Chinatown
About
As a historic district in Honolulu, Chinatown offers a charming way to spend the afternoon. The area is a time-honored juxtaposition of old and new, where traditional markets co-exist with swanky art galleries. Stroll down Maunakea Marketplace where you can find exotic fruits, traditional herbs, and even watch noodles being made. You can also people-watch at River Street Pedestrian Mall and snap a photo of the iconic Hawaii Theater nearby. Get here via the Waikiki Trolley Hop-on-hop-off trolley tour, on a Hawaii food walking tour where an expert will bring you to all the must-eats in the area. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Tuperdu2
    San Diego, California23 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Star of the show is Mei Mei
    Mei Mei Chinese BBQ is a must eat! $12 for the meal and for the flavors and quality we were impressed. Only 4 stars for Chinatown tho because it’s extremely desolate now and kinda a ghost town. I would say worth the trip for the meal and that’s about it. Nothing to see in Chinatown tbh :( sad but true.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written September 18, 2023
  • jarasta
    Las Vegas, Nevada177 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Perhaps Worth a Visit
    I will also give it three stars. It is worth a worth a visit a visit if you are visiting for a week or more, but with urine stained sidewalks, dirty floored groceries and restaurants, and tons of homeless this area might not be for faint of heart. It is also becoming more and more Vietnam Town as Vietnamese language is fairly common now. For Asian tourists with a kitchen and a penchant for cooking this is a must visit at least once for the variety and freshness of groceries...
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written February 2, 2024
  • Susan S
    Firestone, Colorado88 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very local feeling
    This was a good place to get some local food. There is hot food, iced fish and lots of vegetables and fruit. The bread is really yummy too. We parked in the parking garage and walked up and down the street. It’s not the cleanest of places and sometimes the smells can be quite disgusting. But it was definitely worth a visit just to see what it’s all about. I even picked up a souvenir to take back home. It definitely quotes down after noon, so if you go then visit early.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written May 12, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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.

Popular mentions

3.0
3.0 of 5 bubbles709 reviews
Excellent
97
Very good
205
Average
214
Poor
121
Terrible
73

Wikumj
Bromley, UK395 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
We visited here in downtown a Honolulu as some old guidebooks we had were recommending it. Unfortunately it seems the area has really gone downhill since the pandemic - many shop fronts were boarded up and we didn’t feel safe in the area - lots of homeless people and smell of drugs in the air. There was very little to do here and it was very quiet and unsettling during our visit in the afternoon. Definitely an area to avoid unfortunately.
Written August 8, 2022
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.

Eva T
Los Angeles, CA4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
VERY DANGEROUS. There are crazies, homeless, druggies and mentally ill criminals all over Chinatown. It's very sad that anyone would allow this to continue. I was there taking pictures while visiting, and a homeless looking man thought I was taking his picture and he threatened my life. Oahu is experiencing a severe drug and mental illness problem.
Written July 16, 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.

Inspiration744899
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021
Visited Chinatown late yesterday afternoon. Overall the prices were good, if you carefully check the quality and condition of the item. Also, some of the vendors were very helpful and honest. Nonetheless, some of the vendors were, I believe, dishonest as well as pushy. For example, upon purchasing some items, I found several vendors trying to short change me on my payments. Although the sums at issue were relatively nominal, I found this troubling and disturbing. Be careful.
Written February 21, 2021
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.

J-Yves H
San Francisco, CA5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
This place is not scary as some would suggest. You can find a few homeless people. Some places can be smelly, the same you can see all around Honolulu. But thats not Chinatown. All stores and markets are colorful and vibrant. You can buy Good and cheap Chinese/Japanese food. Its really a Chinatown for Asians, without all tourist traps.
Written June 8, 2023
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.

Susan S
Firestone, CO88 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
This was a good place to get some local food. There is hot food, iced fish and lots of vegetables and fruit. The bread is really yummy too. We parked in the parking garage and walked up and down the street. It’s not the cleanest of places and sometimes the smells can be quite disgusting. But it was definitely worth a visit just to see what it’s all about. I even picked up a souvenir to take back home. It definitely quotes down after noon, so if you go then visit early.
Written May 12, 2024
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.

mombasatraveller
Calgary, AB19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Spent the morning walking around chinatown, through the market, the food court, and visiting small stores with lots of interesting stuff. Yes, there was also fresh fish and meat of all kind. Felt very safe, vendors and shop keepers were all very friendly. There were some homeless people, all along a street north of chinatown, and not within the chinatown markets and shops, so no issues there. An interesting visit!
Written February 18, 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.

Emily
Boise, ID210 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021
We were in Chinatown on a Saturday in the evening to find some dinner. We were surprised how many shops were boarded up and how little activity there was there other than the restaurants. It's fascinating as places like The Pig and the Lady, Lucky Belly, and Livestock Tavern are all highly reviewed and many were full up on Saturday, but the area around them was completely dead other than some of the homeless population wandering around. I really expected more shops and things to see, but it just felt like a ghost town. Unless Honolulu can get this area up and running again, I'd say just go get some food, but don't expect to walk around and see much.
Written June 3, 2021
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.

jarasta
Las Vegas, NV177 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
I will also give it three stars. It is worth a worth a visit a visit if you are visiting for a week or more, but with urine stained sidewalks, dirty floored groceries and restaurants, and tons of homeless this area might not be for faint of heart. It is also becoming more and more Vietnam Town as Vietnamese language is fairly common now. For Asian tourists with a kitchen and a penchant for cooking this is a must visit at least once for the variety and freshness of groceries...
Written February 2, 2024
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.

Ginger M
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Family
We arrived around 4:30 pm on a Thursday hoping for a variety of food to try and to shop the marketplaces. We walked up the street a bit and a homeless woman passed us and said "Don't be around here after dark." We then noticed that all of the businesses were closing up shop already. We passed a man in a van doing VR on an oculus, many many homeless throughout, and one many lying on the street in front of the gated up marketplace pleasuring himself. All in all, an interesting experience and life lesson for my 16 year old to see. 1 star for the fear of getting shanked, but + 1 star for the anecdotes that will follow.
Written April 22, 2022
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.

Susanna L
7 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Family
Very sad. It is just not thriving at this time. Covid and many other factors have made this place a bit scary for white tourist. Felt we were not wanted and intruding. Lots of homeless, probably drugs, and mental illness causing people laying on the sidewalk. Feel bad for the businesses trying to survive. Botanical gardens were beautiful and worth the trip though. Chinatown you are in our prayers.
Written July 8, 2022
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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Chinatown - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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