When we asked our kids where they would like to go for our family vacation this year and they all said Hawaii I was as excited as a kid myself. Not that I mind Disneyland or Disney world and all of the surrounding theme parks but 5 or 6 days walking around in the heat and crowds is not a vacation to me now that I'm in my 40's. Some beach time chilling in the surf and doing a little snorkeling is more my speed now.
I have been to Oahu a few times before and this island has a very diverse eating scene. We were staying at a condo on Waikiki so I was excited to attack this area and some of its popular restaurants. Below is my list of favorite places we attacked:
Lulu's Waikiki: http://www.luluswaikiki.com/
When I saw the Magnum P.I. burger on the menu I knew this had to be my families first stop. The prices weren't too bad for Waikiki and I have brain washed my boys with my Magnum P.I. DVDs (I need to admit I wanted to be Magnum growing up). This awesome burger is huge and has bacon and guacamole on it so how can you go wrong. As you can see by my son Keaton's reaction we enjoyed our visit to Lulu's immensely. Plus it is right across from the beach...Awesome!
Cholo's Homestyle Mexican (Haleiwa): http://www.cholos.mx/
Located on the North Shore we were really happy with this recommendation from a few locals we talked to. I was worried about finding good Mexican on a tropical island especially so far from Honolulu but it was fantastic. The chips and salsa were excellent and after 3 baskets and our mouth humming from the right amount of heat in the salsa we still enjoyed our meal. I had the Mahi fish tacos and they had 4 big chunks of well seasoned mahi per taco. Can't beat fresh fish!
Matsamoto shave ice: http://www.matsumotoshaveice.com/
While your on the North Shore and if the line is not too long go get a giant shaved ice with ice cream at Matsamoto's. We lucked out one day we were up there and the line was fairly short. You cannot underestimate how good these are. They are not your normal snow cone. The ice is a lot lighter and holds the myriad of flavors so well. If the line is too long there are a couple of other shaved ice places right by Matsamoto's like Aoki's. Smiles all around!!!
Rainbow Drive-In: http://rainbowdrivein.com/
For those that have been living on Oahu for at least 50 years they will tell you about the original Honolulu drive-in. Personally I was happy to feed my family for under $50 so close to Waikiki. The Rainbow Royal burger was fantastic and I really wanted to try some of their specialty plates as well so that will be on my to-do list on my next visit.
Tiki's Grill & Bar: http://tikisgrill.com/
Another place on Waikiki beach that I wanted to try was Tiki's. It's very close to Lulu's but has a very different menu. We decided to eat our last meal on the island here and I'm glad we did. I went with the Macadamia nut crusted Mahi over orzo pasta in a mushroom cream sauce. The sweet rolls were excellent as well.
I also recommend the Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center as you have to experience one of these Hawaiian traditions while your there. The salted pulled pork from the Kalua pig is always a can't miss. Also head up to Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu just off Waikiki and get some Malasada's (Portuguese Donuts). Get the cinnamon and sugar or chocolate filled ones. YUM!
So for those of you that sent me some recommendations before we left...Mahalo! Which is Hawaiian for you ROCK!
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