Everything You Need to Know About Hawaiʻi’s Plate Lunch

The plate lunch harkens back to Hawaiʻi's plantation era, a tasty byproduct of the cultural mingling by the mainly Asian and Portuguese immigrants who arrived in the islands seeking work. They needed a hearty yet inexpensive lunch to fuel them through their strenuous workday, and the plate lunch was born. Plate lunches were influenced by the dishes plantation workers brought over with them, such as Chinese char siu, Portuguese sausage, Japanese chicken katsu and Hawaiian kālua pig. Similar to a bento box, plate lunches are made up of several yet simple elements, including a starch (usually rice), a side (usually mac salad) and protein. These dishes are affordable, filling and a favorite among hungry locals to this day.

Main protein: Usually a choice of one or two options, including chicken katsu, teriyaki beef, kālua pork, mochiko chicken, laulau, loco moco and chili.

Two scoops of white rice: Two ice-cream-scoop portions. This is the standard.

One scoop of macaroni salad: A creamy, mayo-based salad with grated carrot and sometimes boiled potato.

Sometimes a side: Some plate-lunch spots offer sides in addition to rice and mac salad, such as Korean kimchi, Hawaiian poi or Japanese tsukemono (pickled vegetables).

Popular main proteins

Loco moco: A hamburger patty over rice, covered in brown gravy with a fried egg on top.

Kālua pork: Salty, smoky and tender slow-cooked pork — traditionally it would have been roasted in an underground Hawaiian imu.

Chicken katsu: Japanese-style breaded and fried chicken cutlet, served with katsu sauce.

Mochiko chicken: Bite-sized pieces of chicken dusted in mochiko flour and fried.

Teriyaki beef: Thinly sliced beef marinated in shoyu, sugar and ginger and grilled.

Laulau: Chunks of pork shoulder (and sometimes black cod or salmon), lūʻau, or taro leaves, and Hawaiian salt, wrapped in tī leaves and steamed.

Shoyu chicken: Chicken thighs braised in shoyu, sugar, garlic and ginger.

Oʻahu

North Shore Grinds — Tucked into Pālolo Valley, North Shore Grinds is my family's favorite plate lunch spot for its generous portions and diverse menu. Each has a scoop of rice plus mac salad or green salad. The dynamite ʻahi katsu lives up to its name, with fried slabs of ʻahi and a pepper cream sauce on the side. There's also pūlehu steak, traditionally grilled over hot coals or kiawe wood. Definitely grab some fresh poke here too. For me, it's the best value on Oʻahu.

• Address: 1429 10th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816
• Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday
• Average cost: $17

Pioneer Saloon — A more elevated take on the plate lunch with a heavy Japanese influence. This casual eatery has classic choices like chicken katsu plus standout seafood choices such as salmon katsu and seared garlic ʻahi. The mochiko chicken is crispy and juicy, and comes with a spicy aioli for dipping. Portions are ample. Choose from rice or pesto pasta salad.

• Address: 3046 Monsarrat Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
• Average cost: $17

St. Louis Drive Inn — For over half a century, St. Louis Drive Inn has been slinging out the same classic plate lunches on paper plates in a cardboard box. Go for the mixed plate, which features teriyaki beef, beef stew and roast pork slathered in gravy. The teriyaki mochiko chicken arrives glazed in sticky sauce, made for soaking into the rice. Every plate lunch has two scoops of white rice and a scoop of mac salad or green salad.

• Address: 3145 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816
• Hours: Monday through Thursday 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Average cost: $14

Rainbow Drive-In — It doesn't get more iconic than Rainbow Drive-In, situated at the edge of Waikīkī since 1961. Just look for the retro Coca-Cola sign. Entrees are still doled out on paper plates that droop with the weight of hefty portions, as they always have been. The mix plate is always a solid choice, with barbecue beef, chicken and fried mahi mahi. There's also hamburger steak slathered in gravy and a hefty loco moco. Each comes with rice and creamy mac salad.

• Address: 3308 Kanaina Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
• Average cost: $15

Helena's Hawaiian Food — A James Beard Award winner, Helena's has been an institution for Hawaiian food in Kalihi since 1946. The pipikaula short ribs are what they are known for — definitely order those. You shouldn't leave without ordering the fried butterfish collars either. Always with poi. Rather than ordering by the plate lunch, dishes come in combination packages here. The best is coming with a group of four and getting two combo sets to share. Cash only.

• Address: 1240 N. School St., Honolulu, HI 96817
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday
• Average cost: $38 (for combo set)

Yama's Fish Market — For over 40 years, Yama's Fish Market has been specializing in traditional-style Hawaiian plates. You can mix and match between laulau, lomi lomi salmon, kālua pig, poke and beef stew. The standard plate has mac salad and white rice, but that can be substituted for poi. You can also add haupia for a hint of sweetness at the end of your meal.

Address: 2332 Young St., Honolulu, HI 96826

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday

Average cost: $15

Diamond Head Market and Grill — There's always a line of patrons at this Honolulu staple, known for its bakery and plate lunches. This takeout-only joint offers timeless options like garlic shrimp, teriyaki burger patties and char siu pork. I like sharing the surf and turf plate, which includes teriyaki beef, char siu pork, teriyaki chicken plus shrimp and a grilled ʻahi fillet. Each plate lunch comes with rice and mac salad.

• Address: 3158 Monsarrat Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
• Average cost: $20

Waiahole Poi Factory — Located about 45 minutes from Waikīkī on Oʻahu's windward side, Waiahole Poi Factory pays tribute to its past as a poi producer by being a beloved takeout spot for Hawaiian plates. All plates are served with rice or poi, plus lomi salmon and haupia. The beef lūʻau, chicken long rice and kālua pig are some of the best on the island. It's also one of the few places I'll order squid lūʻau from — a creamy stew of squid; lūʻau, or taro leaves, and coconut milk.

• Address: 48-140 Kamehameha Hwy., Kāneʻohe, HI 96744
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Monday
• Average cost: $18

Zippy's (Hawaiʻi chain) — The standard diner of Hawaiʻi. Often open 24 hours and in 24 locations on Oʻahu, Big Island and Maui. The chili plate is the signature, but I also love their Portuguese Bean Soup and Korean fried chicken. This is the restaurant most locals miss when they move away.

• Address: Multiple locations across Oʻahu, Big Island and Maui
• Hours: Varies (check by location)
• Average cost: $15 to $20

Hawaiʻi Island

Pine Tree Cafe — Whenever I'm visiting Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island, I stop by Pine Tree Cafe near the airport. This old-school bustling eatery offers a wide array of options for plate lunches, with choices spanning Korean chicken, furikake-crusted ono and spicy garlic chicken served with a spicy aioli. Brown rice can be substituted for white rice, and additional sides include mashed potatoes and french fries. You can replace mac salad with potato salad or tossed greens. If you're not that hungry but still want to try the food, there are mini plates too.

• Address: 73-4040 Hulikoa Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
• Hours: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
• Average cost: $20. Mini plates are $4 less than full-size options.

Kaaloa's Super J's — Find home-cooked Hawaiian and local-style food at Kaaloa's Super J's, situated about 30 minutes south of Kailua-Kona. The menu is simple, but every item has been perfected. Choose between pork or chicken laulau, kālua pig, taro leaf coconut veggie stew and pasteles. For a fee, you can add white rice, potato mac salad, pineapple coleslaw or lomi salmon to complete your plate. Don't forget to add the homemade chili pepper water for an extra kick.

• Address: 83-5409 Māmalahoa Hwy., Captain Cook, HI 96704
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
• Average cost: $15

Café 100 — Known as the birthplace of the loco moco circa 1946. The original hamburger-egg-gravy version is the signature here. If you're in Hilo on the Big Island, you have to try the original.

• Address: 969 Kīlauea Ave., Hilo, HI 96720
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Sunday Average cost: $10

Maui

Da Kitchen — Maui locals love Da Kitchen for its big portions and commitment to local flavors. Each plate lunch has two scoops of white rice and a scoop of potato-mac salad. Entrees span fish tempura, chicken katsu in a savory gravy and kalbi ribs. If you have an appetite, there's the massive bento plate with teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, chicken katsu, shrimp tempura and Spam musubi.

• Address: 1215 S. Kīhei Road, Ste. E, Kīhei, HI 96753
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday
• Average cost: $25

Kauaʻi

Mark's Place — Hidden off-the-beaten path in an industrial section of Līhuʻe, Mark's Place is a staple on Kauaʻi. Plate lunches come with white rice and potato mac salad, or you can substitute brown rice or tossed greens for a small fee. This spot serves up old-school favorites, like hamburger steak and loco moco. The chicken katsu is deep-fried to perfection. Mark is one of Hawaiʻi's most beloved chefs — you cannot go wrong with whatever you order.

• Address: 1610 Haleukana St., Ste. A, Līhuʻe, HI 96766
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
• Average cost: $20

Wake Up Delicious — This cafe in sleepy Hanalei is worth traveling out of your way for brunch or lunch. Known for kālua pig, smoked pork, garlic shrimp, chicken katsu and coconut shrimp. Sides include rice and mac salad plus kimchi or seaweed salad. Grab lunch here on your way to a beach day at Hanalei Bay.

• Address: 5-5144 Kūhiō Hwy., Hanalei, HI 96714
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily
• Average cost: $22

Spam musubi: A slice of grilled Spam on top of a block of rice, wrapped in nori (seaweed). Hawaiʻi's most popular snack. Available at grocery and convenience stores.

Poke: Usually made with raw fish (especially ʻahi), but could be made with anything. Poke means "to slice into pieces." This distinctly Hawaiʻi-born dish comes in a variety of styles including shoyu, limu and spicy mayo.

Saimin: Hawaiʻi-invented noodle soup — a hybrid of Japanese ramen, Chinese noodles and Filipino pancit. Hamura Saimin on Kauaʻi and Palace Saimin on Oʻahu serve the gold standards.

Malasadas: Portuguese doughnuts, coated in sugar. Leonard's Bakery on Oʻahu is the famous stop. Eat them in the parking lot while they are still hot.