A Guide to Hawaiian Cuisine

Hawai‘i’s most famous dish is the plate lunch: a single-serving plate — or Styrofoam container — packed with a protein, like shoyu chicken or fried mahimahi, a couple of rice scoops, and a heap of macaroni salad, plus other diverse sides, from kimchi to chow fun, depending on where you dine. It’s the quick meal of choice in Hawai‘i for a speedy snack, a picnic, or a satisfying meal. Despite its popularity, it’s not actually traditional Hawaiian fare.

In reality, much of what’s labeled as “Hawaiian” on the mainland isn’t truly Hawaiian. Before its annexation by the United States in 1898 — an act deemed unlawful by the growing Hawai‘i sovereignty movement — the Kingdom of Hawai‘i was a sovereign nation. “Hawaiian” specifically denotes the descendants of the islands’ original Polynesian settlers and their culture. To put it differently, relocating to Hawai‘i from another state doesn’t make you Hawaiian; if you’re not of Hawaiian heritage, even being born there doesn’t make you Hawaiian, it makes you a kama‘āina.

The nuances of these distinctions contribute to why, despite its popularity with over 8.9 million annual visitors, Hawai‘i’s rich culinary heritage — shaped by over two centuries of colonization, migration, and cultural blending — remains widely misunderstood and misrepresented. For example, imagine a perfect day of eating in Hawai‘i: malassadas for breakfast, a plate lunch featuring chicken katsu, followed by Spam musubi as a snack, and pastele stew for dinner. This blend of dishes, introduced by people from Japan, China, Portugal, and other regions who came to work on sugar plantations, has evolved into what we call “local food” or Hawai‘i food, distinct from Hawaiian food, also known as “native” cuisine.

It might seem overwhelming, but here’s a quick overview to help you get acquainted with basics like laulau and loco moco, as well as the difference between Spam and ham.

Traditional Hawaiian Cuisine

The islands were first settled by Polynesians around 1,000 years ago. These early navigators equipped their canoes with essentials such as pigs, chickens, dogs, and plants for cultivating taro, sweet potatoes, breadfruit, bananas, coconuts, and sugarcane. These ingredients became integral to their agricultural system, based on the ahupua‘a—a land and sea segment providing everything needed by the ali‘i (chief) and their people, from fish to fresh water. Central to their diet was poi—taro mashed with a lava rock and mixed with water—alongside sweet potatoes, breadfruit, various seaweeds, fruits, and fish, either raw, dried, or steamed.

Today, Hawaiian cuisine often refers to a select few dishes made by local restaurants and home cooks, influenced by modern tastes and historical changes but still distinctly Hawaiian. Traditional kālua pig, once cooked in an imu (an underground pit with hot lava rocks), is now frequently prepared with Liquid Smoke in an oven. Laulau (pork, chicken, or fish wrapped in taro leaves and steamed) which was once reserved for special occasions, now features prominently, while poi has shifted from a main dish to a side that complements kālua pig.

Pipikaula at Helena’s Bill Addison

A typical Hawaiian feast today involves a mix of sides: Chinese-inspired soupy chicken long rice, vibrant lomi salmon, chewy pipikaula strips, a square of haupia (a creamy coconut dessert similar to Jell-O), and a scoop of white Japanese rice. While commercially available poi, laulau, and kālua pig remain popular in stores, finding them in traditional dining settings is becoming rarer as Hawaiian restaurant owners retire. For example, in August 2017, the renowned Ono Hawaiian Foods closed, serving its final bowl of squid lū‘au (a taro leaf stew with coconut milk and calamari) as the owners prepared to retire.

Fortunately, some establishments have passed into the hands of a new generation: Young’s Fish Market, which started as a fish market in 1951 and has since expanded to offer Hawaiian dishes, now serves poke bowls and sea asparagus salad alongside kālua pig plates. Yama’s Fish Market is renowned for its laulau plates and has also gained fame for its outstanding desserts, such as haupia layered with sweet potato puree on a shortbread crust. Additionally, renewed interest in traditional food practices has led to a resurgence in taro farming and the traditional making of poi and pa‘i ‘ai (pounded taro before water is added), available across the islands from companies like Mana Ai, Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, and even Whole Foods.

Serving kālua pig cooked in an imu:

• Haili’s Hawaiian Foods | 760 Palani Avenue, Honolulu | (808) 735-8019
• Helena’s Hawaiian Food | 1240 N. School Street, Honolulu | (808) 845-8044 | helenashawaiianfood.com

Serving kālua pig cooked in an oven:

• Yama’s Fish Market | 2332 Young Street, Honolulu | (808) 941-9994 | yamasfishmarket.com
• Young’s Fish Market | 1286 Kalani Street, Honolulu | (808) 841-4885 | youngsfishmarket.com

Classic Local Fare

Established in 1966, Meg’s Drive-In is a nostalgic fast-food spot located in Kalihi. This diner-style Mytoury offers a quintessential plate-lunch experience with a diverse menu blending traditional American fare and a variety of immigrant influences: $2 burgers, mochiko chicken, grilled mahimahi, chili spaghetti, liver with bacon and onions, stuffed cabbage, sweet and sour pork, pork adobo, loco moco (a hearty mound of rice, hamburger patty, and fried egg smothered in brown gravy), and a Hawaiian plate featuring a comforting beef stew with potatoes and carrots, reminiscent of a diner in Wyoming. This extensive menu reflects the history of labor in Hawai‘i through its culinary diversity.

In 1852, the first wave of contract laborers from China arrived to work on sugarcane plantations. After completing their five-year contracts, they settled in towns, and this pattern continued until the local establishment grew wary of the imported labor force. Consequently, a constantly changing mix of Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Puerto Rican, and Filipino workers was brought in. According to legend, these workers would share their meals during breaks, introducing each other to new flavors and cuisines.

Saimin at Sekiya in Honolulu Hillary Dixler Canavan

Food writer and historian Wanda Adams highlights in The Island Plate: 150 Years of Recipes and Food Lore from The Honolulu Advertiser that plantation managers segregated work crews by ethnicity. Each group held onto their traditional foods tightly, creating a situation where cross-cultural culinary exchanges were limited. However, early food entrepreneurs, particularly Japanese, played a significant role in developing Hawai‘i’s unique culinary fusion by catering to a diverse clientele. This cultural blend is also evident in the plate lunch, essentially a reimagined bento box.

Although Japanese cuisine largely influences the plate lunch format — with its sticky short-grain rice and frequent use of teriyaki sauce — you can experience a global mix within this dish. Filipino lechon, Chinese char siu, Korean kalbi, and Portuguese vinha d’alhos, all adapted through a Western perspective of assimilation, come together to define local food in Hawai‘i.

• Rainbow Drive-In | 3380 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu | (808) 737-0177 | rainbowdrivein.com
• Meg’s Drive-In | 743 Waiakamilo Road, Honolulu | (808) 845-3943 | facebook.com/MegsDriveIn

Modern Local Cuisine

In recent years, Hawai‘i’s top contemporary chefs have gained recognition by elevating local food. This trend began with pioneers like Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi, who spearheaded the Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine movement in 1991. Before ‘farm to table’ became popular, this movement championed the use of local ingredients such as ‘ōpakapaka (pink snapper), tropical fruits like mangoes, and island-raised beef, presented with gourmet techniques. Wong’s signature dish, “Da Bag,” was a creative twist on laulau — a puffed foil packet filled with kālua pig, Manila clams, spinach, and tomatoes, using a technique he mastered at New York’s renowned Lutèce.

Much like Wong, many of Hawai‘i’s new wave chefs have trained at prestigious culinary schools and worked in some of the world’s top restaurants. Others, like Kevin Lee of Pai Honolulu, come from afar, attracted by the islands’ vibrant food scene and unique ingredients. What unites them is the concept of ‘āina — often translated as “the land,” but encompassing a deeper, more profound essence that nourishes and inspires us daily.

Pork belly garlic noodles from Tin Roof Bill Addison

Recently, Sheldon Simeon, a former Top Chef contestant and host of Dinogo Cooking in America, transitioned from his restaurant Migrant at Maui’s Wailea Beach Marriott to open Tin Roof 15 miles away in Kahului. This new location reflects the working-class essence of the island, contrasting with its many transient urban residents. Tin Roof pays tribute to the humble plantation homes of earlier generations. Situated in a strip mall, this takeout spot specializes in one-bowl meals, or “kau kau tins,” named after the metal containers used by plantation workers for their lunches. Simeon’s take on the beloved Japanese mochiko chicken involves a meticulous process of marinating the chicken overnight in a blend of ginger, sake, and shoyu, followed by a double frying. The dish is then served over rice, topped with miso sauce, gochujang aioli, pickled daikon, shredded nori, and diced green onions. Through this dish, Simeon bridges his own plantation heritage with a blend of Japanese and Korean culinary influences, offering a taste of both traditional and contemporary flavors.

As immigration to Hawai‘i persists, fresh flavors are continually introduced to the local culinary landscape. Chef Andrew Le of The Pig and the Lady, born on O‘ahu to first-generation Vietnamese immigrants, merges his Southeast Asian roots with his formal training from the CIA. His dishes include kampachi sashimi enhanced with fermented shrimp and banana blossom, and a pork chop glazed with black garlic char siu sauce. (Note: Dinogo Guide to Hawai‘i consulting editor Martha Cheng initially helped launch the restaurant’s first pop-up with Le, but does not have a stake in his current ventures.)

New arrivals like Tokyo sushi master Keiji Nakazawa find fresh inspiration in Hawaiian and local cuisines. Known for his Edomae sushi, Nakazawa came to Hawai‘i to challenge himself with new fish and ingredients. At his exclusive $300, 10-seat restaurant Sushi Sho, he serves a diminutive “laulau” made with opah cheek and salmon wrapped in lū‘au leaves. Similarly, Chef Lee Anne Wong, a New Yorker and former Top Chef contestant who now resides in O‘ahu, creates multicultural dishes like “Breakfast Bibimbap,” which features bacon, Portuguese sausage, ham, kimchi, soy-mirin shiitake mushrooms, and ong choy, all topped with a sunny-side-up egg on garlic rice at her Koko Head Cafe.

Increasingly, Hawai‘i chefs such as Ed Kenney and Mark Noguchi are stepping beyond traditional local cooking to address food security issues. Kenney combines his culinary skills with his personal history in the PBS series Family Ingredients, where he explores local dishes’ origins. His journey has taken him to destinations like Okinawa, Puerto Rico, and Tahiti, the final stop on the migration route of the first Polynesians to Hawai‘i. These pioneering voyagers might be astonished by the evolution of their canoe plants but even more so by their ongoing influence on the islands’ culinary innovation.

• Tin Roof | 360 Papa Place, Kahului, Maui | tinroofmaui.com
• Koko Head Cafe | 1145 12th Avenue, Honolulu | kokoheadcafe.com
• The Pig and the Lady | 83 N. King St., Honolulu | thepigandthelady.com

Lesa Griffith is a freelance food writer from Honolulu, where she resides on the same street where she was born.