Traveling to Hawaii and wondering where the vegan food on Oahu is? From the North Shore to Honolulu there are plenty of vegan options to be found!
I just returned from an amazing Hawaii vacation on Oahu. I traveled with non-vegan friends so not all restaurants we visited were 100% vegan – or even vegan-friendly! But I wanted to share what I learned and one thing is true, delicious and fresh vegan food is not hard to find on Oahu!
VEGAN FOOD ON OAHU, HAWAII
(Click the restaurant name for links to restaurant address, hours, and full menu!)
FARM TO BARN CAFE
North Shore
While not 100% vegan, Farm to Barn Cafe on the edge of Haleiwa was very vegan-friendly! And vegan items were clearly labeled on the menu as vegan (bonus points). I was happy to eat here TWICE!
On our first visit, my non-vegan friend ordered the popular Vegan Poke Bowl – seasoned organic beets, pickled cucumber, red onions, and white rice topped with toasted macadamia nuts, furikake, scallions, sprouts, and avocado. She loved it….and after sampling the vegan poke (beets!) I did too! SO much flavor! Delicious!
I tried the Vegan Buddha Bowl (baked tofu, sautéed Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, carrots, onions, and broccoli with white rice topped with pickled cucumbers, pickled onions, sesame seeds, scallions, furikake, and sprouts). This was delicious, fresh, AND filling!
On our second visit to Farm to Barn, I tried the Bruschetta Avocado Toast (bruschetta mix, avocado, balsamic glaze, and sprouts on multigrain toast), along with the Vegan Caesar Salad (local greens, roasted chickpeas, and tomatoes with a house-made vegan Caesar dressing). My non-vegan friend ordered the Vegan Waffles (made with local Hawaiian Ulu – breadfruit – and topped with fresh fruit, powdered sugar, and maple syrup). (Breadfruit is a flowering tree found in Hawaii that is in the jackfruit family.)
Farm to Barn – Bruschetta Avocado Toast
CAFE HALEIWA
North Shore
Located on the North Shore of Oahu, and known as “the BEST breakfast in all of Haweiwa”, Cafe Haleiwa was sadly not vegan friendly. Fortunately, I was able to order “lunch” for breakfast, as the only vegan-friendly option on the menu was the Avocado Sandwich. Served on whole wheat bread with tomato and sprouts (with non-vegan mayonnaise packets on the side), the sandwich WAS delicious (but then it really is hard to mess up fresh avocado and bread!). Lots of picnic tables for all.
Cafe Haleiwa & the Avocado Sandwich
PUPUKEA GRILL
Haleiwa, North Shore
Pupukea Grill is a stationary food truck parked in Haleiwa on the North Shore. It’s not 100% vegan but the majority of the menu IS vegan or vegan friendly (with a few tweaks!). I order the Mexican Bowl (with Mexican rice, black beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, vegan sour cream, lime, a flour tortilla, and side salad).
The food was fresh and delicious….and my non-vegan friends enjoyed their meals too. I grabbed a Vegan Loaf Cake to-go to share with friends later! (Check out the menu photo below for all the vegan loaf cake options – ALL the loaf cakes are vegan, and several are gluten-free as well!)
There are several shaded picnic tables to enjoy your food on, or grab and go to enjoy on the beach just across the street while watching the surfers!
Pupukea Grill Food Truck & Mexican Bowl
Pupukea Grill Vegan Loaf Cake with Menu
ISLAND VINTAGE COFFEE
Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki
(with multiple locations – menus vary!)
Island Vintage Coffee was highly recommended… and deservedly so! SO many delicious vegan options (although not a 100% vegan menu). I had the Vegan Egg Scramble (three vegan Just Eggs scrambled with green onion, asparagus, side salad, avocado, tomato, sprouts, pistachios, cranberry balsamic dressing, breakfast potatoes, tempeh bacon, cranberry walnut bread, sourdough toast, blueberry jam, vegan nut spread, and papaya). As you can read….this was a FEAST!!!! A lot of food, that took me about an hour to eat (and I ate everything….minus the tomato). It was DELISH!
I also thoroughly enjoyed a Lilikoi Mimosa (Lilikoi is the Hawaiian word for passion fruit) at Island Vintage Coffee!!
THE OTHER SIDE DINER
Chinatown, Honolulu
This was probably my favorite spot! Not 100% vegan, but LOTS of vegan options on the menu. Shared the Vegan Wings (100% vegan chicken wings tossed in buffalo or house-made BBQ sauce served with vegan ranch) – we had these with buffalo sauce and they were delicious!! I highly recommend giving them a try.
Also shared the Sweet Potato Fries with Cajun Seasoning (I might have been hungry, but these were maybe the best fries I’ve had in a LONG time!). And finally, I had the BLAT (vegan bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and vegan mayo on toasted sourdough). Although I did have vegan bacon on mine, I liked that you could order the BLTA withOUT bacon for $2 less – most places do not offer this!
BANAN
Waikiki (with multiple locations)
With three locations in Oahu (Waikiki, Honolulu, and Kailua), Banan serves up soft serve “ice cream” made with Hawaii-grown bananas (you might know this as “nice cream”). In addition to different flavored banana soft-serve and toppings, there are is also a smoothie AND smoothie bowl menu. Banan is 100% plant-based, although be aware that there is honey in some menu options (so omit this if you are vegan).
BEET BOX CAFE
Kailua (two locations – also in Waimea)
Beet Box Cafe offered both vegan and non-vegan hot foods and baked goods….as well as quite of few gluten-free options! I had the Rainbow Country Burrito (sautéed red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, zucchini, tofu & Soyrizo on top of black beans, brown rice & spinach wrapped in a toasty flour tortilla with house salsa, creamy cilantro sauce & avocado).
I think my burrito was missing the Soyrizo….and maybe something else – hmmmm?? But they seemed short-staffed (post-Covid life!), so I didn’t say anything. And once I added the cilantro sauce (not pictured – ask for extra on the side!) – the burrito really was really DELICIOUS!
We also got some baked goods to go – the vegan Love Cake (basically a yummy brownie with sprinkles on top!) and a vegan Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie (divine!),
DOWN TO EARTH ORGANIC & NATURAL MARKET
Kailua (with multiple locations)
For a day at Kailua Beach and some grab-and-go lunch items, we stopped at Down to Earth Market. “Hawaii’s leading retailer of organic & natural foods since 1977”, there are multiple locations in Oahu, as well as a location in Maui. I thought this might be similar to Whole Foods Market, but was surprised to find out it was completely vegetarian and vegan.
I stopped at their deli for a fresh-made Vegan Chick’n Salad Wrap, and then grabbed a Vegan Macaroni Salad to go (macaroni salad is a popular dish in Hawaii….so I was excited to see a vegan option made with Vegenaise)! Honestly, both were just “ok”….a little bland. But I was happy to see such a large store with SO many vegan options to pick from!! I do recommend stopping in if you’re near a location!
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VEGAN FOOD OPTIONS IN OAHU:
LOVING HUT – Honolulu (2 locations)
With locations on the mainland – and around the world – Loving Hut is “the World’s Largest Vegan Fast Food Chain”. Loving Hut is 100% vegan, primarily Asian-style cuisine, and DELICIOUS!! I did not have a chance to visit Loving Hut in Hawaii but have also thoroughly enjoyed every meal I’ve had in their California locations.
PEACE CAFE – Honolulu
100% plant-based vegan – with a mantra of being “kind to animals, nature, body, and spirit through food we consume”, Peace Cafe serves home-style entrees, sandwiches, salads, drinks (including coffee drinks and smoothies), and desserts.
RIPPLE OF SMILES – Honolulu
Pho and Vietnamese food with a separate vegan menu.
JUICY BREW – Honolulu
100% vegan and a little bit of everything!
TANE VEGAN SUSHI – Honolulu
100% vegan Japanese restaurant serving vegan sushi, ramen, salads, wine, sake, and beer.
LEAHI HEALTH – Locations in Honolulu and Kailua
100% plant-based vegan – Smoothies, bowls, and tacos
BAREFOOT BEACH CAFE – Wakiki
Not 100% vegan, but vegan breakfast lunch and dinner options, with live Hawaiian music in the evening.
I hope these recommendations were helpful and I know that you too will fall in love with Oahu and its friendly and laid-back people, beautiful beaches, and gorgeous sunsets!!
Mahalo and ALOHA!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy the following:
Vegan Recipes for Non-Vegans – 7 Amazingly Delicious Recipes to Try
Vegan of Plant-Based – What’s the difference?
5 Amazing Healthy Benefits of a Vegan Diet
