25 editor picks in Honolulu.
Native and local Hawaiian food in Honolulu ranges from old-line poi shops to chef-led reinterpretations of the canon. Helena's Hawaiian Food in Kalihi and Highway Inn Kakaako carry the traditional plates of kalua pig, laulau and poi, while Side Street Inn Ala Moana built its name on pupu-style local cooking. At the modern end, Senia in Chinatown, Mud Hen Water in Kaimuki and Roy's Hawaii Kai push the islands' ingredients into contemporary tasting territory.
25 hawaiian places in Honolulu we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Honolulu · Hawaiian across every city.
Order Smoked ahi cigars and the roasted bone marrow with three salts.
Senia in Honolulu Chinatown is the modern Hawaiian tasting room that Anthony Rush and Chris Kajioka opened in 2016, now Rush-led since 2021 with stages.
Order The five-course tasting with the local-fish course and Hawaiian beef.
Mugen Waikiki is the Forbes Five-Star room inside ESPACIO with a 34-seat dining room, designed in consultation with Alan Wong, anchoring fine dining.
Order The misoyaki butterfish and the dark chocolate souffle to finish.
Roy's Hawaii Kai is where Roy Yamaguchi launched Hawaiian Regional Cuisine in 1988, still the flagship of the chain and the canonical room for misoyaki.
Order The shishito pepper romesco and whatever fish the kitchen ran that morning.
Mud Hen Water is Ed Kenney's Kaimuki Honolulu room of contemporary Hawaiian aina-based plates, named for the English translation of Waialae and a 2025 James.
Order Pipikaula short ribs, butterfish collar and a side of poi.
Helena's Hawaiian Food on North School Street has served traditional Hawaiian plates in Kalihi Honolulu since 1946, now run by the founder's grandson Craig.
Order The kalua pork combo with laulau and poi.
Highway Inn Kakaako is the 2013 Honolulu outpost of the Toguchi family's 1947 Waipahu original, serving the same kalua pork, laulau and combo plates inside.
Order The pan-fried pork chops and the kim chee fried rice.
Side Street Inn Ala Moana is the 1992 Hopaka Street original in Honolulu from the late Colin Nishida, the off-duty chef pupu room behind Ala Moana Center.
Order The loco moco mix plate with chili and the boneless chicken on the side.
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.
Order Mochi-crusted local fish and the oxtail soup dumplings to start.
MW Restaurant in Ala Moana Honolulu is chefs Wade and Michelle Karr-Ueoka's modern Hawaiian room of mochi-crusted fish and oxtail soup dumplings.
Order Pipikaula short ribs, butterfish collar and a side of poi.
Helena's Hawaiian Food on North School Street has served traditional Hawaiian plates in Kalihi Honolulu since 1946, now run by the founder's grandson Craig.
Order The kalua pork combo with laulau, lomi salmon and a side of poi.
Highway Inn Kakaako is the 2013 Honolulu outpost of the Toguchi family's 1947 Waipahu original, serving the same kalua pork, laulau and combo plates inside.
Order Pan-fried pork chops with kim chee fried rice; share among four.
Side Street Inn Ala Moana is the original 1992 Hopaka Street bar in Honolulu from the late Colin Nishida, the off-duty chef hangout known for pan-fried pork.
Order Mix plate with loco moco, BBQ beef and boneless chicken.
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.
Order Shishito pepper romesco and whatever fish landed that morning.
Mud Hen Water is Ed Kenney's Kaimuki Honolulu room of contemporary Hawaiian aina-based plates, a 2025 James Beard semifinalist named for the English.
Order A regular saimin and a BBQ stick on the side.
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.
Order The Hawaiian opah preparation and a steak from the prime board.
53 By The Sea is the oceanfront fine dining room in Kakaako Honolulu, opened in 2012 with a grand staircase, Diamond Head views and a Pacific Rim menu.
Order The wok-charred ahi and the Hawaiian opihi shooters on the half shell.
Merriman's Honolulu is Peter Merriman's first Oahu outpost, opened at Ward Village in 2017 from the chef who co-founded Hawaiian Regional Cuisine in 1991.
Order Mochi-crusted local fish; pastry chef Michelle's caramel miso baby cake to finish.
MW Restaurant is the Ala Moana Honolulu fine-dining room of husband-and-wife chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday.
Order Misoyaki butterfish and the warm dark chocolate souffle to finish.
Roy's Hawaii Kai is where Roy Yamaguchi launched Hawaiian Regional Cuisine in 1988, still the flagship fine dining room of the chain on the Honolulu side.
Order Teriyaki spam musubi.
Musubi Cafe Iyasume on Kuhio in Waikiki Honolulu holds the line for late-night handheld spam musubi until 21:00, the easiest after-drinks fuel.
Palace Saimin is tourists rarely make it past chinatown to kalihi for this 1946 saimin counter, but locals have eaten here for three generations.
Mud Hen Water in Honolulu: Hidden up Waialae in Kaimuki, Ed Kenney's aina-based room cooks with farms tourists never see and rotates the menu weekly.
Try Saimin bowl
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.
Try Kalua pig combo plate
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.
