Pono Market in Kapaʻa is the standard-bearer — a lunch counter that locals have been defending to tourists for thirty years. Their poke and chicken katsu are what you order. The plate lunch format here leans slightly more Japanese-Filipino than it does on Oʻahu, reflecting the plantation labor history of the north shore.

The Waimea side (west shore) has roadside stops that close before 2pm. Go early. If you miss the window, it's frozen acai until tomorrow.