Hawaii is a tropical paradise rich in culture, lush landscapes, exotic flowers and amazing food.
If you are new the Travel Talk and Surge Nation family, our resident foodie is co-host Doreen Wong who’s family (on her father’s side) is from the lovely island of Oahu. After chatting with today’s guest Amber Verdugo from ProTravel Network about their upcoming convention at sea that includes a 7-Night Hawaiian Island Cruise, we asked Doreen if she would share some of her favorite places to eat.
*Note from Doreen*
“Hawaii has many amazing restaurants and local eateries. From mainland chains like Cheesecake Factory or Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse to hidden gems only the locals know about. The places that I am sharing are the ones I grew up with.
Are they the best? I don’t know.
However, these locations have a special place in my heart as they are attached to memories of my childhood and to family members no longer with me.” – Doreen
Leonard’s Bakery
933 KAPAHULU AVE | Honolulu, HI 96816
SUN-THURS: 5:30AM-10PM | FRI-SAT: 5:30AM-11PM
If you love warm sugary doughy fluffy goodness, then you NEED to visit Leonard’s Bakery for their amazing malasadas (basically a donut without a hole). They come in 3 flavors – Plain (just sugar), Cinnamon Sugar and Li Hing. While Doreen prefers her malasadas plain, you can also get them with custard, Dobash (chocolate), and Haupia (coconut) fillings.
Don Quijote
801 Kaheka Street | Honolulu, HI 96814
Open 24-hours
When you think of Top Grinds in Hawaii, Don Quijote is probably not on the most tourists’ list. However, it is a one-stop for your gift, clothing, produce, and luggage buying needs. From a foodie’s perspective the reasonably priced plate lunches, burgers, sushi and bento box meals (like the Spicy Ahi and Ikura Chirashi pictured above that Doreen ate) is a great snack before tackling the aisles and aisles of merchandise inside.
Side Street Inn
1225 Hopaka Street | Honolulu, HI 96814
MON – THURS 2:00pm – 10:00pm | Friday 2:00pm– 11:00pm
Saturday 1:00pm – 11:00pm | Sunday 1:00pm– 10:00pm
Side Street Inn which is located on a small side street (more like an alley) is a local hidden gem. If you can go with a decent size group so you can sample a variety of their signature dishes. Doreen’s favorite was the Kimchi Fried Rice and the Salt Pepper Fried Pork Chop. Reservations are highly recommended as the venue is small and extremely popular.
Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery
1027 Maunakea Street | Honolulu, HI 96817 (Chinatown)
OPEN DAILY: 6:30 AM – 6:00 PM
The evening before or sometimes the day of her flight to California, Doreen’s grandmother would make her way to Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery to buy 2 dozen Chinese Tea Cookies (or tea cakes). The cookie tends to be more dense than your average cookie to prevent it from disintegrating when dunked in hot tea. However, when they are fresh they are moist and flavorful. The walls of Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery are lined with display cases full of tasty pastries, dim sum, cracked seed and candied fruit. Finding street parking close by can be a challenge. Grandma Wong would recommend going with another person allowing the driver to circle the block while the passenger runs inside to shop.
Giovanni Shrimp Truck
66-472 Kamehameha Hwy | Haleiwa, HI 96712 (North Shore)
Always Open – as stated on their Facebook page
Located in the surf town of Haleiwa (the North Shore) is Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck nestled between trees and park benches. At first glance a graffitied conversion van may not seem like the safest location to eat shrimp. However, if you keep looking you will soon realize the line to order is 10 deep and most of the picnic benches are taken.
The plate lunches come with 2 scoops of rice and 1-dozen jumbo shrimp. There is also a 1/2 plate for those with smaller appetites. The most popular plate is the Shrimp Scampi but for those who can handle the heat there is a Hot & Spicy option. A word of caution…when a dish comes with a warning followed by the words “No Refund”, you eat it at your own risk.
M. Matsumoto General Store — SHAVE ICE!
66-087 Kamehameha Hwy #605 | Haleiwa, HI 96712 (North Shore)
THURS – TUES 9:00 AM t0 6:00 PM
Just down the road from Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck is Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, which is a good thing especially if you ordered the Hot & Spicy Shrimp. Just be prepared to wait in line. If you are unfortunate enough to arrive after a tour bus, you might want to explore some of the other shops while you wait for the line to go down.
Whether you are a single flavor kind of person or flavor mixer, there is a shave ice option with your name on it. Doreen’s favorite is the “Hawaiian” with pineapple, coconut and banana syrup, ice cream and condensed milk drizzled on top. If it is a hot day or you happen to be a slow eater, she recommends investing in the shave ice holder.
Like Like Drive Inn
745 Keeaumoku Street | Honolulu, HI 96814
MON – WED 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM | THURS opens at 6:00 AM
FRIDAY and SATURDAY – Open 24 HOURS
Like Like Drive Inn has been serving classic diner food since 1953. While known for their saimin (noodles and broth with chopped green onions, bbq pork, won tons and fish cake), their French pancake (rolled with guava jelly), chili and rice and Loco Moco (white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy) are also favorites.
Feel free to give a shout out to your favorite Hawaiian restaurants in the comment section below.
Surge Nations 