Home sweet home. Check out these places that I try to frequent every time I'm in town. This is a living list so I'll keep updating it when I get a chance.
Food:
Fancy Places:
Alan Wong's
You'll need reservations, but it's worth it for Alan Wong, who is consistently one of Hawaii's best chefs. "Da Bag" (clams, pig and mushrooms baked in a foil pouch) is great starter. For your main course, any fresh fish is usually prepared superbly (usually done in a "Local" or Asian style) and the Twice Cooked Short ribs are excellent. Can't recommend "The Coconut" (coconut custard sorbet) enough for its visual presentation and flavor. He has a casual restaurant called "
Pineapple Room" in the Macys at Ala Moana which is not as good (but decent).
Sushi Sasabune - Honolulu
Best sushi I've had so far (in my life). Omakase (chef's choice) all the way. You can choose between the Western Omakase (standard, more fish-centric) or Eastern Omakase (more adventurous, with more shellfish or other things). I've had each one time and both tasted amazing. Reservations also required (might be easier to go during lunch when they aren't as busy).
Casual Restaurants:
The Pig & the Lady
Best of the newer restaurants in Honolulu. Modern take on Vietnamese food done with local influences. Absolutely worth it.
Piggy Smalls
The Pig & the Lady's 2nd restaurant. Similar kinda thing, but they've broadened their range of foods and influences. I've only been once so far, but I'd rate this to be just as tasty as its big brother.
Sushi Murayama
This small, casual sushi place is a hidden gem. They do Omakase as well, so you could trust the chef to dish out an amazing meal. Or, opt for ordering a la carte, which is what I did. There are some really fantastic things they produce here. Just be sure to ask what "off the menu" things are available on the day. Some of the highlights include a Wagyu beef musubi (so fatty and flavorful), Negi-toro hand roll (with generous amounts of fatty tuna, green onions, fried garlic chips and pickled daikon bits) and a Hibiki whiskey flavored gelato. I can't recommend this place enough and intend to visit more regularly when I'm back in the future.
Nico's
Good seafood. More crowded and more expensive than it used to be, but still good. Live music from time to time as well!
Side Street Inn
Best described as "Local comfort food". Show up hungry (i.e. Large serving portions). Kalbi, ribs, pork chops, kim chee fried rice are great choices. Also, two locations to choose from!
Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin
Traditional Japanese Tonkatsu (breaded, fried pork cutlet) that is done exceptionally well. Conveniently located in Waikiki.
Poke:
The local staple (Hawaiian-style, raw fish salad) has seen a recent surge in popularity (particularly on the Mainland US). Great to see it spread, but you can't get any better than in Hawaii. The best I've had include:
Alicia's Market, (in Kalihi, just east of the airport) where you can get fantastic poke and some great Chinese-style roast meat,
Tamura's Fine Wine (multiple locations) 10 exceptional poke types, and
Ono Seafood (Kapahulu, east of Waikiki) tiny hole in the wall with really nice poke bowls.
The Hibachi (in Kailua) is another small place with tasty poke too. If you won't be anywhere near these places, you could just as easily stop by any supermarket and the poke there will be pretty good too.
Takeaways:
Yamas Fish Market
Plate lunches. Hawaiian food and Local-style Asian too. Recommend choosing the Hawaiian food and/or mochiko chicken for sure.
Diamond Head Grill
East of Waikiki, within sight of Diamond Head. Good plate lunches. You can take out and eat in nearby Kapiolani Park or Diamond Head Beach Park lookout (east of the lighthouse).
Shirokiya's Japan Village Walk
Food court attached to the Shirokiya (Japanese department store) in the massive Ala Moana Shopping Center. Plenty of good Japanese food (e.g. ramen, bentos, curry rice, beer, etc.), some of which are on temporary rotation from Japan.
Saimin (sorta like a simple ramen)
A (relatively cheap) island meal. Two of the best on the island:
Shige's Saimin Stand (in Wahiawa, en route to the North Shore) and
Palace Saimin (in Kalihi, north west of Downtown). I've never been to either, but will need to change that in the future.
Brunch (in Kailua):
Great breakfast/lunch choices in this quiet neighborhood near what I consider the nicest beaches on the island.
Boots & Kimo's is probably the most popular/well-known (i.e. insane lines), but the macadamia nut sauce pancakes are phenomenal.
Cinnamon's (also a location in Waikiki) has a really great Guava chiffon pancake on their menu and many eggs benedict choices.
Moke's Bread & Breakfast is in a quieter location and probably is the least packed (well, it was when I went) and is known for their Lilikoi (passionfruit) pancakes. New place,
Over Easy, just opened in mid-2016 and it has been getting some good word of mouth (I'll update when I've had a chance to try it).
Sweets:
Liliha Bakery
Get the Coco puffs. The new Green Tea ones are good too, but the original ones are my favorite.
Malasadas
Portuguese Style donuts.
Leonard's Bakery has some nice regular (and filled) malasadas and is favorite of locals and tourists alike.
Kamehameha Bakery has a unique poi (taro) one. If you have a craving while near Kailua, check out
Agnes' Bake Shop for their malasadas too.
Bubbies Ice CreamHomemade mochi ice cream and just plain old scoops as well. Can't really go wrong with any choice here. Loved their ice cream pie/cakes growing up, but not sure if they still make those.
Shave Ice
Waiola Shave Ice is the old favorite with the finest ice and numerous locations.
Uncle Clay's is pretty cool if you're over on the East side of the island (try the unique Kale-spin flavor). If you're on the North Shore in Haleiwa,
Matsumoto's is worth a visit (though watch out for long lines as tourists frequent the area). Also, I've heard good things about
Shimazu's, but have yet to visit myself.
Ted's Bakery
Known for their Chocolate/Haupia cream pie (with a double dose of dark chocolate pudding and coconut custard pudding), their other pies are also great (personally, I'd pick anything combined with Haupia). Also, you don't have to drive all they way to the North Shore to enjoy them as you can usually find their pies in the supermarket.
Hikes:
Lanikai Pillboxes
Not too strenuous walk up along the ridge leading to a fantastic view of Lanikai Beach and the Mokulua Islands. If you've got an hour or so (particularly nice for a sunrise hike), I'd recommend it. Then you can reward yourself with a sweet brunch at any of the places listed above.
Manoa FallsA central location (at the back of Manoa Valley just up the road from the University of Hawaii) that isn't too hard to get to. Lovely waterfall at the end of a relatively short trail. Watch out of the mud if there has been any rain recently and always bring insect repellant (the mosquitos are vicious).
Koko Head StairsJust up the road from the famous Hanauma Bay, you have a daunting walk up a 1000+ "stairs" (old railroad ties) equating to roughly 800ft+/240m+ elevation gain. It's strenuous, but over before you know it and you'll be rewarded with a breathtaking 360º view of East Oahu. Another great place to catch the sunrise.
Makapu'u Point LighthouseLooking for something a bit less strenuous? This hike is uphill, but less extreme and fully paved the whole way. At the top, you get a look at the eastern most tip of the island and up the northeast, "Windward" coast. On a clear day, you can even look eastward and see the nearest neighbor island of Moloka'i. Again, great place to catch the sunrise. If you want an adventure, turn right off the paved pathway when you get to the whale watching sign (3/4 the way up) and head down to the Makapu'u Tide Pools. Be careful about big waves as they can be very dangerous if you're in/near the pool!
Kaena PointOn the westernmost point of the island. A relatively easy (if lengthy and exposed) hike along the coast. Two ways to get there from the northwest (through Mokuleia, the way I've been and not too far if you're coming from the North Shore) or southwest (through Waianae, pretty out of the way unless you're coming from Ko'olina). Great way to see Hawaiian Monk Seals, but don't get too close as they are protected (i.e. endangered). Don't leave valuables in the car as neither side is in a particularly safe neighborhood.
Other stuff
Shark Diving in Haleiwa
I think these are the guys we went with (~US$80/person...group discount...I think that includes a little extra for them to film us with their GoPro...bring your own or borrow one if you can). Ride out to the dive site can be a bit choppy for people sensitive to the sea so those folks should hop into the water first because you'll feel a lot better in the water. We saw whales in the distance and heard them in the water.
Last updated: Jan 2017
Posts
