Crowdsourced Oahu Recommendations for Food & Activities

It was recently my husband and I’s first time visiting Oahu and while using Google to search for things to do are great, it was even better to hear from people who either live there or love visiting! I asked for recommendations on my Instagram stories and was blown away by the response. Not only did I get recommendations but people wrote me full on GUIDES. The very first island we visited was Maui and we loved it but I can tell from your passionate responses that Oahu is something special. If you’re interested in reading about our first experience and what ended up being our favorite spots, check out my post here.

Here is where you recommended we eat and what you recommended we do.

Please let me know if there are any typos or technical errors on location.

MOST RECOMMENDED ⭐

Da Bald Guy – North Shore
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck – North Shore
Leonard’s Bakery – Honolulu
Liliha Bakery – Multiple Locations
Foodland – Multiple Locations
Matsumoto Shave Ice – North Shore
Waiola Shave Ice – Multiple Locations

FOOD:

Restaurants / Food Trucks

Honolulu

Aloha Kitchen – known for soufflé pancakes
Barefoot Beach Cafe – live music, weekend beach BBQ
Basalt
Dude’s Waikiki – breakfast buffet
E.A.R.L Kaimuki – known for their sandwiches
Hanale by Islander Sake Brewery – sake pairings
Hawaiian Chip Company – fresh made chips
Helena’s Hawaiian Food
Heavenly Island
Joe’s Grill Express
Katsumidori Sushi Tokyo (Prince Hotel)
Kyung’s Seafood – late night Korean food
Leonard’s Bakery – famous for malasadas
Nico’s Pier 38 – try their poke
Side Street Inn
Signature – fine dining with panoramic views
So Gong Dong
The Original Roy’s – by celebrity Chef Yamaguchi
The Pig and The Lady – award winning Vietnamese fusion
YogurStory – known for ube pancakes

North Shore

Da Bald Guy – featured on Food Network
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck – most recommended shrimp truck
Huli Huli Chicken & Seafood
Jenny’s Shrimp Truck
Ted’s Bakery – recommended: lilikoi pie

Windward Coast

Adela’s Country Eatery – recommended dish: Malunggay Pasta w/ Lechon
Boots & Kimo Homestyle Kitchen – recommended dish: Banana Pancakes with Macadamia Nut Sauce
Tropical Farms – macadamia nut farm
Waiahole Poi Factory

Central

Aiea Bowl – recommended dish: oxtail soup
Button Up Cafe – great for breakfast
Shige’s Saimin Stand

Leeward Coast

Elena’s Restaurant – popular Filipino restaurant

Multiple Locations

Foodland – grocery store that serves amazing and affordable poke
Highway Inn
Liliha Bakery – famous for poi donuts
Marugame Udon – originally from Japan
Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman – known for their mai tais
Musubi Cafe Iyasume – variety of musubi
Nanding’s Bakery – popular Filipino bakery
Rainbow Drive-In – good stop for Hawaiian plate lunch
Young’s Fish Market – good stop for Hawaiian plate lunch
Zippy’s – try their oxtail soup

Coffee Shops

Ali’i Coffee (Honolulu)
Island Vintage Coffee (Multiple Locations)

Bars

Eleven (Honolulu)
HIDEOUT – rooftop bar (Waikiki)
Ko Hana Distillers (Central)
Lulu’s – right across from the beach (Waikiki)
Mai Tai’s (Ala Moana Mall) – live music (Honolulu)
Off the Lip (Turtle Bay Resort) – beachside bar, amazing sunsets (North Shore)

Dessert

Kansai Yamato – fresh mochi (Honolulu)
Matsumoto Shave Ice (North Shore)
Shimazu Store – shave ice, halo halo, and popcorn (Honolulu)
Ubae – voted Hawaii’s best ube (Honolulu)
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice (Honolulu)
Waiola Shave Ice (Multiple Locations)

ACTIVITIES:

Anahulu River – great for kayaking or stand-up paddle (North Shore)
Aulani Disney Resort Lagoons – open to the public! (Leeward Coast)
Byodo-In Temple – replica of a historic Japanese Buddhist temple (Windward Coast)
Climb Works – Oahu’s longest zipline (North Shore)
Dole Plantation
Halona Blowhole Lookout – scenic lookout point (Honolulu)
Hanauma Bay – great for snorkeling (Honolulu)
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens – free activity to walk or drive through (Windward Coast)
Kaka’ako Farmers Market – Saturday morning market (Honolulu)
Kualoa Ranch – award winning guided tours (zip line, UTV, e-bikes, etc) private nature reserve aka Hawaii’s “Jurassic Valley” (Windward Coast)
One Ocean Diving – diving with sharks (North Shore)
Pearl Harbor Tours (Honolulu)
Polynesian Cultural Center – award winning attraction (North Shore)

Beach

Chun’s Reef Beach – bring your surfboards or paddle boards (North Shore)
Ka’aawa Beach (Windward Coast)
Ko’Olina Beach (Kapolei)
Kailua Beach – rent kayaks nearby and kayak to “The Mokes” (a pair of tiny isles) (Windward Coast)
Lanikai Beach (Windward Coast)
Makapu’u Beach Park (Windward Coast)
Sherwoods Beach (Windward Coast)
Waimanolo Beach (Windward Coast)
Waimea Bay (North Shore)

Hikes

Diamond Head (Waikiki)
Koko Head – beautiful sunrise hike (Honolulu)
Lanikai Pillbox (Windward Coast)
Makapu’u Tidepools – tide pools and blowholes formed in black lava rock (Windward Coast)
Manoa Falls (Honolulu)
Waimea Falls (North Shore)

Luau

Paradise Cove (Kapolei)

SHOPPING:

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet – largest open air flea market, affordable souvenirs (Honolulu)
Don Quijote – open 24 hrs, affordable snacks, groceries, souvenirs, etc (Multiple Locations)