Highway Inn Restaurant and Catering
Hawaii
Visit on a Tuesday afternoon when children can eat for free under specific conditions.
Highway Inn Restaurant and Catering, nestled in Waipahu, Hawaii, offers a quintessential local dining experience. Focusing on Hawaiian cuisine, this establishment presents a menu brimming with traditional dishes and island favorites. Its friendly, laid-back atmosphere makes it an appealing destination for both locals and visitors who wish to indulge in authentic culinary offerings.
With a commitment to providing 'ono foods, Highway Inn prides itself on its signature dishes, crafted from recipes that have been refined over the years. The restaurant captures the essence of Hawaiian flavors, ensuring that every bite transports diners to the island's rich, cultural roots.
Highway Inn also offers catering services ideal for various occasions. From intimate gatherings to larger events, the catering team provides a dedicated service to make any event memorable with island-style feasting. Additionally, for those who prefer savoring Hawaiian delights at home, various menu items are available for takeout, and there's also an option to ship certain dishes frozen for enjoyment outside Hawaii.
The Waipahu location invites families and groups, advocating a community-focused dining experience, complete with live local music on select days. Overall, Highway Inn is more than just a restaurant; it embodies the local spirit through its food, service, and community involvement.
Reviews
I came here on the recommendation of my sister, who lives in Honolulu. We went for lunch after hiking Manoa Falls. I've been to Hawaii many times but I usually stay in tourist areas, so I don't get many chances to venture out and try local food placed. But this place absolutely hit the spot. We had poke, short ribs with brown rice and mac salad, mochiko chicken with white rice and mac salad, and the Hawaiian loco moco. The poke was so good and so fresh. Hands down, some of the best local food around. Highly recommend this place as I will definitely be back!
Came for brunch at 10:30 a.m., no crowd at all! Friendly staff very attentive. Took our orders right away. I got laulau combination and mom got the squid luau combination. Laulau pleasantly surprised me as this was my first foray to Waipahu Highway Inn. Every time I got laulau at the Kakaako location the meaty (non fatty) parts of the pork was dry; this one was moist throughout, even in the meaty parts. Poi was good, especially mixed with the lomi salmon. Mom's squid luau was nice, came out hot, though it was a little sweet for her taste. The smoked meat was also a little sweet, though we know that's how they prepare it at H.I. Nice mix of smoky and sweet with the meat and onions. Finished with the haupia, which is standard and always dependable there. Like the old plantation feel and the old photographs of Waipahu all over the place, right down to the palaka decor. Every time I return I try to eat at H.I.
What an absolute treasure, Highway Inn Restaurant is. Full of rich cultural history that goes back to 1947. We were wonderfully greeted. Once seated our server was extremely pleasant and very helpful explaining the authentic local Hawaiian dishes. The entire staff was very friendly, explaining the history of the restaurant. The food was absolutely amazing!!! There was a wonderful friendly family sitting next to us. What a pleasure it was talking with them. They are 4 generations of family that have been regulars at The Highway Inn. We enjoyed talking with them and looking at the pictures on the wall with them and seeing their family over the year's. We felt like family with everyone here. We can not wait to visit Highway Inn Restaurant again and talk with all the amazing staff and people!
Stellar authentic Hawaiian restaurant and one that i go back to again and again. Pork lau lau is delicious with a good amount of meat and leaves. Poi is fresh and outstanding. Kalua pig is perfect. Chicken long rice is among the best on the island. Roasted sweet potatoes and haupia was also favorites. Machiko chicken was amazing as was the fresh watercress soup.
Today was my last full day in Oahu and I decided I wanted to get some local dishes before leaving. We went for a late lunch/early dinner and so glad we did. The exterior is already super inviting and the interior is big and airy - which was very welcoming. Angelo was our server and he was super helpful! We wanted to try many dishes so he gave us some tips on what were must haves vs. something we could get elsewhere. We got the tasting plate with all the local dishes - my favorite was the squid luau with pod, chicken long rice, and Lau Lau with chili water. We also got the mochiko chicken with Mac salad, smoked moco, and peluha short ribs served on a sizzling plate. Also tried the onion and salt! Every dish was delicious and we ate almost everything! Thank you Angelo for making us feel so welcomed! :)
