Best of HONOLULU 2026: Food and Drinks on O‘ahu
Brownies, bagels, burgers, banchan and more reader-voted winners and editor picks make up this year’s best food and drinks.
FOOD & DRINK | SHOPPING | HEALTH & WELLNESS
ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE | SERVICES | BEAUTY & SELF CARE | FAMILY
Editor pick
Sourdough Bread
I’ve been on a quest to find great sourdough bread. While there are versions I like, none made me swoon until I tried Cream & Sugar Hawai‘i’s sourdough boule ($6), which comes plain or with cranberries and walnuts. I stumbled onto it at an event, and after I tasted the perfectly crispy crust and airy, moist, chewy and tangy interior, I knew I had found my sourdough.
Baker Aaliyah Joao uses just five ingredients—flour, water, sourdough starter, salt and olive oil—simplicity that belies what’s special about this bread. Joao, whose mother, Antoinette, had previously run the bakery as a wholesale operation, spent months perfecting her recipe. And the company now sells directly to consumers at events and at a kiosk at Victoria Ward Park in Kaka‘ako.
When asked her secret, Joao says it’s her sourdough starter, which she playfully named “Monkey D. Loafy,” after the main character from the manga series One Piece. “You treat it like your baby,” she says. “You have to love your starter.” —DS
1020 Auahi St., creamandsugarhawaii.com, @creamandsugarhi
Reader pick
Vegan
For all things vegan, readers know to make a beeline for one of Down to Earth Organic & Natural’s five O‘ahu locations. The Wailuku-born business, which started out in 1974 as Community Coop, is a one-stop shop for all-vegetarian groceries, prepared foods, baked goods and wellness products. Most of the store’s food items are 100% plant-based. In fact, it doesn’t sell any products derived from meat, fish, poultry or eggs. It also opts for goods that are minimally processed, non-GMO and free of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and added chemicals.
Locavores love that the produce section sources from 100-plus local farms; naturalists appreciate the wide array of organic options available across multiple categories, including the bulk foods (nuts, grains, pastas, herbs), frozen foods (loaded with an extensive array of vegetarian meats) and dry foods. As a non-vegan, the biggest draws for me are the fantastic deli eats, made from scratch and so hearty and full of flavor you don’t miss the dairy or meat. Its take on a smash burger, made with a juicy Beyond Meat patty, is excellent. And on hot summer days, I often find myself craving a refreshing açaí or pitaya bowl, loaded with fruit, granola and superfoods, such as chia seeds, bee pollen or spirulina. —BT
Multiple locations, downtoearth.org, @downtoearthhi
Reader pick
Katsu
Recently relocated to a larger space downstairs from its previous Kapahulu location, Tonkatsu Tamafuji remains the people’s choice when it comes to katsu. Preparing the signature dish is meticulous work and includes the use of copper pots and high-quality oil for frying. Here, the pork is cold-aged for 18 days, the panko is made from La Tour bread, and the rice is from The Rice Factory. The result: aged pork loin, shrimp, chicken and oyster katsu that’s fried perfectly and at the right temperature so it’s crispy but not greasy.
For accompaniments, diners grind sesame seeds themselves and choose between a sweeter or bolder katsu sauce, along with three types of rice—white, seasoned or shiso.
Those who have been to Tonkatsu Tamafuji restaurants in Japan say the quality here doesn’t waver from what you’ll find there. And now that there’s a lot more seating, including a chef’s counter where you can watch the action in the kitchen, Honolulu diners won’t have to wait months for a reservation. —DS
449 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 922-1212, tamafuji-us.com, @tamafuji.honolulu
Reader pick
Gourmet Food Shop, Local Grocery Store, Poke
It’s hard to overstate the wondrousness of finding the best gourmet food shop, best poke and best local grocery store under one roof. Here you can grab Norwegian rye crackers for your salmon chazuke dip, pistachio-studded salami to go with your local IPA, and tins of smoked geoduck to follow your secret spicy ‘ahi or kim chee tako poke. Then finish it all off with ethically sourced Amazonian chocolate. Readers gave top poke and local grocery nods to Foodland, while best gourmet stop went to Foodland Farms, making the convenience—and lordy, the pau hana possibilities—tough to beat. —MT
Multiple locations, foodland.com, @foodlandhi
Editor pick
New Nontraditional Omakase Sushi
Graffiti posters decorate one wall, kabuki masks another. At Chinatown’s Hiro no Uchi—where “I like it raw” is spelled out in neon—the message is unmistakable: This is not your traditional sushi counter. Atsuhiro Kajita’s omakase combines training at Nobu, Morimoto and other sushi icons with imagination and the unexpected. The opening is simple: a palette of seasonal sashimi on ice (including, if you’re lucky, the crunchy tentacle cups of a giant octopus), then the progression crescendos with ever richer flavors and ricocheting garnishes. Toward the end, a Hokkaido scallop nigiri gets a quintuplet of toppings like black truffles and shaved bottarga spritzed with yuzu juice. It’s a different take on sushi, for sure, and a riveting one. —MT
25 N. King St., hironouchi.com, @hirokase_official
Reader pick
Local Spirit
Kō Hana Rum grows, hand-harvests, presses, distills and ferments the world’s only rums made from ancient heirloom Polynesian sugarcane—but that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It put its heritage Hawaiian spirit on the map with awards from around the world. It raised money for neighboring farms destroyed when an arsonist burned 15 acres of its own heirloom varietals, and then harvested those burned stalks to make a smoky new rum. And it rallied support after this year’s Kona low storms ravaged its North Shore neighbors. With all that, it’s no wonder readers chose Kunia’s resilient, heartful Kō Hana Rum as Best Local Spirit. It’s a recognition that resonates in every sense. —MT
92-1770 Kunia Road, (808) 649-0830, kohanarum.com, @kohanarum
Reader pick
Matcha Drink
No doubt, matcha remains on trend, offering a sweet and earthy burst of energy in a variety of icy and hot drinks. Lots of places around the island now have matcha on the menu, but much of the matcha-loving set congregates at Daily Whisk Matcha. Favorites at the hip Kaimukī spot include matcha liliko‘i sodas and creamy strawberry matcha, served either iced or hot. An added perk: The drinks can be blended with an assortment of nut milks (even macadamia) and such locally sourced sweeteners as Maui lavender or Lā‘ie vanilla. Other creative pairings are the Dirty Matcha Latte with a shot of espresso and the Hapa Matcha Latte with hojicha and a drizzle of Hawai‘i Island honey. —DS
1114 11th Ave., (808) 490-3436, dailywhiskmatcha.com, @dailywhiskmatcha
Editor pick
Enduring Poke
In 2018, its 69th year in Kalihi, Alicia’s Market burned. With its kitchen and warehouse destroyed and its back to the wall, the family business revived gradually—first as a glimmer of its former self inside a nearby door-front, not a storefront, then with a bigger counter inside its original door-front. Now, it’s back in its old space and footprint. But as favorite foods return—18 kinds of poke, roast pork, turkey tails, Hawaiian plates and pasteles, specials like teri meatballs, and roast duck on Saturdays—Alicia’s finds itself in a changed world. New poke shops have proliferated, even as locals’ habits have changed.
“I’m not trying to reopen as the grocery store we were before, simply because this area doesn’t need it. Now, people go to Foodland, they go to Costco,” third-generation co-owner Chris Kam says. “Now, we’re a lunch spot. There’s no pau hana crowd any more, at least for the food and construction industries around here, so we close at 2.” We’re just glad Alicia’s is back. —MT
267 Mokauea St., (808) 841-1921, aliciasmarket.com, @aliciasmarket
Editor pick
Pop-Up Gourmet Meals
Chef Colin Hazama started popping up with takeout gourmet meals during the pandemic—and never stopped. The former executive chef at The Royal Hawaiian still prepares carefully crafted dishes, but instead of serving them on white tablecloths, he emails followers his weekly C4 Table menu of meals that can be ordered for takeout or eaten at the pickup spot, Fishcake, on Wednesdays. (Diners can also walk up, but meals are subject to availability.)
Recent offerings of what Hazama refers to as “upscale comfort food” include butterfish misozuke, lavender kiawe smoked prime rib, lemon verbena basil-scented hamachi, tea-smoked duck bao and “Chef Colin’s Sukiyaki,” with prime Angus beef and Kurobuta pork belly. Along with rotating entrée selections that typically run somewhere between $16 and $26, Hazama also always has on hand his specialty gummy bears (POG, strawberry guri guri, jasmine lychee and li hing lemon peel). —DS
Email chefcolinhazama@c4table.com to sign up for weekly menus, @c4_table
Editor pick
Saucy Burger
Burger drips abound at Boarded Up by Chubbies Burgers—not just from the beef, but because of owner and founder Jeff Nedry’s beliefs. “A burger does need to have some classic things—onions, for one, and pickles, those are burger essentials,” he says. “And we definitely like the sauce. We never serve dry burgers unless someone requests it.”
Boarded Up launched with a cult following as Chubbies Burgers truck in Kaka‘ako 10 years ago and graduated to a brick-and-mortar in the original Koko Head Café spot in Kaimukī. It lost its lease last year and was boarded up. When it reemerged up the street with a new name, its website declared, “This isn’t a comeback. It’s a rebellion.”
The sauce on the 1950 burger includes a little ketchup, mayo, seasonings and the juice of house-made pickles. The O.P. burger (for onions and pickles) features a garlic sesame aioli sauce with garlic confit and hoisin. And Nedry’s current go-to is the creamy whole-grain “dijonnaise” on the Carolina Onion burger. If you like, you can get your fries saucy, too. —MT
1108 12th Ave., boardedupburgers.com, @boardedupburgers
Editor pick
Takeout Banchan
For those who can’t get enough of the vegetable and other side dishes at Korean barbecue restaurants, Banchan House offers many of the same appetizers as takeout. Formerly known as Ke‘eaumoku Produce, the shop in its latest location at Like Like Plaza offers everything from house-made radish, cucumber and water kim chee to taegu (seasoned dried fish), namul (seasoned bean sprouts) and more. Along with these traditional sides, Banchan House also sells delicious frozen mandoo, meat and fish jun, japchae, seasoned meats to take home and cook and even hard-to-find mung bean pancakes. —EB
745 Ke‘eaumoku St., #112, (808) 955-9788
Reader pick
Best Bagels
My teeth sink right through the thin outer layer of the classic bagel, encountering the slightest resistance in a crispy snap near the edge. I’m mesmerized by its honey golden sheen and pattern of bubbles on the surface as I take another bite of the Aww Zhuga Zhuga, one of Tali’s Bagels & Schmear’s most popular sandwiches, filled with slow-cooked chicken breast, a cilantro-based hot sauce with Middle Eastern spices, roasted veggies and mozzarella. Almost everything is sold out by noon this Saturday, so I grab a garlic bagel with meshuga schmear to go. This is what bagels should be—airy but hearty and chewy all the same, covered in a spicy cream cheese schmear.
The Ward Centre location closed at the end of June to make way for new development; this month Tali’s plans to open at OurSpace on Waimanu Street, and it continues to operate out of Kailua and two Saturday farmers markets. And plans are in the works for a new permanent space. —KV
Multiple locations, talisbagels.com, @talisbagels
Editor pick
2.0 Shave Ice
If you thought shave ice in Honolulu could go no further than strawberry milk with house-made azuki beans or milky fresh mango bowls, you haven’t been to Asato’s Waikīkī. In Honolulu’s expanding shave ice universe, the pièce de résistance of Asato’s three-course dessert omakase is inspired by Japan’s craft kakigori bars, where fans sign up hours in advance to sit at a counter while a shave ice maestro crafts indelible memories, layer by layer. An early creation at Asato’s layered wisps of On the Rock ice shavings with whipped cream, frozen cubes of chiffon cake and a syrup of Asato Family’s li hing float sherbet, then more ice and more everything, with finishing touches of toffee crunch and li hing strawberry powder. Stay tuned—new concoctions are in development. —MT
Reservation required at asatos.com, Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach, 2424 Kalākaua Ave., Suite 113, asatofamilyshop.com, @asatoswaikiki
Reader pick
Breads
It’s been 10 years since Chris Sy opened Breadshop in Kaimukī, a humble window on the corner of Wai‘alae and Eighth avenues that understates the stacked résumé of its James Beard-nominated founder. From a sourdough loaf-focused boulangerie to a vienoisserie that also sells pastries, flatbreads, crispy crackers and sourdough cookies, Breadshop has continued using the same starter— named Earl, who’s “old enough now to be in college,” Sy says.
About 250 to 300 loaves and pastries are baked daily, and about half of the bread goes to more than a dozen restaurants around town. You can also get some offerings via Farm Link and at its store, Hō‘ili‘ili.
Sourdough, focaccia, baguettes, slab bread and brioche are part of the regular rotation, with variations. “We have a hard time taking things off the menu because everyone has their favorites, but that makes it hard to introduce new items because we are pretty much maxed out as far as time, space, labor and equipment go,” Sy says. The City and Country loaves may be the OGs, but we’ve also seen epi, brown butter oat, pumpernickel, beet sunflower rye, honey walnut rye, caraway rye, rosemary and polenta, cherry and spiced pecan. I recently ordered a special brioche with repositories of sweet, sticky, chewy, nutty clumps of pistachio streusel, not-too-bitter orange marmalade and Jivara chocolate ganache—the perfect complement to my morning coffee. Two weeks later, it was replaced by pineapple brioche. Guess I better try that now, too. —KV
3408 Wai‘alae Ave., Suite 104, breadsbybreadshop.com, @breadshophnl
Reader pick
Burger
Finalist
Best Roving Food Vendor
Would you wait an hour or more for a smash burger? Follow the longest line at the Kaka‘ako Farmers Market and you’ll see hundreds of people willing to queue, under any weather condition, for Joja’s Oklahoma Truffle Smash Burger. For $19, you get two beef patties, smashed and grilled with copious onions and two slices of American cheese, then finished with a generous pour of truffle sauce on a toasted brioche bun. Decadent and potent with truffle flavor, this is the kind of burger you devour and lick your fingers afterward. —AL
Various farmers markets, jojahawaii.com, @joja.hawaii
Reader pick
Sandwich
While the iconic pink butcher paper that wrapped the sandwiches has been discontinued, Storto’s Deli and Sandwich Shoppe still delivers on big subs with big flavor to its Downtown lunch clientele. The sandwich menu features more than 10 different meat combos (with three selections each), dressed up with a choice of bread, condiments, dressings, cheese, veggies and other add-ons. You can also build your own sub. Among the most popular orders: the Waimea (with ham, turkey and salami) and Ali‘i (pepperoni, salami, pastrami).
Portions here are generous. An 8-inch half sub, cut in two, makes for a hearty lunch, while the 16-inch is enormous. The veggies are fresh and crisp, and the signature bread is pillowy with a nice chew. And don’t skip the tangy papaya seed dressing.
Townies might be surprised to learn that Storto’s actually started out in Hale‘iwa, where the OG shop turns 50 next year. —AL
Multiple locations, @stortosdowntown
Reader pick
Pastries
If you’re looking for a morning spot in Waikīkī to lounge at and enjoy coffee and a gourmet pastry or two, Halekūlani Bakery is more than a worthy destination. Located across from the Halekūlani Hotel, this upscale self-serve bakery with indoor and outdoor seating prepares meticulously crafted laminated pastries using fresh island ingredients, like the Kona coffee chocolate kouign amann and the Pabana croissant with liliko‘i, banana and mango. We tried the Pabana croissant and it’s as dreamy as we imagined, with a flaky crust and a filling that oozes local fruits.
Other offerings on a recent Friday morning: apple galettes, liliko‘i meringue tarts, prosciutto Danishes, pineapple sausage pesto bread, chocolate haupia brioches, Hawai‘i Island macadamia nut sticky buns and Japanese citrus coconut croissants. The famous Halekūlani coconut cake is also available at the bakery for takeout. —DS
2233 Helumoa Road, (808) 931-6674, halekulani.com, @halekulanihotel
Editor pick
New Spicy Noodles
If you love spicy foods like I do, you crave heat, and lately, I’ve been getting my fix at Daji Spicy Pavilion in Chinatown. The Guizhou-style restaurant serves a variety of noodles featuring the distinct sour-spicy flavor of the province that pairs well with meat and fresh veggies and leaves a tingle on the lips and tongue. I prefer Daji’s thick, chewy noodles—they pick up the flavors whether in a soup or dry mix. Addictive is how I’d sum it up—I’m getting hungry just writing about it! —AL
100 N. Beretania St., #117, @dajispicy8888
Editor pick
Best Brownies Ever
My heart drops when I hear the customer in front of me at Kīlani Bakery in Wahiawā ask for the rest of the brownies. It’s only 11:45 a.m. “Best brownies in the world,” she says. Thankfully, she just wanted the bagged ones, and plenty of containers remain, harboring thin pieces of chocolatey goodness generously studded with walnuts and blanketed in a layer of powdered sugar. (Brownies without walnuts are available too.)
These highly coveted treats have shown up at potlucks and as thank-you gifts across the island, and the enduring legacy of the small local business that serves them deserves celebration. The Takara family opened Kīlani Bakery 67 years ago. Now, Gavin Takara, grandson of the founders, is the keeper of the brownie recipe, and he’s managed to retain that sweet balance of firm and fudgy, keeping loyal customers satiated. —KV
704 Kīlani Ave., (808) 621-5662, @kilanibakery
READER PICKS
Best Bagels
WINNER: Tali’s Bagels & Schmear
FINALIST: Fin’s Bagels
Best Breads
WINNER: Breadshop
FINALIST: La Tour Bakehouse
Best Burger
WINNER: Joja
FINALIST: Teddy’s Bigger Burgers
Best Dim Sum
WINNER: Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
FINALIST: Happy Days
Best Gourmet Food Shop
WINNER: Foodland Farms
FINALIST: Whole Foods
Best Katsu
FINALIST: Tonkatsu Tamafuji
FINALIST: Nana Ai Katsu
Best Local Beer
WINNER: Aloha Beer Co.
FINALIST: Beer Lab HI
Best Local Coffee Roaster
WINNER: Honolulu Coffee
FINALIST: Island Vintage Coffee
Best Local Grocery Store
WINNER: Foodland
FINALIST: Times Supermarket
Best Local Snack Company
WINNER: Wholesale Unlimited
FINALIST: Lin’s Hawaiian Snacks
Best Local Spirit
WINNER: Kō Hana Rum
FINALIST: Ocean Organic Vodka
Best Loco Moco
WINNER: Moena Café
FINALIST: Liliha Bakery
Best Matcha Drink
WINNER: Daily Whisk Matcha
FINALIST: ‘Ohana Hui Café
Best Mocktails
WINNER: Nikki’s Sandbar
FINALIST: Deck
Best Musubi
WINNER: 7-Eleven Hawai‘i
FINALIST: Musubi Café Iyasume
Best Pancakes
WINNER: Café Kaila
FINALIST: Liliha Bakery
Best Pastries
WINNER: Halekūlani Bakery
FINALIST: Paris Baguette
Best Pizza
WINNER: J. Dolan’s
FINALIST: Kaimukī’s Boston Pizza
Best Poke
WINNER: Foodland
FINALIST: Off the Hook Poke Market
Best Roving Food Vendor
WINNER: Corner Rolls
FINALIST: Joja
Best Sandwich
WINNER: Storto’s Deli and Sandwich Shoppe
FINALIST: Earl Hawai‘i
Best Vegan
WINNER: Down to Earth Organic & Natural
FINALIST: Tane Vegan Izakaya
EDITOR PICKS
Best Brownies Ever
WINNER: Kīlani Bakery
Best Enduring Poke
WINNER: Alicia’s Market
Best New Nontraditional Omakase Sushi
WINNER: Hiro No Uchi
Best New Spicy Noodles
WINNER: Daji Spicy Pavilion
Best Pop-Up Gourmet Meals
WINNER: C4 Table
Best Saucy Burger
WINNER: Boarded Up by Chubbies Burgers
Best Sourdough Bread
WINNER: Cream & Sugar Hawai‘i
Best Takeout Banchan
WINNER: Banchan House
Best 2.0 Shave Ice
WINNER: Asato’s Waikīkī
