Honolulu: Oahu Island Full-Day Guided Tour by Bus with Lunch
Experience the top sightseeing bus tour on Oahu with this island day trip. Explore Oahu's natural wonders, cultural sites, surfing spots, and shopping meccas on this f...
40 cheap eats places in Honolulu, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Honolulu: the places editors actually return to. All Honolulu food.
Leonard's Bakery ★ 4.8
933 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
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.
Maguro Brothers Hawaii Chinatown ★ 4.8
1120 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Maguro Brothers Hawaii in Kekaulike Market in Chinatown Honolulu is the lunch poke counter brothers Junichiro and Ryojiro Tsuchiya stock from the Honolulu.
Tip: Lunch-only counter inside the market; sells out by 13:00. Closed Sunday.
Breadshop ★ 4.7
3408 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Breadshop in Kaimuki Honolulu is the craft bakery on Waialae that bakes small batches of naturally leavened breads daily, donating unsold loaves to a local.
Tip: Country sourdough sells out by 14:00. Closed Monday and Tuesday; cash-friendly.
Kona Coffee Purveyors ★ 4.7
2330 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Kona Coffee Purveyors in the International Market Place in Waikiki Honolulu is the Big Island farm-direct coffee bar paired with b. patisserie pastries baked.
Tip: Daily 07:00-16:00. Order a flat white with the kouign-amann; queue snakes by 09:30.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck ★ 4.7
56-505 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, HI 96731
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku on Oahu's North Shore, an hour from Honolulu, has slung butter-garlic shrimp scampi since 1993 and parked.
Tip: Twelve shrimp over two scoops rice with caramelized garlic; queue 30 to 45 minutes. Bring cash for shorter lines.
Leonard's Bakery ★ 4.7
933 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Leonard's Bakery in Kapahulu Honolulu sells the canonical Hawaii malasada for around $2 each at the counter, the lowest-cost taste of Portuguese-Hawaii sweet.
Tip: Daily 05:30-19:00. Order half a dozen sugar plus a custard; box stays warm for 30 minutes.
Maguro Brothers Hawaii Chinatown ★ 4.6
chinatown · 1120 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Maguro Brothers Hawaii in Chinatown Honolulu is the Kekaulike Market poke counter that brothers Junichiro and Ryojiro Tsuchiya stock from the Honolulu Fish.
Tip: Monday to Saturday, 09:00-14:00 only; sells out by 13:00 most days. Closed Sunday.
Liliha Bakery ★ 4.6
515 North Kuakini Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
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.
Lonohana Estate Chocolate ★ 4.6
324 Coral Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Lonohana Estate Chocolate in Kakaako Honolulu is the SALT block bean-to-bar chocolate maker that grows its own cacao on 14 North Shore acres.
Tip: Daily tastings; 90-minute factory tour at 10:00 most days. Order the Lonohana and Onomea bar flight.
Jenny's Shrimp ★ 4.6
66-532 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712
Jenny's Shrimp on Kamehameha Highway in Haleiwa, an hour from Honolulu, is the lunch wagon the former Macky's head chef opened after Macky's closed in 2018.
Tip: Order the spicy garlic if you want heat; the coconut shrimp is a sleeper.
Maguro Brothers Hawaii Chinatown ★ 4.6
1120 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Maguro Brothers Hawaii in Chinatown Honolulu sells fish-auction-fresh poke bowls for around $12, the city's strongest sashimi-grade fish to dollar ratio.
Tip: Monday to Saturday 09:00-14:00. Sells out by 13:00; bring cash or card. Closed Sunday.
Rainbow Drive-In ★ 4.5
kapahulu · 3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Rainbow Drive-In on Kanaina Avenue in Kapahulu Honolulu has slung plate lunches since 1961, founded by Seiju and Ayako Ifuku and now voted top loco moco.
Tip: Open 07:00-21:00 daily. Cash-friendly window; no inside seating, eat at the parking-lot picnic tables.
Ono Seafood ★ 4.5
kapahulu · 747 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Ono Seafood in Kapahulu Honolulu is the family-run poke counter that fishes shoyu ahi, spicy ahi and tako preparations from the refrigerated case.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays, 09:00-18:00 otherwise. No inside seating; eat at the picnic table or take it to Ala Wai Park.
Off the Hook Poke Market ★ 4.5
manoa · 2908 East Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822
Off the Hook Poke Market in Manoa Honolulu is the takeout-only poke counter at the foot of Manoa Valley that draws University of Hawaii students.
Tip: Lunchtime queue can run 30 minutes. Closed Sunday; order pickup via the website to skip the line.
Rainbow Drive-In ★ 4.5
kapahulu · 3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Rainbow Drive-In on Kanaina Avenue in Kapahulu Honolulu has slung plate lunches since 1961, founded by Seiju and Ayako Ifuku and voted top loco moco.
Tip: Open 07:00-21:00 daily. No inside seating; eat at the parking lot picnic tables.
Ono Seafood ★ 4.5
kapahulu · 747 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Ono Seafood in Kapahulu Honolulu is the family-run poke counter that pulls shoyu ahi, spicy ahi and tako preparations from the refrigerated case.
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays, 09:00-18:00 otherwise. Take it to Ala Wai Park.
Off the Hook Poke Market ★ 4.5
manoa · 2908 East Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822
Off the Hook Poke Market in Manoa Honolulu is the takeout-only poke counter at the foot of Manoa Valley that draws University of Hawaii students.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Order pickup via the website to skip the lunch queue.
Cake Works ★ 4.5
2820 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826
Cake Works in Honolulu is pastry chef Abigail Langlas's South King Street bakery for custom cakes, French macarons and tropical-fruit tarts in lilikoi.
Tip: Walk-in for cupcakes and macarons; custom cake consultations require a deposit. Closed Sunday and Monday.
The Curb Kaimuki ★ 4.5
3408 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
The Curb Kaimuki in Honolulu is a multi-roaster coffee shop on Waialae that pours Olympia and Heart beans, started as a coffee truck and now anchors.
Tip: The hojicha latte with blueberry lavender syrup is the off-menu order; oat milk toast with ricotta is the savory.
Ono Seafood ★ 4.5
747 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Ono Seafood in Kapahulu Honolulu is the takeout-only poke counter that sells shoyu ahi, spicy ahi and tako preparations from a refrigerated case.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Take it to Ala Wai Park; sells out by 16:00 weekends.
Rainbow Drive-In ★ 4.5
3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
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.
Tip: Lunch peak 11:30-13:00. The mix plate at $14 is the most expensive plate and feeds two.
Ono Seafood ★ 4.5
747 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Ono Seafood in Kapahulu Honolulu fills a two-scoop poke bowl with shoyu ahi and rice for around $12, the most affordable sashimi-grade poke in the city.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Eat at Ala Wai Park; sells out by 16:00 weekends.
Ted's Bakery Plate Counter ★ 4.5
59-024 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712
Ted's Bakery on the North Shore an hour from Honolulu sells garlic shrimp plates and a slice of chocolate haupia pie for $14 total, the most essential cheap.
Tip: Daily 07:00-20:00. Plate lunches sell out by 16:00; pies hold all evening.
Palace Saimin ★ 4.4
kalihi · 1256 North King Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Palace Saimin in Kalihi Honolulu is one of the state's oldest saimin shops, opened by Kame Ige in 1946 and still serving the shrimp-and-pork-dashi broth.
Tip: Tuesday to Friday 10:00-20:00, Saturday to 15:00. Closed Sunday and Monday. Six-spot parking.
Ted's Bakery ★ 4.4
59-024 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712
Ted's Bakery at Sunset Beach on Oahu's North Shore, an hour from Honolulu, is the original home of the chocolate haupia cream pie and a plate lunch counter.
Tip: Pies sell by the slice or whole; the chocolate haupia is the move. Combo plate lunches run until close.
Matsumoto Shave Ice ★ 4.4
66-111 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712
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.
Arvo ★ 4.4
324 Coral Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Arvo in Kakaako Honolulu is the Australian-style cafe that sisters Casey Wiggins and Dixie Rose opened in the SALT block, anchoring the neighborhood's brunch.
Tip: Daily 07:00-14:00. Order the loaded avocado toast and the Nutella toast; first hour parking is free.
Musubi Cafe Iyasume ★ 4.4
2427 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Musubi Cafe Iyasume on Kuhio in Waikiki Honolulu has handmade Koshihikari-rice spam musubi in a dozen permutations, the canonical breakfast grab-and-go.
Tip: Daily 06:30-21:00. The teriyaki spam musubi is the bestseller; cash and card both work.
Rainbow Drive-In ★ 4.4
3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu Honolulu is the canonical Hawaii plate lunch counter since 1961, slinging loco moco, BBQ beef and boneless chicken plates.
Tip: No inside seating, eat at the picnic tables. Mix plate is the move for a first-timer.
Leonard's Malasadamobile ★ 4.4
7190 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, HI 96825
Leonard's Malasadamobile on Kalanianaole Highway in Honolulu Kai is the mobile food truck arm of the 1952 Leonard's Bakery, frying the canonical Hawaii.
Tip: Five-minute fryer-to-bag turnaround. Sugar plain is the move; haupia rotates.
Musubi Cafe Iyasume ★ 4.4
2427 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Musubi Cafe Iyasume on Kuhio in Waikiki Honolulu sells handmade Koshihikari rice spam musubi for $3 to $5 a piece, the most efficient breakfast under five.
Tip: Daily 06:30-21:00. Pair a teriyaki spam musubi with a bottled matcha for a $7 breakfast.
Palace Saimin ★ 4.4
1256 North King Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Palace Saimin in Kalihi Honolulu sells the shrimp-and-pork-dashi saimin bowl for $6, the cheapest sit-down hot-noodle bowl in the city and unchanged.
Tip: Tuesday to Friday 10:00-20:00. Add a BBQ stick at the counter for $3.
Waiola Shave Ice ★ 4.3
3113 Mokihana Street, Honolulu, HI 96816
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.
Honolulu Coffee Company ★ 4.3
100 Holomoana Street, Honolulu, HI 96815
Honolulu Coffee Company at the Prince Waikiki in Honolulu was founded in 1992 with farm-to-cup Kona coffee from a 50-acre estate in the Captain Cook region.
Tip: Order the Kona estate single-origin pour over and watch the catamarans round Diamond Head from the lobby.
Morning Brew Kakaako ★ 4.3
685 Auahi Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Morning Brew in Kakaako Honolulu is the in-house roaster cafe that pulls 100% Hawaiian blends weekly, opened by the original Kailua location's owners.
Tip: Big communal table at the back is laptop-friendly. Order the avocado toast with the macadamia nut pesto.
Morning Brew Kailua ★ 4.3
600 Kailua Road, Kailua, HI 96734
Morning Brew Kailua across the Pali from Honolulu is the original location of the 100% Hawaiian-blend roaster, drawing surfers off Lanikai for all-day.
Tip: Daily 06:00-16:00. Cash and card; the breakfast burrito is the move after a Lanikai pillbox hike.
Andy's Sandwiches and Smoothies ★ 4.3
2904 East Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822
Andy's Sandwiches and Smoothies in Manoa Honolulu has fed UH students made-to-order sandwiches on house-baked bread and papaya smoothies since 1977.
Tip: Monday to Friday 07:00-16:00, Sunday to 14:30. Closed Saturday. The papaya smoothie is the move.
Cafe Kaila ★ 4.3
2919 Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96826
Cafe Kaila in the Market City Shopping Center in Honolulu's Kapahulu has won Hale Aina best breakfast four consecutive years; cornbread waffles.
Tip: Daily 07:00-15:30. Walk-in queue from 08:30 weekends; order the cornbread waffle with strawberry butter.
Sweet E's Cafe ★ 4.3
1006 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
Sweet E's Cafe in Kapahulu Honolulu is the casual breakfast room named for Ethel Mathews, serving stuffed French toast and crab cake Benedict on the Kaimuki.
Tip: Daily 07:00-14:00. The stuffed blueberry-cream-cheese French toast is the move; cash and card.
Ted's Bakery North Shore Plate Counter ★ 4.3
59-024 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712
Ted's Bakery at Sunset Beach on Oahu's North Shore, an hour from Honolulu, runs a plate lunch counter alongside the pie case with garlic shrimp.
Tip: The chocolate haupia pie is the canonical North Shore order; pies sell by the slice or whole.
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