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10 Best Local Restaurants on Oahu You Can’t Miss

• Bryan Murphy | Certified Hawaii Travel Expert | Hawaii Vacation Planning & Travel Tips • Episode 181

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FREE Guide to the 10 Best Local Restaurants on Oahu

Looking for the best places to eat on Oahu? Beyond the resorts and chain restaurants, there are family-run spots serving dishes locals have loved for generations.

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If you’ve ever wondered where locals actually eat and how food connects you to Hawaii’s culture, this episode is for you. Skip the chains, support the community, and make your trip more authentic.

In this episode, we count down the 10 best local restaurants on Oahu you can’t miss.

👉 In this episode, you will:
•Discover which neighborhoods are home to hidden gems worth the drive.
•Learn what makes these family-run restaurants so special.
•Understand how eating local supports families and gives you a more authentic Hawaii experience.
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Scroll up ⬆️ and hit play now to hear the full countdown!

🎧Related episodes:

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🤓Chapters:

  • 2:07 Exploring the Top 10 Local Eateries
  • 5:38 Highlighting Unique Experiences
  • 10:28 Recap and Tips

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This Hawaii podcast is for travelers looking to plan a trip to Hawaii. Discover travel tips, itineraries, and traveling tips & hacks with guides to help you explore Hawaii. Whether you’re planning a Hawaii vacation to the islands, dreaming of a Hawaiian getaway, or visiting Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Oahu, or Big Island we’ll help you travel with aloha.

Edge of the Ocean, Stick Figure (w/ permission)
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181_10 Best Local Restaurants on Oahu You Can’t Miss


[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: In this episode, you'll discover the 10 best local restaurants on the island of Oahu. And these are way better than any corporate chain that you'll find in Waikiki. And why eating at one of these restaurants connects you to the culture in a way that resorts never will. You'll learn which neighborhoods to explore for hidden gems.

[00:00:18] Bryan Murphy: What makes these family run restaurants so special and how supporting them turns your trip into a more. Authentic experience on ahu.

[00:00:30] Bryan Murphy: Aloha, and welcome to Hawaii's Best, the podcast Helping Travelers Plan an unforgettable Hawaii vacation with insider tips and featuring local voices. I'm Brian Murphy, a husband Data three, and certified Hawaii destination expert. Each week I share local insights, travel tips, and up-to-date news sometimes with guests across Hawaii.

[00:00:51] Bryan Murphy: And sometimes solo all to help you plan your next trip to Hawaii.

[00:00:59] Bryan Murphy: When it comes to visiting Hawaii, aside from the attractions and the beautiful scenery of Hawaii is a where do we eat? That is a huge question. And Hawaii in particular, Oahu has some of the most amazing food that you'll probably find anywhere else. It's a unique melting pot of many different cultures.

[00:01:20] Bryan Murphy: We'll talk about some of those unique dishes, but also we'll mention where you can find authentic Hawaiian food. So if you ever have wanted to know what locals eat in Hawaii, this is an episode for you. It's not about. Those fancy resort restaurants, and I'm not even gonna call out some of them, but you know what I'm talking about.

[00:01:38] Bryan Murphy: And if you're staying in Waikiki, there's a lot of those chain corporate restaurants that, you know, some of them are good, but this isn't about that. This is about supporting local and really getting the taste of Hawaii because. I said it before that culture is food and food is culture. And this is one of the best ways to get the most out of your stay on the islands, is finding some local food spots to eat.

[00:02:02] Bryan Murphy: So these are locally owned places. Family run amazing food and.

[00:02:07] Bryan Murphy: We're gonna count down my favorite 10 spots on Oahu, and we're gonna be starting with number 10 right away and working our way up to number one. Now, if you have tried some of these spots, and maybe your number one is my number three, that's all good.

[00:02:24] Bryan Murphy: The point is, any restaurant on this top 10 is definitely. Worth trying. All right. Oh, and if you listen to episode 1 29 where I shared my top five must do experiences on Oahu, this is a great addition to that episode, and I'll be sure to link that below. Maybe you want to check that out after this episode.

[00:02:46] Bryan Murphy: What's really cool is that when you eat local, you're dollars, your money stays, right? There're in the community and for many of these places, you're tasting recipes that have been passed down by generations. So I'm gonna stop and I'm gonna try not to get too hungry as I get through this list. And let's just go ahead and let's kick this off with number 10 Countryside Cafe.

[00:03:09] Bryan Murphy: It's in Ana, which is on the west side of Oahu. If you've ever been out to Ana and you just wanted some solid breakfast, countryside Cafe is definitely, your spot is past the Colina Resort area. So once you get past that, you just pretty much, there's like one road in one road out and. Pretty immediately.

[00:03:30] Bryan Murphy: You feel that it does have more of a local vibe? Ana does. There's some great beaches out there. There's and a point, which is the furthest West point of the island. Lot of locals live out in Ana, so if you're gonna. Visit out there. Just be chill, go with the flow and you'll be just fine. Many locals love this spot, countryside Cafe, and some of the standout dishes will be the Portuguese sausage, their pancakes, loko, moko.

[00:04:00] Bryan Murphy: All of that is just good. It's super welcoming vibe. You'll just get a sense of the community while you're there. Number nine is all the way up on the other side of the island. This is seven brothers in Lae. Well, actually they have a few different locations all in the North Shore area. They have Hava and also Kahuku.

[00:04:21] Bryan Murphy: If you're in the mood for a burger, this is definitely the spot for you. They got this Terry Samoa burger, which is is huge. Portions are great. It's juicy. Definitely gonna need a lot of napkins. This is a great spot if you're heading to the beach, or even better after the beach. It's a great lunch spot.

[00:04:39] Bryan Murphy: You got multiple options if you're up on the North Shore in any of those locations are gonna be amazing. All right, number eight, switching it up a little bit, but still up on the North Shore in Hava. There's Ray's, ve and honestly, you'll probably smell this place before you see it. The wood smoke is, it's just amazing.

[00:04:57] Bryan Murphy: Ray's is a, it's a roadside setup. It's actually only open on Sunday, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If you search it on Google, it'll say that it's closed every day except for the weekends. But actually it's Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, nine 30 to four 30. It's on KA Highway in Hava. Definitely worth trying.

[00:05:18] Bryan Murphy: They also have another spot in Wahiba, which is kind of Central Oahu, and it's near the Dole Plantation. Just a short drive from that. So this place, it's like, it's no frills, it's just good food. Huli Huli chicken. It's cooked right there for you. Locals love it. They line up and visitors love it. If you happen to just stop by, give it a try.

[00:05:37] Bryan Murphy: It's a great spot.

[00:05:38] Bryan Murphy: Number seven, actually this is one of my favorite spots, is B Side Kitchen over on the. Windward side, the east side wy Manolo area. This place is great. It's unique in the best way that I can describe it. It it's tucked in a small shopping center. Honestly, if you're driving out to Wyman or if you're going over to that area, Kailua, if you blink, you kinda miss it.

[00:05:59] Bryan Murphy: But trust me, it's definitely worth the stop. We love their umami. Yeah, I think we got their umami garlic fries here. Really good. Drinks are really good. And actually I had on the owner of B Side Kitchen, episode 1 76. I'll link that below. And we talked to James Kiko who talked about how the sorcerer ingredients the start of B side kitchen, which is really cool and unique, how it started out of a pandemic era and where they are now.

[00:06:26] Bryan Murphy: Today is really a cool story. So lots of locals love it. It's got a good vibe there, so definitely check out B Side. Kitchen number six is a spot that a lot of my family loves. We tried it last time. We were on Oahu and we, and it's called Surfing Salsa. It's in Hava as well. It's got great vibes. It's kind of a food truck set up in this area.

[00:06:47] Bryan Murphy: There's picnic benches, string lights, kind of feels like a backyard vibe. We were there and it was rainy and it was. Muddy in the parking lot area. So just be aware it can get rainy up there and, and if it is just you're in Hawaii. So just something to be aware of. But there was plenty of umbrellas. We didn't get drenched or anything like that, but the food was great.

[00:07:07] Bryan Murphy: Shrimp tacos are amazing. Salsa is great. So this is definitely a, a cool spot to try and, and as you pull into the area, there's other food spots to eat around there that are just as good, but I definitely wanted to give them a shout out. And definitely recommend surf and salsa number five is over easy in Kailua.

[00:07:27] Bryan Murphy: You might remember this one from episode 1 39 when I had Heather iga, a professional photographer out on the east side of Oahu. We talked about, uh, kind of an epic one day itinerary, and this is one of the spots that we recommended over easy. It's a great breakfast spot from unique dishes to kind of traditional breakfast.

[00:07:46] Bryan Murphy: There's custard pancakes, fried rice, omelet, crispy potatoes. So just so you know though, that the weight can be long, especially on the weekends. So if you can. Make it out there on a weekday. Definitely worth the trip for sure. Or even better, maybe you head up over easy. Do that for breakfast, hanging out at Weyman Beach for the day, and then on your way back into town, you head up.

[00:08:08] Bryan Murphy: B Side Kitchen for dinner. All right, number four is Side Street Inn. This is in Kapa, Hulu. This is a spot that has really big portions, you know, big groups, big plates, amazing flavor. You got garlic fried rice, pork chops. Ribs, it's loud, it's fun, it's welcoming, and it's only a few minutes from Waikiki. So if you're staying in Waikiki, you want to eat a little bit more local, this is definitely a spot to check out.

[00:08:34] Bryan Murphy: Number three, if you're in the mood for some seafood, I can't recommend Ono seafood enough. This small restaurant is also in Honolulu. It's off of Kapa, Hulu Avenue. And if you're in the move for some E Epic poke, this is your spot. It's tiny. It's fast, and it's some of the freshest poke that you'll find really anywhere.

[00:08:53] Bryan Murphy: The Hawaiian style Ahi and the Niso Ahi are some of the best options here, but really you can't go wrong with anything that you get at Ono Seafood. They're closed Monday and Sunday, but they're open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM number two. Why Jole POI Factory in Kaneohe? This is a great spot with some really amazing history.

[00:09:17] Bryan Murphy: The building's been there for over a hundred years. It's hand pounded poi la lao Kaa Pig, and it's all rooted in Hawaiian tradition. You just order out the window, grab a seat and get to it. This is definitely a place that you can just feel the history. And really connect to the heartbeat of Oahu. And number one, in my opinion, any best local restaurants on Oahu list is not complete without Helena's Hawaiian food in Honolulu.

[00:09:46] Bryan Murphy: This spot is absolutely legendary and it's, it's good for a reason. Helena's has been serving real Hawaiian food since 1946. It's family run. They got these awards to prove all their accolades in what they're doing. But it's still super down to earth. Locals love it. Highly recommend Helena's. Some of the things I would recommend you checking out would be the pp k la shrimp, short ribs, and kaa pig lomi salmon.

[00:10:14] Bryan Murphy: Their menu is pretty simple, and they're open from Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM Definitely would highly recommend checking out Helena's if you want some authentic Hawaiian food when you're in Hawaii.

[00:10:28] Bryan Murphy: All right, so just a quick recap just in case you weren't jotting this down. I will have a guide to what I talked about and with some additional information in the first link in the show notes below.

[00:10:39] Bryan Murphy: But number one, Elena is Hawaiian food number two y Jole POI factory number three, NU seafood number four, side street inn, five, easy six, surf and salsa number seven, B side kitchen number eight, raised key of a boiled chicken. Number nine. Seven brothers. Number 10, countryside Cafe. And just a couple things to keep in mind if you're planning on visiting one of these spots is that they can be busy and if you go early or maybe during the week, you have a better chance of really experiencing the restaurant without a lot of people, but be patient by supporting these spots.

[00:11:16] Bryan Murphy: You're, you're giving back to the community and you're supporting families right there who call Oahu home. And maybe you're visiting Maui or you're island hopping to Maui. Be sure to check out our two part series on local food spots on Maui with Maui local Lisa Pierce. So I'll be sure to link all of that below and more.

[00:11:37] Bryan Murphy: And if you found this episode helpful by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify, that really just, I dunno, makes my day and it just makes me know that. You're appreciating the content that we're putting out there, so be sure to check the show notes for everything that I mentioned below.

[00:11:54] Bryan Murphy: You can give that free guide and also check out the episodes that are related to this one. All right, and until next time, as always, live with Aloha

[00:12:06] Bryan Murphy: Mala for listening to this episode of Hawaii's. Best to stay up to date on future episodes. Hit follow on your podcast app. Hawaii's Best is a production of Shore Break Media Group. With editing by easy podcast solutions and music courtesy of our friends stick figure.


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