Elena's March Special

Elena's is my go-to for Filipino food, and March's special has all my faves!  For $18.75, you'll get Pork Adobo Fried Rice Omelette, Pansit, Lechon Special, and Gisantes.  My favorite is the Gisantes, but I love all of it!

And of course the Elena's Pack ($65.99) is always a hit with the family.  It includes:

Pork Adobo

Sari Sari

Pork Adobo Fried Rice Omelette

8 Scoops of Rice

Gisantes

Pansit

Lechon Special

Elena's always brings back fond memories of when I used to dine there as a child with my grandparents.

I can always count on Elena's for delicious and nostalgic foods.

Elena's
94-866 Moloalo St
Waipahu, HI 96797
(808) 676-8005

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Elena's

I love Elena's.  It just reminds me of spending time with my grandparents, and of course the food is just so delicious.  The taste, the aromas - everything just brings me back to my childhood.

We recently did take-out, where we once again ordered the Elena's Pack.  It's such a great value.  For $59.99 you get: 

Pork Adobo Fried Rice Omelette

Pansit

White Rice

Sari Sari

Pork Adobo

Lechon Special

Gisantes

We also added on Shanghai Spring Rolls.  

My fave is the Gisantes.  The tomato sauce is just so recognizable and I could just eat it with rice and be happy.  I also loved the Pansit and the Lechon Special.  

It was so much food - we had enough leftovers for a hearty dinner!

Elena's recently celebrated 50 years, and here's to another 50 of dishing out Filipino favorites!

Elena's
94-866 Moloalo St
Waipahu, HI 96797
(808) 676-8005

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PESO

I was eager to try out PESO, not only because it's new on O`ahu, but also because of my Filipino heritage, as PESO is a Filipino-focused eatery, offering Filipino fusion cuisine.

Empanadas

Baon "Bento"

Baon is a the Filipino equivalent of the Japanese bento.  It came with lumpia, rice, and pancit, and you could opt for one of several main entrees.  My tablemate asked the co-founder for his recommendation, so he ended up getting the Sisig, which is spicy (and he likes spicy).  I liked the lumpia, which was served with a Thai-inspired sauce.

Fried Chicken

The Fried Chicken sandwich was enormous!  It came with two (yes two) pieces of crispy fried and juicy chicken topped with atchara (green papaya) pickles, which gave it a nice tang.  It was so huge, it lasted me 3 meals!

Fries

I of course had to get some fries to accompany my sandwich.

Chicken Adobo French Dip Sandwich

We were generously gifted this Chicken Adobo French Dip Sandwich (probably because my tablemate is a world-renowned Chef).  The Chicken Sandwich included Provolone and crispy chicken skin.

The service was friendly and I thought the food was good, and I appreciated the focus on Filipino cuisine.  There were some familiar flavors that reminded me of my grandparents!

PESO
1200 Ala Moana Blvd Ste 665

Honolulu, HI 96814

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Breakfast at Dana's Restaurant & Catering

I recently went back to Dana's Restaurant & Catering to try out their breakfast.  Dana's offers both American and Filipino breakfasts.

Farmer John Omelette

Adobo Fried Rice with Longsilog

I opted for the Farmer John Omelette, which consisted of bacon, onions, tomato, and cheddar. I thought it was good, and it was a generous serving.

My friend ordered the Adobo Fried Rice with Longsilog. It was so much food! She said she wished the fried rice was more vinegary, but she did like the sausage.

Prices are very reasonable, and service was great.

Dana's Restaurant & Catering
94-235 Hanawai Cir

Waipahu, HI96797

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Shay's Filipino Cafe

A couple of days ago I met some friends for brunch at Shay's Filipino Cafe, which opened up in Waipio a few months ago.

Eggs and Things

Sweet Fried Rice Longganisa Omelette

Inside the omelette

I had the Sweet Fried Rice Longganisa Omelette. It was basically just seasoned rice with sliced sausages wrapped up in eggs.  I was expecting more ingredients to be in the fried rice, but overall I thought it was good (and my husband enjoyed the leftovers).

When the server put the omelette in front of me, I was shocked, and one of my friends laughed at how huge it was.  It could have easily fed us all.

My two friends both ordered the Eggs and Things.  You get a choice of white rice, toast, or pancakes, and a choice of meats (they both got Lechon).

Shay's does offer non-Filipino dishes (e.g pancakes, corned beef omelettes, French toast, etc.) for breakfast.

Prices are reasonable, portions are huge, and service was excellent.

Shay's Filipino Cafe
97-1040 Waipio Uka St,

Waipahu, HI 96797
(808) 892-1793

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Breakfast at Elena's - Home of Finest Filipino Foods

The last time I went to Elena's Filipino Restaurant was when I was a kid and it was in a different location in Waipahu.  I would visit quite often with family, and I always enjoyed the Filipino dishes, but on this visit I went for breakfast.

Elena's Breakfast Special - Bacon, Eggs, Hotcake (below)

Hotcake

Banana Hotcakes

Regular Fried Rice Omelet

Inside the Fried Rice Omelet

Hotcakes

Sausage Sampler

I had the Regular Fried Rice (Bacon, SPAM, Portuguese Sausage, Ham) Omelet. It was huge, and very tasty.

My kids shared the Hotcakes, Banana Hotcakes, and the Elena's Breakfast Special (choice of meat, 2 eggs any style, choice of starch for $7.99).  The pancakes were big, fluffy, and delicious!

Price were very reasonable, and the service was friendly and efficient.

Next time I hope to go back to try some of my favorite Filipino dishes!


Elena's - Home of Finest Filipino Foods
94-866 Moloalo St
Waipahu, HI 96797
(808) 676-8005

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Breakfast at Thelma's Filipino Restaurant

Although Thelma's Filipino Restaurant has been serving customers in Waipahu for over 20 years, it wasn't until last week that I stepped inside the restaurant for the first time to meet a friend for breakfast.

Fried Rice with Scrambled Eggs

The Fried Rice underneath the Eggs

Two Hotcakes

Thelma's Breakfast Special

I ordered the Fried Rice, which comes with two Eggs any style.  The Fried Rice was very tasty - complete with Bacon, Portuguese Sausage, and SPAM.  The Fried Rice and Eggs made for a very hearty breakfast - I took home half to eat for dinner!

My son devoured his Hotcakes, and my friend ordered the Thelma's Breakfast Special, which consists of Lechon Kawali with Tomato, Onion, Shoyu, 2 Eggs, and Rice, Toast, or Hotcake.

Service was friendly, but also seemed a bit lacking (our server never came around to refill our waters), but the food was great and the prices very reasonable. 

I'd definitely give Thelma's Filipino Restaurant another try, and perhaps dine there during lunch or dinner to try some of their Filipino dishes!

Thelma's Filipino Restaurant
94-366 Pupupani St # 116
Waipahu, HI 96797
(808) 677-0443

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