Food · 13 places in all
Local food icons
Malasadas, plate lunch, poi and shave ice from places that have been at it for decades.
Local food in Hawaiʻi is a mix of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino and Korean cooking, and it is best at small, old places: bakeries, plate-lunch windows and family restaurants.
These are the ones locals send visitors to, with what to order.
The list
Questions people ask
What is a plate lunch?
Two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and a main: teriyaki beef, kalua pig, chicken katsu or loco moco. Rainbow Drive-In is the classic.
Where are the best malasadas on Oʻahu?
Leonard’s Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue has made them since 1952; Champion Malasadas is the local alternative.
What is Hawaiian food, exactly?
Laulau, kalua pig, lomi salmon, poi, pipikaula and haupia. Helena’s Hawaiian Food in Kalihi is the place to try it.