Today, we continue the series on finding the best Hawaii restaurants with a visit to Oahu. I would guess that Oahu has more restaurants than all the other islands combined. Honolulu has over a thousand restaurants alone. Just about any type of ethnic fare is very well represented on Oahu. You won’t lack choices, that’s for certain.

As I mentioned in the Kauai restaurant guide, you’ll find loads of great Hawaii restaurant information online. So lets begin with a look at the plethora of reviews and resources available through Go Visit Hawaii and other useful Web sites.

1. Go Visit Hawaii Picks

Here are the Oahu restaurants that I really like and would definitely recommend to friends and family.

Best Shave Ice – Matsumoto in Haleiwa (Not to be missed!)

Most Romantic – Hau Tree Lanai Waikiki Beach

Best All Around – For a great casual atmosphere, good food, and not too expensive (for Hawaii standards) – Duke’s Waikiki

Best Value – Nico’s Pier 38

Best Bakery -In Honolulu, that would be Liliha Bakery and trying a coco puff is a must!  On the North Shore, try Ted’s Bakery, located near Sunset Beach. It’s a colorful shop on the mauka side (mountain side) of Kamehameha Highway. They also serve good plate lunches and burgers. In Honolulu, you must try the delightful Coco Puffs at the Liliha Bakery.

Best Local Hole in the Wall Restaurant – Hukilau Cafe at 55-662 Wahinepee St in Laie.

Best Sushi – Sansei Restaurant and Sushi Bar Waikiki Beach in the Waikiki Marriott.

Best Pineapple Dessert in a Tourist Trap Dole Whip at the Dole Plantation

Best Hawaiian Style Fancy Nachos OLA at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore – their Kulau Pork and Goat Cheese Nachos are yummy! (See my complete review of the Turtle Bay Resort restaurants.) For a delicious, non-fancy version, check out the Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai.

Best Waikiki Beach View – Hanahano Room at the Sheraton in Waikiki. (See my post about the amazing view at the Hanohano.)

2. Best Oahu restaurant list from a local’s perspective.

Go Visit Hawaii is blessed with great friends who live in Hawaii. I recently asked friends who live on Oahu for their recommendations. Here is their great list of Oahu’s top restaurants.

3. TripAdvisor

I’ve mentioned many times before, TripAdvisor is a very good source for researching Hawaii restaurants. Since you will most likely be choosing restaurants based on where you’ll be, I’ll organize the TripAdvisor reviews by location. So as not to generate too much detail, I’ll try to limit this list to areas that tourists are more likely to be staying or nearby for sight-seeing. We’ll start on the South shore and work our way around the island clockwise.

South Shore (From Makapuu Point West to Barber’s Point including Honolulu and Waikiki Beach)

• Honolulu Restaurants
• Aiea Restaurants

Leeward West Shore (From Barber’s Point North to Kaena Point)

• Kapolei Restaurants (near Ko’Olina)

North Shore (From Kaena Point North to Kahuku)

• Haleiwa Restaurants
• Kahuku Restaurants (Where Turtle Bay Resort is located

Windward East Shore (From Laie South to Makapuu Point)

• Kailua Restaurants
• Kaneohe Restaurants
• Laie Restaurants

4. Guidebooks

• I have always found the Ultimate/Revealed guides to be particularly reliable for restaurant recommendations, the Oahu version is fairly good, but not quite as comprehensive as their guidebooks for the other islands. The Oahu version is called Oahu Revealed,
• Fodors.com has an interactive Oahu restaurant list that’s includes user ratings and reviews. For your reference, Frommers.com also has a list, but not nearly as useful.

5. Other Resources

• Yelp
• Wine and Dine Hawaii
• The Honolulu Advertiser’s 2007 – 2008 Restaurant Guide. This guide includes selections from readers and the newspaper’s restaurant critics.
• Honolulu Advertiser’s 2009 Best of Best Guide
• Honolulu Citysearch

If you live on Oahu, what restaurants would you recommend? If you’ve been to Oahu, please tell us your favorite restaurants.