O’ahu Dos and Don’ts

1. Stay in a vacation rental.
2. Go to the Polynesian Cultural Center.
3. Skip the plate lunch and buy from a shrimp truck.
4. Join a sunset cruise.
5. Do eat at Duke’s, Hula Grill and Keo’s.

The view from Hula Grill

The first Waikiki restaurant I’ve tried is Duke’s, which was a great choice. I wanted to go back but there were so many other restaurants to try.

Prok ribs at Hula Grill

The ones I particularly enjoyed were Hula Grill and Keo’s. Hula Grill has a great view of the beach and the pork ribs I had there was tender, moist and memorable. It was part of their brunch menu but I suppose it’s on their regular menu as well. Many restaurants in Waikiki serve from a special brunch menu on Sundays.

Grilled pork at Keo's

The spicy rice that made me cry, "sunog!" Very hot.

We ended up at Hula Grill because Keo’s was closed for lunch that Sunday. We went back there for dinner, but we made reservations just to be sure. Again, we had the pork ribs, which wasn’t as fall-off-the-bone tender as Hula Grill’s but great just the same. It went perfectly with the spicy rice but I wished I had told the waiter to go easy on the spice.

Steak and mahi mahi at Atlantis. The mahi mahi was overcooked but the steak was great.

Our last meal in Waikiki was at Atlantis Seafood and Steak. The steak was superb but I would have preferred a more subdued ambiance.