A friend and I spent three nights eating our way through Waikiki, without spending a fortune. This guide is based on where we actually ate on our Oahu girls trip, from rooftop brunch and oceanfront fries to spectacular poke, Veuve by the glass and a grocery store that somehow became one of the most fun stops of the trip.
Highlights:
- Salt and vinegar wings at Foodland
- Hula pie and live music at Duke’s
- Kimchi pizza at Appetito
- Brunch with a Diamond Head view at DECK
- A steak dinner on the W Lanai at Wolfgang’s
- Poke at Redfish
- Oceanfront fries at RumFire
Editor’s note: The writer was hosted
Foodland Farms Ala Moana: The First Stop I’d Recommend
Foodland Farms Ala Moana anchored our food plan.
Yes, it is technically a grocery store. But it feels more like a local food hall with a wine shop, flower market, hot food bar, groceries, of course, souvenirs and even a speakeasy inside.
What we loved most:
- Fresh poke
- Salt and vinegar chicken wings
- Local snacks with orange tags
- Lilikoi butter and guava butter
- Ube treats
- Butter mochi
- Maika’i wines
- Aloha bags
- The wine bar at R. Field
- Eleven, the cocktail bar tucked inside the store
The salt and vinegar wings deserve their own mention because I have told everyone about them. Everyone. They were tangy and crispy at the same time. My mouth gleeks just thinking about it!
Foodland’s speakeasy, Eleven, is tucked behind opaque glass walls and is easy to miss if you do not know where to look. The bar started as a whiskey bar, and whiskey still feels like the soul of the place.
SheBuysTravel Tips: 1) You need a reservation to eat or drink at Eleven. 2) Look for the orange tags that mark local products. 3) Sampling is encouraged! Ask to taste the poke and wings.
Duke’s Waikiki on Sunday: Music and Hula Pie
Henry Kapono plays at the Barefoot Bar on Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m., and the locals show up to dance. There are chairs around the stage and a dance floor in the middle. No reservation is needed to listen to music on the back patio Barefoot Bar area. Oh, and it’s free .
The hula pie is famous for a reason: macadamia nut ice cream on a chocolate cookie crust with hot fudge, whipped cream and more macadamia nuts. It is gigantic and meant to be shared. This was one of the happiest stops of the trip. We danced and sang and everyone seemed glad to be there.
DECK: Rooftop Brunch With a Diamond Head View
Brunch is just the thing for a girls trips. We love the fried French Toast and delicious omelets.
DECK, on the third floor of the Queen Kapi’olani Hotel, is a short walk from Waikiki Beach and steps from Kapi’olani Park. DECK has cocktails, locally brewed beers and wine in an open-air setting with direct Diamond Head views.
What we liked:
- The open-air rooftop setting
- The Diamond Head view
- The French toast
- The American Pacific-inspired menu
- Local farm, ranch, distillery and brewery partnerships
Honolulu Coffee: Ube Latte
Honolulu Coffee’s farm-to-cup concept begins on the slopes of Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island. There, the Kona coffee beans benefit from volcanic soil, tropical rain and natural ʻŌhiʻa lehua forest shade. Farmers hand-pick the ripe, deep red coffee cherries, sort out defective beans, sun-dry the beans over 9 to 12 days, monitor the moisture content, age the beans for two months and then roast them in Honolulu to bring out Kona coffee’s naturally sweet, fruity flavor.
It’s more than a caffeine stop. The café had a fun, relaxed vibe, the made-from-scratch bakery goods were delicious and the ube latte was purple and tasty.
Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar: Kimchi Pizza
Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar at OHANA Waikiki East is one of the better values we found in Waikiki. They combine Neapolitan-style pizza with local Hawaiian ingredients, cooked in a kiawe wood-fired oven. The crust has that wood-fired char and chew, and the toppings are where it gets fun.
The standout was the Korean Yakiniku pizza (kimchi pizza): marinated short rib, mozzarella, kimchi, green onion and gochujang mayo.
The heat from the gochujang, the tang from the kimchi and the richness of the short rib worked together in a way that was bold, unique and so delicious.
Other dishes we liked:
- Fettuccini, which my friend said was exceptional
- Lemon pour-over chicken, which was moist, aromatic and packed with flavor
- Shareable plates, which made dinner easier and more fun
- Decaf espresso martinis. Whyyy did I not think of ordering decaf until now?
Chef de Cuisine Naomi Ito came out to say hello, and she was happy that we were so crazy about the kimchi pizza.
Redfish: Easy Poke Close to Waikiki
Redfish was my kind of Hawaiian lunch: super fresh poke and “flavor fries” in an indoor-outdoor setting. The atmosphere is casual and fun and near our hotel, the Sheraton Waikiki.
The menu has several poke options and we tried three that I can happily recommend: ponzu furikake, Secret Sauce and Hurricane. Each is unique and super fresh. The hit for me was the okonomiyaki fries with yaki glaze, furikake and Kewpie mayo. The fries were crispy and delicious on their own and the topping made them interesting and tasty.
We also tried the Vietnamese short ribs, the slightly sweet Adult Thai Tea which is made with amaro, Thai tea and coconut milk, and we finished off with malasada bites topped with horchata ice cream.
The food lives up to the Redfish T-shirt slogan: “warm rice, cold beer, raw fish.”
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse W Lanai: The Prix Fixe Dinner That Made Sense
Wolfgang’s W Lanai worked for our girls trip because it checked several boxes at once:
- The Taste of New York prix fixe (12-ounce famed dry-aged steak, sides and cheesecake for $86)
- Veuve Clicquot by the glass ($17)
- An open-air terrace at Royal Hawaiian Center with tropical trees and glimpses of the pink Royal Hawaiian
Wolfgang’s is the renowned Manhattan steakhouse known for top-quality steaks and polished service. This Wolfgang’s is on Kalakaua Avenue at the Royal Hawaiian Center. The W Lanai and menu in Honolulu gave us the steakhouse experience in a breezier Waikiki setting, at a great price.
Taste of New York prix fixe steak dinner includes:
- 12-ounce bone-in dry-aged New York sirloin
- Spinach
- Mashed potatoes
- New York-style cheesecake
The steak was cooked beautifully. The mashed potatoes were rich, creamy, homemade and Southern-approved, which in our group is a serious endorsement.
The cheesecake was true New York style. We also tried the apple pie, but the cheesecake was the winner.
Kai Market: Easy Hotel Breakfast
Kai Market is a huge buffet with panoramic views of Waikiki Beach. The food tasted fine but there was nothing on the buffet that felt special or local. This wasn’t our favorite meal but it is convenient and the views are gorgeous.
RumFire: Fries and Mai Tais Overlooking the Ocean
RumFire at the Sheraton Waikiki had the vibes we wanted in Waikiki: ocean views, good food, fun cocktails, no driving.
RumFire’s mai tai flight made a touristy classic more playful. For $38, we got to taste all three versions: The Castaway, the 1944 Mai Tai and the RumFire Signature Mai Tai. And they arrived in the most Instagrammable setup.
I love fries, and if I am paying $14 for fries, there needs to be plenty of them and sauces that make them more interesting. RumFire’s pile of fries came with ranch, mango BBQ aioli and ketchup, and the mango BBQ aioli gave them that extra Hawaiian vibe. We recommended them to everyone!
The macadamia nut fish entrée has a mix of sweetness and crunch that is delicious and worth recommending. We almost skipped dessert but our server recommended we taste the mango pudding and she was right. It was refreshing, lightly sweet and creamy.
Our 3-Day/4-Night Oahu Trip Food Itinerary
Here is how our food days actually lined up.
Day 1
![Girls trip includes relaxing side by side on striped lounge chairs under red cabanas at the Sheraton Waikiki]](https://media.shebuystravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/14165548/Girls-trip-includes-relaxing-side-by-side-1024x768.jpg)
Lunch: Foodland Farms Ala Moana: Loved: salt and vinegar wings, poke, local snacks and the whole wandering-through-a-grocery-store-for-hours experience.
Early dinner: Duke’s Waikiki: Loved: Henry Kapono live at the Barefoot Bar from 4 to 6 p.m. and the hula pie.
Nightcap: Eleven at Foodland Farms: Loved: smoked bourbon cocktail.
Day 2
Brunch: Deck at Queen Kapi’olani Hotel: Loved: French toast and the Diamond Head view.
Dinner: Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar: Loved: kimchi pizza, decaf espresso martinis and Chef Naomi coming out to say hello.
Day 3
Breakfast: Kai Market: Good for convenience and views.
Lunch: Redfish: Good for poke close to Waikiki.
Dinner: Wolfgang’s Steakhouse W Lanai: Loved: Taste of New York prix fixe menu, mashed potatoes, cheesecake and Veuve by the glass.
Evening: RumFire: Loved: fries with dipping sauces, macadamia nut fish, mai tai flight and mango pudding .
Day 4
Breakfast: Honolulu Coffee at the Sheraton Waikiki: Loved: Ube Latte. Delicious handmade bakery goods and premium coffee.
FAQs
Foodland Farms Ala Moana is the best first stop if you want poke, snacks, wine, local products and easy hotel-room food. It helps you avoid relying on expensive restaurant meals for every bite while still eating well.
Yes, especially on Sunday afternoon when Henry Kapono plays at the Barefoot Bar. The live music, dancing, beach setting and hula pie made it one of the most joyful stops of our trip.
DECK at Queen Kapi’olani Hotel is a strong brunch choice if you want an open-air setting and a direct Diamond Head view. It worked well for our girls trip because it felt relaxed but still memorable.
Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar worked well for sharing. The kimchi pizza, fettuccini and lemon pour-over chicken were easy to split and the menu felt more interesting than standard Waikiki Italian.
Wolfgang’s is worth it if you order strategically. The W Lanai prix fixe menu gave us steak, sides and dessert for less than ordering a steak à la carte from the main menu. It was a smart splurge for our girls trip.
Foodland Farms Ala Moana is THE poke stop if you are willing to go to Ala Moana Center. Redfish is another convenient poke option near Waikiki, especially if you are staying near the Sheraton Waikiki.
RumFire is worth keeping on the list if you want ocean views, cocktails, fries with dipping sauces and an easy beachy meal. It is especially convenient if you are staying at or near the Sheraton Waikiki.
SheBuysTravel writers have been where you’re going. We share our ground-truth experience to save you time, money and energy, making your trips easier. Been There. Bought That. Since 2006.
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