Locally grown tea is a new crop for the Hawaii agriculture industry. Most of it comes from the Big Island where the east side is populated with small tea gardens that grow and process 100% Hawaii teas. You can also visit the tea gardens!
Tea room at Tea Hawaii & Company
Did you know Hawaii is one of the few places in the US that can grow tea?…
Pumpkin Crunch Bars/Cakes and Lemon Crunch Cakes are popular local desserts in Hawaii. Growing up, we ate them often at birthday parties and potlucks. Now as adults, we make it at home or buy it from local bakeries!
Pumpkin Crunch Cake from Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery (Oahu)
It’s a local favorite!…
Luau Stew is a traditional Hawaiian dish made by cooking fresh luau leaves (which come from the taro plant). Eat it with rice and/or poi! You can find luau stew plain (happens to be vegetarian), or with squid, chicken, or beef.
Luau stew served over rice, with kalua pig (aka kalua pork), ogo (seaweed), sweet potato, and ulu (breadfruit). Kulolo on the side for dessert. Iced mamaki to drink.
Luau stew is saucy, savory, and so good spooned over rice!…
Honolulu has many great dim sum options. From Jade Dynasty to Legend Seafood, Tai Pan, and Tim Ho Wan Waikiki, these are the restaurants we love to visit for dim sum.
Sesame shrimp mousse and eggplant at Jade Dynasty
Going for dim sum (aka yum cha) is a popular thing to do in Honolulu….
Poke is Hawaiian dish of diced raw ahi tuna mixed with Hawaiian sea salt, inamona (kukui nuts), and ogo (seaweed). There are many variations. Poke is so trendy now, but we ate this often growing up in Hawaii!
Big poke platter at Pono Market (Kauai)
Nothing so nice like poke and rice!…
Maguro Brothers Hawaii is a wonderful place in Honolulu for super fresh sashimi, grilled fish, and ahi poke over rice. We love this place!
King salmon sashimi on rice, add uni. Eaten in the car!
Super fresh King salmon sashimi and uni! What is this bliss?…
Mac salad is a staple side dish in Hawaii. Our version is unique to the islands, often a bit tangy and loaded with add-ins like kamaboko and ‘ulu (breadfruit).
Mac salad (with chicken katsu and rice) at Gochi Grill (Oahu)
We love to eat mac salad in Hawaii….
Opihi is a Hawaiian delicacy. It’s a limpet that lives on seaside rocks (they are notoriously hard to pry off). Remove the shell and eat them raw or cooked.
Cleaning and eating raw opihi at home
These tiny gems are often called “baby abalone.”…
Helena’s Hawaiian Food is an iconic restaurant, famous for traditional Hawaiian food. Helena’s is loved by locals and visitors. It’s a must-try when in Hawaii!
Welcome to Helena’s Hawaiian Food!…
Lau lau is a Hawaiian dish made of pork and butterfish wrapped in lu’au leaves and ti leaves. Lau lau is steamed and eaten with rice and poi. It’s a real treat!
Lau Lau at Helena’s Hawaiian Food (Oahu)
It doesn’t look like much, but lau lau is one of my favorite Hawaiian dishes….
Spam Musubi is a famous Hawaii snack made from Spam, rice, and nori. It’s portable, affordable, and tasty! It’s the most popular way to eat Spam in Hawaii.
Spam (with Egg, Avocado, and Unagi!) Musubi at Musubi Cafe Iyasume (Oahu)
What’s Hawaii’s favorite snack?…
Hawaiian Plate #7 at Yama’s Fish Market