The broad cultural makeup of Oahu makes dining a unique and diverse experience. Because of the enormous number of tourists visiting the island each year, Oahu restaurants are a large part of the Oahu tourist adventure. Dining in Oahu offers visitors a premier experience where the best of the best is always at your fingertips. With more than 2,000 restaurants in Oahu to choose from, there is never a lack of options. With an array of authentic foreign restaurants, Polynesian favorites, and mainstays in fast food dining, Oahu food is available to suit every meal and every mood.

World-renowned chefs create unforgettable dishes in top Oahu restaurants around the island. These chefs offer creative and indulgent meals that might cost a mint, yet deliver a gold mine of flavor paired with incredible presentation. Unforgettable and sophisticated, Oahu food at these choice restaurants offers the best of the gourmet scene. Succulent steaks simmered in tantalizing sauces, ahi tuna marinated in innovative flavors, and other melt-in-your-mouth creations are products of the best island restaurants and appear as both menu staples and nightly specials.

Following the lead of budget-wise islanders, tourists should take advantage of the smaller ethnic restaurants in Oahu, lunch vendors, roadside food merchants, and local delis where the fare is as tasty as it is affordable. If you're not taking an Oahu villa or other vacation rental, the lack of access to cooking facilities makes eating out necessary. Over a week or two, dining out in restaurants in Oahu can add up to a good chunk of vacation dollars, but with the smaller restaurants, you can eat well, spend less, and enjoy excellent variety through a host of accessible and well-priced dining options.

Oahu Map

Waikiki is the location of the prime tourist scene, and for that reason there is a wealth of choices in Oahu restaurants. Catering to every taste and budget, Oahu food in Waikiki restaurants spans dozens of ethnic flavors including Japanese, Thai, Italian, Chinese, French, Mexican, Mediterranean, Polynesian, and American. There are many restaurants serving a fusion of Oahu food where different tastes are satisfied in just one restaurant, keeping the entire family happy. Traveling outside of Waikiki's perimeter by rental car, trolley or bus, visitors will find even more restaurants in Oahu with menus priced significantly lower than those right in the city and often with a more authentic Hawaiian flare. This is a also great option to widen your choices if vacationing for an extended period.

Another great way to enjoy authentic ethnic food, including the best dim sum restaurants in Oahu, is to hop a trolley and head to Chinatown. Only ten minutes from Waikiki, Chinatown provides a venue full of tasty menus with great prices attached. Chinese, Vietnamese, Eurasian, Indian, Malaysian, and Filipino food is all available. Chinatown also features some of the best shopping on the island. The island's leading tea shops are found in this gem of a tourist area, too.

When trying out the food in Oahu, it's safe to say there are few limitations when you're intent on diversifying your palate. Honolulu and Waikiki, though popular, are certainly not the only places to be when it comes to Oahu restaurants. Kapahula, Manoa Valley, the North Shore, Ala Moana, Makiki, and Kahili are all excellent neighborhoods where both shopping and dining are always an adventure during Oahu vacations.