Honu's Kalbi & Sushi

I've been curious about Honu's Kalbi & Sushi ever since they opened, since they've been offering 10% off for their grand opening plus 3% cash discount. I love discounts!

I was starving when I came here, so I knew I would opt for one of their grab-n-go offerings.

They have Korean and Japanese style maki and sushi options.

The poke bowls caught my eye and I chose the one that had salmon, ahi and crab salad.

After the discounts were applied, I paid less than $8 for this poke bowl!

 At this price, I would get this again. It's not the best poke bowl on the island, but it's decent, and you won't find a better deal elsewhere. 

I'm planning to return soon to try some of their plates, such as their kalbi, since that is their namesake!

I've noticed that the parking lot is getting busier as the building fills up with tenants. Just keep this in mind if you're heading down here.

Current hours: Monday - Saturday 10AM - 7PM (Closed Sundays)

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Honu's Kalbi & Sushi
755 Kapahulu Avenue
808-200-3271

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Pai Cafe

We were in Kapahulu looking for a quick snack for the four of us .. the son wanted a smoothie from Mango Mango, so we pulled into the parking lot of the Wong Long Building, and noticed a place called "Pai Cafe" next door, so we went to check it out after picking up a smoothie for the son. 

We picked up an acai bowl and blueberry scone to-go, both were excellent!

The acai was nice and creamy, not icy like how some places prepare it. It came with a good amount of blueberries, strawberries, and bananas, drizzled with organic honey. 

The blueberry scone came with big blueberries in it, which made this scone very moist. I'm normally not a fan of scones (because they tend to be dry), but I couldn't put this one down. I had intended to just take a few bites, but ended up devouring the whole thing.  

Current hours are Monday - Saturday 6AM - 3PM, Sundays 8AM - 3PM.

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Pai Cafe

755 Kapahulu Avenue

Instagram: @paicafekapahulu

 

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Mango Mango opens in Kapahulu

 

Mango Mango, a franchise which originated in New York's Chinatown, now has three locations on Oahu. The third location just opened in a newly constructed building along Kapahulu Avenue, just minutes from Waikiki.  

The boys and I went to get in on their Grand Opening special, which runs through Sunday, June 25. 

One of the specials is buy one classic dessert (menu item A1-A12), and you get one drink for free!

This worked out perfect for us, because one son loves their Strawberry Mango Juice Sago & Lychee Jelly w/Mango Ice Cream  (menu item A3) .... 

and the other son always gets their strawberry smoothie-o and adds boba for an extra charge.  

The next day I went with some friends and tried a couple of menu items that are not part of the grand opening promotions, but yummy nonetheless - Strawberry Nutella Crepe (pictured above)...

and the Oreo Mille Crepes Cake (slice).  Both desserts were gone in a flash!  Mango Mango makes all of their desserts (including the Crepes cakes) in-house.

Current hours for this location is 12 pm - 10 pm daily. Follow @mangomangohawaii on Instagram for updates.

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MANGO MANGO HAWAII
755 KAPAHULU AVENUE

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Lunch Specials at Rigo SPANISH ITALIAN

I treated a long-time friend to lunch at Rigo SPANISH ITALIAN Restaurant in Kapahulu. It's been over a year since we both last dined here. We were happy to see that they still had a special lunch menu with select menu items. The menu selections on the Lunch Special menu had changed, which was great because it meant we would be trying something different from our last visit.

In an effort to add more greens and protein to my diet, I ordered the Chicken Rigo Caesar, which came with a side of garlic Parmesan bread. I just love how the bread is topped with bits of real garlic. This bread has a lot of butter on it!

I requested my salad with the dressing on the side, but it came with the dressing already mixed in. Since I didn't want to send it back and wait for another one to be made, I just ate what was presented. It was really good, but I felt it at too much dressing on it. I don't like my salads drenched in dressing. The chicken was very moist, considering it's chicken breast.

My friend ordered the Chicken Shoyu-Butter Spaghetti, which came with a side salad. 

I had a taste of the spaghetti and thought it was delicious. 

We ordered the chocolate souffle for dessert, which was rich, but amazing. It wasn't what we were expecting, but it grew on us and we ended up liking it a lot!

Closed on Tuesdays.

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RIGO SPANISH ITALIAN

885 KAPAHULU AVENUE

808-735-9760

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Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice opens its first location on Oahu!

 

Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice, which is mostly known for being one of must-stops on Maui for their ultra fine, homemade syrups, has finally hit Oahu's shores. They recently celebrated the grand opening of their first location on Oahu, and I visited them that weekend to see why so many people recommend Ululani's when visiting Maui.

Their shave ice is one of the finest I've had. And when you combine that with their homemade syrups made with local ingredients, it's just heavenly. 

Mahalo to owner David for this complimentary bowl of shave ice! It was winnas!! 

The owner brought over a few employees from their Maui shops for the grand opening, which enabled the new establishment to pump out their bowls of shave ice efficiently. 

One of my sons is a purist and will always order a plain strawberry shave ice - no toppings, no ice cream. 

My other son is a little more adventurous in his flavor selection and adding mochi on top (the mochi is really good!).  

You can create your own bowl (two sizes, flavors, ice cream/azuki beans, toppings) or choose from one of their most popular combos. I tried the sunset beach and I would get it again and again and again!!

Customer parking is available (read the signs - some stalls are for a specific tenant). They are currently open 7 days a week!

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ULULANI'S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE
909 KAPAHULU AVENUE
808-683-6229

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Rigo in Kapahulu Serving Spanish Italian

Carbonara

My sister requested her birthday lunch at Rigo which was great because I was eager to try out the Spanish Italian restaurant in Kapahulu.  I easily made a reservation from their website.

The restaurant is spacious with high ceilings, large booths, and lots of windows letting in the natural light.  In the back, is a more private space with dark couches and wood finish from floor to ceiling. I love the look of this restaurant!

The menu is quite extensive.  They offer lunch specials, tapas, Spanish josper grilled main dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and homemade pastas.  I love pizza and Rigo's pizza is Neapolitan style baked in a Stefano Ferarra brick oven that was hand made and shipped from Naples, Italy!  I couldn't resist the salami and jalepeno pizza.  My sister ordered the carbonara with portabella fritto - fresh spaghetti with pancetta, onion, fresh cream, egg yolk, pepper, garlic, olive oil and portabella fritto.  

We both really enjoyed our dishes and would definitely return.  Next time, I'd love to check out their wine list to enjoy with my pizza dinner!   

Rigo

885 Kapahulu Ave.

Honolulu, HI

808-735-9760

  

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Lunch at Rigo

After hearing a lot of positive comments about the food at Rigo, I decided to meet a friend for lunch there ... my second dine-in experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We started with the Ajillo appetizer (shrimp fried in butter!) and a side of garlic parmesan bread. I highly recommend ordering the garlic bread if you're ordering this appetizer - the bread is perfect for dipping in the butter, and will also go well with pasta!

We also split the Rigo Lunch Set that came with a side salad and funghi & salami pizza.  The Lunch Set in itself is the perfect amount of food for two people.

But I also wanted to try their bolognese so we ordered it as well, and it did not disappoint! It comes with rigatoni but I asked for fresh spaghetti - it was so satisfying!

Can't leave without dessert!

To place a take-out order or to make a reservation for dine-in, visit their website. 

RIGO

885 Kapahulu Avenue

(808) 735-9760

 

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The Ohana Pack at Sidestreet Inn

Sidestreet Inn is now offering the Ohana Pack! For $50, you get Signature Fried Rice, Garlic Chicken, and Pork Chops, which can feed 3-4 people, or 2 people for a couple of days! 

I love how they put the garlic sauce separate from the fried chicken, so that the chicken does not get soggy.

This amazing deal is only available for TAKEOUT.  Orders are accepted by telephone or online. Get this amazing deal now while it lasts!

Curbside takeout is available daily from 11 am - 8 pm!!!

Sidestreet Inn

614 Kapahulu Avenue

(808) 739-3939

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$1 Shave Ice at Waiola Shave Ice

For the rest of this month (July), enjoy $1 shave ice cups at both Waiola Shave Ice locations Mondays through Fridays!  Apparently they've been running this special since June 1st, yet I did not find out about it until the second week in July.

We visited Waiola's Kapahulu location on Mokihana Street one late afternoon, and to our delight, there was plenty of parking out front and no line. 

We walked inside to check out the menu, and only after noticing the handwritten "pick up here" sign, did I realize that we had to go to the window outside to order.  Yes, it's been so long since I've had shave ice here that I did not remember where to order!

The $1 special is good for a small cup of shave ice with your choice of two flavors, or the classic Rainbow (which consists of strawberry, vanilla and banana flavors). 

Left: lemon-lime             Right:  strawberry

The shave ice at Waiola is magical - it's so fine that it literally melts once it hits your tongue.

Besides shave ice, they also sell a lot of t-shirts, and other cute items.

And if you're in need of toilet paper, they sell Kirkland brand TP, $8 for 6 rolls.

I have a feeling we will be coming here a lot during the next few weeks. Maybe I'll see you there!

WAIOLA SHAVE ICE

3113 Mokihana St. and 2135 Waiola St.

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Cafe Kaila

After the HONOLULU Family Fun Run, we were starving, so we headed to Cafe Kaila to see how big the crowd was. We got lucky as there was only one party in front of us on the wait list, and our name was called in less than 5 minutes!

The hubby loves their corned beef hash - it's made from scratch (never from the can!) and comes with eggs, toast and rice. 

Corned Beef Hash

We ordered the one pancake/one piece bacon Kiddie Meal for one of my sons and he devoured it. We actually had to order a side order of bacon because he wanted more bacon.

The other son wanted a waffle with fruit on the side. 

On another occasion, I came here for lunch with a friend, and we both ended up ordering waffles for lunch! 

Today they had the cornbread waffle w/strawberry honey butter as a daily special, which I had heard was a crowd-favorite, so I tried it and it was amazing. If you are a fan of cornbread, you need to try this!

My friend who was a first-timer here ordered the crispy chicken and waffles - she loved it!

 Open seven days a week!

CAFE KAILA
2919 KAPIOLANI BLVD (MARKET CITY SHOPPING CENTER)
(808) 732-3330

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