1
Hanapaa Poke
A tiny poke window in Kaimuki with a devoted following. Fresh-cut ahi, made-to-order, no fuss — just consistently excellent poke.
Known forSpicy Ahi Poke BowlKālua Pig
3111 Castle St, HI
2
Ry's Poke Shack
A poke shack in Kakaako keeping it simple and doing it right. The ahi is cut thick and the house sauce has a devoted following.
Known forCrab SaladSpicy AhiShoyu Ahi
56-565 Kamehameha Hwy, HI
3
Paradise Poke Hawaii
Downtown poke done right. Simple setup, generous portions, and the kind of fresh ahi that makes you understand why Hawaii is obsessed.
Known forBuild-Your-Own Poke BowlSpicy AhiPoke BowlSpam Musubi
1613 Nuuanu Ave, HI
4
Poke For The People
Twenty years as a Hawaii public school teacher, then a poke counter. Chris grew up in Central Oahu fishing and diving the North Shore, and opened here in 2018 to sell Hawaiian-style poke built on that same water. Get the spicy ahi.
Known forPoke BowlCrab SaladSpicy Ahi
66-214 Kamehameha Hwy Unit A, HI
5
Sweet Corner Cafe Honolulu
An Aiea cafe running Portuguese tarts and house-fried gyoza off one counter. Chelsea runs the room, which is cat-themed and unembarrassed about it, and the portions land well past what the price suggests. Get the house fried gyoza, with a Portuguese tart after.
Known forFried RicePoke BowlCroissantDumplings
99-1255 Waiua Pl # E, HI
6
Mama Kim's Kitchen Honolulu
Twenty years of cutting fish, still done in front of you. Rosa Kim runs this King Street counter with her daughter Soonie, building the poke and sushi bowls to order and making the kimchee in house. Get a poke bowl and watch it come together.
Known forBBQ ChickenKalbiMeat JunPoke Bowl
1481 S King St Ste 108, HI
7
Waimanalo Poke Stop
A roadside poke counter on the Waimanalo stretch of Kalanianaole. One thing, done properly, for a windward town that does not need a second option. Get a bowl and take it to the beach.
Known forPoke Bowl
41-1537 Kalanianaʻole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI 96795, USA
8
Sing Sing Thai Honolulu
Authentic Thai tucked into a Chinatown alley, run by a family that actually cooks like this at home. The papaya salad has a devoted following.
Known forBeef Cheek Panang CurryPork NeckPad Thai
1030 Smith St Suite 6, HI
9
Mugen
Thirty-four seats, five courses, and a Forbes Five-Star rating. Mugen takes its name from the Japanese word for infinity and sits inside Espacio; executive chef Colin Sato built the tasting menu in consultation with Alan Wong, and the wine list has taken a Wine Spectator Best Of award. Go for the full five courses.
Known forPoke Bowl
2452 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
10
Tanioka's
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.
Known forPoke BowlSpam MusubiPlate Lunch
94-903 Farrington Hwy, Waipahu, HI 96797
11
Off The Hook Poke Market
Fresh-cut poke in the back of Manoa — find it, and you'll keep going back. The fish is local, the portions are honest, and the price is fair.
Known forPoke BowlSpicy Ahi
2908 E Manoa Rd, HI
12
Maguro Brothers
Tsukiji training applied to a Chinatown market stall. Brothers Jun and Ryo Tsuchiya both worked Tokyo's old fish market before opening here in 2014, and they hand-pick the fish each morning from the Honolulu Fish Auction two miles away. Go for the sashimi don rather than the poke bowl.
Known forPoke BowlSashimiLatte
Maunakea Market Foodcourt, 1120 Maunakea St, Honolulu, HI 96817
13
Ocean Taste Honolulu
Chinese seafood done with care in Kakaako. Fresh whole fish, crispy garlic prawns, and family-style sharing plates that reward a big group.
Known forPoke Bowl
1170 Auahi St L150, HI
14
Toro Sushi Bar Honolulu
A serious sushi and omakase bar near Honolulu Harbor. Chef-driven nigiri with pristine fish sourced daily — best experienced at the counter.
Known forSushiSashimiSpicy Tuna RollPoke Bowl
1130 N Nimitz Hwy Suite C-130, HI
15
Kainalu Poke
Fresh poke steps from the Ala Moana waterfront. Build-your-own bowls with a generous selection of proteins and house sauces.
Known forPoke BowlSpicy AhiKalbiKālua Pig
500 Ala Moana Blvd #1C, HI
16
Ono Seafood
Ono Seafood has been serving the same short menu of ahi and tako poke since 2006, and that focus is exactly why people keep driving across town for it. No froze
Known forSpicy Ahi PokeShoyu Ahi PokePoke Bowl
747 Kapahulu Ave, HI
17
Rigo Italian Kaimuki
Spanish and Italian on one menu, which sounds like a compromise and is not. Rigo took Honolulu Magazine's Hale Aina award for best new restaurant in 2020, running wood-fired pizza and paella alongside fresh spaghetti from Onda Pasta, the city's own Roman pasta maker. Order the paella if there are enough of you to justify it.
Known forPastaRisottoPizza
885 Kapahulu Ave, HI
18
Kehau's Kitchen
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.
Known forKālua PigLau Lau
98-150 Kaonohi St b118, HI
19
Chao Hawaii
Vietnamese comfort food in the heart of Downtown. The pho is clear, clean, and deeply satisfying — a reliable bowl any time of day.
Known forSoft Shell Crab PastaVietnamese Chicken WingsSpring Rolls
1613 Nuuanu Ave, HI
20
Sato Seafood Honolulu
Poke put through a Japanese filter rather than a Hawaiian one. This Kuhio Avenue counter runs shoyu ginger and spicy limu alongside a torched macadamia aburi salmon that no plate-lunch poke shop would think to make. Try the aburi salmon bowl.
Known forPoke BowlShoyu Ahi
2310 Kūhiō Ave. #5, HI
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