25 hawaiian places in Honolulu we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Honolulu | Hawaiian across every city.
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.
Senia ★ 4.8
chinatown · 75 North King Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
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.
Mugen Waikiki ★ 4.7
waikiki · 2452 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
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.
Roy's Hawaii Kai ★ 4.5
hawaii-kai · 6600 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, HI 96825
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.
Mud Hen Water ★ 4.4
kaimuki · 3452 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
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.
Helena's Hawaiian Food ★ 4.7
kalihi · 1240 North School Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
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.
Highway Inn Kakaako ★ 4.3
kakaako · 680 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813
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.
Side Street Inn Ala Moana ★ 4.3
ala-moana · 1225 Hopaka Street, Honolulu, HI 96814
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.
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.
MW Restaurant ★ 4.6
ala-moana · 888 Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813
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.
Helena's Hawaiian Food ★ 4.7
kalihi · 1240 North School Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
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.
Highway Inn Kakaako ★ 4.3
kakaako · 680 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813
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.
Side Street Inn Ala Moana ★ 4.3
ala-moana · 1225 Hopaka Street, Honolulu, HI 96814
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.
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.
Mud Hen Water ★ 4.4
kaimuki · 3452 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
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.
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.
53 By The Sea ★ 4.4
53 Ahui Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
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.
Merriman's Honolulu ★ 4.4
1108 Auahi Street, Honolulu, HI 96814
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.
MW Restaurant ★ 4.6
888 Kapiolani Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813
MW Restaurant is the Ala Moana Honolulu fine-dining room of husband-and-wife chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, who trained at Alan Wong's and built.
Roy's Hawaii Kai ★ 4.5
6600 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, HI 96825
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.
Musubi Cafe Iyasume ★ 4.4
2427 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
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 ★ 4.2
1256 North King Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Palace Saimin is tourists rarely make it past chinatown to kalihi for this 1946 saimin counter, but locals have eaten here for three generations.
Helena's Hawaiian Food ★ 4.8
1240 North School Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Helena's Hawaiian Food is locals queue for this 1946 kalihi institution but most visitors never venture past chinatown to north school street.
Mud Hen Water ★ 4.1
3452 Waialae Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96816
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.
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.
Highway Inn Kakaako ★ 4.3
680 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813
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.