Hawaii: The Food

The last Hawaii post—it’s only taken me almost 2 months to get them done! Ha! While we made the majority of our meals at our Airbnbs or had pre-packed hiking lunches, we did manage to try some local cuisine in our time in Hawaii.

Let’s start with shave ice because really, is there anything better in Hawaii? While all of it was delicious, I think our favorite (and best value for the money) was Wailua Shave Ice in Kapaa, which also happen to be our first taste. The Wishing Well had a pretty awesome back drop for theirs, though!

On Big Island, the two local specialites were Loco Moco (rice, egg, gravy, and some sort of meat) and Mochi (a Japanese desert made of rice flour with a filling). Loco Moco sounds disgusting, but was delicious and filling! The mochi, we are undecided on. The outer rice flour layer had a strange texture (Nick couldn’t get past that), but I found they tended to grow on me!


We only made it to one “sunshine market” (the local farmer’s markets), and it was a fairly small one, but what a treat it was. You definitely felt like a local, and we stocked up on some fruits and things to make a stir-fry!

One night in Hanalei we visited the famous Tahiti Nui, which was in the movie The Descendants. They are known for their Mai Tai’s, which was enjoyed while listening to some traditional Hawaiian live music.

In Oahu, as I mentioned before, we had grand plans for food. They didn’t go as planned, but we did go to the Alley Restauarnt, which was featured on Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins. Part of a bowling alley (again, felt like only locals were here), we enjoyed a traidtional and delicious Hawaiian plate with meat and rice. Way too big, and we definitely should have shared one!

And, what’s a trip to Hawaii without a little fresh coconut on the beach? There was a local guy selling them every day, and we took advantage! The water is much better straight out the coconut than pre-bought in the store!

Hawaii is known for the food trucks, and I hope we’ll be back soon to try more out. We did stop by one on our way to the Kauai airport for a delicious bagel and some smoothies!

Until next time, Hawaii, we will remember your food and your views!