1
Boarded Up Cafe
A neighborhood café in Kaimuki with a boarded-up-shop aesthetic and seriously good coffee. Regulars come for the vibes as much as the flat whites.
Known forCarolina Onion Burger
1108 12th Ave a, HI
2
Betty's Burgers Honolulu
A 1960s surf-shack burger counter beside the university. Betty's opened in Moiliili in 2020 smashing quarter-pounders of 80/20 Big Island Angus and serving them on Liliha Bakery buns, with handmade shakes alongside. Get a smash burger and a shake.
Known forBurgersFriesMilkshakesBurger
1025 University Ave, HI
3
Over Easy
Two Alan Wong alumni who decided breakfast deserved dinner-level attention. Nik and Jennifer Lobendahn opened in Kailua in 2016 and build the menu on OK Farms eggs — the kalua pig hash arrives with Okinawan potatoes and lomi tomato. Order the crispy-edged pancakes with blueberry cream cheese.
Known forPancakesBurger
418 Kuulei Rd #103, Kailua, HI 96734
4
Da Burger Wing Hub
Wahiawa's burger-and-wings hub, with house-made sauces and the fights on. Waffle fries, a full bar and enough of a following that a second location opened in Kapolei. Get the wings tossed in whatever sauce they're pushing that month.
Known forBurgersWingsFriesBurger
93 N Kam Hwy Suite 102, HI
5
Paia Fish Market
Fresh catch served fast in the heart of Waikiki. No-frills fish tacos and poke bowls that taste like they belong on the North Shore.
Known forFish TacosMahi Mahi PlateFish BurgerBurger
2299 Kūhiō Ave., HI
6
South Shore Grill Honolulu
The fish taco that anchors Monsarrat Avenue. The place opened in 2004 and Bruce Bryant — Oahu-raised, Kamehameha graduate, lifelong surfer — took it over three years later and has run it with Jenn since, two blocks off Kapiolani Park and four below the Diamond Head trailhead. Get the fish tacos and eat them in the park.
Known forFish TacosPlate LunchBurgersTacos
3114 Monsarrat Ave, HI
7
Genius Lounge Honolulu
A multi-floor lounge in Waikiki with creative cocktails and a menu designed for sharing. The rooftop energy makes it one of the better spots to watch the sunset.
Known forLoco MocoBurger
346 Lewers St, HI
8
Jolene's Market Honolulu
A family sandwich counter that bakes its own bread daily and smokes brisket for eighteen hours. Jolene Lau runs the Chinatown original, opened in the summer of 2019, alongside her mother Charlene; it has since spread to Ewa Beach, Kaneohe and the airport. Get the fried chicken sandwich.
Known forBurger
100 N Beretania St #105, HI
9
EARL Sandwiches Honolulu
EARL stands for Eat A Real Lunch, which tells you the posture. Justin Parvizimotlagh brought East Coast sandwich-making to Kaimuki in 2014 and opened this Kakaako shop in 2019. Come at lunch; that is the entire premise.
Known forBurger
400 Keawe St #102, HI
10
Moku Kitchen Honolulu
Ward Village's go-to local kitchen. A wood-fired menu, craft beer, and a lively atmosphere that captures the new energy of Kakaako.
Known forRotisserie ChickenWood-Fired PizzaPokeBurger
660 Ala Moana Blvd, HI
11
Livestock Tavern
Chinatown's beloved gastropub, where creative American cooking meets a serious craft beer list. A Honolulu institution with staying power.
Known forBurgerSeasonal PlatesCocktails
49 N Hotel St, HI
12
Hau Tree
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote under this grove. He spent months in Waikiki in 1889 and returned in 1893, and the hau trees he sat beneath still shade the terrace; when the hotel went up in 1963 it kept the porch railing from the house that stood here and built the open-air room around it. Come for brunch and sit outside — the setting is the whole point.
Known forBurger
Lobby floor of the Kaimana Beach Hotel, 2863 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
13
The Breakroom 808
A bar off Sand Island Access Road, which is not where anyone goes looking for one. Chicken katsu and burgers alongside the drinks, in a room that mostly serves the people working nearby. Come for the katsu.
Known forChicken KatsuBurger
197 Sand Island Access Rd Suite 205A, HI
14
Giovanni Pastrami Waikiki
A New York deli that became Waikiki's sports bar. Locally owned since 2007, it runs half-pound pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, pizza on dough made that morning, and twenty screens carrying nearly every package. Order the pastrami and find a screen.
Known forPastrami SandwichReubenCheesesteakBurger
227 Lewers St Suite 118, HI
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