Filipino workers began arriving on the sugar and pineapple plantations in 1906, most of them from the Ilocos region in the north of Luzon. Their families are now one of the largest communities in Hawaiʻi. Filipino food is at every graduation party, every family lūʻau and half the potlucks in the state. And most visitors leave without trying any of it.

What to Order

  • Adobo: chicken or pork braised in vinegar, shoyu, garlic, bay leaf and black pepper. The one to start with.
  • Pancit: stir-fried noodles. Bihon is thin rice noodles; canton is thicker egg noodles. Always at a party.
  • Lumpia: fried spring rolls. Some shops sell them by the dozen for parties.
  • Pinakbet: an Ilocano vegetable stew with bitter melon, eggplant, squash and okra, seasoned with fermented fish or shrimp paste.
  • Chicken papaya (tinola): chicken soup with green papaya and ginger.
  • Dinuguan: pork stewed in pork blood and vinegar. Dark, rich, and a test of whether you're a regular.
  • Turon and bibingka: banana spring rolls and rice cake. Dessert.

How It's Served

Most Filipino counters in Hawaiʻi work like a steam-table okazu-ya: you pick two or three items over rice from what's in the trays that day. Arrive at lunch for the full selection; the popular trays run out. Many also take party orders, which is how most locals actually buy pancit and lumpia.

Where to Find It

On Oʻahu, Bautista's Filipino Kitchen in ʻAiea is a short drive from Pearl Harbor, with a second location in Honolulu. Waipahu, the old plantation town on the west side, is the heart of Filipino Oʻahu, and it's worth a wander.

On Maui, Ilocandia Filipino Store in Lahaina is a Filipino store with a food counter. Lahaina businesses are still rebuilding after the 2023 fire, so check the listing before you go. On the Big Island, GJ's Filipino Restaurant in Waimea (Kamuela) is a restaurant and general store in one.

Honestly, the Index is thin here, and that is our gap, not the islands'. There are far more Filipino kitchens in Hawaiʻi than we've listed. If your family has a spot, tell us and we'll add it.