Eat Like a Local: O'ahu’s Best Restaurants, Breweries & Food Trucks

Mar 18

Part of the fun in traveling is experiencing local cuisine. Hawaii is no different. We enjoyed the tropical fruits, fresh seafood and local breweries as we wandered around the island. We also enjoyed the opportunity to cook several meals at our VRBO, saving on our dining out budget and enjoying some much-needed down time after days spent hiking, snorkeling and experiencing all that O’ahu has to share. Most (but not all) days we started with breakfast cooked at our house, packed snacks for the day, then enjoyed a BBQ dinner on the lanai, watching the sunset. Between breakfast and dinner, we found local restaurants, breweries and food trucks to satisfy our desire to eat like a local.

After our sunrise hike up the Lanikai Pillbox trail, we treated ourselves to a hearty breakfast at Boots & Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen. Banana pancakes topped with macadamia nut cream are a Hawaiian specialty and the shrimp omelet was perfect for our seafood-loving wanderer.

Fish Market & Nico’s Pier 38 Restaurant

Nico’s Pier 38 is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a Pupu (small plate) Happy Hour. We enjoyed breakfast at Nico’s after an early start one morning, getting to the pier before sunrise, just as the fishing boats were coming in with the day’s catch. Before breakfast, we watched as the boats were unloaded, then wandered through the fish market and auction. So… much… fish! By 8 a.m., we'd already explored the pier, watched the sun rise and enjoyed breakfast by the water at Nico's.

Breweries

Fun fact about us… We met on a blind date at Sierra Nevada Brewery in Northern California, so craft breweries have become something we seek out as we wander the world. On O’ahu we had lunch at Honolulu Beerworks after a hike to Manoa Falls, and recharged with dinner on the open-air patio at Kono Brewing Company after a challenging hike up the Koko Head Stairs.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for products and/or services we love. If you decide to make a verified purchase through the links in this post, I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for choosing to wander with us. We hope your adventures are filled with as much joy and awe as we’ve experienced!

Food Trucks

I know some people shy away from food trucks, but let me tell you, there’s often not much more local and authentic than what you can find there. We had a lunch of fresh shrimp at Romy’s Kahuku Prawns & Shrimp roadside shack; Portuguese-style, deep-fried doughnuts from Leonard’s Malasadamobile; and sipped fresh coconut water through a straw stuck in an actual coconut!

Luaus & Island Entertainment

A Hawaiian luau is a must when visiting the islands and there are several to choose from. We decided to spend an afternoon exploring the Polynesian Cultural Center, then stay for the evening show and luau that night. The Polynesian Culture Center was fun and filled with "happy people." My kind of place!