Everyone has his or her own way of putting together an itinerary for travel. Some people prefer scheduling a tour of museums and city sights, while others make a beeline for breathtaking natural landscapes that are the feature of so many popular destinations. For the traveler who aims to please his palate, though, Hawaii offers an array of cuisines as diverse as its cultural makeup. Stemming from its ancient Hawaiian beginnings to its Polynesian roots, all the way to Chinese immigrant life and places of Japanese internment, the food of this island state depicts a collage that is altogether unique, colorful, and - thanks to modern technology - more and more accessible by the day. Below follows a list of Hawaiian foods marked as favorites by locals and visitors alike:

Loco Moco

Loco moco is a go-to recipe for a quick, authentic, quintessential Hawaiian meal. This mainstream dish is basically layers on layers of delicious: brown gravy on top of a sunny-side-up egg on top of a thick, juicy hamburger patty on top of white, sticky rice. This dish is as delicious as it sounds. Those more adventurous and innovative in Hawaiian cuisine have opted to fancy up the dish with caramelized onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and other accoutrements; or have switched out the hamburger patty in favor of Hawaii’s other unofficial state dish, SPAM. More SPAM is consumed in Hawaii than any other state in America. Loco moco is growing in popularity in college campuses where rice, egg, gravy, burger meat, or SPAM can fit nicely into a student budget. Those acquainted with loco moco who evangelize about this particular entree will find a welcome response wherever it goes!

Food Trucks

Let’s face it: real estate is expensive on an island and in a place like Hawaii, it’s hard to justify sitting in a restaurant when you could be out exploring instead. Thankfully, food trucks have a growing presence on the island state and provide a multitude of ways to eat local food well when you’re on the go.

The art of mobile food services has been in development for decades in Hawaii, where peddlers of tasty snacks and treats would walk neighborhood streets, selling their wares. These manapua men eventually found their way to the more densely populated business and tourist districts on the island, graduating to use vans and trucks outfitted with cooking supplies. Now, these trucks are a staple on many corners throughout the state.

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck is a popular option when near Oahu’s North Shore. It’s been a presence in this surfing paradise since 1993 and has provided many hungry customers with heaping plates of sizzling shrimp scampi and other amazing options. Giovanni’s popularity has resulted in the opening of another location in Kahuku, a short hop away from its original stop on Kamehaha Highway.

Aside from the densely populated island of Oahu, there are many popular food trucks to be found on the other islands. For example, Maui’s food truck scene has been growing in recent years and several favorites feature some of Hawaii’s favorite dishes, like poke (pronounced PO-keh; found at Like Poke?), fusion food (Shark Pit Maui), wood-fire pizza (Outrigger Pizza Company), and tacos that will make your taste buds thank you (Horhito’s and Jawz Fish Tacos).

For coffee, track down GypsyMaui on Facebook or Instagram to treat yourself to the joy that is 100% Maui-grown espresso beans infused with buffalo butter, organic maple syrup, and more. All possible menu items are locally and/or organically grown, and their panini menu rotates daily - not to mention their smoothies or famed Maui banana bread, which almost deserve a full blog post of their own.

A quick Google search will yield many more results worthy of your attention, but fear not about the quality of these meals on wheels: Hawaii’s food truck scene gives mainland urban centers - New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and others - a run for their money.

Asian Food

Though some chain restaurants have popped up in some of the more densely populated areas, Asian food in Hawaii is largely a mixed bag of cultural treasures, with original dishes hailing from all over the Asian continent to inventive fusions mixing the old with the new, the west with the east, the tourist with the local.

Some visitors might recognize the SPAM musubi, a perfect example of Asian fusion. Invented by Japanese people in American internment camps during World War II, the sushi roll-like dish is a perfect take-along for road trips, picnics on the beach, hikes in the lush landscape, or a mid-afternoon snack.

Another state staple born out of economic necessity is saimin, a noodle entree that finds its root in East Asia, but was adjusted to become what it is today by Hawaiian plantation workers who combined noodles with whatever else happened to be on hand. Now it’s found on the menu at McDonald’s around Hawaii, making its popularity in Hawaii comparable to the mainland’s love for the hamburger or chicken sandwich.

For those looking for a single-nationality experience, there are numerous restaurants on every corner with familiar eats - Korean BBQ, Thai plates, Chinese take-out, and Japanese-style sushi.

Seafood

Finally, an island paradise is incomplete without quality seafood. Hawaiians today eat twice the national average of seafood - and for good reason!

The aforementioned poke is of superlative importance to Hawaiian history and culture. As one of the most popular native Hawaiian dishes, poke is prepared and served in a way that is accessible to anyone on any socioeconomic level. Its popularity has traveled over to the mainland, where shops specializing in poke have popped up all over the country. While the migration of this dish has stirred some controversy over misappropriation of the name and concerns regarding the finite resources that supply the main ingredient, poke continues to maintain a strong reputation for Hawaiian cuisine outside of the islands. And inside the state too - the Internet likes it enough to rate a Kona favorite, Da Poke Shack, the top place to eat in all of America.

Due to the high demand of seafood consumption, eateries around the island stay sensitive to the limitations on this natural resource, often serving seasonal daily catches and rotating their menus to accommodate what’s available. In many restaurants, the menus display the Hawaiian name for the type of fish. While some of these names are recognizable (like mahimahi), others are less familiar to visitors (hapuupuu, for example, is grouper or sea bass).

When in Hawaii, do as the Hawaiians do - respect the native history of each type of cuisine, remember where the food came from, and most of all, enjoy!

About the Author: Skyline Eco-Adventures is Hawaii’s most experienced zipline operator. Feel confident providing your family with a safe and fun adventure during your island stay. To reserve a zipline tour or for more info, visit: https://www.skylinehawaii.com/.