From plate lunch to rooftop cocktails, eating well in Waikiki means knowing which dishes to look for and when the neighbourhood comes alive after dark.
Waikiki has every kind of restaurant, from celebrity-chef dining rooms to convenience-store musubi. The trick is to eat the way people in Honolulu eat: often, casually and with a strong preference for anything grilled, fried or doused in shoyu.
Dishes to try at least once
| Dish | What it is | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Plate lunch | Two scoops rice, mac salad and a main such as kalua pork or chicken katsu | Lunch counters along Kuhio Avenue and Kapahulu |
| Poke | Cubed raw fish seasoned with shoyu, sesame, onion or seaweed | Markets and poke shops; buy it the day it is made |
| Spam musubi | Grilled Spam on rice wrapped in nori | Every convenience store, any hour |
| Malasadas | Portuguese-style fried dough rolled in sugar | Bakeries in Kapahulu, best warm |
| Shave ice | Finely shaved ice with syrups, often over ice cream | Stands all over Waikiki |
Dinner with a view
The beachfront hotels along Kalakaua Avenue have open-air restaurants where the sunset is part of the menu. Prices reflect the location, so many locals book a table for drinks and pupus (appetizers) at sunset and then walk inland to Kuhio Avenue or Kapahulu for dinner at half the price.
After dark
Waikiki nightlife is easygoing. Expect live Hawaiian music in hotel lounges, rooftop bars with DJs on weekends, karaoke rooms that stay busy until late and a handful of clubs. Free sunset hula at Kuhio Beach is a good start to the evening.
One thing never appears on the bar crawl: a gaming floor. With no casinos or video poker allowed anywhere in the state, Honolulu residents who crave a night at the tables save it for Las Vegas, where downtown hotels famous among islanders even serve oxtail soup and saimin at their cafes.
Practical tips
- Reservations matter for sunset tables, especially on weekends.
- Many casual spots are cash-friendly and close earlier than you might expect.
- Happy hours, often mid-afternoon, are the best value in the neighbourhood.
Top photo: A hula dancer performing at sunset at Kuhio Beach Park in Waikiki. Photo: Antonio Salsedo, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
