Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [103]
Ruffage Natural Foods (922-2042; 2443 Kuhio Ave; items $4-8; 9am-6pm) This pint-sized health-food store whips up taro burgers, veggie burritos, vegan chili and real-fruit smoothies that will revitalize your whole bod. At night, the shop shares space with a tiny, backpacker-friendly sushi bar run by a Japanese chef.
Eggs ‘n Things (949-0820; 343 Saratoga Rd; mains $4-10; 6am-10pm) Never empty, this diner dishes up reliable banana macnut pancakes topped with your choice of honey, guava or coconut syrup and fluffy omelets with Portuguese sausage for jet-lagged tourists, graveyard shift workers and postclubbers.
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TOP PICKS – O′AHU PLATE LUNCHES
Me BBQ (below)
Diamond Head Market & Grill (below)
Poke Stop (Click here)
Uahi Island Grill (Click here)
Waiahole Poi Factory (Click here)
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Me BBQ ( 926-9717; 151 Uluniu Ave; plate meals $4-12; 7am-9pm Mon-Sat) This streetside takeout counter has zero atmosphere, but service is lightning-fast and there are plastic picnic tables where you can chow down. Succulent kalbi short ribs and spicy kim chi are house specialties, but the wall-sized picture menu also includes island plate-lunch combos with chicken katsu, shrimp tempura and more.
Diamond Head Market & Grill (732-0077; 3158 Monsarrat Ave; meals $4-15; 6:30am-9pm) This takeout counter and market with a bakery and gourmet deli inside feeds neighborhood hipsters and families who don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Try the char siu pork plate lunches, portabello-mushroom burgers and tropical pancakes. There are picnic tables beside the parking lot for immediate consumption.
Bogart’s Cafe (739-0999; 3045 Monsarrat Ave; mains $5-10; 6am-6:30pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun) Where surfers, artists and dot-com millionaires all get their caffeinated jolts, this neighborhood espresso bar in a minimall is a popular breakfast spot, especially for fruit-topped Belgian waffles and crab-and-avocado omelets. At lunch, there’s veggie wraps and salads. If you’re not local, service can take forever.
Waliana Coffee House (955-1764; 1860 Ala Moana Blvd; mains $5-15; 24hr) Opposite the Hilton Hawaiian Village, this all-night coffee shop is stuck in the 1970s with its Naugahyde booths and counter stools and serves heaping portions of greasy-spoon fare and tropical fruity drinks. Waitstaff all know the regulars by name. Go sing karaoke with the locals in the cocktail lounge.
Menchanko-Tei (924-8366; Waikiki Trade Center, 2255 Kuhio Ave; mains $8-12; 11am-11pm) Japanese expats head to this unassuming kitchen for their fix of Hakata-style ramen soup with freshly made noodles, citrus pepper and a creamy broth. This place also makes a mean tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet), gyōza and Nagasaki-style sara-udon (fried noodles with stir-fried veggies).
Also recommended:
Farmers Market (923-1802; Waikiki Community Center, 310 Pa′oakalani Ave; 7am-1pm Tue & Fri) Fresh produce stands set up in the parking lot.
Food Pantry (923-9831; 2370 Kuhio Ave; 6am-1am) More expensive than chain supermarkets, which are all outside Waikiki, but cheaper than convenience stores.
Ono Seafood (732-4806; 747 Kapahulu Ave; items $2-12; varies) An addictive, made-to-order poke shop – get there early before the fresh fish runs out.
People’s Open Market (522-7088; cnr Monsarrat & Paki Aves, Kapi‘olani Park; 10-11am Wed) Farmers market for fresh bounty from land and sea.
Midrange
Many of Waikiki’s middle-of-the-road restaurants are overpriced and not worth it, no matter how enticing the ocean views. But we’ve listed a few standout exceptions here.
Siam Square (923-5320; 2nd fl, 408 Lewers St; mains $11-16; 11am-11pm Mon-Sat, to 10pm Sun) This is Waikiki’s most authentic Thai restaurant. You want it spicy? Good, because that’s the only way you’re going to get your larb pork salad or fried fish with chili sauce here. Service is smiley, but standoffish.
Uncle Bo’s (735-8311; 559 Kapahulu Ave; shared