Note: The islands of Hawai‘i are heavily impacted and ravaged by overtourism and gentrification. Many indigenous-led organizations have called for tourists and wannabe residents to stop coming altogether. We urge you to heed this call.
That said, we know that the harmful effects of tourism won’t end overnight, and we have done our best to sum up our learnings and follow the lead of native communities upon whose land we visit, as well as ways we try to practice antiracism during our travels. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
O‘ahu is home to some of the dishes I crave most and often. Traditional Hawaiian cuisine is delicious simplicity on its own, and once fused and complemented by flavors and dishes from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other regions whose populations have had the privilege to call the island home, the combo is hard to beat. The flavors and ingredients of the Pacific Islands and Asia are just *chef’s kiss* and I can’t imagine going even a couple days without some whiff of soy sauce, fish sauce, or garlic (aka the bases for all good things). To me these flavors just feel like home. Plus, pescetarians can rejoice at the availability and frequent use of fish in the local cuisine, meaning we’ll never want for menu options.
We encourage you to donate to Native Hawaiian-led organizations such as ‘Āina Momona, which was founded to achieve “environmental health and sustainability through restoring social justice and Hawaiian sovereignty.” Follow their work on Instagram and on the web.
Our Values
Our favorite kid-friendly restaurants share these characteristics:
- Outdoor seating or takeout available
- Our kid can enjoy at least a couple items on the menu
- Pescetarian-friendly (for Mama!)
- Is casual enough of an atmosphere for our family not to feel to constricted
- Locally owned, preferably by BIPOC folks
Top Recommended Restaurants and Eateries for Young Families
It was a challenge to whittle down our list, but here are our family’s top 10 favorite places to eat on O‘ahu:
7-Eleven, various locations
($5-$10/person)
Yes, 7-Eleven. Just one step into their to-go snack section will reveal why.
Spam musubis (rice and Spam wrapped in nori, a snack with origins linked to Hawaii) and onigiris of all delicious flavors will tantalize your tastebuds, as well as the Hawaiian-inspired slurpee flavors like lilikoi and ube. Our go-to snacks are the kombu onigiri (hot, look in the hot foods section if you can swing it!), spam musubis, and ube senorita bread (sweet bread with ube paste). Every member of my family enjoys at least two snacks each. We always stock up on our way to the beach, for the week’s worth of snacks, or for the plane ride home.
Adela’s Country Eatery, Kaneohe
($25-$35/person)
Y’all know I’m a noodle-fiend so I can never resist Adela’s, which offers takeout of a variety of uniquely flavored house-made pastas (malunggay, taro, okinawan sweet potato, etc.) which you can take dry and uncooked or prepared as a meal. Enjoy the noodz with toppings that run the gamut: garlic fried shrimp, creamy alfredo, or simply garlic.
The Alley Restaurant, ʻAiea
($15-$25/person)
Where greasy spoon meets Asian flavors. The Alley Restaurant is located in the ʻAiea Bowl bowling alley, so feel free to dine in, bowl and eat, or do takeout. The restaurant is known for its oxtail soup, and I’ve tried the furikake-crusted ahi, which was tasty but a little dry. Don’t leave without ordering the Tasty Chicken (fried chicken with a soy glaze) and the Lemon Crunch chiffon cake, both of which were a favorite of our then-three-year-old (as well as the adults!).
Helena's Hawaiian Food, Honolulu
($15-$20/person)
Helena’s has been a staple for Hawaiian food since 1946! It is where my partner and I first tried poi, pounded and fermented taro root with a pudding-like consistency that is part of traditional Hawaiian cuisine. Helena’s is also where we had our first taste of haupia (coconut pudding) and we’ve been enjoying haupia everything ever since. The delicious dishes are simple and presented without fuss.
Koko Head Cafe, Honolulu
$20-$35/person
Deelish! One of Top Chef contestant Lee Anne Wong’s restaurants, Koko Head Cafe is perfect for brunch, which we picked up as takeout on our way to Hanauma Bay.
Order the unique poke omelet (market price), which features deep-fried and furikake-crusted pieces of fish wrapped in an egg omelet and topped with spicy mayo. It was unlike anything we’ve ever eaten and we can’t wait for our next visit to have it again! We’d also recommend the sweet cornflake-crusted french toast (a toddler favorite, $20), though it would have likely been more delicious if we’d enjoyed it fresh at the restaurant.
If you’d like to dine indoors, make a reservation because the small restaurant gets fairly busy, especially on the weekends.
Maguro Brothers, Honolulu
$15-$25/person
Maguro Brothers is tied with Ono Seafood as our favorite poke place. Here you’ll have the most tender sashimi and poke of any to-go restaurant we’ve tried on O‘ahu. Our kid loves eating the salmon, as well as the sweet egg (tamago), with rice. Each time we go to either location, brother-owners Junichiro and Ryojiro Tsuchiya are busy slicing fish or working the register. Be sure to say hello!
Ono Seafood, Honolulu
$15-$25/person
Ono Seafood is a crowd-favorite so make sure to go early in the day to stand in a line that goes out the door and spills into the cramped parking lot. The line moves quickly, at least, and there are a couple outdoor picnic tables at which to enjoy your meal. If the lines weren’t always so long this would be our go-to poke spot.
Piggy Smalls/The Pig and the Lady
($25-$35/person)
Okay, we’re cheating a little because these are two different restaurants. But since they’re owned by the same restaurant group we’ll let it slide 🙂 Piggy Smalls in Kakaʻako and The Pig and the Lady in Chinatown offer crave-worthy and inventive Vietnamese fusion dishes in a fun and casual setting. We would recommend practically everything on each restaurant’s menu–you honestly cannot go wrong!
We recommend Piggy Smalls for their special weekend brunch or either restaurant for lunch or dinner. For brunch our kid loved the rich and ghee-smothered pancakes ($15). We gobbled up the vegetarian banh mi and phở combo ($16), as well as both a Vietnam-specialty egg coffee (cà phê, $6) and blended ice drink combo of sesame and strawberry ($5).
For lunch or dinner get The Pig and the Lady’s turmeric-battered catfish (chả cá, $18) or vegan phở ($17), or banchan’s crispy cheese dumplings ($15) from Piggy Smalls.
And don’t forget dessert: we enjoyed orange creamsicle malasadas ($6) and pandan coconut soft serve ($7) from Piggy Smalls. Be sure to make a reservation for an outdoor table well in advance, as this place gets quite busy.
Tanioka's Seafoods and Catering
$10-$20/person
It seems that locals and tourists agree that Tanioka’s is where it’s at. The canteen offers different flavors of poke, fried chicken, and other Hawaiian food galore. Unfortunately, you have to be fairly committed to waiting in line on one of the limited days of the week (Wednesday-Sunday) that Tanioka’s is open. But don’t worry–there’s a 7-Eleven next door to keep your belly happy until you get your hands on your meal from Tanioka’s 🙂
Uahi Island Grill
$20-$35/person
Uahi Island Grill’s garlic ahi ($20) is the best and closest alternative to traditional Pilipinx (pork) adobo that I’ve ever tried. I seriously wish more restaurants would offer this dish! Come here for Asian-fusion comfort food with an island twist.
Honorable Mentions
- Foodland: Foodland is less of a favorite-because-of-the-food but truly a fave because of how convenient it is to buy poke, hot food, and groceries all in one place. This Hawaiian grocery chain is also my favorite place to pick up cutely designed reusable grocery bags.
- Shrimp Trucks: O‘ahu has something for everyone when it comes to shrimp trucks. Take your pick from our recent shrimp truck crawl!
- Da Bald Guy: Garlicky and plump peeled shrimp
- Romy’s: More on the sweeter side (sorta Pilipinx-style)
- Giovanni’s: An O‘ahu classic (est. 1993) featuring shrimp with loads of garlic and buttah
- Aloha Shrimp: Did we catch a hint of yummy five-spice? This one was a bit more oily than the others we tried.
- Monkeypod, Ko Olina: Kid’s saimin (Angel’s 4-year-old was all about it), mai tais, squash ravioli, pork tacos.
- Katsumidori Sushi is a chain in Japan and their sushi combo plate was delicious and soft as buttah. My friend and I ordered a platter to share between the two of us and ate every last bit of it without regret. It was fun to sample all the different kinds of fish for a picnic on the beach or for dine-in.
Places You Can Skip
Musubi Cafe Iyasume: This simple cafe offers musubis and onigiris of all kinds. I think it’s a great option for rice balls but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit.
- Kahuku Sugar Mill: There were a number of food options there but the clientele felt too touristy and not at all diverse.
Kono’s Northshore: I’m a sucker for breakfast burritos (vegetarian) but Kono’s didn’t do it for me.
Wishlist for our Next Visit
We still have not yet been to Waiahole Poi Factory; it’s next up on our list.
What else would you all add to our list of essential kid-friendly restaurants on O‘ahu? Stay tuned for our next installment, featuring our favorite sweet treats on the island!
Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.
You might also enjoy
Top 10 Unique and Toddler-Friendly Activities for Your Family Trip to O‘ahu
O‘ahu’s Tastiest Sweet Treats—and Where to Find Them
Our Favorite Black-Owned Restaurants in the East Bay and San Francisco
Our Favorite POC-Owned Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Alameda
11 Black-Owned Eateries to Support During Oakland Restaurant Week 2023, and Beyond
