It's one of the first questions anyone asks when planning a meal in Waikīkī: which restaurant actually has the best view? Everyone comes here for the beauty of the place — the ocean, the palms, the particular quality of Hawaiian light at different hours of the day — and a good view from your table makes a meal into something more than just eating.
The answer depends on what kind of view you're looking for. A front-row ocean panorama is one thing. An elevated perch above the most beautiful stretch of Waikīkī's main boulevard — palms lining the street below, the Great Banyan Tree filling the courtyard, a partial ocean shimmer in the distance — is another thing entirely, and it's the view you get at ShoreFyre at the International Market Place.
The View From the ShoreFyre Lanai
Stand on the ShoreFyre lanai at the International Market Place and you understand immediately why this spot earns the conversation. The open-air lanai sits elevated above the IMP entrance on Kalākaua Avenue — Waikīkī's main strip — with a direct line of sight down one of the most iconic streets in Hawaiʻi. Palm trees rise in the foreground. The Great Banyan Tree fills the courtyard below, its canopy spreading wide beneath you. And between the buildings, down the length of Kalākaua toward the beach, there's a partial ocean view — the blue of the Pacific catching the light depending on the time of day and where you're seated.
The photo below is taken from Kalākaua Avenue looking into the IMP entrance — ShoreFyre's lanai is visible on the upper right, Skybox Taphouse on the upper left. What the photo shows is exactly what diners on the lanai see in reverse: the full width of Kalākaua, the palm-lined street, and the open Waikīkī sky.
It's a view that changes throughout the day — and each version of it is worth experiencing.
Sunrise — The Quiet Version
Early morning on the ShoreFyre lanai is a genuinely peaceful experience. The light comes in low from the east, warming the palm fronds and the stone facade of the IMP below. Kalākaua Avenue is calm at this hour. The Banyan tree catches the morning light in a way that makes it look ancient and still. The ocean glimpse to the south catches the early sun. It's a breakfast setting that's hard to beat — the Signature 50/50 Loco Moco or Banana Mac Pancakes landing at the table while the neighborhood wakes up around you.
Golden Hour — The Best Version
The hour before sunset is when the IMP lanai earns its reputation. The light turns amber and warm, the palm trees throw long shadows across Kalākaua, and the partial ocean view catches the last direct sun of the day in a way that genuinely stops people mid-conversation. This is when the lanai is most in demand — and it's when happy hour (Mon–Fri 3–6PM) and the start of live music (5PM nightly) both happen. Arriving at 4PM for happy hour and staying through the sunset set is as good as a Waikīkī evening gets.
After Dark — The Electric Version
At night, the IMP lanai transforms. The Banyan tree below is lit up — a dramatic focal point that gives the whole complex a warmth and depth that's genuinely beautiful. Kalākaua Avenue buzzes with evening foot traffic. The ocean is a dark horizon catching whatever light comes from the shore. And on Wednesday through Saturday, from 10PM, Fyre by Night turns the energy of the whole setting up another gear. A night view from the ShoreFyre lanai over a cocktail and dinner is one of the signature Waikīkī experiences.
Skybox Taphouse — The View From Across the Lanai
Directly across the open Grand Lānai from ShoreFyre sits Skybox Taphouse — also elevated, also open-air, also looking out over Kalākaua and the palm-lined street below. The view is essentially the same vantage point from the opposite side of the IMP's upper level, which means both venues share the elevated perspective that makes this complex so visually compelling from the street.
Where Skybox differs is in format — sports bar energy, craft beer towers, wood-fired pizza, and multiple screens showing whatever game matters. The view is there, the atmosphere is different. If you want the elevated Kalākaua perspective with a cold local draft and the game on, Skybox is your spot. If you want dinner with live music and the full lanai dining experience, ShoreFyre is the call. The IMP gives you both, which is part of what makes it the best single-destination evening in Waikīkī.
What Makes a "Best View" in Waikīkī
It's worth being honest about what different kinds of views actually offer — because the answer to "best view" in Waikīkī depends entirely on what you're trying to experience.
Direct beachfront ocean views are available at a handful of Waikīkī restaurants, mostly attached to large beach hotels. They put you right at the waterline with the Pacific in front of you — spectacular in a literal, postcard sense, and typically priced to match the real estate. If an unobstructed horizon of ocean water is what you're after, those spots deliver it.
Elevated street and city views — the kind ShoreFyre and Skybox offer — give you something different and, many people find, more interesting over the course of a meal. You're watching Waikīkī happen below you. The palm trees are at eye level. The Banyan tree is a living centerpiece in the courtyard. The street has movement and life. And the partial ocean view adds the blue of the Pacific without requiring you to be sitting at the waterline to see it. It's a view with layers — and layers hold attention longer than a single horizon.
The atmosphere surrounding the view is what separates a great view experience from a merely scenic one. Live music playing as the sun goes down over Kalākaua. A Hawaiian Mai Tai arriving at the table as the light turns golden. The Banyan tree below filling with the evening sounds of the neighborhood. That's not just a view — that's a full sensory experience of being in Waikīkī, and it's what the IMP lanai offers that a silent hotel restaurant balcony doesn't.
Getting the Best Out of the Lanai View
- Reserve the lanai in advance — the tables with the best Kalākaua sightlines fill up, especially at golden hour and on weekends. Book here.
- Arrive at 4–5PM to catch both happy hour pricing and the sunset — the timing lines up almost perfectly with the best light of the day
- Request a table facing Kalākaua when you reserve — these have the street view and the best partial ocean sightline
- Stay for the live music set (5–8PM nightly) — the music adds an audio layer to the visual that makes the whole experience feel complete
- Come back after dark on a Wednesday through Saturday if you want to see the Banyan tree lit up below the lanai — the nighttime version of the view is as good as the golden hour version, just differently
What to Order With the View
The right drink for a lanai view at golden hour is the Hawaiian Mai Tai — white and spiced rum, pineapple juice, orgeat, orange curaçao, and a Mahina dark rum float. It's the most Waikīkī drink on the menu and the one that tastes best when the light is doing what it does at that hour. The OG Blue Hawaii with rum, vodka, and blue curaçao is the evening drink, once the sun has gone and the Banyan tree is lit.
For food, the ShoreFyre Ribeye is the dinner anchor — a 10oz Certified Angus Beef with crispy fried onions, worth ordering if you're making a proper evening of it. The Fresh Ahi Tuna Tataki from the happy hour pupus menu ($13.50, Mon–Fri 3–6PM) is the move if you arrive for drinks — fresh Pacific ahi at a happy hour price, paired with whatever the sunset is doing, is a combination that's hard to improve on.
