Hawaii's food tells the story of the islands. Polynesian voyagers brought taro, coconut and pigs; whalers and missionaries brought salted fish and cattle; plantation workers from China, Japan, Portugal, Korea and the Philippines shared their lunches in the fields and created something new. The result is one of the most distinctive food cultures in the world. Here are the dishes you should not leave without tasting.
The dishes to try
1. Poke
Cubes of raw fish, usually ahi tuna, seasoned with sea salt, seaweed, inamona (roasted candlenut) and often soy sauce and sesame. "Poke" means "to cut". Buy it by the pound at a fish counter or supermarket.
2. Plate lunch
The essential local meal: two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and a main such as kalua pork, teriyaki beef or chicken katsu. It grew out of plantation workers' lunches and costs about $15–25 in 2026.
3. Loco moco
Rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy; by tradition it was created in Hilo in 1949 for hungry teenagers.
4. Kalua pig
Whole pig slow-cooked in an imu, an underground oven of hot stones and banana leaves, then shredded. The centrepiece of a luau.
5. Laulau
Pork and fish wrapped in taro and ti leaves and steamed until tender.
6. Poi
Pounded taro root, the staple food of ancient Hawaii, eaten fresh or slightly fermented. Its mild, sour taste goes perfectly with salty kalua pig.
7. Spam musubi
A slice of grilled Spam on rice, wrapped in nori. Spam arrived with the US military in the Second World War; Hawaii now eats more of it per person than any US state.
8. Saimin
A noodle soup in clear dashi broth, born in the plantation camps from Chinese, Japanese and Filipino traditions.
9. Malasadas
Portuguese doughnuts without a hole, rolled in sugar, brought by Madeiran workers; Honolulu's bakeries make them fresh all day.
10. Shave ice
Ice shaved as fine as snow and soaked in tropical syrups, often with ice cream or sweet azuki beans underneath. Not "shaved ice": locals call it shave ice.
11. Garlic shrimp
Shrimp sautéed in butter and garlic, served from food trucks on Oʻahu's North Shore.
12. Huli huli chicken
Chicken basted with a sweet sauce and turned ("huli") over open fires, sold at roadside stands on weekends.
13. Manapua
A Hawaiian take on Chinese char siu bao, a steamed bun filled with sweet barbecued pork.
14. Haupia
A firm coconut pudding, served at luaus and in pies.
15. Kona coffee and tropical fruit
Coffee grown on the slopes above Kona, and fruit such as lilikoʻi (passion fruit), lychee, rambutan and apple bananas from farmers' markets.
Where to eat like a local
- Fish counters and supermarkets for poke by the pound.
- Drive-ins and plate lunch shops for loco moco and katsu.
- Food trucks on the North Shore and in Kakaʻako for garlic shrimp and tacos.
- Farmers' markets for fruit, coffee and local snacks.
- Bakeries for malasadas and manapua.
What it costs
Plate lunches and food truck meals cost about $15–25 in 2026; casual restaurant mains $30–45; resort dinners about $65 per person before drinks. Eating local is cheaper and more delicious. See Hawaii on a budget.
A short history of Hawaiian food
The first Polynesian settlers arrived by canoe with "canoe plants": taro, sweet potato, breadfruit, coconut, banana and sugar cane, along with pigs, dogs and chickens. Taro, pounded into poi, became the foundation of Hawaiian life; in Hawaiian tradition, the taro plant is an elder sibling of the Hawaiian people. In the 19th century, sugar and pineapple plantations brought workers from China, Japan, Portugal, Korea, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. In the fields at lunchtime they shared their food, and from that sharing came local dishes such as the plate lunch, saimin and the mixed-plate culture that defines Hawaii's everyday eating.
In recent decades, a generation of chefs has championed "Hawaii regional cuisine", using local fish, beef, produce and techniques in restaurants across the islands. Farmers' markets are full of fruit you may never have seen before. Eating in Hawaii is a way of tasting its history.
Quick answers
What food is Hawaii famous for?
Poke, plate lunch, kalua pig, loco moco, Spam musubi, shave ice and malasadas.
What is a plate lunch?
A local meal of two scoops of rice, macaroni salad and a main such as kalua pork, teriyaki beef or chicken katsu.
What is poke?
Cubed raw fish, usually ahi tuna, seasoned with salt, seaweed, inamona and often soy sauce and sesame.
Is it shave ice or shaved ice?
In Hawaii, it is shave ice.
Facts checked October 2026. Prices, schedules and rules change, so confirm with the operator or official source before you book.
