Pens Fan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2014
We just got home from Hawaii yesterday. We were up on the North Shore a couple of weeks ago and while I am certainly no expert - this was our first trip there - here is my two cents:
Giovannis was very good, but Da Bald Guy's was better - especially the garlic shrimp (and it's already peeled
). The one negative about the Da Bald Guy is they have very little seating. The trucks in that area all seemed to have dedicated seating for their own customers. However the sushi truck next door was just opening for the day and had no customers. So my husband ran over there and ordered a roll - it was good! - and then we just sat at one of their tables.
We took the advice of the Ordinary Adventures youtube channel and skipped Matsumoto's for Kaimana's. It was delicious (1000% better than Aulani's) and there was no line. There is a lovely quiet seating area out back by the river and under some beautiful trees. Heavenly! Though we did have slightly better shave ice on Maui at Ululani's. I'm not sure if they are on Oahu though, but there was something about the texture of the ice that was a bit better.
For pastries Leonard's lives up to the hype for malasadas. The main store is in Honolulu near Waikiki, but they have mobile trucks all over the island. Check out their website for locations. One word of warning. They don't reheat that well. Just buy what you can eat when you get them.
I also second the suggestion to stop at the Dole plantation - yes it's kitschy and touristy but who cares? We are tourists, after all! It's a really fun stop for fresh pineapple, pineapple juice or Dole Whip and their fun gift store. Last night when we got home I lit my pineapple scented candle inside of a coconut shell that we bought there and just smiled.
Have fun!! As I said, this was our first trip to Hawaii, and after spending nearly 3 weeks there, it most certainly will not be our last .
Giovannis was very good, but Da Bald Guy's was better - especially the garlic shrimp (and it's already peeled
). The one negative about the Da Bald Guy is they have very little seating. The trucks in that area all seemed to have dedicated seating for their own customers. However the sushi truck next door was just opening for the day and had no customers. So my husband ran over there and ordered a roll - it was good! - and then we just sat at one of their tables.We took the advice of the Ordinary Adventures youtube channel and skipped Matsumoto's for Kaimana's. It was delicious (1000% better than Aulani's) and there was no line. There is a lovely quiet seating area out back by the river and under some beautiful trees. Heavenly! Though we did have slightly better shave ice on Maui at Ululani's. I'm not sure if they are on Oahu though, but there was something about the texture of the ice that was a bit better.
For pastries Leonard's lives up to the hype for malasadas. The main store is in Honolulu near Waikiki, but they have mobile trucks all over the island. Check out their website for locations. One word of warning. They don't reheat that well. Just buy what you can eat when you get them.
I also second the suggestion to stop at the Dole plantation - yes it's kitschy and touristy but who cares? We are tourists, after all! It's a really fun stop for fresh pineapple, pineapple juice or Dole Whip and their fun gift store. Last night when we got home I lit my pineapple scented candle inside of a coconut shell that we bought there and just smiled.
Have fun!! As I said, this was our first trip to Hawaii, and after spending nearly 3 weeks there, it most certainly will not be our last
.
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