Visit September 2026:…read more What's Pidgin for OMG???? Because O...M...freaking...Geeeeeeeeee. Every trip to Hawai'i I look forward to upsetting my doc back at the mainland by gorging on some ono local grinds. Boy is he going to be angry. Give me a Chee Hoo for some Fried Butterfish Collar! How they are able to fry this fish without drying it out, allowing juices to just ooze out after breaking through the crisp exterior is mind bending. They know it's good bc when I excitedly ordered a second serving the waitress gave me a knowing wink. This is my new "last bite." Kalbi. Juicy. Well seasoned. Some of the best I've had. You know it's a popular dish when bc when I looked inside the kitchen you just see rows upon rows of ribs hanging ready to be pulled down and thrown on the grill. Lau lau-pork and butterfish steamed in ti leaves, a Hawaiian comfort food. The main reason for this trip was to bring my Mom back to her hometown in Ewa. She commented that she has not found a lau lau to her liking in San Diego so when this was brought to her and she went completely silent and smiling eating it up you know it's good lol. I was very happy Helena's take brought her joy. Kalua pork and cabbage. I can't attest to it bc it was being hoarded on the other side of the table and I was just happy with the butterfish and kalbi as is lol. Poke-Bruh, it's Hawai'i. Haupia-oh goodness. This was the perfect way to finish off the meal. The traditional coconut pudding was refreshing without being overbearingly sweet. Looks like Jello blocks but firm enough to pick up by hand. Outstanding. Service was ridiculously friendly and epitomized the Aloha spirit. This place is a foodies dream stop, serving locals and tourists alike since 1946. This place is a freaking institution!

[SERVICE] is much better nowadays. No complaints here. They are very accommodating. Some days I am…read moresuper hungry and a two top doesn't fit all of my food and it's not hard to ask for a 4 top. I already know what I want to the point I don't have to look at the menu and the servers are so fast to take my order. And they never rush me. [FOOD] My favorite is definitely the FRIED BUTTERFISH COLLAR, to the point I am checking online to see if it's available before I go, if you do decide to order this make sure to put it as soon as you get there since it does take a while to make but the wait is definitely worth it. After that I usually get a LAULAU, FISH WITH OPIHI, an order of HAUPIA, and extra RAW ONIONS & HAWAIIAN SALT. When I am in the mood for TRIPE STEW this is one of my go to spots.

Highway Inn is highly recommended for their classic Hawaiian dishes. We made our way over at…read moreopening last Thursday for an early lunch. Our server was very helpful and even brought out a pamphlet explaining each dish. After reading it over, the three of us decided to each try one of the signature Hawaiian combo plates. LAU LAU COMBO (PORK) - 22.99 + poi + lomi salmon The set came out in cafeteria-style trays, almost like a grade school lunch. Our server recommended eating the main entree and lomi salmon with poi, a fermented taro paste. Judging by how it looked, I thoroughly expected the poi to be sweet, but it was actually much more sour, almost like yogurt. I didn't enjoy it too much on its own, but it worked incredibly well with the pork lau lau. The pork was mostly tender and juicy, with a fragrant, leafy steamed flavor that reminded me of the Chinese zong zi my mom makes. The leaner parts of the pork were a bit dry, but the steamed taro leaves helped. The lomi salmon (salted salmon mixed with onions and tomatoes) was refreshing, although the pungent raw onions were a bit much for me. The 'uala (steamed sweet potatoes) had a natural, earthy sweetness that we all enjoyed. Lastly, the haupia (coconut pudding) was incredibly tasty, with a strong coconut flavor that made me sad when I took my last bite. One of my friends got the chicken lau lau, which we actually enjoyed even more. The chicken was delicious, and there was so much of it. Overall, we enjoyed getting to try some authentic Hawaiian dishes at Highway Inn, especially our server and the pamphlet gave us a better understanding of what we were eating.

We came in a party of 9 and they accommodated us. Service was awesome- Jun-jun took care of us…read more We even brought an outside cake for my mom's birthday and they served it to us. Thank you. The food however, was disappointing. I had the lau lau combo. The lau lau was very dry. The leaves were dry, the pork was dry. There was not even a little fat in it. There were two of us that ordered it and same for both of us. My mom ordered the ribs, sherated it was tough and chewy. The ones that ordered the squid Lia were quite satisfied. I should've ordered the squid Lia combo instead. Not sure if I'd be back here though. But in all fairness, service was great!

Have you ever tried authentic Hawaiian food? Do you know what they eat in their houses very…read moreconfused? Check out this place homestyle Hawaiian plates with multiple different options and combinations don't judge the food you have to have it. It has subtle flavors deeply, rooted, cultural identity. Simple yet talk talks about history. When you use display, you can see old school Hawaiian folks explaining you what this food means to them and serve you a plate full of their food of different portions. It's plenty of food for one person to eat. They are very welcoming and they will feel proud of serving this to the guest. It's a very old-school vibe since it's Hawaii. It's mostly outdoor seating but this place is always. It's been there around for a while now and I don't think they're ever going downhill one of the best places to try even though they're plenty of other options for you.

A local Hawaiian recommended Rainbow Drive-In to us, and I'm glad we stopped by. The loco moco was…read moreso good! Savory, satisfying, and an easy 5/5 for me. You order outside at the window, and there's plenty of outdoor seating. Our food came out pretty quickly, too. There's a restroom available; you just need to ask for the key. Definitely a delicious stop if you're craving a classic loco moco!

OMG! This was a dining experience! So, the restaurant was closing so my friend said we should eat…read morethere! I didn't know that the servings were group sized!! I found so many things that looked great on the menu, to include fried gizzards, boneless Kal Bi ribs, fully loaded fried rice, Mac salad and other stuff I can't recall! So the TWO of us ordered way too much! We tried to eat as much as we could and ended up taking the rest home! Everything we ordered was delicious, so we knew we were going to eat good leftovers! The restaurant was a great place to go with a group to eat and watch sports! Our Waitress (I have to remember to get names) was a track star, she was running to and from several tables of groups to deliver food! I will go again if they reopen!

house fried rice - so good with great texture Kim chee -…read moregood pork chops - ok huge portions here - 2 dishes will feed about 3-4 people

We had a family event in the area and decided to make a quick stop at Waiahole Poi Factory…read moreafterwards to grab a Sweet Lady of Waiahole! The Sweet Lady of Waiahole is definitely a treat! The warm kulolo paired with the haupia ice cream is such a delicious combination. Also you gotta get it with a double scoop of ice cream! I remember when my boyfriend first introduced me to this dessert, and I was instantly hooked! It's such a unique and satisfying local treat. Definitely a must stop if you're in the area!

I heard about this spot from multiple people and was excited to see that it fit our itinerary…read moreperfectly! + my boyfriend really wanted to try Poi while we were visiting the Island. There is a really small parking lot available, but we just found parking on side of the street and walked over. There are tables outside for people to enjoy their foods. It can be filled up quickly since lots of people visit this spot. Many people are willing to share space. Single restroom stall available around the building. Staff is super friendly We ordered a plate with Squid Luau, Laulau, and Poi and a single plate with kalua pig. Both plate comes with some sort of coconut pudding? and a very delicious side of lomi with salmon bits in it. The food was so good! Portion was so good and super filling! One note is that we wish there were more squid bits. Overall, a 10/10 would recommend!

Poke nachos were amazing and the service was incredible. They really packed the plate and were very…read moregenerous with the sauce . Everything 10/10, would gladly come back again!

First time trying kehau's kitchen. The Da Púa Poke and Mexican style pork nachos were amazing!…read moreHighly recommend!

Musubi Cafe is such a fun, local gem, but be ready for a wait. We went early, midday timing, and…read morethe line was already about 15 people with roughly a 30 minute wait. It moves steadily though, and it is worth it. Inside is tiny, just one small table, so this is really an order and go kind of place rather than somewhere to sit and eat. They have every musubi combination you could think of, unagi, avocado, cucumber, egg, bacon, ume, tofu skin, shrimp, you name it. I got the tuna mayo onigiri and wished they had packed in a little more tuna filling, but it was still tasty. I also tried the cucumber spam musubi, which was really good too. We came as a group of seven and everyone ordered something different, and everyone loved every bite. My tip: get at least two musubis per person. A few people in our group got four each and had zero regrets. One thing to know ahead of time is parking. It is street parking only and pretty limited, so plan for that if you are driving. Overall such an easy, yummy stop and a great local experience in Waikiki.

We came here because it was highly rated and my sister saw it in a viral Instagram video. The first…read moretime, we ordered the tuna musubi, but it had so much rice and barely any tuna. We decided to come back the next day and order the "Double Tuna," thinking it would actually have double the tuna. Instead, it seemed like the same small amount of tuna with double the rice! We ordered around eight of them, so it was especially disappointing to find that they were mostly rice. The portions just don't feel balanced. If someone pays extra for "Double Tuna," they're expecting more tuna, NOT extra rice. Unfortunately, it felt like they were really skimping on the filling, and the quality didn't live up to the hype for us.

A bit too saucy for my liking, but still fresh good quality fish…read more They charge extra for rice and side seaweed Not lots of parking if you come during lunch hours

Great selection of poke for your palate. I had the Fireball Ahi which was both tender and filling…read more The service was both courteous and helpful for test tasting the desired poke. The restaurant is mainly for takeout since there is no seating inside. Coming back for more great poke.

Absolutely Everything is amazing, the people, how quick the food came out, and the flavor of each…read moremeat and dish was perfect. And the price is well worth it! My family and I were literally fighting over who gets the last bite of the last guava bar

Dropped by for lunch to Guava Smoked. Parking lot is small with maybe 6-7 spots for parking, but…read morelots of parking on the street around the area. Wife and I both got the guava smoked mix plate with 2 proteins and a side, with us choosing different meats. This location is order up front when you arrive with self seating either inside or outside after ordering by. Cashier brought out food to table when ready. Atmosphere was nice as it really nice weather outside to enjoy a good meal outdoors. All 4 meats (chicken, pork, short ribs and butterfish) cooked well and tasted great.

Good local Hawaiian food restaurant. Street parking only. Small restaurant I believe it was Ono…read moreHawaii on Kapahulu before. Now it is named the Da Ono Hawaiian Foods. Either the owner or the manager seemed like a one man show. He was the server, bus boy, and chef. Husband got the pipikalua short ribs/he enjoyed. Sisters got the pork lau lau which came with sweet potato, rice or poi, lomi lomi salmon (more onion and tomato than salmon). i got the chicken lau lau, again stuffed with chicken, not enough taro leaves. The Haupia was smoky, so either burnt or something- inedible! Only six tables in the entire restaurant. The gentleman that was serving us I believe was also the bus boy, cook, server and cashier! Place is a hole in the wall with missing ceiling tiles and exposed panels above our table (gross!!). Sis loves this dive so we keep coming back!

3.5 stars We wanted…read moreto try authentic Hawaiian food and came across this spot. The owner was very friendly and took the time to recommend dishes for us, including the laulau and lechon kawali. We also ordered the BBQ short ribs. Overall, it was a good experience trying Hawaiian food, but it's just not really our type of cuisine. The laulau was quite dry, and the preparation felt more like meat that had been boiled or cooked in liquid, which isn't something I usually enjoy. The lechon kawali had a crispy pork belly texture, topped with something similar to a salsa, but it didn't suit our taste either. Unfortunately, the cabbage served with it also had some black spots, which was off-putting. The BBQ short ribs were the highlight of the meal and the dish we enjoyed the most. We appreciate the experience and the hospitality, but the flavors just didn't quite match our personal preferences.