3 Best Restaurants in Iwilei, Honolulu and Pearl Harbor

Lyonnaise chef Nico Chaiz's harborside restaurant is steps from the Honolulu Fish Auction, which explains his "line-to-plate" concept—super-fresh fish dishes at a reasonable price. But he lets his French flag fly in dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse, too. Lunch focuses on local-style plate lunches and serves more of a local workers crowd. Come dinnertime, you'll see a mix of tourists and kamaaina here for beers on tap, cocktails, almost nightly music, and an excellent menu across the board. Although most indoor tables have harbor views, try to get a table on the lanai. If you're staying in a place with a kitchen and need to stock up, note that the fish market also sells prepared foods like poke, soups, and stews. In Kailua, there's a Nico's serving almost the same menu as the original at Pier 38.

This well-established bakery offers both old-school classics and newer treats, some of which have become cult favorites. You'll salivate as you stare at the cases filled with inexpensive pastries, doughnuts, cookies, and breads. Items are often unlabeled, so point and ask if you want to know what is what, and the counter attendants will cheerfully explain. The poi-glazed doughnuts/malasadas are a phenomenon, but the Chantilly Roll (poi roll filled with black sugar and topped with Chantilly frosting and walnuts) is to die for.

This breakfast-and-lunch spot located in a strip mall was among the first of a new wave of plate-lunch places to take particular care with quality and nutrition, offering brown rice and green salad as options instead of the usual white rice and mayo-loaded mac salad. Sweet-and-spicy garlic chicken and mochiko (rice-batter-dipped and fried) chicken, adapted from traditional Japanese dishes, are specialties that bring locals back again and again. Service is quick and cheerful. Pick up a bottle of the restaurant's pungent garlic sauce to relive the experience back home.