If you will be visiting Oahu and enjoy trying foods from different cultures or consider yourself a Foodie below are my personal recommendations of what Hawaii delicacies you should at least try while on Oahu. Hawaii is a blend of cultures from around the World and we have some tasty treats you won’t find most other places that you don’t want to miss.
Shave Ice is the Hawaiian version of a snow cone but the ice is shaved much finer and then topped with delicious flavors like lilikoi or guava and maybe some sweetened condensed milk! Shave ice is a refreshing treat on a hot Hawaiian day. Matsumoto’s Shave Ice in Haleiwa on the North Shore is the most famous shave ice spot on the island but you can’t go wrong no matter where you go they are all yummy.
Banana Soft Serve made from just bananas, no dairy! This unique frozen treat tastes like a frozen banana and is so refreshing on a hot day. There are different topping options as well. The Ban’an shop is located down the surfboard lined beach access way next to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center behind the Cheesecake Factory.
Dole Whip is a non dairy soft serve made from pineapple juice and is another refreshing treat on a hot day! Sold at the Dole Plantation as well as a few other locations around the island.
Halo Halo is a Filipino dessert that is popular in Hawaii made with ingredients like shaved ice, evaporated milk, and various sweet mix-ins like sweetened beans, macapuno (coconut sport), nata de coco (coconut gel), and jackfruit. Magnolia ice cream parlors specialize in Halo Halo and have there own signature mix of ingredients.
Malasadas are a hot round donut with fillings like chocolate pudding, haupia (coconut pudding), and cream. Leonards is the king of Malasadas and you will find their food trucks around Oahu selling fresh hot malasadas.
Guieb Cafe Breakfast Fleet featuring a loco moco, crab cake eggs benedict, and ube mascarpone pancakes. The breakfast fleet is one of many items on their brunch menu but it features two of my personal favorite items. They have the best loco moco I have ever had in my 30+ years living in Hawaii and the ube pancakes were absolutely scrumptious! Loco Moco is a popular hearty dish eaten any time of the day from breakfast to dinner with rice, a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy. Ube is a yam known for its sweet flavor and brilliant purple color and is often used to create yummy purple baked goods. The ube pancakes are so light, fluffy and delish! Guieb Cafe has 3 locations on Oahu open for brunch.
Manapua are steamed or baked buns typically filled with char sui (bbq meat), sweet bean paste or coconut custard. Manapua are found at bakery shops, manapua shops, and 7Eleven. When given the choice my personal favorite are the baked char sui.
Pork Hash is a small bite size bit of a pork mixture that is wrapped in a won ton wrapper and steamed. They are a tasty bite size snack or can be a quick meal. My favorite pork hash is sold ready to eat at 7Eleven.
Musubi is a meal you can eat on the go made traditionally made with rice, spam and teriyaki sauce rapped in nori (sea weed). There are other variations with items like egg, tempura shrimp, avocado, bacon, eel, chicken cutlet, red hot dog just to name a few. Musubi can be eaten hot or cold and are sold in convenience stores like 7Eleven to specialty shops who make a large variety of different musubi.
Huli Huli Chicken is rotisserie chicken cooked over kiawe wood which and coated in huli huli sauce, a yummy local marinade. Pick up a whole or half huli huli chicken and have them cut it up into pieces to make it easier to eat. They usually also sell sides so you can make it a meal. My favorite Huli Huli chicken stand is open on weekends in the center of Haleiwa. You may also encounter vendors cooking and selling Huli Huli chicken roadside around the island.
Kalua Pork, Laulau, Lomilomi Salmon and rice is a traditional meal served at a luau and is often called the Hawaiian Plate at food trucks. The pork is roasted in an oven all day until it is tender and just falls apart. The laulau is typically pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves then steamed. The Lomilomi salmon is a fish salad with fresh salmon, onions and tomatoes. Many plate lunch places offer a Hawaiian Plate on Fridays with these items. The Waiahole Poi Company sells Hawaiian plates daily at their restaurants located around Oahu.
There are several tables beachside across from the Shrimp Shack Food Truck.
Garlic Shrimp at the Shrimp Shack in Punalu’u has the tastiest garlic shrimp I have ever eaten. You can taste the freshness of the shrimp and their signature seasoning is incredible! There are many Shrimp Truck options on Oahu and this is by far my favorite. The food quality at the Shrimp Shack is like eating at a five star restaurant rather than a roadside food truck. Their menu also includes steak and chicken options with or without shrimp. They also have muscle or clam options which are steamed in a scrumptious garlic sauce. I enjoyed the guava float which was a scoop of vanilla ice cream in guava juice and was very refreshing. They also have other tropical fruit flavor options. Everything is made fresh to order and it wasn’t a long wait for food. You can eat at the tables next to the truck or cross the street and enjoy your meal on the beach. There are a few tables available on the beach or just sit in the sand or on a towel. Open 10am-5pm daily at 53-360 Kamehameha Hwy Punalu’u.
Poke is a Hawaii favorite using fresh cubed raw fish or other raw and cooked seafood marinated with seasonings like soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed, cucumber and onions. Poke bowls are customizable meals that often include a base like rice or greens, your choice of poke, toppings, and sauces. Poke is available at grocery stores like Foodland as well as specialty shops like Tamura Fish Market and at restaurants that only sell poke.
Sour Sop Shake is made from a unique almost alien spiney fruit that tastes sweet and tangy. They are seasonal fruits and when available places that sell smoothies and bubble teas may offer sour sop smoothies or shakes. If you come across this in your adventures get one!!
Sugar Cane Juice made from fresh sugar cane contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Ancient Polynesians brought sugar cane to the Hawaiian Islands over 1,000 years ago. Sugar cane started to be grown commercially in the islands in 1835 and the last sugar mill closed in 2016. Today it still is grown around the islands but not commercially. Sugar Cane Juice can be found at some juice stands and at farmer’s markets. It is especially refreshing on a hot day replacing electrolytes. Sugar Cane Juice is good to have with a meal as it aids digestion by balancing the stomachs ph. Sugar Cane Juice doesn’t taste grossly sweet like dissolving processed sugar in water.
Pickle Mango is a local favorite. Mango trees fruit once a year and when they do they give a lot of fruit so pickling them is a way to preserve the excess for later. Pickle mango are crunchy and delicious. They are great with meals or for a snack. There are differnt flavors like traditional, li hing, and shoyu. My favorite is shoyu. Most people make their own but you may be lucky to encounter a roadside vender selling pickle mango.
Roadside Fruit Stands are along many of the main roads and are a great way to try delicious island fruits like ice cold coconut, pineapple, papaya, guava, apple bananas, passion fruits, and dragon fruits. They will usually offer to cut up whole fruits for you to make it easier to eat. You can not take fruits back from Hawaii so only get what you can eat while on Oahu.
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