I actually posted this question a little while ago but I realized I did not flag it for Hawaii so here goes again.

We will be in Waikiki for the last 2 nights of our trip and will be there on Thanksgiving. I need advice for Thanksgiving Dinner. We are staying at the Royal Hawaiian and I am assuming they will have a nice Thanksgiving Dinner but I am also open to any ideas outside of the hotel. It could be a typical Thanksgiving Dinner but maybe somewhere with an island twist on the dinner!!??

Thanks for any and all advice.
April

Make reservations at the Halekalani Hotel. It's within walking distance of the Royal Hawaiian. They have a wonderful Thanksgiving buffet with the most lovely atmosphere and delicious food. Sashimi, prime rib, turkey, desserts, etc. etc. and an ice cream bar -- yum!!! I went last year and it was awesome. It's a little bit pricey but well, well, WELL worth it.

As soon as the ads for Thanksgiving dinner start showing up in the Honolulu papers, I'll post the restaurants.

I just did a search for "Thanksgiving dinner Oahu". There is some info there.

I found this from a Gorp article.

Top Ten Thanksgiving Dinner Surprises

10). You gained 10 pounds instead of 5. ? AP

9). Grandpa's teeth hanging off the end of the gravy spoon and grandma's teeth in the gravy. ? Mike Lafleur and Gam

8). My crazy uncle George not asking anyone to pull his finger. ? Garrett Matyas

7). The rice is crawling. ? Ed

6). Your kid brother actually washed his hands before the meal. ? Tom Lafleur

5). Turkey alternatives: for vegetarians  tofu; for omnivores  SPAM, shaped canned tuna stuffed with celery & carrots, or even turkey ravioli. ? Matthew Bolz-Weber, Rich Buchanin, Dr. McKay, The Unknown Camper, Calliope

4). The whole packet of turkey guts is cooked right along with the stuffing, plastic included. ? Gary Breckenridge

3).Uncle Ed, the taxidermist, was asked to stuff the turkey this year. ? HikerO

2). Thinking that you're playing footsie with your fianci sitting across from you, and discovering that you were sliding your stockinged foot up the pantsleg of his Great Uncle Morty (who was sitting next to him) instead. ? Chickadee

1). The all-encompassing nightmare: unexpected quests, you burn the turkey, the oven catches fire, a child gets sick at the table, 2 guests are an hour late, your husband calls from work and has to stay late, you forget to stuff the turkey, you forgot to thaw out the turkey, you buy a blueberry pie and it turns out to be mincemeat. ? Judith Carothers

Check with Alan Wong's and see what they are doing for Thanksgiving. I think it is the best restaurant in Oahu. It is not too far from your hotel. Halekalani is a good choice too. You should just make reservations WAY in advance. You can always cancel if you change your mind. Just got back from Hawaii and waited until I was there to make reservations at both of these restaurants and could not get desirable times and Hawaii isn't even busy now.

To calitexan, Thanks for the tip, I will check it out. A nice buffet would be nice (lots of choices for DH,teen daughter and myself). The litte bit pricey is ok since it is Thanksgiving!

To dusty, Thanks for making me laugh!! I really appreciate the offer to watch the papers for me. My email address is [email protected]
I really would appreciate any tips from the papers. Thanks so much

To jal, I have heard Alan Wongs was wonderful and we have actually talked about eating there earlier on in our trip. Whatever I decide, I will definately make early reservations!! I live in the mountains of NC and we never have to make reservations for anything!! I would have never even thought of it.

Thanks again everyone, April

AprilA:
Within easy walking distance to the Royal Hawaiian is the Moana Surfrider. How about a lavish T'giving buffet which has all the traditional stuff plus fresh island fish, sushi & sashimi, kalua pig, poi, taro, island fruits -- and you dine outside on their beautiful veranda?
http://www.wizardpub.com/oahu/orsher...surfrider.html

And yes -- no matter where you choose to dine -- you need to make those reservations ASAP. Yummmmm!

I don't have extensive fine dining experience in Waikiki but absolutely loved one meal at the Moana Surfrider. It was a birthday celebration and I was seated on the veranda. They treated me wonderfully and the food was excellent.

Agreed...thankfully the Moana's dining is one of those rare combinations of outstanding view, impeccable service, _and_ wonderful food! 8-)

Auntie Maria... Yes, I'm surprised that Moana Surfrider isn't mentioned more often as a great place to eat or have a drink. Everyone carries on about Duke's (never been) or the two restaurants at the Outrigger Reef (been, not impressed). I ended up there by "accident" after the staff at the Royal Hawaiian was so darn uppity when I inquired about a dinner reservations. Moana Surfrider really is superb just what a hotel/restaurant should be. Maybe someday I can even afford a room there -LOL! aloha.

We've never stayed there either, but we're spending a nice long weekend in Honolulu in a couple of weeks -- so just for fun, I thought I'd book us at the Moana for a treat. Even with kama`aina rates, it was gonna be a budget-buster, but life's short...

Called them one full month in advance -- and was told they're completely sold out for the weekend of Oct 7-8-9. So _lotsa_ somebody's got big bucks!!

OK you have sold me on the Moana Surfrider. I think I will make reservations now. As mentioned earlier I could always cancel but I'm sure I won't. I'm hungry already!

Thanks,April