CITY GUIDE
A local’s guide to Honolulu
- By Martha Cheng
- Photos by Marie Hobro
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Those in search of an “authentic” Hawaii will often bypass Honolulu, pointing to its strip malls and high-rises, to Waikiki and its crowds, as if Hawaii should be nothing but beaches and jungle. But this is the Hawaii where the majority of the state’s residents live and work, where its creatives have rediscovered the wisdom and beauty in Hawaii’s indigenous culture and apply it to Kakaako murals and Waikiki hotels’ interior design, to Kaimuki restaurants and Chinatown boutiques.
Honolulu is about juxtapositions — not just of the oft-touted East and West, but of past and present. Some restaurants are mid-century time capsules (many in the derided strip malls) — of Hawaii and America, and also of other countries, including China, Japan and the Philippines. They are the legacy of immigrants who brought their culture and perpetuate through menus and festivals traditions that have waned in the rest of the world. Meanwhile, newcomers continue to arrive, exerting their influence with new glass-and-steel towers that reflect the ocean and sky. But what about the beaches and jungles? Don’t worry, Honolulu has them, too.
Meet Martha Cheng
Martha has lived in Honolulu since 2006. Born in San Francisco, she came for a boy and stayed for the people and ocean.
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Email bytheway@washpost.comRead more about Martha
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Stay
Waikiki
Yes, Waikiki is crowded, but it’s also Honolulu’s most walkable neighborhood, where you’ll find $6 bowls of freshly made udon and $300 sushi omakase, local clothing designs and Fendi, boutique lodgings and luxury hotels. And you’re never far from the beach. Oceanfront Kalakaua Avenue is where the ritzier resorts tend to be, while Kuhio Avenue, still home to walk-up apartments and old Waikiki homes, is where you’ll find hidden gems. You could spend hours people-watching here. Find this neighborhood.
Kaimuki
Kaimuki runs from the back of Diamond Head and up a ridge that was once mostly owned by William Matson, founder of a shipping company that opened the famed pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki. There aren’t any such iconic buildings in this primarily residential neighborhood, unless you count the defunct Queen Theater on Waialae Avenue, the main strip. Instead, you’ll find a collection of locally owned cafes, restaurants and shops, and, from the top of the ridge, a view all the way to the ocean. (Because of laws regulating vacation homes in 2019, you’ll find few Airbnbs outside of Waikiki — what exists in Kaimuki tends to be shared homes.) Find this neighborhood.
Neighborhoods
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Eat
Da Cove Health Bar
The acai trend waxed and waned in the continental United States, but not in Hawaii, where acai bowls have only swelled in popularity over the past decade. Join the surfers, still damp from a morning session at Diamond Head, at Da Cove. The Hawaiian bowl, along with the usual fruit, granola and honey, is topped with paiai — mashed taro, and an ancient Hawaiian staple — a blend of old and new, traditional and trendy.
BTW: If you can’t snag one of the few outdoor tables, bring your bowl down the block to Kapiolani Park, a green expanse adjacent to the beach.
da Cove Health Bar and Cafe, 3045 Monsarrat Ave. No. 5 Honolulu, HI 96815
Ethel’s Grill
By the shipping docks, in an industrial area of warehouses and auto body shops, Ethel’s Grill is a cozy shrine to sumo wrestlers (spot photos of sumo celebrities on the walls) and local Japanese comfort food. Order the morning miso soup, loaded with veggies; kimchi ahi donburi; and Japanese hamburger steak with grated daikon at this tiny restaurant.
BTW: Locals trek out here for the taco rice, an Okinawan creation influenced by the Japanese island’s American military presence.
Ethel’s Grill, 232 Kalihi St. Honolulu, HI 96819
Helena’s Hawaiian Food
Join the line (don’t worry, it moves fast) at Helena’s, a no-frills, fluorescent-lit joint where the walls are peppered with awards from publications and the James Beard Foundation, as well as photos of the founder, Helen Chock, who started the restaurant in 1946. Her grandson, Craig Katsuyoshi, now runs it and serves the same menu of Hawaiian staples: poi, kalua pig, laulau. The restaurant’s most famous item, though, is the pipikaula, soy sauce marinated short ribs air dried and then fried in cast-iron pans. Everything comes in little melamine plates and bowls alongside dishes of sliced raw onion, coarse salt and haupia (coconut pudding), the entire spread like tapas, Hawaiian style.
BTW: Order Menu D, which comes with all the most popular dishes and is enough food for two, and add on the fried butterfish collar.
1240 N. School St., Honolulu, HI 96817
Kahiau Poke & Provisions
At this small shop in Chinatown, you’ll find a less-is-more approach in the application of seasonings and the compact poke selection, which includes staples such as Kahiau poke with limu (seaweed) and thinly sliced onions. Don’t miss the cold ginger poke, lush cubes of tuna brightened with ginger and green onions. For a snackable version of a poke bowl, try the poke bombs — inari sushi topped with poke.
BTW: On the provisions side, bring home Kahiau’s fish jerky or a bottle of its popular limu kohu chili pepper water, a spicy condiment made briny with a variety of local seaweed (and perks up Bloody Marys).
The Pig and the Lady
Celebrities make it a point to dine at the Pig and the Lady — even Kurt Russell has taken a photo in the “Big Trouble in Little China”-themed bathroom. The contemporary Vietnamese menu changes frequently: spotted recently are the prime rib pho and fried rice and daikon cake with banh mi pickles and trout roe. Save room for the soft-serve swirl, with flavors like pandan custard and pineapple yuzu sorbet, and the Hanoi egg coffee, the Vietnamese version of a cappuccino. (Disclosure: Guide writer Martha Cheng was a founder of the Pig and the Lady’s original pop-up in 2011.)
BTW: Check the Pig and the Lady’s farmers market schedule for a street-food-style experience and casual menu of noodles and banh mi, including the must-try pho French dip.
The Pig and the Lady, 83 N. King St. Honolulu, HI 96817
Mud Hen Water
Ed Kenney offers the smartest take on Hawaii cuisine since macadamia-nut-crusted fish and wasabi beurre blanc were invented. The islands’ unique blend of cultures, from native Hawaiian to Chinese, shine through the grilled paiai basted with teriyaki sauce, beef tongue and broccoli, and a beet poke where you won’t miss the fish at all. (The restaurant’s name is a literal translation of Waialae, home to three of Kenney’s restaurants.)
BTW: Brunch is also worth checking out (though the service can be slow), with pork sisig — sizzling chopped pig head, Philippines style — and biscuit and mapo gravy.
Mud Hen Water, 3452 Waialae Ave. Honolulu, HI 96816
Liliha Bakery
Liliha Bakery began in 1950, and although new locations have opened since then, only the original is open 24 hours a day and exudes a nostalgic charm at its diner counter. From the late-night hours to dawn, everyone from the young and restless to police officers shuffle through, giving way to seniors, awake before sunrise. They come for chargrilled cheeseburgers and loco mocos, for waffles and pancakes, served by a staff that has been working there for decades.
BTW: Don’t miss the waffle — thin and crisp, tasting like it was fried in butter.
Liliha Bakery, 515 N. Kuakini St. Honolulu, HI 96817
Bar Leather Apron
Going to this bar is probably one of the few instances where you want to head toward smoke. It’s hard to find Bar Leather Apron, concealed in the mezzanine of an office building, but you’ll know you’re close when you smell burning wood, the result of some intentionally smoldering cocktails. So yes, there’s a lot of pomp served here, but also precision in technique and flavors in drinks like a matcha old-fashioned and a mai tai, which (if you’re sitting at the bar) arrives smoking and in a hollow tiki-shaped box.
BTW: Make a reservation for one of the six seats at the bar (vs. the lounge) to get the full experience.
Bar Leather Apron, 745 Fort St. #127A, Honolulu, HI 96813
LOCALS THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Not everyone and everything in Hawaii is Hawaiian. “Hawaiian” refers specifically to native Hawaiians. Residents are called locals or kama‘aina.
- Cherish and learn about Hawaii’s complex, layered culture. Visit Iolani Palace, the site of the Hawaiian kingdom’s overthrow by U.S. businessmen in 1893, and the Bishop Museum for Polynesian history. Taste the legacy of waves of immigrants, from Portuguese malasadas to Spam musubi, the result of an American military presence and the Japanese American population.
- We still call CVS stores Longs Drugs and have the original fried apple pie at McDonald’s, because we don’t like letting go of the past.
Do
Tantalus
Within minutes of leaving downtown Honolulu, the winding drive up Tantalus takes you under jungle canopy and over panoramic views of the city. Sunset is practically an event at the lookout near the top, and you’ll also find hiking trails all along the way, where urbanites escape into the woods on the short and sweet Tantalus Arboretum loop trail and longer 2.5 mile Manoa Cliffs hike.
BTW: On your way up to Tantalus, grab Mama’s Special poke and a Korean plate lunch from Kyung’s Seafood.
2411 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822
Surf Waikiki
There are few places in the world where warm-water surf edges the urban core. Locals take advantage with surf sessions before and after work — and sometimes on lunch breaks. (When the waves get really good, a suspicious number of sick days are called in.) If you’re a beginner, enlist the help of a surf school in Waikiki; along the beach, they’re all pretty equivalent. Enter by the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, considered the father of modern surfing.
BTW: Check the surf report at surfnewsnetwork.com.
Wander through Chinatown
In the ’80s and ’90s, Chinatown was a seedy red-light district, and while police still patrol the streets to battle the drug and homelessness problem, a generation of creatives has taken root here. Their influence, along with long-standing Chinese medicine shops, fragrant lei stands and vendors peddling the same colorful fish you’ll see snorkeling, make the neighborhood one of giddy discovery. Poke around the curious shop Hound and Quail, snag modern aloha shirts at Roberta Oaks, and step into Ginger13, which is like a life-size terrarium showcasing chunky gemstone jewelry.
BTW: Refresh with an avocado smoothie at Maunakea Marketplace, coffee at Manifest or cocktail at Tchin Tchin, a little rooftop oasis.
1120 Maunakea St. Honolulu, HI 96817
Kakaako farmers market
Avoid the busload of tourists at the much-hyped KCC farmers market and head to this market on Saturday mornings. Farmers haul in uncommon banana varieties and tropical fruit you’ve probably never tasted before, while vendors sell fresh poi, poke and dim sum. If you’ve got a kitchen where you’re staying, Forage offers venison from Maui and lamb from Niihau (a.k.a. the Forbidden Island), and Local Ia sells fish caught by locals.
BTW: Find more fresh produce Saturday morning or relax at the Wednesday night market, the pau hana (after work) vibe boosted by a margaritas and mezcal bar.
Kakaako Farmers Market, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd. A1 Honolulu, HI 96814
Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design
In her 20s, tobacco heiress Doris Duke visited countries like Morocco and India, wanting to furnish her house with Islamic art’s intricate patterns, textiles and ceramics. Unlike most 20-year-olds, though, she had the money to do so. Tour her oceanfront home, where she commissioned inlaid marble for the Mughal Suite, inspired by the Taj Mahal, and purchased 18th-century Syrian wood paneling, elaborately embellished with gold and copper leaf, to outfit the Damascus Room.
BTW: Tours depart from the Honolulu Museum of Art and must be reserved in advance. Also check Shangri La’s Facebook page for upcoming events with artists in residence.
Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design, 4055 Papu Circle Honolulu, HI 96816
Kamaka Ukulele
For more than a hundred years, the Kamaka family has been crafting ukulele out of Hawaii-grown koa wood. These are to the cheap ukulele imported from China what TV dinners are to tasting menus — Kamaka Ukulele cost upwards of $1,000. But tours of the Kamaka Ukulele factory are free, and as you enter the cinder block building, you’re hit with the smell of wood on its way to becoming some of Hawaii’s most in-demand instruments.
BTW: After the tour, grab lunch and a pint at the nearby Aloha Beer Co.
Kamaka Hawaii, Inc., 550 South St. Honolulu, HI 96813
Martha Cheng
Martha has lived in Honolulu since 2006. Born in San Francisco, she came for a boy and stayed for the people and ocean.