Sponsored Heads up if you love tacos: Mi Amita, the new taqueria at Waikiki's International Market Place, is headed downtown for Taco Tuesday tomorrow, July 10. Mi Amita isn't just a taqueria. Its creator is Hugo Ortega, a James Beard…
Sponsored Heads up, downtowners: We’ve got a series of Awesome eats Friday lunch pop-ups coming with Michael Mina’s The Street. First up is a new local-style bowl from The Ramen Bar. This is where concepts and flavors evolve as Mina's chefs…
Sponsored We’re excited to announce a multi-part series of Awesome eats pop-ups with chef Michael Mina’s The Street and a new addition to International Marketplace’s dining lineup. First up is Indie Girl, the healthful and fresh stall in The Street…
Hawaiian Pie Company was a huge hit when they brought their 9-inch flavor bombs of Thanksgiving goodness to Awesome eats last year. So guess who's coming to the heart of downtown on Monday, Nov. 20? The Kalihi bake shop famous…
Hawaii's Best Kitchens, the local Instagram account that reposts gorgeous food photos, reached a milestone 100,000 followers and is throwing a party to celebrate. The Best of Hawaii's Best Kitchens will feature dishes by 14 winning restaurants at the Hyatt…
Last time Waikiki's MoDo mochi donuts came to Awesome eats, the downtown lunch crowd scooped up every last chewy-licious ring well ahead of the 1 p.m. closing. So we're bringing them back, this time with all-new flavors. Six-packs of glazed…
Rice Fest, the huge block party honoring our starch of choice, is back for its eighth year of serving up ricey dishes from around the world. This year packs in three eating competitions, tons of food booths, and entertainment onto…
Pre-orders are now closed, we will have a few on site for purchase. It started with a text from my sister. She was at Ginger & Smoke, a mobile food stand that has been popping up at the HMSA farmers'…
Our recent roundup of Honolulu’s donut craze showcased the newest places to grab a dozen. Among them: MoDo, the mochi donut specialist inside Mitsuwa Japanese grocery at International Market Place. We knew we had to bring these glazed rings of chewy, lightly…
Even Frolickers have to stay home sometimes. These CIY (Cook It Yourself) videos are for those times when eating out is not an option: They’re quick-ish how-tos for dishes that make staying in fun. We love hurricane popcorn. And we…
After a short hiatus to prepare for last Saturday’s awesome Honolulu PokeFest, Awesome eats is back! At this Friday’s pop-up, downtown lunchers will get to indulge in Young’s Fish Market’s delicious Hawaiian bento beef stew bowls. Young’s Fish Market of…
Frolic’s inaugural Honolulu PokeFest happens next Saturday, a poke-licious evening unparalleled in the history of our beloved raw fish cuisine. Which is saying a lot, right? But picture this: You’re on the waterfront, in the air-conditioned comfort of Pier 11 at downtown’s…
Poke lovers, eat your heart out! Frolic Hawaii is bringing you the first-ever Honolulu PokeFest on Saturday, July 22 at Pier 11 on the edge of downtown Honolulu. Join us at the ultimate celebration of this iconic Hawaii dish and…
Sponsored **Update: Friday’s preview lobster roll is now SOLD OUT So, McDonald’s asked if Frolic wanted to give our readers an exclusive preview of the North Atlantic lobster rolls they’re rolling out (ha! That was sharp) in Hawaii next week.…
National kouign amann (pronounced “queen ah-mahn”) day, coming up next Tuesday, June 20, is a day San Francisco’s famed b. patisserie has been celebrating for years. This time around, they’re extending the tradition to their counter in Kona Coffee Purveyors…
Summer is heating up downtown sidewalks and we have the perfect solution. Awesome eats this Friday is cooling things down with an icy treat at the corner of King and Bishop: a special dessert pop-up featuring gourmet summer mango shave…
We know you love Hawaiian food and we realize Young’s Fish Market hasn’t been back for Awesome Eats since March. Next Aloha Friday, June 2, they’re back at the corner of Bishop and King by popular demand for Awesome eats, our pop-up…
Awesome eats is our curated pop-up that brings hard-to-access restaurants and shops to the corner of Bishop and King in downtown for one day only. Alicia’s Market’s last pop-up sold out almost immediately so we knew we needed to bring…
This Friday, May 5 is big: It’s both Cinco de Mayo and Boys’ Day. Instead of choosing between holidays, we’re choosing to celebrate both! Our Awesome eats downtown lunch pop-up will feature sweet mochi from Fujiya and mouthwatering tamales from…
Last year Seoul Sausage, season 3 winner of Food Network’s “Great American Food Truck Race,” came to Hawaii to share their bold Korean sausages at Honolulu Night Market and IN4MATION. This year they’re teaming up with Zippy’s, which hasn’t served…
It’s tax time and whether you owe or are owed, we have an awesome deal for you. This Friday at lunchtime, Hukilau restaurant is grilling up a diner-style cheeseburger and fries for just $5.13, half the usual price of an…
We never knew we needed meatball bentos in our life, or that life even has meatball bentos. Thank goodness for La Tour Cafe. Since Friday is Good Friday, Awesome eats is debuting its first-ever chicken meatball bentos and La Tour’s…
Downtown, it seems, likes Hawaiian food. How do we know? The first time we asked Young’s Fish Market to bring Hawaiian bentos to Awesome eats in January, so many of you pre-ordered online that Young’s brought 100 extra, just in…
Friday is Girls’ Day, which means … mochi, mochi, mochi! We’re celebrating with a special Awesome eats mochi pop-up featuring Kalihi’s Fujiya Hawaii. And we’re not talking just mochi: In honor of Girls’ Day, Fujiya has designed two oishii boxes…
Alicia’s Market is a main reason foodies make pilgrimages to Kalihi. Tucked on the makai side of Mokauea Street, behind a vintage Coca-Cola sign, Alicia’s is a hidden gem within a hidden gem. At the very back, where foodies, truckers…
Tanioka’s Seafoods & Catering, a popular monthly regular at Awesome eats, had to take a break over the holidays, and we missed them! This Friday the Waipahu institution returns to our downtown lunchtime pop-up with delicious fried chicken bentos, spicy…
From deep in the heart of Manoa Valley, Choco lea arrived downtown as one our first Awesome eats pop-ups last year, and chocolate lovers gobbled them up. Now they’re back with two special boxes of locally made artisan chocolates to…
Once we saw Young’s Fish Market‘s Aloha Friday Hawaiian bento on Instagram, that was it. We realized there aren’t many Hawaiian food options in downtown, so we called the longtime Kalihi favorite and persuaded them to bring the heaping plate…
We’re ringing in the Year of the Rooster with a special treat from our favorite neighborhood karaoke bar, Waikiki’s Wang Chung’s. Chef Randy Sanchez, aka @mexicanrandyhi on Instagram, is making his famous chicken tamales for a special Awesome eats downtown…
Pizza alert: There’s a new pizza shop coming to town and they’re debuting their pizza and wings at Awesome Eats this Friday. Yellow Cab Pizza is known internationally for their New York-style slices, but their new spot near Costco Iwilei…
Congratulations to Jan Takahashi! We will be contacting you for further arrangements The Traveling Plate, a statewide culinary tour celebrating the 70th anniversary of Easter Seals in Hawaii, wraps up their 2016 series on Oahu with a special benefit tasting…
Kimchee fried rice burritos, bibimbap bowls and wagyu mushroom cheeseburgers? Taxpayers of Hawaii, take heart: All this is parked just outside the state Department of Taxation on Punchbowl Street, courtesy of Eunju Jo and Mila Bang. Friends since middle school…
Honolulu’s award-winning MW Restaurant is coming to downtown next Tuesday for a special Awesome eats lunchtime pop-up benefiting the Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii. Chefs Michelle Karr-Ueoka and Wade Ueoka have crafted a special brown bag lunch of a…
When we saw Watanabe Bakery’s poi and matcha mochi cakes on Instagram we drove straight over to McCully to give them a try. At first bite, we knew the satisfyingly chewy cakes would be perfect for Awesome eats. So heads…
Sponsored Featured photo courtesy of stijn via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND Fete restaurant in Chinatown is teaming up with Italian chef Riccardo Ricci and Donato Loperfido of Flavors of Italy this Sunday for a special pork themed evening of delicious…
After the sudden closure of Bethel Street Tap Room in January, it was uncertain if Kawehi Haug and Kim Potter would embark on another restaurant concept in downtown. As of today they’re back, showing off their cooking chops at a…
*This contest is now complete.* Do you love bread? How about hand-crafted artisan loaves by a baker who’s trained in Michelin-starred kitchens? We’re giving away a year’s subscription of bread by Breadshop, Christopher Sy’s upcoming bakery in Kaimuki: a fresh…
Waipahu’s iconic Tanioka’s always sells out when we feature their bentos at our Awesome eats pop-ups, so to sate appetites we’re bringing them in monthly. This Friday, Tanioka’s is bringing something new for the downtown lunch crowd: teri miso chicken…
Bread lovers, this one’s for you. This week’s Awesome eats downtown lunchtime pop-up brings you the artisan creations of Kaimuki’s soon-to-open Breadshop. All photos provided by Breadshop HNL Christopher Sy is the only breadmaker in Honolulu whose name adds cachet…
There’s always room for pizza. Name any street in any city of this world, and I’m pretty sure there’s room for more pizza. That includes Hotel Street, where in between JJ Dolan’s and Bar 35, a new Neapolitan pizza shop…
Can you believe it’s November already? With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we’ve put together a special Thanksgiving week pop-up featuring the giant pies from Hawaiian Pie Company. Freshly baked, not frozen! You’re welcome, downtown. We just saved you a…
You know La Tour Cafe for their oven-fresh breads, sandwiches, pizzas and macarons. Now Chris Okuhara, formerly of Miso & Ale, has joined the culinary team, and there’s even more new flavors and dishes. You’ll get a sweet taste when…
Are you as excited for Halloween as we are? Well, the spooky season just got better: Chinatown’s Pig and the Lady has created a gourmet party mix for grownups that will make you forget those bags of supermarket candy. We’re…
Want to come to a luau? A crazy mashup luau that pairs favorite Hawaiian comfort foods with elegant, contemporary spins created by some of the hottest chefs Hawaii’s produced? The sixth Hawaii Food and Wine Festival arrives on Oahu next…
News flash: Mini kouign amanns are coming to downtown. The hottest pastry to hit these shores will be available for three hours this Friday, courtesy of Kona Coffee Purveyors and b. patisserie from Waikiki’s International Market Place. Awesome eats is…
If you’ve driven past the old Kua Aina spot at Ward Centre and wondered what was behind the papered windows, your wait is almost over: Piggy Smalls, little brother restaurant of the Pig and the Lady, is opening this Friday,…
After two sold-out Awesome eats popups in July and August, we got the message: The downtown lunch crowd loves Tanioka’s. So we’re bringing the Waipahu institution back every month, starting with this Friday’s Awesome eats. Tanioka’s Seafoods and Catering will…
You may have seen these delectable little gems popping up on your Instagram feed in the iconic shape of pon de ring from Mister Donut in Japan. Liliha Bakery quietly added the poi mochi donut to their bakery case in…
Downtowners, mark your calendars: We have a full month of Awesome eats lined up for October. Every Friday this month we’re bringing to the corner of Bishop and King an exclusive Frolic treat, savory or sweet, from an awesome eatery…
