Waikiki is a very popular destination to visit for the Thanksgiving holiday. While many North American residents will be dressed for chilly weather, Honolulu visitors will be donning swimsuits, shorts and Aloha shirts for Waikiki’s endless summer weather!
Not only will the weather be summer-like, the restaurants will be serving scrumptious Thanksgiving meals. Many of them will have a Hawaiian-spin with local ingredients on their special Thanksgiving menus. It’s a neat blend of traditional Thanksgiving fixings married with Hawaiian cuisine.
Now, if you are one of the lucky ones planning a trip to Waikiki over this Thanksgiving, November 23, 2023, we’ve created this guide for where to dine and what special events to catch over Thanksgiving weekend.
Waikiki Thanksgiving Buffets
The following Waikiki Beach restaurants are offering special Thanksgiving dinner buffets. Most of the including traditional Thanksgiving fare with turkey and traditional Thanksgiving sides. If a restaurant has an ocean view, we make note of that.
— Duke’s Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort: Thanksgiving lunch and dinner buffets starting at $39 adult/ $12 child for the lunch buffet. The dinner buffet is $69 adult / $22 child. See the menu here. Duke’s is also offering Thanksgiving meals to go. This restaurant has a great location and oceanfront setting. It’s a Go Visit Hawaii readers’ favorite restaurant.
— Chart House: Thanksgiving buffet for $54 adult/ $26 child. See the menu on their homepage. This restaurant has harbor/ocean views.
— Pesca Waikiki Beach: Thanksgiving brunch buffet for $80 adult / $40 child. Click on the Buffet link from their Thanksgiving page to see the menu. This restaurant is at the top of the iconic Ilikai Hotel and it has excellent ocean and city views.
— The Buffet At Hyatt at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort: Thanksgiving dinner buffet for $99 adult / $39 child. See the menu here. This restaurant has ocean views.
— 100 Sails Restaurant at Prince Waikiki: This restaurant is offering brunch and dinner menus. Thanksgiving brunch for $109 adult/ 54.50 child. Thanksgiving dinner us oruced at $105 adult / $52.50 child. This restaurant has harbor/ocean views.
— Majestic by Atlantis Cruises: Thanksgiving cruise with buffet for $139 adult / $69.50 child. See this link for more information.
Waikiki Thanksgiving A La Carte & Prix-Fixe (Set Menu) Dining
The following Waikiki Beach restaurants are offering Thanksgiving-themed menus for dining at the restaurant. In some cases the restaurant’s standard, a la carte menu will also be available.
— Deck. at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel: a la carte Thanksgiving menu. This restaurant has excellent views of Diamond Head. They’re also offering a Thanksgiving to-go package. Learn more here.
— Tropics at Hilton Hawaiian Village a la carte Thanksgiving menu items along with the regular menu. This restaurant has beachfront views.
— Hula Grill Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Resort: Dine-in or take-out Thanksgiving meal for $37. The regular menu is available, too. This restaurant is at a great location with oceanfront views.
— Pesca Waikiki Beach: Thanksgiving three-course dinner for $49.99.f Click on the Prix Fixe link from their Thanksgiving page to see the menu. This restaurant is at the top of the iconic Ilikai Hotel and it has excellent ocean and city views.
— Eating House 1849 By Roy Yamaguchi at the International Market Place: Thanksgiving three-course dinner for $55. You can find the menu by clicking the “Thanksgiving Menu” at this link.
— Tiki’s Grill & Bar at Twin Fin Hotel: Thanksgiving Dinner – three courses for $59. See this link for the menu. This restaurant is across the street from Waikiki and has ocean views.
— Basalt Waikiki at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Hotel: Thanksgiving special a la carte menu. See the menu here.
— MAC 24/7 at Hilton Waikiki: Five-course Thanksgiving dinner for $60 adult / $40 child. See menu here. Note that Hilton Waikiki is a different hotel from Hilton Hawaiian Hotel.
— Bali Steak & Seafood at Hilton Hawaiian Village: Thanksgiving a la carte menu items. This restaurant has ocean views. To see the Thanksgiving specials, click on the Thanksgiving link in the menu section from this page.
— Stripsteak Waikiki at the International Market Place: Three-course Thanksgiving dinner for $115. See the menu here.
— La Vie at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach: Thanksgiving Dinner served with an upscale French style: four courses for $149 per person. This restaurant has distant ocean views. See the menu here.
— Morimoto Asia Waikiki at Alohilani Hotel: A la cart Thanksgiving special menu items. See the special options here. This restaurant has ocean views from across Kalakaua Avenue.
— Azure Restaurant in The Royal Hawaiian Resort: Three-course Thanksgiving dinner for $185 adult/ $55 child. Click the “READ MORE” link at this page to review the menu. This restaurant has good ocean views.
Restaurants at the foot of Diamond Head
There are a few well-rated restaurants that are located at the foot of Diamond Head. They’re a bit of a walk or a very, very short cab ride from the heart of Waikiki. (To give you an idea of how far away they are from Waikiki, they’re roughly 1.5 miles from Waikiki Sheraton.) This year, it appears that only one of the restaurants is offering a Thanksgiving dine-in option.
—Hau Tree Lanai at the Kaimana Beach Hotel offers a four-course menu served family style for $105 per person. To review the menu, you must try to make an online reservation for November 23. The menu displays in the process of attempting a reservation. This restaurant is beach front with great ocean views.
Additional Waikiki Thanksgiving Dining Options
Couldn’t find what you were looking for yet? Are you having trouble making reservations? Enter your desired time, date, location on OpenTable to search for available options. Make sure you adjust the search criteria for the date, time and number of people in your party.
A couple of our favorite Waikiki restaurants that aren’t listed above are Orchids and House Without A Key at the Halekulani. They’re both open for Thanksgiving and have a lovely ocean front setting.
Holiday events and things to see and do in Waikiki over Thanksgiving weekend 2023
– The Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki holds their annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. This event includes live music, hula performances and features a visit from Santa Claus. Mr. Claus will illuminate the center’s 34-foot Christmas tree. After the tree lighting, attendees will have an opportunity to take a complimentary photo with Santa. Wednesday, November 22 starting at 5:00 p.m. Check this link for details.
– If you like Black Friday shopping deals, you might want to check out Ala Moana Center, which is Hawaii’s biggest shopping center and the world’s largest open-air shopping center. If you want to start to get into the Christmas mood, the center will be all decked out with Christmas decorations throughout along with the 50-foot Santa overlooking Ala Moana Boulevard.
– The Annual Turkey Trot, a fun run/walk, is likely to be back on for 2023. At last check there weren’t any details posted. Check back at this website Honolulu Marathon Clinic for details.
– Waikiki Holiday Parade – This annual parade on Friday, November 24th at 7pm. The Waikiki Holiday Parade honors Pearl Harbor survivors and veterans. Over 2,000 marchers, 10+ bands and multiple vehicles are expected to participate in the 2023 parade. The parade runs through the heart of Waikiki down Kalakaua Avenue. See the parade route.
Notes:
— Pricing does not typically include taxes and gratuity. Verify pricing when you book.
— Some restaurants allow children under the age of five to dine for free. Check directly with the restaurants for their policies.
— We recommend you make reservations as quickly as possible.
— We may be adding more Thanksgiving dinner options and events so do check back. We will note the additions with the date added at the end of the listing.
– When you arrive on island, check with the concierge for additional Thanksgiving dining and events at your resort and pick up a copy of the Star-Advertiser.
Happy Thanksgiving!
