The Official Guyde to Honolulu

On the way to paradise for Christmas? Here's how to optimize your trip and give you a reason for a New Year's resolution.

Eat

Let’s start with eating because it is a no-bullshit, core activity of a trip to Honolulu.

• Koko Head Cafe (breakfast, go before 7 on weekends and 8 on weekdays to get right in). I recommend the Breakfast Bruschetta and Cornflake French toast.

• Foodland at Ala Moana Center. I could buy groceries and food there every day, and I literally have. Everyone loves the poke (“poh kay”) but those in-the-know go for the chocolate haupia Ted’s Bakery pies too. Grab a few musubis (to the left of the poke bar) and fresh papayas too. Few people know, but there’s a restaurant in there too.

  

  Poke bar

• Roy’s at Hawaii Kai, Ko Olina, or Waikiki. Roy’s restaurants are the center of the universe for Asian fusion food. Order a chocolate souffle as soon as you sit down. Do not skip the misoyaki butterfish.

  

  Chef Roy with his James Beard Award.

• Sekiya's Restaurant & Delicatessen. Across from Kaimuki High School. Old-school, simple, and inexpensive but as good Japanese/local cuisine as you’ll find in Honolulu. When I was a kid, it was only for very special occasions. Try the kinako mochi and fried hash balls.

  

  Kinako mochi

• Leonard’s Bakery. Purists like only the plain malasadas, but at least try the haupia and chocolate ones. Go during the week or near closing time to avoid long lines.

• Diamondhead Market and Grill. Speaking of bakeries, there is this place just outside Waikiki. The blueberry cream cheese scone will change your life, and you also get full meals from the grill.

• Side Street Inn. This is where chefs go to eat after work. I will reimburse you if you don’t like the pan-fried pork chops.

• Ted’s Bakery. I mentioned Ted’s pies in the Foodland section above, but if you find yourself on the North Shore, go straight to the source of the pies. Don’t let the “bakery” part of its name fool you—there are delicious, full-blown meals to be had there.

• Waiola Shave Ice. No need to go to the North Shore for good shave ice. There are two of these just outside of Waikiki. If you think ice is a commodity, wait until the light and fluffy ice here hits your tongue.

• Zippy’s. They are all over the place. Think upscale, local-food Denny’s. Hard to go wrong at any of them. Zip mein is a good place to start for a late-night snack.

  

  Often our first stop…straight from the airport

• Da Cove Perhaps the best acai bowls in Honolulu. Specifically, get the Hawaiian because it contains a magical form of poi called pa’i’ai.

• Honolulu Kitchen This place is out of town, but if you’re on your way to or from the North Shore, it’s worth the stop for deep-fried manapua. Wrap your mind around that combination of words.

• Rainbow Drive-In. Drive-ins in Hawaii are not burger joints. They specialize in all sorts of local food for local people. Think: good, fast, and cheap plate lunches for the gods.

• Kapiolani College Farmer’s Market. There aren’t many better ways to spend a Saturday morning (7:30 - 11:00) than this farmer’s market. It’s located at the base of Diamond Head. There three other farmer’s markets too.

• Koala Moa. If you can find tastier chicken in Hawaii, please let me know. Come for the chicken, but stay for the kim chee and takuan too.

• Nisshodo Mochiya. After you pig out on chicken and takuan at Koala Moa, stop at this nearby Japanese candy store. Specifically, get the mochi and manju.

• Kualoa Coconut Man. On the way to Kualoa Ranch where you can step into a Jurassic Valley adventure on ATVs, there is a fresh coconut place on the highway (ocean side). Best coconuts I’ve ever eaten. If you blink, you will drive past it. Turn around and go back.

• Hawaiian Style Cooking Class. If you want a unique, enjoyable, and delicious cooking and eating experience. this is the hands-on experience for you. You’ll be making local dishes such as poke, musubis, and coconut shrimp under the direction of dynamo chef, Linda, in lovely Diamondhead. Take your whole group and have a blast!

  

  Great grinds with a group

Shop, Surf, See, and Stay

If you’re wondering if there’s more to Honolulu than eating, you are right. There is also: shopping, surfing, seeing, and staying.

• Shop. I can spend hours in Ala Moana Shopping Center. It has all the major brands (Yeti, Lululemon, Apple, etc), so make at least one trip there to get the cable you forgot. I’d like to point you to a must-shop store called Island Boy Shop. It’s a combination of a gallery and high-end fashion. If you appreciate high-style, high-quality stuff, you’ll like it.

• Surf. The problem with Honolulu is that there are too many places to surf. If you’re a beginner, I’d start with lessons from the Ohana Surf Project in Waikiki. They provide boards, but you can also rent them from Koa Board Sports. To buy a board, I’d go to Surf Garage and ask for Toru. A mellow place (other than the coral) to surf is Publics, down the street from Queen’s. 1-2 ft inside, 3-4 outside (divide by 2 for Hawaiian sizing).

  

  Happy times with the Ohana Surf Project

• See. I’m not much of a “tourist” because I grew up in Honolulu, but these are the places I’d see at least once. Bishop Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art, Byodo Temple, Shangri La, and Polynesian Cultural Center. Also, hike to the top of Diamond Head at least in your lifetime.

• Stay. I’ve stayed in many, many hotels in Hawaii. If you want one on the beach, my recommendation is the Halekulani Hotel. It exudes class, and the poolside restaurant Earl’s has a great Sunday brunch. If you want to back off from the bustle of Waikiki, stay a quarter mile inland at the Ritz-Carlton Residences. But my favorite hotel in Honolulu is the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa. It’s just outside Waikiki and across the street from Ala Moana Center (and Foodland!) Pay a little more and ask for a “residence unit,” which gets you a kitchen and washer/dryer.

  

  Entrance to Renaissance from Kapiolani Blvd.

There you have it: my guyde to Honolulu. I’ll keep modifying this article as I discover new places. And by the way, the New York Times published a piece about what to do with thirty-six hours in Honolulu if you’d like another take on Honolulu. There’s some overlap but many differences too.

Mahalo!

Guy