Outside interests have made money in Hawai‘i for centuries, including in food. Waves of restaurateurs from the continental U.S. and abroad have opened restaurants in Honolulu, with everyone from Japanese conglomerates to Michael Mina setting up shop. But simultaneously, Honolulu’s homegrown businesses have been able to ride the most recent wave of excitement to expand themselves. In the last decade, tiny mom-and-pop restaurants opened second locations, while established local chains expanded their reach. More and more chefs have worked to learn about Hawai‘i’s history and culture to respectfully incorporate aspects into their restaurants. That is to say, diners in Honolulu are a bit spoiled for choice.
Updated, February 2024:
Like elsewhere in the world, hotels in Honolulu have stepped up their food and beverage programs, especially in Waikīkī, where upscale properties are offering ever more enticing options. Take the new Arden Waikiki in the Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head hotel, where chefs Amanda Cheng and Makoto Ono apply their international experience to Hawai‘i’s local ingredients. At the other end of Waikīkī, La Vie in the Ritz-Carlton serves a five-course modern French menu in a stunning, open-air dining room. Still, Waikīkī remains one of the best dining neighborhoods for a range of budgets (scaled for inflation), including affordable icons like Maguro Brothers; now in an expanded storefront, the business continues to offer some of the freshest poke and sashimi for about the average price of a cocktail at a Waikīkī hotel.
Eater updates this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Honolulu dining scene.
Martha Cheng is a Honolulu-based writer for a number of local and national publications, and is the author of The Poke Cookbook.
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