This was published 8 years ago
Best places to eat in Honolulu, Hawaii: A foodie's guide
By Krisanne Fordham
Hawaii offers sensational culinary experiences.
There's no need to settle for generic, overpriced resort food when visiting Honolulu: the area is packed with uniquely sensational culinary offerings, hidden in plain sight. From classic Waikiki institutions to locally loved holes-in-the-wall, Honolulu is a paradise for foodies, too – if you know where to look. Skip the Cheesecake Factory lines and dine at one of the following eateries instead.
ORCHIDS
For many restaurants fronting Waikiki Beach, beautiful views of Diamond Head make up for mediocre food. Orchids, the signature restaurant at Honolulu's iconic Halekulani Hotel, is not one of those restaurants. Its internationally inspired cuisine is as impressive as its al fresco ocean-front setting, with eclectic menu offerings that pair global tastes – everything from hearty tagines to Italian-style carpaccios – with local produce and herbs grown right on the premises.
BEST FOR: Business travellers
DON'T MISS: One of the most enduringly popular dishes at Orchids is the beautifully presented ahi crudo appetiser. Here, raw ahi is adorned with daikon, Big Island hearts of palm, caviar, backyard herbs and edible flowers to create a dish that tastes as good as it looks.
NEED TO KNOW: Entrees start at US$29; 2199 Kalia Road, Honolulu; +1 808 923 2311; halekulani.com/dining/orchids-restaurant
MUSUBI CAFE IYASUME
Whatever your personal feelings are towards Spam, the canned mystery meat is a culinary staple in Hawaiian cuisine and eating it in musubi form – with sushi rice, wrapped in nori – is a necessary part of any visit. Musubi Cafe Iyasume, a hole-in-the-wall tucked in an alley behind Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki's main drag, makes the best spam musubi in Honolulu. There are over 20 kinds of musubi on the menu, including pairings with bacon, egg, plum and green shiso herb, all of which are made to order and served warm.
BEST FOR: Families, budget travellers
DON'T MISS: By far, the most popular breakfast item at Musubi Cafe Iyasume is the cucumber and egg spam musubi – spam paired with sweet Tamago egg and topped with a slice of cucumber. A strange combination, yes, but easily the tastiest breakfast in Honolulu (and certainly the cheapest, at US$2.50).
NEED TO KNOW: Spam musubis start at US$1.98; 2427 Kuhio Ave, Honolulu; +1 808 921-0168; tonsuke.com/omusubiya
MORIMOTO WAIKIKI
At his eponymous restaurant's Waikiki outpost, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto serves up signature dishes like chirashi sushi and toro tartare, alongside inventive interpretations of traditional Hawaiian fare. Foodies will delight at the restaurant's culinary theatre: gyoza are served under clouds of bacon cream foam, yellowtail is cooked table side in hot stone bowls. Thankfully, the flavour lives up to the flair.
BEST FOR: Couples
DON'T MISS: The Morimoto-style poke is an interesting take on the classic Hawaiian poke bowl: diced raw ahi is served with a tangy avocado wasabi sorbet and then topped with an airy dashi foam.
NEED TO KNOW: Entrees start at US$29; 1775 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu; +1 808 943 5900; morimotowaikiki.com
HEAVENLY CAFE
There's an admittedly hipster vibe about the health-conscious Heavenly Cafe, from its distressed wooden canteen-style benches to its skinny jeans-clad waiters. Don't pay that any mind: the food here is unpretentious, delicious and remarkably fresh, made only with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, most of which are organic. Expect fluffy omelettes packed with vegies, homemade French toast piled high with papaya and Oahu's best green smoothies – all big enough to share.
BEST FOR: Families
DON'T MISS: Heavenly Cafe is known among locals for its fruit bowls, which feature blended acai or pitaya topped with granola and local fruit. The creamy, tangy, psychedelic-pink pitaya bowl makes for a refreshing breakfast or snack.
NEED TO KNOW: Dishes start from US$9.50; 342 Seaside Ave, Honolulu; +1 808 923 1100; heavenly-waikiki.com
ONO SEAFOOD
Locals flock daily to this bare-bones, family-run hole-in-the-wall for what many claim is the best poke in Oahu. Poke, pronounced poke-ay, is a raw tuna salad served in many Hawaiian homes, consisting of cubed raw ahi generally marinated in soy sauce and salt. Ono serves up eight different kinds, including poke served with spicy mayo and classic Hawaiian-style poke tossed in limu (seaweed) and kukui oil. If you have trouble deciding, you can always order a combination, which is served atop an enormous helping of warm brown or white rice.
BEST FOR: Budget travellers, foodies
DON'T MISS: The spicy ahi is star here: tossed in creamy mayo, tobiko (flying fish roe), slivers of ginger and green onion, it packs a flavour punch like no other.
NEED TO KNOW: Poke bowls start from US$7; 747 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu; +1 808 7324806
THE PIG & THE LADY
Ask any local chef or foodie where to eat, and they'll point you in the direction of this hip noodle house in Honolulu's Chinatown. Here, rising star Chef Andrew Le draws on his Vietnamese heritage and island flavours to churn out eclectic dishes like his Coffee Can Bread: bread baked in a coffee can and paired with chicken liver mousse, jasmine pears and Japanese mustard greens. Cocktails are similarly playful; one of P&L's most popular pours mixes avocado mezcal with sriracha ice.
BEST FOR: Everyone
DON'T MISS: People line up here for the spectacular French Dip Banh Mi, a slow-cooked brisket sandwich with sauteed sprouts and a basil chimichurri, that's dunked into a bowl of pho before devouring.
NEED TO KNOW: Entrees start at US$23; 83 N King St, Honolulu; +1 808 585 8255; thepigandthelady.com
TOWN
"Local first, organic second, and with Aloha always," is the motto of Town's chef-owner Ed Kenney. Kenney, who opened the restaurant in 2005, was one of the first chefs in Hawaii to bring farm-to-table to the mainstream, and he's been doing it right ever since. His Mediterranean-Hawaiian menu features small seafood plates, hand-cut pastas and flawlessly prepared meat dishes. It's a decent trek from touristy Waikiki – you'll need to drive or take a cab – but well worth the trip.
BEST FOR: Everyone
DON'T MISS: Though Town is primarily known for its meat and seafood, its salads are powerfully flavourful, particularly the arugula salad, which features orange, mint, beets and mascarpone.
NEED TO KNOW: Entrees start at US$24; 3435 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu; 808 735 5900; townkaimuki.com
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