Best Restaurant in Hawaii (2019)

A meal at Monkeypod Kitchen is all about sharing a meal and cold beers with friends and family. The seasonal menu might include options like Kauai shrimp and mushroom potstickers, poke tacos, mahi mahi fish and chips or grilled Ahi, served alongside dozens of beers on tap.
Photo courtesy of iStock / bhofack2

Leilani's on the Beach serves Hawaiian regional cuisine using natural cuts of meat and long-line caught fish, delivered fresh each day. Produce comes from some 40 family owned Maui farms.
Photo courtesy of Raindrop Branding & Advertising

Merriman’s has long been a pioneer of Hawaiian regional cuisine and the farm-to-table movement on the Islands. The menu features 90 percent island grown and raised products for dishes like organic taro hummus, tableside poke, macadamia nut crusted fish, Keahole lobster pot pie and diver sea scallops.
Photo courtesy of Merriman's Hawaii

Duke’s is so popular in Hawaii that it’s spread to the Mainland. Menus focus on hearty comfort food with Hawaiian flavors and ingredients, with guest favorites like local Ahi poke, huli huli chicken and fresh fish caught according to the season.
Photo courtesy of Raindrop Branding & Advertising

Roy’s has been serving diners in Hawaii for three decades. Guests choose from an a la carte menu or Roy’s Classics Tasting Menu, which might include things like Szechuan baby back ribs, macadamia-crusted fish in a Kona cold lobster sauce and hot chocolate soufflé with raspberry coulis.
Photo courtesy of Roy Yamaguchi

At Star Noodle, fresh housemade noodles are the star of the show – ramen, saimin and udon noodles are all made daily in-house. Other menu options include tempura shrimp, taro dumplings, adobo pork ribs and nuoc cham wings.
Photo courtesy of iStock / artorn

This restaurant at the Moana Surfrider specializes in classic Hawaiian cuisine with a modern twist. Diners enjoy views over Waikiki Beach as they tuck into dishes like Kona lobster bisque, Ahi tuna tataki and seared day boat scallops.
Photo courtesy of Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa

Alan Wong’s flagship Honolulu restaurant calls itself a “culinary studio” for experiments in flavor and ingredients. The menu highlights Hawaiian flavors, with dishes like ginger crusted onaga with miso sesame vinaigrette, twice-cooked kalbi-style short ribs and seared boat scallops with X.O. sauce.
Photo courtesy of Alan Wong's Honolulu

The Banyan Tree at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua showcases Hawaii’s most unique and sustainable ingredients, with an emphasis on fresh caught fish and Island-grown produce. Guests can eat in the main dining room or around the fire pit for a more casual experience.
Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua

The menus at Sansei Seafood Resaurant and Sushi Bars throughout the Islands highlight fresh, local seafood. Signature items include Japanese calamari salad with a spicy gochujang vinaigrette, Asian shrimp cakes crusted with crispy Chinese noodles or whole cold water lobster tail.
Photo courtesy of Steve Brinkman