Our Favorite Toddler-Friendly Eateries for A Family Trip to O‘ahu
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.
It was a tough job, but we whittled down our favorite restaurants to these top 10 choice eateries. 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.
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Jump To...
- 7-Eleven, various locations
- Adela’s Country Eatery, Kaneohe
- The Alley Restaurant, ʻAiea
- Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Honolulu
- Koko Head Cafe, Honolulu
- Maguro Brothers, Honolulu
- Ono Seafood, Honolulu
- Piggy Smalls/The Pig and the Lady
- Tanioka’s Seafoods and Catering
History Corner
Despite its fertile landscapes and native farming and fishing practices, the state of Hawaii has become increasingly dependent on imported foods as a result of colonization and globalization. About one-third of Hawaiian households struggle with food insecurity, while the state imports almost all of its food supply.
Learn More
Community organizations and the Hawaiian Government have identified issue areas and strategies related to reducing the state’s reliance on food imports and growing more food in Hawaii itself. One way is to increase demand for locally grown foods, so ditch non-local produce wherever possible.
The Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Co-op is a farmer-owned business working to revitalize ‘ulu and other Hawai‘i-grown staple crops by empowering farmers as change-makers. Check out or purchase their resources for keiki (kids) to connect with the land.
Antiracist Travel Considerations
Best Family-Friendly Activities Restaurants in O‘ahu
Check out our recs for delicious meals with your family!
Quick Meals
- Helena's Hawaiian Food >>
- 7-Eleven >>
- Maguro Brothers >>
Sit-Down Restaurants
- The Pig and the Lady >>
- Koko Head Cafe
- Monkeypod
Can't Miss
- Visit the Nintendo Store, Shibuya
- Cuddle with Critters at a Cafe, various locations
- Visit a Pokémon Center, various locations >>
Must Visit
- Visit a Sanrio Store or cute cafe, various locations >>
- Visit the Sailor Moon Store, Shibuya
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
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.
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
For melt-in-your-mouth poke look no further than Ono Seafood (tied with Maguro Brothers as our fave to-go poke place on O‘ahu). We love trying all their different marinades for their poke, from simple shoyu to the more saucy spicy flavor. My partner also loves their tuna jerky.
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.
The Pig and the Lady
($25-$35/person)
The Pig and the Lady in Chinatown offers crave-worthy and inventive Vietnamese fusion dishes in a fun and casual setting. We would recommend practically everything on the menu–you honestly cannot go wrong!
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).
We loved their now-closed sister-restaurant Piggy Smalls (RIP) for their special weekend brunch.
Tanioka's Seafoods and Catering, Waipahu
Great for poke, fried chicken, and other Hawaiian food
- $10-$20/person
- May require waiting in line
Uahi Island Grill
Great for garlic ahi
- $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.
Adela's Country Eatery, Kaneohe
Great for fresh noodles
- $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.
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 to 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.
Final Thoughts
My mouth is watering as I think about all the delicious eats we’ve enjoyed on O‘ahu.
We hope you have as much fun eating your way through O‘ahu as our family! Remember to buy local and to treat the land with respect.
Where are your favorite places to eat on the island? Share in the comments below.
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