Fodor's Expert Review Roy's Hawaii Kai

Roy Yamaguchi is one of the 12 founding chefs of Hawaiian regional cuisine, a culinary movement that put the state on the food map back in 1991. Opened in 1988, his flagship restaurant across the highway from Maunalua Bay is still packed every night with food-savvy visitors and well-heeled residents, all of whom come for classics like smoked Szechuan baby back ribs or blackened ahi with soy mustard butter sauce. Local favorites include the miso butterfish and chocolate soufflé (which should be ordered with your entrée). There are also vegetarian and vegan options, not to mention an exceptional wine list. Although the Waikiki branch is busy, it's this original Hawaii Kai location that loyalists return to again and again.