Best of HONOLULU 2022
From best Korean fried chicken to banh mi, the best way to get into pickleball to best beach blanket, we pulled together the top food, fitness, shopping, services and family-friendly picks.
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Martha Cheng is the former Dining Editor for HONOLULU Magazine. She also writes for publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Food and Wine, and Eater. In past lives, she was a line cook, food truck owner, Peace Corps volunteer and Google techie and has degrees in Computer Science and English from Wellesley College. She really likes listing things. More than a decade ago, she came to Honolulu for a boy and stayed for the people and ocean. She was born in San Francisco but prefers surfing in Hawai‘i.
From best Korean fried chicken to banh mi, the best way to get into pickleball to best beach blanket, we pulled together the top food, fitness, shopping, services and family-friendly picks.
No Hawaiian has done as much repatriation work as Edward Halealoha Ayau, who has been bringing back Native Hawaiian human remains for more than 30 years.
The Albizia Project uses a highly invasive tree and its wood to create designs and surfboards the old-school way.
Our writers select the dishes and drinks around Honolulu and beyond that we crave.
Where a dining editor goes for all things cake and bread and pie.
Congrats to America’s Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific!
The community cafe at Kokua Kalihi Valley offers ever-changing menus reflecting the seasons.
Stir butterfly ginger blossom syrup into soda water and transport yourself into a Hawai‘i forest, sultry with the scent of tropical flowers after a warm rain.
A new owner brings The Cookie Lady’s crisp and light cookies, born in Waipahu, to 808 Center in Honolulu.
A snapshot of where HONOLULU Magazine’s Martha Cheng has been eating lately.
While waiting for a full recovery, HONOLULU Magazine’s dining editor discovers a world beyond taste.
First we reviewed the still-evolving pan-fried soup buns. Now, xiao long bao: Too thick or too thin or just different?
Pho Que Huong’s 113-item menu has Vietnamese dishes found nowhere else in Honolulu.
But are they worth the price tag?
This hole-in-the-wall serves a diverse (and vegan) menu of classic Vietnamese noodle soups and dishes.
Plus, limited-edition flavors drop every Wednesday. Past hits: pumpkin crunch and banana cream pie.
Jason Peel, who’s opened restaurants for other chefs, opens the first one of his own, what will become a seafood and vegetable focused izakaya.
Find sourdough, brioche donuts and tarts at this new farmers market find and pop-up.
For the ultimate comfort food, we turn to our Hale ‘Aina winners for Hawaiian dishes passed down through generations as well as some sweet spins on a classic favorite.
Whether your friends and family are naughty or love spice, you’ll find the right gift for everyone with great taste on your list.
Whether your friends and family are naughty or love spice, you’ll find the right gift for everyone with great taste on your list.
Find them in flavors of li hing pineapple, ginger and mocha chocolate.
Shade of the Century: Come for the tree, stay for the food.
Post a photo of your ta‘ape dish, and win a gift card of up to $400 to your favorite local tackle shop, restaurant or fish market.
The Country Eatery offers coffee, fresh juices and healthy plates. But meat eaters are welcome, too.
We asked our readers and searched the island for the best of everything—locally-made light beer to locally-grown açaí, sushi cake to soufflé pancakes, sherbet to taro doughnuts—all so you can live better in Honolulu.
Milk a goat on the farm tour and then try all things goat milk, from guava and liliko‘i gelato to gouda.
Beyond Pastry Studio has opened in downtown Honolulu with ube ensaymadas, mango pineapple Spanish rolls and more.
Justin Park’s cocktails bring additional layers of complexity and delight to Ki Chung’s dishes.
Three years in the making, Anthony Rush and Katherine Nomura’s cocktail bar is a gem worthy of a splurge.
Venture into the outrageous and delightful modern boba world of butterscotch foam, crème brûlée topping, soursop, purple rice and so much more.
Don’t expect a second Bar Leather Apron at this new bar by Justin Park and Tom Park.
TK Yamada, who spent more than a decade working and roasting for other cafés, now has his own spot with an extraordinarily pleasant lānai.
We’re all about deals, and after months of takeout, if it comes with elevated ambience and unexpected finesse, even better.
Three years in the making, Anthony Rush and Katherine Nomura plan on opening Podmore, a cocktail bar and brunch spot, in mid-August.
For the love of ‘ahi, stop buying previously frozen ‘ahi poke.