Plate Lunch in Honolulu

Honolulu covers a lot of ground — from Chinatown to Waikiki to the back streets of Kaimuki. The plate lunch tradition runs through all of it, but unevenly. The best spots are in the neighborhoods locals actually live in, not the tourist corridors.

The drive-in format dominates Honolulu's local food scene. Drive-ins (open kitchens with a window, parking lot, styrofoam plate) were built for the working families of mid-century Honolulu. Most of them are still run by the same families that opened them. Rainbow Drive-In, Like Like Drive Inn, and the Loco Moco Drive Inn are institutions in the literal sense — they predate statehood.

For the full Honolulu map, filter by neighborhood using the search page. Kalihi is listed separately because it deserves its own guide.