If there's one thing everyone agrees on after visiting the islands, it's this: Hawaiian food is unforgettable. The food here tells the story of everyone who's ever called these islands home — Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean — all blended into something entirely its own. Here are the Hawaiian foods you have to try at least once.
Poke
Poke (POH-keh) starts with the freshest raw fish available — usually ahi tuna — cubed and tossed with soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, and sometimes seaweed or Maui onion. It's simple, it's fresh, and it's everywhere from gas station counters to high-end restaurants. Every poke shop has its own house blend, so it's worth trying a few.
Plate Lunch
The plate lunch is the backbone of everyday eating in Hawaiʻi: two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad, and a protein — think kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, or loco moco. It traces back to plantation workers who brought their own food traditions and combined them into one shared lunch box. Order it "local style" and you'll get the full experience.
Loco Moco
A scoop of rice topped with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and a fried egg on top. Comfort food, Hawaiʻi-style — and a favorite at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Malasadas
Portuguese-Hawaiian doughnuts — fried, sugar-coated, no hole in the middle. Best eaten hot, ideally from a bakery window on a Sunday morning.
Shave Ice
Not to be confused with a snow cone — shave ice is finely shaved (not crushed) ice, soaked in bright syrup layers, often with a scoop of ice cream or mochi tucked at the bottom. A must on a hot day.
Spam Musubi
A slice of grilled Spam on a block of rice, wrapped in nori. Hawaiʻi has one of the highest per-capita Spam consumption rates in the country, and musubi is the reason why — it's the ultimate grab-and-go snack.
Ready to try building your own? Check out our Food & Drink collection for more island flavor inspiration.
Bring the islands home: Explore our Food & Drink collection — original designs from our Native Hawaiian–owned studio in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi. Here are a few of the newest additions:
Aloha Wine O'Clock Tee — sunset-hour vibes for the wine lover in your ohana.
Hawaii Foodie Life Tee — for the plate-lunch, poke-bowl, loco-moco lover.
Craft Beer Hawaii Tee — for the local-brew, cold-one-in-hand crowd.