Let’s talk about Helena’s Hawaiian Food. In my opinion, Helena’s is pound for pound the best restaurant in Hawaii.

I love Helena’s because it’s unpretentious. Firstly, the restaurant is located in Kalihi, an area not heavily visited by Waikiki tourists but is home to some of the best eateries on the island.

And secondly, you aren’t going to find white tablecloths or fancy waiters or waitresses at Helena’s. There’s zero fluff. They do one thing, and they do it better than anybody: they serve delicious Hawaiian Food.

Helena’s Hawaiian Food was established in 1946 by this woman, Helen Chock, and has remained a family-owned and operated restaurant ever since, now being run by her grandson, Craig Katsuyoshi.

Unfortunately, Mom and Pop establishments are a dying breed in Hawaii, making it especially critical for people visiting the islands to support homegrown restaurants like Helena’s.

But enough of me blabbering. Here’s everything you need to know about eating at Helena’s.

They’re only open Tuesday thru Friday from 10:30 AM – 7:30 PM, so plan accordingly.

The parking situation is limited. If the stalls in front are all taken, you’re going to have to find street parking.

They used to be a cash-only business, but they now accept credit cards as payment due to the pandemic. Love that.

Next, Helena’s is a popular place amongst tourists and locals alike, so be prepared to wait a bit for a table. I usually hate waiting in any sort of line for food, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. I suggest going at off-peak dining hours, and maybe you won’t have to wait as long.

Once you’re seated, the service is typically prompt, and you’ll receive your food in no time.

My girlfriend and I have been here countless times, and this is our go-to order.

First off, we have side orders of rice, Mac salad (a Hawaiian plate lunch staple), and poi. Poi is made from a mashed taro plant. It’s sticky, sweet, and sour. I don’t care much for poi on its own, but it complements all of the savory main dishes we ordered.

Here we have the Luau chicken, which is chicken cooked with taro leaves and coconut milk. This goes great with some rice and Mac salad.

Next, we ordered Kalua pig. Kalua is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that uses an underground oven called an imu. To retain the moisture of the pig, it’s covered with ti and banana leaves and left to cook for several hours.

The end result is pork that’s smoky and delicious. Pairs well with Helena’s chili pepper water, which is made of garlic, Hawaiian chili peppers, Hawaiian salt, white vinegar, and water. It’s not super spicy but acts as a great compliment to most of the dishes here.

The next dish is the fried butterfish collar. The fish is actually black cod but is commonly referred to as butterfish in Hawaii. It’s crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I might be a complete weirdo, but I like to pop the entire collar in my mouth, bones, and everything.

This is one of my favorite Hawaiian dishes, laulau. Laulau is a dish made of fatty pork and butterfish, wrapped in lu’au leaves (aka taro) and ti leaves, then steamed. Helena’s version of laulau is packed full of flavor and awesomeness.

I saved the best for last. Helena’s signature dish and the one I crave the most.. their pipikaula short ribs. Pipikaula literally means “beef rope” in Hawaiian. The origin story of pipikaula is the Hawaiian paniolos (aka Hawaiian cowboys) back in the 1800s would cut the beef into strips, dry them under the sun, and consume them as a snack while ranching.

Helena’s famous pipikaula short ribs are bone-in short ribs marinated in a soy-based marinade. It’s then hung over the stove for several hours. Owner, Craig, likes to call it dry-aging turbocharged. The ribs are then pan-fried.

It’s crispy, fatty, sweet, and juicy, all rolled into one perfectly plump short-rib. They recommend dipping the onion into Hawaiian salt, then taking a bite of the short rib, which is also a good option. Heck, I’d eat these bad boys with a piece of old rubber tire, and I guarantee it’d still taste amazing.

Lastly, for dessert, they give you complementary haupia, which is similar to coconut custard. A refreshing end to a delicious meal.

You’re going to want to clear your schedule after eating at Helena’s. The only thing you’ll be doing after consuming all that Ono food is a long, well-deserved nap.

There you have it, Helena’s Hawaiian Food. If you ever find yourself on Oahu, you have to make a trip there. Go, support a local business, and have an unforgettable meal all at the same time. It’s a win-win.

Helena’s on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/helenas-hawaiian-food-honolulu

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My family and I took a vacation 2021 in Oahu, Hawaii and a local friend recommended the Waiahole Poi Factory to eat some Onolicious Hawaiian Food, he was absolutely right, it was Delicious!

#Hawaii #food #travel #review

While in Honolulu Hawaii me and Gladys wanted to try local food and came across ” Itchy Butt” On our trip. After a long day it definitely hit the spot, so if you’re in the area and enjoyed this video definitely check this local place out!

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Since I’ve been in Los Angeles, this is so far my favorite Hawaiian food spot and it’s truly authentic because the owners are also from Hawaii 🙂

For our last day in the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui, we woke up early to hit the beach for some snorkeling! We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions and we got see quite a variety of sea-life.

After our morning of snorkeling we spent the rest of the day trying out a few local Hawaiian foods. We started off with a bowl of mango passion fruit coconut shave ice from Ululani’s Shave Ice. It was the creamiest, softest, shaved ice we have ever had and an amazing start to our food tour. The next stop was Foodland Grocery to pick up some of their famous Poke. It was hands down the best poke and maybe the best seafood we have ever had. It’s hard to believe its from a grocery store!

To finish our day we got to see some stunning views of the island while touring Hawaii Sea Spirits Distillery where they make some of the best alcohol on the island. We got a chance to taste a few of their very tasty drinks surrounded by the swaying sugar cane used to produce everything they produce.

It was a great ending to a short but amazing trip to Maui!

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We are Jenny and Jacob Anderson and this is Andersons Arrive. We live in New Orleans but have fallen in love with travel and seeing the world. We take every chance we have to get out and explore something new. We love sharing our passion and hope you enjoy watching our vlog! Subscribe to see our adventures around the globe and get travel related tips and tricks!

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#Shorts Helana’s Hawaiian Food
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Traditional Indian food at affordable prices in the heart of downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. Lois in Hawaii

WELCOME TO OUR HONOLULU/WAIKIKI FOOD TOUR PART 2️⃣!! Yes you read that right…PART 2️⃣!! There was so much food to cover in the general area it had to be 2️⃣ parts!! In today’s video we traveled to the ICONIC RAINBOW DRIVE-IN🌈!! ✅ out the video to see the THREE AMAZING DISHES🍽️ 🍽️🍽️we tried because they’re DELICIOUS😋!! It’s no wonder they’re celebrating their 6️⃣0️⃣TH BIRTHDAY🎉🎂 this year!! We then traveled to one of the only few restaurants to be awarded a JAMES BEARD AWARD in the state of 🌺HAWAII🌺…HELENA’S HAWAIIAN FOOD!! We also tried THREE AMAZING DISHES🍽️ 🍽️🍽️ here because they serve up AUTHENTIC HAWAIIAN FOOD!! They still even cook their food the traditional way it’s been cooked for decades using an IMU!! This place is also celebrating their 7️⃣5️⃣TH BIRTHDAY🎉🎂 this year!! I mean talk about 🍀 for us to be eating at establishments celebrating some milestone birthdays!! 🥂CHEERS🥂 RAINBOW DRIVE-IN and HELENA’S HAWAIIAN FOOD for serving ONOLICIOUS😋 GRINDZ😋 for so many decades!! If you come to OAHU definitely show some 💗 to these local small businesses because they are definitely DOING IT RIGHT!!

Eats 🍽️:
🌈Rainbow Drive-In: https://www.rainbowdrivein.com/
🌺Helena’s Hawaiian Food: https://www.helenashawaiianfood.com/index.html

******If you didn’t catch our DAY 1 VLOG here’s the link:

*******If you didn’t catch our DAY 2 VLOG here’s the link:

********If you didn’t catch our DAY 3 VLOG here’s the link:

*********If you didn’t catch our HONOLULU/WAIKKIKI FOOD TOUR | PART 1 where we visit LILIHA BAKERY, DUKE’S WAIKIKI, and TANIOKA’S SEAFOOD AND CATERING and eat some AMAZING FOODS, here’s the link:

**********If you didn’t catch our FILIPINO FOOD TOUR IN OAHU HAWAI’I where we visit ELENA’S RESTAURANT AND THELMA’S RESTAURANT for some amazing FILIPINO FOOD, here’s the link:

***********If you didn’t catch our LOBSTER ROLL FOOD TOUR IN OAHU HAWAI’I where we visit THREE AMAZING places that made some DELICOUS LOBSTERS ROLLS (JOLENE’S MARKET, FEAST BY JON MATSUBARA, AND FAT CHEEKS), here’s the link:

Again we’ll be covering some excursions (snorkeling & ATV Tour), the beautiful scenery (Lanikai, Waimea, Waimanalo, and a bunch more), the amazing people, and all the delicious local foods😋 and ONO GRINDZ here in OAHU!!

HINT: We have daily vlogs, activity vlogs(🤿 🏊) , and food vlogs from all over the island!! YOU DON”T WANT TO MISS THEM!!

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#oahu #honolulu #hawaii