Cafe and boutique by day, secret omakase spot at night. Intimate 6-seat sushi bar is hidden in the back. Reservations are hard to get and fill up a month in advance.

One of the best craft cocktail bars in Oahu. Lively happy hour and weekend DJs. Fresh and homemade ingredients. Known for their updated mai tai. Shareable bites too.

A newer musubi shop that already has a loyal following. About 20 different musubi in unique flavors. Also known for their frozen creme brulee. Family owned, hole in the wall.

Legit brunch, served all day. Celebrity Chef Lee Anne puts a twist on traditional breakfast fare. A mix of Hawaiian, Japanese, American, and Portuguese. Great cocktails too.

Famous for their Coco Puffs. (No, not the cereal.) An old school diner and bakery with a loyal following.

Might be the best musubi on the island. 50 different variations of musubi and rice balls. All made by hand to order. Multiple locations throughout Waikiki.

Sister restaurant to the oh so popular The Pig & The Lady. International flavors, creative menus, and a kickass brunch. Great cocktails too.

One of the most sought after omakase restaurants in the world. Chef Neji Nakzawa has a cult following. Reservations book up 6 months in advance.

The sister restaurant to Kono’s Northshore. Same famous 12-hour slow-roasted kalua pork, but with handcrafted cocktails and a more elevated menu.

Aussie cafe serving up handcrafted coffee drinks and avocado toast that’s insanely pretty to look at (and taste as good as they look).

A roadside shrimp shack that gets all their fresh shrimp from their own aquaculture ponds right out back. There’s also a food truck just 2 min away.

Where locals go for the best Hawaiian comfort food. No frills diner vibe, with a simple menu. James Beard award winner. One of the oldest Hawaiian restaurants.

Their signature Kalua pork cooks for 12 hours. Get it in breakfast burritos, sliders, and plates. Hardcore fans have even gotten the pig logo tattooed on themselves.

Maguro Brothers

Fresh seafood from the morning fish auction next door, without a big price tag. Some of the best poke around. Added a food truck during the pandemic.

Iconic hole-in-the-wall, serving up Hawaiian fare, hot dogs and burgers since 1961. Some of the best plate lunches in Oahu.

Comfort food that combines Vietnamese recipes (passed down from the owner’s mom) with Hawaiian ingredients. An ever changing menu and equally impressive cocktails.

Hong Kong location is the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. All day dim sum. Quick service. Right in the heart of Waikiki.

Banana soft serve blended with flavors like lilikoi or acai. Instagrammable papaya boats. Ingredients are locally grown and all waste goes to nearby farms to feed animals.

There’s a cult following for the shrimp scampi served out of this heavily graffitied food truck. Extremely messy and equally delicious.

Instagrammable taro donuts with a cult following. Fried to order. Everything is made in house. New flavors every week. Coffee drinks made with housemade nut milk.

An Oahu institution — Hawaii’s original malasada bakery. Fresh and always made to order and come in different flavors. A few Malasadamobiles (food trucks) too.

Hawaiian comfort food, reimagined by an Oahu born chef. Shareable plates and Sunday brunch that are seasonal, local, and organic. Fantastic cocktails too.

Hidden inside an industrial warehouse is the sweetest little family run mochi shop. They’ve been making Hawaiian style mochi, manju and chichi dango since the 1920s.

One of the most anticipated restaurant openings in Honolulu. Regional American / Hawaiian small plates meant to be shared. Books up far in advance. James Beard Semifinalists.

Cute yellow shack right across the street from Sunset Beach (and 2 other spots). Healthy and tasty Smoothie Bowls and Bullet Coffee. Picture perfect in every way.

Coffee shop by day, lively bar by night. (No coffee shop during Covid.) Themed rooms and unique decor make for different vibes throughout. Karaoke and bands at night.