Food & Dining
Hawai‘i Cuisine: Food, Flavors, and Local Favorites
Exploring all your favorite Island dining, from cheap eats to high-end. Craving omakase? We’ve got you covered. Shave ice? Sure thing! Loco moco? Like we’d forget! We’ve got heaping bowls of poke, and acai. You’ll find pau hana deals, foodie cocktails and delicious mocktails. Of course, none of that would be possible without the chefs, bakers, and mixologists you’ll meet here. We also take you to the Hawai‘i farms that fuel our farm-to-table movement.
News
Naks Pan is a new salt bread business on Oʻahu
The home bakery specializes in shio pan, or salt bread, and cream pan. The Japanese bread rolls are available in a variety of flavors, while the cream pan buns are filled with custard. The biz will be popping up at the Taste of Aloha market on July 11.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJuly 03, 2026
Taste of Aloha is expanding to include a second market location
Taste of Aloha is currently located at Waterfront Plaza every second Saturday of the month. The market is expanding to include a second location; it will be at NEX on from 4 to 8 p.m. on July 31.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJuly 02, 2026
Feast by Jon Matsubara has a new local-style breakfast
The Mānoa eatery — known for its lobster rolls — is offering breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays. Customers can look forward to dishes like lobster omelets, salmon chazuke, "churro” French toast, kalua pig loco moco and more.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJuly 02, 2026
Local high school students learn to cook under Chef Thomas Wong
As part of a scholarship-supported summer culinary cohort at Kapi‘olani Community College’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Wong — who is from Oʻahu and is now based in California as a professor at Culinary Institute of America at Greystone — created this custom curriculum to challenge teens in an intensive five days of training. Teamwork, timeliness, organization and having a good attitude were among the lessons learned by students.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJuly 02, 2026
Masala Māya is a new concept featuring Indian dishes to-go
Chef Vikram Garg’s new to-go concept features authentic Indian flavors, including dishes like chicken curry, pork vindaloo, Goan shrimp curry and lamb rogan josh. Masala Māya is open for online ordering from Wednesdays to Sundays; customers can pick up their orders at Umi by Vikram Garg in Waikīkī or opt for delivery.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJuly 02, 2026
Zippy's Kāhala location to reopen
The restaurant will reopen next week, following four months of renovations.
Stephanie SalmonsJuly 01, 2026
The Pig & The Lady launches its summer menu
Customers can enjoy dishes featuring a variety of seasonal ingredients. Highlights include Kona kanpachi crudo, local Oʻahu farm vegetables with hummus, swordfish filet with curried corn rice, squid ink linguine and the return of the eatery’s popular mango sorbet.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJuly 01, 2026
25 things to do on Oʻahu to celebrate the semiquincentennial
Looking for ways to celebrate 250 years of the U.S. being a nation? Aloha State Daily has compiled a list of events — including firework shows — happening for the semiquincentennial. From ʻEwa Beach to Waimānalo, here are some of the events happening across the Island this weekend.
Katie HellandJuly 01, 2026
Hawaiian Airlines’ new main cabin menu launches July 1
For in-flight meals on domestic flights between Hawaiʻi and the Mainland, guests can pre-order from a menu curated by Maui-based chef Sheldon Simeon. The menu features elevated takes on local favorites and comfort foods, and features dishes like corned beef hash and eggs, banana pancakes, teriyaki cheeseburgers, crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles, and more.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJune 30, 2026
Arancino on Beachwalk has a new happy hour
The popular Italian restaurant’s new happy hour menu is exclusive to this location. It launches July 1 and will be available daily from 4 to 5 p.m. Customers can enjoy dishes like gnocchi with gorgonzola, lobster bisque, mortadella paninis and more.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJune 30, 2026
This eatery launched a $6 happy hour
Piko Kitchen + Bar in Waikīkī updated its pau hana menu to include more dishes for $6 each. Its pau hana deal is available daily from 2 to 6 p.m. Customers can enjoy options like hot honey chicken sandos and fish katsu sandos, along with $6 beers and discounted cocktails.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJune 30, 2026
Kaʻamilo Sweets is a new bake stand in ‘Aiea
Inspired by owner Tiana Pilialoha’s love for baking, the business is usually open on Wednesdays and Fridays, and sells treats like brownies, chocolate chip cookies and banana bread.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJune 29, 2026