Ethnic Eats

If you’re craving an exotic getaway without leaving Oahu, the island offers a variety of global cuisines to explore.

You can easily experience the flavors of Turkey, Singapore, Taiwan, Greece, Burma and more at the following eateries.

Turkish delights: Istanbul Hawaii

Enjoy the flavors of Turkey at Istanbul Hawaii (1108 Auahi St. Ste. 152), a women-, familyand immigrant-owned and -operated, farm-to-table restaurant. The business was born when chef Ahu Hettema couldn’t visit her home country of Turkey for more than 10 years, due to immigration problems, but decided to share Anatolia and Turkish cuisine with Hawaii.

Signature dishes include mezze platter — a colorful, tantalizing assortment of hummus, muhammara, babaganush, su borek, spanakopita, peynir, karpuz and cilek with warm pita — cauliflower shawarma, lamb tenderloin shish and Iskender doner.

The eatery also offers weekend brunch specials like rose cardamom French toast, spanakopita eggs Benedict and the Delectable cilbir with mint, yogurt, Turkish sweet peppers and housemade sourdough bread.

Call 808-772-4440 or visit istanbulhawaii.com.

Flavorful fusion: Singma Tei

Located in Ala Moana Center’s Makai Market Food Court, SingMaTei (1450 Ala Moana Blvd. Ste. 1160B) offers diners authentic Singaporean-Malaysian food. Customer favorites include shrimp laksa, curry pineapple shrimp with coconut rice, lemongrass chicken with coconut rice, and chicken tikka masala with naan bread.

Call 808-940-6228 or follow the biz on Instagram (@singmatei).

Authentic Greek eats: Hellenic Kitchen

Hellenic Kitchen (517 N. Vineyard Blvd.) is owned by husband-and-wife duo Avraam Terzopoulos and Stella Sarros, both from Kastoria, Greece, and features dishes like gyros and baklava.

“These are made from traditional family recipes and resemble what you would find throughout Greece,” Sarros says.

Visit hellenickitchen.square.site.

A Moroccan meal: Casablanca Restaurant

One of Kailua’s oldest restaurants, Casablanca (19 Hoolai St.) features Moroccan cuisine through its prix fixe menu. It’s famous for having no utensils; everything is designed to eat with your hands. The menu includes dishes like couscous with chicken and vegetables, fresh fish chermoula, Cornish hen with preserved lemons, Harrira soup (lentils in tomato broth with saffron, spices, parsley and cilantro), Moroccan salad (roasted tomatoes and bell peppers, carrots, eggplant, hummus and tabouleh) and B’stilla (filo dough, saffron chicken, almonds and eggs baked and topped lightly with powdered sugar and cinnamon).

Call 808-262-8196.

Taiwanese fusion: Fooki

Located in Pearl Kai Shopping Center, Fooki (98-199 Kamehameha Hwy. Ste. G-02) is a noodle bar that specializes in Taiwanese fusion and tea drinks. Its signature dishes include pineapple fried chicken burger — crispy fried chicken, shredded taro chips, plum aioli and pickled pineapple in a toasted pineapple bun — and COW WOW noodle soup. Fooki’s noodle soup is made from 12-hour-simmered beef bone broth cooked with assorted vegetables and more than 20 spices. This popular soup is laden with beef rib, shanks, tendons and veggies.

Call 808-484-9188 or visit fookihawaii.com.

A taste of Burma: Rangoon Burmese Kitchen

This downtown Honolulu eatery (1131 Nuuanu Ave.) features authentic Burmese dishes in a peaceful ambiance that includes décor from Burma. Burmese cuisine is heavily influenced by the neighboring cultures of Thailand, India and China, and often uses common ingredients and spices. This eatery features many dishes that are vegan and vegetarian-friendly.

Standout dishes include Rangoon tea leaf salad, Burmese samosas filled with potato and spices, and pumpkin vegetable stew made with a special house sauce.

Call 808-367-0645 or visit rangoon-burmese-kitchen.business.site.

Spicing things up: Spice Up, House of Indian Cuisine

Northern Indian/Himalayan restaurant Spice Up, House of Indian Cuisine (1289 S. King St. Ste. 101) opened in 2021 in the former Choi’s Family Restaurant space on King Street. The eatery is owned by brothers Bharat and Ganesh Shrestha, originally from Nepal, and features specialties from their native country.

Popular dishes include vegetarian and chicken momos (dumplings) — which look similar to gyoza or potstickers — deep-fried samosas filled with potatoes and vegetables, chicken wings, sweet naan with honey and chopped almonds, chicken tikka masala and lamb shish kebabs.

Call 808-784-0338.