The Most Scrumptious American in Honolulu

Cindy's Place

★★★★☆ 3.9 (7)

"Walked in nice not to crazy place to watch a game. The atmosphere is so nice. Workers are so friends and service was great I would defiantly recommend this place to others and the food is amazing I loved every bit of it."

Maui Mike's Fire-Roasted Chicken

★★★★☆ 4.4 • $$

"Super delicious chicken and sweet potato fries!!! Totally worth the drive from town!! Item 1 The Quarter Chicken Item 2 The Half Chicken Item 3 Shredded Breast are gluten free.The fries are fried in a dedicated fryer and are gluten free, unconfirmed gf status for the Cajun fries. They will investigate. The service is super friendly and helpful.And the food is so good, it's going to be one of my regular spots when I'm in this neck of the woods and craving some sweet potato fries +$1 and chicken, which is fresh natural premium chicken which is not frozen, hormone and injection free. I was told the owner likes to answer questions so feel free to reach out to them on their website. Provecho!"

Kua' Aina Sandwich

★★★★☆ 4 (787) • $$

"As I started writing this review, I realized that all of the 3 photos I've posted so far are of the avocado burger, so I wonder if you can guess my go-to order here? LOL I do also get fries every time but for some reason never took photos of those.Burgers can be ordered 1/2 or 1/3 pound and by default come with a kaiser roll, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. But you could also get wheat or rye bread. The burgers are delicious, although you need to be able to handle messy burgers that are taller than they are wide. I recommend ordering to go even if you dine in, because then your burger comes wrapped in foil which is convenient for keeping your hands dry while eating! There are also paper towel rolls at every table and a bathroom around back to wash your hands though.The fries are shoestring fries, which are tasty and not so common, so they're nice to get.I've also tried the grilled fish sandwich (very good) and pastrami sandwich (not bad). The fish available will usually be ahi, but mahi and ono are also possibilities according to the menu.There are lots of inside tables and some outside tables. It's pretty cold inside so I opt for outside when available.Finally, parking: there's a handful of stalls in the front and more in a small lot in the back."

Hannara Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (392) • $$

"Simple, satisfying, affordable diner food! The breakfast joints in Kapolei are all easily $20-$30 per plate for breakfast ($30 for walk up ordering?!?). If you're on vacation then one of those places will probably deliver the experience you want like knock your socks off unique dishes, and special pancakes with all the tropical sauces, etc.But for locals, I just don't want to pay an arm and a leg to get solid tasty food. Hannara is that dependable, tasty diner food where they have a huge menu, booths, and super friendly service. The food comes out super hot and cooked to however you like. For breakfast, their Banana pancakes were honestly better than many national chains. Best part is that everything was reasonably priced $12 for my hotcakes combo plate, same for burger and fries. Katsu plate is HUGE. So much good food coming out, can't wait to try more!"

Kailua Town Pub & Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (528) • $$

"A Thursday afternoon and the place filled up quickly as the Pau Hana mode approached. Bloody Mary and tapped beer were all refreshing. Fish and Chips remains high on the must have list! Burger was an outstanding choice, big, thick and juicy. The Rueben also pleased my new guest. Glad to see a key business thriving once again! Service was very good and kudos to the very busy bartender!"

The Flying Leatherneck Inn

★★★★☆ 3.6 (7) • $

"This place rocks. Probably one of the top 5 restaurants on a military base. Fresh ingredients, amazingly diverse menu and just tasty food. I had both the dragon salad (spicy steak) and the chicken Caesar. The lettuce is fresh and the greens on the dragon salad were diverse and colorful (not the iceberg only you would expect). It's located in the passenger terminal with lots of parking. The staff were friendly. Well done."

Kenekes Waimanalo

★★★★☆ 3.7 (530) • $

"Broke da moufWat moa neeed b saidShoyu chicken da bombAnd get unreo lunch kine specialz"

Ruby Tuesday Moanalua

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (782) • $$

"This is a 3 star place with excellent service - getting it bumped up.Our server was professional, polite, and on top of his game.Food was good. I didn't walk away craving to come back. Plenty of seating, a salad bar that I didn't partake in. I went to look at it and it was low end. Also easy parking - especially if you are planning to head to the navy exchange/commissary"

Keneke's Grill at Punaluu

★★★★☆ 3.6 (312) • $

"My wife and I were on vacation and had already been on the island for a few days. We stopped at the "original" Keneke's but they said they didn't have any garlic shrimp. We decided to continue our counter-clockwise drive around the island and stopped at this location. There was plenty of open parking on a fairly rainy Tuesday, and there weren't many other people there. We later found out that the other people there were ordering wedding food as this place does catering as well. We ordered the garlic shrimp plate with fries to split and got a couple of drinks. I have to downgrade this place by a star due to whatever mess they had going on at the drink counter. I'm not sure exactly what it was but it looked like it hadn't been thoroughly cleaned in a while. Everything else about the place seemed clean though. When the food arrived, I thought they had thrown a bunch of rice over our shrimp and fries. I soon realized it was minced garlic piled high in the plate. I thought it was delicious. My wife said it was the best meal of our 12 day vacation. I strongly recommend the food, but I hope they clean up whatever was going on at the back of the drink counter."

Bibas Courtyard Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (383) • $$

"Had a lovely dining experience at the Bibas Courtyard Grill at the Hale Koa Hotel. It was my first experience there, having accompanied my dad who is a Vietnam Vet. Service was good. We didn't have reservations but we were seated immediately. Our waitress was friendly and accommodating. We ordered the Big Island Honey Glazed Garlic Salmon, the Filet Mignon, and the Flame Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Pineapplr Chimchurri Kiawe Smoked Beurre Monte. Then we shared the Mango Guava Cheesecake. Everything was delicious! The Filet Mignon was small but very tender and flavorful - loved every bite!"

The Local

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (263) • $$

"Decent brews and grub at the airport. A bit pricey but you do have a food court next door if you're on a budget. I detest QR code menus and ordering but the friendly waitress was able to take our order the old fashioned way. Decent Bloody Mary, burger and fries."

Uncle's Fish Market & Grill

★★★★☆ 3.7 (949) • $$

"06.19.2021 - I can't believe I didn't write a review here. It was so memorable taking my boyfriend in for Fathers Day dinner. My boyfriend is a fisherman and he really loves the aesthetics of the restaurant. Everything was fisherman theme. Wall to wall fisherman's dream. We ordered at the time the Deep Fried Calamari Steak, Miso Butterfish, Seafood Grill Swordfish. For dessert we had the Japanese Cheesecake with Haupia Ice Cream. Everything was delicious! ONOLICIOUS GOOD! IT WASa memorable time for us. Would love to return to try the other dishes."

Denny’s

★★★☆☆ 3 (24)

"Fastest dennys ever. Came here for quick brunch. They sat us quickly, took our order & served our food super quickly. Would recommend if you are looking to avoid tourist & grab a quick bite."

Ali'i Bar and Grill

★★★★★ 5 (6)

"Drinks 5/5Got the margarita, just strong enough to not taste too much tequila, which is how i like itService 5/5 Friendliest bartender ever, super caring. She gave us free popcorn to snack on with our drinks Ambiance 4/5Super chill bar inside the hotel space, clean and dimly lit for good ambiance"

Nancy's Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (322) • $$

"We did happy hour here the day before NYE so thankfully the place was relatively empty the whole night. Got a whole bunch of dishes off their pupu menu and a bunch of drinks. Service was quick and friendly. Food was pretty good with the garlic Frings (fries and onion rings) and the won ton being our faves."

Sugar Factory

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (335)

"In short, all Sugar Factories are not created equally. I prefer the Las Vegas Strip Sugar Factory over the Honolulu Sugar Factory.We were greeted almost immediately upon walking into the restaurant and seated within minutes. Great! We were seated at our table for almost 20 minutes before the hostess who seated us asked if we've been helped yet. She apologized and then minutes later, our server came to our table letting us know that she didn't know this was her table. Not so great.For the duration of our visit, we experienced the same slow service with no sense of urgency whatsoever. While we waited for our food, I went over to peruse the candy shop. Be forewarned, it's more of a candy corner with two shelves of candy, unlike their store on the Las Vegas strip that boasts dozens of square feet of candy shelves and displays.The food? Overall ok. We ordered an appetizer platter, clubhouse sandwich, and Birria tacos. The sampler platter comes with onion rings, chicken tenders, mac and cheese pops, and buffalo wings. We substituted the wings for more onion rings. The mac and cheese pops were generously portioned. The surprise hero was the chicken tenders. Most places get this wrong, 9 times outta 10. The chicken is usually dried out, overcooked, and you have to try to salvage it with the dipping sauce. To my surprise, their chicken tenders were moist on the inside and extra crispy and flavorful on the outside. I dipped it in the ranch sauce it was accompanied with, but it wasn't really necessary.I opted for the Birria Tacos knowing that Sugar Factory isn't an authentic Mexican restaurant, but I was in the mood for it. The dish came with three tacos alongside of sour cream, birria sauce and a really tiny portion of Mexican rice and beans. Tiny as in, I wouldn't be surprised if I got a tablespoon each of rice and beans tiny. They were generous with the meat, which fell out of each taco as I ate them. The flavor was good.The bar is pretty impressive with shelves lined with drinks that run all the way up to the ceiling. After all, they're known for their goblet drinks. Goblet drinks run $42 each ($32 for non-alcoholic) and many are designed and tasted by a celebrity. For example, the Strawberry Lemonade Smash was designed and tasted by Snoop Dogg. Other specialty drinks include martinis and margaritas. Lots to choose from.The ambiance is bright, hip, and the restaurant is endorsed by celebrities. The cover of the menu is covered with headshots of the Kardashians, Bruno Mars, 50 Cent, and more. On one side of the restaurant, a large TV screen replays celebrities dining at Sugar Factories across the nation. Maybe I would've had a better experience if I had tried one of their dozens of oversized drinks or generously portioned desserts, but because of the slow service, I was over it. If we decide to dine there again, I'll make sure we're not hungry to begin with since the speed of service expectation has been set for us at such a low bar."

The Grove Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 (155) • $$

"I did not get any pics of my food, I dug right in, but I did get video of restaurant. The restaurant is poolside; views are amazing. Everyone was super friendly and helpful.I ordered the sesame glazed wings which had a good flavor, glaze tasted like teriyaki.I also ordered the poké nachos which I did not care for, my significant other did like them."

Side Pocket

★★★★☆ 4.3 (8)

"Service was awesome. Liked the open feel of this place and it is well lit not like other dark bars in kalihi. The BEST shrimp tempura on island!"

Queen St Cafe & Grill

★★★★☆ 4.3 (750) • $$

"Located next to Dipped by Dee's in Aiea. Lots of parking outside of Queen Street Cafe and Grill. I got the shrimp... super yummy!The service was great, as I entered the Aunty took my order and gave suggestions on what to order. I didnt realize a lot of people come here."

Cafe Haleiwa

★★★★☆ 3.8 (669) • $$

"When any of my family visit from the mainland they ALL want to hit this friendly joint for brunch a couple of times. What's not to love? Delicious food, daily specials, good drip coffee, superior service, a pleasant island atmosphere, and AMPLE PARKING right in Haleiwa.If they have anything "benedict" when you visit, try it, their hollendaise sauce is on point. Ditto anything with green sauce like their huevos rancheros."

Dewar's Clubhouse

★★☆☆☆ 2.2 (41) • $$

"A trap for those who are waiting for their delayed flights especially when the 2013 Finals game is on. Rachel the bar tender is great, half off of any shots after a certain time."

Lahaina Chicken

★★★★☆ 3.6 (264) • $$

"Where at the Honolulu airport can one meal feed two starving adults? .We had gotten up at 530am to catch a 730am Uber to San Francisco Airport for a 945am flight to Honolulu. Arrived at 145pm Honolulu time or 345pm California time having had only a breakfast bowl on Alaska Airlines. Two starving adults. Line at the Lahaina chicken at Honolulu airport. Needed to keep my blood sugar from spiking, so no corn, no white rice, no mashed potatoes, and no fried chicken. Ordered the $18.99 roast pork combo, with green beans, peas-carrots, and salad, with ranch dressing, for the wife and I.Service is immediate, as all vegetables sitting in vats of hot water, with the meat on the cutting board. You go through a line at the counter, picking out your food as you go. No table service. The green beans were tasteless, and on the mushy side, sitting too long in the hot water vat, and needed some salt. Cooked Green Giant canned green beans would have been an improvement.The peas-carrots were decent, temperature hot, firm and tasty. Salad was fresh and not wilted. The pork was warm, tender, tasty and delicious, with minimal grist and minimal fat. About the same price as the Ala Moana branch of Lahaina Chicken, so minimal airport surcharge.Didn't order any rotisserie chicken as we would be catching a 345pm flight to Lihue Kauai, picking up our rental car by 545pm, stopping by for a 48 oz $4.99 Costco chicken at around 615pm, before arriving at our timeshare in Poipu Kauai to eat at 7pm, or 9pm California time. The Longest Day."

The Social Honolulu

★★★★☆ 4 (390) • $$

"Always a chill, but fun night at the social! I love the atmosphere & happy hour. The food is okay, we thought the Brussels sprouts were a little salty for our taste, but overall enjoyed the meal! Our waitress was so sweet & we had a great night. Also that mai tai is huge haha."

Pho 27 Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (56) • $$

"Sometimes you just need a quick in-and-out type of eatery that has plenty of parking, lots of seating and decent food. It separates itself from other Pho joints because you don't have to look for street parking or look for parking in some overcrowded pay lot like their nearby neighbor down the street in Kaimuki. The Kaimuki plaza always has ample parking on the upper deck. I walk right in and get my Pho fix in less than 20 minutes. Sometimes if I hit this place solo, it's okay. They have a big screen TV streaming the Food Network to keep me entertained. I always go with the Pho Tai and sometimes with company, we share some spring rolls. It's really hard to screw up Pho and I don't think they do a bad job here. I like that you don't get the msg high after eating like a lot of other places. It's a bit of a cleaner taste. Some people may not like that, but if you're a health nut or don't care for too much msg, then you're in luck.What's even better is that a few doors down for dessert there's the cookie corner. Get your cookie on and get your shopping done at Long's next door or Times Supermarket downstairs."

3 Star Restaurant and Catering

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (5)

"I heard ownership has changed and unfortunately, the food is not as good as before. I came here twice previously, and the chicken with pasta was excellent. But on this visit, it was really different. The sauce was creamier and more oily. Definitely not what it was before."

The Shack - Mililani

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (499) • $$

"We haven't been here in years!! Since we were around the area and was hungry, my wife wanted to eat at The Shack. Lunch time was surprisingly sparse with people. We seated ourselves, hoping someone saw us enter (they did). The waitress greeted us and was friendly. She started us with drinks. I looked around the restaurant, which looked kinda cramped with ALOT of tables and chairs kinda close together. I can only imagine when this place is packed with people. Thank God we ate at a slow time. For appetizer, we ordered the deep fried mozzarella (which was very ono). Wife ordered the pastrami rueben with tots. I had the turkey sandwich with fries. Waitress came with our food in about 20mins Which was acceptable. Food was cooked very well, and we were very pleased with this visit, and i thought The Shack was an underrated eating establishment."

The Burger Den

★☆☆☆☆ 1.3 (3)

"*Disclaimer* I ordered take out from this location near midnight, its possible this place is much better in person. I would suggest saving your money and not going here. There are so many better burger places in Oahu to spend your money at. The one upside of this place is they are open very late! The food: The burger I got was dry and had little to no sauce. The meat was bland and the bacon overcooked (albeit still good but its hard to mess up bacon). The bun was mediocre and not very moist. The cheese they used was reminiscent to a kraft singles. Now I know certain other locations use that cheese too but its at-least fully melted, here it was only partially melted which added an unpleasant texture. The fries I had were thick and not crispy (albeit this could result from the take out). They also were not well salted so they were bland.The one upside is they have large portions compared to other burger locations if you want more bang for your buck with a loss in flavor.Usually I would write more in reviews but this place was just disappointing, not much else to say."

Ono Local Foods

★★★★☆ 4 (7) • $

"These guys serve a very crispy, succulent garlic chicken. I must admit I like their garlic chicken better than Sugoi's or Mitsu-Ken. You have to give these guys a try if your in Waipahu. They also opened a sports bar next to their take out restaurant."

Growler Hawaii

★★★★☆ 4 (367) • $$

"Outside of Waikiki with parking underneathThat have all the local drafts and many other taps. The food is also great. Tots poke sliders all hit home."

Kemo'o Farms Bar and Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (142) • $$

"Everyone asks me why I love this place as much as I do, and it's one of those intangibles (several, actually) that's hard to put your finger on. Is it the contrarian dive bar atmosphere but with ridiculously friendly service? The endless line of beer taps that actually house yummy beers you wouldn't expect in Wahiawa? The food that shouldn't be good, but is delicious on every level? The crowd of bikers and engineering workers in their bright yellow shirts?YES across the board. My standard is either a Sculpin or Castaway or anything else on tap and, of course, the fireball wings with an extra side of fireball sauce. Their jalapeño poppers, hummus and house salad are also good. The pupus are super reasonably priced too ($7 - $13), as are the beers ($4 - $10). You'll find a lot of people are doing mega shots, though. Not in a bad/weird way, but in an I'm-off-work way. I also love that they have pool, ring game and jukebox. You have to go down to the bar by Wilson Lake for the best view and scene. It's a decent distance from the main bar, so a lot of people miss it. Look to the left of the pizza place and go down the stairs. It honesty makes all of the difference. Best service ever - and consistent across the years! Women are nice to women (what a nice surprise). Never been there late night, so can't weigh in there. Happy hour is always happy, so that's what I'm about."

Lighthouse Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (51) • $

"Cheerful service! by Tommy LiHe said he's only been an employee for the past 6 months, but he sure doesn't act like it! So, I had to ask! Yup - he has significant experience in the Food Service industry! And - it shows! He's very personable and helpful!We dined here for breakfast after hiking the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail. The GPS directions were a bit off, but we edited it and changed the pin location, so it should be all good now.LOCATION: at the Hawaii Kai Golf Course. It's upstairs, above the pro shop.PARKING: free and plentifulAMBIANCE: casual, bright, and spacious! We liked the large windows with scenic views!FOOD: yummy! I had the Meatloaf Loco Moco - so delicious! I finished it and enjoyed every bite!I wouldn't mind returning and having other menu items! It's a drive, but it's worth it!"

Surf Bar

★★★★★ 4.9 (8)

"Fun little hang. The bar manager Sadie used to be at Smith & Kings. I love how intimate it is- just 6 seats at the bar and a bunch of loungey nooks. Good drinks. She makes a great Manhattan and they have a small -but solid- back bar. Industry discounts especially for a beer+shot. You wouldn't even think a bar would be back there, let alone a nice one as fun as this. Been a few times in the past two weeks already and I'm hooked."

Maui Mike's Fire-Roasted Chicken

★★★★☆ 4.3 (484) • $$

"Wow, what a surprise for me. I pass here all the time and finally made a stop to give it a try.The atmosphere was cozy and had a relaxing feel.I saw the owner, he was giving a little history of his restaurant to a customer. The cashier was very pleasant and gave her recommendations to try the half chicken because it came with dark and white meat.I got to say it was super good! I had a choice of starch which I chose white rice and two choices of sauce BBQ and a Teri sauce. Both had a unique taste of its own.I can't wait to come back and try different items. What a great experience."

Anna Miller's

★★★☆☆ 3.4 • $$

"I've been to Anna Millers so many times, but I somehow only have one photo of pie! Though their pies are delicious, so can you blame me? My husband and I love to come by for an afternoon treat after church on Sundays to grab coffee and pie. It always hits the spot! Sometimes we really treat ourselves and go for breakfast where you can get a delicious, homey, cozy style breakfast. The service is always quick and kind, and you never leave disappointed."

Lahaina Chicken Company

★★★★☆ 3.7 (262) • $$

"This is my go to place for one food item! I was introduced to this item by a friend over 5 years ago. I was told Lahaina Chicken Co. (LCC) had the biggest and best ever tasting chicken wings! I laughed and chuckled...from a food court vendor? No way. Well, I was proven wrong. These wings are huge! I'm not kidding. Like 3 regular sized wings into one of LCC wings. The coating on the wing is not oily. It's crispy and seasoned just right. The meat is moist and tender. The drumette portion of the wing is almost the size of a regular chicken drumstick. I order just one wing for a meal. If you're really hungry, maybe you could go for one more? And the price? Unbelievably affordable at $2.49 a wing. I hope they can stay at this price point. The pictures do not show the size well. Next time I'll place a ruler next to it. The LCC wing is on a lunch size paper plate for reference. Try it and you will not be disappointed. Service is quick and friendly here. The counters were clean when I visited. LLC is located on the street level food court by Jamba Juice. Take the lower street level escalator down from the mall level center stage area to the food court. Chicken wing 5/5 starsAmbiance: 3/5 starsService: 3/5 stars"