Maguro Brothers Hawaii Chinatown is a street-food stop in Chinatown, Honolulu.
Maguro Brothers Hawaii in Kekaulike Market in Chinatown Honolulu is the lunch poke counter brothers Junichiro and Ryojiro Tsuchiya stock from the Honolulu Fish Auction at dawn.
Tip: Lunch-only counter inside the market; sells out by 13:00. Closed Sunday.
Address: 1120 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Ono Seafood in Kapahulu Honolulu is the takeout-only poke counter that sells shoyu ahi, spicy ahi and tako preparations from a refrigerated case, fed by the family fish operation.
Try: Two-scoop poke bowl
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Take it to Ala Wai Park; sells out by 16:00 weekends.
Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu Honolulu is the canonical Hawaii plate lunch counter since 1961, slinging loco moco, BBQ beef and boneless chicken plates from a window onto Kanaina.
Try: Loco moco and mix plate
Tip: No inside seating, eat at the picnic tables. Mix plate is the move for a first-timer.
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 malasada on the side of the road.
Try: Sugar malasada straight from the fryer
Tip: Five-minute fryer-to-bag turnaround. Sugar plain is the move; haupia rotates.
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, loco moco and fried rice.
Try: Chocolate haupia cream pie and garlic shrimp plate
Tip: The chocolate haupia pie is the canonical North Shore order; pies sell by the slice or whole.
Waiola Shave Ice in Kapahulu Honolulu has shaved the city's finest-grain shave ice since 1940, with house syrups and the canonical strawberry condensed milk over vanilla ice cream order.
Try: Strawberry condensed milk shave ice
Tip: Strawberry condensed milk is the move; cash and card. Mokihana Street relocation in 2013.
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 its graffiti-tagged white truck in Kahuku in 1995.
Try: Garlic butter shrimp scampi over rice
Tip: Twelve shrimp over two scoops rice with caramelized garlic; queue 30 to 45 minutes. Bring cash for shorter lines.
