The Best Places to Eat in Honolulu
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Rank 101. 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.
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- 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 101. Marugame Udon
Udon Shop
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Rank 101. Matcha Cafe Maiko
Dessert
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Rank 101. 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 101. Tim Ho Wan
Cantonese
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Rank 101. Wasabi Bistro
Sushi
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Rank 101. ZIGU
Modern Izakaya
The original 1930s wooden beams, plastered over for decades while the building housed a scooter-rental shop, are visible again here. Zigu is a modern izakaya tucked into the ground floor, running a menu of small plates, tempura, and sushi with local touches woven through: mochiko fried chicken, kale noodles, green papaya rolls. Waikiki usually does loud and obvious; this room does quiet and considered.
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Old-School Restaurant We Love · Hale ‘Aina Awards
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Wine Tasting Bar · Best of Honolulu
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- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Baker · Mike Hirao
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- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
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- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Budget Brunch Buffet · Best of Honolulu
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine 2025 · Budget Brunch Buffet · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Hotel Bar · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Downtown Lunch Deal · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Fresh Pasta · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · New Ice Cream · Best of Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Watercress Ginger Lime Sorbet · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
- Honolulu Magazine 2025 · New Ice Cream · Best of Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Watercress Ginger Lime Sorbet · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Rotisserie Chicken · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Rotisserie Chicken · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2025 · Gourmet Happy Hour · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Chicken Sandwich · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Tinned Fish Board · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Omakase · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Kimbap · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Yamashiroll · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Colin’s Classics · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Patê Sô · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Cheese Shop · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Chicken Tacos · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Budget Splurge · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: The Seven Salads · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Hand Rolls · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Loaded Fries · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Farm-to-Table Café · Best of Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Most Innovative Farm-to-Counter · Hale ‘Aina Awards
- Honolulu Magazine 2024 · Best Farm-to-Table Café · Best of Honolulu
- Honolulu Magazine Most Innovative Farm-to-Counter · Hale ‘Aina Awards
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Beef noodle soup · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Restaurant Vibe · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2024 · Best Gourmet Shop · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Engawa Sushi · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2023 · Best Club Sandwich · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2023 · Best Affordable Smoothies · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Lychee ice cream · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: 2023 · Best Vegan Doughnuts · Best of Honolulu
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- Honolulu Magazine Honolulu Magazine: Venison Bolognese · The Best Things We Ate in Hawai‘i
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