Fluffy Omelets and Stuffed French Toast in Central O‘ahu

Pearl City’s Button Up Café is a cute stop for a quick bite.

June 16, 2017

Lennie Omalza,

Button Up Café’s thick Hawaiian sweet bread French toast with fresh strawberries hit all the marks.

Photos: Lennie Omalza

Tucked in the two-story Pearl City Plaza, Button Up Café seems to be sized just right for its steady flow of customers. During our visit, the restaurant’s seven tables and counter space were in constant use, and there was little to no waiting. After following instructions on the door to sign in and wait for a table, (take-out customers can walk in to order at the counter), we scanned the menu of roughly 50 items and ordered a breakfast ciabatta sandwich, spinach and mushroom omelet with fried rice, and French toast.

We opted for the sandwich with Portuguese sausage ($6.55), though it’s also available with bulgogi beef and kim chee aioli, house-made corned beef or bacon. Served with chipotle mayo, scrambled eggs and provolone cheese on ciabatta bread, it made for a tasty, filling first course of the day. Though the bread appears hard to bite into at first glance, it’s quite soft. We especially enjoyed the chipotle mayo, which gave it a unique kick.

The spinach and mushroom omelet ($9.95) is a good vegetarian option, though Button Up omelets can also be ordered with bacon and mushrooms, or Portuguese sausage and Spam. Much larger than expected and full of mushrooms, onions, spinach and cheese, we enjoyed how ours was fluffy and filling without feeling too heavy. The omelet dishes’ free sides include tater tots, potato hash or rice. We went with fried rice for an additional $1.95, but it didn’t leave much to be desired. It was very greasy and lacked flavor, despite containing onions, green onions, bacon and Portuguese sausage. Perhaps we should have ordered the tater tots.

The spinach and mushroom omelet with fried rice.

Fortunately, our breakfast finale fared much better. We devoured the two-stack Hawaiian sweet bread French toast ($4.95), topped with fresh strawberries ($1.50). Not overcooked or undercooked—but prepared just right—it really didn’t need syrup. Moist and fluffy, both pieces went down easily and quickly. If we’d had any room left, we would’ve tried the stuffed strawberry cheesecake French toast with pastry creme, too.

Oh, well. There’s always next time.

Button Up Café, 97-719 Kamehameha Highway, #A102, Pearl City, open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Mondays. (Seating is not guaranteed together for parties greater than five. Breakfast and loco moco are available all day on Sundays, or until 11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.)

The 2018 Hale ‘Aina Awards ballot is now online! Vote for your favorite restaurants now through June 30 for a chance to win dining certificates from our Hale ‘Aina winners. Click here to vote now. Winners will be announced at the Hale ‘Aina Awards Ceremony on Sept. 17. Stay tuned to this page for updates.