Two scoops and zero regrets
A windward kitchen that turns taro, ulu and moringa into fresh pasta by hand. Everything is made to order and takes 30 to 40 minutes — which is how a Kaneohe strip-mall counter landed on Yelp's national Top 100 two years running. Order the taro pasta with shrimp and luau leaves in coconut cream.
Slow-smoked local meats with a Hawaii twist. The guava-smoked chicken is the signature — sweet, smoky, and unlike anything else in Kapahulu.
Hawaiian plates and Mexican cooking under one small Aiea roof. The family opened in Westridge in 2014 and keeps both halves honest — kalua pork, laulau and lomi salmon on one side, poke nachos on the other. Try the poke nachos.
A tiny poke window in Kaimuki with a devoted following. Fresh-cut ahi, made-to-order, no fuss — just consistently excellent poke.
Korean BBQ technique aimed squarely at Hawaiian flavors. Chef Kale cooks from Hawaiian, Japanese and Chinese roots — his Luau Soup crosses luau stew with seaweed soup, lau kalo and wagyu in one bowl — and the table grill runs Kagoshima A5. Try the Luau Soup before you touch the grill.
A Waipahu seafood counter that locals have voted into the island's top three for decades. Mel and Lynn Tanioka started in 1978 with a single rented stall and okazuya basics, and still build the poke around fresh island-caught fish. Order a mixed plate and add a scoop of limu poke.
Maui's most decorated shave ice, brought over to Kapahulu. David and Ululani Yamashiro opened a 65-square-foot stand in Lahaina in 2008 and had to double it within three months; this is the brand's first Oahu shop. Ask for a snow cap and ice cream underneath.
Fresh poke steps from the Ala Moana waterfront. Build-your-own bowls with a generous selection of proteins and house sauces.
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.
A reliable Kaimuki grill serving up local favorites to a loyal neighborhood crowd. Comfort food done consistently well, day in and day out.
Kalihi Hawaiian institution since 1946. The pipikaula short ribs are a must.
Filipino cooking folded into the local plate lunch. Robin Ganir and Jean Nguyen built the menu around a garlic furikake chicken that comes out louder and crunchier than it has any right to, in portions meant for sharing. Get the garlic furikake chicken with mac salad.
Japan-meets-Hawaii plate lunch, from before that was a genre. Nori Sakamoto opened the Monsarrat shop in 2009 on the idea that a plate could be cheap and carefully cooked at the same time, and the formula worked well enough to become the island standard. Get the garlic ahi steak.
One of the twelve chefs who invented Hawaii Regional Cuisine, still sourcing the same way. Peter Merriman has spent more than thirty-five years buying from Hawaii farmers, ranchers and fishermen — he was a locavore before the word existed — and the Ward Village room keeps that on the plate. Try the macadamia nut crusted fish.
A neighborhood gem in Aina Haina that locals are fiercely protective of. Honest local cooking in a casual, welcoming space.
A full restaurant and cocktail bar inside a grocery store, and better for it. Foodland Farms' first in-store dining room takes its name from mahi ai, to cultivate, and buys from Mari's Garden, Ho Farms and MA'O Organic Farms. Try the lechon-style Brussels sprouts.
A tucked-away café near Diamond Head with a relaxed pace and a menu that changes with the season. Worth tracking down for the coffee alone.
Beachfront Waikiki built as a shrine to Duke Kahanamoku. It opened in 1992 on the site of the original Outrigger Canoe Club, and the walls carry his photographs alongside vintage boards and canoe memorabilia. Save room for the Hula Pie — macadamia nut ice cream on a chocolate cookie crust, a Kimo's original off Maui.
A Kalihi drive-through that has not moved its standards since the nineties. Plates come out fast and cheap — shoyu chicken, boneless fried chicken under homemade gravy, a mixed plate that covers everything. Order the fried chicken with gravy.
A Korean seafood spot near Ala Moana inspired by Busan's famous Jagalchi fish market. Fresh haemul and banchan that transports you straight to Korea.
Reading the list is free. Getting it on your passport isn’t — that only happens in the app.