Aloha Food Tours
Aloha Food Tours
4.5
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About
Honolulu's premiere walking food tour. We will taste foods that only locals know about, while learning the culture and history that has evolved Hawaii into a diverse melting pot of ethnic food. Tourists and locals alike learn while enjoying Hawaii's local cuisine. Give us a few hours of your time and we will savor culinary delights, teach you about the background of Hawaii food, and give you memories that will last a lifetime!
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
104 reviews
Excellent
87
Very good
11
Average
0
Poor
3
Terrible
3
Veronikette
Levis, Canada29 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
My husband and I spent a week in Oahu and definitely enjoyed that afternoon spent with Ryan eating and drinking foods like locals. That was different and refreshing, Honolulu is very touristic and it might be difficult to see and taste the real thing. I would do it again.
Written May 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashna B
Maroochydore, Australia14 contributions
Jan 2020
I've been to Hawaii twice, and visited all the islands, and this was absolutely my favourite activity. We were picked up from our hotel, and taken on a wonderful journey through different local food spots.
Lanai was an incredible host, and clearly a knowledgeable guide and chef. Every single place he took us was amazing - I still dream of the food. He was warm and friendly, and gave us a great overview of not only the food, but the history of Hawaii. I would jump at the chance to try any of his other food tours overseas. Genuinely a travel highlight. You can't come to Oahu and not try this tour! Worth every penny!
Lanai was an incredible host, and clearly a knowledgeable guide and chef. Every single place he took us was amazing - I still dream of the food. He was warm and friendly, and gave us a great overview of not only the food, but the history of Hawaii. I would jump at the chance to try any of his other food tours overseas. Genuinely a travel highlight. You can't come to Oahu and not try this tour! Worth every penny!
Written January 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian L.
Kal-ee-four-knee-ah5 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
Ryan took us from one amazing food place to another, some were very tiny and hidden holes-in-the-wall, others were much more normal food joints, but they were all delicious, and nary a tourist or cruise ship passenger in sight (other than ourselves, of course).
A fantastic way to see the city from the viewpoint of a local...
A fantastic way to see the city from the viewpoint of a local...
Written May 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessie F
Tampa, FL3 contributions
A guy called me 1-2 days before our food tour to let me know he was sick and would need to cancel our food tour. I was disappointed but hopeful he would feel better so I asked for him to give me a call back to reschedule for that same week if he started feeling better. Well, I never got a call and he never refunded the $220 either. I have since made phone calls (left a voicemail) and he has not called me back so I’m kind of at a loss as to what to do now that it’s October and we were supposed to do this tour back in July. I would not book with this company and I really hope they see this review and make it right. I will be leaving this same review everywhere I can.
Written October 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BClark
Belgrade Lakes, ME8 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
My husband and I own a catering business and try food tours when we travel, whenever possible. We were visiting Hawaii for the first time and were excited about this food tour. Ryan, the guide and also business owner, was nice and knowledgeable of the local food. However, we felt this tour was extremely disappointing and overpriced for what we received. We expected to visit several nice restaurants in the downtown Honolulu area, but that's not what was happened. The first stop was an average restaurant that makes poi pancakes. One plate with a stack of four pancakes was put in the center of the table for us to share with the other three guests on the tour. We also each received a drink made from some kind of poi powder and that tasted pretty good. The next stop was a Asian place where my husband and I were given a bowl of oxtail soup to share. That was very tasting and fulfilling. The tour went downhill after that. .Ryan took us to a local bar that he visits. We got rushed in and out of there because the business was booked up for the evening due to two sporting events that were being televised. We shared a chicken plate and a local dish, called Loco Moco, with the other guests. The last three stops consisted of an Asian food market, where Ryan bought two small packages of poke (raw tuna) for five guests. We sat outside at the food market at a picnic table. The next stop was a very small local place with six seats where we received one small musibi (rice with spam wrapped in seaweed), value of $2.00, which we took with us and didn't even eat, as there weren't any seats open at the time. The final stop was at a Walgreen's where my husband and I were given one cup of Dole whipped pineapple dessert to share.
Written November 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
atchung
Melbourne, Australia12 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
My partner has been involved in the operation of hospitality businesses for over 10 years. We travel frequently and enjoy visiting food establishments of all kinds both on our travels and at home. Ryan who is the owner and tour guide for Aloha Food Tours is nice, but the tour was a disgrace.
We researched this tour online using TripAdvisor and Aloha's website as primary sources. The testimonials were mostly not reflective of our experience, except for the lady who posted on November 16, 2017. Also some of the photos are questionable as we definitely didn't receive what was pictured. Hence we felt the need to share our experience.
In summary, it went downhill after stop 2 and the value for money in terms of food and experience was not there. After calling up all the places, the total cost for my partner and I was no more than USD$50 and the effort from the tour guide did not justify the USD$210 cost of the 2.5 hour tour.
Stop 1 - Poi pancakes from a local restaurant
Stop 2 - Oxtail soup from a local restaurant
Stop 3 - Garlic chicken at a local pub that seemed to be like Ryan's regular drinking hole as he knew most of the patrons and staff. This venue was dirty, filthy and it smelt. This was the moment when we first had suspicions that this tour was amateur, but this could have been overlooked if the rest of the tour was like the first two stops.
Stop 4 - Poke. Ryan bought about a quarter pound (113g) of poke from the local supermarket and we ate it from a container on a bench just outside of the supermarket. This was appalling as we could have gone to a local restaurant to eat poke, but instead, Ryan purchased this from the local supermarket, presumably to keep the costs down.
Stop 5 - Spam musubi to the value of $1.69 each, which I took away but didn't eat.
Stop 6 - Ryan made a substitution for shaved ice-cream. We walked to a gelato distributor that had no shop front. We walked in through the back. There was an old fridge with about 15 small tubs of gelato (5 flavors) to choose from ($2 each). Then we sat at back with the car park as a back drop. I had a couple of spoonfuls and threw the rest out.
This tour has potential, but needs work.
We researched this tour online using TripAdvisor and Aloha's website as primary sources. The testimonials were mostly not reflective of our experience, except for the lady who posted on November 16, 2017. Also some of the photos are questionable as we definitely didn't receive what was pictured. Hence we felt the need to share our experience.
In summary, it went downhill after stop 2 and the value for money in terms of food and experience was not there. After calling up all the places, the total cost for my partner and I was no more than USD$50 and the effort from the tour guide did not justify the USD$210 cost of the 2.5 hour tour.
Stop 1 - Poi pancakes from a local restaurant
Stop 2 - Oxtail soup from a local restaurant
Stop 3 - Garlic chicken at a local pub that seemed to be like Ryan's regular drinking hole as he knew most of the patrons and staff. This venue was dirty, filthy and it smelt. This was the moment when we first had suspicions that this tour was amateur, but this could have been overlooked if the rest of the tour was like the first two stops.
Stop 4 - Poke. Ryan bought about a quarter pound (113g) of poke from the local supermarket and we ate it from a container on a bench just outside of the supermarket. This was appalling as we could have gone to a local restaurant to eat poke, but instead, Ryan purchased this from the local supermarket, presumably to keep the costs down.
Stop 5 - Spam musubi to the value of $1.69 each, which I took away but didn't eat.
Stop 6 - Ryan made a substitution for shaved ice-cream. We walked to a gelato distributor that had no shop front. We walked in through the back. There was an old fridge with about 15 small tubs of gelato (5 flavors) to choose from ($2 each). Then we sat at back with the car park as a back drop. I had a couple of spoonfuls and threw the rest out.
This tour has potential, but needs work.
Written March 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristofer A
8 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
Lanai was a great host! We learned a lot about the history and development of Hawaiian food and had great traditional and modern food in local joints. Definitely not Waikiki tourist food! I definitely recommend it!
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jill226
Dallas, TX41 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
Great off the beaten path food tour with a genuine foodie. Tried a lot of items that we would not have otherwise known about. Did not realize that he also offered a Chinatown tour, that may be even better. His restaurant recommendations after the tour alone were worth the cost of admission.
Written June 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geneva CB
Philadelphia, PA54 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
Went on the tour with my husband during our honeymoon Awesome food tour. Great range of foods and introductions to unique delicacies. One word of caution - come hungry! There will be a ton of food for you to try! We tried: ube pancake, taro latte, oxtail soup, loco moco, takoyaki, shoyu and onion poke, char siu manapua, spam musubi and shave ice (yes, 10 different things!!!!) Ryan is a great guide and he will answer all of your questions and take great photos. Highly recommend this tour.
Written March 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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1 contribution
Dec 2015 • Family
We chose this tour because a friend of mine said that he heard multiple good things about it. Now it is our turn to recommend you because we got to enjoy our stay in Hawaii thanks to this tour. There are 3 reasons why I recommend this tour.
1. A perfect guide
Lanai guided this tour for us. We could not thank him more that he entertained us a lot. He is such a friendly, kind and hilarious person. Also he has lots of knowledge about not only Hawaiian food but also culture and history etc....!
2. The places we ate
He took us to the places which are loved by local people ( not by tourists!!!)
We enjoyed the Real Hawaiian Food and they were so delicious!
3 A small group of people
Our group was just us and Lanai. It was good for us because we could ask anything whenever we want.
I am quite sure you will not regret to take this tour if you want to know about Hawaiian Food or enjoy your stay in Hawaii!
1. A perfect guide
Lanai guided this tour for us. We could not thank him more that he entertained us a lot. He is such a friendly, kind and hilarious person. Also he has lots of knowledge about not only Hawaiian food but also culture and history etc....!
2. The places we ate
He took us to the places which are loved by local people ( not by tourists!!!)
We enjoyed the Real Hawaiian Food and they were so delicious!
3 A small group of people
Our group was just us and Lanai. It was good for us because we could ask anything whenever we want.
I am quite sure you will not regret to take this tour if you want to know about Hawaiian Food or enjoy your stay in Hawaii!
Written December 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience