Waikiki Thanksgiving Dining & Events 2025

Aloha and welcome to our Waikiki Thanksgiving Guide for 2025!

Waikiki is a very popular destination to visit for the Thanksgiving holiday. While many North American residents will be dressed for chilly weather, Honolulu visitors will be donning swimsuits, shorts and Aloha shirts for Waikiki’s endless summer weather!

Not only will the weather be summer-like, the restaurants will be serving scrumptious Thanksgiving meals. Many of them will have a Hawaiian-spin with local ingredients on their special Thanksgiving menus. It’s a neat blend of traditional Thanksgiving fixings married with Hawaiian cuisine.

Now, if you are one of the lucky ones planning a trip to Waikiki over this Thanksgiving, November 27, 2025, we’ve created this guide for where to dine and what special events to catch over Thanksgiving weekend.

Where can I find a Thanksgiving buffet in Waikiki? 

The following Waikiki Beach restaurants are offering special Thanksgiving brunch and/or dinner buffets. Most of these holiday buffets include traditional Thanksgiving fare with turkey and traditional Thanksgiving sides. If a restaurant has an ocean view, we make note of that.

— Chart House is offering a Thanksgiving buffet for $58 adult / $30 child. This restaurant has harbor/ocean views.

— Kuhio Beach Grill at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort presents a Thanksgiving buffet for $79 adult / $39 child. This restaurant has ocean views.

— Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort hosts a Thanksgiving buffet for $95 adult / $39 child. See the menu via the drop down arrows at this FareHarbor link. Note that is hotel is not the same hotel as Hilton Hawaiian Village.

— The Buffet At Hyatt at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort: Thanksgiving dinner buffet for $110 adult / $55 child. See the menu here. This restaurant has ocean views.

— 100 Sails Restaurant at Prince Waikiki: This restaurant is offering brunch and dinner menus.  Thanksgiving brunch for $109 adult/ 54.50 child. Thanksgiving dinner  is priced at $107 adult / $53.50 child. This restaurant has harbor/ocean views.

Where can I find Thanksgiving Menus for Waikiki Beach?  

The following Waikiki Beach restaurants are offering Thanksgiving-themed menus for dining at the restaurant. In some cases the restaurant’s standard, a la carte menu will also be available.

We try to list the restaurants from lowest price to highest price, as much as possible. We also try to make note of any special views or settings the restaurants may offer.

— Basalt Waikiki at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Hotel: See the menu with pricing on this page.

— Lulu’s Waikiki offers a special a la carte Thanksgiving menu. This restaurant has ocean views.

— Deck. at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel will be serving some traditional Thanksgiving foods. This restaurant has excellent views of Diamond Head and they usually have holiday specials.

— Stripsteak Waikiki at the International Market Place: Three-course Thanksgiving dinner for $129. See the menu here.

— Azure Restaurant in The Royal Hawaiian Resort: Three-course Thanksgiving dinner for $165 adult/ $75 child. This restaurant has good ocean views.

Which Waikiki Beach restaurants are open on Thanksgiving?

The following restaurants are open on Thanksgiving. They might offer a Thanksgiving special but have not yet published specials at the time of our research. We try to make note of any special views or settings the restaurants may offer.

— Monkeypod Kitchen Waikiki at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort is a relatively new restaurant to Waikiki, but there are several other Monkeypod Kitchens in Hawaii. This restaurant is one of our favorites for casual dining and this Waikiki location has an excellent beachfront setting.

— Hula Grill Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Resort – This restaurant is one of our favorites. It has offered a special Thanksgiving meal in the past along with their standard menu. This restaurant books quickly.  Hula Grill is at a great location with oceanfront views.

— Mahina & Sons at the Surfjack Hotel is open.

— Eating House 1849 By Roy Yamaguchi at the International Market Place is open.

— Hideout at the Laylow, Autograph Collection typically offers a Thanksgiving a la carte menu special along with their standard menu. You can review their menu here. This restaurant has nice urban outdoor seating.

— Tiki’s Grill & Bar Bar at Twin Fin Hotel has offered Thanksgiving dinners in the past. This restaurant is across the street from Waikiki and has ocean views.

— Duke’s Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort – Duke’s has offered special Thanksgiving menus in the past. This restaurant has a great location and oceanfront setting. It’s one of Go Visit Hawaii readers’ favorite restaurants.

— House Without A Key at the Halekulani is of our favorite casual, but upscale restaurants. This restaurant has a lovely oceanfront settings and typically offers excellent evening entertainment.

— Roy’s Waikiki sometimes offers a prix-fixe Thanksgiving dinner.

— Morimoto Asia Waikiki at Alohilani Hotel -This restaurant has offered Thanksgiving specials in the past along with their standard menu. This restaurant has ocean views from across Kalakaua Avenue.

— Wolfgang’s Steakhouse has an urban tropical setting at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

— UMI by Vikram Garg at Halepuna Hotel is open.

— Michel’s at the Colony Surf is a French restaurant located a bit away from the heart of Waikiki at the foot of Diamond Head. It has a superb oceanfront setting.

Couldn’t find what you were looking for yet? Are you having trouble making reservations? Enter your desired time, date, location on OpenTable to search for available options. Make sure you adjust the search criteria for the date, time and number of people in your party.

Which luau options are open for Thanksgiving 2025?

Enjoying the feast and festivities of a Hawaiian-style luau is a fun experience, and one that you can’t get back home. A luau is a great deal, combining a delicious dinner with an exciting Polynesian show all in one experience.

We’re listing the luau companies in and around Waikiki that are operating on Thanksgiving. All of the luau companies use FareHarbor for their booking platform. We are providing each luau’s FareHarbor link so that you may book directly with the luau company. By booking direct, you to bypass third-party resellers and avoid mark-up fees. For a quick price comparison, we’re listing the adult pricing. Tickets for children are less expensive.

  • The Royal Hawaiian, one of Waikiki’s top luxury hotels, presents a Thanksgiving-specific luau menu and colorful show on their beautiful oceanfront lawn with views of the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head. This luau rates 4.0 out of 5 on TripAdvisor.
  • Queen’s Luau is conveniently located in the heart of Waikiki at the International Marketplace. This luau has strong TripAdvisor reviews at rating of 4.1 out of 5.
  • Aloha Kai Luau hosts a luau on Thanksgiving. This oceanside luau is located about 45-minutes drive from Waikiki at Sea Life Park. The luau ticket includes entrance to Sea Life Park which you can opt to explore and enjoy the day of the luau for convenience and good value. They do have an option to add transportation from Waikiki for an additional fee. This luau has great TripAdvisor reviews at rating of 4.4 out of 5. Here are the packages they offer with various amenities (type of lei, service, number of included drinks, etc.):
  • Ka Moana Luau operates on Thanksgiving. This oceanside luau is located about a 15-minute drive from Waikiki at Honolulu’s Aloha Tower Marketplace. They offer transportation from Waikiki for an additional fee. This luau gets great reviews on TripAdvisor at a rating of 4.3 out of 5. Here are the packages they offer with various amenities (type of lei, service, number of included drinks, etc.):

Holiday events and things to see and do in Waikiki over Thanksgiving weekend 

If you are ready to get into the Christmas holiday spirit, you’ll find some wonderful things to see and do around the Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s what you can enjoy over Thanksgiving weekend.

Wednesday, November 26

The Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki holds their annual Holiday Kick-Off Show & Aloha Santa Arrival. This event includes live music, hula performances and features a visit from Santa Claus. Mr. Claus will illuminate the center’s 34-foot Christmas tree. After the tree lighting, attendees will have an opportunity to take a complimentary photo with Santa.  Wednesday, November 26 starting at 5:00 p.m. Check this link for details.

Friday, November 28

– If you like Black Friday shopping deals, you might want to check out Ala Moana Center, which is Hawaii’s biggest shopping center and the world’s largest open-air shopping center. If you want to start to get into the Christmas mood, the center will be all decked out with Christmas decorations throughout along with the 50-foot Santa overlooking Ala Moana Boulevard. Also, Ala Moana Center begins their free holiday hula performances starting Friday, November 28.

– Waikiki Holiday Parade -The Waikiki Holiday Parade honors Pearl Harbor survivors and veterans. The parade boasts over 2,000 marchers, at least ten bands and multiple vehicles/floats. It runs through the heart of Waikiki down Kalakaua Avenue. See the parade route.

— Two of Honolulu’s top Christmas Bars are due to open on Friday, November 28. These are fun places to enjoy Christmas decorations while sipping a mocktail or cocktail and nibble on some pupus (appetizers).

  • The Christmas Bar at Tiki’s Bar and Grill in the Twin Fin hotel in Waikiki
  • Winter Wonderland Pop-up Bar at Ala Moana Center
Saturday, November 29

Opening night for Honolulu City Lights is going to be on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for 2025. That’s a week earlier than usual! It’s an exciting night for the community with a parade, lighting of the tall Christmas tree in front of Honolulu Hale, plus all the beloved holiday displays.

Notes:

— Pricing does not typically include taxes and gratuity. Verify pricing when you book.

— We do our best to list the latest pricing, but please be advised that pricing is subject to change.

— Some restaurants and luau operators allow children under the age of five to dine for free. Check directly with the restaurants for their policies.

— We recommend you make reservations as quickly as possible. Learn more about important reservations you need to consider for an Oahu vacation.

— We may be adding more Thanksgiving dinner options and events so do check back. We will note the additions with the date added at the end of the listing.

– When you arrive on island, check with the concierge for additional Thanksgiving dining and events at your resort and pick up a copy of the Star-Advertiser.

–Some links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you book—at no extra cost to you. It helps keep this travel guide free and updated, so thank you for supporting this independent travel content!

— Check out our November 2025 Hawaii vacation guide.

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Happy Thanksgiving!