Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [82]
Yanagi Sushi (Map; 597-1525; 762 Kapi‘olani Blvd; dinner mains $15-31; 11am-2pm daily, 5:30pm-2am Mon-Sat, 5:30pm-10pm Sun) ‘Late bird’ specials available after 10:30pm daily, except Sunday.
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Well Bento (Map; 941-5261; 2nd fl, 2570 S Beretania St; meals $7-13; 10:30am-9pm) This inconspicuous hole-in-the-wall takeout kitchen is the Zen macrobiotic alternative to the plate lunch, serving veggies and grilled tofu, as well as seared chicken or fish, all free of refined sugar or dairy products. Cash only.
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TOP PICKS – LOCALS’ HANGOUTS IN HONOLULU
Ala Moana Beach Park (Click here)
Chinatown Cultural Plaza (Click here)
Makiki Valley Loop (Click here)
Side Street Inn (Click here)
Movie Museum (Click here)
Town (opposite)
thirtyninehotel (opposite)
La Mariana Sailing Club (Click here)
Jazz Minds Art & Cafe (Click here)
Aku Bone Lounge (Click here)
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Shōchan Hiroshima-Yaki (Map; 947-8785; 1035 University Ave; mains $8-12; 11:30am-10pm Wed-Mon) Talk about a niche market: this sunny café grills up Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancakes) layered with cabbage and barbecue-sauced yakisoba or udon noodles topped off by a crepe-thin fried egg. Kids love the mochi (Japanese pounded-rice cake) and cheese version. Last order 9pm.
Kiawe Grill BBQ & Burgers (Map; 955-5500; 2334 S King St; mains $8-12; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, to 8pm Sun) Step into a 1950s time warp. Here green Formica tables heave with plastic plates of exotic venison, ostrich, buffalo and Kobe beef burgers piled high with steak fries or spicy Korean vegetables. Warning: you’ll smell like BBQ smoke for the rest of the day.
Spices (Map; 949-2679; 2671-D S King St; mains $11-14; 11:30am-2pm Tue-Fri, 5:30-9:30pm Tue-Sat, 5-9pm Sun) Setting a neighborhood-friendly table free of suffocating ethnic kitsch, this modern Southeast Asian kitchen charges more than the competition, but the variety of Thai curries, Lao soups and Burmese noodles is worth it.
Tsukuneya Robata Grill (Map; 949-0390; 1442 University Ave; shared dishes $4-38; 5pm-midnight Wed-Mon, to 1am Fri & Sat) Imported from Nagoya, this Japanese skewers, grills and deep-fries carnivorous delights. The tender tsukune (meatballs) are cooked in a dozen different styles. Kahuku shrimp from the Windward Coast and spicy Hawaiian ′ahi served on hot lava-rock platters are also specialties of this samurai-worthy house.
Imanas Tei (Map; 941-2626; 2626 S King St; shared plates $5-30; 5-11:30pm Mon-Sat) It is no longer Honolulu’s top izakaya, but this long-standing spot tucked behind Puck’s Alley still draws a crowd. Staff members will shout a raucous chorus of ‘Irrashaimase!’ as you walk in the door, then make your way over to tatami-mat tables and booths. Sushi and sake fans can booze it up while they graze their way through an endless menu of epicurean Japanese pub grub, including crowd-pleasing nabemono (clay-pot meat and vegetable soups).
Also recommended:
Down to Earth Natural Foods (Map; 947-7678; 2525 S King St; 7:30am-10pm) This natural-foods supermarket also has a vegetarian-friendly salad bar and deli.
Kokua Market (Map; 941-1922; 2643 S King St; 8:30am-8:30pm) Hawaii’s only natural-foods co-op offers an organic salad bar and vegan-friendly deli.
Bubbies (Map; 949-8984; Varsity Center, 1010 University Ave; dishes $3-6; noon-midnight Mon-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat, to 11:30pm Sun) Homemade ice cream in luscious tropical flavors, including made with mochi.
Upper Manoa Valley, Tantalus & Makiki Heights
Although hiking boots may look out of place at these genteel cafés, they’re convenient places for refueling either before or after hiking around Mt Tantalus.
Waioli Tea Room (Map; 988-5800; 2950 Manoa Rd; mains $6-13; 10:30am-3:30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3:30pm Sat & Sun) If 19th-century author Robert Louis Stevenson were still hanging around Honolulu today, this is where you’d find him. Set in the verdant Manoa Valley, this restaurant exudes period charm and its open-air dining room overlooks gardens. Light eats like cinnamon-apple waffles and