The Best Hawaiʻi Plate Lunch Spot You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

I was on Lānaʻi recently, chasing down a few stories when that old familiar feeling struck. I was hungry. Actually, I was starving. Travel can do that to you—you’re so busy running around, not missing your flight, getting your rental car and voila, you’re starving. However, I had no clue where to even look for food on Lānaʻi. After asking a handful of local residents—who always know best—I kept hearing the same answer to my question on where to eat. Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine.

From what I was able to gather from the town’s residents, Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine has been around for decades, however the low-key food establishment only offered catering services until just recently. After Ganotisi’s opened its doors to dine-in and takeout customers a few years back, it became an instant local fave on Lānaʻi.

Good food, good mood.
Photo: Kevin Allen

Going into Ganotisi’s with an open mind and empty stomach, I immediately felt at home at the establishment’s relaxing, minimalistic seating area. It reminded me of the old-school plate lunch plate spots I’d go to as a kid on the North Shore, where emphasis and effort was placed more on the food than on the decor. However, there are outdoor seats at Ganotisi’s patio area that were complimented by the natural foliage of the area.

And the food? Let me just put it this way. If Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine were on Oʻahu or Maui, where more people could experience the it, it would be commonly accepted as one of the best plate lunch spots in the state. With a menu dedicated to local-kine grinds, from kalbi short ribs to meat jun and butter garlic shrimp, fans of Hawaiʻi-style fare will have a hard time choosing which of these filling plates to go with. As an avid fan of Korean fried chicken, I went with what I know best and was not disappointed in the slightest.

The Korean fried chicken plate.
Photo: Kevin Allen

An explosion of flavor with every bite, I was pleasantly surprised with not only how juicy the chicken was, and how it was the perfect ratio of chicken skin to meat. A heaping of perfectly made white rice followed every bite and before long I was more than half way through my plate. Turning my attention to the mac salad, I’m shocked at how different it is compared to the stock-standard mac salad I’d get at home. A bit more textured, a touch courser and with peas interspersed, Ganotisi’s mac salad proved to me that different can be good.

It’s not everyday you find a plate lunch spot this good. And while you may not find yourself on Lānaʻi anytime soon, if you do happen to visit the little island, be absolutely sure to visit Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine while you’re there. You won’t be disappointed—and try the mac salad.

Ganotisi’s Pacific Rim Cuisine, open 8 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, 408 Eighth St., Lānaʻi City, (808) 565-7120.