Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kennyb)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:10:09 GMT

thanks mama, will be stoping by and eating. probably after i wait in line. but worth it.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (mamaduck43)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:36:04 GMT

Kenny - - per Rainbow's Face book page, they closed on Thanksgiving and reopened today - - they were cleaning and painting.... I guess they have expanded their menu a bit, and they publish their daily specials on FB - - I seek out their posts and eat my heart out - - especially when they post food photos!!!! I miss that place so much.....

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (JackHunter)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:48:10 GMT

Nice tips,I would like to have an Trip once over their.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kennyb)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:41:03 GMT

PNW, thanks for the Nico's tip. been there several times already. they have a new place that is pretty fancey. i probably would have liked the old one better. been to about everywhere else everyone entioned except rainbow which has been closed all week. not sure why, the parking lot has been chained shut all week. all the trucks on northshore are fantastic. wish i had one of my trailers here, i would of vended here. my daughter would of killed us but who cares.
nalogirl1, we are going to the swap meet this wed. been to leanerds already for malassades and to liliha for cocoa puffs. but, if malassades are there, i'll have some. aloha, kenny

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (nalogirl1)

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:46:51 GMT

I second Mike's recommendation. Liliha Bakery and Coco Puffs. You can't go wrong! If you head to the Swap Meet around Aloha Stadium to shop, you can buy some malassadas there and try them. But Coco Puffs only at Liliha Bakery.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (nalogirl1)

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:44:21 GMT

On Sand Island, there is a spot called La Mariana. It has cute decor and is right on the marina. You can sit outside or inside and eat. For a quick lunch stop and enjoy the waterfront, head to Sand Island's La Mariana

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (pnwchef)

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 09:04:36 GMT

Aloha, you lucky dog..............Check out the hot dog place down town...Hanks Haute Dog.......

Teddy's Burgers.....I go to the one on Beretania, but there may be one closer to you Good burgers made to order, good fries, great shakes...Nuff Said

Nico's is my go to place for Fish & Chips, Fish Sand, Ahi, all kinds of fresh fish and if someone doesn't like fish they have some chicken and beef plate lunch. Nico's build a bigger restaurant, its a block away from the old one, at Pier 38

Take your daughter for a nice ride to the north shore, stop at the Shrimp truck, bring some wet wipes, the garlic shrimp are messy.
Rainbow drive in, is still my favorite place for Shoyu Chicken. Check their web site for days they have it, Roast Pork is also good..........then to Leonards for some Hot Malasadas, both on Kapahulu ave
Have fun..........don't come back

ChinaTown in Down Town Honolulu..........Look for a store front window that has Crispy pork and Char sui pork, this is a good place just for a snack while walking around..............Fong's meats is another one for crispy pork ....you will see a few different places for pork around China Town............Chinatown also has a food court that isn't for everyone, they offer a lotof good looking foods, but its not for everyone, expect the unexpected.
This is a real Roadfood, curbfood, backalleyfood kind of food court......Fun place.........Chinatown is a place to pick up crispy pork, steam buns, and then stop at a bakery, make it your own Dim Sum adventure..........

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (mr chips)

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 22:47:37 GMT

Wish my wife had seen this thread before a trip to hawaii last year. She could not find a lot of places she liked.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kennyb)

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 22:00:34 GMT

i'm back in Oahu, ate some great food but still looking for more great places or dives to eat at. any one have any thing new to try? any waterfront dives here? having fun with the daughter for the holiday. i'll post some pictures later.
puka dog is no longer on oahu. now it is hula dog, a divorce thing they said.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (Aloha Mike)

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:52:52 GMT

EliseT

Oh man, I was supposed to go to Honolulu for a workshop but couldn;t afford airfare. I wanted to try Cozy Dogs and macadamia nut M&Ms. Great pics!

Elise -- I can't post links yet, but when you're back in Honolulu, also consider giving Hank's Haute Dogs a try (they're in Waikiki and Kakaako).

Mike

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (EliseT)

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:26:11 GMT

Oh man, I was supposed to go to Honolulu for a workshop but couldn;t afford airfare. I wanted to try Cozy Dogs and macadamia nut M&Ms. Great pics!

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (Aloha Mike)

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:54:05 GMT

Good stuff in this thread!

Recommendation if you're in Honolulu and willing to venture away from Waikiki (e.g. going west toward Helena's): drop by Liliha Bakery, have a meal, and sample the baked goods. They're known for their "coco puffs" (a local favorite that rivals Leonard's malasadas in popularity).

Mike

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kennyb)

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:02:36 GMT

thank you Bill. yes, very crazy traffic. it was Helena's and yes, it was lau lau chicken. it was actually about a block away from where my daughter was hit. she is doing well, has a ways to go for recovery though. we are planing on going out in November so hopefully it will be a better trip than everyday all day at the hospital.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (pnwchef)

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:15:58 GMT

Kennyb, happy to see you had a good trip, hope your daughter is doing well. The traffic on Oahu is crazy, there are to many cars on the island. The restaurant on School st is Helena's Hawaiian food, it doesn't get much more local than that. The Chicken may have been Lau Lau Chicken, wrapped in Taro leaves, tied at the top and steamed. ....Take care.........................Bill

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kennyb)

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:41:21 GMT

had yo go to Oahu a few weeks ago as my daughter who is in college there got hit riding her scooter. she is getting better and i'm back home now. we did manage to eat at many local places but can't seem to remember them all. did go to puka dog, good, alittle doughy but good. that was the only time i saw the beach. didn't go to the rainbow drive in but saw it and the line was out the door. one night one of her roomies mom brought plate dinners from a place on school street that i can't remember the name of. it was on one of the tv shows though. it was hawaiian pork, which was good, chicken wrapped in leaves. didn't care for the leaves but chicken was good. she also brought a thing of poi, not so good and bright green coconut squid thing. just ok. another roomies brought me a poke bowl one night. it was good and spicy. liked it. did get cocoa puffs from leonards, very good. the girls really took care of us while we were there. sorry i can't remember all the places names but it wasn't vacation. it was 8 days in the hospital. one day, outside the hospital, there was a farmers market and a couple restaurants set up selling food. very good curry dishes.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (mamaduck43)

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:21:14 GMT

Peppertree - - - I kept looking at the photo of New Diner's and I kept thinking - - "It looks familiar, but something is not right".... So, I went further into their website and discovered that it was a place that we went to all the time.... Of course, it was just "Diners" then, and it was painted white.... The orange and green is kind of wild.... The little strip mall that runs next to and behind it has a few good neighborhood type Chinese / Korean / Barbeque places, too... We could send one person out for dinner for our whole office and he would be able to park and run around and please everyone....

My daughter visited Oahu a couple of months ago for 3 weeks and survived on all of her old favorites - - her first morning on Island, she called me from Windward Mall - - I told her to look out towards St. Anne's and see if the Leonard's Malasada truck was parked there... I got an immediate, "Gotta go!!!!" from her and a "MMmmmmmmm" a few minutes later.... Too funny.... She got her fill of manapua and pork hash, too.... I was so jealous.....

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (peppertree)

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:00:20 GMT

Tried around four or five different Honolulu "drive-ins" and found my favorite. http://www.newdinersdrivein.com/ They have a larger menu than others and everything I ate was good, inexpensive (for Hawaii) and portions were large. They also have an adjoining ice cream stand with tasty soft ice cream. On my first visit, cones were unbelievably $1.50 but three days later they raised the price to $2.00 for a cone. Still a good deal. The main drive-in is open 24/7.

I hope some of you can visit and consider this drive-in for future consideration as a restaurant of note in Hawaii on your maps.

Also try a loco moco sandwich anywhere in Honolulu and let me know where you think the best one is served.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (junk250)

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:55:18 GMT

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (BillyB)

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:39:08 GMT

Play27........I didn;t see anyone eating the spaghetti and weenie, but I could only imagine. We had many of these plate lunches for breakfast and only had two meals a day. These meals are made to fill a person up for awhile.........................Bill

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (Play27)

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:38:36 GMT

Love the report. Plate lunches are similar to the meat and three, just served in styro. Curious-what is spaghetti with weenie? I'm afraid i know but thought I would ask.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (BillyB)

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:04:26 GMT

Mamaduck, The thing I noticed at the restaurants was, all the Beverage was expensive. We had breakfast at the original pancake house, the breakfast special was $4.10 and the coffee was $2.25, juice $2.50 and so on. We had two breakfast specials for $8.20 and 4 bev for over $10. WE checked the milk price at Wal-Mart $4 per gal, not bad. The problem with the prices being high in Hawaii is, everything has to be shipped in. I found a lot of bargain restaurant food items on the island, you just need to look..................Follow the locals........I learned that in Italy.....................The best ...............Bill

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (mamaduck43)

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:47:03 GMT

When I was driving tour buses in Hawaii, we used to describe the plate lunch and then tell the folks that in Hawaii, we don't eat until we are full - - we eat until we are tired... One disappointment that I had while living there was the cost and quality of the produce... The only vegetable that Hawaii produces enough of to fill its needs is cabbage - - even things that are prolific in the Islands have to be supplemented by imported goods... Also, I believe that the make-up of the typical plate lunch stems from the times when the sugar and pineapple workers took home lunch to work with them - - mostly left overs or planned leftovers and rice, mac/potato salad were great accompaniments to the meat/sauce/gravy thing.... I miss the diversity of even a plate lunch spots menus... And the food trucks that appear all over the place at lunchtime (even right next to the State Capitol and Honolulu Hale (city hall) have great eats.....
Billy - - - I am thoroughly enjoying the report and the photos are tear-worthy... My Hawaiian grandkids - who left there about 7 years ago sat here and drooled over the Rainbow and Zippys photos... Sigh.....

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (BillyB)

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:30:16 GMT

Nancypalooza

Thank you BillyB! Sometimes a picture really helps. So I have another question--I've always been curious about the macaroni salad and rice sides of a plate lunch. Did those catch on to boost up the food mass/calorie content of a lunch because produce is expensive in Hawaii? That always seems counterintuitive to me but then I guess most of the local produce in Hawaii is fruit. Or am I thinking too much about it (entirely possible for me)?

Hi Nancy, I'm not sure how the Macaroni thing got started. I do know all the plate lunches get two scoops of rice and one scoop of Macaroni salad and your entree. The Rainbow Drive- in was known for their combo plate, Mahi Mahi, BBQ pork or beef , Boneless chicken, Rice and choice of Macaroni salad or Cole slaw for $7.25...How can you beat that to keep those big Hawaiians happy.....................Bill

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (Nancypalooza)

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:19:31 GMT

Thank you BillyB! Sometimes a picture really helps. So I have another question--I've always been curious about the macaroni salad and rice sides of a plate lunch. Did those catch on to boost up the food mass/calorie content of a lunch because produce is expensive in Hawaii? That always seems counterintuitive to me but then I guess most of the local produce in Hawaii is fruit. Or am I thinking too much about it (entirely possible for me)?

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (BillyB)

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:43:36 GMT

Kland01s.....The plate lunch is a local Hawaiian thing, I don't know what the thing is with the stryo, but they all do it.

Joerogo......At this stage of the game I'll take a Lei any place I could get it. That makes Hawaiian boy happy............Thanks again Joe......Bill

Kish.......The plate lunches at some of the better places are real good food. The Rainbow drive in with the Shoyu Chicken was one my wife was looking forward to. I can tell you we will not be eating rice for a long time.

Tony B.............I had to laugh a few times when I watched the sunset with my little girl. I looked out and saw the sunset boat cruises that I used to cater to 30 years ago as a Catering Steward. It felt like my life went full circle.

NancyP........I took the Picture of the Shoyu Chicken for you.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kland01s)

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:01:04 GMT

I guess I don't understand plate lunches and stryo boxes. Nice photos though BillyB! Thank you for taking us along!

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (joerogo)

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:00:30 GMT

Very nice Hawaiian trip report billy. And not one smarta$$ comment about a Lei?

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (kishkaeater)

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:19:03 GMT

Is it bad that I like those boxed lunches?

Happy to see your trip continue.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (joerogo)

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:44:05 GMT

Thank You Tony.

Re:Hawaii, Oahu, Local eating around the Island (Tony Bad)

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:27:42 GMT

Looks like that boat is sailing away from, and not toward the sunset. Hope that is the case with you as well Billy.

Thanks for a great report.