Why It’s So Hard to Find Good Fish in Hawaii
You’d think being surrounded by ocean would make Hawaii a seafood paradise, right? Fresh fish at every corner, sushi on every block, poke that brings a tear to your eye? Think again.
Here in the middle of the Pacific, the irony runs deeper than the reef. Finding truly good, local fish in a restaurant is weirdly difficult. Not impossible — but definitely frustrating. And when you do find it, you better have a second mortgage lined up. $42 for grilled mahi with a side of rice? Girl.
The thing is, most of Hawaii’s best fish is getting shipped away from the islands — straight to Japan, the mainland, or luxury markets that can pay top dollar. That means even restaurants here often source frozen or imported options because it’s cheaper, easier, or (sigh) what tourists expect.
One of the few places that gets fish right in Hawaii is Paia Fish Market, with lines out the door at both its Honolulu and Maui locations. Yes, it’s expensive — but the fish is fresh, well-cooked, and portioned like they actually want you full.
Still, it’s wild that a place like this stands out so much in a place surrounded by ocean. Good fish in restaurants shouldn’t be this rare, or this pricey — but at least Paia delivers when it counts.
And sure, you can find amazing poke at Foodland or fresh ahi at Tamashiro Market if you’re cooking at home — but when you're eating out? The seafood scene is shockingly hit or miss. Some places overcook it, overprice it, or overcomplicate it. Give me a perfectly seared opakapaka with a wedge of lemon and a glass of wine, not a sauce-splattered art project drowning in foam.
So next time someone asks, “Where’s the best place to get fresh fish in Hawaii?” — tell them: At the fish auction if you’ve got a cooler, a license, and low expectations for restaurant consistency.
