A guide to Obama's favorite eateries

updated 10:01 a.m. ET March 19, 2009

HONOLULU - Here are some of the places President Obama eats when he's in Hawaii, along with some of the eateries he spent time in growing up.

Indigo
1121 Nuuanu Ave., Honolulu

Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama's sister, who lives in Honolulu, has said Indigo is one of her brother's favorite spots. Indigo is a hotspot in Chinatown, popular with everyone from locals like Kelsey Grammer to Honolulu's political and business power players.

This "island fusion" eatery features a fresh and eclectic menu by chef Glenn Chu that matches the urban, Eurasian decor.

Greg Johnson, Indigo's vice president of operations, said when the Obamas visited in August, they started with the dim sum plate ($14), which includes goat cheese won tons, lumpia-wrapped shrimp (similar to eggrolls) and duck mu shu rolls.

For dinner, they had one of the most popular items: toasted black mustard and pepper crusted ahi served rare with wasabi soy, sun dried tomato and olive tapenade ($36).

"We treated them just like any another guest," Johnson said. "What I mean by that is, we made sure not to take pictures, or bother him or his guests and really just let them enjoy themselves."

Other popular dishes are miso-marinated salmon ($22) and tandoori-style grilled chicken breast with mint pesto ($24).

Alan Wong's
1857 S. King St., Honolulu

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Another Obama favorite is Alan Wong's, according to his sister. The acclaimed restaurant is a leader in Hawaii Regional Cuisine, which is a fusion of flavors and foods from the islands' many cultures, stressing local ingredients like seafood and produce.

Dinner entrees range from $27 to $52. Popular items include ginger-crusted onaga, a long-tail red snapper and twice-cooked short rib.

Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Ave., Honolulu

Obama mentioned Rainbow as a possible stop to get his local plate lunch fix. It's located just outside of Waikiki and popular with hungry surfers and locals looking for a quick, hearty and affordable meal.

Traditional plate lunch offerings include hamburger steak ($5.75). A mix plate comes with teriyaki-style beef, mahimahi and boneless chicken for $6.50.

The outdoor eatery hasn't changed much since it was founded in 1961 by Seiju Ifuku, who learned to cook during World War II while serving in the Army.

Zippy's
24 locations on Oahu, one on Maui

Obama also mentioned Zippy's, one of the few diners open around the clock. It's sort of like Hawaii's version of Denny's, a family restaurant serving breakfast, burgers and local favorites.

An institution for four decades, Zippy's is best known for chili served with white rice or spaghetti. It's a chili no Texan would love, but is beloved in the islands. It's so ubiquitous in Hawaii that it is sold in local Pizza Huts and Taco Bells.

Obama mentioned the restaurant's "Zip Min," a bowl of noodle in hot broth with everything from won tons and vegetables to fish cake and sweet pork.

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He isn't the only president to have a penchant for Zippy's. Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea dined at the Zippy's in Hawaii Kai in 1993. A year ago, Chelsea returned to the same Zippy's while stumping for her mother.

Grace's Inn
Two locations in Honolulu

Alan Lum, Obama's high school basketball teammate at Punahou, said a favorite spot was Grace's. The team's favorite dish was chicken katsu on top of a bed of chow fun noodles, two scoops of rice and a side of mac salad. Chicken katsu is a deep-fried, breaded chicken filet served with a side of sauce.

"I know Barack grinded at Grace's!" Lum said in an e-mail.

Island Snow Shave Ice
130 Kailua Road, Kailua

Island Snow has served up cold, colorful concoctions to NBA athletes, rock stars, and actreses Michelle Pfeiffer and Jamie Lee Curtis. Even with its star-studded clientele, the super laid-back, surfer-type crew doesn't bat an eye.

Until Obama walked in.

"It was nuts," said Richard Whaley, who created the treat for the then-presidential candidate in August.

Whaley said Obama's entourage seemed like it was 300 deep, including police, Secret Service, reporters, photographers, staffers, friends and about a dozen kids.

The shop has a framed copy of a widely distributed AP photo showing Obama sitting on a bench that day, eating shave ice with his daughters and other children.

"It's the shave ice that went around the world," Whaley said.

And things haven't been the same since. Tourists have flocked to order the same shave ice Obama ordered and sit on the same bench. The store even sells Obama T-shirts now.

Obama had the regular-size cone ($2.50) with three flavors: "choo-choo cherry," "da kine lemon-lime" and "tangy guava-orange." The most popular item is the "Rainbow" — strawberry, vanilla and banana.

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