Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [79]
Cafe Laniakea (Map; 538-7061; 1040 Richards St; mains $8-12; 11am-2pm Mon-Fri) Unpretentious and health-conscious, this café runs with an entirely different crowd than your average ‘Y’ mess hall. Set in the courtyard of the historic Julia Morgan–designed YWCA, it has a changing menu committed to locally grown, often organic ingredients such as ’Nalo greens and North Shore free-range, grass-fed beef.
Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas (Map; 533-4476; Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd; mains $22-37; 5:30-9:30pm) A legend on the Honolulu foodie scene, Hiroshi Fukui (former chef of L’Uraku) puts a Japanese twist on Pacific Rim fusion styles, from crab cannelloni swirled with miso sauce to smoked hamachi (yellowtail) spiced with habanero peppers and a garlic kicker. You can order tropically flavored martinis and house-made fruit-purée sodas at the bar, or duck next door to vivacious Vino, a wine bar and Italian tapas restaurant.
Also recommended:
People’s Open Market (off Map; 522-7088; City Hall parking lot deck, cnr Alapa′i & Beretania Sts; 10-11am Wed) Farmers market sells fresh bounty from the land and sea.
′Umeke Market & Deli (Map; 522-7377; 1001 Bishop St; 7am-4pm Mon-Fri) Organic island-grown produce, natural-foods groceries and a vegan-friendly takeout deli.
Vita Juice (Map; 526-1396; 1111-C Fort St Mall; items $4-6; 7am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat) Exotic smoothie bar mixes up ‘brain food’ and sells homemade cookies.
Chinatown
This historic downtown neighborhood is packed with markets, hole-in-the-wall eateries, noodle factories, dim-sum palaces, pan-Asian kitchens and trendy upscale fusion restaurants.
BUDGET
Royal Kitchen (Map; 524-4461; Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 N Beretania St; items from $1; 5:30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 6:30am-4:30pm Sat, 6:30am-2pm Sun) This humble takeout shop is worth fighting Chinatown’s snarled traffic just to try its famous manapua with an inventive variety of fillings such as char siu (Chinese barbecue pork), chicken curry, sweet potato, kalua pig or black sugar.
Ba Le (Map; 521-3973; 150 N King St; mains $3-9; 6am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sat) Its name a corruption of the word ‘Paris,’ this fluorescentlit bakery-café is an island-born chain, best known for its chewy baguette sandwiches. For a caffeine jolt, there’s an equally chewy cup of coffee served either hot or iced, with loads of sugar and milk. Yeehaw!
To Chau (Map; 533-4549; 1007 River St; mains $5-8; 8am-2:30pm) Always packed, this Vietnamese restaurant holds fast to its reputation for serving Honolulu’s best pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). Beef, broth and vegetables – the dish is a complete meal in itself, but the menu includes other Vietnamese standards too. Just 16 tables means long lines.
Mei Sum Dim Sum (Map; 531-3268; 65 N Pauahi St; dim-sum dishes $2-4, mains $6-12; 7am-8:45pm) Where else are you gonna go to satisfy that crazy craving for dim sum after noon? This no-nonsense corner shop cranks out cheap, delectable little plates. It has also got a full spread of Chinese mains; order the secret garlic eggplant that’s not on the menu.
Maunakea Marketplace (Map; 1120 Maunakea St; meals from $6; 7am-3:30pm) At this back-alley food court, mom-and-pop vendors dish out home-style Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese fare. You can chow down at tiny wooden tables crowded into the central walkway.
Legend Vegetarian Restaurant (Map; 532-8218; Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 N Beretania St; dim-sum dishes from $2.50, mains $8-13; 10:30am-2pm Thu-Tue) This 100% Buddhist Chinese vegetarian, lunch-only spot is known for its extensive menu of fake seafood and meat dishes using tofu and wheat gluten to mimic island classics like sweet-and-sour pork or butterfish.
Little Village Noodle House (Map; 545-3008; 1113 Smith St; mains $8-15; 10:30am-10:30pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat) Forget about