Honolulu Chinatown Food: Markets, Lunch and Kaimuki

Honolulu Chinatown food is a morning and midday pleasure. The district, a few blocks of old buildings near the harbor, holds open-air markets, noodle shops, lei stands and small restaurants that have fed workers and neighbors for generations. A few miles east, Kaimuki is a residential neighborhood with some of the best brunch in the city.

Plan the day in order: Chinatown for open-air markets and noodles in the morning, then a ride east to Kaimuki for brunch. You can do both without a car, since buses connect the two districts.

What is Honolulu Chinatown food like?

It is varied and practical. Maunakea Marketplace, on Maunakea Street, is a two-story market of produce, seafood, meat and shops, with an inexpensive food court for an Asian or Hawaiian meal.

Chinatown is easy to walk to from almost anywhere downtown. Go in the morning, when the markets are fullest, and plan to leave before the afternoon heat.

Bring a bag, because the markets sell fruit you may not have tried: lychee, rambutan, apple bananas and starfruit appear in season. Ask the vendor how ripe a piece is and how to eat it, and you will learn more than a label can tell you. Some stalls may take cash only, so bring small bills, and ask the seller how to eat anything that looks unfamiliar.

Which Honolulu lunch spots are worth a visit?

A Honolulu lunch can be a plate lunch, a bowl of noodles, a stack of dim sum or a market sandwich. In Chinatown, small restaurants and food courts serve rice-based plates, soups and dumplings at a quick pace. The Maunakea Marketplace food court is the simplest place to start.

Local lunch customs matter. Many places serve generous portions on a plate with rice and macaroni salad, and the line moves fast. Read the menu on the wall and order with confidence.

Where can you find Honolulu bakeries?

Honolulu bakeries sell a range of treats: manapua (steamed buns filled with pork), malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts), sweet bread and butter mochi. Chinatown has Chinese bakeries with buns and pastries, and the surrounding neighborhoods have more.

Buy something to eat while you walk, and something for later. Baked goods are best on the day they are made, so plan to eat them quickly. Ask what sells out first and arrive early for that. A warm bun in a paper bag, eaten on a bench in the shade, is one of the better small pleasures of the city.

What are the best Kaimuki restaurants?

Kaimuki restaurants line Waialae Avenue and the streets beside it. It is a residential neighborhood with inventive eateries, small boutiques and old-time charm, and its island-style brunch houses are the best-known in the city.

Weekends bring long waits at popular tables, so book ahead where a place takes reservations. Parking is limited, so a bus or a ride can be easier.

Waialae Avenue is a good street for a slow afternoon. Small shops, bakeries and coffee counters sit side by side with the restaurants, and the pace is relaxed. It is a neighborhood where people live and eat, not only visit, and the staff often know the customers.

How do you eat Honolulu local food?

Honolulu local food reflects the islands' mix of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese and Korean cooks. Look for poke, laulau, kalua pig, lomi salmon, saimin, spam musubi and shave ice. A plate lunch combines meat, rice and macaroni salad, and it is the classic quick meal.

Try a bit of everything. A mixed plate lets you taste different dishes and learn what you prefer. For a fuller view of the cuisine, read the Hawaiian regional foods guide.

How do you plan a day without a car?

Start in Chinatown in the morning, taking the bus or a ride from your hotel. Walk the markets, have a late breakfast or early lunch and browse the lei stands. Take a bus or ride to Kaimuki in the afternoon for coffee or an early dinner.

Hawaii's buses cover most of the island, but they can be slow. Leave extra time and check the route before you go.

If you are walking in Chinatown, carry a bottle of water and wear a hat. The tropical sun is strong, even on cloudy days, and the old buildings offer little shade on some blocks. Duck into a market or a bakery when you need a break, and keep a few small bills handy for cash-only stands.

What else is worth eating in Hawaii?

The state has more than one island worth a trip. See Hawaii food worth a drive for shrimp trucks, island specialties and roadside stops across the state.

Where can you read more?

The US guides page lists every city in this set.

How do you keep track of island food in Honolulu?

Island food comes in many small plates. In the Mosey app you rate each manapua, plate lunch and brunch dish you try, so a warm bun from Chinatown and a stack of pancakes in Kaimuki both stay on record.

Add a tag such as Bakery, build a Honolulu list and share the invite link with the next person who asks. Rate your next plate in the Mosey app.