Hukilau Cafe: Hawaiian Comfort Food on Oahu

While dreaming of Hawaii often depicts perfect scenes of green mountains and sandy beaches, food comes first to my mind.

One of my favorite things to do on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, along with stand-up paddleboarding and straight-up relaxation, is enjoy the island's fabulous food.

The Asian fusion food, which has become uniquely Hawaiian, offers a tasty repertoire for anyone who loves to eat.

The last time I was in Hawaii, I took a day to drive around Oahu, which takes about three to four hours if you don't stop anywhere, but we stopped at the Hukilau Cafe for brunch.

The Hukilau Cafe name is especially famous for being used in Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates, a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore. However, only the name was used.

The 50 First Dates restaurant, as seen in the film, was constructed at the Kualoa Ranch and removed a long time ago.

Despite their newfound fame, Hukilau serves delicious home-style Hawaiian favorites. It is located just off the highway in a quiet neighborhood in the town of Laie, near the beautiful beaches of the North Shore.

The cafe is in a small trapezoidal house that's been converted into a restaurant, and you'll know you've arrived when you notice the stream of vehicles parked on the side of the street.

The restaurant attracts tourists looking for good food (and driving around the island) and locals from Honolulu and Laie.

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The menu is quite simple, including typical dishes like teriyaki chicken and beef, loco moco (a hamburger patty over rice topped with a fried egg and smothered in brown gravy), chicken katsu, and the Hukilau burger.

They are also famous for serving macadamia nut pancakes, but I was more interested in the lunch dishes the day I went. We ordered a good selection of food, which was quickly delivered to our table.

The teriyaki chicken and teriyaki beef were excellent, gracefully sitting on a pile of hot steamed rice and complemented with a creamy macaroni salad.

The loco moco, which I learned was eaten by Adam on the TV show Man vs. Food, in my opinion, was not nearly as glorious as the version from Papa Ole's restaurant, but it still wasn't bad.

Hot steamed rice was first piled onto a plate before the meaty grilled beef burger was placed on top. A fried egg, which was cooked sunny side up with an oozing yolk, was laid on the burger, and finally, the combination was drowned in a generous scoop of thick brown gravy.

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The final dish we ate was the Hukilau Burger, and I must say, it was impressive. Within the toasted bun were a beef patty, a fried egg, cheese, raw onions, tomatoes, a leaf of lettuce, and the absolute stunner, a mouthwatering slab of teriyaki beef. The harmony of the flavors in each bite was a winning combo.

If you drive around the island of Oahu, make a pit stop for breakfast or lunch at the Hukilau Cafe!

Address: 55-662 Wahinepee St, Laie, Hawaii, 96762, United States

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If you liked this story, check out Feastio, the new food blog from the founder of Go Backpacking.