Ahi & Vegetable - Kapalama

 Some nights call for something quick, healthy-ish, and satisfying--and that's exactly how we ended up at Ahi & Vegetable. We were in Kalihi and I suggested it to my hubby as an easy dinner option. I ordered the ahi, salmon, cali, poke bento, while my hubby went with the chirashi. Both meals came with a bowl of miso soup. Is it the greatest sushi you'll ever have? No--but it's a great option when you're in the mood for sushi but don't want to break the bank. The portions are solid, the fish is fresh, and best of all, the food comes out fast. Simple, affordable.

AHI & VEGETABLE - KAPALAMA 

1210 DILLINGHAM BLVD.

808-458-4935

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Guieb Café (Kalihi)

This past weekend, my friend and I decided to check out Guieb Café in Kalihi — a small, local-favorite brunch spot that’s been on our radar for a while. We arrived mid-morning and ended up waiting about 10 minutes for a table. Not bad, considering the café's size and apparent popularity among locals. 

We ordered two dishes to share: the Ube Haupia French Toast and the Golden Fried Chicken with Poi Mochi Waffle (an extra $3 upgrade).

The French toast was visually stunning — ube anything tends to be Instagram gold — but flavor-wise, it leaned more toward subtle than standout. It wasn’t overly sweet, and while the ube was present, it didn’t steal the show. Still, it was a fun dish to try.

Now, the golden fried chicken? That was the star of the meal. The skin was perfectly crisp, and the chicken stayed juicy and flavorful all the way through. As for the poi mochi waffle, I honestly couldn’t tell it was made with mochi flour. I even double-checked with the staff to confirm we got the right one. It was fine, but not memorable — especially considering the $3 upcharge.

Portions were generous, and the staff was friendly and welcoming throughout our visit.

Would I come back? Probably, especially for the fried chicken. Just might skip the waffle next time.

Open Daily 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

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Guieb Café, Kalihi

1311 North King Street

808-913-2131

 

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Tanaka Saimin

Honestly I was never a huge fan of Tanaka Saimin on Nimitz. When compared against other old school simian houses on Oahu (Dillingham Saimin, Washington Saimin Stand, Palace Saimin, Jane's Fountain), it was never on the top of my list.  However, I recently dined here for lunch for a business meeting, and I was pleasantly surprised with the food. 

Saimin

Although it's not the saimin that I was impressed with - it was the yakitori chicken plate and lilikoi chiffon dessert that yielded the WOW factor!

The plate came with a choice of two sides - I chose rice and fried saimin, but the next time I come here, I'm going to get the chicken with fried saimin x 2.  There's just something magical about yakitori chicken and fried noodles.  They go so well together!

I reluctantly ordered dessert (I was really full, but we weren't done with our meeting and so we ordered dessert so that we could stretch out our time at the table), but I ended up devouring the lilikoi chiffon. It was very light and airy, just as chiffon should be.

The restaurant was full during the lunch hour. Apparently this is a popular place for lunch! 

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TANAKA SAIMIN
888 N. Nimitz Highway (
808-524-2020

 

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Bob's Bar-B-Que

Bob's Bar-B-Que has been around for over 40 years, and I have driven past it MANY times, yet I have actually never tried their plates until now.  The boys and I were heading home from the husband's office down the street and I decided to stop at Bob's to pick up dinner to-go. 

One son wanted to try the teriyaki chicken, and that sounded good to me too, so I ordered a regular plate of teriyaki chicken....

and a mini plate of the kalua pig for the other son. 

I like how they serve the Mac salad in a separate container (since the boys don't eat Mac salad and they will not eat anything that touches it!).

Both plates were given two thumbs up by my picky eaters! The kalua pork was very moist! The teriyaki  chicken plate came with a good amount of chicken, enough for another meal the next day.  We will definitely be back to try their other items like the kal bi and hibachi style bbq chicken!

Open everyday from 6:30 AM to 11:00 PM. 

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BOB'S BAR-B-QUE
1366 DILLINGHAM BLVD.
808-842-3663

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Utage Restaurant + Lounge

 

To celebrate my mom's birthday, we went out to dinner at Utage Restaurant + Lounge in Kalihi. We chose Utage for it's Japanese menu, keiki menu, and parking right in front of the restaurant!

The kids love the keiki menu because it has their favorite dishes, and it includes a drink and dessert.  

keiki saimin

They love green river! 

keiki chicken karaage

I didn't want to get a complete meal, so I ordered a side order of ahi tempura. It came with ahi as well as assorted vegetable tempura. It was the perfect amount of food for me.

The husband ordered oxtail soup from the Okinawan Dishes section of the menu. Can't find a bowl of oxtail soup like this at too many places nowadays.

My mom, the guest of honor, ordered the Utage Special with shrimp tempura, grilled salmon and ahi poke (3 choice). Great choices mom!

The keiki meals include dessert - if there is green tea on the menu, I will always choose it!

Closed on Sunday & Monday.

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UTAGE RESTAURANT + LOUNGE
1286 KALANI STREET (next to Young's Fish Market)
808-843-8109 

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Pancakes & Waffles - Kalihi

A friend treated us to breakfast at Pancakes & Waffles in Kalihi. What I like about this restaurant is that you can place your order online, and enjoy your food in the restaurant. You can also order at the restaurant, but you'll need to wait in line to place your order (during peak times), then wait for your order.

I was only able to get photos of half of what we ordered (due to a table of very hungry kids!), but here's what I did manage to capture:

2-piece cornbread waffles

Loco  Moco

Honey-butter chicken and waffles

I was most impressed by the honey-butter chicken and waffles - it came with three large, crispy pieces of fried chicken. This dish can easily be shared among two people.  My friend ordered the loco moco and she barely made a dent in it. The next time I dine here, we will do it family style for sure!

Click here for more information or to place your order online - be sure you're placing your order for the correct location (they have another location in Waimalu). 

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PANCAKES & WAFFLES

City Square Shopping Center (Kalihi)

1284 Kalani Street Ste.D100

(808) 847-7770

 

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Greek Aloha Kitchen

Opa! You can now get authentic Greek cuisine from a small hole in the wall in Kalihi called Greek Aloha Kitchen. The only catch is that they're only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4:30 pm. I pre-ordered by meal on Thursday for Saturday pick up, as I wanted to be sure they wouldn't sell out on the items that I wanted to try.

I was familiar with their location because I used to come here when JS Lumpia Spot was operating here. If you're heading in the makai direction on Liliha Street, stay in the right lane, because right after you cross the Vineyard Blvd. intersection, you're going to turn right into the first driveway on your right (the building is on the corner of Vineyard and Liliha). It's a narrow driveway, but it opens up to a handful of parking spots.  Look for the door on the left (as you face the building from the parking lot).

The food was excellent! Three of us whacked it all and felt full afterwards. If you're dining with a friend, I highly recommend the Mount Olympus as it's only $3 more than the regular gyro, but you get twice the amount, plus melted mozzarella cheese.  

Walk-ins are welcome, but it's best to order in advance. They now accept orders via chownow! 

 

Mousaka - eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, topped with ground beef and a creamy bechamel

Mount Olympus - pork, onions, tomatoes, cheese, tzatziki sauce, sandwiched between two pitas 
(basically a double gyro!)

Cross-section of the Mount Olympus

Tripleta - bacon wrapped chicken, chicken, and pork skewers, served with onions, tomatoes,
tzatziki sauce, pita bread, and curry mustard

Bougatsa with Chocolate Ganache - vanilla bean semolina custard wrapped in filo
(chocolate is optional and added upon request)

Entrance is behind the building

 

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GREEK ALOHA KITCHEN
517 N. VINEYARD BLVD.

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Ethel's Grill

Ethel's Grill, a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the industrial area of Kalihi, has continued to offer its popular local plate lunches on a take-out basis throughout the COVID-10 pandemic. They decided to stick to the take-out business model for the remainder of the year, which is great news to folks like myself who prefer to get my meals to-go vs. dine-in.

The mochiko chicken is one of my most favorite plate lunches of all time. The chicken is plump and juicy, and the ginger ponzu dipping sauce is what really makes their mochiko chicken stand out from anyone else's.  

The garlic chicken is also a great choice! 

All plates come with a cup of soup. 

Cash only! Phone orders accepted!  Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

ETHEL'S GRILL

232 Kalihi Street

(808) 847-6467

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Yohei Sushi Restaurant

Yohei Sushi Restaurant has been one of my family's favorite Japanese restaurants for years. We don't come here nearly as often as we used to, and in fact, my sister-in-law reminded me during our most recent visit that the last time we came here as a family was over 6 years ago. 

The restaurant hasn't changed much at all - the sushi chefs and waitresses all looked familiar (and I believe they recognized us as well, after all these years), and the food is still authentic and presented well.

One of my favorite dinner sets at Yohei is the Maguro Tempura. The maguro is moist and the tempura is crispy!

Another popular dish here is the Butterfish Misoyaki - broiled to perfection and not overly drenched in Misoyaki sauce.

On this particular night they were out of green tea jello, so I settled for their coffee jello.

Reservations are highly recommended, and they recently started opening on Sundays for dinner service!

YOHEI SUSHI RESTAURANT

1111 Dillingham Blvd

(808) 841-3773

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Ethel's Grill

Those who know me best know that I don't like to go to restaurants with a lack of parking or long waits.

However, I found myself at Ethel's Grill in Kalihi one Saturday morning, which is known for their lack of parking and long waits, because a couple of out-of-town friends wanted to dine there. 

Luckily, we were able to find street parking quickly, and there was no wait for a table.

Mochiko Chicken

Oxtail Saimin

Saimin

Ahi Tataki

I ordered a saimin, and I thought it was okay.  I don't normally eat breakfast, and we were there at 9am, so I barely ate anything and had one of my friends finish it off.  

One of my friends ordered the Mochiko Chicken, which I would've wanted to try if it was later in the day, since Nat said it was good.

The Oxtail Saimin was an enormous serving.  I don't think I've ever seen a bowl that big before for saimin!

My two friends finished off everything and they loved the food.

The restaurant is definitely no-frills, and if you're willing to search for parking and possibly wait for a table, visit Ethel's for local-style comfort food.


Ethel's Grill
232 Kalihi Street
Honolulu HI 96819
(808) 847-6467

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