Plate Lunch in Honolulu: What It Is and How to Order

A plate lunch is Hawaii's everyday takeout meal: one or two scoops of white rice, a scoop of creamy salad and a main dish, packed in a box or served on a plate. In Honolulu it is the working lunch of the island, and one plate can carry the cooking of several countries. Here is its history, its parts and how to order well.

What is a plate lunch, and what comes on it?

The usual parts are one or two scoops of white rice, American-style macaroni salad, later joined by cabbage, and an entree that is usually Japanese-style, such as chicken katsu or beef teriyaki, or Korean-style, such as kalbi. A mixed plate is a plate lunch with more than one entree. Side noodles such as chow mein, chow fun or saimin also appear, and so do taegu, shredded codfish, and seasoned soybean sprouts.

Think of it as a format, not a recipe. The rice and the salad stay the same; the entree is where the cook shows what the place is about. The same box can hold teriyaki one day and a roast meat the next. Take napkins, since the gravy will find your shirt, and a fork if the counter does not give one.

How did plantation workers shape the meal?

The exact origin is disputed. One theory, from University of Hawaiʻi professor Jon Okamura, is that it grew from the Japanese bento, since both are take-away meals. Recognizable plate lunches appeared in the 1880s, when fruit and sugar companies needed plantation workers from China, Japan, Portugal and the Philippines. Early plantation meals were simple: leftover rice with canned meat, teriyaki, cold meat, scrambled eggs or pickles, with almost no salad or vegetable, according to former Honolulu Advertiser food editor Kaui Philpotts.

After the plantations declined, lunch wagons served plate lunches to construction workers and day laborers. Small shops and stand-alone restaurants followed, then chains, some of which reached the mainland.

How do you order a mixed plate?

Start with the entree, then pick the sides. Choosing two or three entrees gives you a taste of each, which is a good way to sample. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Okinawan, Filipino, Portuguese, Hawaiian and American dishes all turn up on plates: katsu, kalbi, char siu pork, shoyu pork, chicken adobo, linguica, kalua pork, laulau, lomi-lomi salmon and hamburger steak with brown gravy. A hamburger steak with a fried egg on rice becomes a loco moco, which has its own regional foods guide.

Ask what the day's special is, and whether you can swap the salad for another side. Some places will give you brown rice or extra cabbage. If you are sharing, say so, because plates are generous.

What should you look for in the rice and macaroni salad?

Look at the rice first. A good scoop of rice is warm, sticky and not dry. The salad should be creamy without being soupy and should taste of mayonnaise and a little sweetness, not just salt. The entree should be hot and should not have sat in a warmer for hours: katsu should be crisp, teriyaki glossy and kalbi caramelized at the edge. Sauce on the side is a good sign.

Compare like with like. If you want to judge two places, order the same entree at both, at a similar time of day, and write down the first thing you noticed. Do not compare a hamburger steak with a katsu.

What should you ask about ingredients?

A plate lunch can contain wheat in the breading and noodles, soy in the sauces, eggs in the salad and shellfish or fish in some sides. Ask the cook what is in a sauce, and whether the fryer is shared. If you avoid pork, check the macaroni salad and rice dishes as well as the entree. Say the need first, ask how the plate is made and treat the answer as that day's information.

How can Mosey help you remember a plate?

In the Mosey app, rate the plate as a dish. Name the entree, add a tag and a photo, and note whether the rice and salad held up. Tag the friend who shared a mixed plate so each of you can add a rating of the same meal.

Start a list called Plate comparisons and send an invite link, even to a friend who has not joined Mosey yet. Follow friends to see what they rated and saved. See the ratings page for rating by the dish and the lists page for sharing.

Mosey is a food app for rating dishes, keeping lists and sharing them with friends. A place pays nothing to list, and no hidden fees sit behind it, which suits the small counters where plate lunches are made.

Where else can you read about Honolulu?

For Hawaii's other classics, see the poke guide and the Kaimuki and Chinatown guide. To plan a day, read how to find good food in Honolulu. See the Honolulu page, the Hawaii page and the US food guides.

On your next Honolulu lunch, rate the plate by name in the Mosey app and add it to a list.