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The Best Mixed Plate in Hawaii
Where to Find This Local Favorite
The mixed plate is Hawaii’s answer to a complete meal: two scoops of rice, one scoop of mac salad, and your choice of protein. Expect to pay $10–16 at local spots. For that price you get a full plate of kalua pork, chicken katsu, beef teriyaki, or lau lau—whatever the kitchen does best that day.
The format traces directly to plantation-era Hawaii, where workers from Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Portugal, and Puerto Rico ate lunch together and started sharing food from their respective cultures. Nobody planned it. It just happened, and the mixed plate is what it produced. A few chains made it permanent: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is the statewide operation that standardized the format and spread it beyond Hawaii. On Oahu, Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu is the old-school benchmark—cash-only, no frills, and consistently good since 1961. Zippy’s, a local chain spread across Oahu, runs a version that’s less iconic but consistently solid for a sit-down experience.
The island-specific guides below cover the best spots on each island—places that locals actually go back to.
What Is a Mixed Plate?
The standard build is two scoops of white rice, one scoop of mac salad, and one or two proteins. The protein is the decision: chicken katsu (breaded and fried, served with katsu sauce) and beef teriyaki are the most common, but you’ll also find kalua pork, lau lau, shoyu chicken, and occasionally kalbi short ribs. Most places let you mix proteins for a dollar or two more. The mac salad matters—local-style mac is heavier and creamier than mainland versions, made with Hellmann’s and kept cold. A thin or stingy mac salad is a tell.
Best Mixed Plate Locations on Each Island
Each island has its own version of the mixed plate, and the differences matter. What Rainbow Drive-In does in Kapahulu is not what you’ll find at a plate lunch counter in Hilo. Use the island guides above to find the spots locals actually return to.
Trade winds are strong right now, with high surf hitting the south shore today. Windward areas are seeing frequent showers through the weekend.
South-facing beaches have dangerous surf today through Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will build rough water by Sunday or Monday. The bigger picture is a tropical system, Fausto, heading our way. It's weakening but should arrive near the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain. The exact track is still uncertain, so check the forecast daily.
Get your beach time and water activities in today through early next week on the leeward side, where conditions stay calmer. Be ready to shift plans by midweek when conditions turn rough.
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Windy conditions across Maui right now, with trade winds gusting strong. South-facing shores have high surf today and will see another big swell Saturday and Sunday—the water's dangerous unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer.
Through the weekend, windward areas will get frequent showers while trade winds stay gusty. The bigger picture arrives midweek: Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward the islands and should reach Maui as a tropical storm or weaker system Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll bring rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Hit the leeward beaches and snorkel south Maui coasts today through early next week, but stay out of windward and south-facing waters through Sunday.
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Windy conditions dominate right now with strong trade winds pushing across the island. South-facing shores have high surf today—dangerous water if you're not an experienced swimmer.
Through the weekend, those south shores see another big swell Saturday and Sunday, and east-facing shores will build dangerous conditions by Sunday or Monday. Windward areas get frequent showers. A tropical system—the remnants of Hurricane Fausto—is weakening and headed toward the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system by Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain midweek. Timing and track are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Leeward beaches on the Kona side stay your best bet today through early next week, but avoid the water on the windward and south shores through Sunday.
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Strong trade winds are pushing showers across windward areas through the weekend. On Kauaʻi, expect frequent showers on the windward side.
High surf is running on south-facing shores today and will build again Saturday and Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will also see dangerous swell by Sunday or Monday. Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward Hawaii. By Tuesday or Wednesday it should reach the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily through midweek.
Beach time on leeward shores works through early next week. Plan water activities for today, but be ready to shift if Fausto's track becomes clearer—conditions will deteriorate by midweek.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out
Created with AI from this HawaiiGuide page and read by a computer-generated voice. Double-check fees, hours, and reservations on the full page before you head out. Hawaiian pronunciation is tricky for synthesized speech and a few words may land slightly off; mahalo for your patience as we keep refining.
Mele and Kani are computer-generated voice options chosen for clarity and warmth.
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