Best Hawaii Restaurants

The mango is always a much-anticipated feature of late spring and summer. Hayden mangoes are universally loved for their plump, juicy flesh and brilliant skins. White Piries, with their resinous flavor and fine, fiberless flesh, are even better; this rare and ambrosial variety can be found in Honolulu's Chinatown or at roadside fruit stands in rural Oahu. Watch for the Rapoza, a new large, sweet, fiberless mango introduced to Hawaii several years ago.

Kahuku papayas -- firm, fleshy, dark orange, and so juicy they sometimes squirt -- are the ones to watch for on menus and in markets; check out the roadside stands in Kahuku on Oahu, and at supermarkets. Sunrise papayas from Kapoho and Kauai are also top-notch.

White, acid-free, extra-sweet, and grown on Kauai and the Big Island, Sugarloaf pineapples are the new rage. Hilo is the town for litchis (also known as lychees) in summer, but Honolulu's Chinatown markets carry them, too. Ka'u oranges, grown in the volcanic soil of the southern Big Island, are available in supermarkets and health-food stores. Don't be fooled by their brown, ugly skin -- they're juicy, thin-skinned, and sweet as honey.

The buttery, chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies of Big Island Candies (Big Island; tel. 808/935-8890) are worth every calorie and every dollar. From Kauai, Hanapepe town's venerable Taro Ko taro chips (tel. 808/335-5586 for the factory) are a crunchy snack neighbor islanders drive long miles to find.

The Best Restaurants