Food Tour of Oahu, Hawaii

Hanna Mak
Guest Blogger

Aloha! It’s Hanna again! I’m guest blogging for Beyond Voyage, documenting my honeymoon in Hawaii. If you haven’t yet, check out my previous post about Top 5 Things to Do in Oahu. Today, I’m going to share all the culinary sensations Hawaii has to offer. It’s more than just pineapples and luau pigs. Keep an open mind and perhaps you’ll be tempted to try something new and unexpected!

Malasadas at Leonard’s Bakery
Leonard’s Bakery is one of, if not the most famous malasada shop on the Hawaiian islands. Malasadas are Portuguese donuts, sans hole.  

Each donut is fried at the time you order it so it’s warm and crispy when it gets to your hands. The dough is light and fluffy on the inside and you have the option of filling it with custard, chocolate or haupia (coconut).  Steve opted for the original and I decided to try the haupia. Both were delicious!

Steve and I enjoying malasadas before that day’s adventures!

Ahi Poke
In Hawaii, you’ll see the word “poke” on a lot of local menus. Poke is a salad made of raw tuna typically served as an appetizer. The fish here is so fresh that you have to try it at least once. Some of the locals have added their own twist to it including adding in roe (fish eggs) or making it spicy. It was so good, I kept ordering it as my meal!

An ahi poke bowl with a kick of wasabi

Fruits of Hawaii
Though Hawaii is known for pineapples, lesser known fruits like lilikoi (passion fruit), guavas and papayas are as plentiful on the island as apples and bananas back on the mainland. One of the best fruit platters we had was at the Hula Grill in Waikiki.  It came with the most amazing pina colada dipping sauce.  

Just be careful not to eat too much papaya when you’re in Hawaii!  I learned it was a natural laxative.

Hula Grill’s fruit platter: (clockwise from left) papaya, dragonfruit, pineapple, bananas, strawberries, rambutan and their delicious pina colada dipping sauce.

The lilikoi fruit cut open. The seeds are edible just like a pomegranate. It has a slightly sweet and tart flavor.

Hawaiian-Japanese Specialities
Hawaiian culture has been heavily influenced by Japan over the past several decades. For instance, there are a ton of noodle shops that can be found in the Waikiki area. One of our favorites was Marukame Udon in Waikiki. There’s a line out the door at most hours of the day, but the wait is worth it. It’s cheap and fast but everything tastes so fresh.  

A bowl of Kake Udon from Marukame Udon

Also available at Marukame Udon is Spam Musubi. Back in World War II, Spam was shipped over to Hawaii as a food source that could retain good shelf life. To make it more edible, the Japanese population decided to turn it into a sushi-like food. Spam doesn’t ever sound delicious but trust me, this is worth trying. If you don’t like it, it’s okay, you won’t break the bank with it. At most places, you can find musubis selling for around $2.

Spam Musubi from Marukame Udon.  So good, I learned to make it at home!

Acai Bowls
Just what is an acai bowl? Acai berries are blended with other berries and frozen until the mixture becomes sorbet-like. The mixture is then topped with fruit and granola, and drizzled with honey. It tastes incredibly decadent but it’s really good for you (acai is known to be high in antioxidants)!

My favorite was from Bogart’s Cafe.  It’s a mile from the base of Diamond Head Monument so it’s a great place to stop off at if you plan on hiking the crater.

Enjoying my first acai bowl before the ascent up Diamond Head.

Fruit, granola and honey top off this power breakfast.

Acai is very dark purple when blended with other fruits.  It’s not overly sweet and very refreshing.

Shirokiya, A Japanese Food Court
On our first day in Hawaii, we had just landed tired but hungry. We accidentally found the most amazing Japanese food court called Shirokiya in the Ala Moana Mall in Waikiki. Stalls with different types of food are spread out on two floors. One of our favorites was the Brug Bakery with their delicious breads and baked goods:

Wonderful smells of baked bread is abound at Brug Bakery!

We stocked up for breakfast...and the occasional snack.

Upstairs from Brug, you can also find a stall that makes a popular Japanese street food, takoyaki.  Takoyaki Yama Chan cooks these little flour balls and fills them with squid or the popular octopus. They top them with a Japanese mayo and some furikake, a popular seaweed and ground fish seasoning. The best part of this dish is watching the talented chefs flipping each takoyaki quickly with chopsticks before they serve it up to you!

Witnessing the art of the takoyaki flip is part of the fun!

Garlic Shrimp on the North Shore
Take a drive up to the North Shore and you’ll see tons of food trucks advertising garlic shrimp. We tried one of the most popular trucks, Giovanni’s. Shrimp is sauteed in a very garlic-heavy sauce and served with rice.  Just a word of warning, this gets messy. Shrimps have to be peeled and you will reek of garlic afterwards so bring lots of gum if you want to talk to people.

Shave Ice, Obama Style
To wash down all of that garlic shrimp, stay on the North Shore and try a shave ice. Round blocks of ice are shaved into a cup with fruit flavored syrups drizzled on top. You can add ice cream in the middle or even condensed milk on top. What you end up with is an icy sweet treat. Whenever President Obama makes his trip to Hawaii, he always stops by Island Snow.  

Ice cream & condensed milk on my shave ice and the Obama wall of fame!

Fine Dining
Since this was our honeymoon, we decided to treat ourselves to some fine dining while in Hawaii. We highly recommend Roy’s Waikiki. They specialize in Hawaiian and Japanese fusion-type food that blends nicely with European cooking techniques. The Macadamia Nut Crusted Monchong was fantastic. If you are a fan of dessert, like me, then their molten chocolate cake and pineapple upside down cake are perfection!

Pineapple upside-down cake with caramel and molten chocolate cake at Roy’s.

If you prefer an afternoon of refinement, try having afternoon tea at The Veranda - Moana Surfrider. Sitting on the veranda and enjoying the ocean breeze was so relaxing and the perfect ending to our week in Hawaii.

Afternoon tea under a banyan tree

A tiny Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwich! A cool twist on tiny finger sandwiches.  

Hawaii may be a land of sun and surf but it’s also amazing for foodies or for people who just like to eat.  Just make sure to burn off all those calories with lots of swimming and hiking while you’re there! Aloha!


Here is a map of Hanna's favorite places to eat in Oahu!