Book on their siteFood · 3–3.5 hoursLocal food icons
STOP 1 OF 13
Leonard’s Bakery
Waikīkī & Diamond Head
Malasadas since 1952. Get them hot, with haupia filling.
20 min · A few dollars a malasada
EThe editors
Local food icons
Malasadas, laulau, plate lunch and shave ice from places locals have queued at for decades.
13 placesA full dayRead the guide ↓
- 1. Leonard’s BakeryMalasadas since 1952. Get them hot, with haupia filling.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFood & drink20 minA few dollars a malasada
2. Champion MalasadasThe other malasada stop, with fewer tour buses.HonoluluFood & drink15 minA few dollars each
3. Liliha BakeryCoco puffs, and a counter for breakfast.HonoluluFood & drink45 minCoco puff a few dollars; breakfast about $15–20
4. Rainbow Drive-InPlate lunch at the window: loco moco or mix plate.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFood & drink30 minPlates about $12–18
5. Helena’s Hawaiian FoodPipikaula short ribs and Hawaiian plates in Kalihi.HonoluluFood & drink45 minPlates about $15–25
6. People’s CafeHawaiian plates near Chinatown.HonoluluFood & drink45 minPlates about $15–25
7. Diamond Head Market & GrillPlate lunch and blueberry cream cheese scones by Diamond Head.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFood & drink30 minPlates about $15; scones a few dollars
8. Musubi Café IyasumeSpam musubi in a dozen kinds, open early.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFood & drink15 minMusubi a few dollars
9. Marukame UdonUdon made in front of you. Expect a line.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFood & drink45 min with the lineBowls about $10–15
10. Shimazu StoreShave ice in big flavours, in town.HonoluluFood & drink20 minAbout $6–10
11. Monsarrat Ave Shave IceShave ice on the way back from Diamond Head.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFood & drink15 minAbout $6–10
12. Matsumoto Shave IceThe Haleʻiwa shave-ice stop.North ShoreFood & drink20–30 min with the lineAbout $5–8
13. Ted’s BakeryChocolate haupia pie on the North Shore.North ShoreFood & drink20 minPie slices a few dollars; whole pies about $25
The guide
How to do it: Local food icons
These are the places locals take visitors to: decades-old bakeries, plate-lunch windows and shave-ice counters that have barely changed. None of them is fancy, and most are cheapest and best early in the day.
Don’t try to do the whole list. Pick a malasada, a plate lunch and a shave ice, in that order, and spread the rest over your trip.
- The order to do it in
- Malasadas in the morning (Leonard’s or Champion), a plate lunch at Rainbow Drive-In or Helena’s, shave ice in the afternoon. Ted’s pie on a North Shore day.
- When to go
- Mornings for the bakeries. Helena’s is open Tuesday to Friday only.
- Getting there
- Most are in Honolulu and Kapahulu, a short drive or bus ride from Waikīkī. Matsumoto and Ted’s are on the North Shore.
- What it costs
- Most items are $3–20. Bring a card and some cash.
Worth knowing
- Lines at Leonard’s are shortest before 8 a.m.
- Ono Hawaiian Foods closed in 2017; Helena’s is the classic Hawaiian-food stop now.
Started from the pins on Deviating the Norm’s Oʻahu map (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.
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