Hawaii Magazine
Our 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards reveals the top new restaurants in Hawaiʻi.
Apr 29, 2021
The food scene in Hawaiʻi has changed since COVID-19. Some of the state’s most popular restaurants Alan Wong’s Honolulu on Oʻahu, Da Kitchen on Maui have closed for good. And others have had to change course, ditching fussy menus for simpler dishes that work as takeout and delivery options. And despite the economic turmoil this global pandemic has had on restaurants everywhere not just Hawaiʻi eateries opened and, more importantly, stayed open. Here are the Top 5 Best New Restaurants in Hawaiʻi, voted by you, in our 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Mothers of Reinvention
From the moment Honolulu shut down in early March 2020, restaurants and bars have valiantly swiveled to counteract the pandemic’s effects. We have had a dazzling choice of takeout (with spots such as Senia turning it into a high art), chef kits (Pai Honolulu had a creative series), and premium produce (MW Restaurant sold farmer friends’ goods). But some are reinventing the integral idea of what a restaurant is. Alejandro “Aker” Briceño, the former Nobu Honolulu pastry chef who was part of the pioneering eateries V Lounge (where he introduced the city to Neapolitan pies and Caputo flour) and Prima, returned to Honolulu in 2019 after five years with Nobu Malibu expressly to open a V Lounge 2.0 with then-partner Chris Kajioka. They were negotiating a lease when the pandemic hit. “It changed everything. Financially it didn’t make sense,” Briceño says.
The Best Things to Do on O‘ahu in March 2021
In-person events are still up in the air so instead celebrate a few national days with corned beef, canines, empowered comedians and cans of local beer.
February 26, 2021
St. Patrick’s Day
On March 17, 2020, the HONOLULU Magazine team began working from home. One year later, I’m planning yet another quiet celebration at home with a Guinness (I go to Village Bottle Shop for cans and Murphy’s Bar and Grill for a freshly poured pint) and a local restaurant’s version of the classic corned beef and cabbage. Last year, Butcher & Bird had a corned beef sausage with pastrami and rye, 12th Ave Grill boasted a corned beef and lamb shepherd’s pie, Plumeria Beach House (pictured) had a three-course menu and M.A.C. 24/7 added green pancakes. Sláinte!
We Pick Our Top 5 Lobster Rolls on O‘ahu
It was a difficult job, but we had to do it.
January 18, 2021
The lobster roll at Jolene’s Market made our list of top five places on O‘ahu. Photo: Kelli Shiroma Braiotta
What makes a good lobster roll? If you’re an East Coast diehard, you’d look for cold Maine lobster meat mixed with mayonnaise, celery or scallions and tarragon piled onto a New England bun. You’ll find some of this in Hawai‘i, but local variations can get pretty significant.
I ranked O‘ahu’s lobster rolls based on amount of lobster, the bun, bread-to-filling ratio and overall taste. Besides the restaurants below, I tried lobster rolls from The Espresso Bar at Neiman Marcus Hawai‘i, Merriman’s Honolulu, Fat Cheeks Hawai‘i and Chocolate + Vanilla Bakery’s Savory Saturdays.
Hale ‘Aina Happenings: What’s New with Hawai‘i Restaurants in January 2021
A special vegan dish, a new dinner menu at a favorite neighborhood restaurant, what you’ll eat at our third exclusive Hale ‘Aina dinner, reopenings and a Valentine’s Day dinner to book now.
January 13, 2021
Kabocha gnocchi. Photo: 12th Ave Grill & DeliCafé
From the moment this neighborhood institution reopened with new chef Mauro Gramuglia at its helm, we’ve been curious to see what he would add to the dinner menu. Now we know. The newly named 12th Ave Grill & DeliCafé launched its new menu right before the holidays with Gramuglia’s hand-cut pastas, house-made burrata and terrine at the center. For those of us with nostalgic memories of battling for the few happy hour counter seats in 12th Ave Grill’s original location, where Koko Head Café sits now, there is still baked mac ’n’ cheese, the smoked ‘ahi spread and lamb burger. But now, a scallop crudo and sacher torte make