Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Lanikai Juice (
Click here
)
- Oʻahu's premier fresh-fruit smoothies
»
Matsumoto's (
Click here
) - North Shore's classic shave-ice stand
»
Dole Plantation (
Click here
)
- cones of frozen-pineapple soft-serve whip
Eating
Warning: many of Waikiki's restaurants are overpriced and not worth eating at, no matter
how enticing the ocean views. On beachfront Kalakaua Ave, chains like the Hard Rock
Cafe and the Cheesecake Factory cater to hungry tourists, while a few stand-out restaur-
ants are run by Hawaii's top chefs. Inland Kuhio Ave abounds with cheaper grazing and
takeout joints. On the outskirts of Waikiki, neighborhood eateries, drive-ins and bakeries
line up along Kapahulu Ave.
Leonard's
BAKERY $
(
www.leonardshawaii.com
;
933 Kapahulu Ave; pastries from $1; 5:30am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm
Fri & Sat;
) It's impossible to drive by Leonard's eye-catching vintage 1950s neon sign
without stopping in. This Portuguese bakery is famous all over Oʻahu for its
malasadas
(sweet, fried dough rolled in sugar), served oven-fresh and warm. Try the
haupia
(coconut-cream) or
lilikoʻi
(passion fruit) filling, and you'll be hooked for life. Pick up a
souvenir 'got malasadas?' T-shirt, too. Free parking.
Me BBQ
LOCAL $
(151 Uluniu Ave; meals $5-12; 7am-8:45pm Mon-Sat;
) This streetside takeout counter has
zero atmosphere, but you can chow down at sidewalk picnic tables or tote your plate
lunch to the beach. Succulent
kalbi
short ribs and spicy kimchi are house specialties, but
the wall-sized picture menu also features local-flavor combos with chicken
katsu
(breaded cutlet), fried squid and more.
Ailana Shave Ice
SHAVE ICE $
(
http://ailanashaveice.com
; Waikiki Shopping Plaza, 2250 Kalakaua Ave; snacks $3-6;
10am-9pm;
) With homemade syrups like
haupia
and peanut-butter caramel, Ailana is
the new king of Honolulu's shave-ice scene. Build up your sugar-snow mountain with a
