Hawai`i {What to Eat}

1/4/2019

Hawai`i was my home for 5.5 years. The Aloha State is abundantly gorgeous, the weather is nearly perfect, and the aloha spirit is truly unique.

My nieces are NOW visiting Hawai`i for their very first time, they arrived last night. I've finally gathered my thoughts and photos to create something useful for them, and for you, if you're planning a visit to Hawai`i. Enjoy this third of three posts on Hawai`i: {What to Eat}, {What to See}, {What to Say}.

Here we are, post three of three. My girls are now on Oahu and have been asking for this post! I'm feeling sad to not be there and very hungry, after reliving all of these delicious foods, but so happy to finally have made this list!

ENJOY Hawai`i, Morgan, Mackenzie, and Marissa, try as many of these as you can find.

Leonard's Bakery - the best spot for malasadas

Malasadas

Malasadas are Portuguese donuts. Portuguese bakers originally made malasadas on Fat Tuesday as a way to use up their remaining lard and sugar before Lent! Malasadas don't have a hole in the middle like other donuts. They can be made two different ways, both of which are great:

rolled in sugar, cinnamon sugar or li hing powder (which is sweet and sour flavor made from fried pickled plums)
filled with various custard flavors (like chocolate, coconut, macadamia nut, etc).

I always have at least two: always a li hing and one with custard - typically chocolate. Get malasadas for breakfast (daily?), a snack, dessert, or buy a few dozen and live on them alone until you can't stand it anymore!

Where to find malasadas: Leonard’s is my favorite place to get malasadas. Leonards is open all day, but lines get VERY long in the mid/late morning. There are many other bakeries on Oahu that make malasadas, as well.

Foodland

Foodland is a local chain of grocery stores in Hawai`i. Foodland stores have all of the good local foods and so much fresh, local produce. Here's your grocery list:

Pineapple, papaya, and mango. These will be better than any tropical fruit you've had before on the mainland. Hawai`i grown pineapples typically stay in-state and taste sweeter and less tart than others.
Poke. Poke (pronounced like okay, with a p first) is raw, fresh fish that’s seasoned and served with rice. It's a cool and refreshing snack or meal. Foodland sells many types and you can get rice from the hot bar for an immediate meal to-go!
Butter mochi. This sweet treat is like a cross between brownies and cake. It's a little less sweet than most desserts and the texture is similar to a chewy brownie due to the mochi (rice) flour.
All of the reusable bags! Foodland has the CUTEST reusable grocery bags which highlight Hawai`i's local foods with cute cartoons and bright colors. They're the cheapest souveniers and my favorite way to incorporate Hawai`i into my everyday life at home.
Juice. Try Hawai`i's favorite "juice" aka Hawaiian Sun fruit drinks. Flavors include any combination of: green tea, iced tea, pineapple, orange, lilikoi, mango, lychee, strawberry, guava, etc.
Coffee and tea. Many Foodland stores have a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf store inside, which we don't have where we live, so I enjoy as many iced coffees in warm weather as I can. There's a Foodland just around the corner from Leonard's Bakery (see above for malasadas) so you can very easily have a perfect donut + coffee combo in Hawai`i. WHAT IS BETTER THAN THAT? k thanks bye.

A Foodland haul: macadamia nuts galore and a nice, big serving of butter mochi

Spam. Hawai`i really loves Spam. Spam and eggs for breakfast is a great way to try the salty, local specialty. You can find Spam and eggs and any proper restaurant and at Burger King and McDonalds locations on island!

The most popular way to eat Spam is a Spam Musubi. That's Spam stacked on top of a sticky rice square and fastened with a seaweed paper wrap. It's like sushi made with Spam and the official island best musubi is from 7-Eleven! My husband tries to eat one every day for breakfast when we visit!

Dole Whip. Pineapple soft serve ice cream tastes even better than it sounds. Visit the Dole Plantation for this delicious cool treat. You can walk right into the plantation's building, going straight through the gift shop to the cafe in the back. You can get Dole Whip in a cup, cone, or in a pineapple shell. You can make a float, top your Dole Whip with coconut flakes or that delicious li hing that's also on malasadas (hint: do this!), or just leave it plain. You can sit outside and enjoy your Dole Whip, people watch, and see the baby pineapples growing. (There is an option to pay to see and do more at the Dole Plantation like riding the train and/or visiting the pineapple maze, although I never have.) You may have seen Dole Whip at Disneyland in California and/or Walt Disney World in Florida, as well.

Maui Mike’s chicken. I doubt that this is a local specialty of any sort, but Maui Mike's is the best chicken I've ever had. The Wahiawa location isn't convenient to Waikiki or Honolulu, but it's not too far from the Dole Plantation or the North Shore of Oahu. Stop by for a few Maui Wowie Melt Sandwiches before or after a beach day and you'll be so glad you did! The chicken is so tender, juicy, and flavorful and served on a soft roll with plenty of cheese.

[Here's my disclaimer: While I am a pescatarian (one who eats fish but no other meat or poultry) I do eat probably 10 bites of meat throughout the year. I select these moments and bites very carefully. It's always something that's absolutely worth it, like one of my Mom's homemade meatballs, a perfect slice of prosciutto from the Italian market, etc. These bites typically are just one at a time. Last year I went to Maui Mike's and had two HUGE bites of their delicious sandwich. I regret nothing and will do so again next time I visit! End disclaimer.]

Macadamia nuts. Find these little babies covered in chocolate, toffee, garlic and salt, and more at every store and gift shop. They're one of Hawai`i's best snacks. If you're feeling very, VERY hungry, visit Mac 24/7 (restaurant) in Waikiki for 5 pounds and $25 worth of pancakes. Order the 'Hawai`ian Kine' for flapjacks topped with pineapple, macadamia nuts, and haupia (coconut).

Loco Moco. This savory and huge meal will satisfy your stomach and soul. It's a bed of rice topped with a burger patty, fried eggs, and brown gravy. It is usually breakfast but don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want!

Shave ice. This cold treat is just like a snow cone but with better ice and better flavors. As we discussed in Hawai`i {What to Say} it is called shave ice, not shaved, and you can pick your flavor combinations made with some of Hawai`i's best fruit flavors. Shave ice is served all over Hawai`i and every place has a different combination of flavors. Try them all!

Shrimp trucks. Also on Oahu's North Shore you'll find a handful of roadside trucks serving shrimp. Pull over, get in the line, order the biggest and most garlicky prawns, pick off their cooked little shells and heads, use plenty of napkins and wipes, and enjoy the best shrimp you'll ever have. There are, of course, smaller and safer options that come without shells and/or heads if you're feeling less adventurous.

Liliha Bakery’s coco puffs. There's a little bakery near downtown Honolulu where you can get the best, sweetest, most decadent little coco puff you've ever imagined. Liliha Bakery has filled puffs of several flavors, but coco are their claim to fame. If you have time, and the appetite, sit and eat at their counter and make sure to try a sweet roll with their hot pink guava jam!

Diamond Head Market's blueberry cream cheese scones. Yeah, I have a sweet tooth, could you tell? Behind the Diamond Head crater is a little neighborhood that's hiding these little gems. Stop into Diamond Head Market for as many blueberry cream cheese scones that you can carry or fit into your beach bag. They're pretty large, for a scone, and filled with juicy blueberries and generous pockets of cream cheese, then topped with bug sugar crystals.

Hawaiian Food. This is a whole category of it's own, for the adventurous eaters. My favorite Hawai`ian restaurant closed but you can find many on-island, if you're looking! If you go to a luau, you'll see all of the staples like lau lau, poi, mac salad, chicken long rice, haupia, and taro bread. Restaurants will have something like a Hawai`ian plate which will have many items for you to try!

Leonard's Bakery - the best spot for malasadas

Leonard's Bakery - the menu. If you go in the mid/late morning the line can be very long so you'll have plenty of time to decide what to get!

Leonard's Bakery - their signature pink packaging is unmistakable

Leonard's Bakery - here's half a dozen malasadas. The top right one is slightly red, that's li hing! The four lower ones are all (filled) malasada puffs.