The best part about food in Hawaii was that even after eating out for 10 days straight, we felt so good – it is a testament to the quality of the food and water there! Mind you, we stuck with ordering local produce as much as possible, even at the fancier dinners. Our golden rules for trips is always to stay away from chain restaurants and cafes as much as possible, because half of the fun of traveling lies in exploring food wherever you go! 🙂
There are a few local items you will find across both islands and must definitely try:
- Açaí Bowls
- Coconut Water
- Shave Ice
- Malasadas
- Fresh Hawaiian Bananas & Lilikoi (Passionfruit)
- Farm-to-table fare
Non-Vegetarian Items:
- Poke Bowls
- Shrimp & Rice
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Loco Moco
Oahu Eats
Waikiki Food Spots
Waikiki is a lively and vibrant area, packed with restaurants and local eateries. To be honest, the number of options is downright overwhelming, but it also means that there is something for everyone.
- Noi Thai: a sit-down Thai restaurant with good ambience and delicious food. Thoroughly enjoyed the red curry and pineapple fried rice. Reserve on OpenTable. Price: $$
- Roy’s Hawaii: a sit-down fine dine Japanese restaurant with outlets across Hawaii. The food was delectable – particularly the bao buns, sushi and seafood entrees. The chocolate soufflé dessert is an absolute must-try! Reserve on OpenTable. Price: $$$
- House without a Key: an outdoor sit-down restaurant at The Halekulani Hotel with the most incredible sunset views and ambience. They have live Hawaiian music and dance performers around golden hour. Definitely try the lemon drop mai-tais, the veggie lover’s pizza and the coconut cake for dessert. That cake is just phenomenal! Price: $$$
- Mai-Tai Bar: lively outdoor bar at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, adjacent to Waikiki Beach. A great spot to enjoy the sunset over the most delicious mai-tais on the island. They add fresh OJ and pineapple juice to the drinks, which makes ALL the difference – will also recommend the truffle fries! Walk-in seating. Price: $$
- Leo’s Taverna: grab and go Mediterranean spot with outdoor seating, great for a quick bite. I will recommend picking up and enjoying the food at the beach. The falafel sandwich was great to tide us over! Price: $
- The Sunrise Shack: Walk-in seating. Açaí bowls, smoothies and veggie sandwiches – all great! Price: $
- Duke’s Waikiki: Incredible tiki-bar like vibe, adjacent to Waikiki beach with live music and fun drinks! Will recommend tacos and the mai-tais. Price: $$
- Coffee: Tried 3 cafes with Kona coffee, and loved them all! If you love specialty lattes, I will recommend:
- Island Vintage Coffee: get the açaí bowl, taro bagel with ube cream cheese and the Island Latte – it has coconut and macadamia nuts, SO YUMMY! Price: $
- Honolulu Coffee: try the Hawaiian latte! Price: $
- Kona Coffee Purveyors & B. Patisserie: some seriously good coffee (no specialty lattes) and try the pineapple, coconut & almond croissant! Price: $
- Leonard’s Bakery: melt in your mouth Malasadas (Portuguese Donuts) stuffed with flavored cream. I will recommend the Original, Custard and Guava flavors! Price: $
- Lulu’s Waikiki: good brunch spot – will recommend the Guava French Toast or their specialty Lulu’s stuffed toast – it is literally dessert for breakfast, and the lilikoi mimosa! Walk-in seating. Price: $$
- Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice: Hawaiian Shave Ice is something you HAVE to experience on your trip – you cannot go wrong, whichever flavor you pick! Price: $
Kailua Food Spots
If you visit Kailua, check out The Sunrise Shack for light bites and if you’re looking for an Indian fix, try Ganesh Dosa (this was a community recommendation – I haven’t been!).
North Shore Food Spots
- Kahuku Farms: TOP REC for North Shore dining! Farm-to-table eats, incredibly fresh food. Try the veggie panini, farm pizza, passionfruit mochi cakes, papaya bowls and the grilled banana bread with coconut halupia (Hawaiian pudding) – skip the ice cream on this! DELICIOUS. Please note that this outlet shuts by 4 pm, and they sell out of things so will recommend going earlier in the day. Price: $
- Giovanni’s Shrimp Food Truck: Did not try this, but it is a local favorite for shrimp and rice bowls! Price: $
- Hali’ewa Store Lots: An area with multiple food outlets – including shave ice, sugarcane juice and more! Price: $
- Dole Plantation: Pineapple dole whip! Price: $
Maui Eats
Maui has some incredible food trucks and honestly, I will recommend eating there as much as possible – not only is it more economical, you will also get to try so much more food! One thing to note is to look for a certification at the food truck before deciding to eat there. A green ‘A’ with ‘Passed’ indicates the truck has passed the health inspection and is safe to eat at! I would beware of eating at trucks with a yellow or red circle on their certificates.
Ka’anapali Food Spots
- MonkeyPod Kitchen: a Hawaiian sit-down restaurant chain with the best mai-tais (with honey & lilikoi foam!) and tacos! Reserve on OpenTable. Price: $$
- Hula Grill: a restaurant with a tiki-bar that is next to the beach – will recommend for sunset drinks and the festive shack ambience. Walk-in seating. Price: $$
- Leilani’s on the Beach: fine-dine restaurant, great seafood and pasta. Reserve on OpenTable. Price: $$$
- Westin Maui Beach Bar: We stayed at the Westin and loved grabbing lunch and sunset drinks here. Try the pineapple caprese, tacos and the mai-tais and Pina coladas! This was the best Pina colada I had on the trip. Price: $$$
- Honoapiilani Food Truck Park: For a taste of local Maui fare, I will recommend going here for dinner and sampling from different trucks! Food trucks are BIG in Maui, this is definitely a fun experience. Price: $
Kihului (near the airport) has a lot of food trucks in the Costco parking lot!
Kihei/Wailea Food Spots
- Three’s Bar & Grill: lively vibe and some unique Asian-fusion food. The fried garlic noodles were delicious! I will also recommend trying the Hurricane fries and entrees! This place is also a ‘dive bar’ and was featured on a Food Network show! Reserve on OpenTable. Price: $$
- Kihei Caffe: great local favorite spot for brunch with outdoor seating – will recommend the Macadamia nut French toast! Walk-in seating. Price: $
- Ferraro’s at the Four Seasons Wailea, Maui: will most definitely recommend for a memorable fancy dinner in Maui – ask for a table with a sunset view. Drinks were refreshing and the pasta was incredible! Price: $$$
- Lineage: great local spot for shareable Hawaiian and Filipino plates. Price: $$
- There are also chain restaurants like MonkeyPod Kitchen and Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar that might be good options for a dinner one night!
- South Maui Fish Company: Will HIGHLY recommend this food truck for a good lunch – incredibly fresh spicy poke bowls, get the house pickles and try the locally brewed Vitalitea kombucha. There is also a shave ice spot next to this truck, perfect to round off the meal! Please check if the truck is open as they are closed on days there is no fresh catch. Price: $$
- Coffee: some good cafes we tried include Lava Java Coffee Roasters, Akamai Coffee and Kraken Coffee.
- South Maui Gardens: This is a food truck park in Kihei with over 13 food trucks to choose from! I will recommend Kitoko for Asian fare and Da Green Coffee Bar for coffee, desserts and gourmet toasts (brunch). Price: $$
Road to Hana Food Spots
- The Road to Hana drive will have you driving past multiple local food stands. Some that we stopped at and loved include:
- Garden Glory Cafe: get the smoothie and local banana bread – this was my favorite banana bread from the drive! Price: $
- Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread: this spot is very famous for its banana bread but they sell out really quick. If it is past 2 pm, you might find this spot closed! Price: $
- Halfway to Hana Stand: definitely get their banana bread, coffee and if you’re hungry – a veggie sandwich! Price: $
- Hana Farms: hands down the BEST food spot on the drive. The pizza is incredibly fresh with hand rolled dough and local produce as toppings! We tried the one with wine poached Ulu (breadfruit) – and loved it! Price: $$
- Hana has very limited food spots, with most of them being food trucks (note that they close early). Food truck options that we loved:
- Thai Food by Pranee: good Thai fare with ample veg options! Price: $
- Huli Huli Chicken: a local favorite food truck with the Hawaiian specialty ‘Huli Huli Chicken’ with rice. Price: $
- The Hana Ranch Restaurant: an off-property restaurant of the Hana Maui Resort that is open till late and has great food! We stayed at the resort and the hotel staff was able to drive us to and back from the restaurant in their golf cart. Will recommend the Tofu Thai curry entree, any seafood entrees and the passionfruit cheesecake – incredible! Price: $$
Haleakala National Park Food Spots
I will recommend the Kula Lodge Restaurant for brunch/lunch/dinner depending on when you visit Haleakala National Park. This restaurant has stunning views, some incredible outdoor seating and a coal oven for their pizzas! Definitely a must-visit spot on your Haleakala excursion, especially given that there are no food spots inside the park. Price: $$
There are SO many more spots that we wished we had explored, but there is always a next time! Hope this guide helps you on your trip and wishing you the most wonderful travels! Mahalo 🙂