"This relaxed, all-day Maple Leaf diner is one sandy flip-flop away from being on a North Shore roadside. It’s an island memorabilia-covered place where you can slump into a bouncy booth and sip a $10 mai tai stiffer than a dress shirt. Among the classic Hawaiian stuff, there’s a dependable spam musubi and comforting gravy-drenched loco moco to customize with variables like fried rice vs. white rice or hamburger vs. portuguese sausage. But we’re even bigger fans of Kona Kitchen’s kalua pig and cabbage—it’s smoky, tender, and really good stuffed into a quesadilla, too. Keep it in mind if you’re in the market for a simple, satisfying group meal while fantasizing about the next trip to Oahu." - carlo mantuano, aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
Nate Watters