Uchinan-chew! The 4 Best Places (Plus 5 More Spots) to Buy Andagi in Honolulu, According to the Experts

Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

We asked Okinawan food enthusiast (and head of the festival’s Feastival team) Shari Tamashiro for her top places to pick up the māsaibin (delicious) deep-fried doughnut with the crispy exterior year-round. One rule: Always try to get it fresh.

1. Aloha Andagi

The pop-up offers regular and special flavors every month, including pumpkin spice, Okinawan sweet potato and strawberry. Tamashiro notes you can see bits of strawberries and other ingredients. “Because they’re consistently cooking in batches, you can get it piping hot out of the oil.” But if you can wait, you’ll even receive tips for freezing and reheating the treat.

Monthly, Marukai Wholesale Mart, 2310 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City, @alohaandagi_llc

SEE ALSO: Field Notes: The People Who Make the Piping Hot Andagi at Hawai‘i’s Bon Dances

2. Teruya’s Andagi

“It’s a great example of Hawai‘i-style andagi: crispy, the inside has a little bit of denseness and it’s not oily.” Tamashiro says when you visit, ask when the next set is coming out. It’s worth the wait.

1104 Pensacola St., (808) 389-1714, teruyasandagi.com, @teruyas_andagi

3. Da Andagi Guy

These smaller doughnuts offer a closer crust-to-inside ratio, so they’re a prize for fans who favor the crispy outside. Turnover is also so fast it’s almost guaranteed a new andagi is coming your way soon, to be eaten plain or tossed in cinnamon and sugar.

Find the next pop-up: @daandagiguy

4. Utage Restaurant+ Lounge

“Their andagi taste more like the sata andagi that I had in Okinawa,” which is a little more dense and less sweet than the local version. The restaurant fries them up Thursdays, alternating between regular andagi and Okinawan sweet potato.

City Square, 1286 Kalani St., #B102, (808) 843-8109, utagehawaii.com, @utagehawaii

SEE ALSO: How 5 Popular Ethnic Festivals in Honolulu Adapt While Keeping Traditions Alive

Video: Aaron K. Yoshino

Other places to get individual andagi:

Kukui Sausage does andagi with sausage at farmers markets, @kukuisausage

Ige’s Lunchwagon & Catering, igeslwcatering.com, @igesaiea

Masa’s Cafeteria, masascafeteria.com, @masas_cafeteria

Masa & Joyce, masa-n-joyce.business.site, @masaandjoyce

Sekiya’s, sekiyasrestaurant.com, @sekiyasrestaurant