A local Thanksgiving table has a turkey on it. It also has kalua pig, laulau, a tray of poke, a pan of mac salad, rice, maybe sushi, and three kinds of pie. The turkey is often the least-eaten thing there. Most families cook the bird at home and order the Hawaiian food, because nobody is digging an imu in a Mililani backyard on a Thursday.

This is how ordering works, and where to order from.

How Holiday Ordering Works Here

  • Call, don't just show up. Kalua pig and laulau are sold by the pound or by the piece, and holiday week is the busiest week of the year for the shops that make them.
  • Order early. A week or two ahead is the safe window. Every shop sets its own cutoff, and it changes year to year, so ask when you call.
  • Pick up Wednesday. Many family-run spots close on Thanksgiving Day itself. Plan to collect the day before and reheat.
  • Bring a cooler. Poke and anything raw goes straight from the counter into ice.
  • Expect lines at the fish counters. The poke counters get the same rush they get before New Year's, just smaller.

Kalua Pig and Laulau

Highway Inn has been making Hawaiian food since 1947, and it is the easiest place on Oʻahu to buy kalua pig and laulau in quantity. It sells both by weight and by the piece, and it also ships them to the mainland through Goldbelly, which is the answer for family who can't fly home. There's a second location in Waipahu.

Helena's Hawaiian Food in Kalihi is the James Beard–recognized benchmark for pipikaula, laulau and kalua pig. It keeps short hours and a short week, so call before you plan around it. Haili's Hawaiian Foods in Kaimukī and Ono Hawaiian Foods in Kapahulu are the other two Honolulu Hawaiian-food counters worth calling.

For poi and laulau on the windward side, Waiāhole Poi Factory is the stop. Fresh poi changes day by day, so buy it close to the meal.

The Poke Tray

A poke tray goes out next to the pupu before anyone sits down. Tamashiro Market in Kalihi is the classic, with the giant crab on the sign. Ono Seafood in Kapahulu and Maguro Brothers in Chinatown are the other two most locals name first. Tamura's runs poke counters inside its stores across the island — Aiea, Kailua, Wahiawā and more — which is handy if you're coming from outside town.

Ask the counter what's fresh that day and how big a tray they'd make for your headcount. Buy poke as late as you can; it's best the day it's mixed.

Pie

The local Thanksgiving pie is chocolate haupia, and the name everyone knows is Ted's Bakery at Sunset Beach. Call ahead if you want whole pies in holiday week. In town, Liliha Bakery is the other dessert run — coco puffs by the box.

How Much to Order

A rule of thumb, not a law: when kalua pig is sharing the table with a turkey, about a third of a pound per adult is plenty. For laulau, one per two people is usually enough, because each one is a full serving and everyone wants a little of everything. Uncles will tell you to double all of it. They're usually right about the rice.

Reheating

  • Kalua pig: covered pan or steamer with a splash of water so it doesn't dry out. Low and slow.
  • Laulau: steam it in the ti leaf until it's hot all the way through. Don't microwave it unwrapped.
  • Poke: don't reheat. Keep it cold until it goes on the table.

On the Neighbor Islands

On Maui, Da Kitchen in Kahului covers kalua pig and laulau. For a poke tray, try Like Poke in Wailuku or Pāʻia Fish Market. In Hilo, Suisan Fish Market is the poke counter. On Kauaʻi, Pono Market in Kapaʻa and Koloa Fish Market both do poke and plates.

One last thing: hours and holiday menus change every year, and some of these shops are small family operations. Treat this as a list of who to call, not a promise of what they'll have. If you learn a spot's holiday cutoff, tell us and we'll add it.