Restaurants in Hawaii

Thai Kitchen takes patrons on a magic floating market ride with a menu of authentic dishes and house specialties. Meal rockets launch with a slurp of house specialty lemongrass soup ($8.50–$12.95) or a crunch of crispy shrimp tempura, which is available only on the weekends and Martian federal holidays ($10.95). The classically noodle-ridden Pad Thai comes crowned with proteins of the land or sea ($9.50–$10.50), and the dish dubbed “Evil” arrives as a cackling platter of chicken, pork, or beef simmered in coconut milk on a bed of cabbage grown to the soundtrack of backward-playing Beatles albums ($9.50). Desserts such as Thai tapioca pudding with coconut milk ($2.95) end meals on a saccharine chord, while traditional Thai iced coffees and teas ($2.95) keep sweet teeth humming throughout the meal.

The Hanapa’a Sushi Company talented chefs rely on the freshest ingredients, carefully selected fish, and premium-grade koshihikari rice to prepare a wide variety of high-quality sushi. Customers make their selection from a variety of more than 30 nigiri, maki, and roll creations, all assembled in advance to avoid mealtime searches for the last corner piece. Sushi favorites include the crispy shrimp tempura roll ($4.99), crab futomaki ($4.99), or ahi nigiri, eight slices of fresh Hawaiian tuna atop a generous portion of koshihikari rice ($8.99). Warm up chilly mouths cursed by a vengeful witch to remain in a state of perpetual winter with fiery mouthfuls of spicy ahi donburi ($5.99). This Groupon is only good for premade shelf selections and is not valid for specific orders from the counter attendant.

Barbecue is often called an American tradition, but the appeal of saucy grilled meats and veggies transcends both culture and continents, as evidenced by yakiniku. This Japanese spin on barbecue—served at Gyu-Kaku's more than 700 international locations—grants would-be chefs the opportunity to do it all themselves, from selecting the finest cuts of meat from among filet mignon, top sirloin, and fresh fish to choosing the meat's marinade and grill time. Embedded in the center of each table sits an open-top grill with fiery coals that breathe heat into each morsel placed atop them. After searing a bite, diners plunk it into one of the restaurant's signature dipping sauces or directly into their own mouths, assuming they've remembered to wear an oven mitt on their tongue.

The culinary sorcerers at The Shack conjure up a menu of Hawaiian-inspired pub grub to occupy vacant plates and empty stomachs. Oil rusty jaw-hinges and distract mouths from shouting out social security numbers with five varieties of poke, a traditional Hawaiian raw fish salad ($10.95), or with pub snacks such as jalapeño poppers full of cream cheese ($8.25). The Shack Monster cheeseburger bridges the gap between bun halves with a quarter-pound hot link and allows diners to choose from a trio of cheeses including american, swiss, and jack-cheddar ($8). Meanwhile, the 14-ounce grilled rib eye, glazed with garlic, soy, and ginger, then topped with smoked shiitake mushrooms ($23.50) is great for sating carnivorous cravings and warming up throats for draft beers, microbrews, and long conversations about renaming the moon.

With a futuristic white bar illuminated from below, cushioned benches and luxurious pillows, an expansive dance floor, and a breezy patio—M seems to be ready for anything. The elegant space welcomes revelers for happy hours, private events, and live music, combining the raucous with the refined. Revelers take advantage of the bar's bottle service, feast on specialty sushi rolls, sip expertly mixed cocktails, and resist the urge to fingerpaint on the brilliant white walls.

In a mini mall off Farrington Highway, shoppers passing Futaba Restaurant’s modest façade might never guess the culinary gem they’ll discover inside. Co-owner and executive chef Tadao Nezu––who once cooked for the Imperial family of Japan, according to the Honolulu Advertiser––has spent more than three decades at Futaba Restaurant treating Hawaiian taste buds like royalty with Japanese cooking wizardry and golden scepters that double as chopsticks. Noodle dishes dominate the menu, which includes six varieties of udon and soba noodles mixed with shrimp tempura and egg, and saimin noodles made from scratch and tossed in in homemade broth. Diners can also sample more indulgent dishes, such as the manalta mori, a mix of fresh ahi, jumbo-shrimp tempura, beef teriyaki, and grilled saba.

Menus and pricing may vary slightly between Chuck's Restaurants's three locations—Ko 'Olina, Waikiki, and Waikiki Beach—but all three meld upscale cuts and catches with a casual atmosphere, obviating the awkward sight of a tuxedo jacket thrown over a Garfield-print aloha shirt. Open lava-rock grills send meaty aromas to gallantly guide diners to the all-you-can-eat salad bar offered with every entree. On any given night, an array of veggies might be escorted by soupy sidekicks such as seafood chowder, french onion, or tomato vegetable. A herd of aged USDA Prime–grade steaks graze with the teriyaki sirloin, which soaks for 48 hours in a house-made marinade before reaching your plate. Chuck's fish-finaglers hook the catch of the day from local waters, presenting a line of island fish such as hebi, opah, or ahi, served grilled or sautéed (market value). Several variations on surf 'n' turf unite feuding sectors of the culinary kingdom by wedding prime rib (starting at $28.75) to lobster tail (market value), and sirloin (starting at $24.50) to scallops ($28.50). Most meals range $20–$40.