Exploring Oahu: Part 1

Exploring the south side of Oahu

A list of my top restaurants, places to stay, hikes and favorite beaches on the south side of Oahu.

““We were playing in the sun. We were having so much fun. On a white sandy beach of Hawaii.” ”

— IZ Kamakawi’wo’ole

I lived on Oahu from 2014-2015 while I completed my residency in hospital dentistry at The Queens Medical Center in Honolulu. It was one of the best years of my life and Oahu will always feel like home to me, even though I only lived there for a year. My next three travel posts will cover Oahu and explore all four corners of the island. A lot of people don’t like Oahu because it’s “too touristy” – and I get that. But a lot of those people have never done a lot- outside of Waikiki or visiting the North Shore for one day.

If you’re looking for some restaurants, hikes and beaches that are somewhat off the beaten path, please read on!

The south side of Oahu is probably the most popular part of the island as it encompasses Waikiki and Honolulu. It has some of my favorite food spots IN THE WORLD and also some of my favorite beaches.

Places to Eat in South Oahu

Koko Head Cafe – Favorite brunch place on the island. Their Cornflake French Toast with “billion dollar bacon” and ice cream on top is to die for – and I always get the Dumplings of the day.

Onos – favorite place for poke. Simple and delicious. Fresh fish and long-grain rice served in styrofoam to-go boxes.

Waiola Shave Ice – my favorite shaved ice on the island. A little hole-in-the-wall with super finely shaved ice! Add sweetened condensed milk (called a snow cone!) [Cash only]

Leonard’s Bakery – famous for their malasadas (Hawaiian fried donut). I’m not a huge fan of these in general but eating them when they are piping hot out of the oven and covered in cinnamon and sugar is not too shabby.

Da Cove Health bar – favorite açaí bowl on the island. Pastrami sandwich with fresh dill is also good fantastic – and I would never typically order a pastrami sandwich [Cash only]

Diamond Head Market and Grill – plate lunch (plate lunch = rice, meat and macaroni salad) is delicious but also go inside the grocery store and get the sour cream blueberry scones. My absolute favorite.

Side Street Inn – My favorite place to get fancy Hawaiin/Asian fusion food. Their signature fried rice is perfect. Get it with a side of their incredible garlic chicken.

Rum Fire – great place to go for drinks – turns into a club at night. Parking is kind of annoying but park at the Royal Hawaiian. You can get up to 2 hours validated at Rum Fire. It is right on the beach and has amazing sunset views in the heart of Waikiki.

Tikis – at the Aston Hotel in Waikiki – get their garlic edamame and ask for some Taro rolls. Their edamame sauce is so good!

Kona Brewing Company – gorgeous views and great beers.

Bubbies – the original ice cream mochies. My favorite flavors are Guava and Passion Fruit but try a bunch! They are the perfect treat after a hike such as Koko Head.

Morning Glass – go hike Manoa falls and stop by Morning Glass for some of their famous Macaroni and cheese pancakes or Fried Rice omelette. Also does delicious coffee

Roy’s – yes it’s a chain but their short-ribs are no joke and their macadamia fish is to die for.

Liliha Bakery – get yourself a coco-cream puff. They are filled with either chocolate pudding, green tea or my personal favorite: chantilly (Hawaiian version of whipped cream). Get a couple for yourself!

Moku Kitchen – Farm to table food by the same owners as Monkeypod. In the “cool part of town” aka Kaka’ako Fun to walk around that area.

Maguro Brothers – Poke – very authentic experience in the heart of downtown Honolulu in the fish market

JJ Dolans – the only good place to get pizza on the island. The wings are good too.

Bevy – Also in Kaka’ako, this place serves some great drinks. Sit outside for ‘Pau Hana’ (Happy hour) and people watch.

Pint and Jigger – for that ultimate Portland-esk -hipster bar (if you’re feeling homesick). Has a ton of great micro brews on tap

Beaches of South Oahu:

Kaimanas – little beach to the south of Waikiki. Calm, clear waters and a great view of downtown Waikiki. Normally not as crowded as Waikiki

Halona Beach Cove – before you get to the famous Sandys beach. Park at the Halona Look Out and then walk down to your right. Halona is basically a calm, beautiful beach that looks like a wave pool (without the big waves usually). Fun little rocks to jump off of.

Dukes – the only place in Waikiki that I will recommend – specifically if you want to learn how to surf. I took surfing lessons here, and even though it’s always crowded with surfers, it also has consistently calm waves, easy breaks, plus the water is beautiful. I typically like to rent boards from Koa Boards – which is about a 3 block walk from the beach.

Hanauma Bay – OK here’s the thing about this place. It really is some of the best snorkeling…. but SUPER touristy. You have to watch a 7 minute video before going down about keeping the bay protected, and I think it costs $7.5 pp to enter. But the snorkeling is amazing and the beach is awesome to just hang out at.

Hikes

Manoa Falls – Great little 3 mile round trip hike where you head into what looks like Jurassic Park. Waterfall at the end is not that impressive but the journey to get to it certainly is!

Koko Head Stairs – a serious workout with really great views at the top. It’s an old rainroad line converted to stairs. People will be running up and down them all day and all night long. Takes about 30 minutes to an hour to get to the top depending on how fast you want to push yourself.

Ka’au Crater Hike – this hike takes all day but is SO cool! It’s a weird starting point located in a neighborhood – so make sure to look up directions beforehand. Scale waterfalls on ropes as you work your way up to the top of the crater (about 8 miles round trip) and get rewarded with great views at the top of all of Honolulu.

Hanauma Bay Ridge Hike – walk around the rim of Hanauma bay and appreciate the gorgeous torquise ocean. At the bottom of the hike is a really cool natural rock bridge that forms over the ocean.

Kuli’Ou’Ou Ridge Trail – this trail head is a little difficult to find as it starts basically in someone’s backyard. It’s a solidly uphill hike but the views at the top and along the way are really rewarding. Walking through a bamboo forest for part of the trek is pretty amazing as well. Be careful, however if it has rained recently as the trail can quickly become quite treacherous.

360 Views of the East and South Sides of the island.

That concludes Part 1 of 3 for Oahu. Tune in next week for my recommendations of the East Side of the island – some of my favorite beaches and hikes in the world!