History

The plate lunch came out of the 1880s sugar plantation lunch bento; workers shared rice and protein at the field-edge break. The post-war 1950s and 1960s saw stationary drive-ins formalize it: Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu opened 1961 with the still-canonical mix plate. The Higa brothers built Zippy's as a 24-hour version starting 1966. L&L Hawaiian Barbecue exported the format to the mainland from 1976. The basic grammar (two scoops rice, mac salad, protein) hasn't changed in 80 years.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 800g boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut in 4cm pieces
  • 120ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 300g elbow macaroni
  • 180g mayonnaise
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely grated and squeezed dry
  • 1 carrot, finely grated
  • Hawaiian sea salt, black pepper
  • 600g cooked short-grain Calrose rice, kept hot

Method

  1. Whisk shoyu, brown sugar, ginger and garlic together. Add the chicken and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Boil macaroni in well-salted water until just past al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
  3. Mix the still-warm macaroni with the grated onion, carrot and 3/4 of the mayonnaise. Season aggressively with salt and pepper, refrigerate 20 minutes.
  4. Drain the chicken from its marinade. Grill or pan-fry skin-down 6 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook 4 more minutes brushing with reserved marinade.
  5. Build each plate: two scoops white rice on one side, one scoop mac salad next to it, sliced chicken across the top with a spoon of pan glaze.
  6. Hit the chicken with the remaining mayo if the family prefers it that way; some Hawaiian houses do, others don't.

Tip from the editors. Best Foods mayo is non-negotiable for authentic Hawaiian mac salad; the recipe falls apart with low-fat or olive-oil substitutes.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat plate lunch

Plate lunch in Honolulu

Rainbow Drive-In ★ 4.5

Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu Honolulu has slung budget plate lunches since 1961, with mix plates of loco moco, BBQ beef and boneless chicken averaging $11 with rice and mac salad.

Try: Plate lunch with two scoops rice

Tip: Lunch peak 11:30 to 13:00. The mix plate at $14 is the most expensive plate and feeds two.

3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815

Zippy's Kapahulu ★ 3.8

Until Open 24 hours

Zippy's Kapahulu in Honolulu is the 24-hour diner of the local Higa-family chain, the city's most reliable late-night sit-down with chili, saimin and the Zip Pac bento.

Try: Zippy's chili, saimin

Order: Chili and rice plus a side of mac salad.

Tip: Open 24 hours, dine-in and drive-through. The chili and rice and a saimin bowl are the late-night order.

601 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815

Highway Inn Kakaako ★ 4.3

Highway Inn Kakaako Honolulu serves a combination kalua pig plate with rice, mac salad and lomi salmon for around $15, the cheapest sit-down Hawaiian food in central Honolulu.

Try: Kalua pig combo plate

Tip: Daily 09:30 to 20:00. Mini plate at $13 feeds one; combo plate at $18 feeds two with leftovers.

680 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813

More cities are in research. Want plate lunch covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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