Top pick1$$Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
Kakaʻako·Japanese Restaurant
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Looking for the best bbq in Kakaʻako? This guide ranks 5+ spots so you can find a great one fast. The places carrying the NateEatsHawaii badge are Nate's personal recommendations; the rest are the highest-rated and most-talked-about bbq in the area — so you get the full picture, not just a short list of favorites.
The ranking
See every spot on a live map
Filter, get directions, and find what's open right now.
Every spot below includes hours, a map link, and the dish worth ordering. Start from the top and work your way down — the list updates as new spots open and as more locals weigh in.
FAQ
This page ranks 5+ spots by first-party visitor ratings and local reputation. The ones Nate personally recommends carry the NateEatsHawaii badge. Start at the top and work down.
Our editors' recommendations are badged, and personally visited spots show a 'Verified visit' marker; everything else is ordered by first-party visitor ratings and editorial signals — never borrowed Google numbers.
Yes — it's generated from our live Oahu restaurant database, so newly opened spots in Kakaʻako appear automatically and permanently-closed ones drop off.
BBQ
Kakaʻako
The experiences I actually send visitors on.
Editor's Pick Free cancellationWaikiki sunset sail
After happy hour, get on the water. A sunset cocktail sail off Waikiki is the move — drinks aboard, Diamond Head glowing behind you.
Free cancellationHonolulu tasting walk
If you like eating your way through a neighborhood, this off-the-beaten-path Honolulu tasting walk hits spots you'd never find solo. Come hungry.
Free cancellationOahu luau night
The eating doesn't stop at dinner — a real luau is the one Waikiki night out worth booking ahead. Kalua pig, fire knife, the whole thing.
Editor's Pick Free cancellationCircle the island
Best single day on Oahu if you've got wheels-envy: turtles, the North Shore shrimp trucks, the lookouts — all in one guided loop.
Editor's Pick Free cancellationDiamond Head + breakfast
Earn the breakfast plate: hike Diamond Head first, then eat. Shuttle + reservation ticket included, so the morning's sorted before you refuel in Waikiki.
