Closed Sun, Wed, Thanksgiving & Christmas
What traditional Hawaiian dishes should I try at a lūʻau?
Put seven dishes on your must-try list: kalua pig (imu-smoked shredded pork), laulau (pork steamed inside taro leaves), poi (the pounded-taro staple — pair it with something salty), lomi lomi salmon (a cool salted-salmon and tomato salad), chicken long rice (gingery chicken with glass noodles), poke (cubed seasoned raw fish, where served), and haupia (firm coconut pudding) for dessert. Together they're a complete tour of the traditional feast.
A strategy for the buffet: build your first plate entirely from the traditional side, because that's the food you can't get better at home. Kalua pig and laulau show the imu's two registers — communal centerpiece and personal parcel; unwrap the laulau's ti leaf (don't eat that outer leaf) to find the tender taro-leaf-wrapped pork inside. Lomi lomi salmon works as the plate's bright, cold counterpoint, and chicken long rice is the comfort dish — mild, gingery, kid-friendly. Spoon poi beside the salty things and alternate bites; that's its job.
Save a genuine stop for dessert: haupia's clean coconut simplicity is the traditional close, and many lūʻau add kūlolo (taro-coconut pudding) or fresh pineapple beside it. At the Polynesian Cultural Center's Aliʻi Lūʻau, the traditional core anchors a broad buffet, and dishes come with their stories — which matters, because knowing laulau's technique or poi's genealogy is half the flavor. One warm tip from every local auntie: don't fill up on rice and rolls. The familiar food will exist tomorrow; the feast is tonight.
How to build the perfect first lūʻau plate
- Traditional first: Kalua pig, laulau, lomi lomi salmon, and poi before anything familiar — the feast dishes deserve your appetite.
- Unwrap laulau right: The outer ti leaf is the wrapper; the soft taro leaves inside are food, and the pork within is the prize.
- Alternate poi with salt: Poi + kalua pig or lomi lomi salmon in alternating bites is the traditional rhythm of the meal.
- Take the cold dishes: Lomi lomi salmon and poke refresh the palate between rich bites — don't skip them for being salads.
- End with haupia: Firm, clean coconut pudding is the traditional finish — grab it early if the dessert table draws crowds.
Tour the whole feast at the Aliʻi Lūʻau
The Polynesian Cultural Center's Aliʻi Lūʻau serves the traditional Hawaiian table — with the imu ceremony that starts it and live music through it.
What to expect from the traditional dishes
Expect gentle, balanced flavors rather than heat — traditional Hawaiian food seasons with salt, smoke, coconut, and freshness. Expect textures worth noticing: silky poi, shreddable pork, laulau's soft greens, haupia's firm set.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
What is laulau?
Pork (sometimes with fish) wrapped in soft taro leaves, then sealed in ti leaves and steamed until everything inside is tender. Eat the taro leaves; leave the ti wrapper.
-
What is lomi lomi salmon?
Salted salmon 'massaged' (lomi) with tomato and onion into a cool, bright salad — a 19th-century addition that earned permanent feast status.
-
What is chicken long rice?
Chicken simmered with ginger and clear mung-bean noodles — a Chinese-Hawaiian comfort dish and the buffet's most kid-approved traditional item.
-
What desserts follow haupia?
Look for kūlolo (taro-coconut pudding), fresh island fruit, and modern additions like pineapple or guava cakes depending on the venue.
-
Is poke traditional lūʻau food?
Poke is traditional Hawaiian fish preparation, though its buffet presence varies by venue. Where offered, take it — cubed, seasoned raw fish at its simplest and best.