Hawaii saimin stands

Saimin, briefly

Saimin is Hawaii's own noodle soup: soft wheat-and-egg noodles in a clear broth, topped with green onion, kamaboko (fish cake) and char siu, and sometimes a wonton or egg. It grew up in plantation-era kitchens and is still on menus from saimin stands to drive-ins. Dry mein, the same noodles served without the broth, is a Maui specialty. One of the places here list dry mein.

Where they are: three on Oʻahu, two on Kauaʻi, one on Hawaiʻi Island and one on Maui.

By town: Līhuʻe (2), Hilo (1), Honolulu (1), Wailuku (1), Wahiawā (1).

Dishes these menus name most: saimin (6), barbecue sticks (1), chow fun (1), dry mein (1), hamburger steak (1), hamburger steak plate (1).

How this list was made: for every place we read a 2025 or 2026 source, usually its own menu page or a dated story in Hawaii news, and matched the street address to it. A place whose only source was older, whose website had gone dark, or whose menu named the dish just in passing stayed off. Review sites played no part, and the places run by region and town, not by anybody's score. Menus change, so check before you go. Our sources are on the about Hawaiʻi Eats page.

On an iPhone or iPad, Hawaiʻi Eats puts this same list in order of distance from wherever you're standing, and a tap on a place brings up Apple Maps' card with today's hours, photos and directions.

Other guides: Hawaii plate lunch & drive-ins, Hawaii poke counters & fish markets, Hawaii shave ice stands, Hawaii malasadas & bakeries, Hawaiian food & okazuya, Hawaii musubi shops, Hawaii loco moco, Lahaina restaurants open again, Hawaii James Beard honorees, Hawaii's oldest restaurants, Hawaii restaurant inspections. City pages: Honolulu, Kailua-Kona, Hilo, Kīhei, Kapolei, ʻAiea, Waipahu, Kailua, Kāneʻohe, Kahului, Līhuʻe, Kapaʻa, Wailuku, Haleʻiwa, Pearl City, Kāʻanapali, Waimea (Hawaiʻi Island), Kōloa, Mililani, Waikoloa. Regions: Oʻahu, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.

Jump to a region

• Oʻahu (3)
• Maui (1)
• Hawaiʻi Island (1)
• Kauaʻi (2)

Oʻahu

3 saimin spots, by town. The Oʻahu page has the region's other lists.

1. Palace Saimin

   1256 N King St, Honolulu

   Saimin On the menu: saimin

   A no-frills Kalihi saimin shop that began near the old Palace Theater and later moved to Kalihi.

2. Shige's Saimin Stand

   70 Kukui St, Wahiawā

   SaiminMusubi On the menu: saimin with house-made noodles, musubi

   A Wahiawā saimin stand that makes its own noodles daily.

3. Shiro's Saimin Haven

   98-020 Kamehameha Hwy #109, ʻAiea

   Saimin On the menu: saimin

   A saimin house that HAWAIʻI Magazine readers named among Oʻahu's noodle spots in 2026.

Maui

1 saimin spot, by town. The Maui page has the region's other lists.

1. Sam Sato's

   1750 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku

   Plate lunchSaimin On the menu: dry mein, saimin, chow fun, manju, hamburger steak plate

   A Wailuku noodle counter, a local staple since 1933, best known for its soupless dry mein.

Hawaiʻi Island

1 saimin spot, by town. The Hawaiʻi Island page has the region's other lists.

1. Nori's Saimin & Snacks

   688 Kinoole St, Hilo

   Saimin On the menu: saimin

   A Hilo saimin shop.

Kauaʻi

2 saimin spots, by town. The Kauaʻi page has the region's other lists.

1. Hamura Saimin

   2956 Kress St, Līhuʻe

   America's ClassicSaimin On the menu: saimin, barbecue sticks, lilikoʻi chiffon pie · Since 1952

   A Līhuʻe saimin stand open since 1952 that still operates out of the same wooden building on Kress Street.

2. Tip Top Motel, Café & Bakery

   3173 Akahi St, Līhuʻe

   SaiminMalasadas On the menu: oxtail soup, pancakes, saimin, hamburger steak

   A Līhuʻe café, bakery and motel known for oxtail soup and pancakes; the business dates to 1916 and moved to its current spot later.