There’s a new burger place on Bishop Street

It's the cousin of Pauoa's Burgers and Things — but with breakfast and pau hana

July 12, 2018

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta,

Burger lovers know Pauoa’s Burgers and Things for its superhero-themed decor and burgers with names like Wagyu Say? A popular Swedish TV show even proclaimed its Doe a Deer venison burger as the “World’s Best Burger.”

Well, Downtown, as of this week, these burgers are now on Bishop Street.

Burgers on Bishop is in the TOPA Tower. There’s no restaurant sign yet.

Burgers on Bishop is located right under Bar Leather Apron in the TOPA Tower. Owner Elizabeth Hata-Watanabe, who started marketing for Burgers and Things in 2016, launched downtown delivery this year and found enough demand to look for a space. She describes the Downtown spot as an “elevated caliber” version of Burgers and Things.

It’s quiet in the mornings, but already slammed during lunch.

The bigger menu caters to the Downtown crowd with breakfast, dessert, more lunch options including bigger salads and Friday pau hana.

Breakfast starts at 8 a.m. with grab-and-go items like fresh-baked croissants, acai bowls, fresh fruit cups and coffee from Kona Coffee Purveyors. Tthe entire burger and sandwich lineup is available from 8 a.m. as well.

Acai bowls are large and a good value at $5.15.

Soft, flaky croissants are baked in house ($2.50).

The burger selection features familiar items from Burgers and Things, but they’re not exactly the same. Recipes have been revamped, so Downtown’s wagyu burger ($13.15), teriyaki burger ($8.15), all-American burger ($8.15) and Niihau lamb burger ($14.15) are all 2.0 versions.

Beer-battered ($4.15) and teriyaki fries ($5.15).

There are three versions of sidewinder fries: beer-battered ($4.15), teriyaki ($5.15) and garlic & truffle ($5.15), each one big enough to split between two people. Sandwiches have brioche buns and come with slightly sweet housemade pickles.

Southern-style crispy chicken ($10.15) sammie with honey pesto slaw.

I love fried chicken, so I was all over this behemoth. The chicken is crispy and juicy, and the honey pesto slaw has a subtly sweet aftertaste.

Croque Madame ($8.15) has smoked ham and Vermont cheddar in béchamel sauce, and it’s topped with a sunnyside up egg.

But my favorite is the Croque Madame because it embodies breakfast in every way possible. I love that the ham’s smokiness is balanced by the melted cheddar and rich béchamel. Once the oozing egg yolk’s all over everything, I’m not sharing.

The Wedge salad ($8.15): iceberg lettuce, slab bacon, housemade bleu cheese dressing, bleu cheese crumbles and egg.

I love bleu cheese, so I get excited whenever I see wedge salads. This one has a good amount of creamy bleu cheese dressing and thick cuts of bacon.

Portobello mushroom ($8.15) sammie has avocado, sautéed Maui onions, spinach and sundried tomato pesto.

The portobello mushroom sandwich delivers an explosion of flavor in every bite.

Now for the fun part: Every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., there’ll be a BYOB pau hana. Pau hana items are generous and designed to be shared.

The Bishop burger ($15.25) features an 11-ounce flame-grilled beef patty. You’ll want to share to avoid a food coma.

See what I mean? This monster of a burger is impossible to fit into my mouth all at once. I’m immediately a fan because the juicy beef is topped with bleu d’Auvergne cheese, slab bacon, crimini mushrooms and beer-battered crispy onions. The easiest way to tackle this is to squash it down Guy Fieri style, and take the biggest bite you possibly can.

Also on the Pau Hana menu: a 30-ounce bone-in Cowboy steak ($65.25), braised short ribs with creamy polenta and pan-roasted brussels sprouts ($21.25), a one-pound crab bucket ($35.25) and more.

Campfire cookies are a classic twist on S’mores, but less messy.

Hata-Watanabe plans to start pop-ups and wine dinners at some point. And if you’re wondering about parking, the restaurant validates parking in the Topa Tower.

Burgers on Bishop
745 Fort St. (ground floor of Topa Tower)
Downtown
586-2000
Mon-Thurs 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Fri, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Validated parking in Topa Tower
https://www.burgersonbishop.com/