Apr 23rd, 2008
Where are the best Oahu restaurants?
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 available through TripAdvisor.
1. 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)
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)
2. Guidebooks
- I have always found the Ultimate/Revealed guides to be particularly reliable for restaurant recommendations. The Oahu version is called Oahu Revealed.
- Fodors.com has an interactive Oahu restaurant list that’s includes user ratings and reviews.
- Frommers.com also has an Oahu restaurant list that you can sort the list by several methods.
3. Other Resources
- 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 Citysearch
4. Go Visit Hawaii Picks
Here are some Oahu restaurants that I really like. I’ll keep this article updated as I think of more.
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
Never Disappoints - Roy’s Restaurants - There are three locations on Oahu - Waikiki at the Waikiki Beach Walk, Ko’Olina, and Honolulu at Hawaii Kai Their prix fix menu is a good value.
Best Bakery - Ted’s Bakery - Located near Sunset Beach on the North Shore. It’s a colorful shop on the mauka side (mountain side) of Kamehameha Highway.
Best Local Hole in the Wall Restaurant - Hukilau Cafe at 55-662 Wahinepee St in Laie
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.)
Top of My List for My Next Visit - Hanahano Room at the Sheraton in Waikiki
5. Best Oahu restaurant list from a local’s perspective.
Here is a great list of Oahu’s top restaurants prepared by friends who live in Honolulu.
If you live on Oahu, what restaurants would you recommend? If you’ve been to Oahu, please tell us your favorite restaurants.
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9 Responses to “Where are the best Oahu restaurants?”
Mmmm Kulau Pork Nachos!
I’m planning a trip to Oahu next month and this list is already helping me. I didn’t know Trip Advisor had restaurants listed. Thank you!
@ Andy - yeah, it would be nice to sit back there in OLA right on the beach, share a plate of those nachos and just watch the waves.
@Tony - I’m glad you are finding the list to be a help for your planning. That’s what it’s intended to be.
I hope you have a great time on Oahu!
Honolulu Magazine has a good restaurant guide as well. http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Dining/ - Honolulu has too many great restaurants to keep track of. Another restaurant I go to when I have guests in town is a Japanese seafood buffet in Waikiki called Todai. http://www.todai.com/
@Andy. Believe it or not… Taco Bell now has several Kulau Pork items on the new menu.
Roy’s is one of my favorites, we have one here in Dallas as well. When I last visited Oahu we drove up to the North Shore in search of fresh shrimp and we found this really great outdoor dining side of the road shack called Romy’s. It’s a little red hut where you place your order and they cook the shrimp from the farm behind the shed. You can’t get any fresher than that. It was yummy and well worth the drive.
http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2007/02/romys_kahuku_pr.html
Debo Hobo - you just missed Sheila’s great post on Romy’s: http://www.govisithawaii.com/2008/04/02/fresh-shrimp-from-an-oahu-north-shore-shrimp-truck/
@ Dave - I appreciate the additional recommendations. And, what? Taco Bell has kulua pork items? WOW!
@ Debo Hobo - another WOW…Dallas has Romy’s, too? That would be a lot closer for me to get to from North Carolina, but still, it’s a flight away.
You’re right, you can’t get shrimp any fresher than Romy’s! Thanks for sharing your favorite Oahu restaurant!….. UPDATE: oops, I realized I miss read your comment at first. You said Dallas has a Roys….not a Romy’s. Doh! My apologies!
Wow! Thank you, Dave. I just found a cuban restaurant in Honolulu. I live in Miami, Florida and never dreamed of finding that in Hawaii. I guess we are everywhere!