7 Best Restaurants in Ala Moana, Honolulu and Pearl Harbor

The "M" and "W" team of husband-and-wife chefs Michelle Karr-Ueko and Wade Ueko combine their collective experience (20 years alongside chef Alan Wong, a side step to the famed French Laundry, and some serious kitchen time at comfort food icon Zippy's) to create a uniquely local menu with a decidedly upscale twist. Michelle's flair for sweets has resulted in a dessert menu as long as the main one, including tropical fruit creamsicle brûlée, an MW candy bar, and the frozen lilikoi (Hawaiian passion fruit) soufflé.

Step inside this tiny sushi bar, tucked amid the strip clubs behind the Ala Moana Hotel, and you'll swear you're in an out-of-the-way Edo neighborhood. Don't be deterred by its dodgy neighbors or its reputation for inconsistent service—this is where locals come when they want the real deal, and you'll be greeted with a cheerful "Iraishaimase!" (Welcome!) before sitting at a diminutive table or perching at the small sushi bar. Let the chefs here decide, omakase-style, or you can go for a grilled specialty, like scallop butteryaki (grilled in butter).

Tam and Kimmy Huynh's menu ranges far beyond the usual pho and bun (cold noodle dishes) found at many Vietnamese restaurants. This welcoming, no-frills, hole-in-the-wall spot, which locals swear by, features lamb curry, tapioca dumplings, head-on tamarind shrimp, and other dishes that hail from both North and South Vietnam. People who work in the neighborhood pack in for lunch, so you might want to avoid a midday visit. Reservations are not accepted for groups of fewer than six.

This contemporary dining room in a condo building across from the Blaisdell Center is the go-to spot before and after plays or concerts. The creative starters and seafood and meat entrées on the eclectic, global-fusion menu are healthier than the norm as they don't rely on butter or cream, with dishes like lobster bisque thickened instead with squash puree.

Yes, the popovers and the wee cups of bouillon are available at lunch, but in every other regard, the menu at this Neiman Marcus restaurant departs from the classic model, incorporating a clear sense of Pacific place. The breezy, open-air veranda, with a view of Ala Moana Regional Park, the twirling ceiling fans, and the life-size hula-girl murals say "Hawaii." It's still a spot for ladies who lunch, but it also welcomes a more casual crowd.

Tucked into the chic South Shore Market in Kakaako's Ward Village, Scratch Kitchen has hipster decor, an open kitchen, and creative comfort food. It's popular for breakfast and brunch and has both small plates and generous entrées on its dinner menu. The motto—"simple, rustic, approachable"—might seem a bit overstated, particularly as diners struggle to select just one or two things from the creative menu. But the good food, fun vibe, and location have people hooked.

On the ground floor of a glass-sheathed condominium, Tangö's spare contemporary setting stays humming through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Finnish chef Göran Streng honors his heritage a bit with unfussy dishes such as gravlax with crispy skin, but the menu is, by and large, "general bistro," running from bouillabaisse to herb-crusted rack of lamb, with some Asian nods. The weekend brunch menu is a local favorite as well. The Scandinavian decor includes Marimekko prints on the walls, blond and birch woods, and cloudlike hanging white lamps. Don't expect a touristy experience: Streng caters mostly to his discriminating city-dwelling clientele.