Where To Eat On Oahu: 20 Of Our Favorite Food Spots

When it comes to eating on Oahu, we love keeping it casual.

Forget the fancy hotel restaurants and Michelin-starred spots—this guide is all about the real deal: hole-in-the-wall gems, beloved local businesses, and downright delicious food.

After years of visiting Hawaii almost every year, we’ve uncovered some incredible spots that don’t always make it onto the typical travel guides. The first part of this Oahu food guide focuses on places you’ve probably never heard of, where the food is as authentic as it gets.

In the following section, I’ve included a few popular spots you’ve likely seen on Instagram or on other travel guides—because, let’s be honest, sometimes the hype is worth it.

Whether you’re after fresh poke, plate lunches, or something sweet, these recommendations will help you eat your way through Oahu like a local.

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Our Favorite Places To Eat On Oahu

Kona Coffee Purveyors

Why we love it: Specialty pour-over coffee and black sesame kouign amanns.

One of our new favorite coffee shops in the Waikiki area is Kona Coffee Purveyors. We’re not usually Waikiki people, but sometimes we go out of our way just to hit up this coffee spot. All their specialty drinks are made to perfection.

But aside from their high-quality coffee, there’s something else that draws us there each and every morning. The undeniably delicious pastries by b. Patisserie (originally from San Francisco, CA)!

Do not miss the croissants and the seasonal kouign amanns, they are all so flaky, buttery, and heavenly.

I always get the black sesame kouign amann–in SF where we’re from, you can only get these twice a year on Chinese New Year and National Kouign Amann Day. In Hawaii, you can get these every single day!

Address: 2330 Kalakaua Ave Ste 160 Honolulu, HI 96815

Got’z Grindz

Start your morning off right with a set of musubis that’s anything but basic!

For the best musubis with the best variation, head to Got’z Grindz located in Kaneohe. Not sure which flavors to get? Opt for one of their variety packs!

After discovering Got’z Grindz on our last trip, we’ve decided that going forward, we’re going to pay them a visit each and every time we visit Oahu.

You can eat them all as soon as you get them or buy extra to snack on during the day. Trust me, you’ll be craving these immediately after you’ve finished scarfing them all down.

Address: 45-726 Kamehameha Hwy Kaneohe, HI 96744

Keeaumoku Seafood

Why we love it: Unassuming poke shop serving up some delicious lunch plates.

This poke spot is a hidden gem located just off the highway. The salmon belly double poke plate is elite, but their lunch plates are also amazing. Try their hamachi poke if you get the chance, too.

Address: 1223 Keeaumoku St Honolulu, HI 96814

Wagaya

Why we love it: Black garlic ramen, chicken cartilage skewers, and warabi mochi dessert.

Wagaya is one of my favorite ramen places in Oahu! This little ramen joint is a homey shop located in Honolulu that serves amazing bowls of noodle soup created from scratch.

We ordered the tsukemen, black garlic ramen, squid cartilage skewer, corn tempura, and vanilla ice cream with warabi mochi. Everything there is absolutely delicious!

Address: 2080 S King St Honolulu, HI 96826

Pipeline Bakeshop and Creamery

Why we love it: Sweet treats like the pumpkin crunch, ube haupia mac nut bar, and malasadas that are even better than Leonard’s.

Pipeline Bakeshop is a spot we discovered not too long ago on one of our umpteenth visits to Oahu. I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to find this place!

Gayla Young opened Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery focusing on old fashioned classic treats. After perfecting her malasada recipe for one year, she began pulling old family recipes and experimenting in the kitchen.

All that effort certainly paid off because this bake shop sells some of the best treats on the island.

Get the pumpkin crunch, the lilikoi cheesecake bar, the ube haupia mac nut bar, and the malasadas! Their original malasada rivals those of Leonard’s, and we actually like these better.

Address: 3632 Waialae Ave Ste 102 Franklin Variety Building Honolulu, HI 96816

Poke For The People

Why we love it: Super unique fish options for poke, plus some of the most unique sides we’ve tasted.

While there are tons and tons of great options in the North Shore, I would highly recommend Poke For The People. While writing this now, I am drooling and dreaming about the freshness of the fish…

Without a doubt, this is our favorite place to get poke on the North Shore!

Whenever we’re in the area, our usual is a 2-item bowl with the shoyu ahi and the daily special (we always have our fingers crossed that it’s the creamy garlic marlin or swordfish).

The quality of the fish is always perfect. The sides that came with our poke bowl also complimented the fish so well!

Address: 66-214 Kamehameha Hwy Haleiwa, HI 96712

Waiahole Poi Factory

Why we love it: Sweet Lady of Waiahole ice cream + stellar lunch plates with some of the freshest poi that you won’t be able to stop eating.

Whenever we find ourselves on the east side of Oahu (i.e. right before taking our friends/family to the fun-filled Polynesian Cultural Center), we always make an effort to get to Waiahole Poi Factory.

I love their plate lunches–the lau lau and chicken long rice combo is my go-to, with an additional side of squid luau. Papu loves the Sweet Lady of Waiahole dessert, which is haupia ice cream topped with kulolo.

Address: 48-140 Kamehameha Hwy Kaneohe, HI 96744

Ululani’s Shave Ice

Why we love it: Shave ice with homemade syrups and soft melt-in-your-mouth mochi.

Ululani’s Shave Ice is easily my favorite shave ice spot across ALL the islands. The syrups here are made out of natural ingredients such as real fruit and sugar cane, which make their flavors authentic and extremely flavorful without tasting overly sweet.

They poke holes into the shave ice so that the syrup really penetrates through the ice. They also carry the usual toppings including super fresh hunks of mochi (incredibly soft and chewy) as well as a haupia cream that is rich and heavenly. Tip: Get the haupia cream!

Haleiwa Bowls

Why we love it: Refreshing acai bowls with decadent additions like poi and almond butter.

We love getting acai bowls at Haleiwa Bowls on hot days! They have many different kinds of bowls and smoothies, but we get the basic acai bowls and add on toppings like papaya, almond butter, etc.

Their acai bowls are so unique because you’ll actually find poi in them! So creamy and good.

Address: 66-030 Kamehameha Hwy Haleiwa, HI 96712

Nami Kaze

Why we love it: Contemporary and super creative Japanese dishes in an upscale setting.

If you’re looking for an upscale, sit-down restaurant, Nami Kaze is a stellar option. We don’t usually eat at formal restaurants in Oahu, but this restaurant came highly recommended by one of my good friends, who said it was the “best food she’s eaten in her life”.

She did not lie. It was an unforgettable meal! The standout dishes from our meal include the teishoku breakfast set, the custard french toast (topped with haupia tapioca, life-changing!), and the black cod.

Address: 1135 N Nimitz Hwy Honolulu, HI 96817

Yama’s Fish Market

Why we love it: Delicious lunch plates and an unbeatable sweet potato haupia pie.

If you’re looking for no-frills Hawaiian cooking, look no further. The portions at Yama’s are huge, which is great for the wallet since you can share the plate with another person.

There is a wide variety of plates to choose from– laulau, kalua pork, grilled ahi, poke,  beef stew, etc. There are also ala carte items such as haupia and squid luau.

For dessert, the haupia sweet potato pie is a must!

Address: 2332 Young St Honolulu, HI 96826

Kyung’s Seafood

Why we love it: Sashimi plates and meat jun.

One of our best hole-in-the-wall finds on the island! Come here if you want a no frills local experience of Honolulu, good Korean/Hawaiian food, and homemade soju smoothies!

The sashimi platter and the poke are great options, but the meat jun is the real star here. Do not leave the restaurant without ordering the meat jun.

Address: 1269 S King St Honolulu, HI 96814

Guieb Cafe

Why we love it: Prime rib loco moco for breakfast — enough said.

Looking for a homestyle restaurant serving up fancy-as-heck loco mocos? Check out Guieb Cafe.

Guieb Cafe is the kind of unassuming, no-frills spot we love for breakfast, but their menu also covers lunch and dinner if you’re looking for something later in the day.

The Prime Rib Loco Moco is a standout, featuring a perfectly cooked slice of prime rib (yes, you can pick your temperature), smothered in gravy, topped with over-easy eggs, and served over a bed of rice—it’s comfort food at its finest!

For something sweeter, get their best-selling Ube Mascarpone Pancakes. And don’t miss the Poi Mochi Waffles, with their lightly crisp edges and chewy texture, paired perfectly with the rich haupia sauce on the side.

Address: 98025 Hekaha St Bldg 4 Unit 14 Aiea, HI 96701

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The More Touristy Spots (That We Also Like)

Boots and Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen

Boots and Kimo’s is famous for its pancakes with macadamia nut sauce (or go one step further and get the banana pancakes with mac nut sauce). They also serve other delicious breakfast items and plate lunches.

If I can give you any tip, get here as early as possible or be prepared to wait in line.

My personal favorites are the Banana Pancake with Macadamia Nut Sauce and Mochiko Chicken.

Address: 1020 Keolu Dr D1 Kailua, HI 96734

Moke’s Bread & Breakfast

Moke’s is one of my favorite breakfast places in all of Oahu. The Lilikoi Pancakes really steal the show here!

The loco moco is equally as good (you can even get it with fried rice) so if you’re looking for something savory to balance out the sweetness, definitely order this dish. But seriously, the Lilikoi cream sauce is out of this world.

They have locations in both Kailua and Honolulu.

Address: 27 Hoolai St Kailua, HI 96734

Zippy’s

Wondering where to eat in Hawaii? At some point, I implore you to make a stop here. Hawaiian-style fast food. Oh man, do I wish we had fast food like this on the mainland!

Korean chicken with rice and mac salad? Mixed plate with chili over rice? The Zip-Pac? Yes, yes, and yes.

It’s one of the only options for late-night food on Oahu, but I’m not mad about it.

Address: Multiple locations all over Oahu

Ono Seafood

Treat your tastebuds to some of the most authentic poke you’ll ever taste. Most of the stuff in the US mainland is garbage compared to what you’ll experience in Hawaii.

I’ve been enjoying Ono Seafood for years, and after all these years, I still can’t get over how tender and fresh the fish is. The many different flavors they offer give your tastebuds options (shoyu, spicy, sweet; salmon vs tako vs tuna, etc).

There’s almost always a line, but they work fast and will get you in/out quickly. Many years ago, I would have said that their prices were great, but sadly it’s gone up quite a bit over the years.

Fair warning: this is a small space with limited seating, and the parking is extremely limited. Park on the street, grab your poke, and eat it elsewhere.

Address: 747 Kapahulu Ave Honolulu, HI 96816

Jenny’s Shrimp

If you’re over the hype of Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Jenny’s Shrimp is a refreshing alternative for garlic shrimp on the North Shore.

Their shrimp is flavorful, the sweet corn side adds a nice twist, and best of all—no hour-long wait. You can grab your order quickly and dive right into a delicious, stress-free meal.

Address: 66-532 Kamehameha Hwy Haleiwa, HI 96712

McDonald’s

Wait, why is McDonald’s on the list? Well, they’ve made it on my list strictly for their haupia pies and taro pies.

If you like coconut or taro, you really need to try these! We get them at least twice every time we go to Hawaii, and sometimes, we’ll even bring a load home to freeze and enjoy at a later date.

Yes, they’re that good. McDonald’s can be found on every island, good for us!

Address: Multiple locations all over Oahu

Leonard’s Malasadas

After biting into a hot fluffy malasada, your life might be changed. Leonard’s malasadas are the real deal! All of the malasadas are made-to-order, so you know they’ll be piping hot when they hand them to you.

The menu is very simple with a few types of pastries and a wide variety of different malasadas. My recommendation is if you could only order 2 flavors, make it the original and the haupia cream-filled malasada.

The custard-filled malasadas are too decadent for me, but fill it with haupia and I can gobble that up in a jiffy!

👉 Pro Tip: The original Leonard’s is steps away from Ululani’s Shave Ice, so you could easily visit both spots at the same time.

Address: Multiple locations all over Oahu

Matsumoto Shave Ice

A trip to Oahu isn’t complete without some shaved ice. Matsumoto’s is a longstanding local favorite and a popular stop for tourists when visiting the North Shore.

Although the line may look long, it goes by fast! They have combos that taste great together, as well as a good variety of toppings (rice balls, azuki beans, ice cream).

At Matsumoto, the blade itself is a bit coarser than at Waiola (below), but the syrups are more varied and flavorful.

Address: 66-111 Kamehameha Hwy Ste 605 Haleiwa, HI 96712

Waiola Shave Ice

I scoured the island looking for the best shave ice. To my surprise, one of the best shave ice joints happened to be the easiest to get to and the most accessible.

Waiola is a longstanding mom-and-pop shop not too far from Waikiki. The shave ice is light, fluffy, and super affordable.

We’re always rotating between lychee, guava, and lilikoi flavors here (most of the time, we get all three). My favorite topping is the mochi here; it’s not the prepackaged powdered kind, it’s the one they boil before serving to you. SO delicious.

Pro Tip: They also sell some really great li hing candy. I like their candies so much more than the bags you find at Foodland, Walgreens, Don Quijote, or Walmart. The li hing is laid on thick!

Address: 2135 Waiola St Honolulu, HI 96826

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• The Ultimate Oahu 4-Day Itinerary For Budget Friendly Travelers
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