I have long known Japanese cuisines in Hawaii are almost as good as in Japan; there are chefs from Japan that migrate to Hawaii and share their understanding of Japanese foods. As our journey extends, such as visiting Plantation Village, I came to realization that there were many other ethnicity landed in Hawaii, worked, lived together for a very long time to harvest sugar cane, and formed this diverse culture. They were not just from Japan, but also from China, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, etc. The multi-culture indeed turns Hawaii culture into a “hodgepodge”; from Hawaiian foods, we can see the influence of other cuisines; from top Omakase (Sushi Sho) and Kaiseki (Nanzan Giro Giro), we can also trace the footprint of Hawaiian local ingredients such as Kona Abalone, etc. Food not just got me excited because of its excitement of my tastebuds, but also because of its connection to culture.
Coming to Hawaii, I have bookmarked so many restaurants that my google map has stars everywhere, Japanese cuisines, Hawaiian foods, poke, shave ice and farmers market. Within a month of travelling, I have removed stars, and also pinned new stars according to local’s recommendations. Below, I first shared the short list if you just want to know what I have on the map after a month; further down is more detailed comments/recommendations on foods, if reservation is needed, and if parking is available.
Short List (only restaurant names)
Overall TOP 10:
- Nanzan Giro Giro (Kaiseki)
- Tori Ton (Yakitori)
- Waiahole Poi Factory (Hawaiian)
- Adela’s Country Eatery (specialty pasta)
- the Hibachi (poke)
- Brew & Foam (coffee)
- Shigen (soba)
- Yakitori Hachibei (Yakitori)
- Sushi Sho (Omakase)
- Bairin/Tamafuji (Tonkatsu)
Japanese cuisines (all in Honolulu):
- Kaiseki: Nanzan Giro Giro
- Omakase: Sushi Sho
- Izakaya:
- Yakitori Hachibei
- Tori Ton
- Soba: Shingen
- Tonkatsu:
- Tonkatsu Tamafuji
- Tonkatsu Bairin
- Sashimi: Marugo Brothers
Hawaiian foods:
- Waiahole Poi Factory (east side)
- Helena’s Hawaiian foods (Honolulu)
- Lanika Juice (chain)
Other cuisines:
- The hibachi (Poke, Kailua)
- Adela’s Country Eatery (specialty pasta with a Hawaiian twist, east side)
- Surf N Turf tacos (Honolulu)
- Bernini fusion pasta (Honolulu)
- Egg head café (Kailua & Honolulu)
Coffee (Honolulu):
- Brew & Foam
- Kona Coffee
- Island Vintage Coffee
North Shore
- Shrimp trucks:
- Jenny’s shrimp truck
- Fumi’s shrimp truck
- Romy’s Kahuhu Prawns Shrimp Hut
- Shrimp Shack
- (Did not recommend Giovanni’s as heard many comments about being over-rated, used frozen shrimps, found flies in the pot, etc.)
- Ice cream/Shave ice:
- Matsumoto’s shave ice
- Snow’s factory
- Grill:
- Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken
- Pupukea Grill (across from shark’s cove)
- Juices & Acai bowl:
- The Sunrise Shack (acai bowl)
- Hale’iwa Bowls (acai bowl)
- A pineapple/coconut truck on the right side of road as you turn right (driving north from south), driving along the coast along north shore
- The ones I have not tried but wanted to:
- Japanese Restaurants Aki (Izakaya, reserve)
- Sushi Ginza Onodera (Omakaze, reserve) either or option between Sushi Sho and this
- Hihimanu (Omakaze, reserve)
- Sushi Sasasune (Omakaze)
- Aburiya Ibushi (Izakaya, reserve)
- Tenkaippin Hawaii
- Yoshitsune (壽喜鍋)
- Restaurant Suntory
- Ramen Nakamura
- Katsumidori Sushi Tokyo
- Bernini Honolulu
- Mud Hen Water (Hawaiian)
- Olena by Chef Ron Simon (Hawaiian)
- Fresh Catch Kaimuki (Poke)
- Waiola Shave Ice
- Henry’s Place (ice cream & sorbet)
- Jejubing Dessert (soybean flavor most popular)
Detailed Reviews
Honolulu:
Japanese cuisines:
- Kaiseki 懷石料理: Nanzan Girogiro $$$
- Recommended by Sushi Sho staffs
- Reservation needed, ~1 week ahead
- Choose $78/6-course (sweet not included) or $143/9-course (sweets included) menu
- Cute highlights: store owner is a ceramic artist and he made all the ceramic cups, bowls, plates used in your meal; they are also for sale if you like to bring any home!!
- Omakase: Sushi Sho $$$ ($300/25-30 course + extra dishes available! Tips and tax included in $300)
- Chef Nakazawa is a Michelin 2-star chef from Tokyo, whom moved to Hawaii in 2016 and started Sushi Sho, using fresh ingredients both from Japan and from Hawaii/mainland U.S.
- Reservation need, at least 1 month ahead!! Can request to sit at Chef Nakazawa’s table when reserve
- Parking at Ritz Carlton hotel
- Izakaya/Yakitori:
- Yakitori Hachibei $$$ (~$90-100/person):
- Recommended by Sushi Sho staffs
- Reservation needed, ~1 week ahead
- COVID negative test is needed; the Safe Travels Hawaii gov QR code works!
- Recommend dishes:
scallop 
pork 
chicken gizzard 
creamcheese tofu 
beef tongue 
shrimp 
squid 
pudding
- Tori Ton $$ ($40-60/person)
- Reservation needed, ~2-3 days ahead, the earlier the better! Limited and popular items sold out very fast!
- Recommend dishes:
- Smoked and seared mackerel sashimi
- Chicken gizzard skewer
- Chicken skin skewer
- Baby scallop skewer
- Tako skewer
- Pork wrapped fish cake skewer
- Pork wrapped mocha & cheese skewer
- Pork wrapped Japanese rice skewer, with raw egg as dipping sauce
- Kamameshi!
- Crabs & baby scallop
- Eel
- Salmon
smoke and sear mackerel 
baby scallop & smoke pork belly 
pork wraps 
kamameshi 
gizzard taco 
fried gizzard with ponzu 
pork wrapped rice 
oden 
- Yakitori Glad $ ($20-30/person)
- Recommend dish:
- Beef skewer
- Salmon Ochasuki 茶漬飯
- Recommend dish:
- Izakaya Naru
- Reservation needed!
- Beef tongue slightly overcooked
- Squid with spicy cod roe is awesome! (special menu on the wall)
- Hamachi Carpaccio is good!
- Garlic Fried Rice (has lots of SCALLOP) in it!
Squid with spicy cod roe 
beef tongue 
hamachi carpaccio 
duck intestine 
chicken skin 
- Izakaya Torae Torae (good value)
- Seafood shot bit too salty
Uni&Ikura Don 
beef tongue 
O-toro 
hamachi carpaccio
- Soba:
- Shigen soba
- Recommend dishes:
- Calories bomb, SO GOOD that we ordered it twice!
- Tempura mix, really rare to have not-too-greasy/oily tempura, Shingen has them!
- Beef tongue. At first $10 per skewer was very pricy for us, but the beef tongue slices are so thick that each slice can be cut into 5-10 slices “normal beef tongue”
- Recommend dishes:
- Tonkatsu:
- Tamafuji:
- Reservation needed, ~1wk ahead
- Locals and Sushi Sho staff prefers Tamafuji over Bairin
- Can choose rice and miso soup
- Seasoned rice has clams in it! White miso is less salty than red miso; I like white miso with tofu & seaweed
- Pork is less fatty than Bairin’s Kutoruba pork cut
- Parking: has basement & street parking
grind your own sesame! 
choose rice & soup
- Bairin:
- Reservation needed, ~ 2-3wks ahead!! Take-out needs at least 1 hour!
- Take out portion smaller than dine-in
- I like the Kurobuta pork黑豚 cut the most, as they are more juicy/fatty; other cuts’ tonkatsu is a bit too dried for me
- Sashimi:
- Maguro Brothers
- Chinatown for lunch till 2:30PM, enter from the most right entrance of the local market
- Waikiki for dinner, 5-8PM
- Owners are brothers from Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo
- Recommend:
- Uni is AMAZING, comparable to Sushi Sho and Nanzan Giro Giro’s, much better than Torae Torae’s. Tastes sweet!
- Hawaiian foods:
- Helena’s Hawaiian foods
- No reservation allowed, wait time 1-2hours for dine in, 1 hours for takeout
- If you have chance to go to east side, try Waiahole Poi Factory and compare the two!
- Recommend dishes:
- Squid Lu’au, looks green and weird, but tastes AMAZING… the green comes from blended taro leaves mixed with coconut milk
- Laulau, steam pork belly wrapped in taro leaves; Poi’s is more juicy I think
- Haupia, coconut pudding, lighter sweetness than Poi’s, our preferences
- (we did not get to try):
- Fried butterfish
- Ophili (snail?)
- Parking: has a few parking slots right in front
- Rainbow drive-in
- Mixed-plate is popular; I like the fish and chicken in mixed-plate the most
- Other cuisines:
- Honolulu Skewer House (Chinese bbq, very good!! Reserve ~2-3days)
- Taro pancake
- Oysters (both grilled and raw available, very sweet!)
- Abalone
- Beef tender
- Lamb meet
- Lamb shank
- Chicken gizzard
- Chengdu Taste
- Price the same on DoorDash and dine-in menu, did I miss something???
- Chopstick lamb chunks 牙籤羊肉
- Spicy Red Tofu with Intestines and Beef Tripe 毛血旺
chopstick lamb 
- Egg head café
- Has Kailua and Honolulu locations
- Kailua has baked pancake
- Honolulu’s trio pancakes are also great with various sauce
- Avocado corn toast
- Avocado, corn, pesto, paprika sprinkle on top
- Has Kailua and Honolulu locations
- Surf N turf tacos (across international market place, I have not tried)
- Bernini Honolulu (I have not tried)
- Italian/Japanese fusion
- Recommended by Sushi Sho staff, especially mentaiko and uni pasta
- Lanikai Juice (I love COCO LEMON LOVE!)
- Coffee (in general, half sweet all café’s coffee in Hawaii… I am very confused why they are all so sweet)
- Brew & Foam
- Innovative drink flavors, cute menu design
- Pastries all baked in-house, has giant cookies and interesting flavors scones
- Chocolate & coconut scone
- Blueberry & lychee scone
- Parking: has 1hr validated parking across the street
- Kona coffee
- Beans are expensive but taste is good as well
- The pastry are from Patisserie, also in SF
- Parking: validated international market place parking
- Island vintage coffee, half or even 75% sweet of drinks; local’s favorites
- Kai Coffee
- Bit too sweet but ok
North shore:
- Shrimp trucks:
- Jenny’s shrimp truck
- Fumi’s shrimp truck
- Romy’s Kahuhu Prawns Shrimp Hut
- Shrimp Shack
- (Did not recommend Giovanni’s as heard many comments about being over-rated, used frozen shrimps, found flies in the pot, etc.)
- Ice cream/Shave ice:
- Matsumoto’s shave ice
- Ichiban Special includes shave ice, condensed milk, mochi, red bean; AND, the container is an edible baked waffle cone!
- Snow’s factory
- Grill:
- Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken
- Pupukea Grill (across from shark’s cove)
- Juices & Acai bowl:
- The Sunrise Shack (acai bowl)
- Have it and go to see sunset at the Sunset Beach park!
- Hale’iwa Bowls (acai bowl)
- A pineapple/coconut truck on the right side of road as you turn right, driving along the coast along north shore)
- The Sunrise Shack (acai bowl)
East Side/Kailua/Kaneoehe sandbar:
- Waiahole Poi Factory (Hawaiian foods)
- Close to Kaneohe Sandbar Kayak and Kualoa Ranch
- Recommend dishes:
- Squid Lu’au
- Laulau
- Chicken long rice! Similar to chicken noodle soup, love the flavorful broth taste
- Waiahole Sweet Lady: 1 scoop kulolo (taro + coconut) + 2 scoops haupia ice cream (coconut)
- Tahitian Sweet Lady: 1 scoop banana sesame sweet paste + 2 scoops haupia ice cream (coconut)
green: squid Lu’au; black: laulau 
chicken long rice 
Waiahole Sweet Lady 
Tahitian Sweet Lady 
- The Hibachi (poke)
- Coconut scallop
- Oyster sauce ahi (SPICY!)
- Adela’s Country Eatery
- 5 stars on yelp (May/2021) with hundreds reviews!!
- Recommend dishes:
- Taro pasta with shrimps & coconut cream
- Ube pasta with lechon
- Lechon, roasted pork belly, could get greasy if you keep eating it…
- Cannot really taste the avocado pasta, but color looks great 😉
- Taro cheesecake
taro pasta w/shrimp&coconut cream 
ube pasta w/ lechon 
avocado pasta 
fried chicken (HUGE)
Farmers Market & markets:
- Kaka’ako Farmers Market (Saturday, 8-12PM, Honolulu)
- Has reserved parking across the street
- Almost 2-3 times the size of KCC, has more crafting (very funny, bendable, cute bamboo stickers, ceramic cups & bowls, succulents) as well!
- Almost all famous booths at KCC are here: Yama-chan, mochi, sugar cane, etc.
- Can go to the nearby Kaka’ako Waterfront Park to eat or sightseeing afterwards, many surfers surf here!
- Honolulu Farmers Market (Wednesday 4-7PM, Honolulu)
- Sweet Revenge pie made by Japanese baker
- Lilicoi Chiffon pie
- Thai tea pie
- Distinct flavors and not so sweet
- Fried Mochi
- The Pig & the lady
- Sweet Revenge pie made by Japanese baker
- Kailua Thursday Market (Thursday 4-7PM, Kailua)
- Sugarcane water (love passionfruit/Lilicoi + sugarcane mix)
- The pig & the lady
- Fried mocha
- KCC market (Saturday 7-11AM, Honolulu)
- On-site parking with some wait time
- China market place (Honolulu)
- Surprise found with many fresh fruit, veggies, raw meat, Pilipino foods, snacks, etc.
Neutral:
- Izakaya Torae Torae
- UBAE (ube desserts)
- ube butter mochi is good
cheesetarts 
cakes 
mochi
- Basalt
Waygu Loco Moco 
Charcoal Pancake
Do not have to go, aka “greylisted”:
- Golden pork ramen (Honolulu)
- Foodland’s poke (tako and ahi, too salty)
- Wasabi salmon is pretty good though!
- Also like raw crab & cooked clams
- Ono Seafood Truck (red color)
