Discovering Oahu’s Food Scene: Where to Eat on Oahu

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Looking for some great suggestions on where to eat on Oahu? From Waikiki to the North Shore, this post has you covered!

When I was younger, I visited Oahu often. My mom would send me over from Maui to stay with my grandma for spring or summer breaks since it was just a short plane ride away! My grandma or my aunt would mostly cook for me, and I have very vivid memories of my grandma’s breaded pork chops that she would serve with steamed rice (because steamed rice goes with everything in Hawaii), iceberg lettuce salads with French dressing, and a healthy squirt of ketchup for me to drown my meat in.

We didn’t go out to eat a lot, and if we did, it was a trip to Zippy’s for some chili or McDonald’s for some hot cakes, spam, rice, and eggs. When we were kids, at least when I was, food had less priority in my life.

Fast forward 15 years and I finally returned to Oahu with food at the forefront of my mind! As most of us know, food has now taken a front-row seat in my life, especially in my travels. It’s always hard to cover a lot of ground with only a handful of days in a destination, but I did my research, consulted with my local friends, and ultimately put together a short, worthwhile foodie adventure.

This post isn’t meant to be a guide, per se, but more so a foodie diary. If you want even more tips and recommendations, check out this ultimate guide to Oahu’s food scene from my Oahu expert friend, Lisa, over at Cultural Foodies!

If you’re wondering where to eat on Oahu, hopefully this will help give you some good ideas! Next time I visit Oahu and have more to add, you bet I’ll be dubbing this one a full guide.

Waikiki/Honolulu

How do I feel about Honolulu? It’s overwhelming – bustling with tourists and locals alike, especially down in Waikiki. It’s not really our kind of scene but you just have to pay the area a visit, especially if you are a foodie! I’d recommend spending a couple of days here just exploring the food scene!

TsuruTonTan

TsuruTonTan | 2233 Kalakaua Ave, B310, Honolulu, HI 96815

If you’re really craving Japanese food, there’s no shortage of options to choose from in Honolulu. We were meeting up with a friend of mine and her family and needed somewhere to sit down and be able to visit and have conversation with one another.

While I definitely wanted to try the ever-popular Marukame Udon in Waikiki, it is a more casual establishment and generally has a pretty long line (not fun when you’re meeting up with a group). So, my husband found this gem, we made a resy, and the rest was history!

TsuruTonTan originated in Japan, and now operates several restaurants in the Kanto and Kansai regions. It then made its way to the U.S. via New York and now Honolulu!

“Tsuru”—The sound of slurping noodles
“Ton”—The sound of kneading and shaping udon
“Tan”—The sound of cutting udon

Here’s what we ate

Hamachi Carpaccio: The hamachi carpaccio was definitely my favorite of all the dishes – seared hamachi, grated daikon, avocado, and yuzo kosho (Japanese citrus/pepper paste). Hamachi is my favorite fish to have sashimi style, so it’s no surprise that I loved it!

Spicy Tuna Tartare Cones: Maybe a little gimmicky but I thought they were really tasty! I am a fan of spicy tuna, and the crunch of the cones complimented the tuna well. They were a little small for the price, but I’m happy we ordered them anyway.

Shrimp Kakiage Udon: When a craving for Japanese noodle soup hits you, udon will definitely fill that need. I opted for the Shrimp Kakiage Udon, made with dashi broth and kakiage-style tempura shrimp and vegetables (vegetables are cut thinner than traditional tempura and fried together to look like a nest).

The tempura soaked up the broth while still leaving a little crunch, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. It was a big bowl of soup and I was so full afterwards!

TsuruTonTan Deluxe Udon: Udon with dashi broth, shrimp & vegetable tempura, beef & chicken and egg drop broth. This was my husband’s choice and while good, he actually preferred my udon over his.

Getaway Car: My drink of choice – SKYY Vodka, lilikoi, muddled strawberry, fresh lime and ginger beer. Very refreshing, although not very strong in alcohol content.

Matcha Fashioned: My husband’s drink of choice – definitely very unique! Redemption Rye Whiskey, matcha, orange bitters, and brown sugar (the green drink above)

Some notes:

• You can upgrade from regular size to large at no extra cost (heck yes!).
• You can choose your preference of noodle thickness (I loved the thicker noodles).
• Drinks are reasonably priced compared to cocktails at other restaurants (although not very strong in alcohol content).
• TsuruTonTan is located on the 3rd level of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, which has parking on site. We walked from our hotel, though, so I can’t comment much more on the parking situation. Driving in Waikiki is crazy, so I’m glad we didn’t have to worry about driving that evening.

Mud Hen Water

Mud Hen Water | 3452 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816

If you really want a unique farm-to-table Hawaiian-inspired dining experience, you must come to Mud Hen Water! It’s away from the Waikiki madness in the quiet neighborhood of Kaimuki, and serves up some really inventive dishes. We met up with my my fellow blogger and friend, Lisa from Cultural Foodies, to indulge in all this goodness.

Savory Dishes at Mud Hen Water

Buttered ‘Ulu: This dish consisted of breadfruit with fermented black bean, sour orange, and cilantro. Ulu sort of has a similar consistency to that of a potato. It was my first time eating breadfruit, believe it or not, and I had no idea what to expect! The fermented black bean and sour orange was mild but provided a much-needed punch of acidity. If I had one gripe about this dish, it would be that the ulu was a little dry and I would have liked a little more of the black bean and sour orange.

Beet Poke: Created to mimic ahi poke, this poke dish was made with beets and paired with avocado, pickled limu (seaweed), and smoked macadamia nuts. WOW. Vegetarians – this one is for you! It was definitely my favorite dish here.

Pohole: A fern shoot salad with okra, yamaimo (Japanese mountain yam), sweet onion, and an ume shiso vinaigrette. Ume is a sour Japanese fruit (almost apricot or plum-like), and shiso is a Japanese plant, of which you can commonly find the leaves used as garnishes in Japanese restaurants. I always love a pohole salad, and the crunchy fern shoots at Mud Hen Water were nicely complimented with all of these unique ingredients.

Chicken Long Rice Croquettes with curry and scallions – not my thing, but it was definitely my husband’s favorite dish! Chicken long rice is traditionally a glass noodle (“long rice”) dish in a broth with chicken, ginger and onion. A croquette was a very unique way to present this dish!

And then it was time for dessert

Brownie Sundae: A chocolate kiawe bean brownie with black sesame gelato and macadamia nut toffee. The flavors in this dish were really unique, and the gelato had a savory element to it with the black sesame seeds. I had no idea you could actually eat the beans from the kiawe tree? I guess it serves more of a purpose than just being a devil tree whose thorns we always step on at the beach (IYKYK)!

Rice Pudding: An amazing miso butterscotch rice pudding topped with a ginger lace cookie. This dessert was a real winner for me and I generally don’t like rice pudding. I was amazed at the flavors from both the miso and the butterscotch, and it was so creamy and delicious! I would definitely repeat.

BREW’d Craft Pub

BREW’d | 3441 Waialae Avenue A, Honolulu, HI 96816

Located just across the street from Mud Hen Water, we found this awesome little spot for craft beer – BREW’d Craft Pub. We walked across to BREW’d for some after-dinner beers when we were finished with our meal at Mud Hen Water, and I must say, I think we found a little gem in Honolulu. This place had such an awesome vibe, as well as a good selection of craft beer (we had Bruff by Revision).

And although we had just eaten dinner, we could not resist an order of the ghost pepper pickles. WARNING: these are SO spicy! You’ll be pounding down your beers just to cool your mouth off (worth it, though). We wished we had more time in Honolulu to try out the food here because it sounded like some really awesome pub grub.

Senia

Senia | 75 N King St, Honolulu, HI 96817

Ahhh, Senia – one of the most hyped fine dining experiences in Honolulu! Fine dining in Honolulu also means that you’ll be paying a pretty penny for dinner; however, you can score a lunch res here and pay just $35 per person for a prix fixe meal in which you can choose from a couple of options for each course – including an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.

I really, really wanted to fall in love with Senia. I mean, it’s hard to find a bad review about this place on any platform! Senia definitely gets top marks from me for creativity and presentation, and service is quite attentive.

The food overall was pretty good, but I definitely wished it had packed a little more punch in terms of flavor. I was really searching for that “WOW” moment but I didn’t really find that here. I would, of course, be willing to give it another try because there are always different menu items to choose from!

My Prix Fixe Choices

BBQ Beets: with avocado, green garlic, seeds and grains. This was a beautiful presentation of contrasting colors from the beets and avocado, but definitely a dish I wish had more flavor. The puffed rice did add a nice textural element, though.

Agnolotti: with sunchokes, spinach, chestnuts & cranberry garnish. The cranberries added a much-needed acidic/tangy element to the plate to balance out the creamy chestnut puree, and the crispy sunchoke chips brought it all together by giving it a nice textural component.

Overall, I thought this dish was tasty and beautifully presented – but the hangry kid in me really wanted a bit more on the plate. I was also a little confused at what temperature the dish was supposed to be served as it was pretty room temp when I got it. If the agnolotti were meant to be warm, the temp probably got away from them with all the rest of the elements that needed to be plated.

Brown Butter Mochi: with seasonal fruit. My absolute favorite thing we ate here! I’m a big fan of the chewy texture of mochi, and the brown butter flavor did not disappoint. I would hardly call a tiny sliver of apple a seasonal fruit accompaniment but it did not matter much anyway since the mochi was the star.

Husband’s Choices

Smoked Venison Tartare: with truffles, pine & blueberry. This dish was very interesting in combination with the blueberry jam-like sauce, and no doubt a lovely presentation.

Glazed Short Rib Sandwich: with horseradish mayo, grilled onion, and a side of potatoes in a garlic chimichurri sauce. The glaze on the sandwich was tasty and the short ribs were nice and tender. The potatoes were pretty magical and I could have taken a whole plate of those and disregarded the sandwich altogether! I also think this is one of the more substantial options to choose from, so if you’re hungry, definitely get the sandwich.

Senia Cookie: with peanut butter, Valrhona chocolate & toffee. Another win in the dessert department! Soft and gooey in the middle, and crunchy towards the outside. I didn’t even mind the peanut butter and I’m not usually a fan.

Additional Notes

• Cocktails are a little on the pricier side (as to be expected), and range from $16 to $18 a piece.
• Parking in this part of town is a bit challenging (Chinatown area), speaking from our own experience. There are some parking garages around, but beware of one-way streets and be sure to leave early to contend with traffic. I would order yourself a taxi or Uber to get there stress-free!
• I would suggest making a reservation, even for lunch.

Honolulu Beer Works

Honolulu Beer Works | 328 Cooke St, Honolulu, HI 96813

There are several brewpubs to choose from in downtown Honolulu, but we chose this one on recommendation from a friend. Unfortunately, they were sold out of two of the main ones I wanted to try – “Just the Spruce Tip” and a hazy pale ale called “Pussy Grabs Back.” At least we know they have a good sense of humor, right?

Here’s what we got in our flight of six:

• Kewalo’s Cream Ale – 5% ABV – A light, easy-drinking style cream ale
• Hop Island IPA – 7% ABV – A danky and bitter IPA
• Sheltered Bay IPA – 6.6% ABV – A PNW-style IPA
• Fra-Gee-Lay – 7.0% – Espresso milk stout, with flavors of cinnamon and vanilla, and coffee from neighboring Koko Crater Coffee Co.
• Hot Scotch Ale – 7.5% – Brewed with hot peppers and a touch of caramel
• Makakilo Brown – 5.9% ABV – A nice brown with hints of dark bread, caramel and citrus from the hops

*Samples are $2.00 – $3.00 per 4 oz. pour, depending on the beers.

We also got an order of the smoked ahi dip just to have as a light snack with our beers. Pretty good, but definitely too much bread for the spread!

They do serve a variety of lunch and dinner pub-style grub…ahem…mac n beer cheese…so if you’re coming here hungry, there’s plenty to eat! We had a lunch reservation (at Senia – above) so we didn’t get to sample any of the other foods.

Overall impressions: We preferred the darker beers here. We’re kind of IPA snobs and very picky about flavor profiles. This is a nice chill spot to hang out though – bring some games, and enjoy the beers!

Notes about parking: Honolulu Beer Works is not too far from Salt at Our Kaka’ako, so you can park there and enjoy some shopping before/after heading to HBW. There is also metered street parking around if you can snag a spot, which is what we did.

The Deck (at Queen Kapiolani Hotel)

The Deck | 150 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815

Breakfast at The Deck in the Queen Kapiolani hotel gets an A+ from us! We were invited to enjoy a complimentary breakfast at the hotel as part of me winning a prize package at a travel agent training event (my opinions are 100% honest and my own). It was actually a sales meeting where we got to hear first-hand about the history of the hotel, its recent renovations, and what the future holds for the hotel!

Now for the food. Firstly, the fresh-squeezed lilikoi juice is a MUST. I also ordered the Aloha Cheese Omelete (hold the meat) with country potatoes and rye toast and it was the perfect way to start my day.

Micah had his first-ever experience with Loco Moco and it left a lasting impression! If you aren’t familiar with loco moco, it’s a hamburger patty served over rice and topped with gravy and a sunny side-up egg.

For you vegetarians, The Deck has actually started serving a veggie version with the Impossible Burger and mushroom gravy! They didn’t have this option when I was there, otherwise I would have totally gone for it.

Thoughts and Notes:

• Don’t just come for the food – come for the views! The views of Diamondhead from the restaurant are unbeatable! They also have happy hour, which makes this an incredibly scenic place to relax and have a drink.
• I do think the pricing is a little high; however, that is pretty typical for a hotel restaurant.
• Parking at the hotel is valet only.
• I’m coming back for you, Impossible Burger moco…

Penny’s Malasadas

Penny’s | Royal Hawaiian Center, 2233 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu

“How big are they?” he asked me. “About the size of a donut hole,” I naively replied, not remembering how large malasadas actually are. On our last day on Oahu, before we headed out to the airport, we stopped at Penny’s for some “breakfast” malasadas (a Portuguese-style donut).

Though the guy working insisted we should get a dozen – we ordered seven (I don’t even know why we ended up with an odd number…let’s call it vacation brain). We got two filled with cherry; one with coconut cream; one with Nutella; and three plain cinnamon sugar.

I opened the box, immediately thankful we didn’t opt for a dozen. They were each about the size of my fist. “Holy shit!” we both exclaimed. Malasada monsters is what they were. Needless to say, we would be taking some to go on the plane ride home. If you do want those “donut hole sized” malasadas, they do have them as a keiki option (not just for kids!)

Contrary to your average donut, Penny’s malasadas are much lighter in density, and less sweet in nature. Not saying that’s an excuse to eat more malasadas (well, maybe a little), but you can definitely pack more in your belly. We didn’t get a chance to try the popular Leonard’s malasadas in Honolulu so we can’t compare, but I’d be curious to hear the thoughts from someone who has tried both!

Pro tip: Malasadas are best served fresh and piping hot.

Central Oahu

Manulele Distillers/KōHana Rum

KoHana Rum | 92-1770 Kunia Rd #227, Kunia Camp, HI 96759

I’ve been into finding distilleries lately for spirit tasting to give us some variety away from beer and wine. Tasting quality spirits on their own without mixers is a unique experience and really allows you to appreciate the flavors of the spirit and all the hard work that goes into its production. If you’re heading from Honolulu to the North Shore, I definitely recommend this as a little detour on your way!

Manulele Distillers produces KōHana rum – small batch, “farm to bottle,” hand-crafted agricole rum (agricole meaning distilled from sugar cane). They run tours of the property or you can just opt do the tasting (our choice). We paid $10/pp for a tasting, which was applied towards a bottle purchase (which is nice since they start at a cool $35 per bottle).

With the tasting, we got to sample four different rums, plus a little shot of freshly-pressed cane juice upon arrival. They also included a couple small food pairings, such as their rum cake and honey.

Here are the four rums we tasted (and note that I am not an expert at describing the tastes of spirts…):

• Kea – A nice clean and light white rum.
• Kea 2.0 – A different variety of the Kea rum with a more funky taste to it – definitely not my favorite but interesting nonetheless.
• Koho – A darker rum, which was the best of them all in my opinion – nice and caramel-like. We bought a bottle to take home to our friends as a thank you for watching our fur kids!
• Kokoleka – This is pretty much a chocolately treat, crafted with cacao and honey. Definitely one of those you’d pour a tiny bit just to sip on.

The tasting room has beautiful sugarcane-themed works of art to admire, and has honey and other gifts available, including their tasty rum cake. A bottle of the rum is a wee bit pricey for the size, but if you find something special during your tasting, it makes a great gift to bring home with you.

North Shore

North Shore – I am a fan! There are so many great casual eateries in this area of the island. It’s a much more laid-back feel compared to Honolulu, and the food is out of this world! You’ll also find no shortage of food trucks, especially when it comes to the famous “shrimp trucks” of Oahu, and places will be a bit more budget-friendly.

Jenny’s Shrimp Truck – Haleiwa

66528a Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712

If you’re a seafood eater, you can’t miss all the shrimp trucks on the North Shore! The only dilemma will be which one to choose from. Giovanni’s seems to be the most popular of them all, but we wanted to try one of the lesser-known trucks for our first go at it. My husband did some Yelping and decided Jenny’s was it – we were not disappointed at all! Well, maybe only a little disappointed that we had only ordered one plate to share.

We got the spicy garlic shrimp, and all that sauce soaked up by the two scoops of fluffy white rice was pure heaven. Jenny’s – we will return!

Waialua Bakery – Haleiwa

66-200 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712

You ever have those days when you are just craving a nice big sandwich with fresh, crunchy veggies? I was definitely having one of those days when we were in Haleiwa and man oh man, did this avocado sandwich hit the spot! It didn’t matter that we had just scarfed down a plate of garlic shrimp – we were still hungry.

Some notes:

• Waialua Bakery is cash only!
• They have several different breads to choose from daily, including options for vegans.
• They also make freshly baked cookies, which you can even get made into an ice cream sandwich!

Matsumoto Shave Ice – Haleiwa

Matsumoto Shave Ice | 66-087 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712

If you’re craving shave ice, Matsumoto is one of the most famous spots on Oahu! Do they have the very best shave ice I’ve ever had? No, but it’s pretty good and you can get a variety of toppings.

I got the mochi balls as a topping but they were a little slimy and pretty lacking in flavor, so I’d skip those next time. We got the tropical flavor trio of guava, papaya, and lilikoi – also with vanilla ice cream at the bottom. There is no other way! Well, unless you’re lactose intolerant of course.

Note: Expect to find a line out the door here. Luckily for us, we walked right up to the counter when we were there, as a line formed behind us.

Seven Brothers at the Mill – Kahuku

Seven Brothers | 56-565 Kamehameha Hwy, Kahuku, HI 96731

Love this little chill spot at The Mill in Kahuku! The Kahuku Sugar Mill no longer exists, but in its former spot, you can find a variety of shops and small eateries. We came to Seven Brothers wanting a fish plate for lunch one day, but they were unfortunately sold out at the time. So, we settled on a coconut shrimp plate, which we ate surrounded by a bunch of cute, sleeping feral cats.

They do also have really great burgers (ask about their veggie burger) and home fries if you’re craving something else, which we had at their other location in Laie (more on that below).

Seven Brothers – Laie

Seven Brothers Laie | 55-510 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, HI 96762

Holy hell does Seven Brothers know how to make a good burger! Just a short drive from where we were staying in Laie, we decided to head here for a casual dinner our first night in the area.

I had the scrumptious Country Veggie Burger with grilled pineapple, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, local greens and Swiss cheese. The burger patty was incredibly flavorful (though I think I might skip the pineapple next time since it kind of made the burger hard to eat with all the juices).

We both shared the Crazy Fries with melted cheese, grilled onions and house sauce. The fries are cut into thinner slices (almost like when you’re doing a scalloped potato dish) and they were delicious!

My husband had the Spencer Burger, with melted Swiss, bacon, grilled jalapenos, spicy bleu cheese sauce, and an onion ring. He put this burger on his list of top favorites of all time! That’s not an easy feat.

Note: No booze here as it’s in the town of Laie, which is a Mormon community.

Ken’s Fresh Fish – Laie

55-730 Kamehameha Hwy suite 102, Laie, HI 96762

When in Hawaii, fresh fish is the dish! This is a tiny shop in Laie serving up delicious fish plate lunches. Their most famous menu item seems to be the ahi katsu, though they do cover that sucker in a lot of mayo sauce. We decided to get the garlic butter and caper preparation, and got “mini” orders of both the ono and the ahi with rice (you can also just get salad if you don’t like rice).

We paid just $7.00 for each mini plate (they now cost $10) and I was in disbelief at the portion sizes of the fish! For real though – when you order an entrée with fish this size (like the full size of my entire hand) in a sit-down restaurant, I’d expect to pay $25 and up for what you get. It. Is. A. STEAL! If you ever find yourself on the North Shore, definitely make a stop here.

Notes:

• Cash and credit cards are accepted
• There is very limited seating inside the shop, so you might want to take this to go to enjoy on the beach.
• If you get the garlic butter and caper preparation, you don’t even need shoyu for your rice because all the garlic butter drips down into it. So ono!
• They also sell poke and fresh fish in the raw for you to take home and prepare yourself.
• Full plate lunch portions are $14, and include both rice and salad (STILL an amazing deal for what you get)

Polynesian Cultural Center Luau – Laie

Polynesian Cultural Center | 55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, HI 96762

I’ll be reviewing the full “PCC” experience in a separate post, but wanted to include a few notes about the luau food. If you’ve ever been to a luau before, the food is pretty standard – kalua pork (pig cooked in an underground imu), rice, lomi lomi salmon, rolls, salad, assorted veggies, poke, baked chicken and fish dishes, etc.

The PCC had all that typical luau food, of course, which was pretty good (although, definitely not the best assortment I’ve seen). I will give them props for an excellent poi roll though!

The shining moment of the luau food for me was actually their offering of vegetarian entrees – and not just vegetarian choices, but also vegan! You do have to snag one of the waiters passing by to get your order in, but that’s no big deal. I had the veggie chili with a side of rice, and polenta with kale and roasted red pepper sauce. I quite enjoyed both options and was so happy to see a luau adding alternative options for non-meat eaters.

Sadly, there are no fruity all-you-can-drink alcoholic beverages at this luau – the PCC is Mormon-owned and in the Mormon community of Laie

Courtyard by Marriott – Laie

Marriott Laie | 55-400 Kamehameha Highway, Laie, Hawaii 96762 USA

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott North Shore in Laie for the second half of our trip to Oahu, and I was invited to a complimentary breakfast as part of a sales tour of the property (travel agent perks – all opinions are 100% my own). There’s nothing fancy about a Marriott cafe, but for the sake of this food diary, I must document!

I had the Farm Stand Bowl with broccolini, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, and parm cheese, topped with scrambled eggs. It was surprisingly tasty! It was also suggested that we try their special rolls, which are topped with guava and lilikoi frosting. I concur – it was a good idea. Yum!

Micah had the breakfast burrito and fresh fruit. Decent – nothing to really highlight though. There are plenty of other options nearby; however, I think the offerings here are acceptable and reasonably priced for a hotel cafe – especially for breakfast when you want to grab a bite before you leave the hotel and start your day.

Windward Coast (East)

The Windward Coast (east side) of Oahu is where I spent most of my time visiting my family growing up. It’s beautiful and laid back, and has some of the best beaches around! I’m glad we got to visit this area briefly, though there are so many other places I want to check out in the future!

Lanikai Brewing

Lanikai Brewing | 167 Hamakua Dr, Kailua, HI 96734

Because I like to incorporate as many beer spots as I can on my itinerary, we hit up Lanikai brewing before our dinner with my family in Kailua as it happened to be just down the street.

We missed the turn for the building, and parking is a little limited in this area. So, we ended up parking in the Target parking lot (which is not really allowed if you aren’t actually shopping at Target). Because of this, I felt a little rushed to get through the beers out of fear they would tow our car for being insubordinate (I hate breaking rules!).

What we had, in order from left to right:

• Paradise Ciders Lei’d Back Lilikoi – a fruity cider that turned out to be my favorite of the flight – 6.9% ABV
• Lanikai Dadbod – a house-brewed session IPA at 3.7% ABV
• Lanikai Forever Summer P.O.G. (passion orange guava) – a sour Berliner Weisse at 5.3% ABV
• Aloha Beer Hop Lei IPA at 6.8% ABV (this one unfortunately was not one of my favs)
• Lanikai house-brewed Pillbox Porter with Hawaiian+Tahitian vanilla at 6.5% ABV

I love that tap rooms like this are popping up more in Hawaii. They are such awesome spots to chill, enjoy a variety of beer, play some games, and just enjoy Hawaii life.

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli

Kalapawai Kailua | 750 Kailua Rd, Kailua, HI 96734

So it seems we really saved the best restaurant for last! I wanted to meet up with my aunt and cousin in Kailua and Kalapawai just kept coming back up on my radar. It’s a small little establishment that runs as a café and deli during the day. In the evenings, they open up for dinner and “WOW” is all I have to say! Well, maybe a little more than that.

What We Ordered

Fire-Roasted Spanish Octopus: Nalo greens, frisée, chorizo, fingerling potatoes, garlic oil, lemon juice, cannellini beans, and smoked paprika. I could not have asked for a better introduction to our meal! The octopus was so tender, flavors were on point, and the creamy fingerling potatoes and cannellini beans complimented the octopus well. One of the best things I ate that whole year!

Crab & Artichoke Dip: Blue crab, chopped artichoke hearts, mozz, provolone, parmesan, red bell pepper, and sweet onion w/ crostini. Be still my heart.

My cousin had the Da Geevum Burger – a 1⁄2 lb Wagyu Beef Burger with pastrami, swiss, Russian dressing, Hau’ula tomato, romaine, and balsamic onion on a brioche bun with fries. He said it was the best burger he’s ever had! My aunt went simple and healthy with the kale salad with butternut squash and roasted carrots – she was happy!

My main dish was the Gnocchi with butternut squash, kale, mushrooms, and yam puree, topped with gorgonzola and pecorino cheese sauce. I can hands down say this is the best gnocchi dish I have EVER had. All of the elements came together into one cohesive vegetarian delight!

Spicy Seafood & Andouille Sausage Gumbo: with island fresh fish (it happened to be an extra large portion of fresh marlin that night), scallops & Kauai tiger prawns served with Jasmine rice.

This was my husband’s entrée, and it was the best dish of our entire to 9-day trip to Hawaii! First off, the portion of food was extremely generous – especially with the amount of seafood on the plate. Secondly, the flavor was just unbeatable. Such a great fusion of Hawaiian and Cajun cuisine. Lastly, the freshness of the ingredients rounded out this amazing plate. A must try if it’s on the menu when you visit!

If you’re lucky enough to snag a front patio seat on a cool Hawaiian winter day with a glass of crisp Pinot Grigio and this amazing spread in front of you, I dare you not to fall in love with Oahu!

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We had such a great time trying out all the different eateries on Oahu. There are so many amazing places to choose from, it would take us endless visits to get through them all! Hopefully this post gave you some good ideas on where to eat on Oahu.

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