Is Rainbow Drive-In Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 8 Honolulu, Hawaii
Current status
As of October 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 the source shows: The business's website is live with an online ordering widget, a locations list, and a history page, indicating current operation. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 8, Episode 5
- Address 3308 Kanaina Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
- Website rainbowdrivein.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 8, Episode 5
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, Season 21, Episode 17 Aired
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, Season 9, Episode 8 Aired
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.
The episodes
Also in Season 8
Season 8: 63 of 80 still open · 5 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 4Beatrice Inn
Closed - Open
-
Ep 4Destroyer
Open -
Ep 5Brennan's
Open -
Ep 5Cotton
Open -
Ep 5Gene & Georgetti
Open -
Ep 5Little Donkey
Open - Open
Nearest restaurants
-
Mac 24–7 (M.A.C. 24/7 Restaurant and Bar)
Man v. Food
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Closed -
Mystery Diners
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Food Paradise
Closed
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- rainbowdrivein.com https://www.rainbowdrivein.com/
- flavortownusa.com https://www.flavortownusa.com/locations/310/rainbow-drive-in
- sfgate.com https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/guy-fieri-rainbow-drive-in-hawaii-17818274.php
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record ddd-0337 · checked by Cal Marchetti.