We share a roundup of the best places to eat in Waikiki and why we love them so much!
Hello friends! Happy Monday! I hope you are having a wonderful morning and that you enjoyed the weekend. It was a good weekend. Liv and I worked together on a volunteer project, I met a friend for lunch, and today I did yoga.
This is the first week where I feel like we’re finally getting back to normal after our glorious trip to Hawaii and school starting up again. This week, the kids have a full week of school, I’ve meal prepped and grocery shopped, and my schedule is packed with podcast interviews and coaching calls.
In today’s post, I wanted to share a recap of our favorite spots in Waikiki and why we love them so much. We also visited Waikiki a couple of years ago, so we were excited to go back to some of our favorite spots and explore some new places as well. Next week I’ll post a recap of our time at Aulani as well!
The best restaurants in Waikiki
The best poke bowl: Poke Fix
We ate a ton of sushi and poke bowls while we were there, but our favorite is Poke Fix. The menu changes based on what’s caught fresh each day, and the seasoned selections are marinated to perfection. They really treat poke like a work of art; this is by far the best poke bowl of my life.
The best açai bowl: ALO Café
Everything is made in-house, including the peanut butter. I love these açai bowls because the base isn’t too sweet, they have gluten-free granola, and the ratio of açai to toppings is ideal. They also have wonderful smoothies!
Best Place for a Date Night or a Fancy Dinner: A House Without a Key
This is probably one of my top 10 favorite restaurants, including all the places we have traveled to. Everything is fresh, vibrant, and the scenery is unbeatable. You are outdoors, facing the ocean and an exquisite, sprawling tree that provides some shade for the live music and hula dancers.
Family Dinner Spots: Tommy Bahama or Duke’s
We ate at both restaurants every time we were in Waikiki. I like that Tommy Bahama offers another menu where everything is made in-house, including the sauces and marinades. They also source from local farms whenever possible. Their mai tais are my favorite on the island!
Duke’s has an authentic salad bar that you can add to your meal for $9 (at time of publication). They also have plenty of fresh, local options, like poke tacos (the girls’ favorite), ginger-scallion fish (my favorite), steak, and more casual fare like burgers and pulled pork sandwiches.
Our favorite place for a quick bite to eat and breakfast: Duke’s Market
From what we could see, there aren’t a lot of places that *traditionally* serve breakfast (with things like eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc.), but instead, we went to Duke’s Market every morning, where the girls would eat malasadas (the best donuts!), masubi or fried rice and egg bowls, we’d share a bowl of fruit, and I’d drink a decaf latte with almond milk. This was also a great place to stock up on beach snacks, like fresh fruit bowls, sushi, drinks, sandwiches, smoothies, etc. They have pretty much everything at Duke’s Market.
For healthy and casual food: Nalu
Last time we had Nalu twice because it was so good and my body was grateful to have a vegetable to go with all the sushi and mai tais I had. I had rainbow salad with chicken twice and the girls loved their sandwiches and açai bowls too. They have a huge menu of salads, açai bowls, smoothies, wraps and sandwiches and I definitely want to go back and try more! (Plus, all the desserts are gluten free!)
The best udon noodles: Marukame Udon
This place is always packed (the wraps are on the street from open to close!), but our best tip is to order online and then pick them up at the pickup window to the right of the entrance. The girls LOVE this udon place.
Amazing surprise: gluten-free mochi butter cake on the beach
A woman approached us on the beach with a large tray of packaged cakes. When she told me that the first option was gluten-free and smelled DELICIOUS, I happily paid the $10 to eat mochi cake from a stranger, lol. (She told me she makes it fresh every day and I could see the families around us enjoying it too, so I tried it.)
My family and I shared it and ended up buying it from them two more times. I can attest that this mochi butter cake is LEGAL. They also sell Filipino food during the day, including chicken and shredded beef with noodles.
And now, after finishing this post, my stomach is officially growling 😉
What is your favorite food destination? What are your favorite restaurants to visit when traveling or any hidden gems you can share?
As much as we love Italy, I have to say that Greece is my favorite place right now.
Kisses and hugs
Gina
