Top 20 Iconic Dishes in Honolulu, HI

🥣 Poke

Diced raw fish, typically tuna, marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions.

🍳 Loco Moco

A comfort dish consisting of white rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy.

🍃 Lau Lau

Pork and salted butterfish wrapped in taro leaves and steamed until tender.

🐖 Kalua Pork

Smoky, shredded pork traditionally slow-cooked in an underground oven called an imu.

🍜 Saimin

A local noodle soup influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino flavors, served in a dashi broth.

🍙 Spam Musubi

A slice of grilled Spam on a block of rice, wrapped with a strip of nori seaweed.

🍩 Malasadas

Portuguese-style deep-fried dough balls coated in sugar and often filled with tropical creams.

🍧 Shave Ice

Finely shaved ice saturated with fruit syrups and often served over ice cream or azuki beans.

🦐 Garlic Shrimp

Fresh shrimp sautéed with heavy amounts of minced garlic, butter, and lemon.

🍗 Huli Huli Chicken

Grilled chicken glazed in a sweet and savory sauce made of pineapple juice, soy sauce, and ginger.

🥩 Pipikaula

Hawaiian-style dried beef that is typically salted and seasoned before being broiled or fried.

🥣 Poi

A starchy staple made by mashing cooked taro corm into a smooth, thick paste.

🥥 Haupia

A creamy, gelatinous Hawaiian dessert made from coconut milk and cornstarch.

🥟 Manapua

A large steamed or baked bun filled with sweet and savory char siu pork.

🦑 Squid Luau

A traditional dish made by simmering squid with taro leaves and coconut milk.

🥗 Lomi Lomi Salmon

A cold side dish featuring diced salted salmon, tomatoes, and sweet onions.

🍰 Butter Mochi

A chewy, dense cake made from glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and butter.

🍗 Mochi Chicken

Bite-sized chicken pieces coated in a sweet rice flour batter and deep-fried.

🍖 Kalbi

Korean-style short ribs marinated in soy sauce and sugar, then grilled over an open flame.

🥗 Macaroni Salad

A creamy, tangy mayonnaise-based salad that is an essential component of the plate lunch.