9 restaurants you need to know when visiting Honolulu

This article was written by Kate Krader for Bloomberg

Hawaiian tourism has been on a roll. On any single day of 2017, the average number of tourists roaming its islands and beaches topped 230,000 people.

That works out to a record 9.3 million visitors to the Aloha State last year, an increase of 4.6 per cent over the preceding year, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, with 5.7 million of those in Oahu alone. In 2017, those tourists spent US$16.78 billion, a further record, up 6.2 per cent from 2016 – the sixth consecutive year tourism revenue has grown. Increased flight service from United and beaches that weren’t hit by hurricanes or affected by Zika virus, as were those in the Caribbean, are likely contributors to growth.

But to my eyes (and mouth), we ought to thank the food.

During a January visit for a meeting of the James Beard Restaurant Committee – and more eating than you would think wise during a three-day trip – it became clear that Honolulu, which we dubbed the “next global foodie destination” two years ago, has been steadily lifting its food-and-drink bar even higher. Here are the top three reservations you need for your next trip – plus a half-dozen more, from local breakfasts to no-frills poke and a food hall– to ensure whatever beach bod you had when you arrived, has a healthy glow when you fly back home.

Senia

Despite being one of the more scenic cities in the country, Honolulu restaurants tend to hide behind often-gritty, unassuming facades. Not the year-old Senia, with big windows looking onto the street from its airy brick-walled dining room. Chris Kajioka and Anthony Rush – both Per Se alums – rethink Hawaiian fare, as well as the Continental cuisine that used to give the island a bad reputation. The chefs serve snacks of poke on puffy, jet-black crackers. Their do-it-yourself bites are fun: delectable pork belly you wrap with green pancakes and pickles; a platter of bone marrow, beef cheek marmalade; and red-clay and black-lava salts meant to be slathered and sprinkled on glazed Hawaiian sweet rolls.