Beautiful as it may seem on arrival, where are the food and the tropical fragrances at the new Mauka Concourse at Honolulu Airport (HNL)?
Leave a Comment
87 thoughts on “Something Big Went Missing at Honolulu Airport: Visitors Take Notice”
Beautiful as it may seem on arrival, where are the food and the tropical fragrances at the new Mauka Concourse at Honolulu Airport (HNL)?
Maybe food trucks, or dimsum trolleys? Or express waiters, like door dash or Uber eats, with a dedicated kitchen for the terminal?
Thank you for this report…I wondered where the food concession was…Hawaii has such a diverse culinary palate it’s a shame that someone can’t step up and represent what our culture can do.
Aloha
When we flew home to SMF back in May, the Dunkin Donuts small kiosk was open. The small store in the middle of the new concourse was packed as people buy last minute souvenirs or roll the dice with their pre-packaged sandwich options. Hopefully they will add either more kiosks with food options or a few restaurants in the near future.
We need local plate lunch venue at new airport terminal. Or local lunch wagon to add Hawaii flavor/flare.
We would like to set least s coffee shop in the new area.
It would be really nice to see native Hawaiian cuisine at the airport, even the local fast food chains. All of the west coast airports are moving to local restaurants only at the airport which makes it so nice as a goodbye to your stay.
I agree completely. It was such an inspiring way to start a stay in Hawaii — walk off the plane, take a few more steps, and you’re in the warm, fragrant air of Hawaii. Sure, the fragrance is jet fuel, but still..
The new terminal just doesn’t say Hawaii. It could be anywhere. Were these the same planners working on the light rail?
Was just there and only issue I’d agree with is the loss of the plumerias. My mom was relieved at the AC; she’s local-born, but it was always a gripe for her that the airport was hot and smelled of diesel.
As for food, we rather fill our stomachs with the amazing local food than any airport or airplane food any day. We got each got a Zippy’s KFC bfast but could very well have replaced it with manapua or a musubi. If you don’t have a fridge at your hotel, Ani’s sweetbread with some Mac nuts and jerky chips would be yum too. And you can buy those ahead of time.
To the outdoors and seating, they were there just outside the Burger King/CPK foodcourt. I did find it odd how close together they were when there was room to spread out.
Back in sixties the strawberry shortcake was to die for. We used to ride bike from Makalapa to get treats.
The Daniel K Inouye airport can now boast about having the world’s most confusing passenger pickup area. Every pillar at the pickup location now has an emergency number that differs from the baggage claim number. Arriving guests and those who pick them up are constantly confused.
I was surprised at the lack of dining options in the new terminal too. It’s beautiful, and the A/C is appreciated, but if you arrive hungry, the only option is sandwiches from one of the sundry stores. We always carry our own food because of food allergies, but now and again, it would be good to find a nice place to have lunch before boarding our flight home. We often frequent Stinger Rays when we land in Honolulu and wait to board an inter-island flight. The prices are pretty high, and the food is so so, but it beats food court. Hopefully there will be more and better options in the not so distant future. On the up side, a nice, new, clean concourse is always appreciated–sure beats the dreaded, old concourse C we used to fly out of.
We have found Stinger Ray’s to be the best bet for food at Terminal 1 – really worth it for a place to sit and even have a beer. The servers are always friendly and efficient.
Recently between Kauai and Kona we had time for lunch and the food arrived incredibly fast.
It mazes me that restaurants at airports are not open 24/7. Not everyone has a 9-5 flight. And with the crappy airline food a decent meal during a layover or flight delay would go a long way.
We just returned from that airport and to say it was a disappointment is an understatement. The only place to get something to eat was Burger King. Forty two dollars for 2 Whoopers,fries and 2 drinks.
Do better Honolulu, do better.
There was a pop up bar in the new terminal, but seating is limited.I sat on a window ledge. I,too, miss the scent of plumeria upon arrival.
Ah, such is the legacy of not only our airport, but basically all major projects in our state. The best people to ask our those of us who have worked there. We can do much, much better. After many travels through many airports, domestic and international, we can and need to do better. It’s embarrassing!
Nobody living here cares what the tourists think of the airport.
IF tourism is of No Concern to you and others then why do you 🤔 not protest at the airport daily? The Airport, the first impression of each Island, should be a Representation of what a tourist should expect from the rest of their visit and vacation. If the airport is like Honolulu the Tourists can only Hope and Pray that things will be better when they leave it. Your problems with Tourists, they Pay Your Freight through Their Spending and You should remember that. Everything can go Downhill Quickly without them. Watch what you ask for, you may just get it. Hawaii is in a Financial Crisis, Who will be Paying for That?
I live here and I am embarrassed by the Airport. It may be the worst airport in the US. It’s def the worst airport in Asia. Even Kathmandu has better food options and that’s a 3rd world country.
I haven’t been to the new concourse yet, it sounds more like an Enormous concert hall without the ushers or adequate seating. It should probably be renamed to the White Elephant and possibly they can build a miniature Taj Mahal within the spacious confines,at least it would have a purpose. When I hear about the deficient manner in which this is approached I begin to think of major East Coast Projects that seem to be forced to backroom deals and money changing hands for Approvals, hopefully this isn’t the case. Dormant space costs taxpayers money.
When people always vote for the same politicians and expect different results… That’s called stupid.
My wife and I are fairly frequent visitors to the islands, and this is always something that has stood out to me. For as much as Hawaii has to offer the world food wise, the options at the airport are depressing in terminal 1 and non-existent in terminal 2. Chain restaurants have their place, but the locally owned restaurants in Hawaii having locations open in the airport would be a great way to head out for folks about to leave on a long flight.
Why, the change at airport? Should of still had open air. Oh, I see it is all about money. Who, got the kick back for including the airport. Just, like in Chicago O Hare. All, glass building in the Midwest. Exstream cold and heat. Another, bright Idea. It’s all about money. People
Oh the food choices and locations at HNL are awful still. Arrived on red eye early morning and Burger King was not open until 9am. Kudos to the gals next door at the Asian food place for working early and having breakfast at a reasonable price. Departing , we thought we would run into several choices but absolutely zero restaurants in the terminal going back to the mainland. Really thought we wouldn’t still have to pack food and don’t get me started on Hawaiian Airlines food !
One additional thing…you can’t buy pineapples to go either!