Honolulu Restaurant Guide: Yummy Stuff that Locals Love

Whether you are planning a family vacation, a couple’s getaway, or a solo travel adventure, everyone needs to eat. Food in Hawaii can be expensive! So, you always want to make sure you get your money’s worth. The establishments listed here serve some of the yummiest eats in Honolulu. They are so good that even the locals eat here. Welcome to your Honolulu restaurant guide.

Gen Korean BBQ

There are several Korean BBQ restaurants in Honolulu and on Oahu. You’ll see the name Sura and Sikdorak. These two are well-liked options also, but the king of Korean BBQ on this island is Gen Korean BBQ. No Honolulu restaurant guide would be complete without it.

If you’ve never eaten Korean BBQ before, you should know that there are a lot of “rules.” Each restaurant structures their services differently, so you should visit the specific restaurant website before you go. I’ve been to a place that was a buffet where you acquired your raw ingredients and then cooked them at your table. Gen isn’t a buffet. You order with a server, and they bring the raw ingredients that you cook at your table. Here, you can order unlimited rounds of food within a 2-hour time limit. Other establishments on this island say you can order a certain number of dishes within each round. This is what I mean by “rules.” Know what to expect before you go.

In our 2-hour time slot we were able to try multiple types of marinated chicken, beef and pork. Everything is served with lots of banchan (side dishes) with the goal of allowing the diner to customize the flavor of each bite. Gen is $35/per person for dinner (less for lunch). Considering how shockingly expensive restaurant meals in Hawaii can be, we felt this was a reasonable price & not much more than we would pay on the mainland for Korean BBQ. Plus, the flavors are downright awesome!

Location: Three locations on Oahu (including one in Ala Moana Center at Waikiki) and one on Maui.

Marugame Udon

With two locations in Honolulu, this place is beloved. It’s super casual (order at the counter) and exceedingly fresh and hearty. If you catch it at the right time, you can see their industrial-size pasta-maker churning out fresh udon noodles. Again, this place earns a spot in this Honolulu restaurant guide because locals love it too, not just tourists.

You can either select rice or noodles for your base and then customize all the toppings. They also offer several pre-designed recipes and you can choose one of those if customizing is too overwhelming for you. My husband had the chicken katsu curry bowl (over rice) and I tried the udon noodles with beef served in Dashi broth. Both of these dishes were outstanding. As a fun bonus, the restaurant also has a hot bar where you can select various add-ons. For example, we grabbed a dish of 5 gyoza (stuffed dumplings) for $4.50. This hot bar also offers various tempura fried items (typically 2 pieces for approx. $2). Authentic, deep, rich, homemade flavor: that’s what you’ll find here.

Location: Two locations on Oahu – one downtown and one at Waikiki.

Pit Stop Hawaii Food Truck

When you’re down in the Waikiki area, you’re in a touristy part of town. However, there are authentic locally loved places to get a good meal. Hawaii has one of the best food truck cultures I’ve ever come across. No Honolulu restaurant guide would be complete without mentioning at least one. If you’re willing to hunt a little bit, Pit Stop Hawaii is not-to-be-missed! Somehow Vincent and his team have elevated the basic burger, taco and fry to another level with unique flavors and preparations. Order your fries by-the-pound ($8) or the half pound ($5). What’s not to like about a place that serves fries like that? Vincent told me the secret flavor in the fries, but I’m not sure that I’m supposed to publish it, so you’ll just have to find the alley where they are located & try them yourself.

The menu lists their burgers as “sliders” ($10) but when ours arrived, my husband and I agreed that the smashburgers with crispy cheese halos in front of us were less like sliders and more like standard-sized burgers. During the pandemic when indoor dining options didn’t really exist, Pit Stop Hawaii flourished. Talk to Vincent for 5 minutes and you’ll sense the passion he brings to “simple” menu items. As a result, their success was inevitable. I’ve written on this site before about how much I respect restauranteurs who elevate simple ingredients to art. I am pleased to add Vincent & the Pit Stop Hawaii team to that list. Read about others here and here and here.

Location: At Waikiki. 2411 Kuhio Avenue. Yes, it’s really down an alley between two buildings.

Honolulu Restaurant Guide: Bonus Location

OK, so I am cheating here. The last entry in our Honolulu restaurant guide isn’t in Honolulu. About 90 minutes north of Waikiki Beach (on the eastern half of the north shore) you’ll find a little town called Kahuku. There is a food truck park here that you can’t miss! Let’s face it, half the fun of a road trip is the food. This place has something to please absolutely anyone in your group. You can actually googlemap “Kahuku food trucks.” I’m not kidding.

If you do a search for some of the most famous (or best) food trucks on Oahu, you’ll often see the name Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck. Their garlic shrimp is so famous that lines start early. Giovanni’s is located in this food truck park. We arrived before 11:00am on a Sunday morning and people were already eating there. By 11:15, there was a line 10 people deep.

There are dozens of options here. Consider trying Chef Kale’s for poke bowls or pulled pork nachos, Fasay Thai Wagon for Thai fried rice with chicken or Da Bald Guy for traditional Hawaiian lunch plates (a protein with rice and mac salad).

Location: 56-565 Kamehameha Highway in the town of Kahuku.

A Final Word

Restaurants in Hawaii can be expensive, so when you shell out big bucks for your meal, you want to know you are getting something beyond frozen, reheated ingredients. All the locations in this Honolulu restaurant guide are tried and true. I’ve eaten at all of the establishments profiled here myself and I know that they aren’t designed just to scam tourists; locals love them too. May your tastebuds do a little dance every time you order. Enjoy!