Diamond Head Market and Grill in Honolulu is the Monsarrat counter where Kelvin Ro fries plate lunches and the bakery side sells the city's most-asked-about.
Editorially verified May 21, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Pair the scone with the takeout grilled ahi plate; the bakery sells out by 13:00 weekends.
Address: 3158 Monsarrat Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa on Oahu's North Shore, an hour from Honolulu, has scraped fine-grain shave ice since the Matsumoto family opened.
Tip: Queue runs 20 to 60 minutes; order the rainbow with azuki beans and condensed milk. Free parking behind the lot.
Worth the queue: Rainbow shave ice
Waiola Shave Ice in Kapahulu Honolulu has scraped the finest shave ice in the city since 1940, now on Mokihana Street after the original Kapahulu Avenue.
Tip: Strawberry condensed milk over vanilla ice cream is the canonical order; cash and card.
Worth the queue: Strawberry condensed milk shave ice
Honu Bakery on North School Street in Honolulu is the laminated-pastry bakery and cafe at Kam Shopping Center with croissants, kouign-amann and rotating.
Tip: Croissants sell out by 11:00. The kouign-amann is the move; second location on South King also runs daily.
Worth the queue: Croissant
Leonard's Bakery in Kapahulu Honolulu has fried Portuguese malasadas since Leonard Rego opened the family shop in 1952, the canonical version.
Tip: Original sugar malasadas are the move; haupia and custard fillings rotate. Lines move quickly even at peak.
Worth the queue: Original sugar malasada
Liliha Bakery on North Kuakini in Honolulu is the original 1950 Liliha shop famous for chocolate coco puffs with macadamia nut chantilly, grilled butter.
Tip: Coco puffs sell out by 10:00 on weekends. Order a dozen and a butter roll; the grill side runs all day.
Worth the queue: Chocolate coco puff with macadamia chantilly
Liliha Bakery Nimitz in Honolulu is the larger, sit-down branch of the local institution with full plate lunches, dim sum trolleys and the canonical coco.
Tip: Bigger room than the Kuakini original; come for breakfast plates plus a box of coco puffs to go.
Worth the queue: Chocolate coco puff
