The Best Places To Eat Outside at O‘ahu’s North Shore Right Now

When one door shuts, the outdoors open. Here are some of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu for dining alfresco.

Find more outdoor dining options in the August issue of HONOLULU. Look for it in our online store.

  hawaiian fish sashimi

Photo: Katie Kenny

 

Banzai Sushi Bar

How do you like your seating during a sushi binge session? Low to the ground on a traditional Japanese chabudai table or at a regular table height with chairs? Guests have their pick of tables in the lanāi-only dining room at this tucked-away Hale‘iwa sushi bar. The certified Ocean-Friendly Restaurant can boast famous North Shore surfing community customers as well as a large selection of fresh locally caught fish. You can get either nigiri or sashimi versions of kanpachi ($10/$25), makajiki ($8/$20), tako ($10/$25) and maguro (market price). And throw in an order of the sake dragon roll ($16) while you’re at it. —KK

66-246 Kamehameha Highway, North Shore Marketplace, Suite B, Hale‘iwa, (808) 637-4404, banzaisushibarhawaii.com, @banzaisushibar

 

 

Hale‘iwa Beach House

In the two-story building that once contained Jameson’s by the Sea, Hale‘iwa Beach House offers the same chill ambience, with roll-up garage doors in the dining room that put you only a hundred feet from Waialua Bay. For lunch, the spicy tuna club sandwich is a winner: a slab of seared ‘ahi tuna with Waipoli greens, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and tomato, topped with chile aioli on white Pullman bread. Hale‘iwa Beach House is currently open until 4 p.m., but get there early to avoid the worst of Kamehameha Highway traffic. –JC

62-540 Kamehameha Highway, Hale‘iwa, (808) 637-3435, haleiwabeachhouse.com, @haleiwa_beach_house

 

 

Hale‘iwa Joe’s Seafood Grill

Whether you’re scoping out the boats moored in Hale‘iwa Harbor or the lily pads floating in the pond at Ha‘ikū Gardens in Kāne‘ohe, both Hale‘iwa Joe’s Seafood Grill locations feature great outdoor views to pair with your lunch, dinner or pūpū. Although there are slight menu differences between the two locations, you can’t go wrong ordering a freshly caught fish baked with Thai spices; grilled with macadamia nut pesto and lobster cream sauce; or steamed with shoyu, bok choy and shimeji mushrooms. But we’d also be remiss not to mention the gargantuan 2-pound bone-in rib roast. We’d say your eyes would be bigger than your stomach, but your eyes may not even be that big. –JC

Hale‘iwa Joe’s in Hale‘iwa, 66-011 Kamehameha Highway, (808) 637-8005; Hale‘iwa Joe’s in Kāne‘ohe, 46-336 Ha‘ikū Road, (808) 247-6671; @haleiwajoes

 

Read more stories by James Charisma and Katie Kenny