Honolulu Weekly

Fook Lam Seafood Restaurant

Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 N. Beretania St. (523-9168). Daily 8am-3pm and 5-10pm. Dim sum from $1.90. MC, V.

In this riverfront Chinatown dining room, the dim sum cart comes around more often than at the bigger dim sum palaces, and cheap prices mean your stomach can be as big as your eyes. Good basic dumplings and one of the few places serving Shanghai-style soup dumplings (though they’re not on the menu). Superior taro gok and shrimp gau, when hot out of the kitchen, are highlights.

Ichiriki

510 Pi’ikoi St. (589-2299). Mon-Thu 5-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-midnight, Sun 5-10pm. Entrees: $15.95-$45.95. Disc, JCB, MC, V.

Portable burners set on each tabletop at this nabe restaurant come ablaze when the showcase Japanese hot pots arrive in either single servings ($17.95-19.95) in a metal pot, or in a ‘must try’ serving for two in a washi paper-lined basket designed to absorb fat. You cook your choice of meats, vegetables and noodles in your choice of broth (spicy Pirikara or kim chee recommended). You’ll still have room for the light ujikintoki, a green tea shave ice. Don’t miss the excellent sake selection served hako style.

Kapahulu Kafe

766 Kapahulu Ave (732-7486), Wed-Sun 6pm-midnight, Tues 8pm-midnight ‘awa only. Appetizers: $2.50-$7.50, salads $6, sandwiches $5, pasta $7.50. AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V.

Kapahulu Kafe serves up cafÈ fare with local flair: kama’aina-friendly selections like seared ahi lettuce wraps and pastrami pipikaula sandwiches. Share the signature kalua quesadilla, accompanied by a cool guacamole-sour cream dip, or the crisp-bottomed, juicy chicken and veggie potstickers to start. If you’re going with greens, opt for the summery strawberry salad, to which the popular pesto pasta is a fine complement. Drink the ‘awa, listen to the music and set your stresses free.

Mac 24-7

Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel, 2500 Kuhio Ave. (921-5564). Open 24 hours. Large plates $12-$28. AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V.

The mod setting of this dressed-up 24-hour bar/diner leaves those in vinylville far behind. Satisfy wee hour cravings with updated comfort classics gone luxe: lobster pot pie, loco moco with Hamakua mushroom gravy, and heirloom tomato soup with grilled white cheddar sandwich. Start your night with a drink from the full bar, or end it with an order of signature mac daddy pancakes: as big as hubcaps, they’re enough for four people and the pinnacle of late night gluttony.

Mariposa

1450 Ala Moana Blvd. (951-3420). Sun-Wed 11am-9pm, Thu-Sat 11am-10pm. Entrees: lunch $16-$25, dinner $24-$45. AmEx, Bergdorf Goodman, JCB, Neiman Marcus, V.

Famished shoppers pour in for refined island-inspired cuisine with a focus on seafood and an array of salads. The popular warm liliko’i pudding cake, delicate and whimsically topped with a butterfly cookie, is a highlight of the dessert menu. Prices are high, but the finest things here are complimentary: warm double manapua-sized popovers and a panoramic vista–from Ala Wai Yacht Harbor to Ala Moana beach park– best enjoyed from the shaded outside lanai.

Mexico Restaurant

1247 N. School St. (845-9059). Mon-Thu 10am-9pm; Fri-Sat 10am-10pm; Sun 10am-9pm. $6.50-$16.95. MC, V.

All your rice-and-bean accompanied standards are here, along with an extensive seafood selection (crab rellenos, scallop tacos, chipotle shrimp). Best bet: double-tortilla, south-of-the-border style tacos, featuring authentic fillings like carnitas, carne asada, lengua (tongue) and tripitas (intestines) topped with cilantro, onions and salsa verde. An energetic mariachi soloist adds festivity, and it’s BYOB for now.

Opal Thai Food

Kamehameha Hwy. across from McDonald’s in Hale’iwa (381-8091). Wed-Sun 10am-6pm. EntrÈes: $6.50-$7.95. Cash only.

This Hale’iwa Thai lunchwagon is big on value without taking shortcuts on taste. Green papaya salad is tossed with an pounded tincture of lime juice, fresh garlic and tomato, pad thai is made not with ketchup but with authentic tamarind paste and the impossibly fresh and supple tofu summer rolls with peanut sauce may be the perfect millennial ambassadors for the portable meal.

Soul De Cuba CafÈ

1121 Bethel St. (545-CUBA), across from the Hawai’i Theatre. Lunch 11:30am-2pm; dinner 5:30-10pm. Starters: $5-$9. EntrÈes: $9-$16. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.

Start with the devil crab appetizers–the crispy outside, the thick, stuffing-soft layer of dumpling and the inner pocket of seasoned lump crab are addictive. The signature Pollo Soul de Cuba is a breaded chicken breast smothered in a chunky warm salsa that boasts sweet, meaty chunks of guava and mango, citrusy pineapple, buttery rum and black beans that are an unlikely–and beautiful–combination. Good flan is hard to come by, so don’t pass up the dessert opportunity. Throw in the bolero and the SanterÃŒa artwork, and there’s no question: This place has soul.

Spada

First Hawaiian Bank Center, street level, 999 Bishop St., entrance at Alakea and King (538-3332). Mon 11am-2:30pm; Tue-Fri 11am-4pm, 5pm-9pm. Tapas: $3-$9.95. EntrÈes: $5.95-$26.95. AmEx, Disc, MC, V .

While popular for lunch, this downtown Italian spot is just what you didn’t know you wanted for mellow after-work reverie. Kick off your merriment with a happy hour caipirinha or martini and an order of Thiago’s special dip with housemade bread. Tapas are just $6 from 5-7pm. Save room for zabaglione with mango sorbetto, an exclamation point of fruit and cream.

Young’s Fish Market

1286 Kalani St. (841-4885), Mon-Fri 8am-5:30pm, Sat 8am-4pm; Plates $6.25-$12.40. MC, V.

There’s just one vibe at this local favorite: let’s eat, lu’au style. Laulau are a perfect balance of lu’au leaves and pork. The kalua pig, one of the best versions in town, retains traces of imu smoke and pairs perfectly with generous servings of fresh poi. There’s a lineup of other poi supper favorites, including chicken long rice and squid luau. Go ahead, have a second helping of limu kohu ‘ahi or raw white crab, lightly coated with salt and chili flakes.