Oahu, February 14, 2018
He met me at the airport, gave me a traditional lei, a flower for my hair, and told me our plans for the evening. It was Valentine’s day, and Eun had made a reservation at a nice restaurant where we would celebrate not only Valentine’s, but also celebrate our dual birthdays. Eun, my partner had been in Hawai’i for two weeks before I had arrived. He had been staying at a hostel in Waikiki, but had booked an Airbnb in Kapolei for the extent of my seven day visit.
We started our adventure with one of the fanciest dinners either of us had ever had.
Introduction: Post-COVID Dining
It has been five years since we visited Hawai’i and since then a lot has happened. The most catastrophic on a worldwide level being COVID-19. We spent those years living in Seoul. Although Seoul never experienced a lockdown as many other places, we did have to deal with partial shutdowns, reduced shopping hours, and limited access to places like restaurants, shops, and museums. I feel grateful to have been in South Korea, particularly Seoul (Daegu had a much different experience) during the pandemic. Life amid COVID, at times was inconvenient, but it wasn’t unbearable. Tragically, people did die, the most in the first wave, and Daegu was hit the hardest. Yet, the number of deaths were low compared to many parts of the world (not that it diminishes the heartbreak). Neither of us lost our jobs, and during the first month, I was able to retain 75% of my pay even though I didn’t go to my work for the entire month due to closures. In the second year, we were able to travel all of South Korea with masks of course. We were lucky.
South Korea didn’t have complete lockdowns, but it still had its human and economic losses. Financially the industries that were hurt the most were restaurants, shopping, clubs, bars and tourism industries. Anything that had social interactions like jjimjilbangs, norabangs, and PC bangs were hurt as well. There were many stores and restaurants that closed either during or soon after COVID restrictions had been lifted. It was sad to see some of our favorite Seoul restaurants close in Itaewon, our neighborhood of five years. Itaewon is known for international cuisine.
I cannot say for certain if all of these places closed due to COVID specifically. It could not have been an easy time for small business owners, however, Seoul does have an uncanny practice of frequent openings and closings of businesses. A rapid turnover rate that is a bit like ferris wheel. It goes around once or twice before the seats get a new rider. Even before COVID, I never felt fully confident that a restaurant, even if the food and service was really good, would be there in a year. Whenever searching about a certain area of Seoul or South Korea I’d planned to visit, I’d read a blog about an amazing restaurant or cafe to find out later that it had closed.
We now live in New England, with very little access to fine or diverse cuisine and the combination of reminicing about Itaewon restaurants and the cold winter weather got me longing for Hawai’i. Eun and I visited Oahu back in 2018. Five years’ is a long time in the restaurant business, and I wondered which Oahu restaurants, where we had eaten, were still open. Did they make it through COVID-19? If someone found my recommendations on places to eat, would those places still exist? I decided to find out.
A Culinary Journey
Eating is a big part of travel. Aside from the fact that when you are traveling you often don’t want to cook nor do you have the adequate space to cook, eating the local cuisine is all a part of engaging in the beauty of a culture. It can be a culture far different from your own or something familiar, but it can intensify your visit. It may drive some people mad to see constant photo feeds of food from trips, but for other’s that’s what the travel is all about. Personally, I prefer to share photos of the sites, but I love me some good food. The Oahu food scene is diverse taking from many different cultures, but also the local Hawaiian cuisine is something really special.
We had a great dining experience in Oahu. During our trip to Hawai’i we went to eleven local eateries in Oahu. They ranged from an inexpensive burrito shack to high end fine dining. A combination of restaurants, cafes, dessert shops, and small eateries. Some places were traditional Hawaiian food and others a mix of cultural influences, but all were great.
So the big question: “Did they make it through COVID?”
Oahu culinary delights
- Helena’s
- Overeasy, Kailua
- Romy’s Prawns and Shrimp, Kahuku (North Shore)
- Maguro Bros’, Chinatown
- Kokonuts Shaved Ice
- Surf N Turf Tacos
- Honolulu Cookie Company
- Plantation Tavern
- The Marina
- A Lūʻau at Paradise Cove
- Alan Wong’s
- Conclusion
Helena’s Hawaiian Food
Still Open
Helena’s is proud to serve authentic and traditional Hawaiian food. This family owned Oahu restaurant opened in 1946 and more then 60 years later (and one pandemic) it is still thriving. You can get Kaula pig or short ribs served with rice and poi. Personally, I’m not a fan of poi which is a paste made from taro root, (my first experience eating poi was back in 1991 when I was living in Pearl City, Oahu) but if you are a lover of poi or just want to try it you can easily Ala cart it to your dish.
There are set menu’s you can choose. We picked this option as we really didn’t know how or what to order. Their current online menu offers the same food items and set options. I remember we ordered the set Menu C. This was the Kalua pork which was very tender and savory, and it came with pipikaula short ribs, and a dish of Lomi salmon which was a lot like ceviche.
We chose to have rice as a side dish. It was a small portion of food for the two of us. I think if we were to return I’d order a set and then one other item. We also tried Haupia, which is a coconut milk based dessert. It’s considered a pudding, but it is more gelatinous than the smooth whipped puddings. Its block style cut and texture is a lot like medium firm tofu. Eun was not a fan of the haupia, but I thought it was delicious. More for me.
1240 N School St, Honolulu, HI 96817, Tues-Fri, 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Closed Mondays
Overeasy, Kailua
Still Open
Located in Kailua this was possibly our favorite breakfast on the island. Then again, in all fairness we didn’t visit many breakfast places. However, according to reviews and a few foodie blogs, it is easily ranked as a top local favorite.
Similar to Helena’s, Overeasy is also a family owned business. Nik and Jennifer Lobendahn are a husband and wife duo that met while working at Alan Wong’s (our Valentines/birthday restaurant). The restaurant opened in 2016, and it looks as if they opened a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant, Easy ‘Que, in 2019. They also have a bakery where you can order custom made cakes, and a juice bar where you can get cold press juice with organic natural ingredients.
We drove across the island in a rainstorm to reach this place. It was a great meal and they had refill ice coffee which is something that you cannot get in most places in South Korea. We are both caffeine addicts so this was a huge bonus. Eun had the Kalua hash and eggs. It was a hearty sweet a savory dish with tender kalua pork and creamy egg yolks. I had a simple dish, the Over Easy Plate with beans and avocado with toast. It was delicious, but in retrospect I wish I had gone for something outside of the normie breakfast choices like The Brunch Bowl or the Custard French Toast. Doesn’t Custard French Toast sound amazing? I wish I could have it now. Everything was fresh, scrumptious, and very filling, also the staff was friendly. Our waiter was kind enough to take our picture.
418 Kuulei Rd #103, Kailua, HI 96734, Wed-Fri, 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. & Sat -Sun: 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. They are available for catering and private events.
* Onolicious Hawai’i has a food review on Overeasy and is where I found information on who owns the restaurant. For more details on the menu check out her blog.
Romy’s Prawns and Shrimp, Kahuku (North Shore)
Still Open
North Shore Oahu, 56-1030 Kam Hwy Kahuku
Fri-Tues, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Hours subject to change. Closed Mondays.
The North Shore has many shrimp shacks off the side of the road. We went to Romy’s and enjoyed a huge pile of fresh shrimp caught by the Romy crew that day. The shrimp are farmed right behind the food shack!
The location is different from the one we visited back in 2018, but it remains on the North Shore and continues to serve the same great food it has since 1978. Each order is freshly prepared and cooked while you wait, so the wait can be a little long. We got lucky and arrived right after a rush. Romy’s is also a family run restaurant. Family run is a theme I certainly love to support.
Eun said it was one of his favorite parts of our trip. Not only because the shrimp were so good, but also because this was the moment on our trip when we began talking about traveling together. The fact that we could do this; we could travel the world together, and experience good food, meet good people, and build a good life together; this dream became a possibility for us. It was at Romy’s while we peeled and ate shrimp that we started brainstorming about all the places we could go.
Maguro Bros’, Chinatown
Still Open
In Chinatown we visited Kekaulike market, and inside the market we discovered Maguro Bros. Following the pattern of the other restaurants we visited Maguro Bros’, yes you guessed it, is a family run business. This time we have two brothers Junichiro and Ryojiro Tsuchiya. Their Chinatown location which we visited opened in 2014, but they have another location in Waikiki that opened in 2016. The Waikiki location relocated in 2023.
Here we got a tasty poke bowl. Poke bowl’s are a Hawaiian dish of cuts of raw fish served over vegetables and rice. Maguro Bros’ add their Japanese influence to the dish and we had something like a cross between a poke bowl and sushi. Eun ordered Chu-Toro which was fatty tuna over rice. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of what I ordered, but I can tell you the ingredients: Octopus; yellowtail, ahi tuna, and salmon served over white rice. The fish was incredibly fresh, and so succulent that it melted in my mouth. The environment was interesting too as it was in the back of a busy market, and we were able to watch all the hustle and bustle of patrons and businesses. Open markets are a great place to people watch.
Chinatown Location
1120 Maunakea st., Honolulu, HI. Mon-Sat, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Waikiki Location
2250 Kalakaua Ave by, Royal Hawaiian Ave, Honolulu, HI. Mon-Sat, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Closed Sundays.
* Check out Onolicious Hawai’i’s blog post on Maguro Brothers for more details on the food selection.
Kokonuts Shaved Ice
Still Open
You can find Kokonuts at the Koko Marina Center in Honolulu. When you approach the glass doors you will see a huge photograph of former President Obama posing with a huge cone of shaved ice. It isn’t difficult to follow the eatings of Obama, since after all he did grow up on this beautiful island. I chose a medium shaved ice, and it was huge. The fine syrup soaked flakes melted in my mouth and gave me a delicious sugar rush. Kokonuts isn’t only a shaved ice shop. You can also find many tantalizing candies, snacks, açaí and Pitaya (dragon fruit) bowls, hotdogs and crepes. Fair warning you must bring cash because they have a ten dollar minimum on card purchases. It’s a lot of shaved ice to reach ten dollars.
7192 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, Hawaii. Open Daily, 10:30 a.m. to 7:00p.m.
Surf N Turf Tacos
Still Open
This was our last meal together in Hawaii. After a day of hanging out at the beaches of Waikiki playing in the warm February waters, stumbling past this little hole in the wall burrito and taco place was the perfect ending to the day. We both ordered the Ahi burritos with everything. The portion size was huge and very filling. I didn’t even finish mine. The place was small with limited seating, and on all the walls were surfing photos and surfing memorabilia. The chill laidback atmosphere lasted for about five minutes as we sat alone eating before it was suddenly interrupted by the early evening rush. Our timing was perfect as by the time we left there was a line outside the door.
2310 Kūhiō Ave., Honolulu, HI. Open Daily, 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Honolulu Cookie Company
Still Open
It isn’t too difficult to guess that this place would make it through the pandemic with 17 locations to help keep it afloat. The Honolulu Cookie company was created in 1998 by Keith and Janet Sung. They first started by making pineapple shaped shortbread cookies for wholesale to be sold in other stores, then by 2001 they had their own space in Kalihi. After opening multiple stores in Honolulu and Waikiki, they opened a store in Las Vegas in 2014, then in 2016, open a store in Guam. This is a great place to go if you want to bring back a little gift for friends, family or folks in the office. The stores have samples of every cookie, so you are able to try them all, and you will not be able leave without buying at least one cookie.
Honolulu Cookie Company has 17 locations. Most stores are located on Oahu, but there is one store on Maui, Las Vegas, and Guam.
Waikiki Shopping Plaza, 2250 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI. Open Daily, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Plantation Tavern
Still Open
We stayed in Kapolei which is about a 30 minute drive to Waikiki (on a low traffic day) and while there we went to a restaurant called Plantation Tavern. We ordered Ahi nachos which was good, but if you go, you must order the Portuguese bean soup. It was delicious. So good. I want some right now. I’m going to remember that soup for the rest of my life. It was a quick unplanned stop, so I didn’t get any photos. They are still open at their Kapolei location, and have opened a new restaurant called Monarch Poke in Aiea (where I used to live back in 1992).
590 Farrington Hwy, Kapolei, HI. Open Tues-Sun. Lunch hours, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dinner, 5:00 p.m. to Midnight. Closed Mondays.
The Marina
We booked a tour through Ko Olina Ocean Adventures. It was the Snorkel and lūʻau combo ticket. We took a boat out and had lunch then later went to the lūʻau. I had the Teriyaki Chicken and Eun had the Pulled Pork. It was not very good. We were not surprised as usually these hotel packages focus more on the tour and less on the food. It was your average cafeteria/airplane food.
A Lūʻau at Paradise Cove
A lūʻau is about food and celebration, but when you buy one of these combo deals through a hotel expect the food to be cooked to a dull palate. It reduces the complaints. We also were well aware that it was all performance and that we were not experiencing a true lūʻau, but since we didn’t have any friends or community in Hawai’i it was most likely the closest we would ever get to seeing the tradition. The people who work at Paradise Cove work very hard to give the patrons a wonderful evening, and we were grateful for the experience. We had all the traditional fixin’s like Lomi Lomi Salmon, Molokai sweet potatoes, haupia, and of course Kaula pig. It was all very good, but I didn’t feel like taking pictures of the food. We received a free Mai Tai when we first entered the Cove.
As I had mentioned, this lūʻau was all a part of a combination package through Ko Olina Ocean Adventures. At the time it cost $468.52 for both of us, but that was seven years ago. The cost for the same adventure today is $725.04 and that includes the fees, which have also doubled. Hope that minimum wage goes up. Its like that line from Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused “the cost of everything goes up and I have the same wage“. Oh, I guess that wasn’t the line. His line was a bit more disturbing.
Alan Wong’s
Closed
My first night in Oahu, Eun had booked us a reservation for Alan Wong’s. Out of all of the places that we visited seven years ago this is the only one that has closed. It was our first experience of fine dining and a great first experience.
Alan Wong’s was a big part of Oahu’s food scene and an amazing dining experience for us personally. Alan Wong’s closed its doors in November of 2020 after 25 years. Alan Wong was a recognized Chef that introduced Hawaiian culinary dishes and helped to establish Hawaiian food culture to the mainland and beyond. He started on a pineapple plantation and eventually ended up in the Big Apple learning his craft. He used local ingredients and advocated for local farming. His food was fresh, delicious, and I know first hand that his presentation was beautiful. There have been many celebrities and wealthy patrons who have enjoyed Alan Wong’s cuisine and amongst them former President Obama. While in office Obama invited Alan Wong to cater a lūʻau at the White House in 2009. You can read more about his life and contributions at Mashed.
In truth, we wouldn’t normally go to this nice of a restaurant as it isn’t often in our budget, but it was a special occasion; Valentine’s and our birthdays, so we splurged on the $200 plus dollar meal. The menu was set, and it was priced at 100$ a set. I myself have never spent so much on a meal in my life, and I must add that we didn’t include any alcohol in the menu. Prior to the meal we shared one drink, and seven years later I no longer remember the price. However, I remember the flavor. The meal included six courses. The portion sizes were small and beautiful like little tiny bits of art on a plate.
I once devoted an entire post to the meal on my now closed blog Put a Pin in That. Since the blog is gone I’ve attached the thing here making this post quite long. Read on if you like or skip to the conclusion. My feelings wont be hurt and Alan Wong’s is no longer open, so this menu is written in eulogy.
The Meal
The drink: Cherry Chocolate Boiler
This drink can be consumed two or three different ways. You can drink them each separately, or mix two and drink one, or you can mix them all together into one glass. The glass on the left is a chocolate stout. The chocolate smell and flavor were very strong, but there was also a thick stout flavor. It was rich and smooth, and very creamy. The glass on the right is the cherry beer. It had a sweet cherry scent and flavor with a light crisp taste. The small shot glass was an infused cherry vodka with a fermented tart black cherry.
I opted to taste each one separately, and then later mix the three together.
The first course: Oyster Shooter
This was delish! It had a rich yet subtle drop of crème fraîche that didn’t distract from the oyster.
The second course: Soup and sandwich
Chilled tomato soup, grilled hawaiian island goat dairy mozzarella cheese, foie gras, Kalua pig sandwich
I’m not a fan of foie gras because of how it is made, but since it was already a part of the course we tried it. It was tasty in a fatty kind of way. It was a small portion but very rich and filling. Aside from the ethics, it’s also way too rich for me, but all of the flavors complimented and blended into a buttery sandwich that was chilled by the tomato soup.
Third course: Butter poached Kona cold lobster
Hamakua Eryngii mushrooms, green onion oil
Wow. The first bite was like sampling the Pacific Ocean.
Fourth course: Ginger crusted Onaga
Long tail red snapper Miso sesame vinaigrette, mushrooms and corn. It was too creamy for my taste buds, although the snapper was cooked to perfection.
Fifth course: Twice cooked short rib
soy braised and grilled Kalbi style ginger shrimp, Kochu dang sauce
Don’t be fooled by the small portions. The food was extremely rich and heavy. We ate slowly savoring each bite, and allowing all the flavors to settle onto our tongues. By the end of the meal we were both full.
Dessert: The coconut Waialua chocolate crunch bars
Inside the coconut was handmade coconut ice cream. My god it was delicious! The chocolate was rich, dark and incredibly sweet. I had never experienced a sugar high until that moment. Eun and I both got the giggles from the sweetness. I now understand the meaning of “chocolate wasted”.
Two birthday cakes
Eun had told them that we were also celebrating our birthdays so they gave us slices of cake to celebrate. This was wonderful, but after the last desert it was difficult to eat because we were already so high from chocolate and full from the meal.
*For more on Alan Wong’s read Martha Cheng’s article in Honolulu Magazine.
Conclusion
Thank you for following me down memory lane’s gastronomic adventures in Oahu. I know that it was a lot to swallow (pun intended). I’m not a food writer, and there will not be many posts on food, but as storms continue to rage across the Eastern U.S. and the few restaurant in the area which are still more than 20 miles away, sit dark and still waiting out the winter, I think of warms sands and delicious grilled shrimp drowned in garlic butter. I hope you enjoyed this mini Oahu dining guide.
I’m glad to know that nearly all the restaurants remain open and survived the pandemic. Restaurant resilience is not easy, and honestly, I was surprised to see all but one remained open. If you happen to be on Oahu to escape the winter snows and ice be sure to check out one of these local eateries. Leave a comment if there is a change in location or opening hours, or if you just want to say hello.
Thank you for reading.
An Accidental Vagabond
An Accidental Vagabond 