10 Ways To Eat Green in Honolulu on St. Patrick’s Day 2018
And we’re not talking about salads.
Shamrock-shaped sugar cookies from Liliha Bakery—a great way to eat your way through St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 17.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox
We here at HONOLULU Magazine prefer to eat our holidays. Here are 10 delicious ways to celebrate the annual Feast of St. Patrick on Saturday, March 17.
1. Sweet Revenge Honolulu
Owner-baker Kathy Masunaga has whipped up a few seasonal specials that will make you green with envy if you can’t get your hands on them. She’s baking beef-Guinness shepherd’s pies, frozen grasshopper pies topped with chocolate ganache, fresh lime meringue (pictured) and chocolate-Guinness butter mochi sandwiches stuffed with butter cream flavored with Baileys Original Irish Cream. Her pies range from $9 to $10. And anyone paying with cash will get a special St. Paddy’s gift: Leprechaun Poop. (It’s really crispy mint chocolate meringue cookies. And they’re tasty.)
March 16 at the Fort Street Mall farmers market or schedule a pickup at 979 Robello St., (808) 282-0234, sweetrevengehonolulu.com
2. Mama’Nita Scones
You shouldn’t wait for a holiday to visit MamaʻNita Scones in Kailua. But this month, owner Anita Rhee is serving another reason to stop by: Irish coffee scones topped with a sugary glaze and sliced almonds ($3.25 each), the special this month for St. Patrick’s Day. It has a nice balance of coffee and cream with a nutty crunch. No butter needed.
SEE ALSO: New Kailua Bakery Uses Fresh Fruits to Make Tasty Scones With Crispy Edges
320 Ku‘ulei Road, Kailua, (808) 753-9108, mamanitascones.com
3.Choco le‘a
Baileys Irish Cream and Guinness beer truffles from Choco le‘a.
Photo: Courtesy of Choco le‘a
The artisan chocolate shop in Mānoa has a slew of holiday-inspired gourmet truffles filled with Baileys Irish Cream, Guinness beer, mint chocolate chip and matcha. Or grab a dark chocolate-covered mint Oreo (or two).
2909 Lowrey Ave., 371-2234, chocolea.com
4. MoDo Hawai‘i
The matcha mochi doughnuts from Watanabe Bakery and MoDo Hawai‘i.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox
The specialty mochi doughnut shop in Mitsuwa Marketplace in Waikīkī isn’t offering any new flavors for St. Patrick’s Day. But its vibrant green matcha doughnut ($1.75 each) definitely represents the Irish holiday. The not-overly-sweet doughnut with an intense green tea glaze is also sold at Watanabe Bakery on Beretania Street, too.
2330 Kalākaua Ave., modohawaii.business.site
5. Liliha Bakery
Green tea Coco Puffs from Liliha Bakery.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox
The old-time bakery is always finding tasty ways to celebrate holidays, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. Find giant four-leaf clover-shaped sugar cookies ($3.29 each or $4.50 for two) and festive St. Paddy’s 7-inch round cakes, in either butter or dobash ($19.95 each). Or, you can always get the green tea version of the bakery’s famous Coco Puffs ($1.39 each), filled with a delicate matcha cream and topped with that crazy-good Chantilly frosting. (That’s green, too!)
Multiple locations, lilihabakeryhawaii.com
5. Lucy’s Lab Creamery
This creamery in South Shore Market is known for its fun small-batch flavors—butter popcorn, bacon whiskey, almond float—so, naturally, it would serve up something special this week: a limited edition St. Patrick’s birthday cake ice cream studded with gold glitter, rainbow sprinkles and a mint-green drizzle ($3.25 to $7.25). Bonus points for getting Lucky Charms cereal topping.
1170 Auahi St., (808) 321-1234, lucyslabcreamery.com
6. Rainbow Drive-In
Lemon-lime slushies and slush floats at Rainbow Drive-In.
Photo: Courtesy of Rainbow Drive-In
Every year the iconic drive-in off Kapahulu Avenue serves neon-green lemon-lime slushes and slush floats on St. Patrick’s Day. Regular slush is $2.15, large is $2.50; regular slush float is $3.50, large is $3.95. The flavor is only available March 16 and 17.
3308 Kanaina Ave., (808) 737-0177, rainbowdrivein.com
7. Otto Cake
The Kaimukī bakeshop that specializes in creamy cheesecakes is offering special St. Paddy’s flavors this weekend: Irish cream, chocolate Irish cream, mint chocolate marble, green velvet and one made with Guinness beer. Slices are $5.
1127 12th Ave., (808) 834-6886, ottocake.com
8. Minamoto Kitchoan
Various matcha-flavored treats from Minamoto Kitchoan.
Photos: Catherine Toth Fox
This confectionery store, with locations at Ala Moana Center and Kāhala Mall, specializes in Japanese gourmet sweets—including many using matcha, which is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. One of its seasonal offerings is the momowakahime ($4), a tart green peach wrapped with sweet white-bean paste and a layer of mochi. Two other ways to eat your greens: the matcha ayasirabe ($3), a Japanese mochi cake filled with a delicate green tea-flavored white-bean paste, and the bright-green melon no ka ($6), juicy melon jelly. And always available are its popular fukuwata senbei (waffle cookies) filled with a smooth matcha filling.
SEE ALSO: Get Fancy Omiyage at this Japanese Confectionery at Kāhala Mall
Multiple locations, kitchoan.com
9. See’s Candies
The Mint Scotchmallow from See’s Candies.
Fans of the Mint Scotchmallow from See’s Candies—that would be me—have St. Patrick’s Day marked in their calendars. It’s the only time of the year when the California-based chain sells this fresh version of its popular Scotchmallow. The difference? This one’s got peppermint marshmallow with chocolate-butter caramel. See’s also sells milk chocolate Leprechauns and shamrocks and something called a St. Patrick’s Day Potato ($4.60 for one), a Divinity chocolate, enrobed in creamy milk chocolate and rolled in cinnamon and cocoa powder to resemble a potato. Seriously. Too bad it wasn’t filled with whiskey.
The St. Patrick’s Day Potato from See’s Candies.
Multiple locations, sees.com
Brunch like you mean it at HONOLULU Magazine’s BrunchFest presented by American Savings Bank on Sunday, March 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Salt at Our Kaka‘ako. Embrace the relaxed Sunday Funday vibe with seven local chefs, live entertainment, lawn games and a photo booth during this unique dining experience. Tickets on sale now. Click here.
READ MORE STORIES BY CATHERINE TOTH FOX
