Cafe Kaila’s new dinner menu
Chrissie Kaila Castillo, left, owner of Cafe Kaila, and one of her managers.
Cafe Kaila has been a mainstay for breakfast at Market City Shopping Center for years, known for their waffles and pancakes — but did you know they are now open for dinner? On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, you can now get breakfast for dinner and … well, dinner for dinner at Chrissie Kaila Castillo’s little eatery from 5 to 8 p.m. (the hours may change to 7 to 9 as you read this, so call ahead).
Some customers are so curious about the new dinner menu, they try a little of everything.
It’s now been a month since Kaila started dinner service as a requirement from their landlord, and the menu is still working out its kinks as they figure out customer preferences. But here’s a look at the more popular items (please pardon the quality as I experiment with a new camera):
Cheese pizza, $11.
Hands down, one of my favorite things on the menu is the pizza. This is a simple mozzarella and parmesan pizza, but what makes each 10-inch pie sing is the pizza sauce. It’s homemade and has a rich, earthy flavor. Many tomato sauces tend to be tart, but this one is not, which I love and now dream about.
Tuscan pizza, $13.
This is the Tuscan pizza, with sun dried tomato, mushrooms and spinach. Next time, I will probably try the Italiano to see how Italian sausage is with that dreamy tomato sauce.
Smoked kalua pig sliders, $14.
The smoked kalua pork sliders were hard to photograph! Yes, it’s a mess of food on a plate, but this was also one of our favorites. The pork has a bit of barbecue sauce and is served on sweet bread buns with house made cole slaw with chips or salad. It’s sweet, smoky, and pretty addicting.
Bocconcini and tomato salad, $10.
“Bocconcini” is supposed to be little mozzarella balls, but these are actually full size. Okay, never mind the translation, because this salad is good! The slices of mozzarella are served with tomatoes and an arugula salad, and I loved the salt against the sweet balsamic drizzle. I don’t think I’ve had salt ground on caprese salad before (or if I did, I couldn’t taste it), so this was a nice surprise in a familiar dish.
Veggie arabiatta lasagna, $15.
The first time we had the veggie lasagna, it was very garlicky and we loved it. The second time, it was less so, but still quite good (I prefer more garlic, though). This is a hearty entree comprised of eggplant, zucchini, spinach, and roasted red bell peppers with foccacia.
Small chicken pot pie, $8.
I saw a lot of people ordering the small chicken pot pie (there’s a large entree size for $15), so I had to get it. It’s comforting, savory, and buttery-flaky, but most pot pies are the same, right? I would still order it again, I think.
Small gourmet mac and cheese, $8.
Another popular side (or entree) is the gourmet mac and cheese, baked with a crispy topping. You can order it with lump crab meat or chicken for an extra $3, or hickory smoked bacon for $2.
Fried chicken and waffle, $13.
One item that we didn’t care for, but I’m including so you can see, is the fried chicken and waffles. I think we were expecting something with a crispy, salty skin, but it wasn’t. It didn’t have much flavor, and the cayenne maple butter didn’t quite make the mark. I’d recommend you order the other dishes we liked.
Homestyle meatloaf, $16.
I didn’t have this, but I’m showing you what I want to try next time: The homestyle meatloaf with mushroom and onion gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. My twitter/instagram friend Wayne Kato, who works there, was eating this and said it was amazing. It looks amazing. I’m amazed I was too shame to grab a bite off his plate.
Cinnamon French toast, $9.
And finally, this is not the French toast we had, but I’m showing you this so you can see the bread. We ordered one with a fruit combination, and it was piled so high you couldn’t see anything else! If you choose one fruit, though, I would go with either the apples or blueberries, as they were the best combination with Kaila’s famous French toast.
These are just the highlights. To see more photos of our food, click here. Cafe Kaila is BYOB ($5 corkage) and solo diners can opt to sit at the counter in the back, which is nice.
Cafe Kaila
2919 Kapiolani Blvd.
808-732-3330
