TV Restaurants

Is Rainbow Drive-In Still Open? Update (Honolulu, HI)

Open reported

As of September 2026, Rainbow Drive-In is listed open on rainbowdrivein.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
rainbowdrivein.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The business's website is live with an online ordering widget, a locations list, and a history page, indicating current operation.

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Rainbow Drive-In appeared in the episode 'Throwback,' with the segment centered on the Honolulu restaurant's classic Hawaiian plate lunch. According to Rainbow Drive-In's own website (rainbowdrivein.com), the business was founded by Seiju and Ayako Ifuku in 1961 and describes itself as a longtime part of Hawaii's local dining community, serving plate lunches from its Kapahulu and Pearlridge locations. The site, live on 2026-09-08, listed active online ordering, a merchandise shop, and a careers page.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' 'Hometown Heroes' clip episode, aired 2014-12-25, replayed Guy Fieri's stop at Rainbow Drive-In in Honolulu, Hawaii, first shown in a November 2009 segment according to Flavortown USA. The show highlighted the drive-in's Hawaiian plate lunches, centered on a loco moco piled with a beef patty. According to SFGATE, Rainbow Drive-In has built a devoted local following as a longtime plate-lunch spot, and Guy Fieri's visit is credited with drawing new visitors who now treat the show's featured stops as a checklist to complete.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Rainbow Drive-In in the episode "Fast Food Their Way" (S9E8, aired 2010-06-21), spotlighting the shop's Hawaiian plate lunches, including mixed plates of teriyaki, mahi mahi, and other local staples served over rice and macaroni salad. Rainbow Drive-In is a walk-up plate-lunch counter founded by Seiju and Ayako Ifuku in 1961, according to the restaurant's website, and it has remained a fixture of Honolulu's local food scene since. According to the restaurant's website (checked 2026-09-08), Rainbow Drive-In now lists both a Kapahulu and a Pearlridge location, along with an online-ordering option, a merchandise shop, and job postings, and describes "sharing joy and aloha through local comfort food" as the business it runs today.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 8, Episode 5
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Throwback
What was featured
Rainbow Drive-In's classic Hawaiian plate lunch
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Rainbow Drive-In
Season / episode
Season 21, Episode 17
Original air date
Episode title
Hometown Heroes
What was featured
Hawaiian plate lunches, including the loco moco beef patty dish
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Rainbow Drive-In
Season / episode
Season 9, Episode 8
Original air date
Episode title
Fast Food Their Way
What was featured
Hawaiian plate lunch specialties at a longtime local drive-in counter
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Rainbow Drive-In

Frequently asked questions

Is Rainbow Drive-In still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Rainbow Drive-In is listed open on rainbowdrivein.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to Rainbow Drive-In after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Rainbow Drive-In appeared in the episode 'Throwback,' with the segment centered on the Honolulu restaurant's classic Hawaiian plate lunch. As of September 2026, Rainbow Drive-In is listed open on rainbowdrivein.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is Rainbow Drive-In located?

3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Rainbow Drive-In?

Season 8, Episode 5 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Throwback”.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
rainbowdrivein.com

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Record ddd-0337 · last verified .