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

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

Podmore

Podmore in the evenings is a great place to hang out with friends. They have a full bar as well as mocktails, and small bites for sharing. The interior decor is beautiful, the service is excellent, and the food the delicious. Their menu is on the pricey side so you may want to save this place for a special occasion. I went on a weekday after work and the space was half full. We social distanced the tables so I felt very safe dining in. My favorite items were the proper chips, hamachi roll, and the smoked potato salad. For drinks, I enjoyed the "It's 4:59 Somewhere" mocktail. In the evenings, only 21 and older are allowed. If your guests are 20 and under, I suggest coming for brunch instead. 

Podmore is located in downtown Honolulu by the First Hawaiian Center and Central Pacific Plaza. For parking, there is metered street parking on Merchant Street and on Bishop Street. The closest parking lot would be Alii Place and they have reasonable rates. Depending on how late you're coming here, you might be able to get free parking on the streets but please read the signs, so you don't get towed.

For more information about Podmore, visit barpodmore.com or @barpodmore.

202 Merchant St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 521-7367

Proper Chips

Hamachi Roll

Devils on Horseback

Salmon Duo

Eggplant & Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Roasted Pork Bun

Foie Gras Parfait

Steamed Ricotta Dumplings

Smoked Potato Salad

Dark Chocolate Tart

Banoffee Pie

Lemon Posset

Atsushi

@sushi is a sushi bar located inside Ohana Hale Marketplace. You can pre-order sushi sets for lunch or dinner if you don't feel comfortable with dine in because of the pandemic. The @sushi lovers set had 10 pieces of nigiri and 1 sushi roll; priced at about $40. It was a good amount of food and everything tasted delicious. For phone orders, I recommend calling the shop to see what is available first. I also recommend ordering 1 or 2 days in advance for the sushi sets to make sure they have enough ingredients. If you want to dine in and have their omakase, you should make a reservation 1 month in advance.

The parking lot gets buy during peak hours so account for some extra time to find a parking space. Their shop is in the middle near the stage. Ohana Hale Marketplace is closing at the end of March 2022 so plan accordingly. You can also follow @atsushibv on Instagram for updates. 

Ohana Hale Marketplace
333 Ward Ave., Ste 3-51
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 358-4593

@sushi lovers set

AV Restaurant

AV Restaurant offers a 14-course vegan tasting menu. When you enter the restaurant, you can pick your plate and your chopsticks rest before getting seated. The presentation for all the dishes were amazing. I'm not vegan but there were some dishes I'd want to eat again like the truffle xiao long bao, beet tartare tartlet, and flowerpot pie. The tasting menu is priced at $140 per person and dinner service is 1.5 - 2 hours long.

They are located in Kaimuki between Harding Ave and Waialae Ave. For parking, there are a few parking spaces in front of the restaurant but if that fills up, you can park in the Kaimuki municipal parking lot. They are only open for dinner and reservations are required. I recommend making reservations online 2 weeks in advance. You will also need to provide your credit card information when you reserve. They will check your vaccine card and ID upon entering.

For more information about AV Restaurant, visit xorghawaii.com/av-restaurant.

1135 11th Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 888-3528

Crystal Crostini

Beet Tartare Tartlet

Grilled Cauliflower

Shrimp & Potato Cannoli

Grilled Kalo

Dan Dan Tortellini

Celery Gazpacho Sorbet

Truffle Xiao Long Bao

Grilled Thai Eggplant Nigiri

Flowerpot Pie

Portabello Sando

Cauliflower & Cheese Waffledog (supplement)

Melon Sphere

Hibiscus & Pu-erh Sorbet, Homemade Yogurt

Mac Nut & Chocolate Chip Cookie w/ Anglaise