A 24-hour eating tour of Honolulu will disabuse you of stereotypes of Hawai‘i’s capital. You won’t find a single pineapple-and-ham combination or coconut-crusted anything in this itinerary; rather, you’ll jump across multiple culinary cultures, not just in space but also in time.
Food is a window into a Honolulu that is renewing its interest in long-running institutions, the décor and menu as if preserved in amber, while celebrating new places that look to the past to create a menu for the modern world. It’s a Honolulu celebrating immigrants from the 19th-century plantation era to more recent waves, who together create a delightful, mixed-up cuisine that challenges our notions of authenticity. It’s a Honolulu with fresh fish and eggs for breakfast, lunch with roots in native Hawaiian traditions, an afternoon treat of shave ice, and killer bar food late at night. While this list is perfect for dipping in and out of, with some dedication (and a lot of driving) you can experience it all in one day.
9 a.m. Koko Head Café
Start your day at this popular brunch spot for a preview of the unique mashup of ethnicities and flavors in Hawaii, as seen through high-end riffs on classic breakfasts. In the setting of a cozy American diner, you’ll find miso-marinated catch of the day and soft scrambled eggs; congee topped with ham, cheddar, and cinnamon-bacon croutons; and a cast-iron skillet bibimbap. Its neighborhood, Kaimukī, a residential area near Diamond Head dotted with diverse eateries, is also worth a quick stroll. 1145c 12th Ave. | (808) 732-8920 | kokoheadcafe.com
10:30 a.m. Nisshodo Candy Store
Waves of Japanese immigrants came to work the sugar plantations in the 19th century, bringing with them culinary traditions that, more than a century later, have become quotidian to all ethnicities in Hawai‘i. One of them, mochi, is so much a part of locals’ lives it’s even found in the drugstores. (Mochi as medicine? Yes, please.) Nearing a hundred years of business, Nisshodo is an iconic mochi manufacturer hidden among warehouses in an industrial part of town. Come to the source early to choose from the full range of mochi in the glass display case: supple, pastel rounds with fillings from the traditional red bean to peanut butter or coconut; delicate, flower-shaped wafers hiding sweetened bean paste; and liliko‘i chi chi dango, the small rectangles individually wrapped in paper like candies. 1095 Dillingham Blvd., Building I-5 | (808) 847-1244 | nisshodomochicandy.com
11 a.m. Helena’s Hawaiian Food
For your first lunch, root yourself in the history of the islands with the food of its first Polynesian inhabitants. Well, sort of. In Hawai‘i, “Hawaiian” refers to native Hawaiian, but nothing is as simple as it seems. Helen Chock, a Chinese woman, opened her restaurant in 1946. By the ’50s, she had shed the Chinese and breakfast items on her menu to focus on a short list of Hawaiian food staples of that era: kālua pig, laulau, poi, lomi salmon, and Helena’s now-famous pipi kaula, made by hanging short ribs above the stove to dry before cooking, giving the meat a crisp exterior. The menu hasn’t changed much since then. Everything is served in little plastic bowls and dishes — think of it as tapas, Hawaiian style — making it easy to share in the small, no-frills, friendly dining room. 1240 N. School St. | (808) 845-8044 | helenashawaiianfood.com
12:30 p.m. The Pig and the Lady
In with the old and in with the new, says Honolulu, and so will you, after following a traditional lunch with a contemporary one. Recently, in Honolulu’s Chinatown, one of the country’s oldest, a slew of young restaurateurs have been opening stylish spots. The Pig and the Lady is one of the liveliest (full disclosure: I started its first iteration as a pop-up with Andrew Le, but have no stake in his current restaurants). It stars the pho French dip — pho components reimagined as a sandwich with tender slices of brisket, a Thai basil chimichurri, mung bean sprouts, and a side of pho broth for dunking. Among other nouveau takes on banh mi, you’ll also find traditional Vietnamese noodle soups beyond pho. Don’t miss the soft serve of the week, which in the past has included flavors like haw flake custard and mandarin orange sorbet.
(As another option, check The Pig and the Lady’s farmers market schedule online to coordinate a visit. At the markets, The Pig and the Lady offers an even greater variety of noodle soups, banh mi, and Vietnamese street food, eaten al fresco, just as it’s done in Vietnam.) 83 N. King St. | (808) 585-8255 | thepigandthelady.com
2 p.m. Shave ice and malassadas
It’s time to cool off with shave ice and then get some hot fried malassadas, two iconic sweet treats in Hawai‘i. Choose your own adventure: old school or new school?
Old school: Waiola Shave Ice and Leonard’s Bakery
For the old school, head to Waiola (its original location has been open since 1940), for the quintessential shave ice experience — soft snow soaked in a Technicolor rainbow. Then walk a few blocks up to Leonard’s Bakery, credited with popularizing the malassada shortly after the bakery opened in 1952.
Waiola Shave Ice | 2135 Waiola St. | (808) 949-2269
Leonard’s Bakery | 933 Kapahulu Ave. | (808) 737-5591 | leonardshawaii.com
New school: Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha and Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery
Want to see how the new generation is remaking Hawai‘i’s favorite treats? Start at Uncle Clay’s in a suburban strip mall, where the shave ice is still delicate and fine, but the syrups all natural and made from real fruit. Then, on your way back into town, drop in at Pipeline, where the cheery shop serves malassadas in four varieties: all unfilled, and dusted with plain sugar, coffee, cocoa, or li hing.
Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha | 820 W. Hind Drive #116 | (808) 373-5111 | uncleclays.com
Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery | 3632 Wai‘alae Ave. | (808) 738-8200 | pipelinebakeshop.com
3 p.m. Poke
No visit to Hawai‘i is complete without poke. Head to Ahi Assassins, where you’ll see how lucky Honolulu has it with easy access to fresh ‘ahi: in a cramped spot on the second floor of an office building, guys who look like they’d rather be fishing break down whole tuna into ruby-red cubes for poke. (Tired of driving everywhere? Honestly, the poke everywhere in Hawai‘i is pretty damn good: stop by the nearest Foodland, a local supermarket chain, for a scoop of poke by the pound and you’ll see what I mean.) 2570 S. Beretania St. | (808) 439-4045 | ahiassassins.com
4 p.m. Matcha parfait at Nana’s Green Tea
Unearth delightful treasures in the matcha parfait at Nana’s Green Tea, one of the stalls in Waikiki Yokocho, a fancy new food hall housing tempura, ramen, and other eateries from Japan, adding new layers of Japanese flavors to Hawai‘i’s old-school Japanese culture. Locals love layers, especially when they taste of mochi and tea jellies, cool and creamy soft serve, green tea ice cream, and crisp cornflakes, all meticulously assembled in a tall glass. 2250 Kalakaua Ave., Lower Level 100 | (808) 777-3550 | waikiki-yokocho.com/restaurant/nanas-green-tea/
5 p.m. Mai tai at House Without A Key
Sipping a mai tai as the sun sets into the sea: This is what you came to Hawai‘i for. The word “cliche” will slip inconsequentially out of your mind at the first sip of Halekulani’s classic mai tai, which, like the setting, is always perfect. The iconic, 130-year-old tree that once shaded the stage where hula dancers and musicians perform at sunset fell last year, but it still lives and grows, on its side, like a lady in repose. 2199 Kalia Rd. | (808) 923-2311 | halekulani.com/dining/house-without-a-key
6 p.m. Mahina & Sun’s
For dinner, head to one of chef Ed Kenney’s restaurants, Mahina & Sun’s at the Surfjack hotel in Waikīkī. Kenney prepares the islands’ flavors and culinary traditions in fresh ways. While there are nods to the predominant Asian cultures, you wouldn’t describe his food as East-meets-West, but rather Mediterranean-meets-modern-Hawaiian. At Mahina & Sun’s, order the Family Feast, a whole fried snapper served with fixings that include Kualoa Ranch oysters, root vegetables punctuated with ogo (a local seaweed), and ‘inamona (roasted, crushed candlenut), pohole (fiddlehead fern) salad, and buttered ‘ulu (breadfruit). 412 Lewers St. | (808) 924-5810 | mahinaandsuns.com
8 p.m. Bar Leather Apron
You’ve tasted a classic mai tai at the Halekulani; now order a contemporary version at Bar Leather Apron, a reservation-only, intimate bar hidden in an office building downtown. What you lose in ocean views (or really a view of anything) is made up for with theatrics: the mai tai here involves smoke and absinthe, unveiled by natty bartenders clad in, well, leather aprons made by owner Justin Park, whom you’ll often find behind the bar when he’s not jetting across the world visiting distilleries and competing in cocktail competitions. 745 Fort Street Mall, Suite #127 | (808) 524-0808 | barleatherapron.com
10 p.m. Tonkatsu Tamafuji
Honolulu has the best Japanese food outside of Japan. It’s partly because of straight-from-Japan chains like Tonkatsu Tamafuji, which specializes in just one thing: fried breaded meat, primarily pork. The beauty is in the details here: sesame seeds you grind with a special mortar and pestle; unlimited pickles and cabbage shredded so fine it fluffs like cotton candy; panko for the breading made from whole loaves from a local bakery; and the tonkatsu fried in copper pots. 449 Kapahulu Ave. | (808) 922-1212
Midnight: Home Bar & Grill
Some of Honolulu’s best eating is found in dive bars, and the best example is Home Bar & Grill, where locals gather for beer, sports, and tater tot nachos. Its menu is filled with Hawai‘i’s comfort food: loco moco, kimchi steak, kimchi fried rice, garlic chicken, and an egg on almost everything. And since this bar was opened by alums of fine-dining stalwart Alan Wong, there are some unexpected flourishes, like an excellent salad and an upscale take on negitoro, quite possibly the fanciest dish you’ll eat in a sketchy-looking spot. This is Honolulu: have perfect raw fish eaten within sight of the 11 screens tuned to ESPN. 1683 Kalakaua Ave. | (808) 942-2235
2 a.m. Liliha Bakery
The bakery part of Liliha Bakery is a big draw, but I love the nostalgic feel of the diner side. It’s just a counter run mostly by women — warm, but economic in words and movement. Many have been working for decades at Liliha, which has been open since 1950. Every hour at this 24-hour spot brings a different crowd. At this time, on a weekend, it might be filled with club kids looking to sober up; on a weekday, it might be quiet, with just a few cops lingering over coffee. But at any time of day, the waffle will delight: it tastes like an airy, Eggo waffle fried in butter. 515 N. Kuakini St. | (808) 531-1651 | www.lilihabakery.com
(Note: There are two locations, but the original is open 24 hours and has a more homey feel.)
5 a.m. Zippy’s
Everyone, from school kids to seniors, comes to Zippy’s, Hawai‘i’s beloved chain. It’s never empty, and at 5 a.m. you’ll see night shift workers ending their day and retired folks beginning theirs. Come to see the full range of local Hawai‘i food, spread over 200 menu items which taste like home cooking preserved from a different era. Some of it seems very mainland America, like spaghetti and fried chicken, but where else in the world are you going to get fried chicken with chili, two scoops rice, and one scoop mac salad? And then there are the only-in-Hawai‘i dishes, like saimin (egg noodles in a clear, dashi-like broth) and the Zip Pac, in which Zippy’s does a surf-and-turf bento composed of Spam, teri beef, fried mahi, and fried chicken. (Tip: for locals, chili and rice is the perfect combination, but a side of grilled cornbread is even better.) Multiple locations | zippys.com
7 a.m. Ethel’s Grill
By now you’ll have noticed a theme to eating in Honolulu, of great food in unlikely places. Ethel’s, shoved under an apartment building among auto repair shops and near shipping docks, is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; by getting here right when it opens, you’ll beat the rush, when the 20 seats slowly fill with dock workers, businessmen on their way downtown, and Japanese tourists. They’re all here for the local food with bright, unexpected touches: shaved, marinated garlic on the ‘ahi tataki, a kimchi poke bowl, mochiko chicken (fried chicken with a delicate rice flour crust), and fresh grated daikon on the Japanese hamburger steak. 232 Kalihi St. | (808) 847-6467
8:30 a.m. Coffee at Morning Glass
If I were to imagine the perfect coffee shop in Hawai‘i, Morning Glass would be it. It’s an open-air café nestled in lush Mānoa, one of Honolulu’s oldest neighborhoods, stretching deep into a verdant valley. You’re probably not even hungry at this point, but this is a good place to perk up with a Hawai‘i-grown coffee before the final stop on your journey. 2955 E. Manoa Rd. | (808) 673-0065 | morningglasscoffee.com
9 a.m. Da Hawaiian acai bowl at Diamond Head Cove Health Bar
There may be an ebb and flow to the acai trend on the Mainland, but it never waned in Honolulu, where any smoothie shop worth its bananas has an acai bowl on the menu. Da Hawaiian is da bes’, topped with thick pa‘i‘ai (pounded taro, thicker than poi) and plenty of honey. Eating it outside, alongside post-dawn patrol surfers near the slopes of Diamond Head, is the perfect way to start another day in Hawai‘i. 3045 Monsarrat Ave. #5 | (808) 732-8744 | diamondheadcove.com
Martha Cheng is a freelance writer based in Honolulu and its surrounding ocean.