Cafe VIII 1/2 - CLOSED

This place is a one of a kind dining experience. They're located in the heart of downtown Honolulu in between Mandalay and Ali'i Place. The interior of the restaurant is a bit cluttered. The highlight is the chef. He has an interesting personality. For some reason, he gets angry while he's cooking so you'll hear him mumbling, swearing, and throwing pans around in the kitchen. If he recommends you a dish, you should order it or make someone else in your party get it. You can say no but when he gets back into his kitchen, you'll hear something. Don't let the chef scare you away, the food here is excellent and his wife is very nice. She takes care of the front of the house. The prices are high but the portions are big.

They don't take reservations for lunch. I recommend getting there by 11:45am because at 12pm, the restaurant is already full. They only seats you'll get is the small tables outside. Another reason why you should dine here is because the Alliance Building is up for sale and so the restaurant will be closing. They don't have the exact closing date yet but you can leave your business card with them and they'll contact you in the future when they find their new location.

1067 Alakea St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 524-4064

Bread (complimentary)

Radiatore Verde

Carbonara

Puttanesca

Chodang Restaurant

I consider this place a hidden gem because they're tucked in the corner. Their sign isn't super noticeable especially if you're driving down Piikoi Street to catch the freeway. One way to find this place is to look for the Nijiya Market or Payless Shoes signs because this business shares the same parking lot with them.

I enjoy coming here because their food taste good and they're cheap. They offer all-day specials and the prices range from $5 to $11. My two favorite items are the soondubu and meat jun. Both of those are $5 and it comes with a bowl of white rice. Like all Korean restaurants, they give you complimentary vegetables.

451 Piikoi St
Ste 110
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 591-0530

Soondubu (Soft Tofu Soup)

Meat Jun

Restaurant Suntory

If you like to eat meat, you will like this place. It's a teppanyaki restaurant in Waikiki. You can choose to have a table with a grill and the chef can cook in front of you or you can sit on a regular table. I prefer having lunch here instead of dinner because the lunch prices are more reasonable. If you can't decided what to get, I recommend the shunsaizen. It consist of 3-courses and dessert. The presentation of the dishes are very pretty.

You park in the Royal Hawaiian Center and they will validate your ticket. The first hour is free and an additional hour is $1. I believe you can park up to 3 hours and then the rate gets more expensive.

For more information about Restaurant Suntory, please visit http://www.restaurantsuntory.com.

Royal Hawaiian Center
2233 Kalakaua Ave
Ste B307
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-5511

Teppanyaki Special Lunch

Shunsaizen: Sashimi, Cold Tofu

Shunsaizen: Vegetable Tempura, Grilled Sirlion Steak & Grilled Vegetables 

Shunsaizen: Somen Salad

Shunsaizen: Guava Sorbet

CHI-Town Deep Dish Pizza Co. - CLOSED

We finally have a place that serves deep dish pizza and it's really good. They're located in downtown and the prices are reasonable. $4 will get you a really decent slice. If you want to go big and get a full pie, the wait time is about 45 minutes and I recommend calling the order in. The single slices are perfect if you're on the go. You can order it from the window outside of SoHo (old Downtown Doner).

I did the dine in service and it was okay. They have 2 small tables with 4 chairs each so it's probably not a good idea to invite more than 4 friends. They have more seats at the bar but it's all in a line. The waiter was helpful in suggesting what we should order and our food came out really fast. If you want to dine in, I'd say give them another month or two and they'll have everything all figured out.

80 S. Pauahi St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 545-4714

Steak Fries

Mozzadilla

Italian Beef Sandwich

Supreme Pizza

Pepperoni Pizza