Honolulu hangs onto its food and culture fiercely. It’s why decades-old mom-and-pop restaurants still dominate certain neighborhoods and why you see dishes that would have been familiar to some of the islands’ earliest settlers. While the world moves at its frenetic pace, the city reminds us of who we have been and who we are.
The 38 Best Restaurants in Honolulu, According to a Local Expert
From poke and shave ice to stellar omakase sushi, this is where to eat in Honolulu
Martha Cheng is a writer and editor based in Honolulu and has been writing about Hawai‘i for almost two decades.
Of course, it’s not immune to change. Over the nearly 20 years that I’ve been writing about food in Honolulu, many beloved institutions have closed, while newer restaurants have brought in flavors from places as diverse as Detroit and Laos. Use this guide to learn more about those special spots both classic and new, and to find plenty of other great meals — in a food-obsessed city, there is always something exciting to eat nearby, if you know where to find it.
We update this list regularly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Honolulu dining scene. Our write-ups include insider tips from our experienced writers and editors, as well as a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10, to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
New to the map in July 2026: An elegant array of rice-based snacks at Onigiri Onibe; Japanese-style plate lunches perfect for a beach picnic at Pioneer Saloon; and Sandy’s Cafe, a classic Cantonese-style roast meat shop for outstanding char siu and roast duck.
The 38 Best Restaurants in Honolulu, According to a Local Expert
From poke and shave ice to stellar omakase sushi, this is where to eat in Honolulu
Martha Cheng is a writer and editor based in Honolulu and has been writing about Hawai‘i for almost two decades.
Honolulu hangs onto its food and culture fiercely. It’s why decades-old mom-and-pop restaurants still dominate certain neighborhoods and why you see dishes that would have been familiar to some of the islands’ earliest settlers. While the world moves at its frenetic pace, the city reminds us of who we have been and who we are.
Of course, it’s not immune to change. Over the nearly 20 years that I’ve been writing about food in Honolulu, many beloved institutions have closed, while newer restaurants have brought in flavors from places as diverse as Detroit and Laos. Use this guide to learn more about those special spots both classic and new, and to find plenty of other great meals — in a food-obsessed city, there is always something exciting to eat nearby, if you know where to find it.
We update this list regularly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Honolulu dining scene. Our write-ups include insider tips from our experienced writers and editors, as well as a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10, to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
New to the map in July 2026: An elegant array of rice-based snacks at Onigiri Onibe; Japanese-style plate lunches perfect for a beach picnic at Pioneer Saloon; and Sandy’s Cafe, a classic Cantonese-style roast meat shop for outstanding char siu and roast duck.
Waiahole Poi Factory
Open for: Lunch through early dinner
Price range: $$
This is one of the few Hawaiian restaurants owned by native Hawaiians (here’s a definition of what Hawaiian food actually is). Charlene and Calvin Hoe bought an actual poi factory in 1971, using it primarily as an art gallery, then began serving food in 2009. Share the kanaka nui plate, a massive plate of pretty much everything on the menu, add a side of ho‘io (fiddlehead fern) salad, and finish with the Sweet Lady of Waiahole, warm kulolo (a taro and coconut dessert) topped with a scoop of haupia (coconut) ice cream. The business now has an additional location at the Windward Mall, but the original roadside establishment near the water is still my favorite for the atmosphere.
Best for: Hawaiian food to fuel your drive along the Windward Coast.
Martha Cheng
Over Easy
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $$
Before brunch hotspots popped up all over O‘ahu, Kailua was the go-to neighborhood for pancakes. Even now that you can get brunch pretty much anywhere, the neighborhood’s Over Easy remains one of the best places to start your day. The breakfast menu is short, but it’s still really hard to narrow down the options: On a recent visit, I sat at the counter by myself and ordered an entire stack of pancakes, along with a bowl of eggs and Portuguese sausage over rice in a bacon cabbage broth — it’s that hard to choose. Those pancakes are fluffy and crispy-edged, and the savory dishes are pure finessed comfort. Bring a friend so you can also get the eggs on toast smothered in potato cream. And the kalua pig hash. And the brunch bowl. A few years ago, owners Nik and Jennifer Lodendahn opened Easy ‘Que, but Over Easy remains a favorite.
Know before you go: There’s usually a line, but it’s likely to be shorter early on a weekday.
Martha Cheng
Tanioka’s Seafoods & Catering
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $$
Part poke counter, part okazuya (Japanese-style deli), and part plate lunch counter, Tanioka’s began in 1978 and continues to offer some of Hawai‘i’s favorite classic dishes and snacks, including fried chicken, ‘ahi patties, and poke. Tanioka’s specializes in fresh, locally-caught fish, and that’s reflected in the poke prices — and quality. Do yourself a favor and pick the lighter seasoned options to let the fish shine through, like the limu ‘ahi poke and alaea ‘ahi poke. Fans of Spam musubi should be sure to try the Goteborg musubi, a rice ball sandwiched between slices of German-style sausage (also made by Hormel, the maker of Spam). Tanioka’s isn’t just a keeper of traditions, though; the shop continues to innovate, like with its pastele tots: a take on pastele stew, Hawai‘i’s pork stew of Puerto Rican origin, ladled over tater tots.
Know before you go: This is an okazuya, so you get in line, and order (or point) to what you want in the glass cases, and the workers pack it for you. The line moves fast — don’t be the one to hold it up.
Martha Cheng
Da Seafood Cartel
Open for: Lunch through early dinner
Price range: $$
In a former gas station in ‘Aiea, you’ll find the best ceviche- and seafood-laden tostadas on the island. Da OG Tostada layers a creamy blue crab tobiko spread with ceviche and avocado, while the aquachile features raw shrimp bathed in a lime-spiked green sauce. Don’t overlook the cooked dishes, such as the whole fried fish and beer-battered fish tacos. And though the menu is 90 percent seafood, the steak tacos are also terrific — it’s hard to find something not to like here. Da Seafood Cartel began at the farmers markets and you’ll still find them at the Kaka‘ako and Kailua markets with a more limited menu.
Know before you go: The ‘Aiea location is BYOB, and there’s plenty of room for you to roll up with a cooler.
Martha Cheng
Helena’s Hawaiian Food
Open for: Lunch through early dinner
Price range: $$$
Helena’s, which opened in 1946 and won a James Beard America’s Classics award in 2000, continues to draw locals and visitors for its traditional Hawaiian food. The pipikaula is a must: The version at Helena’s consists of short ribs dried (you can see them hanging over the stove) and then fried. If it’s your first time eating Hawaiian food, get Menu D for the greatest variety, with kālua pig, lomi salmon, pipikaula, and squid lū‘au (a stew of octopus and taro leaves in coconut milk), along with poi or rice. You can now order online for takeout, but it’s not the same as sitting down inside, facing the spread of little dishes.
If you drive: Parking is tough — there are only a few spots in front and parking is also scarce in the neighborhood, but it’s worth the hassle (and wait).
Kathy YL Chan
Liliha Bakery
Open for: All day
Price range: $$
Locals stop by Liliha Bakery for rainbow layer cakes, mochi donuts, and Coco Puffs, chocolate-pudding cream puffs topped with frosting. But the original Liliha Bakery location also happens to double as a legendary diner, serving excellent crisp waffles, char-grilled hamburgers, butter rolls with nuclear red jelly, and oxtail soup. Though the business has many more locations now, a seat at the counter of the original on Kuakini Street is still the best move. From here, you can witness the virtuosity of the short order cooks, which never fails to mesmerize.
Must-try dish: Whatever main you choose, get the waffle as a side.
Martha Cheng
Phở Tô Châu
Open for: Lunch
Price range: $$
Honolulu’s multicultural Chinatown is home to excellent Vietnamese food, and Phở Tô Châu, which opened more than 30 years ago (and looks it), continues to serve one of the best bowls of pho in Hawai‘i. On a recent visit, it was mostly regulars, whose orders the owners all knew by heart. The menu is basic, focused on beef pho served with a heap of fresh herbs, including sawtooth coriander. Order a bowl, plus the fried rice paper spring rolls and Vietnamese coffee, for the perfect lunch.
Know before you go: The restaurant is cash only.
Martha Cheng
Olay’s Thai Lao Cuisine
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Olay’s is the kind of place that I recommend to a friend who asks where she can take her family, including two young children and her senior mother, and also, one of them doesn’t eat gluten. But it’s also the place for a casual date night or solo lunch. There’s something for everyone here, in a lush courtyard setting complete with a koi pond. You’ll find the usual Thai classics, but where Olay’s shines is in the Laotian side of the menu. Get the nam khao (crispy rice salad) and sai oua (Lao sausage), with chunks of juicy pork fat. And if you’re here with a group, don’t miss the whole fried fish. You’ll find Olay Thai at farmers markets around town where owner Olay Somsanith started her business decades ago serving Thai basics, but you want to visit the Chinatown restaurant for the vibe and Laotian dishes.
Know before you go: Olay’s is BYOB.
Martha Cheng
Skull & Crown Trading Co.
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$
This creepy tiki bar (and I say that lovingly) serves excellent tropical cocktails, but the pan-Asian menu a la Trader Vic’s is also surprisingly good. Chef Chris Kimoto infuses local flavors and nostalgia into dishes like palabok ravioli and a s’mores pie made with an ‘ulu chocolate mousse. Skewers are grilled over binchotan, and the nacho Rangoon is way more shareable (and fun) than its inspiration.
Vibe check: Locals and tourists escaping Waikīkī for unusual and outstanding mai tais, like the bitter-edged Dagger Mai Tai, in an atmosphere that feels more haunted than halcyon.
Fête Hawaii
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Chef Robynne Maii and her restaurant Fête Hawaiʻi recently earned a James Beard award — Hawai‘i’s first in almost 20 years. There are great cocktails and a menu that leans French and Italian with Hawai‘i influences, with a heavy emphasis on locally grown ingredients. Fête turns out hits like carbonara with Portuguese sausage and rose veal schnitzel sauced with liliko‘i. Definitely order off the specials menu, which usually showcases Hawai‘i’s seafood and the best produce in season, and don’t miss the house-made rocky road ice cream for dessert.
Vibe check: Fête is small, so whether you sit at the bar, dining room, or outside for dinner, you’re likely to be close enough to your neighbors to hear their conversations.
Martha Cheng
Pizza Mamo
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$
On a hip corner of Chinatown, restaurateurs Danny Kaaialii and Jonny Vasquez set up the Daley and Pizza Mamo, serving hyper-focused, platonic ideals of smash burgers and pizza, respectively. With Pizza Mamo, Kaaialii and Vasquez teamed up with pizzaiolo Matthew Resich to create thin-crust Brooklyn-style pies and thick, crispy cheese-crowned Detroit pizzas that are some of the best you’ll find on or off the island.
Know before you go: The pizzas can take up to 30 minutes to make — order ahead online if you don’t want to wait.
Martha Cheng
Morning Glass Coffee
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $$
Since Morning Glass opened in 2011, plenty of other cafes have sprung up with interiors and menus seemingly designed for Instagram. Morning Glass has retained its rustic, no-frills look — though its open-air space is still plenty charming — focusing instead on its coffee and solid baked goods, including a liliko‘i honey biscuit and savory breakfast sandwiches. If it’s on the menu, get the mac and cheese pancakes, which solves the dilemma of savory or sweet for breakfast.
Know before you go: Be prepared to wait, particularly on weekend mornings.
Matt Buchanan
8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille
Open for: Lunch (except for Saturday and Sunday) through late night
Price range: $$
Hawai‘i Chinese food is almost a regional cuisine of its own. At this divey karaoke and sports bar (also a genre of its own in Honolulu), you’ll find fine examples like crunchy gau gee (fried dumplings) and cake noodles (noodles pressed together and pan-fried). The menu also includes 8 Fat Fat 8’s own specialties, including salt-and-pepper fried pork chops and the crisp-skinned Fat Fat Chicken.
Must-try dish: Fat Fat Chicken and the stir-fried lettuce.
8 Fat Fat 8
MW Restaurant
Open for: Dinner (Artizen is open for lunch through early dinner)
Price range: $$$$
MW Restaurant represents Hawai‘i regional cuisine at its best. Wife-and-husband team Michelle Karr-Ueoka and Wade Ueoka (both formerly of Alan Wong’s) convey warmth and attention to detail in their intimate dining room. Favorites include the mochi-crusted kampachi, miso honey glazed butterfish, and all of Karr-Ueoka’s desserts, especially her ethereal, seasonal fruit shave ice — on a recent visit, it was made with Maui-grown persimmons. Downstairs in the more casual cafe Artizen, find oxtail soup and strawberry matcha cake, along with weekly specials.
Know before you go: Even though it’s in a car dealership, this is one of the rare Honolulu restaurants where you should dress up just a little.
Martha Cheng
Bar Māze
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Bar Māze is the second venture of Justin Park and Tom Park (no relation). Their first, Bar Leather Apron, is still a must-visit for some of the best cocktails in Honolulu, but the food there can be an afterthought (not to mention reservations book out months in advance). Not so at Bar Māze, where the Parks partnered with chef Ki Chung to create a stunning cocktail-paired tasting menu (you can also request a nonalcoholic pairing, but even the booze version is surprisingly light). On the tasting menu (the only option), Chung brings Korean and Japanese influences to dishes like donabe with wagyu, served ssam-style.
Know before you go: Reservations are required and the restaurant doesn’t offer substitutions.
Bar Māze
Kyung’s Seafood
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Find Hawai‘i Korean comfort food here in the form of meat jun, sizzling kalbi, and sashimi platters. Kyung’s is also home to some of the best poke on the island, including the Mama’s Special, in which cubes of fish are coated in masago for a salty, sweet, crunchy bite. The spicy ‘ahi is more like a paste; fold it into nori and rice, or if you’re getting takeout, use it as an excellent dip for shrimp chips.
Best for: Casual dinner with a group so you can share everything.
Kathy YL Chan
Inaba Restaurant
Open for: Lunch and dinner, with breakfast Friday through Sunday
Price range: $$$
House-made soba is the draw at this Japanese gem, and the addition of a sushi bar in recent years has only made it more popular. The soba options include cold noodles topped with Hokkaido uni and ikura, as well as hot soba with seared duck and mushrooms. If you prefer your soba as a side dish, however, get one of the chirashi sets that come with a half-size portion of soba. The tempura is also excellent and includes more uncommon items like cream cheese wrapped with shiso leaf and seaweed.
Vibe check: Inaba is a pretty quiet restaurant, best for solo meals and small groups.
Bocconcino
Open for: Lunch, with dinner on Friday and Saturday
Price range: $$
Honolulu’s only mozzarella factory is also an Italian deli and market. Come during peak lunch hour and you might wait 45 minutes for the panini, which include thinly shaved mortadella draped with stracciatella and pistachios. They are excellent, but I’m more often here on Friday or Saturday evenings for Neapolitan-style pizza. Sure, every city now has legit Neapolitan pizza, but Bocconcino holds its own in a crowded field with light and airy crusts, a solid margherita, and other pizza variations like a rich and salty carbonara.
Know before you go: Bocconcino is also a wine shop. There are wine tastings on Friday and Saturday; buy a bottle to drink with your pizza, and they’ll provide you with glasses.
Bocconcino
Le’s Banh Mi
Open for: LunchPrice range: $$You’ll find Honolulu’s best banh mi here, served in the perfect Vietnamese baguette — crackly on the outside, white bread soft on the inside. While nearly every other place that sells banh mi buys their bread, owners Chi Lam and Minh Tuan Le make their own, as they do almost everything that goes in the sandwiches. My favorite is the Saigon Special, with the pork four ways (love that pate), but the roast pork, prepared like the crispy-skinned Chinese version, is also popular. It’s just sandwiches and drinks here: Get the coconut coffee, like a Vietnamese affogato.
Know before you go: It can get busy, and there are only a few tables, so call in your order ahead of time if you don’t want to wait. And for dessert, go around the corner to pick up not-too-sweet sweets at cakeM.
Martha Cheng
Chengdu Taste
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
California import Chengdu Taste helped bring Sichuan cuisine to Honolulu. Between the boiled fish with green peppers and the toothpick cumin lamb, it’s all about Sichuan classics executed with finesse. The menu can be intimidatingly spicy; order the beancurd sheets with scallion sauce, twice-cooked pork, and fried buns to help soothe your tastebuds.
Best for: Casual dinner with a group — the menu is long and portions are heaping.
Martha Cheng
Fujiya Hawaii
Open for: Snacks and sweets
Price range: $
This mochi shop has been around since 1953, but changed ownership in recent years, resulting in new flavors like a purple sweet potato daifuku and yuzu marmalade manju. The classics, such as red bean daifuku and milk-flavored chi chi dango, are still available too. Few other mochi shops anywhere are able to meld the old and new as beautifully and deliciously as Fujiya.
Know before you go: Check Fujiya’s Instagram for specials like banana cream pie mochi and mango liliko‘i mochi.
Martha Cheng
Izakaya Uosan
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
There’s no shortage of excellent izakayas in Honolulu, but Uosan rises to the top of the impressive field with its intimate atmosphere and seasonal sushi. On the handwritten sheet of daily specials, you might find rich ainame from spring to summer, mild and sweet suzuki in the summer, and fatty nodoguro from fall to winter. Plenty of luxe options are available to round out your meal, including uni, truffle butter, egg yolk rice (yes, that’s all in one bowl) and foie gras over braised daikon. Equally delightful are the baby sardine chips which fill in the izakaya’s version of chips and dip.
Know before you go: Call to make a reservation to avoid disappointment.
Sushi Gyoshin
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
The best of Honolulu’s recent omakase boom, Sushi Gyoshin is a sliver of a space with just eight seats at the counter, so you’ll need to book way in advance or hope for a last-minute cancellation. Hiroshi Tsuji combines kaiseki with omakase sushi, opening with a series of appetizers like his signature monaka (usually sweet wafers stuffed with red bean paste but here presented with seafood). For his sushi, Tsuji blends three vinegars and two types of rice, and he definitely doesn’t skimp with the seafood, which has included kinmedai from the Chiba prefecture and mirugai from Seattle.
Know before you go: Gyoshin is BYOB — stop by the Sake Shop, about a five minute drive away, on your way to dinner.
Martha Cheng
Hangang Korean Grill
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$$
This upscale-ish restaurant adds a fresh vibe to Honolulu’s Korean barbecue scene with its minimalist interior and counter, where you can see the butcher slicing marbled meats. You’ll find cuts ranging from tongue to tripe, including go-tos like rib-eye and short rib. For dinner, order one of the set menus for variety. Or better yet, come for the lunch set, with combinations for under $30 that include a choice of meat, stone pot rice or cold noodle, and plentiful banchan.
Know before you go: There’s no corkage fee for your first bottle.
Martha Cheng
The Lanai at Ala Moana Center
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$
This food court at Honolulu’s open-air mall houses outposts of some of the city’s favorite eateries. For snacks, the move is Musubi Cafe Iyasume, which offers 20-some varieties of freshly made Spam musubi — with ume, avocado, or even unagi. For something more substantial, you should try Ahi & Vegetable, known for its spicy ahi and poke bowls, as well as inexpensive nigiri. And always, always pick up something from the Hokkaido-based chain Brug Bakery, which offers pillowy soft breads and sweet and savory treats, from curry pan (a doughnut filled with Japanese beef curry) to an pan (a baked bun filled with sweetened azuki paste). You’ll find tables outside, and if you need extra dessert, head around the corner to Palme D’Or Patisserie for exquisite Japanese cakes by the slice.
Know before you go: It can be hard to snag a table during peak lunch and dinner hours.
Tadka Indian Cuisine
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Honolulu’s Indian food landscape was stagnant for decades until recently. Among the new openings, Tadka is my favorite. Here, chef/owner Ganesh Shrestha serves crispy pani puri spheres and momo sizzling on a platter with tomato chutney or in a thick, gingery turmeric sauce. It can be difficult to decide what to order from the pan-Indian menu: I usually go with some combination of lamb boti kabab, goa chicken curry, and a non-negotiable garlic naan.
Know before you go: Tadka is BYOB.
Yi Xin Cafe
Open for: Lunch through dinner
Price range: $$
The teddy bear-shaped ice in the milk tea is cute, but the real reason to come to Yi Xin Cafe is the food. It’s Chinese food pulled from tropical places, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore — a fitting combination for Hawai‘i. You’ll find snacks like chicken wings coated and fried in salted egg yolk, comfort food in the form of Malaysian beef fried rice, and the Hong Kong cha chaan teng staple pork chop with tomato and cheese over rice. Even straightforward dishes like honey walnut shrimp are unexpectedly good: It’s delicate rather than goopy, and served over a pile of fresh fried potato chips. I find myself here often for last-minute weekday dinners, solo or with friends, but it’s also the sort of place where there’s always a group digging into a platter of Singapore-style chile or black pepper crab, celebrating special occasions, and simply enjoying life.
Know before you go: Yi Xin is BYOB, so grab a bottle from Fujioka’s just around the corner from the restaurant. The shop has a blast chiller, which can cool down any bottle in less than 10 minutes.
Chillest Shave Ice
Open for: Daytime sweets
Price range: $
It’s still worth a visit to the classic Waiola Shave Ice for nostalgia, but lately it’s all about Chillest Shave Ice, especially since it’s gone from an itinerant pop-up to a permanent spot open seven days a week. Chillest has the softest shave ice, heaped high and doused with flavors including matcha, hojicha, strawberry milk, and haupia — and definitely add the mochi as a topping.
Know before you go: There’s only one size here, and you can pick up to three flavors per order.
The Curb Kaimuki
Open for: Coffee and snacks during the day, wine Thursday to Sunday nights
Price range: $$
What started out as a coffee truck parked at the University of Hawaiʻi is now (after a change in owners) one of Honolulu’s most beloved cafes. You’ll find a noteworthy coffee program, as well as specialty drinks like a pandan matcha latte. And while it was once lacking in the food department, Curb now serves sandwiches and sweets by pastry chef Hana Quon. The ever-changing options have included hojicha cinnamon rolls, lychee and cherry tarts, and not-to-be-missed caneles. The Curb also doubles as a natural wine bar Thursday to Sunday, when you can bring your own food.
Know before you go: The pastries come out randomly during the day and sell out quickly, so it’s best not to have your heart set on anything in particular.
The Curb
The Local General Store
Open for: Lunch
Price range: $
A butcher shop and bakery, the Local General Store is a one-stop shop for local meats and sweets. The all-local butcher case — the only one on O‘ahu — showcases cuts like venison, beef, and pork, as well as charcuterie including bacon, ‘ulu (breadfruit) scrapple, sausages, and even a house-made Spam. You’ll find a daily-changing sandwich of the day with local meat, and in the ever-changing bakery case, crossover between sweet and savory, like in Chinese almond cookies made with lard tucked into a croissant or char siu danish. But the pastries also shine with Hawai‘i’s local fruit, like the liliko‘i baklava danish. No matter what’s offered here, Jason Chow (the butcher and Eater Young Gun) and Harley Tunac Chow (the baker) emphasize local ingredients.
Know before you go: Get here before noon for the best bakery selection.
Martha Cheng
Mud Hen Water
Open for: Brunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Mud Hen Water offers Hawaiʻi-born chef Ed Kenney’s modern interpretation of Hawai‘i food. Known for his work at Town Restaurant and Mahina & Sun’s, Kenney manages to appeal to dining trends while fully respecting Hawaiian ingredients. Standouts include the porchetta rolled with lūʻau and the sausage and clams in a light coconut milk broth. But you should really come for brunch, when it’s tough to choose among the biscuit with mapo gravy; the fresh fish and lūʻau (braised taro leaves); and pork sisig, the sizzling Filipino dish, but made with pig’s head. An order of banana pancakes for the table is a must.
Vibe check: Find cheerful outdoor seating beneath string lights in the courtyard.
Martha Cheng
The Pig and the Lady
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
The Pig and the Lady recently moved to Kaimukī, and the modern Vietnamese restaurant now has a neighborhood vibe: more family friendly, less frenetic. The food, however, is still punchy and playful. Its famous pho French dip is offered at lunch and for takeout at dinner. Highlights during a recent visit included the Caesar-adjacent salad, dressed with hot mustard and puffed rice, and ‘ulu and shishito peppers stir-fried with betel leaves. Not all the wildly creative dishes are hits; if you want to play it safe, order the pho, or find the Pig and the Lady’s more traditional noodle soups, rice bowls, and sandwiches at its farmers market stalls. But then you might miss out on a dish you never knew could be delicious.
Know before you go: Save room for the soft serve, which comes in interesting, frequently changing, and reliably good flavors like a recent avocado matcha custard swirled with strawberry guava sorbet.
Lianne Rozelle
Maguro Brothers
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$
Maguro Brothers’ two locations are hard to find: One is hidden inside Chinatown’s Maunakea Marketplace, the other in the basement of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza. At either spot, you’ll find some of the best quality fish in town — even if it’s served in takeout containers — in sashimi platters, donburi, and poke by the bowl or pound.
Vibe check: This spot is super popular, and everything is prepared fresh, so be prepared to wait.
Martha Cheng
Zippy’s
Open for: All day
Price range: $$
Hawaiʻi’s iconic family diner chain has many locations throughout the state serving many purposes. Kids grow up with Zippy’s chili, now sold frozen so parents can ship it to homesick college kids. It’s also a great place for late-night munchies (though only a few locations, like Zippy’s Vineyard, are still open until midnight), like the fried chicken with a side of chili-cheese fries. Proper dinner options, like the Zip Min (a deluxe bowl of saimin noodle soup) and oxtail soup, never fail to please. And if you’re looking for a bento for the beach, get the Zip Pac (mahi mahi, fried chicken, Spam, and teriyaki beef over furikake rice).
Vibe check: One of my favorite things about Hawai‘i restaurants is how multi-generational they are, and Zippy’s is no exception.
Martha Cheng
Tonkatsu Tamafuji
Open for: Dinner, as well as lunch on weekends
Price range: $$$
You have to overcome a lot of skepticism to get locals to pay $30 for katsu when they can get it in a plate lunch for about $15. But given how difficult it is to score a reservation at Tonkatsu Tamafuji, it appears a lot of people have bashed through that psychological hurdle. Attention to detail shows in the quality of the pork itself, the house-made panko crumbs that fry up into an ethereally crisp crust, and the accompaniments: a bowl of sesame seeds to grind at the table and then spoon into a plummy tonkatsu sauce. Not even the rice, from Hokkaido, is overlooked.
Know before you go: If you can’t get a reservation, you can try for a spot by getting in line before the restaurant opens, and if that doesn’t work, know that the tonkatsu holds up surprisingly well for takeout.
Tonkatsu Tamafuji
Onigiri Onibe
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $
A Spam musubi from 7-Eleven will always have its place, but when I want a fancier musubi/onigiri experience I head to Onigiri Onibe. This being onigiri, the OG energy bar, you can of course take the rice balls to go (the nori is packaged separately so it stays crisp), but when I have time, I sit at the eight-seat counter. That way, I can eat the onigiri topped with mentaiko or negitoro (when available) and a seasoned egg yolk without risking breaking the yolk in transit. It’s also the best way to enjoy the slightly warm rice that’s freshly cooked in donabe. There are more than 40 variations of onigiri here; pair your choice with a side of the pork miso soup.
If you drive: Park at the metered spots by the downtown post office or at the Alii Place parking garage on Alakea.
Onigiri Onibe
Pioneer Saloon
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Monsarrat Avenue, at the base of Lēʻahi (Diamond Head), has some great little eateries, perfect for popping in after hiking or for picnic supplies for a Waikīkī beach day. Pioneer Saloon is one of my favorites, with a vintage curio shop vibe and Japanese-style plate lunches like miso butterfish and garlic ‘ahi, and on weekends, prime rib. There is also a second location in Kaka‘ako, but the original is a winner with its funky interior.
Know before you go: If you go during the day, make sure to stop by Monsarrat Shave Ice, a tiny takeout window tucked next door, that serves shave ice doused with house-made syrups.
Martha Cheng
Sandy’s Cafe
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $$
Cantonese-style roast meats are one of the greatest pleasures in life. While Honolulu has many excellent spots for char siu and roast duck, I find myself at Sandy’s most often, where they’ll ask if you prefer fatty or lean char siu and where the roast duck is bronzed and tender. It’s also one of the few roast meat spots where you can sit down and eat. Round out your meal with sauteed ong choy and beef chow funn. You’ll often hear the low roar of the wok burners firing up in the kitchen as you watch Honolulu’s Chinatown life congregating on River Street.
If you drive: Park at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza for easier access.
Martha Cheng
