Martha Cheng

Martha Cheng is the former Dining Editor for HONOLULU Magazine. She also writes for publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Food and Wine, and Eater. In past lives, she was a line cook, food truck owner, Peace Corps volunteer and Google techie and has degrees in Computer Science and English from Wellesley College. She really likes listing things. More than a decade ago, she came to Honolulu for a boy and stayed for the people and ocean. She was born in San Francisco but prefers surfing in Hawai‘i.

Articles

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Frolic’s Picks

My 9 Favorite Bakeries in Honolulu

Reprising a classic from 2022, when a rising bakery scene inspired this compilation of favorites by HONOLULU’s then-dining editor.

cherry and lychee tarts decorated with whipped cream

A Top Pastry Chef From Boston Is Making Sweets and Sandwiches for The Curb

Revisiting a story about Hana Quon, a newly named James Beard Award nominee who moved from Boston to bake her renowned pastries in Honolulu.

Xiao Long Bao at Mian & Bao

Mian & Bao Brings Noodles and Dumplings to Former Piggy Smalls Space

Snacks, noodles and xiao long bao at the new sister eatery to Chengdu Taste and Mian.

grilled fish breakfast at I-naba

Breakfast/Brunch

I-naba Brings Back Loaded Japanese Breakfast Sets

Arrays of grilled fish, miso soup, rice, sashimi and sides restore order in a hectic holiday season.

Arnold Corpuz

5 Chefs to Watch on O‘ahu

In their dishes and kitchens, these local chefs are helping to shape the city’s restaurant scene.

At Super Pho In Kaimuki Seven Courses Of Beef Is A 40 Feast For Two Feature

Kaimukī/Palolo

At Super Pho in Kaimukī, Seven Courses of Beef Are a $50 Feast for Two

The price has gone up since we first brought this to you, but bo bay mon is still a fun, sumptuous deal.

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Chinatown’s Seasons Glows Up: Now It’s Fully a Taiwanese Eatery

Three beef noodle soups are on a menu of traditional and less-known Taiwanese dishes.

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Local Ingredients

Local Online Grocer Farm Link Builds Up Hawai‘i’s Food Systems

Farm Link’s intrepid attempts to accomplish its overarching mission highlights the hurdles Hawai‘i faces in achieving food sustainability.

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Artizen Rolls Out $45 Bistro Dinner Through August

French onion soup, steak frites and strawberry charlottes: The Kaka‘ako café’s three-course prix fixe was inspired by the Olympics.

Local General Store Steak Plate

At Last, a Steak Plate With Local Beef

Steak Plate Saturdays with thick cuts of roasted grass-fed beef are a new thing at Kaimukī’s Local General Store.

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The Maui Wildfires, A Year Later: Part 1

We follow up with Lahaina wildfire survivors—husband-and-wife restaurateurs and a Hawaiian cultural practitioner—to see how they’re faring.

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Where Lychee Meets Chinese Comfort Foods in Chinatown

Chinatown still needs support after the outages, and Sun Chong Grocery still has Big Island lychee.

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Hawai‘i’s Endangered and Threatened Species

A look at some of the plants and animals in danger of disappearing from our Islands, with the long-term consequences still unclear.

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Favorite Dishes at 6 ‘Ono Dive Bars in Honolulu

Whatever you call them—dive bars, local bars, karaoke bars—Martha Cheng says Hawai‘i’s have better food than anywhere else.

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Are These the Most Beautiful Restaurants in Honolulu?

Beauty is timeless, taste is not. A year after this post was originally published, our style and dining editors can’t get enough of these gorgeous interiors.

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Meet 3 Craftspeople Enhancing the Dining Experience in Honolulu Restaurants

Woodworker Nick Hunsinger, upholsterer Aung Thaitae and ceramicist Mark Kuhn have helped elevate the dining scene.

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Hawai‘i’s Oldest Restaurants Are Still ‘Ono After All These Years

We revisit a classic about places that are woven into our collective childhoods, where regulars grew up with owners’ families and you can still find old-school comfort foods.

Qiana and Michele Di Bari

The Way Back: “The Only Way Out Is to Go Back In”

Qiana and Michele di Bari, who lost restaurants in the Lahaina fires, say rebuilding may help their community heal.

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The Way Back: “We Got It”

A longtime Lahaina native says the community’s Native Hawaiians have scattered for now, but they’ll return.

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The Local General Store Brings Meats and Sweets Under One Roof

At The Local General Store, locally sourced pastries meet the island’s only all-local, full-service butcher counter.

Best Of Honolulu Fitness Outdoor Hiclimb Courtesy Of Hiclimb

Best of Honolulu

Best of HONOLULU 2023: The Best of Fitness and Outdoor on O‘ahu

Get active and out there with our picks for best gym, golf course, pilates, campground and more.

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Best of Honolulu

Best of HONOLULU 2023: The Best Services on O‘ahu

You need something done? Consult this list of businesses voted and selected as most reliable in their fields.

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Best of Honolulu

Best of HONOLULU 2023: The Best Food and Drinks on O‘ahu

Our editors picked 14 top categories plus 21 readers’ choices to establish the best food and drinks on O‘ahu this year.

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Best of Honolulu

Best of HONOLULU 2023

From matcha to mochi, neighborhood gym to pickleball equipment, we pulled together the top food, fitness, shopping, services and family-friendly picks.

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Local-Style Eats

Hawai‘i’s 7-Eleven Stores Offer Better Food Than Their Mainland U.S. Counterparts

Fresh food selections at 7-Eleven Hawai‘i make this chain a go-to destination for Spam musubi, pho and sushi.

White Sands Hotel pool bar area Credit Thomas Obungen

Travel Accommodation

Editors’ Picks: Our Favorite O‘ahu Hotels for Staycations

Feel like escaping, but don’t want to wander too far? Just in time for spring break, the HONOLULU team spills its favorite O’ahu staycation spots.

Ono Chefs Feature

Meet Hawai‘i Pastry Chefs Beverly Luk and Michael Moorhouse

These innovators from Nami Kaze and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel have been baking some of Hawai‘i’s best desserts for years.

Sachi Sweets Bakery

New Bakery Sachi Sweets Combines Japanese and Local Flavors

Find hojicha souffle cheesecakes, ube mont blancs, liliko‘i tiramisu cups and more in McCully.

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Breakfast/Brunch

My Favorite Waffles on O‘ahu

Martha Cheng’s picks for best waffles from Waialua to Honolulu.

Rinka Bara Chirashi Credit Martha Cheng

Rinka’s Lunch Sets Are One of the Best Deals in Town

In a pricey corner of Kaka‘ako, filling lunches that are family- and wallet-friendly.

Mariposa Chicken Sliders Credit Martha Cheng

Lance Kosaka Brings His Greatest Hits to Mariposa’s Sunset Lounge Menu

The former Alan Wong’s and 53 by the Sea chef balances local-style appetites with Neiman Marcus luxury.

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Helping Chinatown Here and Across the Country

Grace Young, “the poet laureate of the wok,” gives money to Honolulu’s Chinatown to bring attention to its plight.

Sun Chong Featured

Meet the Next Generation at Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery and Other Shops

Adult children now help their parents run some of Chinatown’s most long-standing and beloved food businesses.

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Wo Fat Building in Chinatown Is Becoming a Chic Boutique Hotel

The nearly 85-year-old building is being restored and the new hotel and restaurant is scheduled to open in late 2023.

Nami Kaze Hero Credit Thomas Obungen

Nami Kaze’s New Izakaya Style Dinner Is One of Honolulu’s Best

Pier 38’s seafood and vegetable focused restaurant, previously only open for brunch, debuts an equally playful, creative dinner.

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From the Magazine

The Centenarian: Esther Nowell

The 102-year-old on art and teaching others to find joy in creating.

Persimmons

Hashimoto’s Kula Persimmon Farm Ships to Your Door

But the season is short, so order now.

Rose Veal

Rose Veal Has Made Its Way to Hawai‘i Menus

In Waimea on Hawai‘i Island, Mahiki Ranch raises a different kind of veal.

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Bars and Cocktails

What to Love About Honolulu’s Dive Bars—and It’s Not Just the Food

Dining Editor Martha Cheng visited 8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille, Shinsho Tei and Anyplace Cocktail Lounge and found amazing food and more.

Meet Fresh Grass Jelly Bowl

Hawai‘i’s First Meet Fresh Brings Taiwanese Desserts to Ala Moana

Find grass jelly and taro balls at this chain from Taiwan.