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Home » Food

Hukilau Cafe: Hawaiian Comfort Food on Oahu

Modified: Sep 14, 2024 · Published: Mar 5, 2013 by Mark Wiens |

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.

Hukilau Cafe on Oahu (photo: Dave Lee)
Hukilau Cafe (photo: Dave Lee)

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.

Related: Planning for Hawaii on a Budget - Oahu

Teri chicken plate
Teri chicken plate

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.

Loco moco
Loco moco

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.

     >>> Discover more things to do on Oahu at Travelocity.

Hukilau Burger
Hukilau Burger

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

___

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

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About Mark Wiens

Mark was raised in central Africa before migrating back to the U.S. for university. After graduating, he decided to continue traveling the world. On Migrationology, he shares the cultural side of travel from a slow-paced local perspective that often revolves around his love for eating all forms of food. Join him on Facebook and follow him on YouTube.

Comments

  1. Caroline Eubanks says

    March 05, 2013 at 9:08 am

    LOVED me some Hukilau! That burger was ideal after a day hiking around.

  2. Jam @icoSnap says

    March 11, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    The Loco Moco looks so delish!

  3. Dee says

    March 20, 2013 at 1:07 am

    I can't believe it. In 2011, we visited Oahu and stayed at a rental vacation house in Laie with a private beach. I remember eating here a couple of times. Loved the food. I had totally forgotten the name of the place! Would definitely need to add that to my Oahu blog post!

    I am new to the blog scene. Started a blog just 2 days ago. If you could take the time to visit my blog - yamkantravel.blogspot.com ; and would really appreciate it if you could provide your suggestions, comments or compliments ;)

  4. Barbara says

    March 23, 2013 at 3:05 pm

    Loved reading this post; it brought back fond memories of our trips to Oahu. I can't wait to return and try the Hukilau Burger at The Hukilau Cafe. Thanks for sharing, I'm getting hungry now!

  5. Oahu Amanda says

    May 26, 2014 at 7:37 pm

    I've been here 3.5 years and feel like I've been to every restaurant on the island! Thanks for a NEW spot to try! ~Amanda

  6. Kaleila says

    May 29, 2016 at 11:58 pm

    Although "Hukilau" is a common term, and the Cafe in the movie "50 First Dates" was called The Hukilau Cafe, the Cafe in this article I s, in no way, the cafe filmed in the movie.
    The movie cafe scene was filmed on a soundstage with a CGI background to depict the background lagoon.

    • Big Los says

      October 13, 2016 at 2:32 pm

      That's I what I read various time. Is not the cafe in movie.

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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