In my opinion, the best part about a trip to the island of O’ahu is eating all the amazing food! Hawaii is a melting pot of different cuisine, reflecting the history of immigration and settlement in the islands. In Hawaii, you can find Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Puerto Rican, and Portuguese food being incorporated with traditional indigenous foods to form Hawaii’s fusion cuisine today. I could write for hours about the wide range of eateries that I’ve discovered, but for now, I’ll focus on an awesome local joint called Local Boy Sushi.
Local Boy Sushi is a hidden gem found in Kaneohe, HI, which is about 13 miles Northeast of popular Waikiki. After an exciting morning visiting our friends at the Kanile’a Ukulele Factory (more on ukulele music here: https://bit.ly/3ot1zWl), a quick Yelp search guided my family to Local Boy Sushi just half a mile down the road.
Local Boy Sushi is very tucked away but is extremely charming. There is no guest door and no seating, only a single takeout window with a banner. This place is literally a hole-in-the-wall! You can eat in your car, on the curb, or at the one standing table in front of the window (this was the option we chose). Their menu includes sushi rolls, rice bowls, sushi party platters, burgers, fries, haupia pie, and my family’s favorite, bread pudding. The cool thing about many local joints in Hawaii is that they will feature all sorts of food from different cultures. The menu at Local Boy Sushi includes Japanese, Korean, American, and traditional Hawaiian eats.
My go-to order from Local Boy Sushi is their LBS Special bowl, which gives you three choices of meat or fish over a bowl of rice. I am a huge lover of authentic Hawaiian poke (where the fish has been pre-marinated) and also love me some Korean Kalbi (beef short ribs), so my order every time has been an LBS bowl with ahi poke, spicy ahi, and kalbi – all for $9! (back in 2015).
Both the ahi poke and spicy ahi were so fresh! The fish was still firm and flavorful from the marinades and paired well with the nice hot bed of rice. The kalbi was salty, slightly sweet, and tasted like quality cuts of beef. This bowl is a perfect option if you want to sample multiple menu items. When in Hawaii, I eat poke every chance I can get, and these guys will not disappoint.
While in line for the first time at Local Boy Sushi, we noticed the lady in front of us ordering several cheeseburgers and bread puddings. After talking with her, we learned that lots of locals love the burgers here too! For four decades, this space belonged to Lee’s Drive-In, a favored place by locals for simple, old school burgers, fries, and Chinese Dim Sum. When Local Boy Sushi took over the space, they wanted to continue the tradition and still serve the same burgers to lifelong customers who have been coming here since childhood. After scarfing down my rice bowl, I was too full to try one of these yummy burgers, but it is still on my must-do list for next time.
The lady in front of us also introduced us to the deliciousness that is their bread pudding. I have a major sweet tooth for most desserts, but up until that point, bread pudding for dessert to me was always mediocre and too dry. My mother, having an even bigger sweet tooth than I do, was so intrigued by the lady ordering four bread puddings, and she decided to add two bread puddings to our order. It came out warm and covered in a liquid gold sauce. We each took our first bite and...
Oh. My. Goodness. The bread pudding is SO ‘ONO!
The bread itself is so soft and moist and almost custard-like, and it soaks up all the yummy butterscotch sauce poured all over the container. This bread pudding changed my mind about all bread puddings, but only if I get to eat this specific one. I wish I could bottle up that sauce and drink it.
Since our first visit to Local Boy Sushi, we’ve made it a point to come back for lunch every time we go back to Hawaii. I absolutely love small businesses that create quality, affordable meals with friendly service! If you are ever visiting the island of O’ahu and are in search of some ‘ono grindz, Local Boy Sushi is worth the drive!
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