15 Amazing Eat in Oahu

You can really tell that there is a lot of love put into Hawaiian cuisine. Hawaii is a melting pot of cuisines, cultures, and people and their food definitely shows it. Here are 15 amazing eats while visiting Oahu. Trust us, it "Broke Da Mouth" which means "very delicious"

Loco Moco

A classic Hawaiian dish that’s very rich and delicious. There are a couple of variations on how they make loco moco but it consists of white rice (brown if you want to be healthy), meat (usually a hamburger patty), over easy eggs, and everything drenched in gravy. Some restaurants have a slight variation of this dish, might add spam or Portuguese sausage. One of our favorite loco moco is from yogurstory a restaurant known for its breakfasts. What to order? You have to try the prime rib loco moco, which is rice with a big slice of prime rib, eggs, covered in gravy, very ono. Address: 745 Ke’eaumoku St, Honolulu, HI 96814

Plate Lunch

Another essential dish you have to have in Hawaii is a plate lunch. What exactly is a plate lunch? It’s a plate with your choice of meat, 2 scoops of rice, and 1 scoop of Mac Salad. You can find these meals everywhere in Hawaii. But the most famous plate lunch place is Rainbow Drive-In by Waikiki Beach. Open in 1961, this family restaurant has been serving tourists and locals delicious meals. What to get? Mix Plate that comes with BBQ Beef, BBQ Chicken, fried Mahi Mahi, 2 scoops of rice, and mac salad. Address: 3308 Kanaina Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815

Shrimp Plate

The north shore shrimp trucks are famous on the islands. There are always long lines from tourists and locals to get a delicious plate of shrimp. There are a couple of different places but if you want to try one of the original ones on the island, check out Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. It's cash only and lines can get long on the weekends but on weekdays you might get lucky and have a 5-minute wait. What to get? Shrimp scampi with two scoops of rice. Get a side of mac salad for a true Hawaiian plate lunch. There are two locations for Giovanni's on the North Shore in Haleiwa 66-472 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 12, and one in Kahuku 6-505 Kamehameha Hwy Kahuku, HI 96731

Poke

This is one of my favorite things to eat in Hawaii, when I get off the plane, I have to get my poke fix. What exactly is poke? It's diced raw fish that’s marinated in a sauce. It is usually served over rice, or you can eat it by itself as an appetizer. There are so many good poke places and locals will all have different opinions. We tried a new place this time, Poke by the Pound in Honolulu. What to get? We loved the Spicy Ahi very ono. Don’t get there too late, once they sell out of Poke they are out for the day. Parking is a small lot and it’s a take-out spot not really a place to eat there. Address: 322 Kalihi olulu, HI 96819

Oxtail Soup

For a big bowl of comfort, Hawaiian Oxtail Soup is the answer. The oxtail is slow cooked in a broth with ginger, star, anise, peanuts, and some secret ingredients. The soup is also served with a dipping sauce made with ginger and soy sauce of course two scoops of steamed rice. Where to find this place? It's actually in a bowling alley, Aiea Bowl – Aiea Bowl & The Alley Restaurant, which is 20 minutes away from Waikiki Beach. This place is so good it was featured on Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins. What to order? We shared the Oxtail Soup with steamed rice. Wait times can vary here but expect to wait at least 30 minutes for a table. Address Aiea Shopping Center 99-115 Aiea Heights Dr # 310, Aiea, HI 96701

Lau Lau

A traditional Hawaiian dish that is found all over the island is Lau Lau. Lau Lau is a dish with meat filling like fish, chicken, or pork wrapped in taro leaves and steamed until the leaves are cooked and the meat is soft. Highway Inn is one of our favorite places to get lau lau. What to get? We got the Highway Inn Tasting Plate with Chicken Lau Lau. It comes with a little bit of everything Chicken or Pork Lau Lau, poi, squid lilau, lomi lomi salmon, kalua pork, chicken long rice, and sweet potatoes. This dish is definitely enough for 2 people. Address: SALT at Our Kaka'ako 680 Ala Moana Blvd #105, Honolulu, HI 96813

Portuguese Sausage

This is another food that I always have to get my fix when landing in Hawaii. There was a large migration of Portuguese during the late 1800 and some of their cuisines were incorporated into Hawaiian cuisine. Hawaiian Portuguese sausage is similar to linguica but it's sweeter. You can get Portuguese sausage anywhere in Hawaii, even the local fast food places like McDonald’s but our favorite place is Liliha Bakery. There are a couple of locations around Honolulu the one we went to was located on the 3rd floor of Macy’s in Ala Moana mall. What to get? 2 egg breakfast which comes with two eggs in any style, carbs (potatoes, fried rice, or steamed rice), and meat (Portuguese sausage, bacon, ham, etc). Save room for dessert because their bakery is amazing, poi donuts and mochi cake are a must! Address: Ala Moana Mall, Macy's 3rd fl, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814

Saimin

Although it's like 80 degrees outside, I can always use a bowl of soup. Hawaiian Saimin is different than ramen but it is similar. It’s a noodle soup made with a clear broth and topped with char sui (pork), spam, green onions, and bean sprouts. Where to go? The local McDonald’s actually serves ramen but you have to go to Shige Stand and order a large Saimin. During lunch, it can get a bit busy but it was only around a 10-minute wait for a table. Address: 70 Kukui St, Wahiawa, HI 96786

Furikake Ahi

Ahi is everywhere in Hawaii. What exactly is Ahi? It comes from Yellowfin Tuna and it's like butter. Furikake Ahi is Ahi that is covered with Furikake and then pan-fried quickly. It is sometimes served with a dipping sauce, but you really don’t need it. Where to get this dish? It’s everywhere on the island but we tried it at Nico's Pier 38 a restaurant and seafood market on Pier 38. What to get? Furikake Ahi with 2 scoops of rice and mac salad. This place during lunch is a quick service lunch spot but at night it’s a sit-down restaurant with live music. Address: 1129 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI 96817

Spam Musubi

Musubi is the ultimate snack in Hawaii. Musubi is rice topped with meat (usually spam) and then wrapped in nori. This snack is found at every ABC and 711 on the island. We always pack a couple for the beach in case we get hungry. Where to get it? MUSUBI CAFE IYASUME® which is all over Hawaii. They carry so many different types of musubi like spam, chicken katsu, eggs, and even eel musubi. Or you can just check out the local Foodland, Hawaiian grocery store, to stock up on spam musubi. Address: Musubi Cafe Iyasume 227 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI 96815; Foodland Farms 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814

Asian Fusion

Hawaii's Asian Fusion scene is so hot right now. The next generation of chefs are trying to keep their Hawaiian culture but put their spin on Hawaiian food. There are so many places popping up it's hard to keep up. Roy Yamaguchi is one of the founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. He opened up Eating House 1849 at the International Market Place to pay homage to the Hawaiian culture and to use ingredients from local farms and suppliers. What to get? Beef Short ribs with Cripsy Brussel Sprouts, Yukon Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Chive Chimichurri. It's so good! Reservations are encouraged, and if you have a chance ask to dine outside on the beautiful patio. This place is also kid-friendly, there is a 3-course kids meal available. Address: International Market Place 3rd Floor 2330 Kalākaua Ave #322, Honolulu, HI 96815

Guava Pancakes

Brunch is a big thing in Hawaii. There are so many brunch places you can’t go wrong with anything you choose. One of our favorite things to get for brunch is the big, fluffy pancakes. One of the must-try places is Cinnamons at the 'Ilikai located at the llikai Hotel in Waikiki. A local breakfast and lunch place that serves up big breakfast portions. What to get? You have to get the Guava Chiffon Pancakes its only at Cinnamons. No reservations, walk-in only but get there early, during peak times waits can be 30 minutes long. Address: The Ilikai, 1777 Ala Moana Blvd #150, Honolulu, HI 96815

Shaved Ice

This tasty treat is the perfect dessert for the hot Hawaii Sun. It is an ice-based dessert that is made by “shaving ice” to make it feel like fluffy snow, then they top it with flavored syrup and other toppings like mochi, fruit, or condensed milk to name a few. There is one place that is famous for this dessert, Matsumoto Shave Ice on the North Shore. What to try? There are two sizes, small or large then you can choose up to three flavors for your shaved ice. Their flavor menu is extensive over 30 different flavors. We got a small Strawberry and Mango Shaved Ice with condensed milk and their specialty the Ichiban Special, 1 shaved ice flavor, vanilla ice cream, beans, condensed milk, and mochi in a waffle bowl. Lines can be long, but don’t let that scare you, it moves fast. Address: 66-111 Kamehameha Hwy #605, Haleiwa, HI 96712

Malasada

There are plenty of spots on the island to get a Malasada. But what is a Malasada? It’s a Portuguese donut covered in cinnamon and sugar. Sometimes they’ll have malasada with a cream filling like chocolate, guava, etc. The one spot you have to go for Malasada is Leonard's Bakery there is always a line of tourists and locals wanting these sweet treats. What to get? We got a mix, the original which is just sugar and cinnamon then we got a couple of cream-filled ones our favorites have to be the dobash (chocolate) and macadamia nut. Quick tip if you don’t want to wait in line there are Leonard’s Bakery Trucks around the island that serves up the same menu and no wait! Address: 933 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816

Dole Whip

A trip to Hawaii isn’t complete unless you stop by and get some dole whip. It’s a soft serve pineapple ice cream that is so good on a hot Hawaii day. Where to get this? the Dole Plantation they serve it up plain or a sundae. We just got dole whip with chocolate and pineapple chunks. It was so delicious! Address: 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy, Wahiawa, HI 96786