🏝️ Honolulu Food Review: A 5-Day Culinary Journey

Just spent five delicious days in Honolulu — from fresh seafood and smoky grilled skewers to juicy tropical fruits, this island knows how to eat! Here’s my totally subjective take on the spots I tried: 🔥 Aburiya Ibushi A Japanese charcoal grill spot I’d return to again and again! ✅ Must-orders: steak, beef tongue, and the incredible egg-drop oxtail porridge — so comforting after a hike! 🧈 Also loved the minced meat tofu and eggplant — no misses here. 💵 $30–50 🍣 Katsumidori Sushi Tokyo The place for affordable luxury — their uni (sea urchin) is fresh, sweet, and totally worth it. 💵 $50–70 🍢 Honolulu Skewer House Northeast Chinese-style skewers, grilled tableside — miles ahead of Boston’s options! 🦪 Huge oysters, generous cold appetizers. 👀 Owner, please expand to Boston! 💵 $50 🍳 Goofy Cafe & Dine Walked in without reservations (long wait!) but was pleasantly surprised. 🥑 Loved the crab cake Benedict + toro muffin, açaí bowl, and fresh juices. 🍍 Hawaiian fruit truly hits different. 💵 $30–50 🐟 Foodland Farms – Poke Bowl Tried many poke spots — this one wins for variety, value, and freshness. 🦪 Oysters, snow crab… they have it all! 🍗 Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken A North Shore roadside legend — perfectly charred, juicy, and flavorful. 📅 Only open on weekends! 💵 $20 🦐 Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck Another North Shore staple — garlic butter shrimp is tasty but gets heavy. 🐜 Very rustic setting (aka bugs included). 💵 $20 🍵 Nanza Girogiro Kaiseki / omakase experience. Tried the $88 menu — ingredients felt basic, tea rice was salty. 💬 Service was… overly enthusiastic (not introvert-friendly). 🍶 An okay comfort meal after landing, but not a repeat. 💵 $100–150 🍚 Sushi II Solid sushi spot — beef tongue rice was good, but overall less value than Katsumidori. 💵 $70 ⚫️ Basalt Pass on this one. ✖️ Charcoal waffle = basic, loco moco = average, coffee = bad. 💵 $30–50 Final Bite: Honolulu is a flavor paradise — but choose wisely! Stick to local gems and skip the overhyped tourist traps. #HonoluluEats #HawaiiFoodie #OahuDining #TravelAndEat