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Best Dining Bets
Alan Wong's Restaurant (tel. 808/949-2526): One of Hawaii's premiere chefs, Alan Wong specializes in absolutely the best Pacific Rim cuisine. His restaurant is always packed, although the ambience is limited and it's located in a shopping mall in the suburbs -- but for serious foodies this is heaven. Masterpieces at this shrine of Hawaii regional cuisine: warm California rolls made with salmon roe, wasabi, and Kona lobster instead of rice; luau lumpia with butterfish and kalua pig; and ginger-crusted fresh onaga. Opihi shooters and day-boat scallops in season are a must, while nori-wrapped tempura ahi is a perennial favorite. The menu changes daily, but the flavors never lose their sizzle.
Cassis Honolulu (tel. 808/545-8100; www.cassishonolulu.com): In 2007, Hawaii's top chef, George Mavro, opened this casual bistro that features many of the island-influenced dishes that he no longer serves at his upscale Chef Mavro Restaurant since he changes that menu every 3 months. The trendy eatery (packed at lunch) also has a very hip wine bar (featuring the wine pairings of the day).
Chef Mavro Restaurant (tel. 808/944-4714): Honolulu is abuzz over the wine pairings and elegant cuisine of George Mavrothalassitis, the culinary wizard from Provence who turned La Mer (at the Halekulani) and Seasons (at the Four Seasons Resort Wailea) into temples of fine dining. He brought his award-winning signature dishes with him and continues to prove his ingenuity with dazzling a la carte and prix-fixe menus.
Kaka'ako Kitchen (tel. 808/596-7488): If you're in the market for a quick-and-healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner at budget prices, here's the place. It's not fancy; in fact, the trademark Styrofoam plates, warehouse ambience, and home-style cooking are the hallmarks of this local favorite in the Ward Centre. The menu, which changes every 3 to 4 months, includes seared ahi sandwiches with tobiko (flying-fish roe) aioli for lunch; and a signature charbroiled ahi steak, beef stew, five-spice shoyu chicken, the very popular meatloaf, and other multi-ethnic entrees for dinner.
La Mer (tel. 808/923-2311): This is Hawaii's premier splurge restaurant, the oceanfront bastion of haute cuisine, a romantic, elegant, and expensive place where people dress up -- not to be seen, but to match the ambience and food. It's an open-sided room with views of Diamond Head and the sound of trade winds rustling the nearby coconut fronds. Award-winning chef Yves Garnier melds classical French influences with island-fresh ingredients.
Ola at Turtle Bay Resort (tel. 808/293-0801; www.turtlebayresort.com): Even if you're staying in Waikiki, plan a day at the beach on the North Shore and eat here for dinner. You will not regret it. First, the location -- literally on the sandy beach next door to the Turtle Bay Resort. Second, the restaurant is an open-air beach pavilion. But the best part is . . . the food! The menu is filled with creative selections (the ahi and lobster poke served with a wonton spoon) and some of the best food you will eat in Hawaii.
Olive Tree Cafe (tel. 808/737-0303): This temple of Greek and Mediterranean delights is the quintessential neighborhood magnet -- casual, bustling, and consistently great. Owner Savas Mojarrad has a following of foodies, hipsters, artists, and all manner of loyalists who appreciate his integrity and generosity. Standards are always high, prices reasonable, the dishes fresh and homemade. Bring your own wine and sit down to fresh fish souvlakia, excellent marinated mussels, and sheep's cheese spanakopita. Mojarrad even makes the yogurt for his famous yogurt-mint-cucumber sauce, the souvlakia's ticket to immortality. Don't miss the chicken saffron, a Tuesday special.
The Pineapple Room (tel. 808/945-6573): Yes, it's in a department store, but it's Alan Wong, a culinary icon. The food is terrific, particularly anything with ahi (for example, the ahi meatloaf). The room features an open kitchen with a lava-rock wall and abundant natural light, but these are details in a room where food is king. The menu changes regularly, but keep an eye out for the ginger scallion shrimp scampi, nori-wrapped tempura salmon, and superb gazpacho made of yellow and red Waimea tomatoes.
Roy's Restaurant (tel. 808/396-7697): Good food still reigns at this busy, noisy flagship Hawaii Kai dining room with the trademark open kitchen. Roy Yamaguchi's deft way with local ingredients, nostalgic ethnic preparations, and fresh fish makes his menu, which changes daily, a novel experience every time. Yamaguchi's special dinners with vintners are a Honolulu staple.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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