Does It Still Stink at Happy Days? We Did a Sniff Test in Kaimukī

Left: Happy Days’ front entrance fenced off. Right: Happy Days’ back entrance facing the parking lot. Photos: Andrea Lee

It’s been a couple months since the roof collapsed at Happy Days, and ensuing reports of the stench of rotting food left behind have hurt nearby businesses. The same block of Wai‘alae Avenue houses seven restaurants: Maguro-Ya, Lotus Café, Kim Chee II, To Thai For Restaurant, Magoo’s Pizza, Honolulu Burger Co. and Nana Ai Katsu. So on Oct. 31, we conducted a sniff test at two of them.

We start at ground zero. Our conclusion is that the stink is noticeable at the back entrance of Happy Days, facing the parking lot. On Halloween, it definitely smells like rot. We were also in the area three days earlier after it had rained, and the stench was way stronger and danker then—we could smell it from the parking lot.

The side of Happy Days facing 11th Avenue. Photos: Andrea Lee

The fenced-off side facing 11th Avenue is pretty stinky, but there’s also a big dumpster there. The sidewalk is closed next to Happy Days, so no reason to walk over there anyway.

At Happy Days’ front entrance on Wai‘alae Avenue, there is no smell.

Maguro-Ya

Maguro-Ya maguro zukushi teishoku. Photos: Andrea Lee

Our sniff test at next-door restaurant Maguro-Ya reveals no detectable odor. Tables slowly fill on a Saturday at lunch. We order the maguro zukushi teishoku ($32), which features maguro prepared raw, grilled and deep-fried alongside a nice selection of side dishes.

Maguro-Ya owners Sumiko and Goro Obara. Photo: Andrea Lee

SEE ALSO: Where Time Stands Still: Maguro-Ya

Sumiko Obara, who runs the 26-year-old restaurant with her husband and sushi chef Goro, says the days after Happy Days’ roof collapse were the slowest since COVID. Business has been getting better, but she’s worried for the future. She’s grateful to customers—some of whom have left generous tips to help the restaurant survive—and hopes more people will come in. Since Maguro-Ya has separate walls from Happy Days, the potential sale of the Happy Days building and any subsequent renovations shouldn’t affect the Obaras’ restaurant.

3565 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 732-3775, Kaimukī, maguroyakaimuki.com, @maguroyakaimuki

Kim Chee II

Photos: Andrea Lee

Farther up the block at Kim Chee II, it smells completely normal. We get the meat jun plate ($20.50) of two full cutlets plus another half as well as rice and vegetables—easily enough for two people. The beef is so tender. I totally get why people say this is the best meat jun on O‘ahu.

As we pay, we chat with Nick Chun, third-generation co-owner of Kim Chee II. Chun says the first two weeks after Happy Days were slow, especially the weekends, but business has gotten better recently.

SEE ALSO:
Where Time Stands Still: Kim Chee II
It’s All in the Family at Kim Chee II, Our 2025 Hale ‘Aina Awards’ Old-School Restaurant We Love

Our sniff test proved that odors from Happy Days are limited to that restaurant’s back entrance and 11th Avenue side, so don’t let that stop you from visiting its neighbors. These restaurants need your support.

Andrea Lee is the digital editor of HONOLULU Magazine.