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The 100 Best Places to Eat in Honolulu

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The best places to eat in Honolulu, according to the experts: Forbes Travel Guide, AAA, and James Beard Awards have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. La Mer comes out on top.

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Mugen and Fête hold the next two places. Honolulu Magazine shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Eater close behind.

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Departments

  1. Rank 1. La Mer

    Island French


    Address
    2199 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Tuesday 5:30 PM–9:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  2. Rank 1. Mugen

    Seasonal Japanese


    Address
    2452 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Tuesday 5:30 PM–8:30 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  3. Address
    2 N Hotel St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  4. Rank 3. Māze

    Japanese

    Spam musubi is a 7-Eleven staple in Honolulu; at Māze it arrives with a gossamer strip of Wagyu over rice steeped in Wagyu fat. This omakase, rooted in Asian and Hawaiian traditions and pronounced like the Japanese word for "to mix," folds cocktails into the tasting menu itself, drinks built in collaboration with the chef rather than offered alongside. A James Beard semifinalist and a two-star New York Times Critic's Pick, it reads as the kind of place that earns those mentions quietly.



  5. Rank 6. Mud Hen Water

    Hawaiian Wine Bar

    Pork sisig made with pig's head, sizzling on a cast-iron at brunch, gives you a sense of how seriously Ed Kenney takes not taking things too seriously. This Kaimuki wine bar and restaurant runs on a modern Hawaiian sensibility, where lūʻau leaves show up in the fresh fish and mapo gravy lands on a biscuit. Kenney was a James Beard semifinalist, and the room fills with locals who already know the menu but still take a minute to choose.


    Address
    3452 Waiʻalae Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  6. The awards


    Address
    1113 Smith St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10 AM

    Tuesday 10 AM–6 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  7. The only all-local butcher case on O'ahu anchors this Kaimuki bakery and butcher shop, where the counter swings between venison chops and char siu croissants without missing a beat. House-made Spam shares space with liliko'i baklava danish, and the sandwich of the day rotates with whatever the butcher is working with. A James Beard Outstanding Bakery semifinalist, it's the rare spot where the lard in your almond cookie is a selling point, not a secret.


  8. Rank 9. Helena's Hawaiian Food

    Traditional Hawaiian


    Address
    1240 N School St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10 AM

    Tuesday 10 AM–7:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  9. Address
    2955 E Manoa Rd, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 2 PM

    Tuesday 7 AM–2 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  10. Address
    3650 Waiʻalae Ave, Ste 120, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9:30 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  11. Shave ice made with Maui-grown persimmons is not the shave ice you grew up with, and that gap tells you everything about this mid-priced Hawaiian regional restaurant. The team behind it came up through Alan Wong's, and the dining room has that same warm, attentive feel without the formality. The pastry side has drawn James Beard semifinalist nods two years running, and the desserts show why.


    Address
    888 Kapiolani Blvd, Unit 201, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–1 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  12. Address
    83 N King St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9:30 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  13. A bowl of sesame seeds arrives at the table for you to grind yourself before stirring them into the tonkatsu sauce, which tells you what kind of katsu shop this is. The pork is carefully sourced, the panko is made in-house, and the rice comes from Hokkaido. Reservations are hard to come by, which matters in a city where locals can get a perfectly decent plate-lunch katsu for half the price.



  14. The kitchen started at farmers markets and still runs a stall at Kaka'ako and Kailua, but the mothership is a former gas station in 'Aiea where ceviche tostadas arrive stacked with blue crab tobiko, avocado, and raw shrimp in a lime-green sauce. The whole fried fish and beer-battered tacos hold their own too. A casual seafood spot where it's genuinely hard to find something to skip, which in Honolulu is saying something.


    Address
    98-380 Kamehameha Hwy W, Aiea, HI · Aiea
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–7 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  15. Address
    10 N Hotel St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  16. Address
    808 Sheridan St, Unit 306B, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 4 PM

    Tuesday 7 AM–4 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  17. Address
    655 Keeaumoku St, Ste 104, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–5:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  18. Rank 18. PIZZA mamo

    Pizzeria


    Address
    16 N Hotel St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  19. Eight counter seats and a booking list that moves slower than island traffic: that's Sushi Gyoshin, a kaiseki-inflected omakase tucked into a strip on Piikoi. The chef opens with savory riffs on traditional monaka before moving into nigiri built from blended vinegars and two rice varieties. The seafood travels far, and the room is intimate enough that you'll notice every detail of what lands in front of you.


    Address
    436 Piikoi St, Ste A, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–7 PM, 8 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  20. Address
    930 Hauoli St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 3 PM

    Tuesday 9 AM–3 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  21. Rank 28. Hoku's

    Modern Hawaiian

    The awards


    Address
    5000 Kahala Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  22. The Coco Puffs, chocolate cream puffs blanketed in frosting, are what most people come for, but Liliha is equally a diner, and the counter at the Kuakini Street original is where you want to sit. Short-order cooks work at a pace that makes you forget your coffee is getting cold. Crisp waffles, char-grilled burgers, oxtail soup, butter rolls with aggressively red jelly: the menu reads like it was written by someone who never overthought anything.


    Address
    515 N Kuakini St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 6 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  23. Rank 28. Orchids

    Coastal Italian

    The awards


    Address
    2199 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 10:30 AM

    Tuesday 7 AM–10:30 AM, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM, 5:30 PM–8:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  24. Rank 32. Arden Waikiki

    Modern Hawaiian



  25. Address
    1114 Fort St Mall, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 2 PM

    Tuesday 7 AM–2 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  26. Three separate dining rooms, three separate reservations to even consider: teppanyaki, sushi omakase, or traditional washoku, each run as its own operation. The spirits company behind the whisky built an elegant Japanese restaurant in Waikīkī that takes itself seriously without making you feel like you wandered in underdressed. The drink menu is, predictably, excellent. Pick your room before you call.


    Address
    2233 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  27. Address
    2863 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 8 AM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  28. Pancakes with crispy edges and a savory bowl of eggs and Portuguese sausage over rice in bacon cabbage broth on the same menu, and the real problem is choosing between them. Over Easy is a neighborhood breakfast and brunch spot in Kailua that's been the area's anchor long before brunch became an O'ahu-wide pastime. The menu is short enough to read fast and long enough to make you wish you'd brought someone to split the ordering burden.


  29. Rank 39. Senia

    Hawaiian

    The awards


    Address
    75 North King Street, Chinatown, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Tuesday 5:30 PM–9:30 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  30. The Coco Puffs in the bakery case are cream puffs frosted on top, not cereal, and locals have been devoted to them for generations. This outpost of a Honolulu institution sits in a bright, open-air space at the top of International Market Place, which feels a little glossy for a diner that trades in pancakes, Denver omelets, and mochi donuts. The food is the same as the original, which is exactly the point.


    Address
    2330 Kalākaua Ave, FL 3, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    Tuesday 7 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  31. Address
    412 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens noon

    Tuesday Noon–5:30 PM, 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  32. Address
    1108 Auahi St, Unit 170, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram




  33. Rank 48. 9Bar HNL

    Coffee

    The Scuffin, a scone-muffin hybrid, is what most people order right after their coffee at this specialty coffee shop in Kaka'ako's SALT complex. 9Bar HNL runs a multi-roaster pourover bar with rotating guest coffees alongside seasonal drinks that lean creative without tipping into gimmick. The banana bread latte and cold brew chai have both made appearances, and the coffee flight is a nice way to kill an afternoon.


    Address
    685 Auahi St, Unit 118, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until noon

    Tuesday 7 AM–Noon

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  34. Address
    2250 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  35. A former gas station on the road to Waimea Bay, now a multi-roaster coffee shop where surfers and day-trippers fuel up before the beach. The cold brew concentrate is a house signature, and single-origin offerings lean heavily on Sweet Bloom out of Denver. Sourdough kolaches rotate with the seasons, and a macadamia nut latte squares the "we're in Hawaii" circle neatly. The whole operation started out of a 1966 Ford Econoline, which feels about right for Haleiwa.


  36. The roasting happens right on the premises, so the warehouse near Kailua Town smells like a very good decision before you've even ordered. This is a coffee shop and roastery in one, with a rotating lineup of in-house coffees that runs from locally grown Hawaiian beans to more experimentally processed options. They also hold public classes if you want to understand what you're drinking rather than just drinking it.


    Address
    905 Kalanianaole Hwy, Unit 3201, Kailua, HI · Kailua
    Hours

    Open now, until 3 PM

    Tuesday 7 AM–3 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  37. A pour-over coffee shop tucked inside BoxJelly, a co-working and arts hub in Ward Village, where the rotating single-origin lineup has included Cup of Excellence and World Barista Competition coffees. The team archives every coffee they've ever served on their website, which is either obsessive or reassuring depending on your relationship with spreadsheets. Local bakers and chefs pop up regularly, so the counter scene shifts.




  38. Address
    99-115 Aiea Heights Dr, Aiea, HI · Aiea
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10 AM

    Tuesday 10 AM–Midnight

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  39. Address
    808 Sheridan St, Unit 209, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–2:30 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  40. Address
    987 Queen St, Unit 100, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram





  41. Address
    111 N King St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 9 PM

    Tuesday 8 AM–9 PM

    Online
    Website


  42. The handwritten daily specials sheet is the first thing to read at this intimate Honolulu izakaya, where the fish changes with the season and the kitchen takes both seriously. Foie gras over braised daikon and egg yolk rice with uni and truffle butter signal the general direction: indulgent, a little theatrical, no apologies. The baby sardine chips do the work of a bar snack, but with more personality than a bar snack has any right to expect.


    Address
    1221 Kapiolani Blvd, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  43. Address
    1127 11th Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–3:30 PM, 4 PM–Midnight

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  44. Address
    1120 Maunakea St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 2 PM

    Tuesday 9 AM–2 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  45. Address
    3446 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 6 PM

    Tuesday 6 PM–11:59 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  46. Address
    524 Ohohia St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11:30 AM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  47. Address
    1127 11th Ave, Unit 201, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 2 PM

    Tuesday 8 AM–2 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  48. Address
    1129 N Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 9 PM

    Tuesday 6:30 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram




  49. Address
    3046 Monsarrat Ave, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  50. Address
    675 Auahi St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  51. Rank 55. Shige's Saimin Stand

    Hawaiian Noodle Shop



  52. Address
    753 Queen St, Unit A, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10 AM

    Tuesday 10 AM–2 PM, 4 PM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  53. Address
    443 Cooke Street, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–3 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  54. The open-air food court inside Ala Moana Center does a better job representing Honolulu's eating habits than most sit-down restaurants. Musubi Cafe Iyasume turns out around 20 varieties of Spam musubi, Ahi & Vegetable draws lines for its poke bowls and cheap nigiri, and the Hokkaido-based Brug Bakery sells pillowy breads including a curry-filled doughnut that sounds wrong and tastes right. Tables spill outside, and Palme D'Or Patisserie is steps away for Japanese cakes by the slice.




  55. Address
    900 Fort St Mall, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10:30 AM

    Tuesday 10:30 AM–2 PM

    Online
    Website
  56. An old poi factory turned roadside Hawaiian food spot on the Windward Coast, run by native Hawaiians who have been feeding people here for a while. The kanaka nui plate arrives loaded with pretty much everything the kitchen makes, and the warm kulolo with haupia ice cream is the kind of dessert that ends the conversation. Pull off Kamehameha Highway and eat outside; the atmosphere does a lot of the heavy lifting.



  57. Address
    2135 Waiola St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–6:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  58. Address
    2494 S Beretania St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 10 AM

    Tuesday 10 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  59. Address
    2332 Young St, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Open now, until 5 PM

    Tuesday 9 AM–5 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  60. Address
    2919 Kapiʻolani Blvd, Unit 218, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram




  61. Address
    413 Seaside Ave, FL 2, Honolulu, HI · Honolulu
    Hours

    Closed now, opens 5:30 PM

    Tuesday 5:30 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

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Eat Score

The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

    How we score →

    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

      How we score →

      Stay Score

      Four fifths of the score is the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin Key outweighs a listicle. The last fifth is where it is: the ranked places to eat and things to do around it, and how safe the country is. When you sort by what's nearby, distance from you changes the order, never the score.

        How we score →

        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

          How we score →

          Best Place Score

          The Best Place Score rates the area around a point, not any one place. The places are 60% of it: the best of what's within reach, weighed by distance. The setting is the other 40%: how life goes in that country (how people rate their own lives, how long and how well they live, how safe they are) and what it's like right there (the air, and the weather). If the score looks low, we probably haven't found enough critics out here yet.