Maunakea Marketplace

I am so pleased to see this area making a comeback. The pandemic nearly wiped this place out. Throughout Chinatown, I noticed many more shops open compared to two years ago. Whether it's fresh fish or fresh vegetables, Maunakea Marketplace and Chinatown are the place to go. I also noticed a few artists throughout the area capturing the vibrant culture of the area.

Great variety of tropical fruits, and the food court offers plenty of Asian options. We had such a fun time sampling new dishes! We were so full!

Nice place to shop for tropical fruits and vegies. There are good Asian restaurants. It also has an outdoor place for you to sit down relax and listen to live music performed by to old musician.

Good shopping experience there. There are vendors I am particularly loyal to for their good attitudes, service, and price. I recommend Lee fruits stall that is hidden in between the ships near the street and the food court.

It was a good stop. However they need more restrooms and security to keep the homeless under control. Food was good, lots of lunchtime options with little to no wait.

Only food court in Chinatown. Local recommended the roast duck. Egg noodle made in nearby shop. Fruits, veges and fish just like in the other buildings.

Nice market that faces a pedestrian street in Chinatown. This Chinatown is bustling and lively, with the local community still there shopping for fresh vegetables, medicine and of course the stores selling Chinatown goodies. Visited weekend before Lunar New Year and was a nice experience 🧧

LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN FOR THE LUNAR NEW YEAR OF THE WOOD SNAKE on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. I LOVE this vibrant, colorful, friendly Chinatown marketplace. Maunakea Marketplace is a small fascinating, tightly compressed market of Mom and Pop Chinese businesses clustered together in central Chinatown. It's a wonderful place to wander through for additional shopping. There are clothing (T-shirt stores), restaurants, and gift vendors all neatly fused together into a small city block. But, it works. It's like entering a very small world of even more Chinese stores. It's a very small marketplace nestled and squeezed within the larger Chinatown complex. It's wonderful. Please check it out. There are four entryways / exits to and from this small vibrant market. But, be vigilant. It's very easy to bypass this remarkable tucked-away market.

The central place for it all... Growing up yes I've been to Chinatown and to many places all around which many are still here and have evolved and changed hands with different merchants and shops. As i started to venture on my own I've gotten to appreciated crafting and here in Hawaii it's very difficult to find such specific items and I've been told that Kimi's is the place to find some items and at very good prices. Yes many shop for groceries, meats and some veggies as well all that is in the area near Hotel Street though in the back or more towards Maunakea Street are some food court stalls and no it's not all just Chinese but many other types of food as well. They do have some tables for convenience but you need to get there early or be lucky to have one though is a great place to take a break from shopping as they also have Mickey Cafe for some yummy smoothies that Nadine had showed me...I have so much to learn and explore as it's a shoppers paradise here and so much to see. Thank you!

Quality/Quantity - Maguro Bros is one of the more popular businesses here, too bad they are leaving (might have already left by the time I finally write this review). Their sign was misleading as they were still in business when we visited on 10/3/23. Public parking, trolley, bus stops, and the Hawaii visitor center are all immediately adjacent. Atmosphere - Decent size shopping center, market place, and food court. 68 tenant, 52,500 sq ft retail center. Second story with an office and warehouse space. But it feels very outdated. Quite a few vacancies, see pictures. Many Asian businesses and restaurants. Shared common area with tables and chairs to eat. Open 7 days a week from 7am to 3:30pm; individual business hours may differ. Service - The owners of each business were not very engaging. I do not believe one person greeted me. Price - Depends on what you buy, eat, or drink. Overall, very affordable. Owner Comment - Congrats to Geyser Holdings (the owner of the marketplace) success since 2003.

Not sure why this place is so lowly rated...but it is pretty much a standard Chinese marketplace with various produce/seafood vendors and a food court with indoor and outdoor seating. Bring cash as it makes life much easier. There are a few vendors that mainly sell fresh seafood and meat, at reasonable prices compared to grocery stores (although you do have to weigh it against how clean/safe the food handling appears to be). There are a few indoor vendors in the center that sell vegetables (although they don't seem quite as fresh as those outside in the surrounding shops). The food court in the back has lots of different vendors selling meals, including Filipino food, Vietnamese food, poke, Chinese BBQ, and drinks. There are folding tables running down the length of the food court for eating. There's also an outdoor courtyard for seating and a few more shops outside selling household goods, ceramics, snacks etc.

We came to the food/dining hall first. The food choices were primarily Filipino, but there were also Hawaiian of course but literally one or two, then one or two Chinese, one or two Japanese, compared to maybe six or more Filipino food options. This was surprising for it being in Hawaii's Chinatown. We chose the Hawaiian place run by a sweet little Korean (?) lady and filled all our bellies for cheap. Then we went out to shop around for gifts and souvenirs. They have some nice shops unfortunately the first couple of shop vendors we encountered were very loud and aggressive, we were put off by that and decided to leave without buying anything. Maybe that's how they get people to buy stuff, but I wasn't into it. It wasn't until the end of our Hawai'i trip that I realized people weren't as friendly in Honolulu and Waikiki, as other parts of Hawai'i, so I'm chalking this up to normal behavior. This place has pretty good food for cheap that is worth visiting. And as long as you don't go for the customer service experience, they have some pretty cool stores too.

Let's be honest: China towns came into being because it provided a place where Chinese could get familiar goods and services, and conduct business in their native language/dialect. But racism also played a role in the formation of China towns. Now that Chinese are not restricted to a concentrated location, maybe it's a good sign that Chinatown is losing its reason for being. (Maybe?) I read a lot of stories in the news about Honolulu's Chinatown. Primarily, stories about Chinatown's history, decline and how it might be revitalized as part of a general downtown redevelopment plan. Since I was on a walking tour of Honolulu's downtown, it wasn't much of a detour to check out Chinatown for myself. Frankly, I was underwhelmed. There are a lot of older buildings, and businesses who are attracted to lower rents. But a lot of the products and services offered here can be found in newer, fresher retail situations. If you want to tour Chinatown, you might as well pop into "Maunakea Marketplace"--but I wouldn't make a special trip to visit to visit this marketplace.

So today we made it a family day and walked in to see if they had a few things we can't seem to find ... low and behold yes they did but the reason for the 1 star is my hubby is in a wheel chair and she yelled at us we needed to leave the store his chair don't fit ... how's the customer service... can someone explain how to support small businesses if they don't want it? Mind u we didn't hit anything and we were i. There at least 5 mins looking around so idk what the problem is but oh well saved me $$$ and her fresh clams on ice were all dead just saying

A great place to stop while visiting Honolulu's Chinatown. A great variety of food and vendors to shop and eat!

A hustling and bustling marketplace in China town full of numerous food stalls, grocery fronts and fresh produce stalls. Most food stalls offer plates and dishes under $10 bucks; variety of ethnic cuisines vary from Filipino, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Hawaiian and many more! Come here at lunchtime and all the stalls have numerous dishes on display on steam tables. We had sigsig and something non-memorable at Jayde Ice and Filipino Restaurant, but the others looked good, we'll have to come back. Reminds me of Hawker stalls in Singapore where there are numerous "mini restaurants" within a large enclosed marketplace.

My last review was based on different management and overall different leadership throughout. Things have definitely changed over the few years and the shift is rather dramatic. Seems to be a greater attention to detail and overall focus on quality and cleanliness. I must applaud the new ownership for taking a direct approach towards improving the overall experience... I haven't been back to eat but I do have a friend who open his spot in the Market place and he sells some of the best ahi on island. Can't go wrong with some good ahi..

Shopping and dining in Honolulu's Chinatown... Maunakea Marketplace is a unique experience on The Island of Oahu. It's not the most luxurious place because there's no carpeting nor air conditioning. Instead, it's an outdoor shopping center where various cultures combine to provide goods and services to residents and tourists. PARKING: Personally, I like to come on a Sunday when metered street parking is free. There are also Municipal Parking Garages and parking lots which have reasonable rates. There's an enclosed food court where you may find mostly Chinese, Thai, and Filipino cuisines. Towards the back, there are stalls with fresh produce, seafood, and meat. Right outside the food court, there are a couple of convenient boba/smoothie vendors. Tucked on the sides of the marketplace are a couple of beauty shops. In the middle of the courtyard is a Kwan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) statue where you can burn incense and/or make an offering. I enjoy the shops with beads, costume jewelry, trinkets, t-shirts, tote bags, and lucky charms. Usually, I can find a jade pendant or a cute coin purse for gifts. I also like to look at Asian styled clothing... I've purchased jackets and blouses here! Maybe you'll find something, too!

If you want to shop or grab a bite that's in an enclosed area in Chinatown, Maunakea Marketplace (MM) is where you should go. The main entrance is on Maunakea Street, sandwiched between Hotel St and Pauahi St, where you have a pair of Chinese guardian lions, or foo dogs, to protect the property. There are also side entrances on Pauahi St and 2 on Hotel St. There are multiple stalls selling fresh meats, seafood and produce with some exotic items, too. You'll also find some large tanks with live seafood where the prices are considerably lower than what you see at supermarkets or specialty stores. There is also a food court in MM that primarily consists of Filipino food stalls. You'll also find some Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, a new Latin-Asian fusion, local foods and a sweetbread stall. My personal favorites include Papa's Cafe and Mei Mei Chinese BBQ. Previously, MM was HOT HOT HOT and very unpleasant. But thank goodness the air conditioning has been fixed where you can shop and eat in cooler conditions. I recall the olden days where doors were kept open to alleviate sauna-like conditions, which led to unwanted pests coming in. Need to cool down? You have the ever so popular Thanh French Coffee and Bubble Tea that serves made-to-order drinks that is so reasonably priced. The crowd of people waiting for their drinks may seem intimidating but it's worth the wait if you ask me. There are also a handful of stalls/shops that sell clothes, accessories, Chinese knickknacks, good luck charms and plants. MM is a great place to shop for items if you're into Feng Shui. Want to be pampered? There is also a beauty salon, nail and pedicure spa. So many things to see and do at Chinatown prices! Foot traffic in Chinatown considerably dies down from mid-afternoon. So, you'll need to come early to MM for shopping and eating. They're open daily from 530am to 4pm. Keep in mind that MM is CLOSED on major holidays . Don't expect to come here to buy things on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's for your holiday gatherings. Worried about parking? Utilize the multiple municipal parking lots within walking distance. They are very economical. On the other hand, the metered rates have recently gone up, so it gets pricey if you park at a metered stall. As the Unofficial Mayor of Chinatown, I declare MM not only a historical landmark, but a great place to bring family down for shopping and eating. NOTE: Most of the businesses here are CASH only. Only a very few select shops accept EBT and/or credit cards.

Came into the area looking for a Mexican stand in this Chinatown food court. Whoah! The soups, stews, coconut desserts, fried fish, chocolate stew,...I can go on and on. So many stands and variety of dishes. There is indoor and outdoor seating, but I deferred. Walking around, there is a meat market and a bunch of trinket, tourist and Asian shops.

Totally out of tourist ignorance, I ended up not showing up until just before all the markets closed! However, I wanted to still leave a review for the interactions I shared with marketplace business owners as well as the "street folks" here and there. First, parking is ample and I was able to find a spot on the street in minutes. 1 major recommendation is that you beware of the birds if you are concerned about having your car pooped on. If it is a concern, there were lots of paid parking garages and lots nearby also; I was just being cheap and in a hurry. The shop owners were pleasant and assured me they had plenty of leis or food items, but that I had come too late for souvenir-type shops to still be open. Coming from north of Los Angeles, I am familiar with skid row and the local Chinatown, so I actually felt at home with the vibe there. Hard working people and hardened folks down on their luck. Tons of police presence also. Everything that was available to see was inexpensive and looked to be of good quality. I got the feeling that if you like to haggle back and forth, this was probably your best bet as far as locations go. Not to mention, from the smells and sights of last shops getting ready to close, the food must be very authentic in this area! Get there early to strike the best deals! Trust me...

This place has really lost its charm... I grew up a couple blocks away in my early elementary years. Even as we moved to the west side we'd have frequent visits for seafood, produce and hot lunch. My favorite noodle shop closed down quite some time ago and since then it's never been the same, at all for me. We just stopped by this past weekend to try and pick up some crab, and everything is bare! Among the food businesses, it wasn't as lively as it once was. With the seafood and produce side, it was like a ghost town. No live crab/lobster tanks what so ever. It was really sad to see the inside of MaunaKea Marketplace look like that. I will say though, I did appreciate the outter shops and vendors still out there with the "island" and "asian" merchandise. I wish I could still visit and support this area, but hard when there's hardly anything of interest left! If you know anything about Chinatown, its not the prettiest. Lots of homeless, and smells that are associated... There's street metered parking and municiple parking garages around. I know there are paid parking lots too, but I've never parked at any of those...

Maunakea Marketplace is located in Chinatown and it hosts some of our favorite spots. They sell groceries, souvenirs/knickknacks, boba tea, smoothies, balut and has a food court. Yes, they have balut here! It's relatively clean compared to other parts of Chinatown but slowly Chinatown is getting cleaner and looking nicer. The food court now has AC so it's not as hot as before. Make sure to bring wipes to clean your seat and dining area. They also have seating outside but it's hot and there are some questionable people there sometimes. Some of our favorite spots to go to are a Tuk Tuk Cafe, Mei Mei Chinese BBQ, Thanh French Coffee & Bubble Tea and Papa's Cafe. With COVID-19, the food court is takeout only. We've been back several times picking up take out from Tuk Tuk Cafe since Mink is always craving Thai and this place is one of the most authentic in taste. We would pick up drinks from Thanh French Coffee & Bubble Tea but they are currently closed. Overall, solid Marketplace with a variety of places. A little of something for everyone.

I felt like getting lost in the cave and found good crazy food. Very exotic fruits, fish and meals on the counter. The table at food court is mess but same like when you travel south east Asia.

I should ask for the name of this food stall but once I get in, my attention goes straight to the food. Always good, always fresh. The Lao sausage, papaya salad, larb, sticky rice, and dipping sauces are on another level. Your taste buds will thank you for coming here. You can choose your spiciness level and pick from Lao or Thai style depending on your preference. I like Lao style better because I am used to the spice impact and choose Thai style when i'm looking for a more subtle and sweeter tasting deliciousness.

Review #211 - 2019 I've been to this place almost every trip to Oahu because my brother & his wife likes to come here for drinks & egg waffle. There was one spot in particular that they would frequent, but the guy no longer owns that spot since they decided to clean up this place. The new owner makes the drinks just as good as before, but the prices have gone up. I'm willing to pay a little more for a cleaner environment since this place used to always smell whenever we stopped by. I've also eaten inside the food court at one of the Thai/Lao spot & it was pretty good, but I was a pretty concerned about all the flies as it reminded me of Asia. Now that they've brought this place up to health & sanitation code, I guess I'll be back more often.

I needed to find some place to eat since the restaurant I got lunch at did not have any seating. I was just wandering around and found this little place and decided to walk in. Little did I know this was more than just a small sit down area but a full blown hang out spot! There is a wide range of Asian foods, Asian snacks, and shops. You can get cheap Asian food for a quick lunch and you can also get milk tea, iced tea, and smoothies to beat the heat. There are both indoor and outdoor seating areas depending on how you're feeling that day. I ate my lunch outside and then proceeded to walk around and I found out that another place I had bookmarked was also here so I decided to get a second lunch. Just a note that it was cash only which I'm guessing is the trend so make sure to bring some cash. It's a small place and not fancy by any means but it's a nice chill place to walk around and do some shopping.

Wow this place is pretty cool, even if all I did was look around and not partake! There is an entrance on Hotel St.-but once you go in you realize it takes up a lot of space and opens up in the back! You have fruit and vegetable vendors, seafood vendors, food stands (including a bread baker), and even clothing! Some of it is enclosed, some of it is open air. Many bus routes stop literally right in front here, including 1,2,3,9,13 going away from town, and I think the same going into town, and including 11 and 54. There's no parking anywhere on Hotel St. You can park in the pay parking lot near the corner of Maunakea and King!

A true hidden gem we stumbled upon. It's like walking through a time capsule but a little more modernized. Swap meet type of vendors is who you will be greeted by first, feeling like you are on Silk Road for all you history lovers. Then it opens up with places to eat, one beauty salon and 2 nail places. Having some extra time to burn, we played tourist while on the hunt for a special lei po'o. I didn't walk too far inside. There was a set of staircase that would take you to the second floor. If you're ever in Chinatown, I recommend a stop here for some food and pictures.

I want to eat here everyday They have all of my favorite exotic dishes from Filipino to Chinese. Yummy ! Come here if you want to try delicious Asian food !!

I must say that in all the Chinatowns I've visited this was a great disappointment. Many sold raw food that were not the freshest in and around the area. The selection in the marketplace is lacking, it was more like tiny stalls with little product or items that were not inviting. We chose not to purchase some of our items, however, we did buy various fruit from a Viennese stall. That stand served several drinks and fruit from jackfruit to lichee. The sugarcane juice is the best. Please note that liclili (not sure if that was spelled corectly) is passionfruit but hawaiians do not use sugar in it. So it is very tart. If you go, dont expect the Chinatown market that is bustling with well displayed items.

Maunakea Marketplace isn't for the faint-of-heart, but if you can leave behind any squeamishness about hygenic practices or cleanliness, some of the best Asian food and groceries to be found in O'ahu can be found here. In particular, Tuk Tuk Thai Cafe and Cheun Wea Lao Thai have the best Thai and Laotian food respectively that you will find in Hawai'i. Their offerings are as good as anything I ever ate in Southeast Asia. Also, the Vietnamese grocers have Big Island grown rambutan and longan when they're in season. They're not cheap, but damn, are they good.

Maunakea market place is a favorite for fresh produce and fish products. I enjoy Vietnam and Korean kitchen for lunch. I always buy my Chinese New Year shirts here.

Great place to explore when you visit China Town Honolulu! There is a lot to see and a lot of choices to eat so YELP the places in China Town! I would highly recommend the boba drinks located in the center of the market place. There are 2 boba drinks located next to each other and I like the one on the RIGHT! They make the best MANGO boba drink I ever tasted! It is made with fresh mangos, condensed milk and boba! It was so flavorful and so refreshing, I came back for another one the next day! Besides that, there are number of food options and Naty's Filipino Food is famous.... located right behind the boba drink stands.... and Famous YouTuber Mark Wiens went there and said it was amazing! The workers work extremely hard in this marketplace.... small business that work hard every day! Check it out with you families, there are a lot to see and a lot to buy $$$!!!! Would I go back again? Yea probably... mostly for the drinks! Check out my boba drink pics!

Was craving Pomelo and they have 2 sizes med and LARGE Yummmm! They pretty much have everything.

There is a bubble tea vendor in the courtyard that you must try! They use real fruit to make the smoothie, and they taste fantastic. Some examples of what I have tried: Lychee (real fruit), Vietnamese coffee (STRONG), the sugarcane drink (where else can you get fresh squeezed sugarcane???), and Durian (also with the fantastically stinky fruit). You HAVE to try this place! Also inside of the market you will find a variety of things to shop for, from knick knack soveniers to chinese decor and tapestries. I bought a bundle of chopticks that they wouldn't let me bargain for! There is also lots of fresh produce and seafood, but beware the odor for you who are faint of heart. This market is reminiscent of my childhood shopping with popo (gma) so my nose is immune. Park in the municipal lot across the street on Beretania.

Maunakea market is made up of about a dozen little shop in one big place in Chinatown. You can find rare items like pig's head, manila clams, tiger shrimps, lychees (when in season), abalone, Dungeness crab, fruit and vegetables. Watch out for clam & shrimp shops. They are usually aggressive to get your attention. Maunakea market also includes food court. They're probably cheaper than food court at a mall. Outside of Maunakea is stores of clothes, purses, plants, toys etc. You can also get bubble drinks and smoothies. If you have time, this is an interesting place to browse through.

This is center of Chinatown in Oahu. It is pretty hard to find actually but once you get there you can find plenty of shopping and cheap stuff. I tried a couple food items from different venders and it was ok. My party found plenty of shopping in one of the stores but just tons of stuff for cheap. I ventured off and found a few cool things out of the market on the main drag. As far as Chinatowns go I thought I was going to find something much larger than this one so kind of a disappointment.

Well going to Maunakea Marketplace is a interesting experience since they have a food court a Market area and vendors on the open area. The food court is filled with many Filipino food stands a few Chinese ones, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, and a Bread Roll shop. While the food isn't the greatest it is still a good place to get decent priced food. I personally like Masa's Sushi where they have good Okazu My favorite being the Chicken Katsu and Nori Wrapped Fishcake. I also frequent the Filipino stands getting different dishes like the Tripe Stew, Adobo, Guisantes etc.. My Favorite Thai place moved to Keeaumoku but in it's place is another Thai place that is pretty decent. The Market area has a lot of Fish and Shellfish products as well as a few Meat vendors and Vegetable and Fruit vendors it is quite interesting looking at the Abalone and Live Crab tanks as well as seeing what fish they have on display for purchase. In the Open area of the Marketplace there is a Beauty Salon, several Import item vendors with a few plants, several Fruit Drink shops and clothing stores. The Marketplace has something for most people and is just interesting to browse through. As with most Chinatown places it isn't the cleanest place but it's not as bad as being in Hong Kong, marketplaces in China or other Asian countries. It just has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Best Place in Chinatown Chinatown Honolulu isn't really thrilling. But this place here makes it worth coming for. There's a bunch of shops / stores and a really good bubble tea counter. But the highlight of this mini-mall are the Asian / Filipino food counters inside. Actually they all looked reall good and authentic. We just had to choose one (the one on the right in my pic). Turned out to be a very good meal. Homecooked, real filipino food. We ordered the pork Adobo and the Dinuguan (with offals / blood sauce). Both were very well made....the Dinuguan a real treat....one of the best Dinuguan to date. The place might look a bit rugged inside, but don't let that stop you to eat or take out some food here. Really worth it....and for pretty low prices. So if you're in Chinatown, don't miss this place.

Haven't been here in a very long time. Came down to do some marketing and stpped in to grab some food at Papa's Cafe. Sweet sour spare ribs with fred rice. The rice was dry probably from the lantern that it sits under and the spare ribs was ok. The portion was on the small side but still was enough for me. I gave it 3 stars because it was average to me. One thing for sure...parking is nuts down here so beware of that and you need change to pay for your parking.

Maunakea Marketplace is my "go-to" place for their produce and also, some meats. Many vendors crowd this market place with either fresh produce and meats or some have prepared foods you can snack or have your lunch. Of the many marketplace and vendors in Chinatown, Maunakea seems to be the most organized and clean (by Department of Health standards) and they try to run their business (by Department of Taxation standards). On the busline so you can get in and out of Chinatown withouth having to hassle with parking (the parking lot by the Maunakea Marketplace is NOT SO PARKING FRIENDLY). If you look hard enough, you might find something you don't need or don't want and yet, you will walk away buying it.... trinkets, little plants, you name it! you might find it there

Always here to get my cheap veggies and fruit! Save so much money here compared to going to the regular stores like Safeway and Foodland! Most of the veggies I see are grown locally or from the Big Island. They need good washings when brought home depending on which vendors you buy from but some are washed pretty well already and for half the price of what you would pay at the grocery stores. The markets are typical of Asian markets where the hustle and bustle starts early in the morning just like in Asia! By afternoon to early evening it gets less crowded with merchants closing shops by 4pm and if you're lucky you will find some shops still open at 5 by the time you get off work but all the fish and meat merchants are already closed for the day, so you only have veggies left to choose from. I suggest going in the morning or during early lunch time to get your grocery shopping on! And for budget tight folks like me, it's the only way to stay afloat living in expensive Hawaii! Happy shopping!

Got here toward closing so most of the produce shops were cleaning up to close. We could not get ourselves to get anything at the food court... prepared foods sitting out on a hot day at a not so clean place just did not seem appetizing. Overall, Chinatown was a disappointment.

It is okay.. would not recommend to eat There un sanitary lots of home less lingering Around.. maybe would take it to go Saw baby roach crawling on table yuck

We came here when we were walking around Chinatown. This place consists of a food court (cooked foods, fresh seafood and produce) along with a few independent stores. If If sanitation is your thing, I would skip the food court. When we walked inside, the place was dim and flies were flying everywhere. If you do decide to walk around, just be careful. There were water puddles on the floor by the fresh fish area. As for outside the food court, there are 2 boba shops and stores that sell clothes and household items. We walked around for 5 minutes and left. This area is just not for us.

Today Maunakea Market is home to some yummy food stalls, great souvenir shops and THE CHINATOWN MUSEUM! This place is fantastic and its free!! The Chinatown museum has a good exhibit of the Chinese history in Hawaii (there were more Chinese people here than Hawaiian or Europeans by 1900). In the 70s, before Maunakea market was here, the building was used for The Glade Show Lounge! Every night the most beautiful women in Hawaii would sing and dance on stage and they were all men! The headline act was Prince Hanalei (whose photo I have included). If you want to know more of the sensational history of this building or Chinatown please check out www HonoluluExposed com

This is one of my favorite places in all of Honolulu. I go there on a weekly basis to get fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, walk around to shop for artistic creations, and to pick up food for lunch or dinner, as there is such a great selection, and friendly people. Also, most days when I come in they have live music and a bunch of tables to sit and eat or listen to the band!

Chinatown Honolulu, or at least here, is like a hodge podge of one-stop shops. You've got your mom and pop restaurants and food vendors, vendors for beauty services, as well as vendors selling/haggling inexpensive souvenirs. I'm transported to something homey as I visit Maunakea Marketplace. There's limited parking on the street but there is a paid parking lot across from the decorative entrance (if you're not planning on staying all day just get the 2 hour one for $8). You can get some of the freshest produce, the liveliest of sea critters, as well as the delectable crackle of them pork skins and duck from the Chinese BBQ shop (right around the corner). There's 2 boba places but I go to Thanh boba and smoothie place. It's the one with a metal cart and fresh fruit displayed...the cart on the left. Freakin delicious. Their regular cup size is like a large back home and are less than the price of a grande at your average Starbucks. I was only able to walk around for an hour before flying back home (they're about 2 miles from the airport) but should I get another chance to come back, I definitely will come back to Maunakea Marketplace.

I really enjoyed my visit to Maunakea Marketplace. You can find almost everything here-fresh produce, exotic fruits, gifts for tourists, smoothie stands, food courts, etc. There's a juice stand right next to a Vietnamese sandwiches stand (banh mi) that has really good sugarcane juice! Walk a little bit further down, there's a smoothie stand called Thanh Coffee & Bubble Tea, they have really good Sapodilla/sapoche smoothie. It comes in a huge cup just for 3 dollars! I think the last time I had this drink was back in 2009 in Vietnam. Brought back great memories!

3 stars I guess. I have been to most if not all of the China Towns in the US. This was one of the smallest. We went during a heat wave. We were glad there was a heat wave since both times when we went to Maui it was really cold! Maybe I was a little impatient to get back to the beach while it was sunny and warm. I did not even check out the food court. We went through the open market looking for very specific gifts to take back to friends. But they did not have anything we wanted. This market place did not have anything that I have not seen in our 4 China Towns in NYC and that I haven't seen in any other China town. But China town itself did have the Lei shops which made it unique. But other than that the market place itself did not have anything unique. My husband did like that they spoke his dialect of Chinese. He felt right at home. It was kind of empty like a ghost town when we went. Maybe everyone was at the beach. We don't plan on going back. If you are from a small city with no China town then it is worth it but for us there is really no reason to go back!

You're on an little island in the middle of the Pacific... you come to a place that has everything under the South East Asian sun at your finger tips... wow paradise found! Suggestion - start with a fruit smoothie... you can get almost anything but mango/sour sap mix, avocado, or the green drink are my favorites, enjoy! Pho Pad Thai in the middle is my favorite spot! Kam makes some of the best stuff I've ever tried anywhere. On the weekends she make Ho Mok (steamed white fish topped with coconut cream... it's amazing!) You can get sticky rice and she has plenty of country style street food items already made. The market offers many different home made style dishes from all over Asia so be adventuress.

My heart wants to love this place, but my stomach just does flip flops thinking about it. My head on the other hand tells me to run far far away. Food can be really hit or miss. Some stalls score much higher over others I do love the Thai one on the Mauka end, but have had many misses with the Singaporean one on the Makai side. I would recommend going here if you want to get takeout to eat somewhere else because it is filthy inside and sometimes out. If you want to keep your appetite, keep your blinders on. I've seen large cockroaches brazenly walking across communal "luau tables" and little grey mice nervously scurrying from scuzzy corner to scuzzy corner. I recently spied several drugged out, unstable individuals on the verge of a brawl in the normally quiet courtyard, which caused me and my party to make a hasty exit the other day. That there are many authentic ethnic cuisines under one roof excites my palate, but the unsavory extraneous matters are difficult to overcome.

You know that part in "Bed Knobs and Broomsticks" where they go down to Portabello Road and say you can find aaanything and everything there? Well, that's exactly like Chinatown with Maunakea Market Place and Chinatown Cultural Plaza as the centers of the action. Chinatown is rich with Chinese culture and local hawaiian culture melting into one. Having said that, be warned that you may see some things you don't want to see- live frogs pile high in tanks waiting to be sold and butchered, whole carcasses of animals on ice, snouts hanging from hooks, and fish flopping around on tables. This is all in the area behind the food court down a couple stairs, so if you don't want to see it, just stay in the center where the food vendors and shops are. Why not pay your respects to some of the people being honored in the square? You can purchase incense and walk right over to a statue. Or get a massage while you wait for a friend to grab a Boba. If you're taking a stroll through Chinatown, it's a great place to spend a few minutes.

I like the eclecticism of this place and their produce seems to be a bit cheaper than it is on the street. Often times when I come in here, I don't feel like I'm in Hawaii anymore but in some sort of marketplace in Asia. My recommendation is to definitely buy some Bubble Tea in this market (there's a stand right in the center area and it's DELICIOUS.) Also if you're visiting the island, don't fear trying new exotic tropical fruits. Often times they're just incredibly delicious and they women will gladly help you choose the most ripe!

Maunakea Market Place is the place to be when it comes to shopping for fresh seafood, meat, poultry, vegetables, herbs, gifts, quick bite and many more! This place I really really recommend to visitors of Hawaii! Between 8am-1pm it get's crazy here! There are food vendors, produce vendors, gifts and fashion vendors! It's always busy and it's an experience you would not want to miss! The city bus runs through here every minute it seems, so if you don't want to drive your car, hop on the city bus. The food court there are amazing: ranging from Lao cuising, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Italian, Chinese and many more! Vientiane Cafe is the best place to eat! I love their Kao Piak, Nam, Papaya salad, Beef Jerky, Larb, Sausages, pork rinds, bbq chicken, fried fish and their packaged hot food! Sometimes they have Pon Pah, Aor Seen, Gang nor mai and many more! I tried all the food court vendors there and no doubt! The food there is amazing! I love it!!!!

You live once so live dangerously! You can't ever understand a culture until you just suck it up and try something once. China Town is a great starting place for a foodie adventure because you can literally find everything in this one place! You want lumpia? You got it here! You want boba/zagu/bubble tea? You got it here! You want Thai cuisine? Chinese? Filipino? Pizza? Italian? Dammit, you can find it here (or close by, lol)! You want a full range of local produce? seafood? OMG, you can even get live Bullfrogs! I enjoy strolling this place and the produce is a lot cheaper than the local Farmers Markets. You just have to be mentally prepared to deal with the dirtier conditions. I'm not saying that the produce is dirty or clean, but it definitely is interesting. There are also clothes/trinket shops, so it kind of is a one-stop kind of place! Check this place out and your mind will be BLOWN!