Honolulu Farmers’ Market

When I hear the phrase, «Farmers’ Market», I think of veggies and homegrown or homemade goods. This Honolulu Farmers’ Market is like a Foodie Festival to me — there are so many vendors with prepared dishes that it’s so overwhelming. It’s best that you come with an empty stomach or at least a large tote bag so that you can carry all of your goodies home! Note: There were about 4 fresh produce booths — all well-​stocked.
First of all, this extravaganza is open on Wednesdays from 4pm to 7pm on the lawn of the Neal Blaisdell Center (NBC). Instead of the usual $ 6 fee, there is FREE parking at the NBC (enter on King Street). If you need the restrooms, the concert hall facilities are available. Sit on the few benches around the lawn, or bring some chairs and/​or a mat for a picnic… Enjoy the live music!
I did my best to take photos of all of the vendors present on 6−8−16. This is what I got:
Hanalei Taro & Juice Company
Hawaiian Style Chili Company
Kahuku Sea Asparagus
Bön Appetit Hawaii
Akamai Foods
The Corn Project — 4 flavors: Mexican, American, Local, and Italian
Otsuji Farms (get the sliders)
BBHI (Burgers & Burritos Hawaii)
Onada Pasta
Aikane Plantation Coffee Company
Loho Street Farms
Indai Café
BaLe
La Tour — Kouign Amann & Custard Cruffin!
Nosh Hawaii — Brazilian Hot Cheese Bites made w/​tapioca flour (gluten free!)
Guava Smoked
Mochi Lab — Popular flavors: Ube, Buko Pandan, Pumpkin crunch, and Coffee. Cute bunny logo!
Pacifikool — I got the Ginger Pineapple drink (refreshing!)
Coldfyyre — this is what I was aiming to get: Green Asparagus Ice Cream — YUM!
‘Nalo Farms
No Ka ‘Oi Cookie Company
All Hawaiian Honey
Petit Suisse Crepes
Olay’s Thai Food
The Pig & The Lady
Bonfire Pizza (made fresh in 5 minutes!)
Ono Kettle Pop
’Nalo Made Lemonade
Sweet Revenge (I got 2 pies)
Kihene Hawaiian Herbal Tea
Hokkaido Brug
There’s such a wide variety and a great location! It’s so convenient to have dinner and dessert at one place instead of driving around, wasting time in traffic, and looking for parking!
Because it’s outdoors, food can be cooked right in front of you on a grill, fryer, etc.
I will have to come back and support our local businesses! Everyone was so friendly, helpful, and patient! Just come after work and check it out!!! Easy!

Not huge but decent number of stalls to check out. We got Banh Mi from The Pig and the Lady, and mochi cupcakes from the Mochi Lab… both delicious! Not really any seating we could see though.
As tourists, we walked from Ala Moana Centre… took a good 10 – 15 minute walk but pretty worth it I’d say. The walk is very straight forward. We got the food to go and ate at the hotel.
Not very crowded and not touristy
It’s good to get to the Otsuji Farm and The Pig and Lady stall here as their stalls at the Saturday KCC Farmers Market can be quite busy/​long wait.

Every Wednesday in the afternoon on the lawn of Blaisdell, they have the farmers market. Plenty of free parking at the Blaisdell garage, they leave the gates open so no need to worry about validation.
I love this farmers market because the variety of things that are sold are all fresh and best of all its a local! I personally love/​prefer to buy local because it really helps the community. So for the farmers market they not only sell food but they also sell produce. I personally love the produce because it is so much cheaper than going to a grocery store and again all local. There are all types of fruits and vegetables that are sold I’m always able to find exactly what I need.
For the food… the food vendors here are amazing! Not only are they all super friendly but the food is Ono, and again the variety. From local foods, thai food, Indian food, Vietnamese food. The variety of vendors is guaranteed to satisfy all your cravings. If you haven’t been to this farmers market I reccommend coming.

When I’m not working long hours and have my Wed afternoons off I love to come here for the offerings of local vendors and seeing an occasional friend or relative here. I frequent Guava Smoke, Olays, No Ka Oi Cookie Company and Coldfyyres. They’re either located in front the concert hall or the area and open from 4−7pm. Most vendors now take cards but cash is best. Parking is free for those that need to drive over and pets are NOT suppose to be there, but owners never read the sign. The market also offers fresh vegetables, poi, breads, lemonade, pizza, pasta, Thai, hamburgers and the all popular Pig and the Lady. Be careful on what your eyes and stomach want, because the cost adds up quickly. I can spend $ 20 on myself easily here, but so worth it each time. Grind On! Pau!

Awesome selection of food vendors! Unfortunately I’m only here for a few days and only got to try the Onda Pasta for dinner and it was amazing. I really wish I could have more of it. It’s more of a food vendor market not farmers market. There were a handful of fresh veggies and fruit vendors for sale. Good place to get dinner for the night!

Not always a fan of this Farmers’ Market because every so often the handicap parking is taken by folks with no handicap placard or license plate. To make matters worse this time it was a SUV that stuck over the line into an additional handicap parking space. I did not stay around to see who owned the vehicle but in the past vendors have used the handicap parking to off load their stuff when getting ready to set up.

Farmer’s markets are pretty cool, aren’t they? They bring direct from the growers and producers to be sold here and any other farmer market venues instead of going through 3^rd parties.
I’ve discovered the Honolulu Farmer’s Market while on my way home from a busy day at the office. I noticed a big event on the lawn of the Neal Blaisedell concert hall and realized it’s not even high school graduation or an evening concert, especially on Wednesdays! Farmer’s Markets bring together the community at large to patronize the farmer’s and local businesses that help make up the community. I found myself here on a couple of occasions just to see what all the excitement was. It was here that I discovered The Pig and the Lady here at the Farmer’s Market, but never been to their brick and mortar restaurant in Fort Street Mall/​Downtown Honolulu yet. I do love the semi intimate affair of the Honolulu farmer’s market. It’s definitely open air and there’s space to sit to enjoy your early dinner — if you choose to pick up one up on your way home. Do your shopping here weekly and you may be surprised at how fresh many options are vs your local supermarket can be. Even at Whole Foods, but at a fraction of the cost.
It kind of feels like a carnival atmosphere of sorts, since it’s an outside venue, or a mini expo of food vendors that will definitely delight your taste buds and put some fantasy and mystery into the foods you are dying to been meaning to try for quite some time, but without the balloon animals and carnival rides. It’s a weekly festival that the entire community can enjoy and get together to celebrate and partake in wholesome and fresh farm products we use and consume in our daily lives. The Honolulu Farmer’s market is dedicated to the grounds fronting the Neal Blaisedell concert hall at 777 Ward Avenue. There is parking here, but you’d need to park your vehicle probably at the Neal Blaisedell Center central parking garage — mostly for convenience, but you may find street parking nearby, if you can find it. Fortunately, parking is FREE! Yes! That’s always a great thing. TheBus public transit stops right in front of the Neal Blaisedell center, so that’s always a good thing for sure — if you commute that way. Regardless of how you do things, the Honolulu Farmer’s Market seems to be the food scene for many emerging restaurant scenes and it works well.
For me, finding that right pairing of subtle flavors to a great wine is almost always paramount when trying new things. While I don’t always have a bottle stashed up my arm or nearby, I try to have something at home after I purchase something here and bring it home to try out. Most of the vendors here sell pre made foods –ready to dazzle and dance in your mouth at first bite. Not much actual produce stalls, but there are a handful. To be honest, it felt like a small time Aloha Stadium Swap meet, but with food from local restaurants and small businesses. Some days, you can get a few good deals, compared to what you can find at Costco versus Chinatown, and at various supermarkets around town. There are good staples here and good deals abound. There is restrooms that are accessible to people who attend the Honolulu Farmer’s Market, so that’s a positive plus. Many vendors here accept credit cards, which is pretty cool. They just whip out their ipad or tablet and plug in their Square credit card reader and you’re in business! The overall experience here at the Honolulu Farmer’s Market can be characterized as just being okay.
While there are other farmer’s markets around the island that is a little better and more variety, I had found that this one is pretty good already. It’s on my commute home from Kalihi to Kaimuki, so it’s always good to stop by and pick up something for dinner on some nights when I am kind of indecisive on what to have for dinner. The service here is good, but not great. The individual vendors have their own ways of doing things, but normally, I love the Soul food guy and the Pig and the Lady is awesome too. It’s probably worth it to check things out once to decide for yourself. I’d recommend it for sure. First time for everything usually means it can be the best thing ever.
Support local!
B–

The food is unbeatable. I love the smoked pork, smoked chicken is a bit salty. The pig & lady has some really good stuff, the sandwich is very fresh and delicious. They are kinda pricy but that’s how farmers market work right? Didn’t find a lot of produce here, but if you like kale, there are a lot…

The Honolulu Farmers’ Market is my favorite one on the island. It’s every Wednesday from 4PM-​7PM. It’s located on the Blaisdell lawn (King Street & Ward Avenue) in front of the concert hall. Parking is FREE in the structure, entrance on King & Victoria.
I like the fact that this FM is not overwhelming like KCC on Saturdays, but not dinky not KCC on Tuesdays. Trust me! I’ve seen my fair share of FMs on this island and I buy most of my produce from FM almost every day of the week (different locations, of course! (;)
There are definitely more food stands than actual produce stands, but the 2 – 5 produce stands do not disappoint! They have such a a wide variety at such AMAZING prices! It’s a one stop shop, really. They even have a fresh baked goods stall as well. Some weeks have entertainment, and you can borrow a mat to relax on the grass.
Lemonade Lovers NOTE:
‘Nalo Lemonade turf, not Aloha. So bring your reusable to jar to score some discounted, refreshing ‘nalo lemonade!
I love FMs because they’re fresh, local & (mostly) organic. That means healthy food for you (and your family), less of a carbon footprint for the environment and stimulating your local economy. Wins for everyone!
If you’re here at the farmers’ market, then I’m already cheering you on! Go you!
TIPS:
Bring REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS. Although produce stands will offer bags. Let’s help them cut that cost AND also be sustainable by caring for the environment!
Bring CASH. Some stands accept CC, but they are small businesses — cut them some slack and bring cash.

I love farmers markets and since I was here in Hawaii, I had to come and buy some fresh fruits to enjoy. With many vendors you have many options and different items to buy. Everything look so fresh and smelled so good but I had to limit myself as I couldn’t eat all of it before heading back home. However I did buy quite enough to last my trip there.
Half dozen fresh guava
Bunch of bananas
Two papaya
And a fresh cut pineapple
All for $ 15
When you’re in Hawaii again, please go to the farmers market. You will not regret it.

Really great place to stop by and get a refreshment, a snack, or a whole meal.
I loved the mango lemonade, the popsicles made with real fruit and real sugar, all the fruits and veggies they have, and, of course, the food.
So many options, so little space in the stomach. But that’s aright cause you get to relax on the green grass as you eat or take a break for the next course.
Will sure be back next time Im in the island

Get here early if you want the best selections of food, which is the only reason I go. I always go about 20 mins before they open because the vendors let you bag your stuff early, you just cant pay for it until the horn sounds off which is the official opening of the market.
Produce is fresh and cheap, the actual food is averaged priced but the parking is free and I dont have to walk around as much. I do love the guys who sell their home made poi products. The food vendors are mostly the same every week.
I love the location, free parking and the fact that I can be in and out in less than 30 minutes. I do wish they had a larger selection of food sometimes but I always leave feeling I got my monies worth.

One of the cool things about living in Kaka’ako. I enjoy these farmers’ markets, and this is a good one. Great produce, a variety of food vendors, and even entertainment. Always a good idea to support our local farmers and businesses. Wednesdays from 4−7pm.
Their new website:
Funny, but I’ve always thought that this should be held at the underutilized Thomas Square.

We were so «into» this place for awhile, we were going nearly every Wednesday for dinner. :) My grandkids asked about it when we drove by so we took them this evening.
I always get something from Pig and the Lady-​tonight was Phở Ga and my husband got the French Dip Sandwich.
My granddaughter ordered Gourmet Chili from another booth. I was looking for a listing of vendors to give them credit but I couldn’t find their name. All I know is it ended with Co. LoL. Big deal I know, sorry. But the chili, I didn’t think it looked too great but it tasted great! As my gdaughter said, it’s different but really good! Haha. There’s a lot of olives in there and its kind of sweet.
Sorry, if I find the name I will edit this review.

Second time there and always easy to find parking, for free, yep for free. Like the mellow ambience and non crowded atmosphere bc lots of space to eat and picnic on the grass. Great for little kids because can run around on the vast lawn. Bathrooms are also clean bc in Blaisdell Hall. Also, like the ethnic variety of vendors, desserts and produce but small enough to make choosing easier. :)

Pig and the lady–
I basically come to this fm for one thing and that’s to banh me. It’s most convenient when I work, as there really is no pkg at the original pig and the lady. And kcc fm is way too crowded and I cannot always wake up that early. I like that they have several choices of banh mi’s here, two of them being French dips which you can upgrade to a side phở. They have this poached chicken dish that comes on rice that’s really tasty, which I like to order without rice. They have a side order of pâté that is creamy and yummy, an assortment of phở’ s, a curry, and a papaya salad.
India café– I also like India café because they have this eggplant curry that is super spicy. Most places say spicy but it’s not, but this eggplant makes your upper lip sweat. They probably have the best Indian food on the island really.
Free parking

Hit this place up a couple times a month and while it’s OK the Ward one on Saturday is better. About 90% the vendors the same week to week which can be good or bad depending on your taste. The Pig and the Lady seems to be most popular and I admit it’s vastly better here than their store location but line gets long so come early. The vegetable stands all sell the exact same ten items which pisses me off. On the bright side a new mushroom guy showed up today so will keep my eye on him and happily the tomato girl has heirlooms about once a month. Honolulu Burger Co is here and not bad, but exact same taste as their store. Only other two places worth a damn are the ice cream guy who has a great strawberry and the pot pot guy who sells the best chicken pot pot I have had in the state.

Honolulu Farmers’ Market is located on the front lawn fronting the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
I love that parking is free on market Wednesdays, because street parking for this would not be ideal.
This market is one of the smaller ones that feature mainly pre-​made food items, so not so many vegetable stands. The favorites are pressed juice, Pig and the Lady, Smoked Guava, and Sweet Revenge.
A few good deals on veggies include papaya, lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, and most beans. Other veggies tend to vary from week to week.
Some lines are longer than others and as other Unilocaler have said, there are some shoppers that bring their dogs.
Overall not my go-​to farmers market, but a great little place to stop by nonetheless.

Every Wednesday, this market is located by the Blaisdell Center on Ward Ave, usually by King St, sometimes on Kapiolani Blvd.
If you have a set kind of vegetable you wanna get and you work in town, this is good enough. There isn’t much variety between the few actual farmer booths but the produce is great. I usually load up on bok choy and watercress I never finish :(and sometimes cherry tomatoes.
Half of this farmer’s market is really a mini-​Eat the Street with food vendors like India Café and Guava Smoked (my two favorites). So if you’re looking for a quick dinner, this is a good place to pick up and sit on the lawn to eat.
If you don’t have cash, they leave the concert hall open for people to go in and use the ATM and the bathroom. Free parking.
Oh and the ice cream is kinda cool too.

Unusually empty today! But still many of the good vendors that I’ve come to expect and some new ones too! No time to try the new vendors as I’m a woman with a mission — to eat and get to the NBC Concert Hall to be in line for CMYE Unilocal Night at the Opera: Sweeney Todd tickets! Woo hoo!

Wednesday farmers market at Neal Blaisdell Center may be a pretty well kept secret, even though they’ve been going on for about 5 years now. Since I have bumped into a few people who didn’t know about it, I decided it’s time for a brief review.
Did you know that parking at the Blaisdell is free on Wednesdays during the market? And if you’re attending another event at NBC it’s a great place to pick up a casual dinner before your show?
This farmers market seems to have more prepared foods than I’m used to at farmers markets, maybe just for this reason. I think it’s a nice «destination» farmers market to attend just for that reason – it’s fun to grab dinner and also some produce, bread and whatnot on hump day instead of eating in. There’s a wide variety of foods available at the market from places that also have «brick & mortar» locations – Guava Smoked (my favorite), Greens & Vines, The Pig & the Lady, Ba Le come to mind.
Probably the most unique product that we heard about and then had to check out was Coldfyyre Ice Cream’s sea asparagus flavor. We didn’t try it, but may have to someday.
Check out this market & support local businesses!

This is by far my favorite Farmer’s Market! Lots of free parking, easy access to clean restrooms, and friendly varied vendors makes me happy. I really pretty much only come here for The Pig and the Lady. There have so many dishes to choose from and every dish is always made so well. Also, fair prices and quick preparation times keeps me coming back.
In addition, there are vendors selling assorted vegetables, coffee, ice cream, shrimp, fish, and more! Although The Pig and the Lady has limited seating, a lot of people just sit on the grass to enjoy their food. It’s nice having a picnic sometimes. Many vendors accept credit cards through the Square credit card reader.
Sometimes the farmer’s market can be found on the King Street side of the property and sometimes it can be found on the Kapiolani Boulevard side.

Farmers’ markets dont necessarily mean fresh produce for sale these days, it kinda implies food booths! This one is pretty much mostly different food stands from plate lunch to phở to creps and desserts. There are a few booths that sell fresh produce as well. We came to eat, so it was a great find. We went to the guava smoked booth and got the pork and chicken plates. SO yummy, great flavor. The spicy pork wasn’t too spicy, which it was a little more. Everything is set up along the sidewalk so it’s nice that there’s an actual sidewalk path to walk along as you browse the booths. Parking is free at the blasidel as well. They open up the concert hall for bathrooms too!
Pretty ok if youre looking to pick up some ready made food. Not as good if youre looking for fresh fruits/​veggies or other items. It’s on the smaller side, not huge like KCC farmers market but a decent size that there’s a lot of options.

I’ve decided I should attend more farmers markets. I decided this thinking I would buy more local produce, eat healthier etc. On my last visit to the Honolulu Farmer’s Market, however, I didn’t even get a chance to visit the «farmers». I was too distracted by the prepared foods side.
There are so many great prepared food options, but I have to say, Sweet Revenge and the Pig and the Lady are definitely my favorites! I had a lemongrass/​pork meatball sandwich fromt the pig and the lady and a beliini pie from Sweet Revenge. both were SOOOOO delicious. I like the flavor combinations at the Pig and the Lady and I love that Sweet revenge makes sweet pies that aren’t ridiculously sweet.
I wish there were more seating options to enjoy your food (the Pig and the lady booth always has their own tables, but if you don’t get food from there, youre a little more out of luck). The parking situation is a little tight and I hate the parking lot here. My friend and I ended up walking a bit from our parking space, but there is a high turnover, so if you’re patient, you can wait for a good spot. Parking is also free!
Next time, I will definitely check out the produce side before I hit the pies and vietnamese sandwiches.

Yesterday was my first experience at this particular farmer’s market. Came here to grab a bite before heading off to see Madame Butterfly’s Opera (Thank you, Unilocal!).
There wasn’t much vendors when we arrived, we did arrive at within an hour of the market closing at 7pm that may have been the reason. We found it very strange that we had to ask a few food vendors as to where or who sold water/​drinks, besides the lemonade stand. Food with no drinks… hmmm, and I’m not talking alcohol (I wish!).
There was a single vendor selling produce, the rest were primarily food tents. I was very disappointed in the food we purchased. It was just weird. I mean I’m filipino and we eat odd food and have strange condiments and cooking ingredients, but, oh my it was just… off! I love food and to say I was disappointed is surprising.
The market itself lacked the variety of vendors that farmers markets are known for. I do plan on visiting this market again, this time early enough to see all the vendors and receive the full market experience.

This is it for me… it’s my favorite farmers’ market and I pretty much go every week. This market features a lot of the same farmers’ you see at many of the other markets’ but this one is cooler because of its rad location. It is in usually on the front lawn of the Blaisdell Theater, but it sometimes makes its way over to the parking lot adjacent to the Blaisdell Arena. Either way, the location is downtown on Ward. It has a beautiful backdrop with the Honolulu sun setting over the beautiful downtown towers. I love it!
This market features fresh veggies, fruit, spreads, herbs and best of all, prepared food. There are some really talented chefs in Honolulu who feature their food at the farmers’ market. Some have come and gone, but my favorites remain. I love Guava Smoked because everything they make is delicious. I prefer the pork to the chicken, but everything is really delicious. They also have a frequent buyer card, so make sure to ask for one of those. My other favorite is Pig and the Lady… they are also always delicious. Another good vendor to hit up is the Bonfire Pizza booth… also ono. My favorite fruit spreads are also available at this farmers’ market. I don’t remember their name, but I always stock up with them and I bring my visitors to their booth because these are perfect souvenirs to take back home.
I love ending my visits to this farmers’ market with a picnic. Some of the other farmers’ markets run into the problem that there is nowhere to sit, so people often find themselves getting food and having to take it home or eat in some random spot that’s not intended for sitting. Some of the food vendors create makeshift seating areas, but they are not always the most comfy and you are often crammed in close quarters, which I don’t mind so much, but some people might not like it. My favorite thing to do, however, is grab some food and I usually bring a towel for me and my hubby to sit on with our pup… voila! A picnic!
While dogs are prohibited (I hate that policy), many people will bring their pups and have their significant others stand outside the market with their pups, while the other person gets the food. It can be a nuisance, but it works. It’s our weekly family picnic and we look forward to it each Wednesday.

We drove past the Blaisdell Concert Hall and saw that the Honolulu Farmers Market was going on and we’ve never been, so we decided to check it out. Its a pretty small farmers market that happens on Wednesdays that offers a wide variety of produce, baked goods, and other ready to eat onolicious grindz. We shared the following:
Poke Bowl from Hibachi
Vegan Lasagna from Greens and Vines
Arancini and Kalamansi Lime Refresher from ???
Everything we tried was pretty good, but the Arancini was kinda bland.
Wifey also picked up some sweet Pineapple to eat afterwards. Plenty of free parking here, so come on down and support local businesses! ALOHA!!!
Shaka Meter: \uuu/​\uuu/​\uuu/​3
Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE 2014−(64÷365) «Food Filled Wednesdays»