Honolulu is a beautiful destination on the south side of Honolulu Island and is the state capital of the Hawaiian islands. It’s a popular vacation spot, with people coming from all over to enjoy the warm beaches and tropical paradise that the island provides. If you’re visiting Honolulu, or are lucky enough to live here, then you should take advantage of the many wonderful seafood restaurants that serve up the islands’ fresh harvest from the bountiful seas. From poke to sushi to crab, there are many styles of seafood available to you at these local Hawaiian restaurants.
Karai Crab
Image via Flickr by stu_spivack
Karai Crab is a seafood restaurant that is located at 1314 S. King St., Unit G2, in Honolulu. Its name means “spicy crab,” and it offers fun and spicy seafood options served with unique sauces proudly concocted by the executive chef. This restaurant provides a clean and casual dining environment all will enjoy for a fun night out. It serves up boil-style food that has won several awards, including Diner’s Choice from OpenTable. Giving you unique Hawaiian flavors from local ingredients, Karai Crab is a great stop on your culinary tour of the Honolulu seafood scene.
Start your meal at Karai Crab with a seafood appetizer. Try the honey garlic shrimp, or oyster shooters with chili water, cocktail sauce, or ponzu sauce. Do you want seafood only for your main dish and not for the whole meal? You’ll find plenty of non-seafood appetizers, including french fries and Cajun chicken wings.
House specialties include seafood pasta, a fisherman’s stew, and catfish breaded in cornmeal and fried to a golden brown. Build your own seafood entrée with your choice of house sauce, spice level that goes from no spice to ghost pepper, and seafood options, including lobster tail, king crab legs, and mussels.
Azure Restaurant at the Royal Hawaiian Resort
The Azure Restaurant is located at the beautiful Royal Hawaiian Resort overlooking Waikiki beach. The resort is designed with stunning Spanish-Moorish architecture, and the restaurant serves up luxurious four-course meals, making this the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion. It is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and the dress code is resort wear. Sit on the beachside dining area enjoying a spectacular meal with someone special as a warm, sea-scented breeze ruffles your hair. Experienced sommeliers will recommend the perfect wine pairing with your meal of delicate seafood flavors.
Sasubune Hawaii
Sasabune Hawaii is a sushi restaurant that mixes Japanese sushi and Hawaiian fish to create a unique culinary experience. It’s located at 1417 S. King St. and is open from Tuesday to Saturday. Lunch hours are noon to 1 p.m. for takeout only. Dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is open for dining in. The sushi is served Omakase-style, which is from a Japanese phrase meaning “I’ll leave it up to you,” so there’s no menu except for takeout, and the meal is served already seasoned with no soy sauce at the table.
Duke’s Waikiki
Duke’s Waikiki is named in honor of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, Honolulu-born Olympic swimmer and local hero. The restaurant is located at 2335 Kalakaua Avenue, Suite 116, at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. It offers a breakfast buffet from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., lunch from 11:15 a.m. until 3 p.m., and dinner is served from 4:45 p.m. until 10 p.m. daily. You’ll find daily specials including Taco Tuesdays and the prime rib buffet for Thursday and Sunday dinners. This beachside restaurant is perfect for a nice dinner enjoying the ocean views and the company of a loved one.
At Duke’s, you can have a meal of fresh local seafood served according to seasonal availability. You can try panko-crusted calamari with guava cocktail sauce and Meyer lemon remoulade. Poke tacos are filled with fresh raw ahi, shoyu, maui onions, chili flakes, avocado, and wasabi aioli. Try the Cajun fish tacos with tomatillo sauce, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Island favorites include coconut shrimp with lilikoi chili water, cucumber namasu, and a side of fries. Dinner mains include baked fish with a lemon glaze and a side of rice or try the roasted Tristan de Cunha lobster tails.
Kickin’ Kajun Seafood
Kickin’ Kajun is Hawaii’s first Cajun seafood restaurant and has been operating in Honolulu since 2012. It has expanded to two more locations, one in Kapolei and one in Kaneohe. The original Honolulu spot is located in the Samsung plaza at 655 Keeaumoku St. #101, and is open every day from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. This restaurant serves up New Orleans-style Cajun seafood boils with a Hawaiian twist, as well as fried baskets of seafood medleys, using local ingredients and the freshest seafood available. Come out to the cozy, inviting environment and enjoy a meal with the whole family.
At Kickin’ Kajun, the food is served without china, so you can dive right in and get your hands dirty. The fried baskets come with your choice of garlic, Cajun, sweet potato, or other fries. The oyster basket gives you oyster meat hand-battered in a spice mix and served with tartar sauce. For your seafood boil, you can choose one of the combos, including the crawfish combo or the snow crab legs combo, or get your seafood by the pound. Then choose a side, such as potatoes or corn, and the level of heat you want in your sauces.
Honolulu has a long history of eating and enjoying seafood. With both local and international influences, you’ll find many amazing seafood options when you’re dining out in this beautiful seaside city. What is your favorite style of seafood? From sushi to Cajun boils, Honolulu has it all. At Hawaii Partners 3D Wealth Advisors, we love to hear if you’ve been to any of the restaurants on this list and find out what you thought of it. Haven’t been to any of them yet? Drop us a line and tell us which one you want to check out first.