Pizza Dadi - CLOSED

Pizza Dadi is known for their NY style pizza with the thin crust. They have a small menu with about 7 different pizzas, and a few salads and appetizers. It's BYOB. They have some sodas and juices in the fridge. The pizzas are priced between $17-$20. My favorites are the Dadi fries, NYC pizza, and the cheese, onions, & honey pizza which was a special.

They are located inside Ward Centre by Kids City Adventure. This is a casual spot where you order at the entrance and then take a seat anywhere that's open. The cooks will bring the food to your table when it's ready. If you're coming with 4 or more people, it would be best to sit at the counter instead of a table. For parking, I prefer to park at South Shore Market since the spaces are larger than the ones in Ward Centre.

For more information about Pizza Dadi, visit pizzadadi.com. 

1200 Ala Moana Blvd #429
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 744-2221

Dadi Fries

Eggplant Parm Sticks

Pizza of the Week (Cheese, Onions, & Honey)

NYC

Carbonara

Westman Cafe + Lounge - CLOSED

Westman Cafe + Lounge is a brunch spot located in Waikiki. They are open daily from 7am - 2pm. Their menu consists of breakfast and lunch items with a local flare. My favorites were the Big Island honey souffle pancakes and the wagyu loco moco. The souffle pancakes take 20 minutes so place an order with your waiter once you get seated. The pancakes are great for sharing between 3 people and everyone can still order their own entree. The wagyu loco moco was excellent but that item was filling because of the meat and rice.

The interior of the restaurant is spacious, breezy, and has a lot of natural light. They have a few tables on the lanai that overlooks Beach Walk. This place is great for a casual lunch with friends or family and they can accommodate groups. I would suggest making a reservation because they do get busy during the peak lunch hour. For parking, you can park in the Bank of Hawaii Waikiki Center and ask for validation.

For more information about Westman Cafe + Lounge, visit westmancafe.com.

280 Beach Walk, Suite 106
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-1500

Big Island Honey Soufflé Pancake
w/ Pineapple Mango Sauce

Breakfast Special w/ Smoked Salmon

Wagyu Loco Moco

 

Little Sparrow

Little Sparrow is known for their spaetzle bowls. This is the only place on Oahu you can get fresh spaetzle which is a type of pasta or dumpling that originates from Germany. Their prices range from $15 - $20. They also have weekly specials posted to their Instagram. My favorite so far is the garlic shrimp spaetzle because the shrimps were large and the cheese spaetzle compliments it.

You can find Little Sparrow at the farmers market in Honolulu (Blaisdell, Kakaako, KCC), Kailua, and Mililani. Your order is made fresh, and it does take about 10-15 minutes. You can also watch them cook your food on the side as you wait.

For more information about Little Sparrow, follow them on Instagram, @littlesparrowhnl.

Garlic Shrimp Spaetzle

Truffle Spaetzle

Guava Apple Cider Iced & Spiced

 

EbiNomi

EbiNomi is known for its shrimp dishes, but they have comfort food from other parts of the world. They are a take-out only. I enjoyed the Ebi Kahuku (garlic shrimp) because the shrimps were large, and the shells were removed making it easy to eat. The garlic flavor is lighter than what you get from the shrimp trucks but they are generous with the garlic sauce so you can mix it into the rice. They had some interesting sides like the potato shrimp and shrimp cocktail which tasted good. The prices are high, but you do get a reasonable portion. 

They are located next to the Kuhio Banyan Club behind Marugame Udon. They have outdoor seating available in the courtyard area and there is a piano outside where anyone can go and play a few tunes. I recommend doing an online order from their website before heading over to save time. Since this is Waikiki, your only options for parking are metered street parking or spending $10 at a store in International Marketplace to get validation for that parking structure.

For more information about EbiNomi, please visit ebinomi.com. 

2310 Kuhio Ave Courtyard 138
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 744-1661

Potato Shrimps (tôm khoai tây)

Ebi Cocktail (coctel de camarones)

Ebi Kahuku

Hungarian Beef Stew

Junbi Waikiki

Junbi is a shop that serves matcha (green tea) drinks. They are in Waikiki at the Royal Hawaiian Center next to the stage. They have drinks that are exclusive to Hawaii which include guava, POG, yuzu, or lilikoi. I recommend getting something with guava if it's your first visit. I did notice the matcha flavor was light and if you want a stronger matcha taste, consider adding a shot to it. Some drinks don't allow you to customize sweetness so you may want to add more ice or just let the ice melt before drinking it.

Depending on the time of day you visit, there might be a long line, but the line moves fast. They have 2 kiosks at the shop that are self-service, and you pay with a credit or debit card. If you're paying with cash, let the staff know and they'll take your order at a different register. They have other teas and non caffeinated drinks. In 2023, they added soft serve to the menu. The drinks are priced between $5 - $9 and soft serve is $10 - $12. You can get a parking validation if you purchase $10 or more.

Royal Hawaiian Center
2301 Kalakaua Ave
Building C, Space 102
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 892-1221

Guava Matcha Fresca w/ Lychee
(Hawaii Exclusive)

POG Refresher w/ Lychee and Aloe
(Hawaii Exclusive)

Guava Matcha Fresca w/ boba

Locals Delight

Fig & Ginger Honolulu

Fig & Ginger Honolulu now has a cafe where you can dine in. You may have heard of them before because they started their business making grazing boards. The cafe is located inside the McCully Shopping Center and the menu offers breakfast items, salads, sandwiches, and a small selection of grazing boards. The staff is friendly and the food comes out in a timely manner. The prices are a bit high but they have reasonable portions. My favorites were the fig waffle, crispy corn fritter toast, and the roasted mushroom baked eggs toast. 

The dining area is spacious and well-lit. They have a communal table in the center which is great for large groups. I have always done a walk-in for an early lunch and I get seated right away. If it is busy, you can sit at the bar or at the communal table. Their full selection of grazing boards are still available for preorder 48 hours in advance.

For more information about Fig & Ginger Honolulu, visit fghonolulu.com.

McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Blvd., Ste 103
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 501-7249

Cinnamon Poached Fig Waffles

Mashed Avocado Toastie

Crispy Corn Fritters Toastie

The Caprese Toastie

Roasted Mushroom Baked Eggs Toasties

Lilikoi Butterfly Pea Lemonade,
Butterfly Pea Lemonade

Dew Drop Inn

Dew Drop Inn is a Northern-style Chinese restaurant. They are known for their dumplings. Some of their specialties are the sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork buns), xiao long bao (pork soup dumplings), and shao bing (sesame flatbread). My favorites were the sheng jian bao, green onion pancake, and orange chicken. The sheng jian bao was filled with pork, it was juicy and the dough was not too thick. The green onion pancake had lots of green onion flavor and I normally don't get that from frozen ones. The orange chicken was amazing. The boneless deep-fried chicken was crispy and every piece was coated with the orange glaze.  

They are located in the Makiki area and are only open for dinner. The restaurant is small and the tables and chairs are very close together. One person is managing the front of the house so if it gets busy, you have to be patient. The back of the house was fine and my food came out at a good pace. Their prices are reasonable and the portions are big which made it easy to share. If you plan to eat here, I recommend making reservations a few days in advance because they can get busy and they also do a lot of take-out orders. For parking, I suggest parking in the metered parking spaces on Pensacola Street. If you're coming after 6:30 PM, you can park along S. Beretania Street in front of the restaurant.

For more information about Dew Drop Inn, visit dewdropinnhawaii.com.

1088 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 526-9522

Sheng Jian Bao

Xiao Long Bao

Green Onion Pancake

Mixed Vegetables Pan Fried Noodle

Shrimp & Scallops w/ Garlic Sauce

Orange Chicken

Chez Kenzo Bar and Grill

Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill has one of the best happy hours around. Their happy hour is from 5pm-7pm. All food items on the happy hour menu are priced at $7 each. The drinks on the happy hour menu consist of wines, sake, and beer which are priced between $3 - $6. The food portions are a good size and they're great for sharing between a small group of 4 people or less. If happy hour is not your thing, you can order food from the dinner menu. My favorites are the sizzling omurice, ginger pork, cheese gyoza, and pumpkin bacon.

The interior of the restaurant is large and good for groups. I recommend calling ahead to make a reservation because they are busy during happy hour. The noise level can get loud especially when the restaurant is 75% full. The staff did an excellent job of making sure we had enough food, drinks, and kept our water glasses filled the whole time. For parking, the spaces in the lot are free after 5pm and you don't need to pay at the box.

For more information about Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill, visit chezkenzo.net.

1451 S. King St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 941-2439

Sizzling Omurice

Pork Kakuni

Agedashi Tofu

Deep Fried Rock Shrimp

Ginger Pork

Goya Champuru

Hane Cheese Gyoza

Kenzo Steak

Tsuki Maki

Tsuki Maki is a pop up at UPSTAIRS Hawaii on Waikiki Beachwalk. They offer a 10-course omakase for $85 per person.  They do 2 seatings and they serve 6 guests all at the same time. I enjoyed the hand rolls with the toasted nori which the chef makes right in front of you. The amount of protein you get is generous. My favorite was the dungeness crab and king salmon. Before dessert gets served, the chef will ask if you want to do an add on of the special hand roll or to re-order any of the previous hand rolls you ate. I thought the portions were good as is but I did order the add on, amaebi hand roll, that night because I probably won't get to eat here again anytime soon. That costed an extra $14 but it was worth it. The overall dining experience was cool and fun.

Since this is a pop up, trying to get a reservation was the most challenging. I suggest following @UpstairsHawaii and @Tsuki__Maki on Instagram to see when they will release their next block of reservations and the instructions on how to book. If you want to dine here with more than 2 people, you need to plan how to make the reservation because you can only book for 2 people. They used to use email for reservations but when I booked in July, it was through Resy. Tsuki Maki is taking break in September and October and will be returning in November. I highly recommend this and I would come back again for more hand rolls. For parking, I parked across the street at the Bank of Hawaii building and got validation from the restaurant. 

UPSTAIRS Hawaii
280 Beachwalk
Honolulu, HI 96815

Green Bell Pepper w/ Salt Konbu

Ahi Taku Maki

Hamachi Yuan Zuke Maki

Kona Abalone Sakamushi

The not so spicy Tuna Maki

King Salmon Maki

Chawanmushi

Dungeness Crab Maki

Tara (black cod) Maki

Yuzu Sorbet w/ Sake Jelly

Sooper Secret Izakaya

Sooper Secret Izakaya offers a prix fixe menu created by Chef Ricky. The dinner starts with light and refreshing items and as the night progress, you get heavier items like uni and foie. The menu is creative and different ingredients are used to make combinations that taste good. They do not accommodate dietary restrictions or allergies.

This 8-course dinner is on the pricey side. The food portions are perfect and I left very full. The restaurant has an open kitchen so you will be able to see Ricky prepping and plating. There is one seating at 6:30pm and the restaurant accommodates 10 guests. You can dress casually. I recommend stretchy pants with a dark colored top since you will use your hands to eat some of the items.

For more information about Sooper Secret Izakaya, visit their Instagram @soopersecretizakaya. 

Fish Hook Cafe
2045 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815 

Avocado & Chips

Cucumber Soup

Tomato Salad

Uni Waffle

Soft Shell Crab, Mentaiko Mayo

Corn, Black Truffles

Pork Belly Rib

Foie PBnJ, Coffee Jelly