Seiju and Ayako Ifuku opened this Kapahulu drive-in in 1961, and it still serves plate lunches with two scoops rice and mac salad from a walk-up window. It marked its 65th anniversary in October 2026.
Why we love it
It’s the plate lunch every local kid grew up on, a short walk from Waikīkī, and it’s cheap and fast.
What to expect
Order at the window, take your number and grab a seat at the outdoor tables under the rainbow sign. Plates come with two scoops of rice and macaroni salad. The loco moco and chili plates are the classics, and the site calls the Rainbow Royal burger a Rainbow classic. Portions are generous. Lunch brings a line, but it moves. It’s a quick walk from Kapiʻolani Park and the Diamond Head end of Waikīkī, which makes it an easy post-beach meal. A second location is at Pearlridge in ʻAiea.
Know before you go
- Hours
- Kapahulu is open daily 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. It closes for annual cleaning on Nov. 26 and on Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve close at 6 p.m.
- Order
- Plate lunch with two scoops rice and mac salad; the loco moco and chili plates are classics.
- Happy hour
- The Kapahulu shop runs a weekday happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m.
- Second shop
- Rainbow Drive-In Pearlridge is at 98-1005 Moanalua Rd., ʻAiea.
Photo: Eugene Peretz via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
