15 best Hawaii food to try! things to do + places to eat 🌴 Oahu – Maui – Big Island – Kauai

ALOHA!

While most of the food I have eaten that’s worthy enough for such a “must-eat” Hawaii food list has been on Oahu and Maui (and therefore, most of my food pictures are from these islands), you can find the basic types of these foods on any of the Hawaiian islands!

So whether you are going to Oahu (Honolulu), Maui, the Big Island (Kona), or Kauai, here are Hawaiian-style food ideas for you when you travel to Hawaii!

 

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👆 It’s not uncommon to find some sort of Hawaiian “plate” on the menu in Hawaii!

 

ABC Stores can be good if you want some easy food. And they also have some local food you can try too!

ABC Stores are a chain of convenience stores that are located on all the major tourist islands of Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

If you are staying in Waikiki, you will become very familiar with ABC Stores! They are practically on every other block.

So make it a point to stop by an ABC Store.

You’ll also find some good Hawaii souvenirs too.

 

👆 This is just a regular snack (nothing specifically Hawaiian as it’s a standard yogurt parfait!) but it’s one of the easy grab-and-go food items you can buy at ABC Stores! Below will include some Hawaii-specific food you can buy at ABC Stores!

 

 

1. Hawaiian luau food

Going to a Hawaiian luau in Hawaii is the best way to eat a bunch of classic Hawaiian food!

It’s one of the best things to do in Hawaii.

Every island has a luau you can attend.

Luaus are a very touristy experience, but they are fun and you can eat a lot of Hawaiian food!

 

 

It not only includes the food, but there’s an entertainment portion to it including dance and music to experience more of Hawaiian culture and the Polynesian roots of Hawaii.

Some luaus also include a fire show which is so fun to watch.

Luaus with a fire show include the Mauka Warriors luau on Oahu, the Maui Nui luau on Maui, the Hale Hoaloha luau on the Big Island, and Luau Ka Hikina on Kauai.

 

 

2. Hawaiian pineapple

The most famous pineapple company in the US is of course Dole.

And you can visit the Dole Plantation when you go to Oahu!

The Dole Plantation is also quite the touristy experience, but hey, when in Hawaii. 😁

 

👆 Eat fresh Hawaiian pineapple in Hawaii! This is at the Dole Plantation.

 

👆 Eat a Dole Whip! I opted for some extra pineapple toppings because it seemed like the appropriate thing to do at a Hawaiian pineapple farm. 😁

 

You can go to the Dole Plantation on your own. It’s in central Oahu.

There are also combo tours like the circle island Oahu tour that makes a 30 minute stop at the Dole Plantation so you can try something pineapple-y like a Dole Whip, or there’s also a North Shore and Dole Plantation tour.

On Maui, you can visit a pineapple farm by going to the historic plantation town of Hali’imaile and having a taste of a Maui Gold pineapple.

 

Otherwise, you can look for pineapple goodness elsewhere on the island!

For fresh-cut pineapple pieces, you can go to ABC Stores, and/or make a trip to the grocery store!

 

👆 Have a pineapple smoothie in Hawaii!
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👆 You can buy locally grown pineapple at the grocery store in Hawaii. This is at Foodland which is a grocery store chain on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

You don’t need to be a Hawaii resident to get the grocery store discounts at Foodland. I don’t live in Hawaii, and I signed up some time ago so now I just give them my phone number to get the “member” price.

 

👆 When in Hawaii… try pineapple with li hing! I did get it, although I don’t really like it. But you should try it because it’s a thing in Hawaii. 🤪 If it turns out you do like it, you can buy li hing powder on its own.

 

 

3. Hawaiian pink dragon fruit

If it’s in season, dragon fruit is another fruit to look for in Hawaii! I ate lots of dragon fruit when I was in Hawaii in the fall.

You can look for dragon fruit

I have also seen fruit bowls with a dragon fruit base on the menu in Hawaii. So I think it was called a pitaya bowl instead of an acai bowl.

Pitaya is another name for dragon fruit.

 

👆 You can buy locally grown dragon fruit at the grocery store in Hawaii. This is at Foodland, so you can go here on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

 

👆 You can also buy dragon fruit at ABC Stores. It says it’s a seasonal item with the dragon fruit being grown on Maui. You can find ABC Stores on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

 

👆 There’s dragon-fruit halves or cut-up pieces that you can buy. It’s pretty soft, and you can eat it with by scooping it with the small spoon that it comes with.
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👆 There was dragon fruit flavor at the gelato shop in Waikiki!

 

 

4. Hawaiian plate lunch

It’s not uncommon to see a “plate” on the menu in Hawaii!

 

👆 This is a steak and chicken combo plate at Steak Shack on Oahu with views of the ocean at Waikiki Beach! There’s rice underneath the meat.

This is right at the Outrigger Reef resort, and about a 10 minute walk from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

 

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See more things to do near the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

 

👆 An as-seen-on-TV restaurant to get a Hawaiian plate lunch is Rainbow Drive-in. This Oahu restaurant was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives TV show on the Food Network.

 

 

 

5. Huli huli chicken

A classic Hawaiian-style chicken to eat when you go to Hawaii is huli huli chicken!

 

👆 I had huli huli chicken on Maui when I did the Road to Hana. And… it was part of a Hawaiian plate lunch!

This one had macaroni salad which is a common side to get as part of a Hawaiian plate. It also had rice which is also pretty common.

This huli huli chicken stand on the Road to Hana was also seen on TV!

It was featured on Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted TV show on the National Geographic Channel, as part of his exploration of the Road to Hana.

You can watch the Hana Hawaii food episode on youtube.

 

👆 Huli huli chicken menu on the Road to Hana. (Prices have probably changed!)

 

See my Road to Hana map with food stops and more!

 

 

6. Banana bread

Banana bread is a thing in Hawaii.

 

👆 The most famous banana bread is on Maui at a food stand called Aunty Sandy’s banana bread. This is on the Road to Hana. This spot is also as seen on TV, the same episode as the huli huli chicken on Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted TV show.

 

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7. Poke

A seafood dish that’s a very Hawaii thing is poke. This is raw fish.

 

👆 I had a poke bowl on Maui near Paia at Jaws Country Store.

 

👆 This is part of the Jaws Country Store menu that includes Hawaiian style poke.

 

👆 If you are in Kona on the Big Island, you can get a poke bowl at Da Poke Shack.

 

🤙 ALOHA! 🤙

 

👆 You can get poke bowls and poke plates.

 

👆 There are different types of poke you can get.

 

👆 Hawaiian plate!
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8. Ahi

Another type of seafood you’ll see on the menu a lot in Hawaii is ahi. This is tuna.

 

👆 I had an ahi burger at an oceanfront cafe in Hawaii! This is at the Barefoot Beach Cafe in Waikiki.

 

👆 There are a lot of oceanfront restaurants in Waikiki.

 

👆 You can get ahi sushi at ABC Stores.

 

👆 You can get a spicy ahi poke roll at ABC Stores.

 

 

9. Fish tacos

Fish tacos are a thing in Hawaii!

 

👆 I had fish tacos at a Maui food truck. This was on the Road to Hana at the Braddah Hutts BBQ Grill food truck.
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👆 Another spot on the Road to Hana that I had fish tacos was Hana Farms.

👆 I had fish tacos on Oahu at South Shore Grill. They say they have the best fish tacos in Honolulu.

 

👆 Fish tacos menu at South Shore Grill on Oahu.

 

👆 I had fish tacos from a Maui food truck.

 

👆 I took the fish tacos to Maluaka Beach aka Turtle Town and ate at the nearby picnic table.

 

👆 This is the food truck along the side of the road that I saw as I was driving in South Maui.

 

👆 You can get tacos and burritos.

 

👆 I also saw the fish tacos food truck at Makena State Park. (aka Big Beach)

 

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10. Garlic shrimp

Garlic shrimp is a thing in Hawaii. You can find garlic shrimp on the menu in restaurants, and there are also garlic shrimp food trucks too.

While you can find it at many places, if you’re on Oahu, shrimp food trucks are a thing on the North Shore!

 

👆 I was with someone who had a garlic shrimp combo plate at a Kona restaurant called Broke Da Mouth Grindz. They specialize in Filipino Hawaiian fusion food.

 

It seems like there’s something going on with the Kona location on the Big Island (like, it seems to be closed), but there’s also a Broke Da Mouth Grindz location on Oahu.

The Hawaiian fusion food of Broke Da Mouth Grindz is more as-seen-on-TV food! It was another Hawaii food spot that was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives TV show on the Food Network.

 

👆 This was another type of Hawaiian plate on the menu.

 

 

11. Hawaiian papaya

Another fruit to look for in Hawaii is papaya! You can also get this at ABC Stores or grocery stores in Hawaii.

 

👆 You can buy locally grown papaya at the grocery store in Hawaii. This is at Foodland, so you can go here on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

 

👆 You can buy papaya that’s ready to eat at ABC Stores too.

 

 

12. Acai bowl

👆 Kai Coffee Hawaii had a pop-up location right by the beach in Waikiki! They were selling acai bowls and… coffee, yes. 🤪

It seems like they were at the literal beachside location (Kuhio Beach) until early afternoon. They also have a storefront across the street.

 

👆 Eat an acai bowl at the beach!

 

👆 There are many places in Waikiki near the beach that you can buy an acai bowl and take it to the beach! I got this one at another store across the street from the beach, but it has since closed.

 

👆 A classic Hawaii spot to get an acai bowl and fruit bowls is the Sunset Shack. The original location is on the North Shore of Oahu. They also have a Waikiki location, which is a one-minute walk or so from the beach.

 

👆 Eat a papaya bowl in Hawaii!

 

🤙 ALOHA! 🤙
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13. Malasadas

Malasadas are a thing in Hawaii. They are Portuguese donuts.

 

👆 The famous malasadas spot on Oahu is Leonards Bakery.

 

👆 In addition to the storefront, Leonard’s Bakery also has food trucks on Oahu that sell malasadas.

 

 

 

14. Hula dog

👆 The hula dog is another Hawaii food spot that is as-seen-on-TV. This Hawaiian-style hot dog is something that Anthony Bordain ate on his No Reservations TV show.

This is an Oahu food truck in Waikiki.

 

 

15. Spam

Spam is a thing in Hawaii.

 

👆 You can get a spam riceball at ABC stores. This one is called a spam egg furikake musubi. The foreign words are Japanese. Furikake is basically just a general seasoning typically on rice, and musubi is riceball.

 

More for your Hawaii travel planning:

• Best Hawaii waterfalls
• Best Hawaii beaches
• Best Hawaii hikes
• Top 10 things to do in Honolulu
• Top 10 things to do in Maui

 

HAPPY EATING FOOD IN HAWAII!