Joana & Christopher
Things to do
Local Kine Grinds (FOOD): Our favorite morning/day spots
Cafe Kaila Hau Tree Restaurant (beach side) Island vintage cafe (great for veggie and vegan) Koko Head Cafe (Skillets, Cornflake French Toast are a must) Sweet E’s cafe Scratch Kitchen Cinnamon’s (Kailua or Waikiki) Boots and Kimo (Kailua) Miro Kaimuki Bar Podmore (snacks and amazing cocktails - great for pre or post-dinner plans - reservations required) Diamond head market and grill (take out spot, with the best desserts and blueberry cream cheese scones) The Pig and the Lady (Modern Vietnamese with great drinks and desserts) Piggy Smalls Tucker and Bevvy (take out for Waikiki beach goers)
Local Kine Grinds (FOOD): Local Favorites
Zippy’s - Casual local diner food and is open for late night food (chili cheese fries, chili and rice and chicken katsu are some delicious options) Leonard’s Malasadas - Famous Portuguese fried dough ball rolled in sugar Poke - Foodland, Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors Waialae (beer and poke to go…I mean) Kozo’s sushi - Fast, no frills aka not fancy, yummy sushi take out Loco Moco - Rainbow Drive-In is THE spot for Loco Moco or a “Plate Lunch” Li Hing Mui - Seasoning that makes everything taste better. Sweet, salty and sour powder made from dried plums. You can find it on dried fruit, candy, drinks and food Spam - Spam musubi is a local favorite and is like sushi. Can be found at most grocery stores, ABC stores, 7-11 and should be tried at least once. Trust us, its worth it!
Local Kine Grinds (FOOD): Regular dinner spots “Ono” kine
Mud Hen Water https://www.mudhenwater.com The Pig and the Lady (Modern Vietnamese with great drinks and desserts, you should go here) "Piggy Smalls" https://thepigandthelady.com Olive tree cafe (Greek food - take out only and always has a fresh fish souvlaki) Kahala Mall(no website), order at the counter with first come first serve seating. Hau Tree Restaurant (beach side, go for sunset) https://www.kaimana.com/dining Istanbul (Turkish food) https://www.istanbulhawaii.com Chart house Waikiki (live music every night) https://charthousewaikiki.com Tane Vegan Izakaya (loved by non-vegans too) https://www.tanevegan.com Scratch Kitchen http://www.scratch-hawaii.com Moku Kitchen https://www.mokukitchen.com Mahina and Sun’s https://mahinaandsuns.com Chiang Mai Thai Cuisine Address: 2239 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96826
Local Kine Grinds (FOOD): Special dinners $$$$
Miro Kaimuki https://www.mirokaimuki.com Senia https://www.restaurantsenia.com 53 By The Sea https://53bythesea.com Roy’s (Hawaiian fusion cuisine) Get 3 - Hawaii Kai, Waikiki, and Ko Olina MW Restaurant https://mwrestaurant.com
Local Kine Grinds (FOOD): Shave Ice
Not shaved ice but shave ice and nothing like a snow cone (which is gross). Shave ice flavored with the syrup of your choosing. Popular flavors: POG (passion fruit-orange-guava), Lilikoi (passion fruit), lychee, li hing mui, haupia (sweet coconut). Get it with the added sweetened condensed milk topping. You can also get it with ice cream on the bottom or if you are feeling adventurous mochi balls (Japanese sweet chewy rice cake) or azuki beans (Japanese sweet dessert beans). -Matsumoto’s - North shore/Haleiwa -Island Snow - Kailua -Waiola’s - Honolulu -Island vintage Shave Ice - Waikiki
Cocktails and Bars
Podmore (cocktail lounge, great atmosphere, fun and unique cocktails) Moana Surfrider hotel Beach Bar (live music almost every night and right near the beach) Duke’s Waikiki Hideout at the Laylow hotel Pint + Jigger in Ala Moana Hotel Off The Wall Craft Beer & Wine Bevy Mud Hen Water BREW’d Craft Pub Honolulu Beerworks Tchin Tchin Bar Skull & Crown trading Co. J. Dolans Bar 35 Blind ox Ice cream: Via Gelato
Kō Hana Distillers
Pop into the Kō Hana distillery where you can see the beautiful sugarcane farm used to make the rum. Featuring a variety of native Hawaiian and heirloom sugarcanes! You can also experience a $10 rum tasting, or book a tour of the distillery or farm for a more in-depth experience ($25 and $45). Our favorite - Kokoleka cacao and honey rum which is distilled with nibs from Manoa chocolate, has a rich and well balanced sweetness to it. Great to sip on and makes wonderful cocktails! (Also great in Tiramisu.) Fun fact: Most of our state is made up of people who came to Hawaii to work in the sugar cane fields, this includes Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans and Portuguese. Our state is no longer the sugar producer it once was. Now sugarcane is having a modest come-back as it’s grown for rum. https://www.kohanarum.com/home
Manoa Chocolate Hawaii
Enjoy a decadent, unique, local, and sustainably grown chocolate experience! Pick up a few bars at local shops across the island, or visit the factory store in Kailua for a free chocolate tasting. You can also reserve a spot (recommend booking at least 2 weeks in advance) for a tour of the chocolate factory and chocolate tasting ($15). https://manoachocolate.com
North Shore and Haleiwa Town
Go check out the beaches and Haleiwa town. North Shore is known for big waves in the winter and few to none in the summer. Bring a snorkel mask and maybe you’ll spot a sea turtle in the water! Best to follow any warning signs posted at the beach. Wave’s are unpredictable - don’t turn your back to the ocean. (Be prepared for traffic while driving to the North shore/Haleiwa.) Beaches Haleiwa Beach Park, Laniakea Beach, Sunset beach are a few with easier parking Food: -Ted’s Bakery - A local favorite featuring the much-loved Chocolate Haupia (coconut) Cream Pie, or try the Lilikoi (passionfruit) cheesecake! They also have a variety of to-go foods. -Matsumoto’s Shave Ice and surrounding shops -Waialua Bakery and Juice bar - great food to take to the beach to eat -Giovanni’s shrimp Truck for garlic shrimp is a good stop if you take the scenic route to the North shore -Haleiwa Bowls for Acai bowl - Looks like a shack on the side of the road
Bishop Museum
Founded in 1889 and remains a fantastic museum to learn about Hawai’i’s rich culture. Check out their website to learn about new exhibits. We love the gift shop at the museum, Joana and Chris stop there every time they are visiting Hawaii. This is the birthplace of Joana’s signature flower clip (Disclaimer: not signature in Hawaii, only on the mainland). https://www.bishopmuseum.org
Kailua Beach and Town
Check out Kailua beach and enjoy the shops and food spots in Kailua town. Kailua beach is always rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Beware of Portuguese man-o-war, they can sting! If you do get stung, rinse the area with copious amounts of sea water. Don’t pee on it or rub the area with anything else. Use ice and/or hot water, tylenol or ibuprofen for pain and benadryl if it gets itchy. With that said, this beach is still one of the best! Food: -Cinnamon’s for breakfast or lunch -Taqueria el Gallo Rosa for great tacos and margaritas (take out options available for food and DRINKS!) -Kalapawai Cafe and Deli -Buzz’s Original steak house for lunch or dinner -Lanikai Juice for smoothies or acai bowls Manoa Chocolate tasting room and tour Beach it up at Kailua beach Cute shops to check out: Mahina, SoHa Kailua, Bikinibird, Island Bungalow, Olive & Oliver
Dole Plantation
In the 1930’s Hawai’i was known as the pineapple capital of the world thanks to James Dole who started the Dole Hawaiian Pineapple Company. Today, Hawai’i is no longer an exporter of pineapple, however you can visit the Dole plantation and take a train tour to learn about the pineapple history here in Hawai’i. You MUST eat a DoleWhip. https://www.doleplantation.com
Iolani Palace
Built in 1882 as the official residence of Hawai’i’s monarchy and is now a National Historic Landmark. It is a sacred palace where the last monarchy, Queen Lilioukalani, was imprisoned during the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i by the US government. Reservations required to go and we recommend booking the tour with a Palace Docent. https://www.iolanipalace.org
Arizona Memorial
Reservations needed. National Memorial to learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Bring some tissue, cause you’re probably gonna cry. This memorial is extremely moving and emotional. https://www.nps.gov/perl/index.htm
West Side Chillin
KoOlina beach/lagoon - great spot to see the sunset over the water Monkey Pod Kitchen has amazing food Longhi’s Ko Olina Aulani Spa - pamper yourself with a massage in an amazing resort The other westside beaches are great for fishing and are known for long stretches of beach with very few people on it. You can drive to the end of the road at Yokohama beach, go to Makaha to surf, or pokai bay which is similar to KoOlina.
Waikiki
The main tourist spot where the sun is (almost) always shining. There are some good spots that even us locals go to. If you listen to live music you may hear the two distinctive sounds of the steel guitar or the slack key guitar which were both born in Hawai’i. Surfing lessons and canoe rides by the Duke Kahanamoku statue. Duke was the Native Hawaiian who popularized surfing! Rent a board and learn to surf in the same beaches where surfing was invented. Kaimana beach past the Waikiki Aquarium - where locals go to avoid tourist crowds Food Kona Coffee Purveyors Hau Tree Restaurant -brunch and food on the beach Island vintage cafe -great veggie and vegan noms Cinnamon’s Tim Ho Wan -Dim Sum Diamond head market and grill -take out, best desserts and blueberry cream cheese scones Tucker and Bevvy -take out for beach goers Moana Surfrider hotel Beach Bar -live music almost every night Shopping-The International Market, Tori Richards for aloha attire, every type of surf shop.
Hikes (Easy kine)
We are only giving you easy ones for safety reasons. There are harder hikes for more experienced hikers, but gotta ask da locals! Diamond head - Fee to park in the crater and since it reopened to the public all out-of-state visitors MUST make a reservation. Minimum 14 days in advance for reservations. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat. Fully paved and the stairs are the hardest part. Great views at the top. Makapu’u lighthouse - Free parking, no reservations needed however will get busy. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat. Fully paved and fun for the whole family. Amazing views along the trail.
Waikiki Aquarium
Where you can see our state fish the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a and other local sea life Hanauma Bay State Park: Nature preserve and a great spot to see tropical fish and marine life in the wild. Ok for all levels of snorkling. Reservations needed.
Where to buy souvenirs
Target (sounds crazy but they have the best stuff) Foodland Farms Bishop Museum Gift Shop ABC stores Longs Drugs Random Street/night Markets(use da google)
Shopping
Waikiki Ala Moana shopping center Ward shopping center Kahala Mall Salt Kailua town Haleiwa town Tori Richard’s Manaola Fighting eel Roberta Oaks Sig Zane - Sig on Smith only open on Friday (Aloha wear) Salvage public