We have put together a list of the Top 10 Vegan Friendly Options on Oahu, Hawaii—from Waikiki to the North Shore.
We recently traveled to Hawaii to the island of Oahu! What a beautiful place with so many things to see, do, and eat! Now Hawaii may not be known as the most vegan friendly place, but don’t fret! We have your go-to list to try all the best vegan bites Oahu has to offer.
Ai Love Nalo tops our favorites list for vegan restaurants on Oahu. Located in a remote-ish area of Waimanalo, Ai Love Nalo came as a very welcomed and exciting find! They lean more on the “healthy” side of vegan food and have a great menu full of tasty items like the De Scrambler and Kalossal Burger (both pictured above!) along with items like their Medi Bowl, Tofu Poke Bowl, and Buddah Bowl. Not to mention they have an incredible vegan soft serve ice cream made from a banana-coconut base with loads of toppings (also pictured above!). We especially liked Ai Love’s ambiance and outside seating options on a nice warm day in Hawaii.
Check out the full menu at http://order.ailovenalo.com/
The Beet Box Café
66-437 Kamehameha Hwy (at North Shore Oahu), Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA, 96712 &
46 Hoolai St, Kailua, Hawaii, USA, 96734
The Beet Box Cafe has two locations, one in Kailua and one in North Shore. Kailua is on the east side of the island while North Shore is on the northern end, giving you two great options for vegan food when you are outside of Waikiki and traveling around to Oahu’s beautiful beaches. The Beet Box Cafe has something for everyone, from bowls to burritos to breakfast food. We highly recommend The VBQ burger which comes loaded with soy curls and BBQ sauce, the Burrito Babe which comes packed with broccoli, red onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, carrot & tofu, and can’t go wrong wrong with the Mc Jegger (pictured above!) for a nostalgic treat. Also, if you’re into sweets, try the one of their vegan Love Cakes!
Check out their full menu at https://www.thebeetboxcafe.com/menu
Tip: Grab your food to-go from the Kailua location and enjoy your food on the beach! Lanakai is a small, secluded and beautiful beach less than 10 minutes from Beet Box Cafe where you can set up and enjoy your delicious meal. If you end up at the North Shore location, try famous Matsumoto Shave Ice for a nice refreshing treat after your meal. We recommend Mizore (simple syrup), Lilikoi (passion fruit), and Yuzu syrups since they don’t have any artificial colors or flavors. Be sure to note that their Strawberry/Banana/Coconut Cream flavors are NOT vegan.
Peace Cafe
2239 S King St (at Oahu), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 96826
Peace Cafe is a small vegan restaurant near the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. They offer a variety of options from a vegan Poke Bowl, to BBQ Tempeh Plate and Tofu Scramble. We went with the Heart and Seoul with TVP & Tofu and the Curry Katsu Plate, both of which were delicious! The Curry Katsu plate was a special, but a regular Katsu Plate appears on their current menu.
Check out their full menu at https://www.peacecafehawaii.com/menu
We were thrilled to discover The Sunrise Shack as we were walking to the beach in Waikiki. We highly recommend the Superfood Smoothie Bowls here - all of which are vegan or beegan! Be sure to clarify no honey if you want them vegan. In addition, they serve Bullet Coffee (ie. Bulletproof Coffee, some of which contain butter), Smoothies, Wraps, Sandwiches and Juices. Our favorite bowls in order are Blue Dream Bowl, Acai Bowl, and the Monkey Bowl. The Blue Dream Bowl tastes and looks delicious, and has blue spirulina, a popular superfood. The Monkey Bowl is a peanut butter loaded bowl with a banana and coconut cream base. And the Acai Bowl is like your favorite Acai Bowl - but automatically tastes better when you’re eating it on the beautiful beaches of Waikiki!
Check out their full menu at https://www.sunriseshackhawaii.com/pages/menus
Siam Square
408 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI 96815
The truth is, we can’t go more than a few days without eating Thai food. The problem is many Thai restaurants use sauces that are pre-made with fish sauce, oyster sauce, or shrimp paste, so we try to seek out the most vegan friendly Thai establishments. We discovered Siam Square in Honolulu which turned out to be located right next to Baccus, a gay bar and the perfect place to go for a beer while you wait to take out your food next door! Siam Square was super accommodating and attentive to all our requests; no egg, no fish sauce, no oyster sauce AND someone with a nut allergy! The fried tofu was cut into longer strips, nicely fried, and had great texture. Would highly recommend the Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) and Pad See Eew!
Tip: If you really love Thai, you can check out Noi Thai located in Waikiki that has its own vegetarian/vegan menu. Although more expensive than Siam Square, another great option!
Check out their full menu at https://www.yelp.com/menu/siam-square-honolulu
Tane Vegan Izakaya
What was the most surprising restaurant to find on Honolulu? A VEGAN SUSHI RESTAURANT! And no, not just a sushi joint that makes a few vegan rolls, but an entire vegan sushi restaurant. (Coincidentally, we fell in love with Shizen in San Francisco when we visited, and Tane Vegan Izakaya is its sister restaurant, so we knew it was going to be good!) We took the entire family here and we didn’t hold back! Our top 3 Specialty Roll recommendations: Point Reyes, The Wedge, and Sunset - oh, and don’t forget the Gyoza! The service, drinks, and food was excellent and turned out to be one of our favorite meals.
Check out their full menu at https://www.tanevegan.com/
We left our mark there! Find us on the selfie wall and take a photo with us when you go! :)
JAX Pizza is a small wood fired Pizza restaurant near the North Shore in Haleiwa. They are not exclusively vegan, but they do offer Violife vegan cheese on any of their pizzas! We dropped by here and were pleasantly surprised, and didn’t waste any time in chowing down on our vegan veggie pizza.
Check out their full menu at https://www.jaxwoodfiredpizza.com/menus
Kahumana Farms
If you’re staying in Waianae or traveling the western side of Oahu, Kahumana Farms is a must. Just off HI-93, one turn takes you down an unpaved road to this quaint and small farm. Kahumana started as a community of people seeking an alternative method to creating a holistic world. Since its beginnings in 1974, Kahumana has grown to 5 distinct campuses on over 50 acres in the beautiful Lualualei Valley on the sunny west side of O'ahu.
You get a truly locally grown, farm to table experience. While not exclusively vegan, they do have vegan options. Kahumana is a non-profit and all meals at the cafe help support their mission to provide services to homeless families, people with developmental disabilities and youth.
Check out their full menu at https://www.kahumana.org/cafe
Banán
Waikiki Beach Shack @ 2301 Kalakaua Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815
Kahala Mall @ 2301 Kalakaua Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815
Food Truck Parked @ Base of Diamond Head 3212 Monsarrat Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815
Banán is a delicious banana based ice cream and an absolute MUST HAVE when staying in Honolulu. Depending where you’re at, you can access one of their various locations fairly easily. We frequented the Waikiki Beach Shack location just off of Waikiki’s beautiful stretch of famous beach. On a hot day this is the perfect vegan treat that is light, refreshing, and super tasty! They do offer honey, so just make sure to order it without!
OMG. Literally. Oahu Mexican Grill. Similar to Chipotle, OMG offers you the chance to build a burrito, bowl or tacos and to add your choice of grains, protein, sauces and toppings. While they don’t have a special vegan protein (like Soyrizo), you can load up on some extra rice and beans. While it wouldn’t be our first pick, it’s a go-to for those times when you need a quick, healthy, vegan bite or if you have non-vegans in your group, there’s something for everyone here. According to the restaurant, all beans and rice are vegan! WOO!
Check out their full menu at https://www.omg.menu
And that’s our Top 10 Vegan Restaurants in Hawaii! What places should we check out next time? Anything you think we missed? Leave us a comment and let us know!
Interested in hiking or paddle boarding? Check out our friends at SUP Pacific for all the best outdoor recommendations on Oahu!