hawaii part 1 {food}

for other hawaii posts:
part 2 - hikes
part 3 - beaches
part 4 - other activities

It's hard to believe that it's already been seven whole months since our trip to Hawaii. And almost harder to believe that it's taken me this long to write about it!! Before we ever went, I wrote about the roller coaster that it was to plan this trip. Russ and I went on our honeymoon in June 2012 and a weekend trip to Vegas in February 2013, but then no us-only vacations for nearly two years. It was definitely time to have a week of romantic alone time.

While we were there, we did a lot of eating, a lot of beaching, and a lot of Hawaii-specific activities. This trip was both a fun and a stressful experience for me because I did almost all of the planning. I researched things to do, Russ and I talked with friends and family about things to do, and then I planned things out for our vacation for pretty much the first time of our marriage. It was one of those "I feel like such an adult!" experiences haha :)

So here's part one, all about the food we ate on our trip :)



Leonard's Bakery - multiple people recommended this, and it did not disappoint. We went there at least two times, if not three, during our stay. We got malasadas (Portuguese donuts) every time, and our favorite was the original flavor (which means just covered in plain sugar).

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - Russ was a real fan of this place, while I just thought it was okay. I really like shrimp, but I like it to be de-shelled before it gets to me. I guess I just don't like to work that hard for my food! Ha :) but also, they put all this delicious flavor on the shrimp, but then in peeling off the shells, you also peel off the flavor.

Hukilau Cafe - This is the name of the cafe in 50 First Dates, but the cafe bears no resemblance to the one on the movie. That's okay though, we heard it was good so we went to try it out. We really wanted to get breakfast there, but the line was crazy and we left too late to make it earlier, so we made it for lunch instead. Again, I don't remember exactly what I ordered, but it was a burger, and it was delicious.

But since we were disappointed we didn't get breakfast there, we went back for breakfast and got pancakes and french toast. Russ liked them, but I wasn't over the moon about them. I definitely preferred our lunch meal over our breakfast meal.

Ono Hawaiian Foods - This was definitely one of our favorite places we tried. We liked it so much we went twice! :) It's Hawaiian food with Hawaiian names, so it's hard to know what anything is. The first day we went in, we got a combo plate because that pretty much came with everything they offered. Then the next time we went in, we ordered things a la carte and ordered more of what we liked more. People recommend the lau lau, which Russ really liked, but I didn't love. I loved the meat inside, but it's wrapped in some sort of lettuce or cabbage, and I thought that tasted really weird. We loved the purple potatoes and haupia dessert.

Kahuku Grill - also came recommended by many. I don't remember exactly what we got, but I know we got a burger and shrimp. It was very tasty.

Matsumoto Shave Ice - This place was recommended to us by multiple people, so we tried it, but it paled in comparison to the other shave ice we got.

Willy Willy's Shave Ice - Willy Willy's was better in every way: less wait time, less expensive, better tasting ice cream, and more flavorful syrup. We went twice we loved it so much :) (are you seeing a theme in the places we liked a lot? Haha :) ) I can't find it online, but it is right next to Kahuku Grill :)

Fruit Stands - we also tried a lot of strange looking fruits. Honestly, I didn't think any of them were super fantastic, but definitely worth a try :)

We also went to a few more restaurants that aren't the "well-known" Hawaii ones. The only one really worth mentioning, of course I don't remember what it was called :) it was in Ala Moana though, up some stairs and in the middle of this small indoor/outdoor square mall thing. They had shrimp and sushi and probably other stuff, too, but that's what we ate. It was an expensive place, so we opted for a few appetizers in lieu of full meals. It was delicious. If you ever happen to go somewhere that you think might be this place, take a pic and send it my way! Haha :)

Also, we bought plenty of POG (passion orange guava) juice and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts :)

Oh! And we stayed in a house, so we bought groceries and cooked most breakfasts (eggs and oatmeal) which helped offset some costs I suppose :)

All in all, we did some pretty good eating on our Hawaii trip, and if you go nowhere else on my list, please go to Ono, Willy Willy's, and Leonard's. Those were probably my favorites :) And Hukilau lunch. Man. Take me back! :)