Honolulu is the city my mom grew up in, and holds a very special place in my heart. It is also probably my favorite food city in the world. The islands’ original Polynesian residents: immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, Portugal, the Philippines, brought some of their own cultures and foods to the island. Mixed with some American influence, the Hawaiian cuisine was born. Since the chain "L & L Hawaiian BBQ" is a family business, I've grown up eating spam musubis and chicken katsu. These quintessential Hawaiian dishes have made their way to the mainland, but there's something different about eating them on the islands. From pillowy soft malasadas, to technicolor shaved ice fresh guava, melt-in-your-mouth poke to perfectly grilled garlic shrimp, I can never get enough of what the island of Oahu has to offer. I've put together a list of some of my absolute favorites. You won't find any fancy white napkin, four dollar sign restaurants here. What you will find are some quality, local-tested eats that scream Hawaii to me."
LEONARD'S BAKERY / LEONARD'S MALASADA TRUCK If you like donuts, you'll love the piping hot, pillowy soft yet chewy malasadas coming straight off the fryer at Leonard's bakery. Remember, moderation is key here. I remember when relatives used to gift us dozens of these sweet morsels right off the plane, we would gulp them up until our tummies hurt. This ruins the taste completely. Try a single classic malasada, covered in sugar, or maybe the cinnamon sugar, or split a decadent filled one (they have flavors like coconut and chocolate) with a friend. Pro-tip, if you don't want to wait in line at the original bakery, stop by one of the trucks around the island. There's never too long of a wait, and the malasadas are just as fresh.
ONO STEAKS AND SHRIMPS TRUCK If there's one place that MAY beat L&L for their plate lunches, it's going to be Ono's. A no-frills, family-owned shack on the east side of the island draws locals with a menu of traditional Hawaiian plate lunches. Try the kalbee, steak or garlic shrimp. Each protein comes with two scoops of white rice and macaroni salad, traditional hawaiian style.
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