Hawaiian Food Dominates Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants in 2023 — Guess Which Big Island Favorite Made the List

Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants list has been rounding up beloved restaurants for the past 10 years, and this year’s list really reflects just how much local-style Hawaiian food has gained popularity recently. The list is created based on the year’s most popular and highly rated restaurants, according to Yelp users, and this year, Yelp’s Top 100 list includes a Hawai’i Island restaurant.

At the number 1 spot on Yelp’s Top 100 list sits LA’s Broken Mouth. Though not in Hawai’i, this Korean-Hawaiian eatery was created by Tim Lee who grew up cooking in his uncle’s restaurant in Honolulu. One of his specialty dishes should intrigue any Spam-lover; it’s a Spam musubi made with purple rice.

While purple food may not appeal to some diners, in Hawai’i we can’t get enough of it, as evidenced by the restaurant in the #5 spot, Adela’s Country Eatery. This tiny hole-in-the wall in Kaneohe offers take-out only, with purple dishes that include their purple sweet potato noodles and their divine ube cheesecake. Their food is amazing and the owners are some of the kindest people that you’ll meet. And they’ve recently begun packaging their famous colorful noodles, so you can bring some home with you.

This Big Island Restaurant is #2 on Yelp’s Top 100 for 2023

And somewhere in between that #1 spot from LA and that #5 spot from O’ahu sits Ka’aloa’s Super Js Authentic Hawaiian Food at #2. Yelp calls it “a ‘favorite spot’ on the Big Island for its juicy laulau (pork wrapped in taro leaf).” That’s right, this tiny Captain Cook eatery is one of the most beloved restaurants in the country, according to Yelp users. The menu is short and sweet — a plate lunch with a choice between laulau and kalua cabbage, served with side rice, mac salad, and lomi salmon. In addition, guests rave about their desserts like guava cake and chocolate cake with haupia icing. Visit their Yelp page (they have no website or active social media) for more reviews and business info.

But it’s not just Yelpers who love Ka’aloa’s Super Js — they were also featured on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” season 3, episode 8 “Hidden Treasures,”. That was in 2010, and now 13 years later, they’re still making happy memories for everyone who visits them.

Be sure to check out our Food section for more Big Island food news!

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