Highway Inn
Kakaako
- plate lunch
- kalua pork
- lau lau
- lomi salmon
- pork
LOCAL 4.5/ALL 4.5
Own this spot? Claim your listing →
Vol. 1 · No. 1Honolulu, Hawaiʻi · Mauka of KalakauaEst. 2026
E komo mai —
ranked by locals — not Yelp tourists
Four islands · Mom & pop only · Photos required
Neighborhood Guide · Oʻahu
Best of Kakaako
1 curated joints in Kakaako — ranked by locals, no chains.
1 joint · zero chains
Kakaako has 1 curated local spot on Oʻahu, ranked by locals who eat here every week, not tourists passing through. No chains, no resort markups, no Yelp-tourist inflation.
Da Picks — Kakaako
From the editorial desk
7 min · glossary
The Hawaiʻi Plate Lunch Glossary — Every Word You'll See On A Menu
Forty-one terms, in alphabetical order, with the pronunciation, the meaning, and the local context. Bookmark this one.
6 min · lau lau
What Is Lau Lau? The Underground-Cooked Pork Bundle Hawaii Built Around
Pork shoulder, salted butterfish, taro leaves, tied with ti-leaf string, steamed for six hours. The recipe predates Captain Cook.
5 min · waikiki
Where Locals Eat in Waikiki (Hint: Not Where You Think)
The hotel restaurants get the foot traffic. The locals walk three blocks mauka and pay half the price.
6 min · kalua pig
What Is Kalua Pig, Really? A Local's Guide to Hawaiʻi's Smoke-Pit Pork
It's not 'Hawaiian pulled pork.' It's not 'island BBQ.' It's a 300-year-old underground cooking technique that survived statehood, fast food, and tourism.