Island Olive Oil Company, Honolulu's only specialty olive oil shop

Step into Island Olive Oil Company and taste how lively fresh olive oil can be: grassy and peppery, with a bite that indicates polyphenols, or the antioxidants that make olive oil healthful. (On the Mediterranean diet? Then this shop is a must stop.) Island Olive Oil Co., the first (and only) specialty olive oil shop in Honolulu, offers a variety of olive oils for tasting, all labeled with their country of origin and crush date (the fresher, the better). Currently in stock are Chilean and California extra virgin olive oils; coming soon are oils from Greece, Portugal, Sicily, Spain and Tunisia. They’re all stored in stainless steel canisters to block out light and preserve freshness, then decanted into bottles when you’re ready to buy. (A 200 ml bottle goes for $12.95.)

In addition to some of the island’s freshest olive oil, this boutique offers pure balsamic vinegar and some fun infused ones, like a Cara Cara orange vanilla white balsamic vinegar that tastes like an orange creamsicle and a pomegranate aged balsamic.

If you’re looking to instantly glam-up your cooking, you’ll probably want to the try the black truffle oil. While most truffle oils are totally synthetic, Island Olive Oil Company offers one that’s actually steeped with truffles. It’s strong, heady stuff—a little goes a long way.

The question I get the most when I tell people about Island Olive Oil Company: are there any local olive oils? No—while a few farmers here are experimenting with growing olives and pressing olive oil, there’s nothing yet on a commercial scale.

Island Olive Oil Company, in Ward Centers, near Goma Tei, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd., Ste 103, 388-8912