Restaurants in O'ahu
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A
Jimbo Restaurant
This family friendly restaurant is known throughout the island for its handmade soba and udon noodles. Order them in broth or fried and slurp your way to happiness along with the old married couples who no longer bother talking to each other and young daters who giggle at everything.
reviewed
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Royal Kitchen
Sweet and savory manapua (baked buns) in Chinatown.
reviewed
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Coffee Talk
For a coffee-producing state, Hawaii hasn't been jolted by the 'café' culture phenomenon, making this Kaimuki hangout all the more unique. Start the day with a slow wind-up of java, people-watching and crossword-puzzling. And then chase it with a peanut-butter cookie or scone.
reviewed
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D
Duc's Bistro
Honolulu's power brokers hang out at this swank French-Vietnamese bistro with a tiny Manhattan-like bar. Fusion highlights include noodles in lime sauce, seafood paella, vermicelli with spring rolls, and avocado and green papaya salad. A small jazz combo performs on most evenings.
reviewed
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E
Mekong II
One of Honolulu's oldest Thai restaurants, famed for its spicy 'Evil Jungle Prince' curry, this hole-in-the-wall may not have the most authentic tastes in town, but it's a filling lunch stop. The artfully presented pad thai is also worth detouring for.
reviewed
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Lei Lei's Bar & Grill
Of the resort's several eateries facing the golf course, this is a destination all on its own for locals in the know. The eclectic menu includes oyster shooters, sandwiches, baby back ribs and several Japanese-accented dishes, such as seafood scampi with udon noodles.
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F
Well Bento
This inconspicuous hole-in-the-wall is the macrobiotic alternative to the plate lunch, serving 'Zen' veggies and grilled tofu, as well as seared chicken or fish. This is only a take-out place but it is an easy walk to Old Stadium park for a midday picnic. Cash only.
reviewed
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G
Kalapawai Market & Deli
- O'ahu, USA
- Restaurants › Deli
En route to the public beach access, this local landmark is the place to pick up coffee or made-to-order sandwiches. Early morning customers often toast their own bagels while helping themselves to fresh coffee. There's also a broad selection of wine and beer.
reviewed
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Legend Vegetarian Restaurant
This Buddhist vegetarian, lunch-only spot is known for several fish and pork analogs that even meat eaters acknowledge as tasty. Favorites include the vegetarian butter fish and sweet-and-sour vegetarian pork, along with a huge selection of dim sum offerings.
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Sushi Izakaya Gaku
Wildly popular izakaya (Japanese gastropub) plates traditional, supremely fresh sushi and hard-to-find specialties such as chazuke (tea-soaked rice porridge) and natto (fermented soybeans). Reservations recommended.
reviewed
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Nico's at Pier 38
French chef Nico was inspired by the dressed-down island food scene to merge his classical training with the reliable plate lunch. French standards such as steak frite appear alongside fresh fish sandwiches and local belly fillers including chicken katsu.
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Tsukiji Fish Market
Christened by the famous Tokyo fish market of the same name, this newcomer to Ala Moana's dining scene is an all-in-one Japanese food feast with a full-service fish market surrounded by sushi and yakitori bars, noodle stalls and other street-food options.
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Liliha Bakery
Sugary cereals aren't just for breakfast anymore. This bakery and diner causes a traffic jam for its coco-puff pastries. Too nutritious you say? Then take a seat and order hamburger steak or other lumberjack faves at this spot northeast of Downtown.
reviewed
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M
Kona Brewing Company
- O'ahu, USA
- Restaurants › Tapas
This hip eatery is known first for its microbrews, like Longboard Lager and Castaway IPA, and then for its local-style pupu (small plates), such as 'ahi appetizers and wood-fired pizzas. Hawai'i Kai is an eastern suburb of Waikiki.
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Shrimp Shack
A sunny yellow truck parked nextdoor to Ching's is one of many roadside food attractions along this strip of highway. Deep-fried coconut shrimp and other plate lunches are devoured at shaded picnic tables overlooking the road and the ocean beyond.
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Waiola Bakery & Shave Ice Ii
For a lesson in shave ice, Waiola is the place. The superfine ice and the add-ons set it apart: try azuki beans, condensed milk, mochi (sticky-sweet Japanese-pounded rice cakes) and island-style li hing mui crack seed.
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Days of Aloha
Tucked behind the commercial strip Wai'alae Ave, this vintage Hawaiian-style café serves tasty salads and sandwiches, Italian sodas and coffee drinks. On Saturday night, there's live Hawaiian music, and you can bring your own beer.
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O
Ezogiku Noodle Cafe
This is where many Waikiki hotel employees go during their lunch and dinner breaks for steaming bowls of Japanese ramen, curries and fried rice. It's cheap, fast and the closest you'll get to a subway noodle shop this side of Tokyo.
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Fatty's Chinese Kitchen
Have a seat at this hole-in-the-wall next to the Miramar hotel for some of the cheapest and saltiest grub in Waikiki. The atmosphere is purely local, with a dozen seats lining a long bar just a grease splatter away from the cook.
reviewed
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Q
Fort Street Bar & Grill
Local foodies' favorite for dressed-down Hawaiian contemporary food, this unpretentious spot is Colin Nishida's latest addition to the Side Street Inn family. The office workers roll in after work for light plates and karaoke.
reviewed
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Assaggio
This restaurant serves very good Italian dishes in a somewhat upmarket setting. The menu is extensive, with more than 50 pasta, seafood, steak and chicken dishes, including chicken Assaggio, a tasty dish brimming with garlic.
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Spices
This pan-Southeast Asian restaurant has spiced up the university dining scene with Thai curries, Lao soups and Burmese noodles. The restaurant sets a modern but neighborhood-friendly table free of suffocating ethnic kitsch.
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Bubbies
In a college strip skilled at pouring draughts, this neighborhood ice-cream shop is the sweet-tooth's alternative to beer. Homemade ice cream comes in luscious tropical flavors or decadent chocolate-on-chocolate creations.
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Tanioka's Fish Market
Once a small family venture, this Waipahu market, west of Pearl Harbor, has evolved into an enterprise selling over 40 varieties of poke, including a gut-busting 300 pounds of limu poke and 200 pounds of shoyu poke a day.
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Chao Phya Thai Restaurant
- O'ahu, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
This family-run eatery serves very decent northeastern Thai food, including green papaya salad and sticky rice, along with Thai standards like pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodles) and curries. No liquor, but you can BYO.
reviewed