Best Mac Salad on O‘ahu: Our Readers Weighed In

To our surprise, reader comments basically turned into a spontaneous poll. Here are the results.

February 6, 2024

Mari Taketa,

Photo: Lee Tonouchi

The reaction after we posted Gary Hashimoto’s Reader Top 5: Best Mac Salad on O‘ahu a couple of weeks ago left us with two takeaways:

People are really passionate about mac salad. I mean, wow.
Hardly anyone agrees on this hot-button topic.

When we posted Gary’s Top 5 on Instagram, so many readers weighed in with their own favorites that they basically created an impromptu second poll. A few others even emailed me. And even though nearly 20 of the 26 places readers named basically got one vote each, there were a handful that got two or three mentions.

But the most surprising thing? Two places named by readers were, relatively speaking, far ahead of the pack. For the sake of openness and to give a nod to our different tastes, here are the results:

KJ’s Local Grindz—7 votes
Zippy’s (No. 4 on Gary’s Top 5)—6
Rainbow Drive In—4
Fukuya Deli—3
Alicia’s Market—2
Bada’s BBQ—2
Da Bald Guy—2
Mililani Restaurant (No. 5 on Gary’s Top 5)—2
Toshi’s Delicatessen & Restaurant—2

And with one vote each from an ardent reader (not counting those who named non-O‘ahu restaurants, variations like potato-mac or potato-spaghetti salad, or even the three who mournfully named the former Heights Drive In in ‘Aiea):

The Alley at ‘Aiea Bowl, Fort Street Café, Grace’s Inn, Jane’s Fountain, Kau Kau Grill, L&L in general, L&L ‘Aiea, Liliha Bakery, Liliha Drive Inn, Lunch Box Kitchen of Hawai‘i, Oh My Grill, Okata Bento, Pioneer Saloon, Ray’s Café, Ruger Market, St. Louis Okazuya, Upscale Hawai‘i.

Most helpful were those who suggested pairings with their favorite mac salad:

@rranger808: “You should try @badas_bbq as they’ve got a real good Mac salad that also pairs well with their Brisket Chili & BBQ plate lunches.”

@yobomania44: “Liliha bakery I think has good mac salad I like dipping it with there teriyaki sauce.”

and @paulfoodsnobc: “@rayscafehonolulu. The mac salad pairs well with Chef Felix’s fried chicken.”

So that was unexpected, this spontaneous poll. We absolutely love it. Stay tuned for our next Reader Top 5!