Oahu travel guide
Oahu Food Guide: Poke, Musubi, Shrimp and Shave Ice
Hawaii is our happy place. Across three Oʻahu trips, we kept coming back for poke, musubi, garlic shrimp, and shave ice, with a lot of help from friends and viewers who told us where to eat next. Some of our favorite meals were in a takeout box, eaten in the car or by the beach. This is the guide we'd give a friend: what we actually ordered, which stops we'd make again, and how to group them without spending your whole vacation driving or waiting in line.
Plan your meals.
Your first food day
Stay around Waikīkī: Iyasume musubi for breakfast, Maguro Spot for a poke bowl, then a plate lunch at Rainbow Drive-In. Share malasadas from Leonard's if you have room. Kapahulu is a separate outing from the beach, so allow time to get there.
A Windward beach day
Pick up a musubi sampler at Got’z Grindz in Kāneʻohe. If Adela's pasta is the main meal, order ahead and share a portion. These work well as separate meals around a Windward beach day; you don't need to fit every stop into one outing.
A North Shore food day
Choose Jenny's or Big Wave for garlic shrimp in Haleʻiwa, then Aoki's for shave ice. Add Waialua General Store if you're exploring Waialua. Rainbow House is an option if your route continues to Kahuku; don't drive there assuming it's next door to Haleʻiwa.
Our first Oahu food guide
Oahu food guide, part 2 (viewer recommendations)
Oahu food guide, 2024
Where we ate.
Waikīkī and Kapahulu
Easy meals around Waikīkī, plus the short trip out to Kapahulu for malasadas and plate lunch.
Maguro Spot
2441 Kūhiō Avenue, Honolulu · WaikīkīMade-to-order poke
Get: A salmon poke bowl with sushi rice; try the spicy Hawaiian option if you like heat.
This is the place we returned to when we wanted a good poke bowl without a big production. They mix the fish and toppings when you order, so you can customize the bowl. We kept choosing sushi rice because that little bit of seasoning makes the whole thing better. The salmon had a mild natural sweetness, and the spicy option really was spicy. Our two bowls were about $22 on an earlier visit, and the short waits made it an easy repeat meal.
Plan your visit: We had short waits on our visits, but that isn't a guarantee. Ask about ordering ahead if you're fitting lunch around other plans.
Maguro Brothers · Waikīkī and Chinatown
2250 Kalākaua Avenue, Honolulu · current Waikīkī locationPoke and donburi
Get: A poke-and-sashimi combination or donburi, depending on the day's menu.
We liked how carefully the fish was cut and prepared: soft, not fishy to us, with a little natural sweetness. We waited about 30 minutes at the Waikīkī location we visited. Maguro Spot was our easier repeat meal on that trip, but we'd happily try both if we had several days. This is a useful choice if you want sliced sashimi as well as poke.
Plan your visit: The business now lists Waikīkī at 2250 Kalākaua Avenue and Chinatown at 1120 Maunakea Street. Their service hours differ; use the current locations page instead of following an older video address.
Musubi Café Iyasume
227 Lewers Street, Honolulu · Beach Walk branchMusubi and rice balls
Get: Kimchi-and-Spam musubi, egg-cucumber-Spam, and rice balls such as salmon or spicy cod roe.
Kimchi and Spam for breakfast is hard to beat. On our first trip we picked up several different musubi and rice balls, and even an opening-time visit came with about a 20-minute wait. On another trip Peter found the Lewers Street branch on a morning run and walked straight in. The takeaway for us is to look at the other branches before joining a long queue at the first one you see.
Plan your visit: Beach Walk is on Lewers Street. The Pacific Monarch branch is at 2427 Kūhiō Avenue, and Seaside is another option. Check the branch you plan to visit.
Leonard's Bakery
933 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu · also MalasadamobilesMalasadas
Get: Original sugar or cinnamon; a custard-filled one if you want something richer.
We keep trying other flavors and coming back to original or cinnamon. Warm, fluffy malasadas just hit differently here. The li hing version was fun to try, with a subtle plum-powder flavor, but it wouldn't replace our usual order. We have skipped a long line at the main bakery and used a Malasadamobile instead. The truck had fewer choices when we visited, which was fine when we mostly wanted the classics.
Plan your visit: Use the official locations page to choose a truck already on your route. Truck locations, hours, and available flavors can change.
Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu · KapahuluClassic plate lunch
Get: A mix plate and a loco moco with sunny-side-up eggs.
We liked this as an easy evening meal: plenty of food, quick service on our visit, and a mix plate that let us try more than one protein. The fish was crisp, the chicken had a lot of flavor, and Lisa was very happy to see macaroni salad. The two plates came to about $22 on that trip. It's the kind of satisfying meal we want after a full day outside.
Plan your visit: Check the current mix-plate contents and closing time. Our evening meal doesn't mean it's an all-night stop.
Guava Smoked
567 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu · additional locations listed onlineSmoked meats and plate lunch
Get: Smoked chicken or pork with rice; add kimchi or try the beef stew.
You can smell the smoke before the first bite. The chicken was so flavorful it didn't need sauce, which says a lot because we usually get very excited about pork. We liked the smoked fried rice too. The beef stew had a curry-like flavor to us, with carrots that practically melted, and the kimchi was fresh and slaw-like. We came away wanting this as a regular lunch.
Plan your visit: Choose the location that fits your route. Duck was limited to certain days on our visit, so check first if that's your priority.
Kona Coffee Purveyors
International Market Place, 2330 Kalākaua Avenue, HonoluluKona coffee
Get: A 100% Kona coffee.
A viewer recommended it, and we'd already been because it was right downstairs from our hotel. The coffee tasted more acidic than the cold brew we're used to, but not overwhelmingly so. We liked having the chance to try Kona coffee on Oʻahu. The line was long on our visit, so we'd leave room in the morning rather than plan this as a five-minute stop.
Plan your visit: Check the current drinks menu. Go for the coffee you want to try, with a little flexibility for the queue.
100 Sails Restaurant & Bar
100 Holomoana Street, Prince Waikiki, HonoluluBirthday buffet · earlier trip
Get: Book the buffet that matches what you want to eat; our meal included poke, hand rolls, and prime rib.
Peter's birthday answer was simple: he ate all-you-can-eat poke. We thought the buffet was a splurge, but the food quality and the chance to keep going back for poke made it a fun birthday experience. It was a different kind of evening from our takeout meals, and we were glad we'd made room for it.
Plan your visit: Buffet formats, nights, prices, and dishes change. Read the menu for your date before booking, especially if poke or a particular seafood item is the reason you're going.
Mānoa, Kaimukī, Chinatown and Kalihi
Pick the stops that fit your day. These are different Honolulu neighborhoods, so this section is not a walking route.
Off the Hook Poke Market
2908 E Mānoa Road, Honolulu · MānoaPoke sampler · a trip highlight
Get: The sampler, if available, with sushi rice on the side.
Whenever we get the chance to order a poke sampler, we're going to take it. Ours was $40 and let us try several fish and sauce combinations instead of committing to one bowl. We loved the ginger-and-green-onion flavors, the spicier bites, and having sushi rice alongside everything. We waited about 20 minutes and ate in the car because there wasn't seating. It was a great viewer recommendation and one we'd pass along.
Plan your visit: Ask about sampler availability before building your whole lunch around it. Portions and prices here describe our visit.
Morning Catch
Oʻahu Market, 145 N King Street #12, Honolulu · ChinatownPoke inside the market
Get: Ahi and salmon with sushi rice.
We walked through Oʻahu Market and found a really good poke bowl. The fish was soft, and we were happy we'd paid extra for sushi rice. Peter went for spicy ahi and salmon. One person was handling the orders when we visited, so ours took about 20 minutes; the wait was worth it. This fits naturally into time exploring Chinatown rather than a separate cross-island drive.
Plan your visit: Allow some time at the counter, and check today's hours before coming specifically for lunch.
Kamehameha Bakery
1284 Kalani Street, Honolulu · KalihiPoi donuts
Get: The poi donut.
A viewer recommendation we wished we'd known about sooner. The outside looked fairly unassuming, but the inside was extremely fluffy, almost like a Hawaiian bread roll. We expected something much sweeter and liked that it had a more balanced sweetness. Two poi donuts and a croissant cost $5.13 on our visit. A simple bakery stop that made us very happy.
Plan your visit: Check bakery hours and selection before going; the price is an older trip snapshot.
The Curb Kaimukī
3408 Waiʻalae Avenue #103, Honolulu · KaimukīCoffee and toast
Get: Kaya toast, if it's on the current menu, and a coffee.
We were not expecting to find kaya toast here. The bread was fluffy and the spread was generous enough that we started comparing it to versions we'd had in Singapore and New York. It was one of those small discoveries that made us want to return. We'd come back here for a coffee and something to eat before exploring Kaimukī.
Plan your visit: The food menu can change. Check before coming specifically for kaya toast.
Kakaʻako Farmers Market
919 & 1011 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu · KakaʻakoSaturday market
Get: Walk the stalls and choose what looks good; we enjoyed hand-pulled noodles with duck.
There was a bit of everything: produce, food, coffee, pastries, and clothing across two parking areas. We walked through before choosing the noodles, which were being pulled on the spot. The duck, spice, and cumin flavor made that one of our favorite bites at the market. The noodles were softer than Lisa usually prefers, but we still enjoyed them. Go hungry and give yourself time to look around.
Plan your visit: The organizer currently lists Saturdays, 8am–noon. Vendors rotate, so treat our noodle order as a memory of the visit rather than a guaranteed stall.
Kāneʻohe and the Windward Coast
A musubi sampler for a beach day and a generous pasta order in Kāneʻohe.
Adela's Country Eatery
45-1151 Kamehameha Highway, KāneʻoheHouse-made noodles
Get: Ube pasta with garlic sauce and crispy lechon.
This was one of the meals we said we'd come back for. The noodles were chewy, the garlic sauce was flavorful, and the crispy pork was fatty and satisfying with a slight sweetness. Our order was a little over $20 with the add-ons, and we were glad to share because it was a lot of food. We ate in the car, then Lisa went back to buy dry noodles to take home.
Plan your visit: Order ahead. We waited about an hour, and the business still advises allowing time for made-to-order food. There's no dining room, so plan where you'll eat.
Got’z Grindz
46-010 Kamehameha Highway, KāneʻoheMusubi and rice-ball samplers
Get: A musubi sampler, plus Spam musubi separately if you want it.
We love a sampler, and this one let us try fillings including umeboshi, kombu, salmon, tuna, and karaage mayo. The salmon was straightforward and savory, rather than mixed into a creamy filling. We picked these up for a beach day, and the selection was a nice change from ordering only Spam musubi. The pack we tried was $10.95 in 2024.
Plan your visit: A grab-and-go stop in Kāneʻohe. Check today's packs and pick up close to when you're ready to eat.
Haleʻiwa, Waialua and Kahuku
Choose a shrimp truck and a shave ice stop, then add poke if you still have room. Kahuku is farther along the coast from Haleʻiwa.
Jenny's Shrimp Truck
66-528A Kamehameha Highway, HaleʻiwaGarlic shrimp
Get: The butter-garlic shrimp plate.
The shrimp was tender rather than overcooked, but the rice almost stole the show. It was soaked in garlic oil, and we kept going back for another bite while wondering how it could have so much flavor. We had usually gone to Big Wave before trying Jenny's, so it was fun to compare them on different trips. We were the first customers that day, and our food came out quickly. The plate was $16 then.
Plan your visit: Bring cash and expect outdoor seating. We had flies around our table, so we'd bring napkins and plan on a relaxed food-truck meal.
Big Wave Shrimp
66-521 Kamehameha Highway, HaleʻiwaShrimp truck
Get: Butter-garlic shrimp or spicy shrimp, with rice.
This was our usual shrimp-truck stop before we tried Jenny's. We liked the savory garlic shrimp, and the spicy version tasted more homemade and less fiery than its red color suggested. It gave us the North Shore shrimp meal we wanted without the long queue we'd seen elsewhere on that visit. We'd choose between Big Wave and Jenny's based on what we're craving and the line when we arrive.
Plan your visit: Big Wave and Jenny's are both in Haleʻiwa. Check the current hours and parking situation before stopping.
Aoki's Shave Ice
66-082 Kamehameha Highway, HaleʻiwaShave ice
Get: The North Shore combination: mango, lilikoi, and guava, with li hing powder; we added mochi.
This was another viewer tip that paid off. The fruit flavors were strong, the guava tasted very guava-forward, and the little pieces of mochi made it more fun to eat. It was refreshing after a hot day, and we said we'd stop again. If you're planning shrimp and shave ice in Haleʻiwa, this is one of the places we've actually tried.
Plan your visit: Use the shop's current updates for hours. A short wait on our visit isn't a promise of no line.
Waialua General Store
67-272 Goodale Avenue, WaialuaPoke and local groceries
Get: Half limu poke and half Hawaiian-style poke.
A small stop with a very kind woman at the counter who told us about apple bananas and Filipino sweets. We tried the poke: the limu brought seaweed and onion, while the Hawaiian-style version had garlic and chili-pepper flavor. Furikake on the rice was a nice touch. Our bowl was around $11. We didn't get to try the lumpia, so that's still something we'd ask about next time.
Plan your visit: Check current hours and what the counter has available before making a special detour.
Rainbow House Shave Ice
56-931 Kamehameha Highway, KahukuShave ice
Get: Peach shave ice with condensed milk, peaches, and peach syrup.
We hadn't planned to stop, but we wanted shave ice and this was nearby. Our order was peach overload in the best way: cold, fruity, refreshing, and not overly sweet to us. They used canned peaches, and we were happy with the result. It took about five minutes to make and cost about $7 on our visit. A good dessert stop if you're already exploring Kahuku.
Plan your visit: Check the current menu and hours. This is the Kahuku shop, separate from Rainbow Drive-In in Honolulu.
Waipahu
An early-day bento stop that fits a west-side outing. Check the opening days before detouring here.
Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering
94-903 Farrington Highway, WaipahuBentos, poke and takeout
Get: A family bento, seafood-vegetable tempura, and an ube tart if available.
We came for a viewer recommendation and found a busy counter with a lot of choices. The family bento had mochiko chicken, hot dog, and Spam; the chicken had plenty of flavor without feeling too greasy. The shrimp tempura was especially good, and we finished with an ube tart. We missed the poi mochi donuts because they'd sold out. Our visit took about 25 minutes, and we thought it was worth it.
Plan your visit: The business currently lists walk-in service Wednesday–Sunday, 9am–2pm, and closes Monday and Tuesday. Check before going, and arrive earlier for the best chance at popular items.
Good to know before you go
- These are meals from three trips, including 2024. Prices and waits describe those visits, not today's menus or a guarantee of a short queue. All dollar amounts are in US dollars.
- Choose two main meals and a few shared snacks per day. Honolulu, Kāneʻohe, Haleʻiwa, Waialua, Kahuku, and Waipahu are spread out; this list is not one island-wide food crawl.
- Have a car or a specific transport plan for the Windward Coast and North Shore stops. Allow room for traffic and parking rather than relying on the older videos' drive-time estimates.
- We checked current websites and listings in October 2026. Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha and Nami Kaze have closed. Papa Ole's Kitchen is also marked closed in current listings, so these older video stops aren't included as places to visit.
- Takeout is a big part of these trips. Buy poke and other perishable food close to when you'll eat it, or keep it properly chilled; leave room in your plans to enjoy it promptly.
- For another Mānoa coffee stop, we also visited Morning Glass Coffee at 2955 East Mānoa Road. Check its current menu and hours before adding it to your route.