United States 14 restaurants across 4 categories
Honolulu is Honolulu's food culture is Hawaiian heritage + Korean tourist favorite — Plate lunch (Hawaiian institution — main protein + 2 scoops rice + macaroni salad $10-15 at Rainbow Drive-In canonical 1961). Poke (raw fish bowl $10-20 at Ono Seafood canonical). Helena's Hawaiian Food (1946 James Beard Award traditional Hawaiian — kalua pork + lomi lomi salmon + poi $20-30). Giovanni's Shrimp Truck (Kahuku North Shore iconic $14 garlic shrimp). Mai Tai cocktails (invented 1944, perfected at Royal Hawaiian 'Pink Palace' 1927). Duke's Waikiki (Outrigger sunset canonical). Reef-safe sunscreen MANDATORY by Hawaii law. Tipping mandatory 18-22%. We've organized 14 restaurants across 4 categories. Each entry includes prices, hours, local tips, and a Google Maps link so you can plan straight from the page.
핀을 클릭하면 식당 정보를 볼 수 있습니다 · 총 14곳
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Rainbow Drive-In (the institution plate lunch), Helena's Hawaiian Food (1946, James Beard), Highway Inn — classic Hawaiian plate-lunch spots
Rainbow Drive-In · Kapahulu (Waikiki adjacent)
The Hawaiian plate lunch — pick a main (kalua pork, mahi mahi, loco moco) plus 2 scoops rice and mac salad
Hawaiian plate-lunch institution since 1961. 15 minutes' walk from Waikiki.
Local tip: Cash or card. Order at the window. Try the kalua pork plate.
Helena's · Kalihi (north of Waikiki)
Traditional Hawaiian — kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, poi (taro paste), pipikaula (Hawaiian beef jerky)
Traditional Hawaiian since 1946, James Beard Award winner. A neighborhood favorite in Kalihi.
Local tip: Reservations strongly recommended. Cards and cash. 15 min by Uber from Waikiki.
Highway Inn · Kakaako (Waikiki adjacent)
Hawaiian classics done modern — kalua pork, lau lau (pork steamed in ti leaves), poke, Hawaiian sides
A modernized take on traditional Hawaiian food in Kakaako, the neighborhood just past Waikiki.
Local tip: Card or cash. 25 minutes' walk from Waikiki. Family-friendly.
Roy's Waikiki · Waikiki Beach Walk
Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaiian-fusion Pacific Rim menu plus the chef's tasting
Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaiian-fusion fine-dining room in Waikiki Beach Walk — the most-recommended upscale option in Honolulu.
Local tip: Reservations 1-2 weeks ahead. Smart casual. Card or cash. A common honeymoon fine-dining pick.
Marugame Udon · Waikiki multiple
Fresh-made Japanese udon plus tempura — a Hawaiian-Japanese fusion cheap-eat staple
Japanese udon chain in Waikiki — Hawaii's go-to cheap-eat alternative when you've had enough plate lunch.
Local tip: Card or cash. Multiple Waikiki branches. Expect a line at lunch.
Ono Seafood (the go-to poke shop), Foodland poke counter, Musubi Cafe Iyasume — poke and Spam musubi
Ono Seafood · Kapahulu (Waikiki adjacent)
Hawaiian poke bowl — ahi tuna shoyu and spicy ahi over rice
The go-to poke counter in Honolulu — a neighborhood favorite in Kapahulu.
Local tip: Cash or card. 15 minutes' walk from Waikiki. Long lines at lunch peak (11-13).
Foodland · Multiple Waikiki + Ala Moana
Foodland's poke counter — a local-favorite grocery-store poke plus Spam musubi and Hawaiian sides
A grocery-store poke counter that locals quietly insist is one of the best — and definitely the cheapest. Foodland Farms at Ala Moana is the most popular branch.
Local tip: Card or cash. Multiple Honolulu locations. Cheap, fast Hawaiian poke.
Iyasume · Waikiki (multiple branches)
Spam musubi — Spam, rice and nori, in plain plus teriyaki and avocado variations
The Spam musubi shop in Honolulu — Hawaii's iconic Spam-rice-nori snack done well, with multiple branches in Waikiki.
Local tip: Cash or card. Multiple Waikiki branches. Try the teriyaki and avocado variations.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck (Kahuku), Matsumoto Shave Ice (Haleiwa, since 1951), Leonard's Bakery malasada — North Shore food trucks and Hawaiian sweets
Giovanni's Shrimp · Kahuku North Shore (1h drive)
The garlic shrimp plate — $14 for shrimp plus 2 scoops rice. The defining North Shore food-truck dish.
The most famous food truck in Hawaii, parked in Kahuku on the North Shore. The garlic shrimp plate is $14.
Local tip: Cash only. 1h drive from Waikiki. Easiest to combine with a North Shore loop day.
Matsumoto Shave Ice · Haleiwa North Shore
Shave ice with a stack of flavors plus condensed milk and azuki beans on top
Shave-ice shop in Haleiwa serving since 1951 — the defining North Shore Hawaiian sweet.
Local tip: Cash or card. Easiest to hit on the same day as Giovanni's and the North Shore loop.
Leonard's Bakery · Kapahulu (Waikiki adjacent)
Malasada — the Portuguese-inspired sugar-coated donut, with multiple flavors. Best hot and fresh.
The malasada shop in Honolulu — a Portuguese-rooted Hawaiian sweet you'll see everywhere.
Local tip: Cash or card. 15 minutes' walk from Waikiki. The hot fresh malasadas straight out of the fryer are the move.
Duke's Waikiki (Outrigger sunset), House Without a Key (Halekulani, 1907), Mai Tai Bar (Royal Hawaiian) — the Waikiki sunset cocktail trio
Duke's · Waikiki Outrigger Reef Hotel
Sunset Mai Tai plus the Hawaiian-international menu — named after Duke Kahanamoku, the surfing pioneer
The sunset bar and restaurant at the Outrigger Reef in Waikiki — built around the legacy of Duke Kahanamoku.
Local tip: Reservations needed Fri-Sat sunset. Cards and cash. The default Waikiki sunset pick for honeymooners.
House Without a Key · Halekulani Hotel Waikiki
Sunset Mai Tai with the Halekulani's nightly Hawaiian hula performance
The 1907 sunset bar at the Halekulani — Waikiki sunset cocktails with a nightly hula show.
Local tip: Reservations needed Fri-Sat sunset. Cards and cash. A common honeymoon pick.
Mai Tai Bar · Royal Hawaiian Hotel Waikiki
The Mai Tai — invented at Trader Vic's in 1944 and perfected here at the Royal Hawaiian
The bar at the Royal Hawaiian's 1927 'Pink Palace' — the place where the Mai Tai recipe was perfected.
Local tip: Card or cash. The Mai Tai (1944) is the order. A common honeymoon stop.
$30-60/day
Rainbow Drive-In canonical plate lunch + Foodland Spam musubi + Marugame Udon + Leonard's malasada. Hawaii is expensive (US prices).
$80-180/day
Highway Inn Hawaiian heritage + Ono Seafood canonical poke + Duke's Waikiki sunset + Hanauma Bay snorkel.
$250+/day
Roy's Waikiki Hawaiian fusion + Helena's Hawaiian Food 1946 + Halekulani House Without a Key + Mai Tai Bar Royal Hawaiian.
Common questions about food and restaurants in Honolulu.
Cost guide, itineraries, hotel picks — plan the rest of your trip.
Based in Chiang Mai for 8+ years, with 30+ countries visited across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe. Every detail in this guide is primary-source verified as of April 2026, with prices auto-refreshed via live exchange rate APIs. This isn't AI-generated boilerplate — it's written from the perspective of someone who has actually been there.