Pass the Fish Sauce

Pass the Fish Sauce

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Pass the Fish Sauce
Pass the Fish Sauce
10 Honolulu Local Tips and More!

10 Honolulu Local Tips and More!

Restaurants, street food fest, temples, Asian food court, and a scenic drive

Andrea Nguyen's avatar
Andrea Nguyen
Jan 12, 2025
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Pass the Fish Sauce
Pass the Fish Sauce
10 Honolulu Local Tips and More!
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Hello everyone,

I hope you or your community are not devastatingly affected by the fires in Southern California. We know people whose homes were miraculously spared. We’ve heard stories about folks who lost theirs. One person lost a spouse. Hopefully the winds will be less brutal in the upcoming days.

Food relief efforts for evacuees and first-responders are being organized by World Central Kitchen and offered by about 50 restaurants listed on this Los Angeles Times page.

Since last weekend’s 2024 roundup, a number of you joined up as paid subscribers. Thank you so much for adding wind to my sails.

Sunrise over Diamond Head (poking up from the high rises!)

We just flew home from Honolulu where we spent five days with our friend John. He’s a semi-retired art historian and lawyer who hosted us last year. Back then, he was a relative newcomer to the island, but still managed to take us to some restaurant gems listed here, plus the Bishop Museum for local culture and Liljestrand House for mid-century architecture.

This year, John started off with, “I read the New York Times’ recent article on where to go in Honolulu. Geeze, I could have done a better job.”

Alright then, John, show us your picks! During our five days, we did nothing touristy because we’d gotten that out of our system on our first Honolulu vacation around 2011. John proposed an itinerary that included temples, a Thai street food market, restaurants, local groceries, more mid-century architecture, and scenic drives. There were times when I felt like I was in Southeast Asia.

On our last day, we drove through Waikiki Beach, past several tourist trolleys. My reaction was, “John, you’ve showed us places that the trolleys would never take us!”

Honolulu highlightsHonolulu highlightsHonolulu highlights
Honolulu highlightsHonolulu highlightsHonolulu highlights
Hard to experience all this in one American city but it's all in and around Honolulu! And, I can buy cilantro with the roots intact for Thai cooking!

Save the tips in this dispatch for your future Honolulu visit. And, please share your pointers!

Curious readers, eaters, cooks and travelers support PTFS. Join us as a paid subscriber to enjoy all the perks, including these island tips!

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