The 100 Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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The best restaurants 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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Rank 1. La Mer
Island French
The awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Five Star
- AAA AAA: Five Diamonds
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Rank 1. Mugen
Seasonal Japanese
The awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Five Star
- AAA AAA: Five Diamonds
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Winner · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Robynne Maii
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Restaurateurs of the Year · Hale ‘Aina Awards · Robynne Maii and Chuck Bussler
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Winner · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Robynne Maii
- Honolulu Magazine Restaurateurs of the Year · Hale ‘Aina Awards · Robynne Maii and Chuck Bussler
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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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.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2026 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2026 · The Restaurant List
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- The New York Times 2026 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- The New York Times 2026 · The Restaurant List
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
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Rank 5. 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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The awards
- Sprudge Sprudge: The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Honolulu
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Sprudge The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Honolulu
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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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 5. The Pig & The Lady
Vietnamese
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Canh Bi Do Epaulettes · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Canh Bi Do Epaulettes · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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Rank 9. 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 9. The Pig & The Lady
Vietnamese
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Andrew Le
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Andrew Le
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Andrew Le
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Andrew Le
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The awards
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The awards
- Sprudge The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Honolulu
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine 2023 · Best Place to Buy Natural Wine · Best of Honolulu
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Rank 11. Tonkatsu Tamafuji
Japanese
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.
The awards
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Rank 14. Aburiya Ibushi
Japanese
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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The awards
- Bon Appétit Bon Appétit: America's Best New Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best New Restaurant · Hale ‘Aina Awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Spaghetti Vietnam-Atriciana · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Best New Restaurant · Hale ‘Aina Awards
- Honolulu Magazine Spaghetti Vietnam-Atriciana · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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The awards
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Saigon Special · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Saigon Special · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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Rank 14. Patê Vietnamese Cuisine
Vietnamese
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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The awards
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The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Mākaha Mango Burrata Salad · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Kalo Laksa · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Mākaha Mango Burrata Salad · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Honolulu Magazine Kalo Laksa · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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Rank 20. Hoku's
Modern Hawaiian
The awards
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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.
The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Restaurateur of the Year · Hale ‘Aina Awards · Peter Kim
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
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Rank 20. Orchids
Coastal Italian
The awards
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Rank 23. Arden Waikiki
Modern Hawaiian
The awards
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The awards
- Sprudge The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine 2025 · Iced Hojicha Latte · Best of Honolulu
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Rank 23. Restaurant Suntory
Japanese
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.
The awards
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Crab, Cream Cheese and Tomato · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Eater The 20 Best Restaurants in Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi
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- Sunset Sunset: Happening Hawaiian · Where to Eat and Drink
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Crispy Spanish Octopus · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Sunset Happening Hawaiian · Where to Eat and Drink
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Crispy Spanish Octopus · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2023 · Best Sunset Menu · Best of Honolulu
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine 2023 · Best Sunset Menu · Best of Honolulu
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The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Kalbi Jjim · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Hyun Kim
- Honolulu Magazine Kalbi Jjim · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Hyun Kim
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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.
The awards
- Eater The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
- Honolulu Magazine Cold Skin Noodles · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Honolulu Magazine Olive Oil Octopus and Hamachi · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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Rank 30. Senia
Hawaiian
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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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.
The awards
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Honolulu
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Honolulu Restaurants
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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Rank 40. Chengdu Taste
Sichuan
The awards
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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Rank 40. Chong Qing Cuisine
Chinese
The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Noodle Shop · Best of Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine 2024 · Best Noodle Shop · Best of Honolulu
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The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Pork chop · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Pork chop · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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The awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best New Restaurant · Hale ‘Aina Awards
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Best New Restaurant · Hale ‘Aina Awards
- Honolulu Magazine Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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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.
The awards
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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Rank 40. 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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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Best Restaurants in Honolulu
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Restaurants In Honolulu
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Rank 82. Castro’s
Cuban
A Cuban-inspired brunch spot on the second floor in Waikiki where the Cubano and choripan keep locals coming back despite the tourist foot traffic below. The chef leans hard on local sourcing, which is rarer here than you'd think, so the fruit plate runs on farmers market tropicals instead of the usual imported berries flown in from somewhere cold. Sandwiches and braised brisket do the heavy lifting on a menu that reads like it belongs somewhere else entirely.
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The bar stools here are swings, which tells you everything about the mood. Heyday is a neighborhood restaurant and bar tucked into the courtyard of a midcentury hotel in Waikiki, leaning hard into the retro-tropical bit with mai tai variations and boozy slushies alongside cheesy toast and a fried mahi sandwich that reads as a Filet-o-Fish with ambitions. After dark, the Green Lady Cocktail Room in room eight opens as a dark lounge spilling into a palm-fringed courtyard.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Honolulu
- Eater Eater: The 20 Best Restaurants in Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi
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Sit-down wine bar and all-day cafe in the Royal Hawaiian Center, where the menu wanders happily from breakfast plates to burrata to garlic shrimp without apologizing for any of it. The move many regulars make is the fried breadfruit, served with brown sugar and coconut cream in a way that makes you wonder why breakfast potatoes ever went another direction. Steamed clams and acai bowls from the adjacent cafe round out the options nicely.
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Rank 82. 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.
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Rank 82. Tim Ho Wan
Cantonese
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Old-School Restaurant We Love · Hale ‘Aina Awards
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