Sip Me coffee shop in the upcountry town of Makawao is changing the coffee culture on Maui. When owners Shannon Murphy and Laura Wentworth opened it in June 2015, they hoped to get 30 customers per day but are now averaging 300 per day. Specialty coffees line the bar. “Maui needed it,” Murphy says, of […]
Happy Talk Lounge was a popular pau hana (after work) hangout long before its doors opened to the public this winter. For years the restaurant and bar at the Hanalei Bay Resort in Princeville kept a loyal following of visitors and locals looking to let loose with a cocktail and a plate of good food
Food is a reason alone to travel to Hawaii. The culinary scene across the Islands has an incredible variety of foods to eat your way through. This direct reflection of Hawaii’s diverse multicultural demographics and history makes way for exciting new restaurants—and often tasty fusion flavors—year after year. From our HAWAIʻI Magazine 2016 Readers’ Choice Issue, here are the
Kona Brewing Company has reprised its popular Makana Series from last year with seasonal, limited edition beers inspired by the four natural elements—aina (land/Earth), makani (wind), wela (fire) and kai (water)—in a campaign that cycles these flavors through the year. Makana, which means “to give” in Hawaiian, fits into the initiative’s overarching theme which is
On Kauai’s Coconut Coast, you’ll find a tin-roofed shanty painted in bold hues of yellow, purple and blue. Inside, the aroma of jerk chicken plated with sweet potato puree, coconut creamed kale and pineapple salsa swirls through the kitchen. Out back in the garden, on a floor of crushed sea glass, diners feast on healthy,
Chef Mark Ellman is known as one of the original 12 founders of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, and for being one of the more prolific restaurateurs on Maui. In the 30+ years he and his ohana have lived on Maui, Ellman has opened over 17 restaurants, including Avalon Restaurant and Bar, Honu Seafood and
On your trip to Hawaii, shave ice is a must-try and Wishing Well Shave Ice has been serving the quintessential Hawaiian snack in the heart of Hanalei since 1983. Happy customers have returned again and again for custom-made mounds of fluffy ice scrapes drenched in sugary, fruit-flavored syrups. But now, under new ownership, Wishing Well
Native Hawaiians made poi by steaming the root of the kalo (taro) plant, mashing it into a paste and mixing it with water. Today, you’ll see poi served alongside traditional Hawaiian foods, but you can also enjoy it in delicious modern forms, too. TARO SWEETBREAD AND MALASADAS Punaluu Bake Shop’s famous sweetbread. Photo: Aaron Yoshino/HAWAII Magazine
When you’re 2,500 miles from the nearest continent, the local food movement takes on an air of urgency. There are, however, some limitations. Hawaii farmers don’t produce staples such as wheat, rice, butter or cheese.On a mission to serve up 100 percent local cuisine and groceries, Kauai’s Collin Darrell and Adam Watten bumped up against
Kau Coffee may not have the same recognizable ring to it as world-famous Kona Coffee, but many in-the-know coffee aficionados say, though the flavors are different, it’s just as good. Overshadowed by Kona, its northerly neighbor, when agricultural workers found the local sugar plantation more profitable, Hawaii Island’s southerly Kau district’s coffee industry began 1894. And,
“It’s a malasada-croissant.” That’s how most are describing this spin on the Islands’ popular Portuguese pastry, an original of Let Them Eat Cupcakes, a Chinatown bakery on Oahu. A creation fresh out the oven, the bakery only just introduced the grandona to their line-up about three or four weeks ago. “It’s our take on the
The newly opened The Tchin Tchin! Bar in Oahu’s Chinatown doesn’t look like your stereotypical Hawaii bar. And that’s not a bad thing. The renovated space features red exposed brick, dark leather couches and chairs, giving the upstairs loft an urban den feel. But walk past the long bar, through the double doors and outside
