The 5 Best Farm-To-Table Restaurants on Oahu

Find out where your favorite farm-friendly eateries placed in our 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.

There are more restaurants on Oahu promoting farm-fresh, locally grown ingredients than ever before, so competition in this category has really grown. Here’s how our readers ranked the best farm-to-table restaurants on the island in our 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.

1. Kahumana Organic Farm & Café

What could be more farm-to-table than a café literally on a farm? Kahumana Organic Farm started in 1974 and has evolved into a 48-acre community that includes transitional housing for homeless families, a learning center and homes that people can book for corporate outings and yoga retreats. And there’s also a café here, which opened to the public in 2008 and serves lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Fridays. The menu is brimming with farm-fresh ingredients including mixed baby greens, eggs, carrots, avocados, kale and tilapia that’s grown in the farm’s aquaponics systems. 86-660 Lualualei Homestead Road, Waianae, (808) 696-2655, kahumana.org/cafe

SEE ALSO: Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe Serves Delicious Food For a Good Cause

2. Monkeypod Kitchen

Chef-owner Peter Merriman, along with partners Handcrafted Restaurants, opened Monkeypod Kitchen in Ko Olina in 2013, marking the first Oahu venture for this famed farm-to-table chef. (He has since opened Moku Kitchen and Merriman’s Honolulu, both in Kakaako.) The vibe here is relaxed and lively—and the menu touts the Islands’ agricultural abundance: You’ll find mushrooms and grass-fed beef from Hawaii Island, vine-ripened tomatpes and beets from Oahu, pineapples and onions from Maui. Even the drink menu features local ingredients, including rum, vodka and beers all crafted in the state. Don’t forget about the cream pies, too. The popular strawberry one uses local fruits. 92-1048 Olani St., Kapolei, (808) 380-4086, monkeypodkitchen.com

SEE ALSO: How Master Chef Peter Merriman is Bringing Farm-To-Table to the Masses

3. Town

 

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Opened in 2005 in the buzzy district of Kaimuki, Town remains one of the quintessential farm-to-table restaurants on Oahu. Honolulu-born chef-owner Ed Kenney offers a range of Mediterranean-eclectic dishes, from hand-cut pastas to well-composed salads, many of which highlights local ingredients. You’ll always find local veggies, fruits, pork and fish on the menu, which changes often to reflect what’s in season and available. 3435 Waialae Ave., Kaimuki, (808) 735-5900, townkaimuki.com

4. Ai Love Nalo

 

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This popular plant-based eatery in laid-back Waimanalo proves that vegan doesn’t mean a compromise on taste. The menu, which boasts local and organic produce, features hefty sandwiches and plates—our favorite is the Medi Bowl with taro falafel, fire-roasted baba ganoush and beet hummus—salads, smoothies and desserts. 41-1025 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo, (808) 888-9102, ailovenalo.com

5. Roy’s

 

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At his flagship restaurant, James Beard Award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi combines island ingredients with local flavors and an elevated approach to cooking. The result? Dishes like popular blackened ahi with a spicy soy-mustard-butter sauce or the roasted macadamia nut mahimahi with a buttery lobster essence. Various locations, royshawaii.com