Oli's Kitchen - CLOSED

Oli's Kitchen offers local style comfort food for breakfast and lunch daily. They have a loco moco and kalbi plate but their best items are the garlic chicken, salt & pepper chicken and breakfast. They give large portions and the prices are cheap. For breakfast, the bacon waffle with peanut butter maple glaze and the stuffed french toast with peanut butter and banana are a "must try!" My favorite is the garlic chicken because it's sweet and savory with a hint of garlic flavor that's not overpowering. 

They are located at Puck's Alley next to Nijiya Market on University Ave by the bus stop. The staff are friendly they check to make sure you're all good even after you get your food. If the restaurant is half full, the kitchen does take a little longer but because the atmosphere is so chill, just talk story with your friends and enjoy the Hawaiian music over the speakers. I usually come for breakfast around 9am on weekends and do a walk in. If you are coming with 6 or more people, I recommend calling them first to see if they can arrange the tables and chairs to accommodate you. The parking in Puck's Alley is pricey if you go past 1 hour. It will cost you $3.99, pay in the Metropolis app on your phone. If you can leave in under 1 hour, the parking is free. 

For more information about Oli's Kitchen visit oliskitchenhawaii.com.

Puck's Alley
1009 University Ave
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 387-0457

 

Half n Half Chicken Plate
(Salt n Pepper, Garlic)

2 Egg Breakfast w/ 
Portuguese Sausage & Hash

Pancakes (3pc)

Stuffed French Toast w/ 
Peanut Butter Banana (3pc)

AnyPlace Cocktail Lounge

AnyPlace Cocktail Lounge is a homey bar that serves delicious food with reasonable prices. Their menu includes local favorites like lechon, fried pork chop, fried noodles and fried rice. My favorites were the lechon, obachan's fried chicken, and kalibi.

This place is perfect for large groups because they have a big space. If you plan to go with 10 or more people, I recommend calling them before you head over so they can set up the tables and chairs. The dress code here is casual, you can walk in with shorts and a t-shirt and it's fine. If you're wearing a collar shirt, you're overdressed. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is laid back. For parking, they have a few stalls in front but it fills up fast. You can do street parking on Young Street or park in the CPB parking lot across the street after 5pm for $7 which covers you for 24 hours.

For more information about AnyPlace Cocktail Lounge, visit anyplacehawaii.com.

1018 McCully St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-8977

Lechon

Traditional Combo
(Hamburger and Spam & Egg Sandwich)

Obachan's Fried Chicken

French Fries

Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings

Fried Pork Chops

Fried Noodles

Fried Rice

Heavenly Island Lifestyle Waikiki

Heavenly Island Lifestyle Waikiki is a breakfast, lunch, and dinner restaurant located in the Shoreline Hotel. Their menu is American Asian fusion and they have local favorites like poke, garlic shrimp, and loco moco. I enjoyed the Hainanese chicken rice and the rack of lamb. Their food is not heavy or greasy and they include a side of vegetables in most of their dishes. Since they are in Waikiki, the prices are high. For dinner, their entrees are priced between $20 - $30. The entrees can be shared with 2 people but I would recommend getting some appetizers too. If you are on a budget, check out their happy hour from 4pm - 6pm. There is a good selection of drinks and appetizers. The happy hour appetizers are priced between $6 - $20. 

The interior space is tight and the tables are close to each other. They have outdoor seating but the restaurant gets loud with the music in the background and customers talking. The staff are friendly but the wait time for food does take a while especially if you go during happy hour. For parking, there's metered street parking or park at the Royal Hawaiian Center or International Marketplace to shop and get your validation and then walk over to the restaurant. 

For more information about Heavenly Island Lifestyle, visit heavenly-waikiki.com. 

Shoreline Hotel Waikiki
342 Seaside Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 923-1100

Hainanese Organic Chicken Rice

Rack of Lamb Grill w/ Roasted Nuts &
Lilikoi Balsamic Sauce

Fried Chicken Wings

French Fries

Ribeye Steak w/ Grilled Vegetables & Truffle Sauce

Guieb Cafe

Guieb Cafe offers homestyle meals with reasonable prices. This is a great place for breakfast. My favorites are the prime rib loco moco, fried chicken and waffle, and the ube pancakes. The prime rib is tender and the fried chicken is well seasoned. The ube pancakes are moist and fluffy and with some syrup drizzled over it, it was delicious. Their portions are large so you can share a plate between 2 people. The staff are efficient. The food comes out fast and the temperate is hot. Your water cups will always get filled and they clear your plate once you're done.

They have 3 locations, Kalihi, Aiea, and Wahiawa. I've been to the Kalihi location a few times and the interior is small. If you go when they open, they're not busy. If you go later in the day, there is a wait for a table. They accept reservations by phone, just call a few days in advance to reserve it. The tables are set up to seat 2 – 4 people so if you have 5 or more, reservations are highly recommended.

For more information about Guieb Cafe, visit guiebcafe.com.

1311 North King St 
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 913-2131

98-025 Hekaha St
Building 4, Unit 14
Aiea, HI 96701
(808) 762-9247

538 California Ave
Wahiawa, HI 96786
(808) 888-2121

Prime Rib Loco Moco

Adobo Fried Rice Omelette w/ Lechon Kawali

Corned Beef Hash w/ Eggs

Fried Chicken and Waffles

Ube Mascarpone Pancakes

Piko Kitchen + Bar

Piko Kitchen + Bar is in Waikiki. Their food is Asian fusion with some Hawaiian. It's a great spot to hang out at after work with friends or if you're already in Waikiki, just swing by for some live music, food and drinks. My favorites are the Kapakahi Fries, Fried Confit Chicken, Manila Clam Pinakbet, and Garlic Noodles. Their portion are big and can be shared with 3-4 people. Every time I've visited, the staff has given great recommendations for food and drinks. According to my friends, some of their drinks are strong. The outdoor seating and bar can get loud in the evenings because of the live music but they have indoor seating if you prefer a quiet lunch or dinner.

This place is great for large group because the staff can easily move the tables around to accommodate you. If you do come with 6 or more, I suggest making a reservation in advance or calling the restaurant before you head over. They are at Lilia Waikiki on the street level, facing Kuhio Ave and adjacent to the International Marketplace. This was also the former location of Food Pantry. They have validated parking, $4 for 2 hours in Lilia Waikiki’s parking garage.

For more information about Piko Kitchen + Bar, visit pikowaikikihawaii.com. 

2380 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 923-2032

Kapakahi Fries

Shiitake Mushroom Bao Buns
Pork Belly Bao Buns

Pipikaula

Fried Confit Chicken

Dynamite Rice

AweSsam Tempura Cauliflower

Manila Clam Pinakbet

Garlic Noodles

Ono Giant Shrimp Chips

Ono Giant Shrimp Chips are known for their large sized light and airy shrimp chips sold in the original or furikake flavor. Beside the original and furikake, they have other flavors like barbecue, spicy barbecue, honey garlic, Maui onion, and spicy furikake. Each chip is large and sturdy so you can use it to scoop up poke or your favorite dip. My favorite is the original flavor, but the barbecue is pretty good.

The best way to get their shrimp chips is to buy it from the factory in Aiea since all the flavors are available there. It comes in 2 sizes, small and large. The small bags are $6 each and the large bags are $11. The shop is open Monday through Friday from 8AM - 5PM. They accept cash or card for payment. The shrimp chips are also sold at Costco locations in Hawaii and Longs Drugs. If you're not on Oahu, you can buy their shrimp chips online and they'll ship it to you.

To buy online, visit onogiantshrimpchip.com.

9-205 Moanalua Rd #208
Aiea, HI 96701
(808) 724-3652

Honey Garlic, Furikake

Maui Onion, Barbecue

Furikake (large)

Mokes Bread and Breakfast

Moke's Bread and Breakfast is known for their light and fluffy pancakes with liliko'i (passion fruit) sauce. During the summer, they have the li hing mango pancakes which are a must try. They mainly serve breakfast food so omelets, French toast, and loco moco are on the menu. If you go to their website, look for the secret menu which has a monte cristo and a few other goodies. The staff is friendly and shortly after you're seated, they ask if you want to start with some coffee or other drinks. They are efficient! The food prices range from $14 to $22.

They have 2 locations on Oahu, 1 in Kailua and 1 in Kaimuki. Both locations offer dine as well as take out. They are busy on the weekends and the wait time could be up to 30 minutes. I recommend going at 7:30AM for the first seating or after 1PM to avoid the crowd.

For more information about Moke's Bread and Breakfast, visit mokeshawaii.com.

Moke's Bread & Breakfast - Kailua
27 Hoolai St
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 261-5565

Moke's Bread & Breakfast - Kaimuki
1127 11th Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 367-0571

Li Hing Mango Pancakes

Sunrise Breakfast #1 with Mini Liliko'i Pancakes

PacifiKool

Pacifikool is at the KCC Farmers’ Market every Saturday making refreshing drinks with their ginger syrup. Most of their drinks have fruit in it but there's 1 drink that has coffee. The drinks are priced between $7 to $8. My favorite is the ginger colada because the combination of pineapple, coconut, and ginger taste really good. I recommend going to the KCC Farmers’ Market before 9AM because it's less crowded, the wait time for your drink is shorter, and you'll be able to enjoy some food from other vendors.

Their stall is located at the end by the vendor that sells succulents and orchids. It's also where you'll see groups of people sitting on the curb or the grass enjoying their food. They accept cash and card for payment.

KCC Farmers’ Market
4303 Diamond Head Rd., Parking Lot C
Honolulu, HI 96816 

Ginger Colada

Calamansi Ginger

Nami Kaze - CLOSED

Nami Kaze has transitioned to a sit-down brunch restaurant. During the pandemic, they did take out bentos. The brunch menu offers the classics like pancakes, waffles, and sandwiches but they also have a teishoku (Japanese set meal), sashimi, poke, and sushi. My favorites were the roasted caesar salad, honey walnut shrimp waffle, and buttermilk pancakes. Their food is pricey but the portions are large enough for sharing and they encourage family style dining. When you dine here, make sure you have your phone charged up since you need it to order and pay. To start, the waiter will have you scan the QR code for that table and it will take you to the website. You enter your name, then you can view the menu and add items into the cart. This makes separate bills easier because when it comes time to pay, you can select "pay my items" and you won't have to figure out how to split the check and pay people back.

The interior design of the restaurant is modern Japanese and they have an open kitchen so you can see the food being prepared by the staff from your table. We had excellent service from the staff, they checked on us often and kept our water glasses filled. The restaurant is in the Fresh Island Fish building across from Nico's Pier 38. You should see the "Nami Kaze" sign on the side of building and you'll see the entrance doors. There is free parking available in the lot with the shared businesses and some parking spaces along the side of the buildings.

Nami Kaze
135 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 888-6264

Roasted Hirabara Gem Caesar Salad

Royal Eel (Sushi Roll)

People's Choice (Teishoku)

Honey Walnut Shrimp Waffle

Buttermilk Pancakes

Izu's Mochi

You can find Izu's Mochi at the Kakaako Farmers Market by the JABSOM side every Saturday. They have 9 regular flavors for the mochi but will also have some special flavors along with mini boxes of chi chi dango. Their mochi is best eaten fresh on the day you buy it. Some of their fillings are chunky, like the peanut butter chocolate and the cookie butter. The ones with smooth fillings are the azuki and the kinako.

If you love mochi, I recommend picking up a few to try. The mochi is priced at $2 per piece. The chi chi dango mini boxes are $3 each. If you go to the farmers market at 8:00AM when it first opens, the line for mochi will be shorter. If you follow them on Instagram, @izusmochi, you can pre-order a few days in advance and go straight to the pick-up side and skip the line. You'll also get a sneak peek of the special flavors. Izu's Mochi accepts card for payment but when going to the farmers market, I always bring some cash in case the other vendors don't accept card or there's issues with the terminal. 

For parking, you can find free parking across the street next to the construction area. There are signs that say "farmer market parking."

Kaka'ako Farmers Market
919 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Kinako

Cookie Butter

Peanut Butter

Lilikoi Chi Chi Dango

Haawi Toast & Tea

Hā'awi Toast & Tea is at the Kaka'ako Farmers Market every Saturday from 8AM - 12PM. They are known for their delicious toast topped with fresh seasonal fruit, vegetables, or local favorites like kalua pork. My favorite is the mango toast and I highly recommend this. The mango toast used to be a seasonal item, but they have a vendor that can provide them with fresh local mango year-round so it stayed on the menu. The toasts are priced between $6-$7. I suggest getting two toasts per person but if you plan on trying other items at the farmers market, one toast per person is good. They also have an iced green tea that's good and strong.  

They are located on the side closest to the Kaka'ako Waterfront Park. Like all vendors, they are takeout only, but you can find a grass area to sit and eat or eat while you're walking. They accept cash or card, and you can tap to pay. For parking, you can park for free in the lot across from Ohana Hale Marketplace or find parking along Ahui Street or Ilalo Street. If you do park on the street, please read the signs to make sure you are not illegally parked.

Kaka'ako Farmers Market
919 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Mango Toast

Avocado Toast

Kalua Pork Toast

Pineapple Toast