What to do in Kapahulu, Honolulu, Oahu

A visit to Kapahulu Avenue will definitely be anything but slow and boring. Kapahulu may not be the large bustling city that is Waikiki and it may only take tourists a mere five minutes to drive through the strip, but it has its own attractions. You will enjoy Kapahulu Avenue for its local flavor and for the accessibility of its restaurants, food shops, souvenir shops and other places of interest. You will also discover that despite being limited in size, you will not run out of things to do while in Kapahulu.

Eat

Eating is something you will really enjoy doing in Kapahulu because there is no shortage of food places there. From the small, dingy foodshops that cater to surfers to the elegant fine dining restaurants that feature celebrity chefs, Kapahulu has them all. Popular places to eat in Kapahulu include the Ono Hawaiian Foods at 726 Kapahulu Avenue which is the perfect place to get some kalua pork, the centerpiece in any traditional Hawaiian luau.

Good places for a savory plate lunch which is very popular in the island include Fukuya on King Street, one of the best lunch wagons in town, or from the Gulick Delicatessen and Coffee Shop located in Gulick Avenue. For large families who want a place to sit down and have a good family meal one can go to Helen’s Chinese Kitchen or to My Vietnamese Restaurant.

Leonard’s Bakery is the perfect place to satisfy sweet tooth cravings with local delicacies. While malasadas may not have a Hawaiian origin, they are definitely a hit on the island and Leonards’s is known for serving the best malasadas around. Malasadas are Portuguese egg fried pastries that resemble small donuts. They have crispy outer coverings that may or may not be covered in sugar or cinnamon as well as moist centers filled with fillings of various flavors. Crowd favorites include custard, mango, and cinnamon.

The Waiola Bakery and Shaved Ice is the perfect place if you are looking for a frozen treat.

Another place to find good food is Chinatown where one can find the best manapua, steamed bun with meat and pork filling. Another local favorite is loco moco, which is made of hamburger patties and fried rice with char siu, Spam, bacon or Portuguese sausage. To soothe coffee cravings you can head to Starbucks over at the corner of Kapahulu Avenue, and a few steps from there you can find the ABC store, which serves the best guava juice and salmon roll in town.

if you want to something to eat before catching one of the free weekend beach movie screenings over at Waikiki beach, you have two options to choose from: Wolfgang Pucks or Tiki’s Bar and Grill, which are only just a few steps away from each other and only a short distance from the beach. Tiki’s Bar and Grill is located at the Aston Waikiki Beach hotel and is an open-air restaurant known for its extensive menu of tropical drinks, good service and South Pacific décor. Live music provided by local artists also draw tourists and locals alike for a night of good food and entertainment. The mojitos are definitely worth a try as well as the extensive seafood and steak menu. The bar is especially known for its centerpiece, a 30-foot volcano. Even the older crowd can find good places to find good food and drinks. The Rose Club is a bar frequented by older tourists and locals.

Shop

No vacation is complete without being able to check out local stores to shop. There are a lot of places to shop in Kapahulu, However, if you are looking for upscale and trendy boutiques, you may just forgo this activity until you return home. A popular shop is Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts, which is one great source of authentic Hawaiian finds, especially for those looking for vintage and authentic aloha T-shirts from the 50s or 60s. This is the place where you can get aloha shirts for as cheap as $4 or as expensive as $400, along with other Hawaiian souvenirs from coconut bikinis, keychains, Elvis Presley collectibles and other memorabilia.

Another place for you to get some retail therapy is at Peggy’s Picks, located at 732 Kapahulu Avenue, a place where you can find all sorts of Hawaiian knick-knacks to take back home. The place is only just across the street from Ono Hawaiian Foods and is the perfect place to browse around while waiting for the night’s meal.

There are also specialty shops scattered around Kapahulu including The Running Room, which sells running and sports equipment as well as the Go Bananas, a shop that specializes on water sports equipment.

Swim

What is a Hawaiian vacation without indulging in water activities like swimming, surfing and snorkeling? Waikiki Beach is one of the best places to go to if you are itching to take a dip. Located just a short distance from Kapahulu Avenue, the beach is a favorite of those who want to go bodyboarding. Locals say that beach offers the best bodyboarding so close to shore. This beach is not for the faint of heart though. Reefs abound, with some just a few inches above the knees as one floats on the waves. So if you only want to take a short dip, you should restrict your swimming closer to shore.

Other beaches near the Waikiki beach that are also worth a try include the Hau Tree Beach near Diamond Head, the ocean swimming pool and the Duke Kahanamoku Statue beach.

Watch

During weekends the beach also becomes the setting for public movie screenings, with locals and tourists lounging on chairs with their toes buried in the sand. Food is not a problem because of the vendors who come out to take advantage of the large weekend crowd. Other food places like Wolfgang Puck’s are also just a short walk away if you want to grab a bite before watching the movie, which is shown for free! Finding a parking spot during movie screenings can be a hassle, however, so it is better to come early when coming by car.

The beach is also just a few steps away from the Honolulu zoo, where beachgoers can also find good parking.

Others

Other attractions include the Saturday Farmer’s Market at the Honolulu Kapiolani Community College, considered to be the island’s premier farmer’s market. The market features fresh produce and other natural products in Hawaii. The market is open from 7:30 am to 11 am and you can spend the whole morning browsing through open tents that offer local produce such as fresh corn and papaya, taro and kale, pineapple and other crops native to the island. Parking is of no problem here and those who cannot get here by car can take the bus from Waikiki. This is also a good place for you to grab a light breakfast before a short hike to Diamond Head. If you want to spend the morning mingling with the locals, this is certainly the best place to do just that.

There are other things that you can do in Kapahulu including strolling through Kapioloani Park and listening to the Royal Hawaiian Band on Sundays. Before dusk, you may also want to make your way to the Kapahulu pier where you can witness the spectacular Hawaiian sunset.
Still, if you are looking to add a little adventure to your Hawaiian trip, you can choose to visit the Hawaiian Tattoo Co. There, you can get a permanent reminder of your Hawaiian vacation through a nicely done tattoo.

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