O‘ahu Adventure Day: 7 Hours in ‘Ewa Beach

At HONOLULU Magazine, we’re admittedly town-centric. But when the opportunity for a trip out to ‘Ewa Beach came up, three of us on staff decided to make it worthwhile by planning an adventure day that avoided rush hour traffic and included plenty of sweet treats. Here’s our itinerary of things to do in ‘Ewa Beach to make the most of the trip.

Bird of Paradise Restaurant at Hawai‘i Prince Golf Club

Noon

There are some nice spots for coffee in ‘Ewa, such as Local Joe West, but rather than fight traffic to get there early enough for breakfast, we opted for a late start. It took us about 30 minutes from the Punchbowl onramp to Hawai‘i Prince Golf Club, which features three interchangeable nine-hole courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay and—the real reason we came—its Bird of Paradise restaurant. It’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with happy hour Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., during which time you can enjoy $4 domestic beers, $5 premium beers and $5 off pitchers.

The Prince Pūpū Platter (left) and Jibiru lagers and a plantation iced tea. Photos: Katrina Valcourt

The cool, crisp Hawai‘i Prince x Aloha Beer collab Jibiru lager ($7 a pint) is a great way to get into the mood of a midday golf course lunch. Its citrusy notes and lemongrass aroma make it a sublime choice to sip with the crispy pūpū options.

If you’re hungry and come with a group, order the Prince Pūpū Platter ($27), which comes with lechon, salmon collar, karaage chicken, two musubi and edamame. It’s a lot of tasty, shareable bites for a reasonable price. We also enjoyed the grilled hot dog with onion rings ($12) so much that we ordered another—definitely load up on the sauerkraut and miso mustard.

Photo: Katrina Valcourt

Something about eating pūpū with your friends on a breezy lānai on a Thursday afternoon, overlooking smooth golf greens, a rippling pond, palm trees and bird-of-paradise plants, makes the food taste even better. Cheers to Thursday!

91–1200 Fort Weaver Road, ‘Ewa Beach, (808) 952-4784, hawaiiprincegolf.com

Photos: Katrina Valcourt

Hawaiian Humane Society Kosasa Family Campus

1:30 p.m.

The Hawaiian Humane Society’s Kosasa Family Campus at Ho‘opili opened two years ago, spanning 5 acres of greenery, winding paths, shaded outdoor tables and charming house-like pavilions for the animals. It’s a beautiful place, which is why folks come just to hang out or even work here with the free Wi-Fi while taking breaks with the cats or dogs.

You’re welcome to walk the dogs, who will benefit from a little “sniffari” session where they can smell out the latest news around the campus. We also checked out the off-leash The Schuler Family Foundation and Jones Family Community Dog Park, which is set to open on May 31. When it’s finished, people and vetted pets (must be microchipped, vaccinated and spayed/neutered) will be able to get fob access to fenced green spaces with gentle hills, rocks, trees and play structures. One area will be for big dogs, another for small dogs. Free registration is open online.

If you’re not ready or able to adopt but craving canine company, sign up for ‘Īlio Explorers on Thursdays at 9 or 10 a.m. The program lets you take a dog out for the day to stretch their legs, get enrichment and hopefully meet potential adopters.

In the cat pavilions, there are indoor playrooms, screened catios and kennels where you can meet the kitties. During our visit, surprisingly, only a few cats were around—which is good news—with many kittens being fostered out at the time.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Speaking of kittens, we got to meet some—Stout and Porter, who were just a couple weeks old (and will soon be available for adoption). Brandy Shimabukuro, Manager of Communications at HHS, showed us how she fed the two brothers she was fostering. Since it’s kitten season and they require feeding several times a day, many neonate fosters are needed. If you want to join the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, here’s where you can apply.

91-1945 Fort Weaver Road, ‘Ewa Beach, hawaiianhumane.org, @hawaiianhumane

SEE ALSO: Sneak Peek: Hawaiian Humane Society Opens a New Animal Shelter in West O‘ahu

Ho‘opili Shops

3 p.m.

Photos: Katrina Valcourt

Afternoon in ‘Ewa is hot, so we headed to Sage Creamery for a pick-me-up—delicious pīkake matcha and hojicha lattes ($8)—and ice cream for later. Each month, Sage posts its specials online, including collabs with other local businesses. Since we went in April, we snagged pints of Merrie Monarch (Kō Hana Rum ice cream with house-made strawberry jam), Mānoa Rocky Road (70% Mānoa Chocolate, Ka‘ū mac nuts, marshmallows) and Royal Creem Cracker (a collab with Diamond Bakery). Co-owner Zach Villanueva gave us a tip about a new venture, Haus of Puas, that just opened across the street, so on we went.

Photos: Andrea Lee

The flower shop is run by Thrd Haus, a community hub-slash-gathering space. Expect custom bouquets of farm-fresh and dried flowers, plants, locally made floral wares, and special deals on bouquets and lei. The dried bouquet we got made the car smell amazing on the drive home.

Around the corner, we made a quick stop into Little Manila Market, which fills all your Filipino snack and ingredient needs.

Sage Creamery, 91-3575 Kauluakoko St. #3005, ‘Ewa Beach, sagecreamery.com, @sagecreamery

Haus of Puas, 91-3633 Kauluakoko St. #5003, ‘Ewa Beach, hausofpuas.co, @hausofpuas

Little Manila Market, 91-3633 Kauluakoko St. #5004, ‘Ewa Beach, @little_manila_market

Wai Kai

4 p.m.

Photo: Katrina Valcourt

Though we weren’t hungry yet, we drove to Wai Kai, where we knew we’d eventually have dinner (this proved to be a great idea because by the time we left around 6:30, the parking area was overflowing down the street). The AquaVenture obstacle course had a handful of people on it, so we watched them and some of the native birds in the area for a bit before checking out The LineUp.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Amateur and professional surfers took on the waves in the pool for a few minutes at a time, practicing moves or just riding for fun. Kekoa Cazimero, a local pro, hosts a surf experience with hands-on coaching at The LineUp a few days a week, but it looked like he was just there for fun. There were plenty of tables to sit and watch from, though you can also grab a drink from The Lookout while you hang out.

SEE ALSO: We Tried It: Wai Kai Lagoon and Surf Park in ‘Ewa Beach

Photo: Thomas Obungen

In the parking lot, ‘Ono Grindz & Mākeke runs 4 to 8 p.m. every Thursday. It’s smaller than some of the pop-up food markets we’re used to in town, but there are plenty of vendors we haven’t seen elsewhere, such as Kababa Mama, OG Salsa, The Savellano’s Lechon and Hometown BBQ. Keep an eye out for the Hawaiian Humane Society, which hosts periodic dog adoption events here too; the next one will be on May 29 from 4 to 6 p.m.

SEE ALSO: Roll With It: Mediterranean Pita Smash Burgers at Kababa Mama

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Since we were still full from all the other eating we did earlier in the day, we just got a few dishes to share: the falafel smash from Kababa Mama plus a half pound of brisket ($18) and a brisket chili bowl from Hometown BBQ. We took our food to a nearby table, a lucky find as the lawn filled up with ‘Ewa residents setting up on their picnic blankets.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Though meatless, the falafel smash did not lack for flavor with the sauce, spices, feta and veggies. It balanced the juicy, fork-tender brisket (the portion of which was good enough for another two meals after we all nibbled at it). The brisket chili bowl was hefty and hearty, full of onions, jalapeños, sour cream and brisket chili all on a bed of rice. If you want one bowl to feed a few people, look no further than Hometown’s chili.

After dinner, stick around for the surf show at The LineUp every Thursday from 7 to 7:30 p.m., when surfers tear up the waves amid glowing lights.

91-1621 Keoneula Blvd., ‘Ewa Beach, waikai.com, @waikailineup, @onogrindzandmakeke

Andrea Lee is the digital editor of HONOLULU Magazine.

Thomas Obungen is the associate editor of Frolic Hawai‘i.

Katrina Valcourt is the executive editor of HONOLULU Magazine.