8 New and Coming Chinese Restaurants on O‘ahu
Six new Chinese restaurants serving cuisine from Guizhou to Hunan have opened, with two more coming soon.
Aslew of new Chinese restaurants has cropped up around O‘ahu in recent months, none of them serving the Hong Kong/Cantonese fare that defined Honolulu’s Chinese food scene for generations. Plus, two more are coming soon. From Kapahulu to Kapolei, here’s a look at the newcomers and their cuisines.
SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Guide to Chinese Food
Chill N Grill 山海营地
In the former Phuket Thai location in Kaka‘ako, Chill N Grill serves up northeastern Chinese-style skewers, noodles and signature dishes you won’t find elsewhere—such as sour and spicy snail rice noodles—all the way til midnight. Note that the menu has been updated since the restaurant opened last October. Happy hour specials pair various dishes with beer, and seating is indoors as well as outdoors.
Tuesday to Sunday noon to midnight, 401 Kamake‘e St., #102, Kaka‘ako, @chill_n_grill_hawaii
Dahan Skewer
Kapahulu’s second skewer specialist has opened where Honu’s Kalbi & Sushi used to be. Up the street from Honolulu Skewer House, Dahan focuses on Mongolian-style skewers seasoned with lots of cumin and chile powder. Braised dishes, fried sides, dry-tossed and soup noodles, rice dishes, desserts and drinks round out the menu.
Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., 755 Kapahulu Ave., #6, Kapahulu, dahanskewer.com, @dahanskewer
Photo: Andrea Lee
Daji Spicy Pavilion 黔香阁
The sour-spicy notes of Guizhou cuisine permeate the soup and dry mix noodles at Daji, a flavor profile distinct from the spiciness of neighboring Sichuan. If you want to try something new, we recommend a punchy dry mix noodle. If you want something comforting, go for the beef brisket noodle soup. See more recommendations in this reel.
Open Wednesday through Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 N Beretania St., #117, Chinatown, @dajispicy8888
SEE ALSO: Daji Spicy Pavilion 黔香阁 Brings Guizhou-Style Spice to Honolulu
Shiyu Hunan
Bringing the flavors of its namesake province in southern China, Shiyu Hunan has dishes like perilla-fried bullfrog and braised pork intestines with fermented tofu. The majority of the menu is spicy—Hunan cuisine is marked by chile heat beyond Sichuanese mala—with a good amount of sour and pickled elements in the mix.
Daily 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., 2012 S Beretania St., Mō‘ili‘ili, shiyuhunan.com
Photo: Andrea Lee
Waikīkī Snack Store
The name might sound odd for a Chinese restaurant, but this one serves the sorts of savory dishes eaten as snacks in northern China. In addition to dumplings, offerings include rich Harbin sausage—from the city in the northernmost province of China—and chewy crystal pork skin sausage. Bring a group since these dishes are meant to be shared, and save room for the make-your-own shave ice bar. The owners say the name will soon change to Waikīkī Dumpling to reflect their specialty. See more in this reel.
Wednesday to Monday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., Discovery Bay Center, 1778 Ala Moana Blvd., #U107, Waikīkī, @waikiki.snack.store
Photo: Melissa Chang
West Emperor
An exciting addition to the Leeward side, the new restaurant in the Embassy Suites by Hilton O‘ahu Kapolei serves dim sum all day by a former Legend Seafood Restaurant chef. Holdovers from the hotel’s previous restaurant, Gyu-Masu, include wagyu fried rice and wagyu chow funn. Dine-in customers can get free parking validation. See more of the food in this reel.
Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., 725 Manawai St., Kapolei, westemperor.com, @westemperorkapolei
Also Coming:
Aloha Duck
New restaurants are coming to The Park on Ke‘eaumoku outside of its Midtown Eats food hall. One of them is Aloha Duck, expected to open on Aug. 1. We’re told the restaurant will have a culinary style similar to Panda Express (which could mean American Chinese) along with local favorite meats like char siu, roast pork and roast duck.
The Park on Ke‘eaumoku, 825 Ke‘eaumoku St., Ala Moana
SEE ALSO: Everything You Need to Know About Midtown Eats
Photo: Melissa Chang
Supreme Dumplings
You may have seen the signage up at Ala Moana Center in the former Wahlburgers space next to Longs. No word yet on an opening date, but based on the menus of the mainland locations, we can look forward to a variety of sweet and savory xiaolongbao—soup dumplings often associated with the city of Shanghai—as well as rice dishes, noodles, buns and entrées. Check out what the new restaurant could look like in this reel shot at the Kirkland, WA, location.
2nd floor of Ala Moana Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Ala Moana, supreme-dumplings.com, @supremedumplings
Andrea Lee is the digital editor of HONOLULU Magazine.
