We Asked Frolic Foodies for Their Fave Fried Rice and Got 35 Different Answers

Where’s your favorite fried rice? Our plan was to put up a reader poll asking this very question, but with so many choices across the island, we asked our Frolic Foodies Facebook group first. Good to narrow down the choices, we thought. What actually happened: We got too many choices!

The responses were eye-opening and from nearly every corner of O‘ahu. Of course Side Street Inn, renowned for its humongous classic, was up there. More surprising were places we didn’t even know served fried rice. Within hours, our query Tuesday afternoon had so many responses that we knew a reader poll was out of the question. So here instead are nearly three dozen recommendations, including the exact fried rice variety, if it was mentioned—your fellow readers’ picks for the best fried rice on O‘ahu.

Note: Even more responses appeared on the Frolic Foodies thread overnight before this post was published, so we’ve added them in below.

Alicia’s Market

Kalihi

Asahi Grill

Location not specified; they have different owners.

Big City Diner. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Big City Diner

Multiple locations

Bogart’s Café

Diamond Head—adobo fried rice

Cafe Morey’s

Diamond Head—Morey’s fried rice

Chart House

Waikīkī

Chun Wah Kam

Multiple locations—ginger chicken fried rice (3 mentions)

Duck Lee

Kapahulu

Eggs ’n Things

Multiple locations

Elena’s Home of Finest Filipino Foods

Waipahu—pork adobo fried rice

Goma Tei

Multiple locations—ginger chicken fried rice

Honolulu Coffee Experience Center

McCully—Portuguese sausage fried rice

Hula Grill Waikīkī.

Hula Grill Waikīkī

(With mushroom gravy)

Ichiben

Pearl City—wok fried rice

Izakaya Danji

Makiki—salmon fried rice

Kūhio Grille

Kaimukī

Jack in the Box

Reader notes that only Hawai‘i locations offer fried rice.

Lagoon Chinese Restaurant

Mapunapuna—char siu fried rice

Like Like Drive Inn

Ke‘eaumoku (2 mentions. RIP)

Little Village Noodle House

Chinatown

Lobster King

Ke‘eaumoku—dried scallop and egg white fried rice

Mililani Golf Course clubhouse

Mililani—adobo fried rice

Mililani Restaurant

Mililani—Portuguese sausage fried rice (2 mentions)

One Plus One Drive Inn

Mō‘ili‘ili—teri chicken fried rice

Panya Bistro & Bakery

Kaka‘ako—egg fried rice

Poke Stop

Multiple locations

Queen Street Café & Grill

‘Aiea (2 mentions)

Roast Duck Kitchen

‘Aiea

Rocky’s Coffee Shop

Waipahu—omelet fried rice

Sherry’s Korean Bar BQ

Wahiawā

Side Street Inn

Multiple locations (8 mentions)

The Social Honolulu

Kaka‘ako—garlic bacon fried rice (2 mentions)

Stripsteak

Waikīkī

Taiyo Ramen

Kaka‘ako—kim chee fried rice

Tanioka’s Seafoods & Catering

Waipahu

Tanya’s Pies & Grill

Wahiawā (3 mentions)

Tenkaippin

Kapahulu (with extra garlic; 2 mentions)

Tiano’s

Kunia—adobo fried rice

Times Coffee Shop. Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Times Coffee Shop

Multiple locations

Waipahu Café

Waipahu

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