Some of THE BEST food in Hawaii - Oahu Plate Lunch Review
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
- Plate lunch places are everywhere, all over the Hawaiian islands. In fact, it’s hard to go through a commercial area on any island without running into at least one or two of these iconic establishments. They are often referred to as “Drive-Inns,” but for most of them, you drive into the parking lot and walk up to the ordering window or counter. Some of Hawaii’s best foods are found on the plate lunch, and tourists often miss them. If they don’t miss them altogether, they might go to one or two heavily advertised places, like Rainbow Drive Inn, L&L Drive Inn or Zippy’s. But, there are many great plate lunch places on the islands, and even though it’s impossible to cover all of the best, we try here to show you some of the less known places that also have some of the best - or most unique - plate lunches on the island. The locals all have their individual favorites, and we could not list them all. These are our favorites. Sorry if we missed yours.
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Music: Hawaii, by Lil' Loca, Hawaii (Instrumental Version), also by Lil' Loca, and The Slow Life Is Good, by Ryan Freeman, all licensed to us courtesy of Epidemic Sound
One of the best list I've seen on youtube for Hawaii..........
Thank you so much. We try to make our videos interesting and informative. We're glad to see people appreciate that.
When I worked in the pineapple fields in high school during lunch break the older workers, truck drivers, boom operators, and lunas would huddle together and have "kau kau plenty". We would place our home bentos in the center and we would all share our bentos.
And, historically, that is really the origin of plate lunches. Maybe throw in the Okazu-ya tradition. . .
I've been away from Hawai`i now for 31 years and happen to come across your videos, reminding me how much I miss Hawai`i and everything about it including the food! Thanks for doing this special video. I used to have friends there in Kalihi Housing and stopped at Bobs frequently.
Yeah, I left the island to live on the mainland in 1983, but have been back a couple of times a year since then. Also in the area (but no longer around) was Libby's Manapuas, where I think I had my first ever manapua.
Brah! This is like the best Hawaii food review series I seen, especially with your Rap's "Room Service". Watched your manapua one, and now your plate lunch video. Awesome! Been on Oahu for over 30 years and still haven't gotten to experience the choke number of local establishments featured here . In order to survive, everybody had to raise prices, no can help. But when you hink about it, it's manini for getting the most ono food in the world. Plus you helping ALL survive. Very much appreciate what you do. Mahalo!
Thanks, brah! I don't live there anymore, but I grew up there and really appreciate local establishments, and I crave plate lunches whenever I'm headed home. We're going back in January, and will probably do a whole bunch more videos then. We've had a Loco Moco challenge in the works for a couple of years now, so with luck we'll finish it this time. BTW, are you related to Kendall and Mitzi Goya? I went to high school with them.
You are ON POINT with all the places you went !🤙
Thank you so much! And, we got to eat a lot of great foods!
The Rap Replinger imitation made me crack up!
Thank you. That bit was big when I was in high school, and it got stuck in my head. Anytime someone asks me if I want "the cheeseburger deluxe," I can't help but think of it.
Mahalo nui for an excellent video! Loved it!
Thank you! This one is getting a little old. We probably have to update it in a few months.
Love your Rap!!! Oh wat good memories you bring. Much mahalos
Yeah, he's always in my head. Lucky I didn't launch into a repeat of "Shaka Therapy." 😀
Great video. 💯% correct on avoiding the high priced restaurants in the hotels and even some of these places that have gotten popular with tourists like Giovanni's for example. I found this food truck next to Giovanni's in Kahuku called Da Bald Guy. Amazing food and at a great price. Boneless kalbi ribs and pan fried poke. So good we went twice on our last trip to Oahu.
You might want to watch our H Mart video. Giovanni's without the truck!
Miss Bob's... I remember the the bowling alley across the street...🤙🤙🤙
@@danielchilson6972 I can do you one better. Remember Latin Villa across the street? That was in the '70s. ;-)
Awesome video uncle!! You hit all the good spots!!
Thank you! I grew up on Oahu, so I know the good places. 😉
Extremely well done food tour. Love it! To your success!
Thank you, Charles. And to yours! Heck, there's room for all the Hawaii food bloggers! The more, the merrier!
I agree 100%! Have a great weekend.
Looks so good!!
All of the ones we included on this video are quite good. Some of the best examples of plate lunches on Oahu.
Wonderful video. I agree with all of your choices. 🤙👍
Thank you! And we love watching your videos -- particularly the ones around Waialua and Wahiawa!
I was thinking about taking a trip later Down the road to Hawaii. I'll keep this video in mind. Always looking for good food
Definitely. These are our favorites. Our other videos will also give you good suggestions.
The beef all looks amazing! That malt… so rich and delicious! A nice char on the meat is our favorite! There looks to be so many great places to get the plate lunches! -S
I love my Teri plates!!
i'm glad you left out the chain places. It's these little gems that need to be highlighted.
We agree. It would have been easy to feature Zippy's, Rainbow, L&L, etc. But everyone really knows about them, and we wanted to do something a little more unique. Now Grace's or Young's Kal Bee -- we were on the fence about those.
Great local choices! Sooooo ono! 😋
Thank you! These are some of our favorites! But there are so many we had to leave out, so that the video wasn't two hours long. 🤒
Great video, I love Teri cheeseburgers/Teri beef with cheese omgah, remember jolly Rogers in kalihi they had awesome sandwiches and burgers too!! Omgah cocoa puffs! I'm hungry! And I do lots of pepper on top my Mac too!
Thank you! We were planning on doing a hamburger video, which would have included the Teri Burger at W&M. I've heard that's the best Teri Burger on Oahu. But, Young got sick and we could not make it this trip. Next time!
L&L ??? Zippys, Rainbow drive in, the place across Bobs, Waikaimelo drive inn is great place too, next to original pancake house..
L&L is one of the better known ones, like Zippy's and Rainbow, which is why we did not include it in this video. I consider Zippy's the McDonald's of Hawaii, and L&L the Burger King of Hawaii.
Starts with bobs…..which is where I’ve eating plate lunches the most while living in Hawaii for 9 years. Legit list..
Thank you. I've been eating there since about 1975 (when it first opened). This list is from many years (and pounds) of research :-D
Just re-watching your video. Need to add...Jet's Local Fast Food, Tatsuo's, Eagle Cafe, Kehau's Kitchen & Karen's Kitchen...to name a Few!-lol
Thanks for the suggestions. We'll be back in January, and will try some of those (or make a part 2 and try them all). WHen I was a teenager, I used to go to Eagle Cafe when it was in an alley off the Fort St. Mall (in the Blaisdell Hotel). George, the owner at the time, was very friendly. And I loved their iced tea and chicken katsu. I think George's son now owns the New Eagle Cafe on Nimitz. We tried Kehau's Kitchen last trip, and did not love it. It was OK, though.
LOL I had to laugh at your first stop. That's definitely one of my favorites places to eat when I go back home.
St Louis Drive Inn ... how cool is that? I went to St Louis High School right across the street in the early 60's. It's been there since 1961 BTW.
Your video sure brings back lots of memories.
I had a few friends who went to St. Louis High School in the 70s. I'd been there a few times before the video. I used to really love Byron's by the airport, and felt we lost something when it shut down.
The Japanese salad you referred to was served at our home table as well as restaurants using iceberg lettuce. Either Thousand Island or French dressing used.....
It was so good! Takes me back to my youth.
New to your channel. So far so good with Bob's.
Thank you. Hope you'll find a lot of good content -- Maybe even some about which you didn't know. We have some more Oahu coming up in the next couple of months, and some Maui after that.
@@steveandyoung I gotta try the Downtown Manapua place, now. You and Authentically? Charlie likes that place.
@@sammatsusaka823 Yeah, it's good. Though I do miss Libby's.
I ate there before and the food is really good) my brother and my sister bought our food and we went to sand island
You're talking about Bob's? We used to go there during high school days. 😀
St. Louis Japanese Combo Deluxe is so good!
Young loved the sashimi. I'm not a fish guy, but the mochiko chicken was better than others I've tried.
hi just found ur channel. nice foods but can u tell us how much each item cost . i just subscribed now. thanks
Thank you for subscribing! We already have a bunch of videos that we shot, and which are already in various stages of editing, that will be posted through January. But we'll try to do something like that for future videos. I'm going to DC tomorrow and will be shooting a couple there, and then we will be in New York for Thanksgiving week. So, when those start going up, we'll try to remember to include pricing.
You’re right! Support our local food outlets.
Indeed. Some of the best food on the island comes from them.
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There are sooo many plate lunch shops, too many to mention. Did you try Richies in Kalihi on king street, known for great broasted fried chicken and plain teri burger.
I know. It was hard to select for the video. I have never tried Richie's, but it's now on the list for our next trip (which might not be for awhile -- we're going to Maui next week).
I wanna try Pioneer Saloon Loco Moco. Has mushrooms. But then again, I like cheap eats.
It might be a couple of months, but we do have a video coming on the best Loco Moco on Oahu.
FYI....Chaminade Univ., most well known for their 1982 Men's basketball UPSETTING NCAA #1 Virginia...77-72. At that time, Chaminade was an NAIA (now D2) school that NO ONE, outside of Hawaii/W Coast schools, had ever heard of. The Chaminade Silversword Basketball Classic can trace it's lineage, in part, because of this upset. The Chaminade Classic has morphed into the Maui Jim's Maui Invitational Tournament
All I remembered about it is that it was close to my friends' high school (St. Louis), so I knew it would be a nice place to go when we were having that plate lunch.
My favorite is Rainbow mixed plate with 2 scoops mac salad, no rice. Da kine ono grindz!
A lot of people like Rainbow. I used to love it, but feel it's gone a bit downhill lately. Their loco moco is still very good, and their mix plate is the most popular. Also, it's tough to find a slush float anywhere anymore, and last I checked, Rainbow still has them.
@@steveandyoung I always liked Rainbow because whenever I went there the locals outnumbered the tourists and the food was great.The Kapahulu neighborhood is long time hard working ohana middle class even though its just a short walk away from the touristy and glitzy Waikiki. So many great local places to eat at in Kapahulu.
@@robertleslie2467 Agreed. But, ever since Guy Fieri raved about it on national TV, a lot of tourists have started showing up. And its location, so close to Waikiki, makes it easy for them to get there if they know what they're looking for. Still, it's a great plate lunch place. We didn't include it because it is so well known otherwise.
@@steveandyoung Yeah the Guy Fieri spot did boost them business. But that's okay. In these troubled times I wish nothing but the best to not only Rainbow but all the other local joints like Helena's, St. Louis, et.al. To them I say make that money however you can to stay alive and keep locals employed. Mahalo!
@@robertleslie2467 Agreed!
Hello RE: Bob’s BBQ: I don’t know if it was because the meat was WellDone, but the meat looked dry to me, Medium rare is most cooked I can eat meat I enjoy my meat juicy, regarding the flavor you did bring up flavors I enjoy on my meats also. The fish also LOOKED dry but then mackerel is not type of fish (I like juicy, flaky, fish) I guess I would have to ask what is the fish they use before ordering. The presentation of the dishes is very simple, but I have seen some plate lunches in other places that look Amazing and come with sauces and little extra garnishes. Regarding pricing to what I heard it was fair for the amount of food. I definitely is a place I would try. The Bakery place looked ready good, I wouldn’t have ordered a cheeseburger there (just my opinion 🙂) and the “Fresh Fish” place the plate lunch looked Very Good, shame did not get a chance to see what price range they have. The Island BBQ the plate lunch looked good the chicken looked just a little bit dry, did not get to see price range there either, later you mentioned $25 dlls per person, it a fair price. RE: Adela’s Country Eatery the lunch plate looked Very Good, RE:Olena looked ok, anyway Thank you for taking us along to check out some “unknown” places to tourists. Take Care Be Safe Aloha.
A lot of places do cook the meat to medium well or above. Some will adjust it if you ask, though I rarely ever ask, and usually just take it however they make it.
@@steveandyoung Thank you for reading my comment and replaying, and for pointing out I can ask for how done I want my meats. Take Care Be Safe Aloha 🤙
OOOOooohhhhh, Bob's! I love the Dino Beef ribs! ono
I love anything with their teriyaki or kalbi sauce, and love their chocolate malts!
Anyone remember Ala Moana beach concession stands, they used to have pretty good plate lunch back in the 60's-70's......
I remember them, but I don't think I ever tried a plate lunch from there.
Pepper on mac salad, ....me too!
I can't live without it!
More than likely, by the end of 2024, Bob's Bar-B-Que will be moving to their new location at the corner of School and Gulick in Kalihi.
Island Style BBQ has just closed a few months ago (in 2023); although you can always go to Ray's Cafe at one building just west of that location on King St.
That could be good news or bad news. The Bob's by the Stadium was not as good as the original. Hopefully, the one at School and Gulick will be as good. And, if so, we could stopy by the Gulick Deli Okazuya on the way to our Bob's!! 😀
@@steveandyoung As Bishop Estates/Kamehameha School owns the property along the Dillingham corridor, tey are looking to redevelop that area in the coming decade. Bob's is going to be forced to relocate as many of the businesses will be facing this also. Popeye's Chicken has already moved further west to the corner of Dillingham & Kalihi St. There's no doubt that businesses such as Zippys, will have to move from their Dillingham location also.
So not only is rail construction affecting them currently, the Bishop Estates redevelopment will ultimately affect them in due time; all the way from Kokea to McNeill St..
@@EvilTheOne I don't know how I feel about that. The area was always marginally sketchy, but some of my favorite places used to be there.
@@steveandyoung Well longtime favorites such as 'Waiakamilo Drive-Inn' has made way for 'Lucky Box'.
And another longtime favorite 'Meg's Drive-Inn' has made way for 'Holoholo Bistro'.
So for the upcoming two decades, that area is looking to be heavily redeveloped between Honolulu Community College and Kalihi St.
@@EvilTheOne Well, fingers crossed that some of the new places will be as good as the older ones they are replacing. . .
I Don't Know about St. Louis Drive inn. Last time I was there, I saw a lot of roaches and had a piece of Brillo pad in my rice.
Yeah, I think it was our least favorite of all the places. But some people love it, so we had to go.
I believe rainbows is number one
We avoided Rainbows in this video because it is already so well known. I do think it's good (and I particularly like the loco moco there), but we were just trying to show that there are also great plate lunch places that are not as well known to tourists.
3:23 …Russo, you get pen? Pen, PEN, kodfahnett! PEN!!!
🤣
It's dat buggah Russell. What a punk!
@@steveandyoung
🤣‼️
Ewa/Waianae=W, Diamond Head/Kailua=E, Pearl Harbor/HNL/WKK=S, Haleiwa/Waialua/Kahuku=N, Wahiawa/Mililani/Waipio=Central
Those are, in fact, generally the compass directions. But the island is at an angle, so Ewa is kind of Southwest, Diamond Head is kind of Northeast, etc.
Room Service!-
Housekeeping. No, try wait. Room Service, may I help you? 😀
@@steveandyoung Russell!
@@steveandyoung 🤣Russell!
Living in the mainland over ten years they cannot make their food the way Hawaii make their food) they use hawaii's restaurant names but they cannot compare like back home like the locals says its-ono
Yes. There are a lot of L&L Drive-Ins all over the mainland now, but most of the time, their food tastes more like Chinese food or Vietnamese food. They just don't know the island "taste." So, I try to fill up on good, local food whenever I go home.
This guy is local.
Yeah. Went to Royal School in downtown Honolulu until 2nd grade, then moved to Aiea and went to Alvah Scott, Aiea Intermediate and Aiea High School.. Then college at UH Manoa.
Way back in 50's......
Always nice to fondly remember home dinners!
Any places outside Waikiki is hole in the wall in Hawaii
For tourists, I agree. But, for example, I would hardly call Liliha Bakery or the many restaurants in the Chinatown or Kapiolani areas "holes in the wall." Certainly many of the places we cover in this video fit the hole in the wall description.
Masa's in Mapunapuna. Best food on the island.
We"ll have to try it next time we are in town
Ugh. You picked up a philippine souvenir, apparently.
?? I'm sorry. I don't understand.