Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Eats!! Are you planning a trip to Hawaii soon? Wondering what to eat in Oahu? Some of the best experiences you have when you travel involve the local food that you eat! Here’s a collection of our memorable meals and snacks from our trip to Oahu, Hawaii. Here’s a full video of our travel vlog to Oahu, Hawaii right here: https://youtu.be/NCH7euS16WgWe stayed at Ala Moana Hotel, which is very close to Ala Moana Shopping Center, which is why there are so many items from there! There are some must try spots, and some places require incredibly long waits for food, such as Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, but is it really worth it to spend over an hour of precious vacation time waiting in a line for your food? We chose not to, but we ended up waiting forever for our food at Hono’s Truck even though the line was 90% shorter. Here’s where we ate:Mama Pho – Vietnamese Food at Ala Moana Shopping Center – Regular Vietnamese food, nothing too fancy.Joe’s Grill Express – Macadamia Nut Pancakes with Haupia (Coconut Cream) Syrup – lovely flavor of Hawaii. This is a small little breakfast spot nearby the Airport. It’s very low key with friendly service. It’s frequented by many locals, so you know it’s good!Hono’s Truck – They serve shrimp, just like Giovanni’s, and Korean Beef Ribs / Kalbi. That day, there only 7 people ahead of me to order, but it still took 90 minutes to get our food, and they had run out of Kalbi, which was so sad because it smelled AMAZING. I ended up getting Kalbi elsewhere at a spot near Diamond Head.McDonald’s – I don’t know about you guys, but I really enjoy seeing what McDonald’s is like in other places, because they have some regional menu items that you can’t find anywhere else! If you’ve been to other countries, you know that sometimes, the apple pie at McDonald’s is fried where as on the mainland US, it’s usually baked. I think the fried version is extra delicious!McDonald’s breakfast – in Hawaii, they have a traditional Hawaiian breakfast offered at McDonald’s which includes the beloved SPAM. It was SPAM with freshly cooked eggs and steamed rice! It also came with soy sauce in case you needed to take in more sodium. Honestly, there’s plenty of sodium in the SPAM, and your body doesn’t need anymore sodium. Island Snow – I got a rainbow shave ice from Island Snow near Kailua Beach. It was very pretty and came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream underneath for added creaminess.Matsumoto’s Shave Ice – This was at the North Shore. Their ice is much finer. Matsumoto’s is famous and often visited by the locals. If their line is too long, check out Aoki’s across the road. Matusomoto’s also has a great gift shop area where you can pick up cute shave ice magnets, T-Shirts, etc.Honolulu Pineapple Company – Pineapple Sorbet in Pineapple Cup with Pineapple chunks – This sorbet is very smooth and tastes like pineapple! It’s comparable to the Dole Whip you get at the Dole Pineapple Factory (which I didn’t go to this time around).Moke’s Bread & Breakfast – this is a really popular breakfast spot! Try the lilikoi syrup on the pancakes!Genki Sushi – located at Ala Moana Mall – this is conveyor belt sushi! We first discovered Genki Sushi in Japan, of course. I will say the ones in Japan are much nicer with more variety, but this location definitely catered to more American tastes (i.e. less raw fish). It’s definitely a fun experience!Leonard’s Malasadas – Kaneohe, Oahu – We saw their truck on the way back to the hotel, so we stopped over to have some malasadas. We ordered their original as well as their Hawaiian flavors, such as their coconut cream. They also have a drive in location, but we did not go out there. It is an experience that is recommend to tourists.Tanaka of Tokyo – Hibachi restaurant in Ala Moana Shopping Center – This was a nice restaurant – it was very busy when we went. It was a fun experience. Our chef was not the most experienced, but he was really friendly, and it was a great chance to interact with the locals who we eating at our table. They offered us great tips for our trip!Foodland Supermarket – Ala Moana Shopping Center – they have a huge selection of bento boxes and so many types of Poke! I highly recommend picking up your meals from foodland if you’re vacationing in Hawaii on a budget! They have a huge variety of foods that are all packaged very nicely.Fruit gummies – I first saw these at the gift shop at Matsumoto’s, but then I found them for much cheaper at other locations, such as Long’s and Don Quixote! these gummies are so soft and delicious! If you see them, grab a bag. We also got a mixed fruit bag. Freeze Dried Skittles – Basically, very crunchy, puffy skittles! the texture is interesting. The bag you see has Lihua powder, which gives it a sweet, sour, salty experience.If you have any questions, please leave it in the comments!