Pork shoulder smoke-roasted underground in a stone-lined imu, wrapped in ti and banana leaves. Pulled apart in long sweet strands; smoky, salty, the canonical Hawaiian luau centerpiece.
Kalua means 'to bake in an underground oven' in Hawaiian. The traditional imu method dates to pre-contact Polynesia: dig a pit, line with kiawe wood embers and lava stones, wrap a whole hog in ti and banana leaves, cover with damp burlap and earth, leave 8 to 12 hours. The dish was the centerpiece of luaus before and after Western contact. The Toguchi family's Highway Inn has served kalua pork plates since the 1947 Waipahu opening, now with a 2013 Kakaako outpost; Helena's Hawaiian Food on North School Street has cooked the imu since 1946.
2 editor picks for Kalua pig in Honolulu, ranked by editorial score. All Honolulu signature dishes · Kalua pig across every city.
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 Katsuyoshi.
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 the SALT block of Kakaako.