O‘AHU’S
MELTING POT COOKS UP DELICIOUS CUISINE
O‘AHU – The cuisine on O‘ahu is
as tantalizing and unique as the many different races and ethnicities of people
who make up the island. A person could
eat his or her way through O‘ahu for weeks, tasting different ethnic foods,
without sampling the same flavors twice.
O‘ahu is the only place in the world that has such a multitude of
cuisines, each with an exotic historical and cultural background.
When talking about food on O‘ahu,
terms such as plate lunch, bento and okazuya are used to describe the type of
place and style of food based on the different origin of the food.
Plate lunch is
local to Hawai‘i and automatically assumes there are two scoops of rice and one
scoop of macaroni salad. Plate lunch, a
favorite “feel-good” fast food tradition, is served from mom and pop lunch
wagons and neighborhood lunch counters.
These home-cooked meals offer “comfort food” on the go and are the
preferred lunch staple for businessmen, laborers, students, and tourists. A five-minute wait and about five dollars
buys an entree (beef teriyaki, roast pork, shoyu chicken, hamburger steak, beef
curry, mahi mahi, and meat loaf are the most popular), white rice and macaroni
salad, all smothered in rich savory gravy.
Plate lunch has been popular in
Hawai‘i since the late ‘20s and early ‘30s, when plantation workers would bring
the lunch that their wives made to work in tin boxes and pails with sections
for the different dishes. The single men
would either have lunch prepared by the plantation wives or they would purchase
it from the plantation store nearby.
This also is how lunch wagons got started by providing simple and fast
meals that people could eat on the go.
For the Japanese immigrants, the
lunch box was called a bento. Today, the
mention of bento conjures up an image of a lunch that includes rice, pickles
and a few other samplings of food in a neatly sectioned container. The other word often heard when talking about
food in Hawai‘i is okazuya.
Although the term comes from Japan, the food is not limited to
just Japanese. Okazuyas are found
throughout neighborhoods all over Oahu and is
a place where customers can pick and choose their own combination of ethnic
foods in one shop.
In addition to the different
ethnic style of food, the types run the gambit to include food from the early
immigrants (Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Portuguese) to other
cultures that have brought their food to our beautiful island of O‘ahu
(Vietnamese, French, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Middle
Eastern).
Local chefs that have taken
advantage of the bounty of the sea and land of Hawai‘i,
have developed a type of food called Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine (HRC),
which offers world-class dining. HRC is
a distinctive cuisine featuring island fish, produce and food products often
using a fusion of culinary and ethnic food styles found in the islands. Some of the best O‘ahu chefs including Alan
Wong, Roy Yamaguchi, Glenn Chu, Tom Wong, and Sam Choy have spearheaded the
promotion of the Hawaiian Islands’ culinary revolution worldwide.
O‘ahu also offers fine dining restaurants that feature dishes from
around the world, and some restaurants have even combined the best of both
worlds to create new epicurean delights unique to Hawai‘i. For those visitors seeking a romantic dinner
overlooking breathtaking views of the ocean or the sparkling Honolulu city lights, O‘ahu has all of this
and more.
The diversity of food is woven
together with the aloha spirit reflecting the spirit of the people of O‘ahu and
the food they eat. With so many options
of food to choose from on O‘ahu, itineraries can be developed just around
eating. The following is just a tempting
sample of restaurants to explore from budget plate lunches to fine dining on
the island of O‘ahu:
Plate Lunch Eateries
Grace’s
Inn remains traditional and hearty. Plates include basic meat or fish, two scoops
of rice and macaroni salad. The teriyaki
beef is a favorite.
Address:
1296 South Beretania Street;
Phone: (808) 593-2202
Helena’s
Hawaiian Food is a small, family-owned restaurant that was honored
by the James Beard Foundation with a Regional Classics award in 2000. Highlights of Helena’s menu include tripe stew, squid luau,
short ribs (pipikaula style), and fried butterfish collar.
Address:
1240 North School Street;
Phone: (808) 845-8044
L &
L Drive Inn has several locations on O‘ahu. Favorite menu items include barbecue chicken,
pork katsu, breaded pork chops, loco moco, and garlic shrimp.
Address:
2320 South King Street
(central location); Phone: (808) 951-8333
Ono
Hawaiian Food is regularly voted the best restaurant serving
Hawaiian food. Portions are big and
include menu items such as kālua pig, lomilomi salmon, chicken long rice,
poi, pipikaula (seasoned beef jerky), and haupia (coconut) pudding.
Address:
726 Kapahulu Avenue;
Phone: (808) 737-2275
Rainbow Drive-In’s most popular menu item is the mixed plate featuring two scoops of
rice, macaroni salad, teriyaki meat, chicken and mahi mahi, all smothered in
brown gravy.
Address: 3308 Kanaina Avenue; Phone: (808)
737-0177
Tsukenjo
Lunch House is made up of one establishment and two wagons. Popular items are shoyu chicken, chicken long
rice, lau lau, spareribs, and tripe stew.
Address:
705 Cooke Street;
Phone: (808) 597-8151
Okazuyas
Ebisu
Catering Service receives the most requests from customers for
sushi, shrimp tempura, sweet potato tempura, chow fun, and corn beef hash.
Address:
1915 South King Street;
Phone: (808) 941-6055
Fukuya often
sells out its top menu items including chow fun, chow mein, sushi, chicken,
barbeque meat, fried ahi, fried mahi mahi, and tempura.
Address:
2710 South King Street;
Phone: (808) 946-2073
Mitsuba
Delicatessen’s specialties include noodles, sushi (maki, egg, crab,
and hot dog), shoyu chicken, and shrimp tempura.
Address:
1218 North King Street;
Phone: (808) 841-3864
New
Wave Kitchen is new to the scene, but already has a faithful
following. Popular menu items include
garlic chicken, chow fun, fried rice, miso soup, tempura, and poke.
Address:
568 Halekauwila Street;
Phone: (808) 540-1010
Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine Restaurants
Alan
Wong’s Restaurant, winner of the prestigious James Beard award and
twice named in Gourmet magazine’s “America’s Top 50 Restaurants,” is
known for fun flavors to savor such as, crispy wonton ahi poke balls on avocado
with wasabi sauce; macadamia nut-coconut crusted lamb chops; and coconut
tapioca with passion fruit sorbet and fresh fruit, to name just a few.
Address:
1857 South King Street,
5th Floor; Phone: (808) 949-2526
Indigo
Eurasian Cuisine’s Glenn Chu will tempt your taste buds at his hip
downtown restaurant with crispy goat cheese won ton with four fruit sauce;
garlic speared joy scallop; and lemongrass lamb shanks.
Address:
1121 Nuuanu Avenue, Suite 105;
Phone: (808) 521-2900
Roy’s
Restaurant offers Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s signature Hawaiian Fusion
cuisine at its three O‘ahu locations in Hawai‘i Kai, Waikīkī
and Ko Olina. “Roy’s Classic” dishes include yellow fin ahi
poketini; roasted macadamia nut mahi mahi with lobster butter sauce and melting
hot chocolate souffle.
Address: 6600 Kalaniana‘ole Highway; Phone: (808) 396-7697
Address:
226 Lewers Street;
Phone: (808) 923-7697
Address:
92-1220 Aliinui Drive;
Phone: (808) 676-7697
Sam
Choy’s two Oahu restaurants are Sam Choy’s
Diamond Head and Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab. At Sam Choy’s Diamond Head on Kapahulu Avenue,
indulge in this O‘ahu-born chef’s Pokai
Bay fried poke (seasoned
raw fish) and seafood lau lau; oven roasted duck with Ka‘u orange glaze; or
“Asian style” lamb chops with fresh mint demi glaze. Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab,
located in Honolulu’s industrial district,
features Sam’s famous stew omelet, flaming wok stir-fried dishes, and a variety
of seasonal crab entrees including steamed Florida golden crab legs, Alaskan king crab
legs and steamed Kona crab.
Address:
449 Kapahulu Avenue, #201;
Phone: (808) 732-8645
Address:
580 North Nimitz Highway;
Phone: (808) 545-7979
3660 On
the Rise is a small restaurant in the Kaimukī
neighborhood. Chef and owner Russell Siu
delights diners with dishes like ahi katsu and New York steak alaea, while his
wife and co-owner creates delectable desserts such as the highly recommended
and requested mile-high pie.
Address:
3660 Wai‘alae Avenue; Phone: (808) 737-1177
After
three years on Maui, George Marvrothalassitis
returned to O‘ahu and opened Chef Mavro Restaurant. The menu features Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine
influenced by his native province
of France. Guests can choose from three prix-fixe
or a la carte menus. And for
those who are not wine connoisseurs, Chef Mavro has selected wines that best
complement each dish. Chef Mavro
received the 2003 James Beard Award.
Address:
1969 S. King Street;
Phone: (808) 944-4714
Fine Dining
Hoku’s, the award-winning signature restaurant in the Kāhala Hotel
& Resort, offers O‘ahu’s most innovative dining with panoramic views of the
Pacific. An open kitchen serving
ethnically diverse cuisine features fiery hot woks, a kiawe wood grill,
tandoori oven, and wood-burning pizza oven.
Chef Wayne Hirabayashi was born and raised in Hawai‘i, and is a graduate
of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Experience his personal culinary spin on
ethnic cuisines refined with fresh island ingredients.
Address: 5000 Kāhala Avenue;
Phone: (808) 739-8888
Ciao Mein in the Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Resort & Spa offers the best of two worlds with award-winning Chinese and Italian
cuisine under one roof. Popular amongst
locals and world travelers alike, menu items include the Szechwan
eggplant and a vast array of desserts.
Address: 2424 Kalākaua Avenue;
Phone: (808) 923-1234
One of the
most unique private dining venues you will find in Honolulu is at the Diamond
Head Grill located in the W Honolulu hotel set across from Kapi‘olani Park
with Diamond Head Crater as the backdrop.
While lounging on contemporary and stylish furniture, the evening eases
into a leisurely meal with excellent service, quality music and elegant dishes,
including Diamond Head king and dungeness crab fondue and grilled Long Island duck confit.
Address: 2885 Kalākaua Avenue,
2nd Floor; Phone: (808) 922-3734
Experience
contemporary island cuisine with a Thai accent at Chai’s Island Bistro
at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Owner-chef
Chai Chaowasaree is well known for his incredible Thai dishes with a Hawai‘i
regional twist. The grilled mahi mahi
with Thai red curry sauce is just one of the dishes at Chai’s that bring
together the flavors of two regions on one plate. The restaurant also has gained a reputation
for showcasing some of the island’s best musicians nightly.
Address: 1
Aloha Tower Drive; Phone: (808) 585-0011
In May 2007,
the Waikīkī Parc Hotel unveiled Nobu Waikīkī, the
first Hawai‘i location for celebrity chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s popular Nobu
restaurant chain. Brought to fruition by
the award-winning architectural expertise of David Rockwell’s New York-based
Rockwell Group, the 7,500 square-foot restaurant features a full service sushi
bar, cocktail bar, main dining room, and private dining areas for special
events.
Address: 2233 Helumoa Road;
Phone: (808) 237-6999
Local style restaurants
Don
Ho’s Island Grill located harbor
side on the ground floor of Aloha Tower Marketplace is an island-style eatery,
with a decor of tiki torches, grass skirts and mini surfboards. Open for lunch and dinner, Don Ho’s serves
inexpensive family dishes, including roast pork, spit-roasted chicken and
surfboard pizzas.
Address: 1 Aloha Tower Drive; Phone: (808) 528-0807
Kaka‘ako Kitchen serves quality gourmet plate lunches that feature fresh, locally
grown produce. All baked-goods and
delicious desserts are made in-house daily.
Owner, Chef Russell Siu (also owns 3660 On the Rise), decided to open
Kaka‘ako Kitchen so that visitors and locals alike could experience the best of
what locals call the “plate lunch.”
Address: Ward Center,
1200 Ala Moana Blvd.;
Phone: (808) 596-7488
Kona Brewing
Company at Koko Marina features tasty beer-infused
dishes and fresh, local ingredients. The
innovative cuisine highlights Hawai‘i’s products, especially Kona Brewing
Company's own beers, among them Duke's Blonde Ale, Lavaman Red Ale, Black Sand
Porter, and Lilikoi Wheat Ale. Each menu
item, including Kettle Chip crusted fish, miso passion baked fresh fish and
beer braised BBQ ribs, is designed to pair with one of Kona Brewing Company’s
locally handcrafted brews.
Address: 7192 Kalaniana‘ole Highway; Phone: (808) 394-5662
No
visit to Waikīkī is complete without
experiencing Duke’s Canoe Club, located at the Outrigger
Waikīkī on the Beach. A
spectacular beachfront location, lively atmosphere, and delicious fish and
steaks have made Duke’s the most popular gathering place on Waikīkī Beach. Here, Hawai‘i’s great ocean sportsman, Duke
Kahanamoku, is honored on the site of the original Outrigger Canoe Club.
Address:
2335 Kalākaua Avenue;
Phone: (808) 922-2268
Oahu is also home to a host of new eateries that have sprung up in the
past few years. Here’s a sampling:
Chef
George Mavrothalassitis opened a second restaurant, Cassis Honolulu. Cassis is a more casual version of Chef
Mavro, located in downtown Honolulu,
and is open for lunch, cocktails and dinner. The French bistro with an island
flair features menu items such as tako green papaya salad, steak curried fries
and li hing mui tarte tatin. The
restaurant is named after the fishing village in France where Mavrothalassitis
opened his first restaurant in 1978.
Address:
66 Queen Street;
Phone: (808) 545-8100
Stage
Restaurant, a high-end eatery
located on the second floor of the impressive Honolulu Design
Center on Kapi‘olani
Boulevard, opened in April 2007. Stage
features “couture cuisine” from executive chef Jon Matsubara.
Address:
1250 Kapi‘olani Boulevard, 2nd Floor; Phone: (808) 237-5429
Local
award winner for casual dining, 12th
Ave Grill, specializes in Contemporary
American cuisine. Its dishes include
comfort-food classics, such as macaroni and cheese; gourmet appetizers and
entrees, including smoked ahi bruschetta and roasted Kaua‘i free-range chicken;
and tasty desserts, such as chocolate fudgesicles with caramel and mocha
sauces.
Address:
1145C 12th Avenue;
Phone: (808) 732-9469
Popular
Kaimukī restaurant, Town, delivers what its chef, Ed Kenney, calls
“contemporary American with an Italian sensibility.” Town’s reasonably priced gourmet dishes offer
simply crafted food with extraordinary taste.
Its menu includes polenta with mascarpone, North Shore Cattle Company
beef steaks and chocolate banini for dessert.
Address:
3435 Wai‘alae Avenue; Phone: (808) 735-5900
Just
two years following the opening of Town, Ed Kenney, recently opened a
restaurant at the Hawaii State Art Museum
in downtown Honolulu,
which he fittingly named Downtown.
The restaurant is part of an initiative to add a food service, gift shop
and visitor center to the Museum, which opened in 2002. Downtown opened in May 2007 and serves lunch and
light breakfast for both deli-style takeout and casual sit-down dining. Similar
to Town, Downtown supports local farms, uses organic ingredients where
possible, serves pasta and bread made from scratch, and leans toward
Italian-French-Spanish style food in a casual setting.
Address:
250 South Hotel Street,
First Floor; Phone: (808) 536-5900
Restaurant
Row at Waterfront
Plaza has introduced two
new restaurants to its lineup. Pasta
et Basta features 28 different pastas made fresh daily and a pick-up
counter for to-go entrees. Yosh
is an affordable gourmet eatery that offers family-style lunch and dinner
dishes.
Address:
500 Ala Moana Boulevard;
Phone: (808) 523-9999, Pasta et Basta; (808) 537-4573, Yosh
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