With its geographic location and its tropical climate it’s no surprise that Hawaii has a diverse food selection. Hawaii has influences from both Asia and the continental U.S. As a local, I have compiled a list of the best food to eat in Hawaii.
Now, Hawaii does have traditional Hawaiian food, for which I recommend going to a traditional Luau, where you will be served and serenaded with the beautiful Hawaiian culture. The food they typically serve at a Hawaiian Luau are…
- Hawaiian Roasted Pork, Hawaiian Grilled Fish Salad. Chicken Long Rice Lomi Lomi Salmon, Aloha Sweet Potatoes, Poi
- Desserts: Macadamia Coconut Cake, Pineapple Butterscotch Squares
However, the list below will introduce you to food from Japan, Korea, China, but with a local Hawaii twist. These are the best food to Eat in Hawaii…specifically Oahu.
Loco Moco
This island comfort food is with a rice base topped with a juicy hamburger steak, fried egg, and brown gravy. Commonly served with a side of Hawaiian Mac Salad, my go-to side for any plate lunch.
Places to try on Oahu – L&L Drive Inn, Rainbow Drive Inn, and Zippy’s
Saimin
Saimin is basically an inexpensive noodle and broth soup, similar to Japanese ramen. In Hawaii, you will get the real thing, fresh, thin white noodles in a clear broth with green onions, kamaboko (fish cakes), and sometimes ham or char siu (pork).
Places to try on Oahu – L&L Drive Inn, Rainbow Drive Inn, and Zippy’s
Sushi
I have tried sushi from all over the world but no place beats how they make sushi in Hawaii, second to Japan of course. Doraku is my personal favorite spot for fresh and delicious Sushi. A local go-to spot would be the famous sushi chain Genki Sushi. Other grab ‘n’ go style spots include Kozo Sushi.
Spam Musubi
Served either hot or cold, this is a popular snack and lunch item made with a slice of grilled spam sandwiched either in or on top of a block of rice and held together with nori. Let’s break it down for you. Spam is a brand that makes precooked canned meat products. Nori is the Japanese word for edible seaweed. Because this is a quick grab ‘n’ go item you can find it at the corner-store 7-Eleven.
Poke
What is Poke? If you’re unfamiliar with poke (pronounced PO-kay), it is a Hawaiian dish, served as an appetizer or main course, and traditionally made with raw fish. Poke translates to ‘section’ or ‘to slice or cut’. Although, this is not a restaurant, a local favorite for authentic Hawaiian Poke is Foodland. FreshCatch is an informal, deli-style restaurant that serves fresh local-style poke, seafood, and plate lunches. Poke on Da Run puts a twist on your traditional local-style poke by serving it onto won-ton chips, catch-phrasing it as Poke Nachos. Lastly, is Pa’ina Cafe, which is a great spot if you want to build your own Poke bowl. This is the best food to eat in Hawaii.
Two honorable mentions are Ono Seafood and Poke Stop.
Yakiniku
Yakiniku means “grilled meat” in Japanese. In its broadest sense, it refers to grilled meat cuisine or “barbecue” food. Some places to try on Oahu for Yakiniku is Suntory and Gyu-Kaku.
Shirokiya Japanese Village Walk – A robust food court in Ala Moana Shopping center that has an array of Japanese dishes and an indoor beer garden.
Gyu-Kaku – a restaurant chain across the island, serving delicious Japanese BBQ (yakiniku).
Suntory – Is a minimalist Japanese restaurant offering traditional cuisine, including sushi & teppanyaki. Teppanyaki is the method of cooking the Yakiniku. Teppanyaki’s are grills built into the table itself. Suntory is located in the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki.
Korean BBQ
Similar to the Japanese Yakiniku, Hawaii also has what is called Korean BBQ restaurants. Now, to get this you can visit quick plate lunch spots like Yummy Korean BBQ and Pearl’s Korean BBQ. Or to get the full experience with unlimited side options and all-you-can-eat meat check out these two local favorites.
Sikrorak – This is a tiny, casual Korean BBQ place featuring an all-you-can-eat menu & grills on each table. Located on Ke’eaumoku Street near Ala Moana Shopping center.
Gen Korean BBQ House is a local trendy chain that offers a cook your own style set up and unlimited banchan, which means the small side dishes served with cooked rice.
Best Hawaii Sweet Treats
Now to satisfy your sweet cravings, we compiled a mini list of some Hawaii’s local favorite snacks and treats.
Li Hing Mui
Most of us that have grown up in Hawaii have eaten Li Hing Mui. This Chinese influenced powder can be put on just about everything as its surprisingly just dried plum powder. You can get it many different forms. Strawberry belt candy, gummy candy, hard rock candy, and my personal favorite on dried mangoes. You can even get the powder in a 2-oz bag and put it on your fruits. Check out the varieties at a local Hawaii Snack shop.
Shaved Ice
While this may resemble a snow cone, snow cones are made with crushed ice, rather than shaved ice. Basically, it is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and topping it with your choice of flavored syrups.
Places to try in Oahu – Matsumoto’s and Waiola Shave Ice
Dole Whip
Dole Whip is a soft serve dairy-free frozen dessert created by Dole Food Company in 1986. The original flavor is pineapple. Check out the Oahu guide for where to go to get this delicious pineapple soft-serve. My personal favorite is sprinkling Li Hing Mui on top for a little sour taste along with the sweet tang of the Dole Whip.
Mochi Ice Cream
Mochi ice cream is a confection made from Japanese mochi with an ice cream filling. The word mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice.
Butter Mochi
As you can see mochi is very popular and versatile in Hawaii. Butter Mochi is a local Hawaii sweet similar to the blond brownie, but made with mochiko flour and coconut milk. My Lebanese Armenian mom enjoys this so she learned how to make it, as it is fast and easy to make.
Malasadas/Poi Donut
The best way to describe malasadas are as a Portuguese donut. You can get them plain, as they come sugar-dusted or with a filling. My personal favorite are the custard fill malasada. Poi donuts are similar to malasadas in that they are a donut but have a base of taro, or what is known as poi.
Places to try in Oahu – Leonard’s Bakery.
Lilikoi
Lilikoi in Hawaiian means passion fruit. You may be familiar with Acai bowls, similar to that, in Hawaii we have what is called Lilikoi bowls. Lilikoi is also popular in desserts, jams/jelly’s, and even juices. If you eat it the traditional way by cutting it in half and digging right in don’t forget you can eat the seeds too! Places to get a lilikoi bowl would be Island Vintage Coffee.
Haupia
A fresh and simple coconut pudding. Now, to everyone’s surprise, I am not a fan of coconut, but I do enjoy this little treat. Some even use Haupia as wedding cake toppers or stuff them into fried haupia pies.
Ube Ice Cream
Passed from generation to generation are a wide array of desserts that incorporate the purple yam. There is halo halo, ube halaya (aka ube jam), pastries, dessert fillings, cheesecakes, and ice cream. Influenced by the Filipino culture this has been a Filipino favorite for decades.
Gifts for family
Get your Hawaii gifts from the local Longs Drugs, Costco, Walgreens, etc. do not pay for the overpriced ABC Store version. Also for physical memorabilia (not food) visit the weekend Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium.
Macadamia Nut Cover Chocolate
Hawaiian Host Original Chocolate–Covered Macadamia Nuts are like a beautiful postcard from Hawaii. This has always been my go-to gift for everyone that hasn’t been to Hawaii. I have gifted this to my supervisors, family in other countries, and even go my husbands family in Lebanon absolutely addicted. These are the best gifts to bring back from Hawaii.
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookie
The Honolulu Cookie Company has been baking macadamia nut shortbread cookies in the shape of pineapples since 1998.These make for a great gift as they come in the cutest presentation and are coffee’s best friend. You can get an assortment of flavors from fruit based like guava, mango, and pineapple to the variety of chocolates, milk, dark, and white.
Kaki Mochi/Arare/Mochi Crunch
Whether you call it Kaki Mochi, Arare, or mochi crunch these bite size Japanese crackers are one of my favorites. Anytime my parents send me a package I always ask them to throw a packet of Arare. If you know someone who enjoys Asian mixes, then these are a the perfect gift.
After a crash course language lesson in Hawaiian, Korean, and Japanese we hope you saw the diversity Hawaii has to offer in it’s food selection.
Hawaii may be the 50th State, but you can see that the culture of this place is different than the other States in the U.S. The East-West connections influence the list of Hawaii foods as you saw above. Meaning Hawaii food has strong influences from Japan, China, Filipino, and other nearby countries. If you are going to visit this beautiful island, check out my Ultimate Oahu Guide.
Comment below if you have tried any of the Hawaii food items and what was your favorite. Let us know what was the best Hawaii food you ate.
Great list! I am a vegetarian so many of these don’t appeal to me, but the desserts sure do look delicious! Shaved ice is always a favorite of mine and you can’t go wrong with dole whip. The Butter Mochi looks delicious! I would love to try the Hawaiian Mac Salad to.
Wow! You have introduced me to many foods that I never even heard of. Would love to try several. The grilled meat, the poke bowls and definitely the amazing sushi. I love sushi and eat it frequently but I’ve never been to Japan or Hawaii to taste “the real deal!” The coconut dessert and the chocolate covered macadamia nuts sound delicious too!
Yummm!! The shaved ice and the dole whip are definitely at the top of my list! But it’s so hard to choose! The sushi and the poke I bet are incredible as well. I need to visit Hawaii!
I have tried a few things like spam musubi and loco moco in Japan – I had no idea they were originally from Hawaii! It’s really interesting how Japan and Hawaii have so much influence over each other.
Now I need to taste Malasadas, Lilikoi bowls and Haupia! they all sounds really tasty!
This makes me want to work through eating all of these foods😭 Absolutely love poke and the Hawaiian chocolates! 🍫
Yum! All of these variations of meals and treats have my mouth watering! That sushi looks so amazing! And the spam musubi doesn’t sound like anything I would ever think of eating, but I would try it if I was in Hawaii!!
I haven’t tried any of these but they look so appealing to the eyes and delicious. Indeed, every place has its delicacies.
I have loved Dole Whips since I was a child and Poke’ has been a long time favorite as well. Poke’ nachos sounds AMAZING!
These are great recommendations! And they made me hungry haha.
Ohhh yummy! Makes me want to go to Hawaii:)
I love Hawaiian food! Loco moco is one of my favorites. I can’t wait to go back!
This is such an amazing read! I had no idea of the food from Hawaii. I was surprised by the sushi as well! Thanks for sharing and taking me on this food journey!