The Best American Food in Honolulu
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The best American food in Honolulu, according to the experts: The Infatuation, Eater, and Honolulu Magazine have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Mud Hen Water comes out on top.
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The Local General Store and Helena's Hawaiian Food hold the next two places. Eater shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Honolulu Magazine next.
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Rank 1. 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.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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Rank 2. The Local General Store
Hawaiian
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.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
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Rank 3. Helena's Hawaiian Food
Traditional Hawaiian
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: The Restaurant List
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
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Rank 4. MW Restaurant
Hawaiian
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.
The awards
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef · Michelle Karr-Ueoka
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef · Michelle Karr-Ueoka
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Rank 5. Fujiya Hawaii
Hawaiian
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2023 · Best Old-Meets-New Mochi · Best of Honolulu
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine 2023 · Best Old-Meets-New Mochi · Best of Honolulu
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Rank 6. Hoku's
Modern Hawaiian
The awards
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Rank 7. Arden Waikiki
Modern Hawaiian
The awards
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Rank 8. Senia
Hawaiian
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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Rank 9. Shige's Saimin Stand
Hawaiian Noodle Shop
The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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Rank 9. Waiahole Poi Factory
Hawaiian
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.
The awards
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Rank 11. Musubi Cafe Iyasume
Hawaiian
A grab-and-go musubi counter inside the Aqua Pacific Monarch Hotel, with the largest menu of the three Waikīkī locations. Fresh rice gets packed around fried chicken, salmon with roe, or any number of Spam variations, including one loaded with avocado, bacon, and egg that operates as a breakfast sandwich in musubi form. The space is small, the turnover is fast, and the whole operation runs on the principle that rice pressed around a good filling is a complete argument.
The awards