Honolulu · Hawaiian
Helena’s Hawaiian Food
A long-running family restaurant for traditional Hawaiian food.
4.4/5 · 4551 Google reviews
App review snapshot · 2026-10-01. Ratings can change.
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
THE CULINARY GUIDE · 21 STOPS
Hawaiian & local across Hawaiʻi
Find hawaiian & local by island, with restaurant guides, reported ratings and menu links.
Editorial recommendations first, followed by more places to explore. Our editorial order favors places we would recommend for the food, value and experience. This is a researched recommendation, not a claim of personal dining experience. Recent-review coverage varies. Stars and counts are reference information, not an automatic ranking formula. Review notes appear on individual listings. Saved recommendations may still need current menu and hours confirmation. Menus, service hours, and seasonal flavors change. Listings may group branches of the same business; check your location before going.
Oʻahu 11 stops
Kakaʻako · Hawaiian
Highway Inn — Kakaʻako
Handmade lau lau and traditional Hawaiian dishes, with local favorites on the menu.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 680 Ala Moana Blvd #105, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
$$: Wanderlog snapshot
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
Kaimukī
Oʻahu Grill
Family-run Hawaiian restaurant focused on traditional local comfort dishes.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 1137 11th Ave Ste 104, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
$20-$30: Restaurant Guru snapshot
$$ · Price level (app snapshot)
Before you go
Confirm current hours, access, prices and availability with the venue before visiting.
1137 11th Ave Ste 104, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Honolulu Harbor · Seafood
Nico’s Pier 38
Harbor-side seafood restaurant beside the Honolulu Fish Auction, serving fresh fish, local breakfast plates, lunch and dinner. A separate fish-market counter offers poke.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-03. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 1129 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI
$20-$30: Restaurant Guru snapshot
Casual dining
Before you go
Breakfast Monday–Saturday 6:30–10 AM; lunch daily 10 AM–4 PM; happy hour 4–5 PM; dinner 5–9 PM. Fish-market service has separate hours.
1129 North Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, HI 96817
Kapahulu · Plate lunch
Rainbow Drive-In
A long-running stop for generous local plate lunches, rice, and macaroni salad.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 3308 Kanaina Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
$10-$20: Restaurant Guru snapshot
Casual dining
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
Kahuku · Chicken
Mike’s Huli Chicken
Huli chicken and plate lunches near the old Kahuku Sugar Mill.
Casual dining
Before you go
Choose this branch when checking the linked menu, directions and current service hours.
56-565 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, HI 96731
Honolulu
Kahai Street Kitchen
Kahai Street Kitchen is included in the Travel Hawaiʻi food and drink guide.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 946 Coolidge St, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
$10-$20: Restaurant Guru snapshot
Before you go
Confirm current hours, access, prices and availability with the venue before visiting.
946 Coolidge St, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Kapahulu / Kaimukī
Fresh Catch Kapahulu
Local-style poke, seafood and plate lunches from Chef Reno, a strong stop for a Kapahulu/Kaimukī food run.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 1113 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
$20-$30: Restaurant Guru snapshot
$$ · Price level (app snapshot)
Casual dining
Before you go
Confirm current hours, access, prices and availability with the venue before visiting.
1113 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Kaimukī
Asahi Grill Kaimuki
Casual local-style Kaimukī restaurant known especially for oxtail soup and Japanese-Hawaiʻi comfort food.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 3008 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96826, USA
$$ · Price level (app snapshot)
Casual dining
Before you go
Confirm current hours, access, prices and availability with the venue before visiting.
3008 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96826, USA
Kaimukī
North Shore Grinds
Kaimukī plate-lunch counter serving Hawaiian-style local comfort food, seafood and made-to-order plates.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 1429 10th Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
$10-$20: Restaurant Guru snapshot
$$ · Price level (app snapshot)
Before you go
Confirm current hours, access, prices and availability with the venue before visiting.
1429 10th Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Waialua
Waialua Fresh Eggs
Local egg farm and shop on Kaukonahua Road. Check shop hours and stock directly; this listing is not a farm tour.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 67-071 Nauahi St, Waialua, HI 96791, USA
Before you go
Confirm current hours, access, prices and availability with the venue before visiting.
65-1001 Kaukonahua Road, Waialua, HI 96791
Maui 2 stops
Kahului · Casual
Tin Roof
Sheldon and Janice Simeon’s compact local-food stop in Kahului.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 360 Papa Pl Ste 116, Kahului, Hawaii, USA
$10-$20: Restaurant Guru snapshot
Casual dining
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
360 Papa Pl Ste 116, Kahului, Hawaii, USA
Kīhei · Breakfast & brunch
Kīhei Caffe — Original
Casual breakfast diner opposite Kalama Beach Park, serving local-style breakfasts and classic morning dishes.
Casual dining
Before you go
Original Kīhei location lists daily 6 AM–2 PM. The Maui Coast and Lahaina branches have separate menus and service hours.
1945 South Kihei Road, Kihei, HI 96753
Kauaʻi 1 stop
Poʻipū · Seafood
Tidepools
Reservation-oriented resort dining at Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi, with Hawaiian-inspired seafood dishes in lagoon-side bungalows.
Fine dining
Before you go
Check the resort dining page for current dinner menu, reservations and service hours.
1571 Poipu Road, Koloa, HI 96756
Hawaiʻi Island 3 stops
Pāhoa
Kaleo’s Bar & Grill — Pāhoa
Hawaiian-inspired local dining with fish, steaks, burgers and pasta in Pāhoa town.
Before you go
The Pāhoa page lists Thursday–Sunday, 4–8 PM. Orchidland is a different branch with a different schedule.
15-2969 Pahoa Village Rd, Pahoa, HI 96778
Hilo · Breakfast & diner food
Ken’s House of Pancakes
Pancakes, local comfort food, saimin, and loco moco in Hilo.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 1730 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
Hilo · Local comfort food
Café 100
A classic Hilo stop associated with loco moco.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 969 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
Molokaʻi 2 stops
East Molokaʻi
Manaʻe Goods & Grindz
Casual east-end stop for plate lunches, breakfast and takeout near mile marker 16.
2026 HAWAIʻI Magazine readers’ choice: among Molokaʻi’s top five cheap eats.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-03. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 8615 Kamehameha V Hwy, Kaunakakai, HI 96748
Casual dining
Menu and hours need confirmation
Before you go
Current hours and prices need direct confirmation. The business Facebook page could not be read; the linked independent listing supports the location and food description.
8615 Kamehameha V Hwy, Kaunakakai, HI 96748
Kaunakakai · Burgers & local plates
Molokai Burger
Burgers, fried chicken, fries, shakes, and local plates, with a drive-through option.
Official menu: Molokai Burger $8.65, cheeseburger $9.15 and double cheeseburger $13.50; fries $4. Breakfast examples $9.75–13.75. Tax and drinks are additional. Menu source · checked 2026-10-03
Rating & price sources
Reported by Restaurant Guru · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 20 Kamehameha V Hwy, Kaunakakai, Hawaii, USA
$10-$20: Restaurant Guru snapshot
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
Lānaʻi 2 stops
Lānaʻi City · Local food
Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine
A casual local-food option to work into a day in town.
Rating & price sources
Reported by Wanderlog · observed 2026-10-02. Ratings can change.
Rating location: 408 8th St, Lanai City, HI 96763, USA
Casual dining
Before you go
Confirm the current menu and hours directly.
408 8th St, Lanai City, HI 96763, USA
Lānaʻi City
Nō Ka ʻOi Grindz Lānaʻi
Local dining stop included in the official tourism guide to Lānaʻi City.
2026 HAWAIʻI Magazine readers’ choice: second for Best Lānaʻi Restaurant.
Menu and hours need confirmation
Before you go
Tourism listing confirmed; current menu, hours and prices need confirmation directly with the business.