302 Best Restaurants in Hawaii, USA

This popular standout is the perfect spot for a laid-back night out with dishes that are playful yet stay true to the island's roots, highlighted by excellent burgers, garlic shrimp, and nightly specials. The bar has the island's only draft beer, there's live music and dancing most nights, and fish and produce are locally sourced whenever possible.

If you're okay with communal picnic tables, or taking your meal to a nearby beach, head to this place, which serves, arguably, the best fresh fish—choose from four to six types and four preparations on any given day—for the best prices on this side of the island. For non-fish fans, the menu has burgers, as well as chicken and pasta options. There is also a location in Kihei.

This small, humble storefront is the place to try one of Maui’s most famous baked goods—the giant King David cinnamon roll. Although there are scones, croissants, and breads on menu, and there's pizza available most nights, the breakfast pastry is the big draw. It and other popular items tend to sell out, so although there are usually no lines later in the day, it's best not to wait till then to stop by. In fact, some eager patrons get in line around 6:30 am to ensure they leave with their favorites.

Don't be fooled by its playful name—this place serves high-quality food that befits its chic surroundings. This restaurant's owner is a fisherman himself, so you know the fish here is the freshest available. Lunch features affordable and delicious sandwiches and burgers, but in the evening the space is transformed into an Italian--Greek bistro with entrées like chicken fettuccine and moussaka.

With the bar in the front and the dining patio in the back, Quinn's may seem like a bit of a dive at first glance, but this venerable Kona classic serves the best darn cheeseburger and fries in town. Make your already-large burger a "monster" for an additional $4.50. The menu has many other tasty options, such as fish-and-chips and beef tenderloin tips. If time gets away from you on a drive to the north beaches, Quinn's, which stays open until 10, awaits your return with a cheap beer and a basket of fried calamari. Drinks are strong—no watered-down cocktails here. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10:45 during football season, and it's sure to be lively, especially if the Green Bay Packers are involved. Park across the street at the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel and get free 90-minute parking with validation.

One of Hana’s only sit-down dining options serves frittatas and pancakes at breakfast and everything from salads and sandwiches to hearty steak, pork, or fish entrées at lunch and dinner. Local produce and Maui beef feature greatly on the menu.

If you want to eat at a lively restaurant that's a favorite with locals, visit Kintaro, but be prepared to wait—or better yet, make reservations—because the dining room and sushi bar are always busy. Try the softshell crab roll or the unbeatable Bali Hai Bomb, a roll of crab and smoked salmon, baked and topped with wasabi mayonnaise. For a traditional Japanese meal, ask for the tempura combination, complete with fish, shrimp, and vegetables; or order the house-made udon noodles in a satisfying broth. Teppanyaki dinners are meat, seafood, and vegetables flash-cooked on tabletop grills in an entertaining display. Tatami-mat seating is available for groups behind shoji screens. Cocktails and a nice selection of warm and chilled sake round out the menu.

Roy Yamaguchi is a James Beard Award–winning chef and the granddaddy of East-meets-West cuisine. His eponymous Maui restaurant, located next to the golf course clubhouse near Kaanapali's main entrance, features signature dishes like fire-grilled, Szechuan-spiced baby back ribs, Roy's original blackened ahi, and hibachi-style grilled salmon, as well as an exceptionally user-friendly wine list.

Sansei takes sushi, sashimi, and contemporary Japanese food to a new level. If you're a fish or shellfish lover, this is the place for you. There are great deals on sushi and small plates for early birds on Sunday and Monday. Reservations can be hard to come by, making takeout for a beach picnic a nice option.

Built in the 1960s at the Napili Kai Beach Resort, before there were laws forbidding construction so close to the beach, this restaurant is literally footsteps from gorgeous Napili Bay. Wear your beach wrap to breakfast and enjoy the signature oven-baked pancakes or the beautifully delicious Molokai sweet potato egg frittata; the menu also offers fish from Hawaiian waters and fresh local produce.

Upstairs in a historical building, this seafood tiki bar has been a hot spot for years, known for a dynamite and well-priced bar menu with tasty pupus, signature seafood dishes such as the coconut shrimp and poke burger, and even a prime rib special on Tuesday. Don't let the kitschy retro appearance fool you; this place is frequented by legacy celebrities whose names you know or whose records you've bought. Service is impeccable. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6, and the calamari is a standout. 

Owned and operated by the Nakagawi family since the early 1920s, this landmark restaurant features three separate dining rooms that overlook a 30-acre natural brackish fishpond, making this one of the most interesting places to eat in Hilo. Some highlights are paniolo (cowboy) prime rib, New York steak, and shrimp scampi. Arrive before sunset and request a table by the window for a view of egrets roosting around the fishpond.

Every item on the modern American menu at this small, sophisticated, James Beard Award–nominated restaurant is carefully concocted and artfully plated. You can order à la carte or indulge in the pricey tasting menu at the Chef's Counter. The same owners also operate the swanky bar Podmore, nearby.

There's a reason why locals flock to this hideaway for the best Thai cuisine in Hilo. Proprietor Sombat Saenguthai's menu highlights fresh local ingredients (many of the herbs come from her own garden) in authentic and tasty Thai treats like coconut curries, fresh basil rolls, eggplant stir-fry, and green papaya salad. Most dishes can be prepared with your choice of tofu, pork, beef, chicken, squid, or fish.

To enter the only steak house in West Maui, you descend a grand staircase into an amber-lighted dining room with soaring ceilings and a massive artificial lagoon complete with swans, ducks, waterfalls, and tropical gardens. Chef Amy Mayers' classic menu features favorites like the bone-in rib eye and tomahawk steaks—with accompaniments that include five house-made sauces and a variety of sides and seafood add-ons—as well as lighter plates like shrimp cocktail and the must-try black and blue ahi starter. The wine selection is one of Kaanapali's best.

Popular for a predinner gathering or a full evening out, this trendy wine bar on Koloa's main street has great flights and small bites, and has added a few larger entrées that change seasonally. A venture run by the daughters of the owner of the wineshop next door, it offers knowledgeable non-snooty service and an extensive list of wines, beers, and spirits. Nibble and sip in the cozy farmhouse-style bistro or out on the sheltered veranda. This is a good spot for a small private event, too.

A local institution and icon, this casual place is famous for its malasadas, the puffy, doughy, deep-fried Portuguese doughnuts without a hole, best eaten hot; there are also vanilla, chocolate, and coconut cream-filled versions. For more than a snack, go for the Hawaiian burger, with a fat, juicy slice of sweet pineapple on top; the overstuffed burrito; or some decent house-made pizza. If you visit Honokaa without stopping by, you may regret it.  

Of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort's restaurants, this is definitely the most tropical, with grass-thatch huts that seem to float on a koi-filled pond beneath starry skies while torches flicker in the lushly landscaped grounds nearby. The equally distinctive food has an Island flavor that comes from the chef's advocacy of Hawaii Regional Cuisine and extensive use of Island-grown products, including fresh herbs from the resort's organic garden. You won't go wrong ordering the macadamia nut–crusted mahi mahi, local beef, or the Hawaiian catch, with its medley of local lobster, fish, shrimp, and scallops. Start with the Thai coconut soup or beet-and-candied-lemon salad to wake up your taste buds. The malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) with mango-passion coulis and chocolate sauce are a memorable dessert.

Tiki's is the kind of fun place people come to Waikiki for: a retro–South Pacific spot with a back-of-the-bar faux volcano, open-air lounge with live local music, indoor-outdoor dining, and a fantastic view of the beach across the street. Chef Ronnie Nasuti turns out beautifully composed plates and puts fresh twists on the super-familiar—like spicy "volcano" chicken wings, watermelon and feta salad, or Thai-style shrimp puttanesca. Be sure to try one of the mai tais, which come in a variety of flavors, then settle in and stay a while. There's live music on most nights (check the calendar on the website) and an upbeat crowd at the bar. Tiki's is in the Twin Fin Hotel and may look like a place designed for tourists, but it's the locals who come back again and again.

It's more "island-style" than Hawaii-style—and yes, it's a chain—but the food is consistently great, the service is filled with aloha, and the ambience is island refined. The cocktails are among the best and most creative on Maui and include well-priced non-alcoholic options. You can enjoy happy hour from 2 to 5 pm and live music from 5 to 9 pm daily.

Casual elegance takes center stage at the resort's flagship oceanfront restaurant, one of the most upscale restaurants on the Big Island. Diverse menu choices include roasted beet salad, flame-grilled prime New York steak, Kona lobster, shrimp pad Thai, and more. At least 75% of the food served here is locally sourced. There's also a full sushi menu. The impressive wine program includes boutique wines and world-class imports. Breakfast is offered à la carte or buffet.

Locals flock to this downtown Kailua-Kona restaurant for good reason: the poke is the most onolicious (super delicious) in town, and the many other seafood, pork, and beef offerings are just as stellar. Poke does not get more authentic than this, and you can get it by the bowl or the pound. Sandwiches, burgers, salads, and desserts round out the gourmet menu. A kids' menu features affordable burgers, poke bowls, and sides. Inventively named cocktails such as the Night Marcher and the Shirtless Margarita add to the fun. Happy hour runs from 3 to 5.

Stylish, spacious, and accented with subtle modern art, this seafood-focused restaurant—umi means "sea"—by acclaimed chef Vikram Garg offers a feast for the senses in the stunning Halepuna Waikiki, the boutique sister property of the Halekulani Hotel. Garg works culinary magic in the kitchen with dinner specialties such as popcorn soup (with lotus leaves) and steamed branzino with takana rice (fried rice with pickled mustard greens), and food lovers can also discover unique breakfast choices such as the mai tai pancake and masala omelet.

The historic Waiahole Poi Factory, which made poi for 70 years before serving as an art galley and then a commercial kitchen, returned to its roots back in 2009 and now makes some of the island's freshest and best-tasting poi. Along with that Hawaiian food staple, you can get plate lunches with other classics like squid luau (a dish with taro leaves and coconut), lomi lomi salmon (pieces of salted salmon mixed with onion and tomatoes), chicken long rice, and laulau (meat or fish wrapped in leaves and cooked); outdoor seating is limited, so it's good for takeout. A menu favorite is the Sweet Lady of Waiahole dessert, named after a popular local song, with warm kulolo (taro-coconut pudding) and haupia (a type of coconut pudding) ice cream. A second location recently opened in the food court at Windward Mall and is convenient for those who don't end up going farther north along the coast.

A sleek upscale restaurant with sweeping views over Hanalei Bay, Welina serves multicultural dishes with a modern Japanese flair, made with sustainably sourced ingredients derived mostly from Kauai, other Hawaiian islands, and the resort’s organic rooftop garden. The menu focuses on small shareable plates (sushi and sashimi); savor your meal indoors or out on the terrace, where you can also enjoy fantastic sunsets and craft cocktails.

The signature restaurant at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay serves fresh local-focused fare in an open airy space overlooking the sea. Local farms, purveyors, and the resort’s organic rooftop garden supply most of the ingredients here; the seasonal dinner menu has several options that showcase local greens, plus house-made pastas, grilled local fish, and sides like shoestring za’atar fries.

Housed in a McVilla aimed at attracting a Japanese wedding clientele, this restaurant serves contemporary Continental food that focuses primarily on beautifully plated, well-prepared standards—albeit with a million-dollar view of Honolulu. Perched at the water's edge, with famed surf break Point Panic offshore, 53 by the Sea uses its setting to great advantage—the crescent-shape dining room faces the sea, so even if you’re not at a table nestled against the floor-to-ceiling windows, you have a fine view. Besides dinner, drop in for lunch or cocktails and appetizers at the bar while watching the city lights go up as the sun goes down. Sublime.

Step inside this tiny sushi bar, tucked amid the strip clubs behind the Ala Moana Hotel, and you'll swear you're in an out-of-the-way Tokyo neighborhood. Don't be deterred by its dodgy neighbors or its reputation for inconsistent service—this is where locals come when they want the real deal, and you'll be greeted with a cheerful "Irasshaimase!" (Welcome!) before sitting at a diminutive table or perching at the small sushi bar. Let the chefs here decide, omakase-style, or you can go for a grilled specialty, like scallop butteryaki (grilled in butter).

The menus at Turtle Bay Resort’s signature restaurant—a casual but chic open-air space overlooking Turtle Bay and the Seven Mile Miracle—showcase Hawaiian comfort food with a modern, upscale twist, for example, braised kalbi short ribs, roast chicken with macadamia nut mole, and Salanova lettuce. About 95% of the fresh produce, from lettuce, tomatoes, and breadfruit to apple bananas and kitchen herbs, comes from the 100-acre organic farm across the road and is grown in partnership with local farmers. Alaia serves breakfast daily, as well as dinner. 

There's nothing "Mickey Mouse" about the updated Hawaiian food at the prix fixe fine-dining restaurant of Aulani, the Disney resort, which has a reflecting pool and decor with beach house elements like a thatched roof. Add to that the views of the Ko Olina lagoons and Pacific Ocean—and nightly live music by top local performers in the adjacent bar—and you have an evening worth the pretty penny.