Smashed Hawaii - CLOSED

Smashed Hawaii is a food truck/trailer known for their smash burger. Their burger consists of a 100% beef patty, American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and smash sauce served between a potato bun. You can add on items like lettuce, tomatoes, or jalapeno but it will cost an extra $0.25 or $0.50. The classic smash burger is priced at $9. I loved the crispy edges on the beef patty and the potato bun holds it's burger shape so you get a very nice photo. Their classic fries were golden brown, perfectly salted, and crispy. It was priced at $4.50 and the portion was enough to share for 2 people. For the classic burger, I wish there was more smash sauce because it was dry for me.

They are located on Sheridan and Elm Street in the parking lot where Meadow Gold used to park to their delivery trucks. The entrance is on Elm Street and you'll see the pink trailer in the corner. This place is takeout only and there is no seating available. You could eat in your car but there's no shade around so it gets very hot. I went on the weekend for lunch and the wait time for food was 30 minutes. Prior to ordering, the staff will let you know how long the estimated wait time is and I appreciate that. They give you a buzzer and you can wait in your car.

For more information about Smashed Hawaii, visit or follow @smashedhawaii on Instagram. 

824 Sheridan St
Honolulu, HI 96814

Classic Smash

Classic Smash w/ Lettuce

Karai Crab - CLOSED

Karai Crab is a local style seafood boil restaurant in the Makiki area. I recommend the seafood combos with one of their house-made sauces. You can also select a spiciness level to add in. Depending on how many people are in your group, you can order up or down and share the seafood combos. They have happy hour from Monday - Friday between 4pm - 6pm. During happy hour, food prices range from $5 - $15. They give you gloves and a bib, but I suggest wearing dark colored clothes, so you don't get any stains from the sauces. This is a great place to hang out after work with friends since the atmosphere is laid back.

If you're coming with 4 or more people, make a reservation. I went on a weekday for dinner, and it wasn't too busy. You can do walk in but since it's the holidays, making a reservation would be safer. For parking, you can park inside the Interstate Building and get validation. The restaurant is located on the ground level with a back entrance from the parking lot, but you can also enter from the front on S King Street.

For more information about Karai Crab, visit karaicrab.com. 

1314 S King St., Ste G2
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 952-6990

The Colossal Sampler

Karai Wings

Peel & Eat Shrimp

Chicken Skin Chips

Garlic Noodles

Moules Frites

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

EPI-YA Boulangerie & Patisserie

EPI-YA Boulangerie & Patisserie is open! They have fresh bread and pastries daily. You can browse the shelves and see if you like their selection before picking up a tray and tongs to grab the items yourself. The pastries are small but they are delicious. I recommend getting any pastry that comes out from the kitchen fresh. The bake times vary but if you're looking for a particular pastry, you can call and ask the staff. They are friendly. Some of my favorite are the shio butter croissants; this is one of their specialty items and the double chocolate muffin. The pastry prices range from $2 to $4. In the display case by the cashier, they also have dessert pies that you can buy as whole or by the slice; no cakes.

They are located in the same complex as Times Supermarket. This was the former space for Saint Germain Bakery. There are parking spaces right in front of the shop. They accept cash and card.

1296 S Beretania St #105

Honolulu, HI 96814

(808) 888-8828

Shio Butter Croissant

Ham Roll

Butterflake Donut

Double Chocolate Muffin

Japanese BBQ Yoshi

Japanese BBQ Yoshi is a yakiniku restaurant that offers premium meats. You can order items ala carte or choose a set menu. There is a $250 wagyu set and a $200 washugyu set. Both of the set menus will feed 2 people. The wagyu set offer A4/A5 wagyu beef and it's high recommended. My favorite item it the set was the wagyu ribeye steak. See below for photos from the wagyu set for 2.

If the set menu price is too high, they have happy hour from 5pm-6pm and 8:45pm-closing. They have a few meats that are under $20 and cooked items under $10. This place is always busy so I recommend making reservations a few days in advanced. If you come early, you have a better chance to getting a parking stall in front of the restaurant. If the lot fills up, street parking is the alternate option.

For more information about Japanese BBQ Yoshi, visit www.japanesebbq-yoshi.com.

1316 Young St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 784-0067

Yoshi Green Salad

Assorted Kimchee, Namul, Nori

Pork Belly Bao

Miso Scallops

Beef Tongue

Wagyu Sampler, Wagyu Ribeye Steak

Wagyu Yakishabu w/ Negi & Garlic

Mini Udon

Bread Pudding

Yuzu Jelly w/ Watermelon Sorbet

Izakaya Danji Honolulu

Izakaya Danji is a tiny dinner spot located on S. Beretania Street between Auntie Pasto's and the Goodwill Store. The food taste good and the prices are reasonable but the portions are small. Most of the appetizers are meant for 1 person so you may want to double up on some items. I recommend having dinner here before going to an event at the Blaisdell Center. It's a short walk and if you come right when they open, you can get seated quickly. For parking, there are a few spaces in front of the restaurant or there is metered street parking.

1095 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 888-8777

Goma Hamachi

Fried Fishcake w/ Shoyu & Butter

Chicken Nanban

Gyoza

Fried Rice w/ Spicy Pickled Mustard Leaf

Junpuu

Junpuu is known for their ramen. They open daily for lunch and dinner. The inside of the restaurant is small but their service the excellent. The staff come by frequently to make sure your water cups are filled and you're happy with your food. I enjoyed the garlic Tokyo tonkotsu ramen and the fresh potato chips with Himalayan sea salt. The ramen ranges from $10 to $12 a bowl and you also have the option of adding on extras like an ajitama egg.

They are located at the corner of S. King and Victoria Street on the ground floor of the Medical Arts Building. They don't accept reservations and the wait time is around 30 minutes if you come at the usually lunch or dinner times. I don't recommend coming with more than 4 people because of how the tables are set up. There is parking in the building and they will validate. The building parking is free after 5pm. An alternate parking option is street parking on Victoria or Young Street.


1010 S King St.
Ste 108
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 260-1901

Homemade Potato Chips

Gyoza

Miso Ramen w/ Ajitama Egg

Garlic Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen w/ Ajitama Egg

Bakery & Table - CLOSED

The Bakery & Table is a combination of a restaurant, cafe, and bakery. The restaurant is on the 2nd level. They have tables indoors which overlooks the cafe and bakery area and there is a large patio which contains the seafood bar. I sat indoors which was better because it was raining the night I dined in. The lighting inside is a little dim but it's very spacious. I recommend coming with a group so you can try a bunch of items on the menu. Their portions are good for sharing. My favorite items were the rustica flatbread and carbonara. If you save room for dessert, you should try the cinnamon bread pudding. The staff will pour creme anglaise over a chocolate dome at your table and you can watch it melt and reveal the bread pudding. There aren't any restaurants on Oahu doing that cool trick yet so you definitely want to check it out.

The cafe is on the first level and it allows for a more casual dining experience during the lunch hour. The bakery is also on the first level and they offer a variety of freshly baked sweet and savory pastries. You can pick up and go or sit on one of the tables to enjoy your pastries. The cafe and bakery section closes around 5pm so be sure to go early for the best selection of pastries.

If you go for dinner, they only offer valet parking. You enter the lot on Piikoi Street. You can't access the building by car from South King Street because Piikoi is a one-way street. If you get lucky, you might be able to find street parking along Piikoi. I also recommend making a reservation before coming.

For more information about Bakery & Table, visit bakeryandtable.com.

938 Piikoi St.
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 592-7777

1/2 Dozen Oysters

Rustica Flatbread

Braised Boneless Shortribs

B&T Seafood Cream Pasta

Mentaiko Pasta

Carbonara