12 Honolulu Restaurants—For Something Other Than Poke
I grew up visiting family in Hawaii every year. I consider Honolulu my second home. And I had the AIM screen name “islandgirl1989.” So I think I can safely pose this question: Why is poke the thing mainland eaters went bonkers for? Why not Hawaii’s saimin, a Chinese-Filipino-Japanese noodle soup that’s fishy, warming, and like nothing else in the States? Or native Hawaiian staples like pipikaula, an actually juicy beef jerky? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that you can find these dishes only in Hawaii. And the best versions are in Honolulu. The restaurants here define this undefinable cuisine–a mash-up of immigrant cuisines, both recent and ancient—and make Honolulu still my favorite place to eat.
1/9The O.G. Hawaiian Institution
You can’t go to Honolulu and not go to Helena’s Hawaiian Food. It’s an icon, a cafeteria-like haven for the kind of homey Hawaiian food that’s becoming harder and harder to find. Thankfully, owner Craig Katsuyoshi keeps his grandmother’s tradition alive, and he makes pipikaula the way she did: dipping short ribs in soy sauce, hanging them overnight, then frying them to order so they’re tender and meaty, with a little dry-aged funk. Dunk them in tangy poi (mashed taro, the lifeblood of Hawaiian food), and don’t miss the jiggly haupia (coconut gelatin).
Photo by Mark Kushimi2/9The Reason to Not Fight Your Jet Lag
Waking up at 5 a.m. isn’t so bad when you get first pick of the miso-lacquered butterfish, bouncy fish cakes, and more at Nuuanu Okazuya. A Hawaii riff on Japanese delis known as okazu, okazuyas are no-frills counters filled with savory bites. Starting at 1:30 a.m., chef Jonathan Mosley fries panko-crusted furikake chicken, which still crackles underneath a thick barbecue-teriyaki sauce, and simmers collards into salty submission, an homage to his Southern upbringing.
Photo by Mark Kushimi3/9The Fresh Take on Old-School Classics
To enjoy Mud Hen Water, you need to understand chef Ed Kenney’s references. The wood oven is fired by kiawe, Hawaiian mesquite. The tables are dotted with bottles of Hawaiian chile pepper water, the islands’ vinegary hot sauce of choice. Everything Kenney makes at his five-year-old restaurant highlights the crossover culture of Hawaii, from croquettes stuffed with chicken long rice (a luau must) to mussels cooked with Portuguese sausage, a breakfast staple.
Photo by Mark Kushimi4/9The Plate Lunch Slinger
A plate lunch conjures different carb-loaded memories for every local—maybe craggy mochiko chicken with a scoop each of rice and mac salad, or fat-rimmed kalbi with, yup, rice and mac salad. For me it’s the latter and my favorite is at Gina’s BBQ. The grilled short ribs are charred in the right spots and come not only with the requisite scoops but also house-made kimchi and sesame-oil-slicked japchae.
Photo by Mark Kushimi5/9The Hole -in-the Wall for Locals and Celebrities
“People would riot if this place ever closed,” says Minaka Urquidi of why she took over Ethel’s Grill, her parents’ very hyphenated (Japanese-Mexican-Okinawan) restaurant, which has served sumo wrestlers and politicians since 1978. Based on the tataki alone, I get why: Buttery ahi is singed around the edges, drizzled in a garlicky soy sauce, and served with crisp fiddlehead ferns. It’s simple yet satisfying, more than the sum of its parts. The same can be said of the restaurant itself. In the tiny dining room, there’s a fridge covered in family photos and construction workers breaking hard taco shells to scoop Okinawan taco rice. It’s perfect.
Photo by Mark Kushimi6/9The Island-Style Diner
For 70 years Liliha Bakery has been feeding locals. All three outposts of the restaurant feel the same in a good way, with brown marble counters and black-and-white-uniformed waitresses doling out enormous portions of Hawaii-American comfort food: loco moco, a moist beef patty threaded with onions and covered in an umami-rich mushroom gravy and two over-easy eggs, and soothing star-anise-forward oxtail soup, served with a mountain of grated ginger.
Photo by Mark Kushimi7/9The King of All Noodle Soups
Owners Susan and Scott Nakagawa want me to downplay Palace Saimin. They want me to tell you their soup isn’t like the “designer ramen” out there. Sorry, but I’m not going to do that. Here the saimin, an amalgam of ramen, pancit, and chow mein, is delicately beefy, intensely shrimpy, and filled with sweet char siu and wavy strands custom made by the experts at Sun Noodle. (Pro tip: Add thick wontons for 60 cents.) This is humble food in a humble setting (laminate tables, Longevity bowls), but it’s what I long for most back home.
Photo by Mark Kushimi8/9The Most Dialed-In Musubi Counter
In Hawaii, Spam musubi—a fat slice of luncheon meat slapped onto hot rice and enrobed with nori—is life. You find it at soccer games in lieu of orange slices and wrapped in cling wrap atop gas station counters. But just because it’s everywhere doesn’t mean it’s always good—the rice can make the nori moist and mealy. That’s why I bow down to Shichimusubi, a little Japanese spot hidden in a Waikiki food hall. The nori comes separately so you can assemble the musubi yourself to ensure a flawless bite: crisp seaweed, just-past-al dente organic rice, and hot skillet-kissed Spam.
Photo by Mark Kushimi9/94 Tourist Traps Actually Worth Visiting
Nothing compares to the snowy texture at this trio of Waiola Shave Ice shops. Imagine the most pillowy doughnut puff covered in sugar. That’s a Portuguese malasada, and Leonard's Bakery makes the best. Skip the plate lunch for the incredible lemon crunch cake with a milky-soft crumb and a candy-bar-like topping at Diamond Head Market & Grill. And okay, fine! I’ll add one poke place: Ahi Assassins Fish Co., a spare strip mall spot serving the freshest fish. If they don’t catch anything in the morning, they don’t open.
