You Voted: Here’s Your Top 5 Roast Duck Shops on O‘ahu

Your top two choices flew away with nearly 60% of the total vote.

October 4, 2023

Mari Taketa,

Roast duck at its best is seductive. Glazed umami-bomb skin gives way to layers of melting fat and juicy flesh, so good singly and all together that your chopsticks go back for more. And more. And more. So while it’s not surprising how much we love roast duck, what is surprising, given how hard it is to make (and make well), is how many places on O‘ahu sell it.

In addition to the 13 choices we included in our poll, readers wrote in another 29, including “me,” “ancient Chinese secret,” the chicken at 8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille, Kāhala Hotel & Resort, and Morimoto Asia Waikīkī. The clear winner among the write-ins was New Char Siu House on Maunakea Street. But the biggest takeaway from this poll was the clear dominance of two shops—one a Chinese roast meats specialist, the other a takeout counter with 74 dishes on its menu. Neither is in Chinatown.

Read on for the results: Your Top 5 roast duck shops on O‘ahu.

No. 5: Fong’s Meat Market

Photo: Mari Taketa

It’s the stall on the King Street side of O‘ahu Market. Fong’s is a roast meats specialist that may be better known for its roast pork, but 4.4% of voters swear by its roast duck. And service is friendly, with samples offered to curious newbies—always a plus in Chinatown.

145 N. King St., (808) 536-6307

No. 4: Sandy’s Café

This Hong Kong-style café in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza sometimes gets the overflow when its more famous neighbors are full. Customers are surprised to find a menu with local favorites like crispy gau gee and cake noodles, meaty macaroni soups and peanut butter-stuffed toasts dripping with condensed milk—and juicy, crispy skin roast duck that garnered 4.5% of votes.

100 N. Beretania St., (808) 200-0468

No. 3: Duck Lee Chinese Express Foods

plate of Roast Duck on top of fried rice

Photo: Mari Taketa

Eateries at Market City come and go, but Duck Lee, like Gina’s Bar-B-Q a couple of storefronts down, has been there forever. Or about 20 years, to be slightly more precise. Things have changed at Duck Lee, including its location in the strip mall, but its roast duck is still the nostalgic favorite of 5.8% of voters.

2919 Kapi‘olani Blvd., (808) 735-5378

No. 2: Asian Mix

Photo: Mari Taketa

Asian Mix tends to sneak up in the conversation about roast duck. It doesn’t look like a contender—it’s not a roast meats specialist, not a restaurant, not in Chinatown or in a row of tasty strip mall eateries. But owner Daniel Leung for years owned a popular restaurant on Ke‘eaumoku Street, which explains why his roast duck helps make Asian Mix as much of a destination now as Panda Cuisine was back then. His takeout spot under Safeway Beretania scored an impressive 19.1% of the vote. As with all the best spots, call ahead or come early to snag your bird.

1234 S. Beretania St., (808) 521-1688, hiasianmix.com

SEE ALSO: Best Restaurants in Honolulu

No. 1: Roast Duck Kitchen

Roast Duck serve up in a takeout container

Photo: Mari Taketa

With a commanding 39.6% of the vote, this tiny takeout counter tucked behind a McDonald’s at a neighborhood shopping center is now officially O‘ahu’s favorite roast duck shop. Roast Duck Kitchen is not just an ‘Aiea institution, it’s one people will drive for. Order a duck and it will be taken down from its hook, marinating liquid ladled into the cavity and drained before the succulent roast is chopped and packed, with a crispy gau gee treat, in your takeout clamshell.

‘Aiea Shopping Center, 99-115 Aiea Heights Drive, (808) 486-0005