Saigon Grill

Saigon Grill is a food truck that serves Vietnamese food. They have a large menu and half of it consist of seafood like sea snails, sea scallops, oysters, shrimp, dungeness crab, and lobster. This is one of the few places on Oahu that serves sea snails. The flavor of their food is good, and the prices are reasonable. My favorites were the sea scallops and the pork chops. Once you're done ordering, you seat yourself and the staff will bring the food and drinks to you. You can BYOB.

The seating area is outdoors under a large tent; it's very casual and is great for groups. Each booth under the tent can seat about 4 people and they have the longer tables in the middle for big groups. They only open for dinner, and they stay open till 12am on weekdays and 2am on the weekends. They accept cash and credit. Parking is free and a few steps away from the seating area. They are located across the Hawaii Convention Center. When it gets dark, you'll see the lanterns lit up in the area as you drive down Kapiolani Blvd.

1700 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Garlic Butter Sea Snails

Sea Scallops

Grilled Pork Chops

Shrimp Fried Rice

Sugarcane Juice

Duc's Bistro

Duc's Bistro is a Vietnamese French restaurant located in Chinatown. Their prices are reasonable and they give a good-sized portion. My favorites were the lamb chops and the duck breast. You get a rack of lamb when you order the lamb chops so it is perfect for sharing. It was priced at $44 and each piece had a lot of meat. The duck breast was thinly sliced, topped with fresh herbs and paired with fish sauce. 

They are open for lunch and dinner on weekdays. On the weekends, they only open for dinner. This place is great for groups because they have a large space in the back by the bar area. The tables in the front are set up for 4 people. I recommend making a reservation a few days in advanced if you plan to eat here. For parking, metered street parking is available in front of the restaurant and along Maunakea Street. If you are coming here after sunset, park across the street in the paid parking lot instead of in Chinatown at the municipal parking lots because it's a shorter walk back to your car.

For more information about Duc's Bistro, visit ducsbistro.com. 

1188 Maunakea St
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 531-6325

Escargots à la Chablisienne

Lamb Chops w/ Red Wine Demi-Glace

Breast of Duck Saigon w/ Nuoc Mam

Sautéed Long Beans

Coconut Tapioca

 

Insomnia

Insomnia is a small restaurant that serves Vietnamese food and coffee. The prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. My favorite item is the pork chops because it's tender and well-seasoned with spices. Their Vietnamese coffee is strong, so I always ask for more condensed milk and I wait till some of the ice melts before I drink it. If you come before 10:30am, you can order breakfast and pho. When you come after 10:30am, you can order the entrees which are the rice plates. I like coming here because the owners are friendly and they're so appreciative of their customers.

They are located next to Paiko on Auahi Street. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is good if you come early in the morning but by 10:30AM, it starts to get warm. Reservations are not required, and everyone just does walk in. They also do take out if you don't feel comfortable with dine in. For parking, you can park in the SALT parking structure and get validation. The first hour is free and it's $1 for the 2nd hour.

SALT At Our Kaka'ako
669 Auahi St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 545-4160

Spring Rolls

Beef Pho

Pork Chops

Vietnamese Coffee

No Name BBQ Sandwich

No Name BBQ Sandwich specializes in banh mi. They are open for takeout only, their dine in space is still closed. The sandwiches are priced between $8-$10. My favorite is the roasted beef sandwich. The meat is shredded so every bite has roasted beef. They also put a generous amount of cilantro into every sandwich. The portions are small so you might want to order 2 sandwiches if you're extra hungry.

They are located in Kaimuki. I recommend calling in your sandwich order before going there down. They will make your sandwich after you pay but calling in advance reduces your wait time to about 5 minutes inside the shop. They accept cash and credit card. For parking, they have 3 metered spaces in front on Waialae Ave.

3394 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 200-1268

Roasted Beef Sandwich

BBQ Pork Sandwich

Broken Rice

Broken Rice is open for takeout! All the items on their regular menu are available for takeout. I recommend the shaking beef rice plate. The pho is also very good. I was surprised the spring rolls were still crispy when I arrived home since all the takeout fried food I've ordered in the last few months ended up soggy.

They are located in Kaimuki between The Surfing Pig and Noods Ramen Bar. You can do a phone order and pull your car up on Waialae Ave. in front of the restaurant for payment and pickup. I've paid with cash and let them keep my change to keep contact to a minimum. 

For more information about Broken Rice, visit brokenricehi.com.

3607 Waialae Ave

Honolulu, HI 96816

(808) 739-0230

Shaking Beef Rice Plate

Spring Rolls

Combination Beef Pho

The Pig & The Lady - Restaurant Week 2018

The Pig & The Lady is offering a lunch and dinner menu. The lunch menu consists of 3-courses and is priced at $29. For lunch, you have the option of choosing 1 of 3 entrees to go with your salad and dessert. If you plan to do the restaurant week menu, everyone on the table has to participate. 2 of the 3 entrees are new items so it's worth checking out.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/pig-and-the-lady.

Green Papaya Salad w/ Crispy Cauliflower

Pho & Banh Mi

Tiger Style Rice

Fall Malasadas a la Soft Serve

Piggy Smalls - CLOSED

Piggy Smalls is the 2nd restaurant by The Pig & The Lady. Most of the items on the menu are unique to Piggy Smalls but you'll find some popular favorites such as the Laotian Fried Chicken here as well. The restaurant is located in Ward Village next to Kakaako Kitchen. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. The patio seating is nice but there is a lot of foot traffic from people going in and out of the parking structure. The staff are friendly and they made good recommendations on what to order/try. They do not take reservations so I recommend going when they open to get the first seating.

For more information about Piggy Smalls, visit thepigandthelady.com/piggysmalls.

1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 777-3588

Hurricane Style Creamed Corn

Scallion Corn Cakes

L.F.C.

Loaded Baked Potato Beignets

Salad of Sprouting Seeds

Pho-strami

Milk & Honey

The Pig & The Lady

The Pig & The Lady finally has a home. They are located in Chinatown near Marin Tower. They are open for lunch and dinner. Their food is delicious and the specials change often. Some items are a bit on the pricey side but it will probably fall in the category of "best things I ever ate." If you can gather up a group of friends/family, try their primal offerings. I heard the pig head is really good. I enjoyed all the dishes we ate

The service is very good. There was a big party next to us but the waitress still managed to swing by every so often to check on us and the other waiters made sure our water glasses were filled. I highly recommend making reservations before coming here because they are busy. If you don't have a reservation, plan to wait 30-45 minutes for a table.

The closest parking lot to the restaurant is the one in Marin Tower. The entrance is on Smith Street and it's $0.75 per hour.

For more information about The Pig & The Lady, visit thepigandthelady.com.

83 N King St
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 585-8255

Coffee Can Bread

Laotian Fried Chicken

Hamachi Sashimi

Salad of Sprouting Seeds

Dutch Baby

Shinsato Farm Pork

Beef Short Rib Steak

Chicken Fat Rice

P&L Pho

Berries & Cream

Avocado Cake w/ Corn Gelato

Pho Saigon

This is a Vietnamese restaurant in the Ala Moana area on the opposite side of MW Restaurant. The interior of the restaurant is still very new and it's kept clean. The pho section of the menu is a little strange. You choose your pho but they charge depending on how many toppings are in it and you cannot duplicate toppings. So if you love rare steak, you can't get two orders of it. They have a lot of items on their menu so if you don't like pho you can order vermicelli or rice plates. The portions are decent but the prices are high.

I went on a week day for lunch and I was seated in a few minutes. The restaurant does get busy and the noise level goes up. They have limited parking spaces and if you go past MW, you'll end up having to pay for valet which is $4. If you want to get out of the mall for a sit down meal, I would recommend trying this place.

1534 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 955-1069

Fried Calamari

Grilled Pork Patties Roll

Pho Combo (2 choices)

Golden River Restaurant

If you want some cheap eats, this is one spot you will want to visit. They are located in Chinatown on the corner of N King and River Street. A lot of people don't know about this place because To Chau is next door and that's where everyone goes for pho. They serve pho here too and it's pretty decent but I prefer the house special egg noodles which is a combination of all the toppings and a giant won ton chip over the top. That item is a must try for first timers.

The inside of the restaurant is small so I don't recommend dining with a big group. Most of the tables are set up to seat 2 and 4. I want to warn you that the restaurant is a bit run down but the food is clean and it taste really good. I've dined here a few times and I've always enjoyed it. The restaurant does get chaotic during the lunch hour but just tell the staff how many people you have and they will take care of you. You don't need to speak the native language for them to give you special treatment, the English language is good here. Unlike most Asian place in the area who don't accept credit cards, they do. As for parking, there is street parking or you can park in the municipal lot on the next block.

198 N King St
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 531-1185

House Special Egg Noodle in Soup

Banh Cuon (Rice Noodle Rolls)

Aloha Pho - CLOSED

This Vietnamese pho restaurant opened up in the summer. They're located across Sweet Home Cafe in Moili'ili. The pho here is not bad. Their soup base is salty but after a few bites, your tongue just gets used to the saltiness. They give you a lot of meat. It's almost twice the amount of rare beef you would get at most pho restaurants. I think their prices are a bit high. I order a small size and it was about $8.00.

They have a parking lot but the parking spaces are limited because there's so many other restaurants in the area. I'd recommend parking on S. King Street since meter parking is free after 6pm.

2320 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 941-1170

Combination Pho

Fort Street Cafe

If you like garlic chicken you'll love this place. The tagline on their shirts' say "home of the garlic chicken." Most of the dishes on their menu are Vietnamese but they also have some Thai dishes.

If you go around noon, there's usually a line coming out the door. What I like to do is call 5-10 minutes in advance and so when I stand in line, I get my food right after I pay. It minimizes the wait time.

1152 Fort St Mall
Honolulu, HI 96813
808.536.0455

Garlic Chicken

BBQ Pork Chop

Wonton Mein

Shrimp Salad