What Is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch? Discovering Hawaii’s Ono Grinds
When visiting the Islands, you have to try the ubiquitous Hawaiian plate lunch. When in Rome, and all that, right? It’s definitely worth it, because although plate lunches aren’t reinventing the wheel…they’re so delicious! Get ready for your mouth to start watering and your tummy to start grumbling as we share our favorite Hawaiian plate lunches.
What Is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch?
Are you wondering what a plate lunch is? Simply put, it’s a lunch plate, although no one calls it that in Hawaii 😉. A plate lunch is sort of like a meat and three sides kind of meal. You’ll find them at casual diners, drive-ins or food trucks around the islands. You can get one for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it’s a lot of food for an affordable price.
Typically, a Hawaiian plate lunch consists of a meat dish, two scoops of steamed white rice and a scoop of creamy macaroni salad. Many restaurants offer substitutions such as brown rice and tossed salad instead of white rice and mac salad. Sometimes you’ll get potato-mac salad instead of traditional macaroni salad, but the idea is the same. One meat and three helpings of a side.
Popular Hawaiian Plate Lunches
Chicken Katsu
Chicken thighs are dusted in panko crumbs and deep fried until perfectly crispy. Then they’re cut into strips and served with tangy tonkatsu sauce, which is similar to bbq sauce.
Loco Moco
Does a grilled hamburger patty, grilled onions and an over-easy egg sitting on top of a mound of fluffy white rice and smothered in brown gravy sound good to you? If so, you have to try the pants-busting loco moco.
Mochiko Chicken
Bite size chunks of chicken thighs are coated in mochiko flour, which is a sweet glutinous rice flour from Japan, and deep fried to golden perfection. You may find that the taste profile is reminiscent of a popular Mainland chicken chain that’s closed on Sundays…only better!
Garlic Shrimp
Oahu’s legendary North Shore made this plate famous, although you can find it island-wide. Ground zero for these bad boys are Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in Kahuku. Jumbo shrimp are sautéed in more butter and garlic than you can believe, and the result is out-of-this-world delicious.
Kalua Pig
Although you’ll have a chance to try this island delicacy at most luaus, such as the ones included in our Hawaii All-Inclusive Vacation Packages, it’s also a popular plate lunch menu item. Check out this blog post to learn more about kalua pig, and a recipe to try at home.
Shoyu Chicken
Chicken thighs are marinated in a sweet, garlicky shoyu (soy sauce) marinade and simmered over low heat until super tender. You’ve got to try this one!
Hamburger Steak
This popular Hawaiian plate lunch option is very similar to the loco moco, without the addition of an egg. Your hamburger steak plate will also usually have the rice on the side, instead of under the patty. Both are ono, but between the two we recommend going with the loco moco.
Beef Stew
You may wonder why you would want to eat beef stew in Hawaii, but just hear us out. It’s different in Hawaii. We can’t exactly put our finger on what it is, but this beef stew is sweeter, smoother and has a slightly orange hue. You’ll have to trust us on this – it’s delicious.
Chili Frank
You can probably find this at lots of plate lunch joints, but when we want a chili frank plate it has to be Zippy’s. A jumbo frankfurter is nestled on a heaping serving of no-bean chili, and the combination of that and the rice and mac salad is heavenly. We definitely recommend keeping the traditional sides for this one.
Chicken Chili
Next stop is still Zippy’s! Same chili, no weiner and add a couple of chicken thighs fried to perfection. You’ll be coming back for more!
Teri or BBQ Plate
Teri stands for teriyaki. Assorted meats (usually beef or chicken) are marinated in teriyaki sauce and grilled.
You may be tempted to confuse a BBQ Hawaiian plate lunch with the type of bbq you find in the southern and midwestern US, but it’s totally different. You’ll find that bbq in Hawaii is more about the cooking method (over flame), and doesn’t have traditional bbq sauce on it. Check out Diamond Head Market & Grill for a delicious bbq plate. Their mixed plate comes with several things to try, and their “bbq” is very close to a char siu marinade.
Korean Chicken
Deep-fried chunks of chicken are coated in a sweet, garlicky Korean-style sauce and dusted with scallions and sesame seeds, creating a taste sensation you’re sure to crave. Yum!
Our Favorite Places to Get a Plate Lunch in Hawaii
Grace’s Inn
Spot’s Inn
Now that your tastebuds are tingling for an authentic Hawaiian plate lunch, contact us today to start planning your foodie adventure in Hawaii!
