2004 'ILIMA AWARD WINNER - SOUTHEAST ASAIN
	All the major cuisines are represented in Hawai'i, though, of course, Asian and Southeast Asian restaurants are the most common. Here, we've selected a representative sample. (More Asian and Southeast Asian restaurants can be found in the chapters on dim sum, noodles, sushi bars, izakaya, takeout and yakiniku.)

Best Southeast Asian Restaurant
KEO'S IN WAIKIKI

Keo Sananikone was among the first restaurateurs in America to introduce diners to those spicy, fragrant delicacies from Thailand. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Keo Sananikone, a Laotian by birth and educated in the United States, introduced many Islanders and visitors to their first plate of phad thai or Evil Jungle Prince. He understood what Western diners wanted and gave it to them: flowers and light, tablecloths and English-speaking servers happy to explain the menu. His restaurants have been a mecca for celebrities.

2028 Kuhio Ave. 951-9355. Breakfast: 7:30-11 a.m. daily. Breakfast: 7 a.m.-noon. Lunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: 5-10 p.m. daily. Reservations recommended. Valet and self-parking. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. No checks. $$.