Honolulu's food scene is deeper and more interesting than most visitors expect. The two anchors are plate lunch (two scoops of rice, macaroni salad, and a protein — the working person's meal since the plantation era, found at lunch wagons and small diners) and poke (raw marinated tuna, sold by the pound at every supermarket and dedicated poke shop). Both are better and cheaper than anything in the tourist corridor.
For the full expression of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Alan Wong's on King Street has been the benchmark since 1991 — local ingredients, French technique, $100+ per head. Helena's Hawaiian Food in Kalihi is the James Beard award-winning opposite: traditional Hawaiian plate lunch, cash only, closes when sold out. Chinatown has the best cheap variety — dim sum, pho, Filipino, and Korean at prices that make Waikiki restaurant bills feel like a bad joke. Kaimuki neighbourhood on Waialae Avenue is where chefs eat on their nights off.