To conclude my Hawaii series, I wanted to end on a high note. Food is the best way to this girl's heart and we sure ate a lot of it while on this trip (or any trip, for that fact). The food in Hawaii was memorable, and eating was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. I'm happy to report that we have some great restaurants and cafes to recommend. One thing we learned was not to judge a restaurant by its storefront. Some of our best meals were had at places that didn't even look like they were restaurants from the outside!
Below I have listed some of the places we tried:
Below I have listed some of the places we tried:
Musubi (Musubi Cafe)
- We probably stopped over at Musubi Cafe almost everyday. Come to think of it, we had it at the beach, while travelling in the car, for late night snackin... SO. GOOD. We can't wait to go back to Hawaii so we can have musubis again. Musubi Cafe is known for their seaweed wrapped rice balls (trust me, they taste more delicious than they sound!) They offer a long list of toppings including: spam, avocado, egg, bacon, eel... the list goes on! You can build your musibi with as much (or as little) toppings as you'd like. Musubis are delicious and surprisingly filling. They're inexpensive too! What's not to like?
- Price: $2.00+ (depending on which topping(s) you choose)
Shaved Ice (Matsumoto Shave Ice)
- We had heard a lot of good things about this place and wanted to give it a try. Once we arrived, we had high hopes as we rounded the corner and noticed a long line up that ended well outside of the store. Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment. We shared an edible bowl with ice cream, soda flavoured shaved ice and a red bean topping. A refreshing treat, but not worth the wait and didn't live up to the hype.
- Price: $5-10 (depending on which size/topping(s) you choose)
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Sushi (Sushi ii)
- We will always remember our experience at Sushi ii. This omakase did not disappoint and we were glad to have tried it after reading some great reviews on Yelp. Evan, our sushi chef was super friendly and we had a great time chatting with him. The fish was extremely fresh, most pieces just melted in our mouths. A truly enjoyable experience.
- Price: Dependent on the number of dishes you choose to have
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Shrimp Rice Plates (Giovanni's Shrimp Truck)
- Ah, Giovanni's. Many people told us this was a must-try for anyone visiting Hawaii. We visited the North Shore location which was situated in what looked like a parking lot surrounded by food trucks. There was a long line-up but they were fairly quick in taking and making orders. We tried their Shrimp Scampi (which I believe is their original shrimp plate). It came with garlic and lemon marinated shrimp with two big scoops of rice. We enjoyed the first couple of bites, however felt the marinade was a little heavy (and too salty). It was disappointing but at least we can say that we tried it.
- Price: $14
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Poke Bowls (Ono's Seafood)
- We had been wanting to try the best, most authentic poke spots (not Poke stop...) and ran into a local one day who recommended this place. He told us that Ono's is one of the best poke joints in Oahu and that he ate there almost everyday. He was kind enough to leave us with detailed directions and even warned us that we could drive by and miss it if we didn't look out for it. He was right about everything. The place was very easy to miss and they serve some of the best poke in Oahu. Our only regret was not meeting him sooner or else we would have probably gone several more times during our stay. Dreaming of the day we can go back. A must try if you're visiting Oahu. (For those living in Toronto, the poke places we have here pale in comparison to Ono's. The closest thing we've had to Ono's here in Toronto is Pokeh, located inside of the Hamilton Farmer's Market.)
- Price: $10 for a poke bowl (fish & rice) + drink
Dole Whip (Walgreens @ Kapiolani Boulevard & The Dole Plantation)
- Dole whip is a pinapple soft serve. I was told that it is only offered at Disney World and in Hawaii and that we could not visit Hawaii without trying it at least once. I'm excited to report that we got to try it a total of three times while we were there (twice at Walgr†eens of all places, and once at the Dole Plantation). Let me start by saying, the Dole whip they serve at Walgreens is just as good as what they serve at the plantation. We happened to stumble into this Walgreens location (near the Ala Moana Mall) at the beginning of our trip to stock up on some snacks and other necessities and found Dole whip soft serve machines! They were self serve too, so you already know we filled our bowls as best we could. I loved it, but my husband found it to be slightly tangy. A refreshing treat for a hot day... delicious!
- Price: $4-7 (depending on the size)
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Fresh Udon (Marukame Udon)
- Another one of our favourites was Marukame Udon, a "cafeteria style" eatery with fresh udon made in house. You can choose your own broth and meat and add on whichever toppings you desire. The noodles and broth were great. I enjoyed it so much I even went back for a second bowl!
- Price: $4-10 (depending on the meat and/or toppings you choose)
Acai Bowls (Island Vintage Coffee)
- We had also heard a lot about the acai bowls that they have in Hawaii. Our visit to Island Vintage Coffee was completely unplanned. I mean, we made a split second decision as we drove past the store. I literally hopped out of the car and ran in while my husband drove in circles around the block to avoid having to park. We're so glad we decided to drop in because it was fantastic. I watched as they made it from scratch and carefully arranged the fresh fruits on top. What a treat!
- Price: $5-10
The above restaurants, eateries and cafes were some of the highlights of our trip. We had such a great time trying out the different foods they had in Honolulu. The food has been a popular topic of discussion between my husband and I ever since we returned from Hawaii. When we have the chance to go back, our tummies will surely be satisfied.
Thanks for reading and we hope this list will be helpful to you someday.
Until next time,
E.
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