Dragon Tea

Dragon Tea is a Taiwanese tea shop that specializes in bubble tea drinks. Most of their drinks are made with green tea and blended with fruit. There are a few drinks on the menu that don't have tea in them. Their milk tea selection is small but the honey milk tea is really good and it's under $4 (if you don't add toppings). You can customize your drink by telling them how much sugar to add; no sugar, half sweet, regular. If you don't tell them, they just make it regular which ends up being really sweet for some people. You can also add toppings (boba, coffee jelly, pudding, etc...) but this can make your drink expensive. Their boba is soft in the center so it's worth adding. The regular size drinks run from $4 to $5 which is reasonable. I highly recommend the pineapple green tea slush because it reminded me of a plantation ice tea.

They have 3 locations on the island but the best one for locals to go to is Market City because it has parking. The locations inside Waikiki do not offer parking. If you get lucky, you might find a spot on the street. If you find yourself coming here quite often, you should ask them for a stamp card so you can earn a free drink. Sometimes, they post offers on their Facebook page so keep an eye out for the specials.

Market City
2919 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 739-9988

Waikiki
423 Nahua St.
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 921-9988 

2443 Kuhio Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-2042

DT Special Milk Tea w/ Boba & Coffee Jelly

Fresh Watermelon Green Tea

Fresh Mango Green Tea Slush

Ming’s Chinese Restaurant - CLOSED

Ming's Chinese Restaurant is located in Kalihi at the Waiakamilo Shopping Plaza. The restaurant is hard to spot but you'll see McDonald's at the corner of the block and a Firestone Car Service Center. Next to Firestone, the glass doors with the big red Chinese characters are the entrance for Ming's. Ming's is known for having the best xiao long bao (Shanghai soup dumplings) and some authentic Shanghainese dishes. The xiao long bao takes about 20 minutes to make and steam so order it first. Other dishes I recommend are the pan fried scallion pancakes, Shanghai style fried rice cake, and the deep fried buns with condensed milk. Everything I ate tasted good and the prices were reasonable. It might be best to do family-style so you can try more dishes. I went on a week night for dinner and it wasn't busy. The waitresses can speak English so you don't have to be afraid if you don't know the language. They also have photos of all their dishes so it's easy to order.

If you plan to go with 10 or more people it might be a good idea to make reservations because they only have 3 large tables. All the other tables only seat up to 4 people. They accept credit cards and there's lots of parking available in the lot, just don't park in the stalls marked "reserved."

1414 Dillingham Blvd, Ste 101
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 841-8889

Xiao Long Bao

Pan Fried Scallion Pancakes

Jellyfish

String Beans w/ Minced Pork

Roast Duck (half)

Sour Cabbage w/ Rice Noodle

Shanghai Style Fried Rice Cake

Corn Pancakes

Steamed & Deep Fried Buns w/ Condensed Milk

Mud Hen Water

Mud Hen Water is located at the corner of Waialae and 9th Ave. This is Chef Ed Kenney's 3rd restaurant in Kaimuki (Town & Kaimuki Superette are the other two). The ingredients used in dishes are locally sourced so it is a bit pricey. The portions for most of the dishes are small. My favorite dishes were the pa'i'ai, chorizo, rabbit, he'e, and fried half chicken. The portion for the fried chicken was great for sharing between 6 people. You may want to double up on the other dishes mentioned.

They are only open for dinner and it gets very crowded so I recommend making reservations. There is inside and outdoor seating. The lighting inside is very dim. They also have a small bar area. The restaurant doesn't have a parking lot but if you get a reservation around 6pm, you might have a better chance at street parking along Waialae Ave.

3452 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-6000

Yaki o Pa'i'ai

Shinsato Dry Chorizo

Clams w/ Kalua Pig

Grilled Beef Stew

Soup Noodle w/ Braised Spare Rib

Cold Ginger Rabbit

Grilled He'e

Multi-Grain Risotto w/ Oxtail

Fried Half Chicken