From beautiful smoothie bowls to hot malasadas, and delicious food made with fresh ingredients, Oahu, Hawaii has the best food for foodies! Check out my list of The Best Food to eat in Oahu, Hawaii that you do not want to miss!

Last month my husband and I went to Hawaii for the first time. I had always wanted to go and had heard so many amazing things about it. But our trip turned out to be more wonderful than I ever could have imagined!! It is so gorgeous there! And the food was incredible!

Surprisingly, when I got back and talked to a couple of people who have been to Oahu, Hawaii they told me they didn’t eat a lot of great food there. So that’s when I decided I have to do a post on the food we ate! It was all SO good! The food was freshly prepared and they do a great job of using local ingredients.

Hawaii is known for its amazing food! It’s a great place for foodies to visit! Tasty fresh fruit, such as coconut and pineapple, shave ice, lilikoi (passion fruit), guava, Poke, macadamia nuts, acai bowls, loco moco, malasadas, and more!

We had amazing meals, dessert, and of course smoothie bowls! Our trip was sadly only a few days but we made the most of it! You will love my suggestions below. Let me know where else you love to eat in Oahu, Hawaii! I’m already wanting to go back!

THE BEST PLACES TO EAT IN OAHU, HAWAII

* Breakfast *

Moke’s Bread and Breakfast

There are a couple of locations on the island.

The food here is fast, fresh and so tasty! These Lilikoi Pancakes (passion fruit) are one of the best things we ate on the trip! So pretty and flavorful! We shared a lot of food on this trip so we could try more things. My husband got an omelet and hashbrowns and it was so good! You could tell it was freshly prepared.

 

Sweet E’s

Another fabulous breakfast restaurant! Sweet E’s is located in Honolulu.

We were sat down right away and didn’t need to wait long for our food. We loved the eggs benedict and blueberry stuffed french toast. We also got a breakfast burrito to go for lunch since after here we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. (Highly recommend!)

Basalt

This restaurant is located inside Duke’s Lane Market and eatery. It’s a nice restaurant. The food was so pretty and tasty!

I had my eye on the Charcoal Buttermilk Pancakes since before our trip and it did not disappoint! The pancakes get the black color from charcoal, then it’s topped with guava-strawberry sauce, black whipped cream, and mixed berries. So delicious! And outside the restaurant is the ABC store where they sell charcoal pancake mixes you can take home! I made it for my kids when we got back home and they LOVED it! We also ordered the Eggs Benedict with country-style potatoes and loved it!

* Lunch/Dinner *

South Shore Grill

This family-owned business has a simple, straightforward menu with tacos, and plate lunches. But the food is so flavorful and tasty! We even went here twice! I highly recommend the Grilled Cajun Chicken breast with aioli and cajun fries. And if you are a fish lover, you will love their fish tacos!

Also note, that possibly this has changed, but when we were there you could only go in the entrance to order then had to wait outside on the sidewalk for your order to be ready then find somewhere else to eat.

Kahuku Farms

This place NEEDS to be on your list! Not only do they have AMAZING farm-fresh food, but you can also walk around to see a variety of different fruits and vegetables growing. AND they grow their own acai! (Check out more info on this further down in my post where I share about the DELICIOUS acai bowls they have!)

I ordered the Grilled Veggie Panini and was blown away by the flavors and texture of it! I’m not usually one to order vegetarian but wow! This has changed me forever! It’s made with focaccia bread and inside is grilled eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini, tomato, lettuce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a super tasty balsamic herb mayo. SO GOOD!

Eighty Chicken Sandwiches

By luck, I found this food truck and I’m SO GLAD! They are only open Saturday and Sunday at noon to sell out. As of now, once 80 chicken sandwiches are sold that’s it for the day!

No joke, this is by far, THE BEST CHICKEN SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! The texture, taste, and flavors were on point! PLUS it came with super tasty hand-cut fries. The owner was super nice as well. 

Located at Kahuku Sugar Mill North Shore. (Near Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck)

Polynesian Culture Center Luau

This was one of our favorite parts of our trip! You can make a quick stop at the Polynesian Culture Center and look at some shops and eat at some restaurants without paying to get inside but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying a package to see the islands, eating at the Luau, and watching the evening show.

Check out their website to learn more about it!

At the luau we each got our own hollowed-out pineapple, filled with a very refreshing and tasty drink, I believe it’s not pina colada but super similar. You can even have refills!

The luau was so neat! Fabulous entertainment and food! If you go to Oahu, you must go to the Polynesian Culture Center and Luau!

Giovanni’s Food Truck

Located in Kahuku and Haleiwa. This is one of the most popular food places in Oahu! If you are a shrimp lover, you must stop by! Most known for their plates of super tasty garlic shrimp and scoops of delicious rice. 

Please note it’s cash only!

* Dessert/Smoothie Bowls *

Leonard’s Bakery

Opened up in 1952 and is still around because it’s amazing! They sell a variety of sweets but are most known for their malasadas. (Portuguese donuts.) These donuts are fried and the texture is fabulous! A little crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. And you can choose to get it filled or not. My husband preferred it not filled, just with cinnamon sugar on the outside. I love the cinnamon and sugar coating but also loved the chocolate and custard filling. (I do not recommend the coconut filling, we didn’t like it.) 

The store is located in Honolulu and they have a food truck as well. (With a more limited menu.)

Health Bar Da’ Cove

Located near Diamond Head. This was one of our first stops on the island and it ended up being one of our favorites! The Pitaya and Acai bowl was incredible! The granola and toasted coconut was especially tasty! They have a variety of smoothies and healthy food to order. We just ordered at the window by the sidewalk, you can’t go inside. (At least that’s how it is right now.)

Kahuku Farms

(Make sure to read above about the Grilled Veggie Panini!)

Almost all acai comes from Brazil but Kahuku Farms impressively learned how to grow acai! It takes 8 years to grow! They process the acai the day they harvest it making it the freshest acai you can get on the island! The Acai Bowl at Kahuku Farms needs to be a the top of your to-try food list in Oahu! Not only is the acai smoothie base amazing, but it’s also topped with bananas, Liliko butter, and a to-die-for graham macadamia nut crumble.

Hale’iwa Bowls

Located in a shack on the side of Kamehameha Highway on the North Shore. This place is super popular for good reason!

Hands down this is THE BEST thing I had in Hawaii! Such a pretty smoothie bowl, so tasty, and topped with delicious fresh fruit! If I could only go to one smoothie bowl place in Hawaii, Hale’iwa bowls is it!

I LOVED the pitaya smoothie bowl! So gorgeous too!

My husband got the local bowl which has a base of acai. It was beautiful and delicious too!

It was kind of fun eating it behind the shack watching chickens and peacocks roam around. haha 

The Sunrise Shack 

There are 3 locations in Oahu: Sunset Beach, Shark’s Cove, and inside the Outrigger Waikiki Resort.

This was our last stop in Hawaii before we sadly had to head home. It was the perfect pretty smoothie bowl to enjoy while at the beach watching the sunset. I ordered the Tropical Bowl. I did have to ask for the cute umbrellas because they forgot to add it. Not necessary, but fun!

*Update: I recently posted the most delicious PITAYA SMOOTHIE BOWL RECIPE! Now you can make it at home for less cost and it tastes AMAZING! 🙂

Which place would you want to try first?

If you have been to Oahu, where are your favorite places to eat?

Happy traveling! 🙂

More Suggestions:

Arvo Cafe (Fabulous Breakfast and Brunch menu!)

Seven Brothers (Incredible hamburgers and fries! We LOVE this place but didn’t go on our trip since we are lucky to have a location near our home.)

Helena’s Hawaiian Food (A great place for traditional Hawaiian Food)

Duke’s Waikiki

Island Vintage Coffee

Liliha Bakery

Matsumom’s Shave Ice

Kono’s Northshore (Check out the Breakfast bombers!)

Banan (Banana ice cream!)

Ted’s Bakery (Haupia Pie, Macadamia Nut Cream Pie) (I heard so many good things about this place but it was closed when I visited.)