in a container. They also offered additional toppings at the end for a small surcharge. I literally bought 1/2 lb of poke, stacked it with seaweed salad, ginger, onion; picked up a pair of chop sticks and had the most satisfying lunch looking out into the ocean. Seriously, it doesn’t get better than that!
Ono Seafood - I would argue this is the orginal poke spot that has been around Waikiki for a long time, it’s located at the end of the strip, closer to the zoo. If you like your poke saucy, then Ono Seafood is for you. This place gets packed and parking is terrible so if you can walk, do it! You get a free drink of choice with your poke bowl, and they also offer sides in their refrigerated section such as seaweed salad. They also offer standalone poke by weight.
Sato Seafood is a traditional poke spot in the heart of downtown, on Kūhiō Ave. I highly recommend trying the Shoyu Poke bowl if it’s your first time to and poke shop. I ordered the Shoyu Ginger my first time and added red pepper flakes and fried garlic to my bowl. I really love the way Sato Seafood makes their bowls because it’s incredibly balanced. Even if you add a few toppings, it’s added in a way that still balances everything else that is going on in your bowl, so that the fish is still the star. I also highly recommend trying some hand rolls! It’s a great way to try different styles of fish without committing to an entire bowl. I also really love the way Sato makes their sushi rice, I actually finish most of my rice every time I’m here because they do such an amazing job with it. The Salmon Ikura was my favorite, but to be honest I would order any of them again. The staff here is also incredibly kind, I always feel really welcome when I visit. They are honest about wait times and are beyond grateful for their customers.
LUNCH:
Helena’s - Dry Aged Short Ribs
Aloha Table - Loco Moco, Curry Loco Moco, Garlic Shrimp
Aloha Table has rightfully gained so much popularity over the years for their loco moco, but they have other amazing things on the menu too! My friends and I tried both their regular and curry loco moco - BOMB DOT COM. I love how their loco mocos have a mountain of fried rice in the center, with gravy surrounding it as if its an island surrounded by a beautiful ocean. Can’t decide which one to try? Fear not! They offer their loco moco in multiple sizes, making it easy to share (or not) with friends so that you can try more than one. We also loved their Garlic Shrimp plate, offered in different flavors (classic, lemon butter, and spicy chili). These were fried to perfection is a perfect dish to order as an appetizer!
Rainbow Drive Inn - Loco Moco
I was first introduced to Loco Moco by Guy Fieri on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, and Rainbow Drive Inn was the first one I tried. it’s simple and ignited my need to try all the Loco Mocos on every island! The classic dish comes with 2 scoops of rice, two thin beef patties, and a savory gravy that requires an extra side of every time. Over the years, I’ve significantly explored when it comes to Loco Mocos, but this was my original baseline and I encourage everyone to try it to understand the originality of the dish.
I-NABA - This little gem is located 2 miles from Waikiki and is an authentic Japanese restaurant known for their Tsukemen (ramen dish where noodles which are eaten after being dipped in a separate bowl of soup or broth). My friends and I all ordered a dishes that included their signature noodles, and they were ALL delicious! I think everyone’s favorite was the Uni and Tuna Bowl with Soba, as well as the Unagi with Soba! Their soup-in soba was delicious too, and they offer both hot and cold versions — I recommend going with the hot if you are opting for soup-in! Maybe it’s because I’m used to my soup being hot? If I dip my soba noodles, I prefer my soup separate.
DINNER (<$100 per person):
Ginza Bairin Tonkatsu & Yoshoku Bistro — This is how tonkatsu should be done, my goodness! I don’t know what they put in that breading but good lord does it hit every time. You must order the Kurobuta Pork Loin Katsu, Light and Fluffy Omurice Demi Sauce, Curry Rice, and Tiger Shrimp Katsu-Don. I encourage sharing, obviously haha. Using pork tenderloin for katsu is a game changer — it is so crispy on the outside but delicate on the inside. Their sauces are top notch, thus why I encourage that omurice and curry. Their shrimp is perfectly fried. What’s also great about this place is that they offer takeout, so if you can’t get a table, worry not my loves, you can get it to go, and as long as you eat it within a reasonable time window, I promise you’ll still be happy.
Side Street Inn - Easy, convenient, inviting local spot with a bunch of comfort dishes! It was one of the first places I checked out when I started visiting Oahu and it’s nostalgic for me! My favorite items here are their Ahi Tuna and Signature Fried Rice. Their fried rice has Portuguese Sausage, Bacon AND Char Siu! I mean, come on!! It’s just the perfect indulgent dish! Speaking of indulgent - I also love their Kal Bi over Yakisoba! It may not sound groundbreaking or unique, but it hits the spot every time! If you’ve got the stomach space (or strength in numbers), also give their (Spicy) Garlic Chicken Fried Pork Chops a try! I would favor the garlic chicken since it comes with a sauce, whereas the pork chops don't so it can get dry.
The Pig & The Lady - This beloved Vietnamese fusion restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner. The menu does vary between lunch and dinner, so if you are interested in their fusion entrees, make sure to go for dinner instead. This time around, I went for lunch. We tried Side Step, Le Daiquiri and Vitamin T. All of the drinks were nice and balanced, but they weren’t so amazing where we needed to order a second round, so we shared the Dewazakura Oka Junmai Ginjo Sake instead for round two, and really enjoyed that. In terms of food, my favorites were the Brussels Sprouts and Pho French Dip because of the unique sauces. I have no idea what they put in the sauce for the Brussels Sprouts but it’s apparently vegan and it just kept me coming back for more! The French Dip was fantastic! It came with a 12-hour slow-roasted brisket, spicy hoisin, Thai basil chimichurri, sauteed bean sprout and onions, cilantro, and their signature pho broth for dipping. Their La Tour baguette was a perfect pic for this sandwich. I think their fusion of different flavors and ingredients is really what makes The Pig & The Lady special. I really enjoyed the Papaya Salad and Oxtail Pho too, but since those were more traditional, it wasn’t as impressive to me - but I will say it’s hard to impress me when it comes to Pho broth because I often find them too sweet when eating out. The Pig & The Lady did a phenomenal job. I can’t wait to come back next time for dinner and dive into their fusion-forward entrees.
Basalt— This restaurant is located in the heart of Waikiki. It’s a contemporary restaurant that remixes Filipino, Japanese and Spanish dishes in a way that is both refined and comforting. Especially if you’re traveling in a group with different food preferences, I think this is a great pick to start your trip. We really enjoyed the cocktails here, and since it was our first night for that particular trip, we also ordered a round of shots, because why not?! There were plenty of appetizers to pick from, but we settled on the Lobster Bisque and Grilled Octopus. I preferred the Grilled Octopus because the Lobster Bisque was more cream-forward than it was lobster-forward, personally — but if I were to visit Basalt again, I would try other appetizers next time since there were so many others I was also interested in. My favorite entree here was the Miso Cod for sure, although the Mixed Seafood Paella and the Prime Rib were cooked really well too! Because I have such a seafood-forward mindset, especially when in Hawaii, I will always be more excited about fish! However, my friend isn’t a huge fan of seafood, so the Prime Rib worked out perfectly for him. Also, I don’t know how they make their bread, but it is SO GOOD, we asked for a second basket!
DINNER (>$100 per person):
This is an upscale Japanese restaurant that offers both Miyazaki (A5 Wagyu) and Washu (American Wagyu) beef. They offer sake, cocktails, and wine here. I recommend skipping the wine and trying their cocktails because they are reasonably priced and unique. I also recommend sake, because I always recommend sake! Make note though, the sake here is more expensive than you would see at a typical Japanese restaurant
Their prix fixe menu options range from $85 to $150 per person. but you could do al la carte too. Since it was our first time, we went with the 11-course Miyazaki Beef and Washu Beef menu ($120 per person) and added on an order of Beef Tongue and Beef Tartare. I absolutely would recommend getting that specific menu because you get to try both American and Japanese Wagyu and compare. Full disclosure, we added on the tartare and beef tongue because we didn’t think we would be full enough with the prix fixe. We were wrong haha, we were so full we couldn’t breathe! However, no regrets because honestly every cut of beef really was curated to the finest degree. My standouts were the Top Quality Beef Tongue, Washu Filet Mignon, and Mizayaki Sushi Beef. Next time I go back, I would have enough knowledge to order a la carte and maybe try more things such as their sukiyaki!
Izakaya Uosan - Best Izakaya spot I’ve been to in a long time! I love that they offer both izakaya and sushi here and managed to execute them perfectly. It’s located about 2 miles away from Waikiki, and is an absolute hidden gem. This restaurant isn’t really big, so be sure to make reservations ahead of time if you can. We were traveling in a big group, and Daniel was super accommodating to us, even with our changing numbers! He encouraged us to place orders ahead of time if we could so ensure our food would come out in a timely manner, and I appreciated that so much. Honestly, there was nothing here I didn’t genuinely love here, it was actually hard to limit the things we wanted to order, even with a group of 20+ people! But if I HAD to choose, my favorites were: Uni Truffle Butter Rice, Nodoguro Sushi, Hotate Sushi, Toro Foiegras Sushi. If nothing else, at least order those 4 things - and sake! They had an impressive sake list that ranged in price, which I always appreciate. People were definitely more willing to order more sake because of it.
Hihimanu Sushi — Hands down my favorite Omakase to date in Oahu, located 2.5 miles from Waikiki. This restaurant is the real deal, offering Omakase just 3 times per day, reservations required. They offer a lunch Omakase ($175 per person) as well as 2 time slots for dinner ($225 per person). I really respect this style because the seating allows the focus to be on the food and the few lucky people eating it. My dinner included 18 dishes, each one carefully executed and explained in detail. The staff was really attentive, not pretentious. Every dish stood on its own and was prepared differently. Ray, the owner makes his own salt and soy sauce and cultivates only the best fish from various parts of the world. I also had dishes with caviar and truffles - all of which he specified exactly where he sourced them from. I was blown away by the level of detail he offered everyone, and his willingness to repeat himself. You can tell he genuinely cares about his food and his customers, and all of the other chefs were just as well-versed too. It’s obvious that everyone at this restaurant is really passionate about what they put out, and I felt so blessed to be able to dine here. If you appreciate high-quality sushi, this is your spot. It is next-level and I only hope to return here the next time I’m in Oahu! Be sure to click on the photos to get more detailed descriptions of each dish!
DRINKS
Workplay - I adore this place so much! We came here for happy hour before our dinner reservation and I loved the vibes. It’s located about 3 miles away from Waikiki, between tiny streets where you’ll find local gyms and shops. Our favorite cocktails included: The EDM, The Rhythym and Blues, and the New Wave. They also have live music here, usually a 2-man band, with super chill and relaxing music. I think you can tell from the photos just how genuinely happy we were to be there!
Sky Waikiki — The views here are magical, you can see all of Waikiki from here! After a lot of walking in the afternoon, we wanted to relax somewhere with a cold beverage and a beautiful view, Sky Waikiki really came through! They offer happy hour until 5PM, and we decided to have a bubbly afternoon. For happy hour you can get a glass for $9. Otherwise, you can opt for a bottle at $45! We opted for the bottle and enjoyed our afternoon at a communal table where we met other happy folks enjoying cocktails themselves. We didn’t stay for any food, but the people around us seemed to enjoy them. Definitely a high recommendation if you want to see Waikiki and all its glory! Even if you just stop by for a drink before your dinner reservation, carve out some time to catch happy hour or the sunset here.
Doraku Sushi — Located in th Royal Hawaiian Center in the center of Waikiki, it’s a great happy hour spot that rolls into dinner. They’ve got happy hour from 4-5PM and 9PM-Close! We caught the tail end of happy hour and enjoyed Sake, Shishito Peppers and King Oyster Mushrooms! All delicious, perfect bar bites. Since the dinner menu became available after our first round, we decided to try their Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Shrimp with Uni too and they were yummy! I think this spot is the perfect pitstop when you’re shopping along the strip. The staff there are super laid back and relaxed, I’m really glad I came, and I wouldn’t mind coming back to try a full meal here after getting that happy hour preview.
