You May Want to Eat at Chinatown’s New Burger Bar Daley
A smash burger bar with one beef burger is pretty serious.
Thomas Obungen
Articles
Kokua Market reboots with new deli menu
For 48 years, Kokua Market cooperative has been championing local. I had no idea they've been around that long, since way before it became hip to eat local. Now they're unveiling their Kokua 2020 reinvigoration plan, and I was invited…
Foodflash: Tanioka’s Seafoods coming to Ala Moana Center
Note: Updated to include operating hours If there's one spot that makes townies totally envious of westsiders, it's Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering. Except for a few diehards who drive to Waipahu for their fix of spicy ahi poke, fried chicken and fish patty…
Korean fried chicken soars at Kickin Chick’n
New KFC and street food concept replaces beleaguered Bonchon in Kapolei
O‘ahu’s New Self-Serve Wine Bar Takes You From Brunch to Dinner
Island Vintage Wine Bar has 40 wine dispensers, 100 labels and a casual vibe
O‘ahu’s Best Texas-Style Barbecue Is in Wahiawā
Fatty smoked brisket and fall-off-the bone ribs at the Sunset Smokehouse truck.
No Name BBQ Sandwich: A Quirky Banh Mi Shop Sprouts Up in Kaimukī
No Name BBQ Sandwich is making a name for itself with $6 banh mis on housemade bread.
New Steak Teppei will satisfy your crazy garlic cravings
The far corner of Ala Moana's Makai Market has been vacant in the years since it was Chinatown Express and I Love Country Cafe. Most famously home to Patti's Chinese Kitchen, it was once slated to become a Korean food hall concept (which I…
Boba lovers can have their cake and eat it too
I spend almost every waking minute on Instagram. It's so bad, I have a warning on my phone that saves me from getting sucked into the endless scroll. I hate to admit being that engrossed but it's my job, so it's OK, right? …
West Oahu’s getting a new luxe steakhouse
"I bet you money a butter knife could cut it," says Simeon Hall Jr. as I search for a serrated dagger in the afternoon lull at the Four Seasons Oahu's La Hiki Kitchen. Taking a butter knife from a nearby place setting,…
Ice Cream and Malassadas Worth the Drive to Lā‘ie
New Zealand-style ice cream cools you off and Penny's has the best malassadas on the island.
Pork. Belly. Burritos: 3 reasons you need Senor Pake in your life
Editor's note: Senor Pake is closed at Maunakea Marketplace as of Dec. 31, 2019. Follow @senorpake on Instagram for announcements on their pop-up series. More than a decade has passed since bulgogi tacos and kimchi quesadillas first hit the streets of LA. One…
Eating is believing: $15 and $25 happy hour teishoku at Akira
Eating is believing is a series spotlighting great deals on incredible food. What: Happy hour teishoku dinnersWhere: Akira Japanese RestaurantWhen: Monday to Saturday 4 - 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 - 10 p.m.Price: $15 with one entree and $25 with two entreesCompare: Some…
Tomahawks and Tees: Aloha Steak House in Waikīkī Has a Beachy Vibe
This is the Zetto Restaurant Group’s budget-friendly take on North Shore grub.
Easy Que brings bangin’ BBQ and dreamy dessert to Kailua
Imagine that. A brand new restaurant specializing in smoky central Texas barbecue is opening in Kailua and I fall in love with, of all things, their soft serve ice cream. Nik and Jen Lobendahn hosted me and a few bloggers for…
Eating is believing: $9.95 udon lunch sets at TsuruTonTan
Eating is believing is a series spotlighting great deals on incredible food. What: Kamaaina lunch specials Where: TsuruTonTan (Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikiki) When: Daily 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Price: $9.95 udon and donburi sets Compare: Lunch sets are normally $15 Fullness factor: 12 out…
Mana Musubi is reopening Wednesday with 25% more rice balls
You haven't experienced heartbreak until you've pulled up to Mana Musubi, only to discover a closed sign and empty shelves. Hawaii's self-proclaimed musubi headquarters, the shop formerly known as Mana Bu's would open at 6:30 a.m., shelves bursting with nearly 30 musubi varieties, and sell out by…
Young’s Fish Market opens in Kapolei
Get ready, Second City: Young's Fish Market will open on Monday, April 29 at 10 a.m. in Kapolei Commons. You can catch a movie, go shopping at Target and snag some kaukau all in one trip. Young's second location will have more seating…
A cute French bakeshop now calls an orchid nursery home
Windows down. Breeze blowing. The meandering drive along Oahu's windward coast is unforgetable. I've done it many times but there are a still a few surprises around each turn. Rounding the bend from Kualoa Ranch from the North or just past Waiahole Poi…
Yakitori Glad morphs into a quirky ramen bar at lunch
When it comes to quirk and charm, Yakitori Glad gives Carp Dori a run for its money in our tiny yakitori scene. Glad's mascot is a shaka-throwing rooster in an aloha shirt, every item on the menu is $3.90 and each…
Kawaii! Why Daiso’s kitchen department is my happy place
Daiso, Japan's discount store of knickknacks, doohickies and daddledoos, opened its second Hawaii location in Honolulu on March 14. The new Piikoi store has uku-billion more stuff than Daiso's Pearl City location, with new products rotating through the racks almost…
Tane Vegan Izakaya elevates veggies with Japanese flair
When you step inside Tane Vegan Izakaya, the chic ambiance and stone and wood textures ease you into a state of zen. The small nook in front is filled with early guests; interior tables and a 10-seat sushi bar await the primetime rush. Tane's predecessor,…
This karaoke lounge moonlights as a musubi shop
If you drive down Kapahulu as often as I do, you might have noticed a new neon sign. It says "musubi" in vibrant electric blue with a red bird to the side. It's enough for me to pull over and investigate. The space itself isn't new:…
Welcome back, Real gastropub
A year and a half. That's how long it's been since Real Gastropub drained its kegs in a farewell with customers at Ward Village. That original space has given way to redevelopment, but Real's new digs a few blocks away at Keauhou Lane…
Foodflash: Liliha Bakery soft-opens today at Ala Moana Center
Updated: March 7, 2019 What are you waiting for? As of 6:30 this morning, Liliha Bakery's third location is now (soft) open in the former Pineapple Room at Macy's Ala Moana. This is the same neighborhood bakery that operated with…
Rinka reopens in swanky Kakaako
Rinka, the venerable hotspot for Japanese expats and foodies seeking a slice of Japan, has swanky new digs in the ground floor of Ward Village's Aeo. The move from Heald College on Makaloa Street doesn't seem to have disrupted its…
Kaimana Shave Ice is Haleiwa’s new kid on the block
Step aside, Matsumoto and Aoki, there's a new kid in town. The shop is adjacent to the bridge before the lot with Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. My eyes are acutely aware of anything shave ice. I'll be walking down a random…
How to spend an afternoon eating Maui
I can see why people fall in love with Maui at first sight. I got it when we were making our descent into Kahului Airport. The coast came into view, clouds parted over the West Maui Mountains and rolling expanses of green filled our windows. Wheels…
Hank’s Haute Dogs has hot new happy hour deals
When Henry "Hank" Adaniya opened his hot dog shack in Kakaako in 2007, it was a bold move. Coral Street wasn't known for shiny condos or Pow Wow street art murals. It was home to autobody shops and industrial supply warehouses marked by…
What I found at Costco: Chicken street taco kit
What I found at … is a series that tests and vets intriguing store-bought foodie finds. What: Kirkland Signature chicken street taco kitWhere: Take-and-make prepared foodsCost: $5.59 a pound or about $16 per kit Q: Is this premium taco kit an easy…
Tsukada Nojo reboots as Minori izakaya with oishii happy hour
Without so much as a blip on our radar, Tsukada Nojo quietly closed its doors in May 2018 for renovations. Nine months later, the farm-to-table izakaya is back with a new menu and a new name: Minori Craft Japanese Tavern. The focus pivots to elevated…
Ice Monster shave ice opens in Waikiki this Friday
Ice Monster, the Taiwanese dessert chain whose shave ice creations draw lines out the door in Asia, is set to debut this Friday, Feb. 1 at Waikiki's Hyatt Centric Hotel. While they've been popping up in their food truck since…
What I found at Costco: Keto-friendly Egg Bites
What I found at … is a series that tests and vets intriguing store-bought foodie finds. What: Three Bridges Uncured Bacon and Cheese Egg BitesWhere: Refrigerated dairy aisleCost: $9.99 for 4 trays (8 bites) Q: These microwavable egg bites make for a quick Keto-approved breakfast, but are they…
$15 happy hour: Japanese Restaurant Aki
What can you get for $15 at happy hour? At an izakaya, it might be a small dish or two not including drinks, but if you're in Kaimuki during the late afternoon, Japanese Restaurant Aki's offerings could make you ureshii. The scene Restaurant…
Old Spaghetti Factory’s $5 dinners are back this Thursday
I'm not that old, but I can remember when a complete meal with an entree, soup or salad, soft drink and spumoni ice cream at the Old Spaghetti Factory cost eight bucks. Lunch, when I went with my mom before her shift at House of Adler, was just…
38 new & coming restaurants: Foodmap December 2018
Local food and Japanese cuisine are surging, Korean hot dogs are here, and from Kapolei to Kailua, Pearl City to Kakaako, eateries continue to open. We've spotted 38 buzzworthy new and coming restaurants, to be exact – a new record…
Raising Cane’s first Hawaii location now open near UH-Manoa
Raising Cane's, the chain from Louisiana known for its consistently good chicken fingers and crinkle-cut fries, opened to long lines and screaming fans at the corner of University Avenue and King Street. The hype for this opening was strong when…
Alicia’s Market will start selling poke again Monday
Alicia's Market, once a heartbeat of Kalihi Kai, has been down for the count since a devastating fire ripped through the store and beloved poke counter in an early morning fire on June 7. It was dreadful news for poke fans. Where were we to get…
Waikiki’s locavore izakaya Zigu now serves lunch
Ever since Zigu opened in a renovated Mission Revival on Seaside Avenue, I have been a regular. My friend and I usually sit at the bar that runs the length of the open galley kitchen and with a flight of sake…
