I grew up on Oahu — here are 13 of the best restaurants where you should actually eat

Unless you don't eat raw fish, I would be sorely disappointed if you came to Oahu (or Hawaii in general) and didn't make it a priority to try poke. It is a staple dish for locals, and my favorite post-beach meal. 

Although raw cubed fish can be found on the mainland, in my opinion, that's far from the original poke that comes from Hawaii. Off the Hook Poke Market serves some of the freshest ahi tuna poke I've ever had in the lush valley of Manoa. It gets incredibly tender fish each morning from the fish market, and I think the spicy ahi offers the right balance of spice and creaminess. Just prepare to wait in a long line.

If I'm surfing up on the North Shore, eventually, the hot sun and salty water make me crave a refreshing acai bowl topped with fresh fruit, granola, raw coconut flakes, and raw local honey. I'll make a stop at Haleiwa Bowls on my way back to town and pick up a mana bowl, which has blended acai and all those delicious toppings. The blue majik bowl is also aesthetically pleasing and has a blended base of pineapple and banana turned baby blue thanks to blue majik spirulina. 

Helena's Hawaiian Food is a staple for authentic Hawaiian food. It opened in 1946 and has earned multiple awards. If you eat meat, consider ordering kalua pig, which is a pig traditionally cooked in an underground oven called an imu.

I love lau lau, which is meat cooked until tender in ti leaves, and eaten with white rice or poi. Don't leave without ordering haupia for dessert — it's a pudding-like dessert that's creamy without being too sweet. 

Tucked into a nondescript shopping center away from tourists, Tiny Pyramid is for all sweet tooths. This family-owned bistro and bakery has over 40 delicate-looking French-style pastries inspired by local ingredients.

My favorites include the sweet potato and haupia (coconut) mousse over a white sponge cake and a lilikoi (passionfruit) cheesecake. Chocolate lovers will find themselves in heaven over their chocolate mac-nut tart.

I'm proud of Hawaii's beer scene and mention it to visitors every chance I get because our local brewers make creative brews using flavors unique to the islands. Stop by Hana Koa Brewing Co. in the trendy former warehouse neighborhood of Kakaako, which was opened in 2019 by a man with Native Hawaiian heritage and his wife, whom he met on the mainland.

Their Dortmunder Mifflin is a German-style lager with hints of fresh papaya and honeycomb. If you're not a fan of beer, you'll be satisfied with their seltzer flavors as well. They also often collaborate with other local businesses like the Rice Factory, a specialty Japanese rice shop in Honolulu.

In Hawaii, a plate lunch is an affordable, filling meal consisting of a scoop of rice, macaroni salad, and a protein like barbecue pork or chicken katsu. They're perfect for a post-hike lunch or to take to the beach. My favorite place to get a plate lunch is Pioneer Saloon, which has two locations in Honolulu.

I highly recommend the ahi katsu, which is fried ahi served with tartar and ponzu sauce. It also has an ono loco moco, a local favorite of a hamburger steak and two sunny-side-up eggs over a bed of rice, drizzled in a decadent curry-gravy-like sauce.

I grew up eating the local snack of shave ice (no, it's not "shaved") on the hottest afternoons. My mom would always drive my sister and me to Waiola Shave Ice on Waiola Street in Honolulu after school for a sweet treat. As adults, my sister and I will still always stop at the original Waiola after a blazing beach day (there's another location in Kapahulu).

Their shave ice is finely ground, and they pour enough syrup so you're never left with that dreaded plain icy center. They have an overwhelming number of flavors, ranging from classic pineapple and coconut to the more creative pickled mango and li hing mui (a sour plum treat). I highly recommend getting your shave ice with condensed milk drizzled on top or with a scoop of ice cream at the bottom.

Overlooking the water at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina on the west side of Oahu, Mina's Fish House is one of the only restaurants in the world to have fish sommeliers. In a way, it makes sense since people's livelihoods in Hawaii have long been tied to the ocean. 

I ate here in 2022 for the first time and was blown away by the fish sommelier's knowledge and love for the ocean as he explained the daily catch in detail. If you order the whole-fish catch of the day, he even comes back to cut it for you. Mina's Fish House is pricey, but the experience — and the food — is worth it.

I grew up making frequent visits to Side Street Inn, and my dad always makes sure we hit this beloved local spot when he's in town because their food is straightforward, delicious, and the servings are huge. 

This award-winning restaurant has two locations that have been around for years and might look familiar if you've seen Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations." Tuck into whopping platters of local staples like sizzling kalbi, garlic chicken, chicken katsu, and fried rice with Portuguese sausage and char-siu, which is a Chinese barbecue pork. 

Located on the edge of Waikiki in the Kaimana Hotel, Hau Tree is right on the beach, providing a beautiful setting to catch the sunset. I recommend couples reserve a date night here, which has mouthwatering libations such as the Kapua fizz, which mixes gin with calamansi, a lime native to the Philippines, and absinthe.

Did you know that you can get some of Hawaii's best poke in a grocery store? Head over to the poke counter at any Foodland, which is found across the island, to grab some fish for the beach. I'm a fan of the Spicy Hawaiian, which combines limu (seaweed) with spicy mayo. If you get a poke bowl, ask for furikake on the rice. 

Recognizable by its iconic, retro-looking sign, Leonard's Bakery is famous for its malasadas, which are donuts with Portuguese origins that are fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. It's served warm in a pink plastic bag or box, and if you're a fan of indulgence, I recommend trying the one filled with haupia cream.

Seafood in Hawaii shines for obvious reasons. Nico's Pier 38 is another great place to eat fresh seafood and a longtime favorite of my family. My sister opts for the furikake pan-seared ahi, and I almost always get the fresh ahi poke in its fish market.

View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Oahu.