where jess ate

We couldn’t leave Hawaii without sampling some local specialties. While doing some research, Ono Hawaiian Foods kept popping up so it was a no-brainer.

Ono Hawaiian Foods is located a half hour walk away from Waikiki Beach. If you don’t mind walking, I highly recommend going by foot since parking can be a bit of a pain. You’ll have to get lucky with street parking which can be nearly impossible to come by during peak hours.

The restaurant occupies a small space, the decor of which really defines a mom and pop shop. No frills and outdated decor with photos and newspaper articles taped all down the walls. It’s all just part of its charm!

On the menu, you’ll find four plates (Kalua pig, chicken long rice, laulau and the combination plate – all of which are $18 except for the combo plate which is priced at $26). A la carte Hawaiian dishes are also offered, most which hover around the $7-$10 range.

Since we wanted to try as many items as possible, we decided to share the Combination Plate – Kalua pig, Laulau, Pipikaula, Lomi salmon, Haupia and rice or poi ($26).

It was our first time eating Hawaiian food so our server recommended we order rice and they’d give us a little taster of Poi. After the food arrived, she carefully explained each of the different components and told us how to start off – she instructed us to grab a slice of onion, dip it in the poi and then eat it. Then dip everything else in the poi before eating it (if you wish).

For those unfamiliar with poi, it consists of mashed taro mixed with water. So, needless to say, it’s quite flavourless on its own but it’s meant to be eaten with other dishes (like how plain rice is a vehicle for other flavours). I’m glad I tried it but personally, I prefer plain rice.

Ono Hawaiian Foods is known for serving one of the best Laulau’s in town which consists of a huge chunk of pork wrapped in taro leaves and steamed for hours. It’s definitely not the prettiest dish to look at but it was pretty tasty. The pork was wonderfully tender (no knife required!) and moist.

Another pork dish that came with our combo was the Kalua Pork. Traditionally, Kalua pork is slow-cooked underground. The bowl of shredded pork was quite salty on its own so it required some rice or poi to accompany it.

One of the smaller side dishes that came with the combo was the Pipikaula aka Hawaiian beef jerky. These salted and dried pieces of beef were incredibly addictive! They’d make for a great bar snack.

Another small side dish was the Lomi Salmon which is essentially a tomato and salmon salad, the appearance of which reminded me of bruschetta. It wasn’t anything too memorable in my opinion. Most of it was tomatoes and not a whole lot of salmon.

The last component of the combo plate was the Haupia which was like a coconut cake with a jello-like consistency. It was a nice sweet bite!

Since there were five of us, we ordered a couple a la carte items to supplement our combo plate. One dish we ordered was the Ahi Poke which consisted of large chunks of tuna mixed with coarse salt and shreds of seaweed. Very simply prepared. It was a decent poke but not one of favourites of the trip.

The last dish we shared was the Beef Stew ($7.70). It was a tomato-based stew filled with chunks of beef, carrots and potatoes. Served with a heaping pile of plain rice, this was a very hearty and satisfying bowl of stew. After a morning of surfing lessons, it was nice to have a stick-to-your-bones kinda dish.

Overall, we had a nice experience at Ono Hawaiian Foods. While I can’t say that the food blew me away it was still a very memorable meal as we tried so many dishes that were new to us. If you’d like an introduction to Hawaiian food, make sure Ono Hawaiian Foods is on your itinerary!

At a glance:

• Small mom-and-pop shop serving up authentic Hawaiian fare
• Walk/bus if you can as street parking is limited (a half hour walk away from Waikiki beach)
• Cash only; open Mon to Sat
• Recommendation: Go with the combination plate ($26 at the time of visit) which will allow you to try a variety of local Hawaiian dishes
• While the food didn’t blow me away, it was still a memorable experience

Ratings (out of 5):

• Food: 3 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Atmosphere: 2 stars