Honolulu, HI / USA - January 26, 2020: People explore Chinatown in Honolulu. The neighborhood is known for its market, great food, and cool nightlife. 1211188750 loca

Chinatown Markets

Top choice in Honolulu

LoginSave

The commercial heart of Chinatown revolves around its markets and food shops. Noodle factories, pastry shops and produce stalls line the narrow sidewalks, always crowded with cart-pushing grandmothers and errand-running families. An institution since 1904, the Oʻahu Market sells everything a Chinese cook needs: ginger root, fresh octopus, quail eggs, jasmine rice, slabs of tuna, long beans and salted jellyfish. You owe yourself a bubble tea if you spot a pig’s head among the stalls.

At the start of the nearby pedestrian mall is the newer, but equally vibrant, Kekaulike Market. At the top end of the pedestrian mall is Maunakea Marketplace, with its popular food court.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Shangri La

    Shangri La

    5.89 MILES

    In the shadow of Diamond Head, the former mansion of billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke is a sight to behold for art-lovers and celebrity hounds…

  • The Stones of Life - four stones on Waikiki Beach that were placed there as tribute to four legendary mahu.

    Stones of Life of Kapaemahu and Kapuni

    3.56 MILES

    Near the police substation at Waikiki Beach Center, four ordinary-looking volcanic basalt boulders are actually sacred and legendary Hawaiian symbols…

  • There is a fisherman about to cast his line in the water over a tall cliff. Spitting Caves Hawaii is a hidden gem of East Oahu.

    Spitting Cave

    10.72 MILES

    This impressive, little-known viewpoint is at the end of Lumahai St in Portlock, makai (toward the sea) from the traffic lights at the Koko Marina Center…

  • The USS Arizona Memorial straddles the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.

    USS Arizona Memorial

    6.61 MILES

    This somber memorial is one of the USA's most significant WWII sites, commemorating the Pearl Harbor attack and its fallen service members with an iconic…

  • Interior of Bishop Museum, main gallery with sperm whale hanging from ceiling.

    Bishop Museum

    1.48 MILES

    Hawaii’s version of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the Bishop Museum showcases a remarkable array of cultural and natural history exhibits…

  • iolani palace honolulu hawaii usa

    ʻIolani Palace

    0.53 MILES

    No other place evokes a more poignant sense of Hawaii’s history. The palace was built under King David Kalakaua in 1882. At that time, the Hawaiian…

  • The Honolulu Museum of Art

    Honolulu Museum of Art

    1.15 MILES

    This exceptional fine-arts museum is among the best of its kind anywhere. The collection is effectively a 'best of' summary of major art movements…

  • The USS Arizona Memorial straddles the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.

    Pearl Harbor National Memorial

    6.12 MILES

    One of the USA’s most significant WWII sites, this National Park Service (NPS) monument narrates the history of the Pearl Harbor attack and commemorates…

View more attractions

Nearby Honolulu attractions

1. Kekaulike Market

0.01 MILES

Like a daily farmers market, the vendors inside have the full range of whole fish, dry goods, prepared foods and Hawaii's plethora of produce. Out front,…

2. Oʻahu Market

0.03 MILES

An institution since 1904, this market sells everything an Asian-food cook needs: ginger root, quail eggs, jasmine rice, luscious slabs of tuna, long…

3. Hawaiʻi Heritage Center

0.1 MILES

Local volunteers with family ties to the community run this crowded gallery that displays changing historical and cultural exhibitions about Oʻahu’s…

4. Dr Sun Yat-sen Statue

0.16 MILES

Known as the 'Father of the Nation' in the Republic of China and the 'forerunner of democratic revolution' in the People's Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen…

5. Chinatown Cultural Plaza

0.19 MILES

Inside this utilitarian mall, covering almost an entire city block, traditional acupuncturists, tailors and calligraphers work alongside travel agencies…

6. Hawaii Theatre

0.21 MILES

This neoclassical landmark first opened in 1922, when silent films were played to the tunes of a pipe organ. Dubbed the ‘Pride of the Pacific,’ the…

7. Izumo Taishakyo Mission

0.27 MILES

This Shintō shrine was built by Japanese immigrants in 1906. It was confiscated during WWII by the city and wasn’t returned to the community until the…

8. Lum Sai Ho Tong

0.29 MILES

Founded in 1899, the Lum Sai Ho Tong Society was one of more than 100 societies started by Chinese immigrants in Hawaii to help preserve their cultural…