Dinner at Chao - Nu'uanu's Vietnamese Restaurant

Soft Shell Crab Pasta

I kept reading about how people loved Chao, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant located in the Nu'uanu Shopping Center, so I suggested it for a group dinner. Other positives for me were that they took reservations, had parking, and had a casual, but lively vibe.

Although the wines by the glass were limited, they offer a variety of delicious sounding cocktails like the Vietnamese espresso martini. Since it was our first time dining at Chao, we asked our server to go overs his menu recommendations. To start, we shared the spring rolls and calamari which were both tasty. I liked that the spring rolls had a lot of filling and they didn't skimp on the size of the calamari pieces. Most of the table ordered the popular Soft Shell Crab Pasta and I ordered the chicken pho. The chicken pho serves poached chicken in a 24 hour chicken broth. It was flavorful and delicious. My friends remarked that the pasta sauce was very rich so they couldn't eat too much of it, but everyone enjoyed their meals. We ended the night with the pumpkin flan. 

Spring Rolls

Chicken Wings

Calamari

Soft Shell Crab Pasta with Blue Crab add-on

Beef Pho

Chicken Pho

Pumpkin Flan

Chao is a great place to have a casual, comforting meal with friends and family at reasonable prices. Definitely recommend!

Chao 

1613 Nuuanu Ave Ste A12 

Honolulu, HI 96817

(808) 888-0166

 

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New: Chao Restaurant

When a friend told me about a new spot in Nuuanu serving soft shell crab pasta, I knew I had to check it out. Chao, which just had its grand opening last Monday, has already been making waves—even though they've been in soft opening since July 2025.

Booking a table was super easy through OpenTable, which I always appreciate. When we pulled into the parking lot, it was packed—a good sign. I braced myself for a wait, but to my surprise, we were seated right away. Our server greeted us shortly after, and we dove right into ordering.

Here’s what we got:

• Vietnamese Chicken Wings

  

• Gai Lan Stir Fry

  

  
  

• Soft Shell Crab Pasta 

  

  
  
• Salt and Pepper Calamari



• Duck Salad (sorry, no photo!)

The food came out surprisingly fast, and first impressions were solid. The chicken wings had great flavor, though I was hoping for a bit more crisp. The Gai Lan was delicious—fresh, garlicky, and paired beautifully with the pasta. The duck salad added a refreshing balance to everything. The duck salad, while nicely presented, was probably our least favorite of the evening. It wasn’t bad by any means, just a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the dishes. 

The Soft Shell Crab Pasta absolutely stole the show. I couldn’t believe it came with two whole soft shell crabs and a generous portion of pasta—all for just $22. 

Rich, satisfying, and totally unexpected. I’d come back just for this dish alone.

For a brand-new restaurant, Chao is already operating like a well-oiled machine. Great service, fast turnaround. I’m already planning my next visit—this time to try their lunch menu.

Reservations are highly recommended.

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CHAO 

1613 NUUANU AVENUE

808-888-0166
 

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Sam's Delicatessen

Nat has blogged about Sam's Delicatessen before, and I've heard many others rave about the Mochiko Chicken there, so I was eager to finally give it a try!

Mochiko Chicken

Chicken Wings

Meat Jun & BBQ Chicken

Chicken Katsu

Meat Jun

The Mochiko Chicken was really good.  Tender pieces of mochiko-flour fried chicken were really tasty.  Each plate comes with 4 banchan / vegetables of your choice.  I got long rice, kim chee, potato, and mac salad.  Every one was delicious and flavorful.  

Everyone else loved their food, and the servings were very generous for the price.  We all had leftovers for dinner!

Glad I finally got to try Sam's Delicatessen's Mochicko Chicken!

Sam's Delicatessen
1627 NUUANU AVE
(808) 524-7777

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Affordable Takeout from Bangkok Chef

Before we got married, my husband lived in Nuuanu, a few blocks away from the original Bangkok Chef location. We used to get takeout from there often, since it was so convenient.  Since those days (that was over 10 years ago!), Bangkok Chef has opened three more locations in Kalihi (near Costco), Manoa, and Moiliili! 

I recently picked up takeout from the Nuuanu location for my mom. I forgot how good their food is, and how reasonable the prices are! 

Pad Thai with Chicken ($11.45)

Shrimp with Snow Peas ($13.45)

Spring Rolls (not pictured: lettuce, mint, house-made dipping sauce) ($11.95)

Taro Chip - garlic salt flavor ($4.75)

Now that Bangkok Chef is back on my radar, I'll be getting take out from the Manoa or Moiliili locations since it's so close to my workplace.

All locations have different hours, so be sure to call or check their website for their hours before heading to your desired location.

BANGKOK CHEF
808-585-8839
1627 Nuuanu Ave

 

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Paradise Poke

Paradise Poke is one of my favorite places for poke bowls. Their poke is always fresh and often times made to order (can't get any fresher than that!). But did you know they have a lot of other delicious non-poke items on their menu? 

Ever since I tried one of their onigiri, I have been coming here whenever I am in need of onigiri for gifting.  Why just gifting? Because I only gift the best to my friends and family, and I feel that Paradise Poke makes one of the best onirigis in town.  They have a variety of flavors (crunchy ume, tuna, salmon, kombu, spicy ahi, salmon & ikura, spicy negi mentaiko), and onigiri are all packaged in a special wrapping that separates the nori from the rice, so the nori is crispy when you're ready to eat it!  They also have musubis with spam, and Goteborg, which is a Swedish sausage made of beef and pork.

On a recent visit to Paradise Poke to pick up some onigiri and musubis for a friend, I saw a couple of bentos at the register. I asked the cashier what it was and she said it was ahi katsu, $8.  I told the cashier "I'll take one!"  I couldn't resist,  even though I had leftovers for lunch that day.

The bento was not made to order, so the ahi katsu wasn't super hot or crispy, but I didn't mind. The ahi part was moist, considering it was cooked ahi, and the mayo and other sauce that was was drizzled on top is what really made this bento delicious in my mind. Also, I love the rice that Paradise Poke uses. I heard they use premium rice from The Rice Factory, which really makes a difference.  And for $8, I felt this was a great deal. I just wish this was on their regular menu. Maybe they'll put it on their rotation of daily specials more often (hopefully!).

 

One of these days I will try their baked salmon w/garlic noodles - it's been on their menu since they opened but I've never ordered it. 

You can find Paradise Poke in Nuuanu, Waikiki, and is coming soon to Hawaii Kai!

Online ordering is available at: paradisepokenuuanu.com

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PARADISE POKE
1613 NUUANU AVENUE
808-260-4580

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Sam's Delicatessen

When the hubby lived in Nuuanu, we used to order take-out from Sam's Delicatessen pretty often since it was right down the street from his condo. It's been a few years since we've ordered food from here but the food is still the same and highly recognizable. By recognizable, I am referring to their mochiko chicken, that a few people had identified as being from Sam's Delicatessen when I posted a picture of it on social media.

I ordered a handful of plates and side orders for a night in with a few friends. The side orders of mandoo and fried chicken wings are perfect for sharing.  The mini plate meat jun is more than enough for the average appetite. The tofu katsu is a must-try - crispy on the outside, soft silky tofu on the inside. I can't think of any other place that makes tofu katsu like this.  The mochiko chicken is perfect for the little ones who like bite-sized pieces of chicken.  

fried chicken wings

mandoo

mini meat jun

tofu katsu

mochiko chicken

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SAM'S DELICATESSEN
1627 NUUANU AVE
(808) 524-7777

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Paradise Poke Hawaii

New to Oahu's poke bowl scene is Paradise Poke Hawaii, a small restaurant in Nuuanu Shopping Plaza (next to Starbucks). 

They feature fresh poke, musubi/onigiri, grab & go bentos, sashimi, and plate lunches.  

I came here to pick up some poke for the husband to try at home. The poke is fresh and sold by the pound, or as a poke bowl.  

1/4 pound is the perfect size for sampling. They had 8 different flavors, all of which looked very fresh and flavorful!

ginger scallion ahi

truffle ponzo salmon

The two we tried were the ginger scallion ahi and truffle ponzo salmon, both of which we would highly recommend!  The prices here are higher than normal, but you won't be disappointed with the quality. 

I am planning to return soon to try the garlic shrimp plate with garlic noodles!

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PARADISE POKE HAWAII
1613 Nuuanu Ave
(808) 260-4580

 

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The Daley

I finally got to try the highly-hyped burger at The Daley.

The Daley recently opened in downtown Honolulu and A LOT of people have been posting pics of their smash burgers and crinkle cut fries on social media. 

If you're not familiar with a smash burger, it's a style of cooking a hamburger - it's literally smashed into the grill with a large metal spatula or other flat device, which creates brown and crispy edges. 

As I sat on the counter, I was able to watch how they make their burgers.... the chef starts with a ball of Kunoa grass-fed beef and places it on the grill.  After smashing them down, the chef sprinkles chopped onions on the top, then flips the patties over ... adds some seasonings, places a piece of American cheese on each patty, and that's it. And while the patties are being cooked, the buttered potato rolls are grilling on the same grill.  

The burgers are served with a special relish sauce .. that's it.  No lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon, etc.
Plain and simple. And if you've got a hearty appetite, you can get your burger with two patties (it's called "double down" on the menu) for a few bucks more.

Of course you cannot have a burger without fries. The Daley offers crinkle cut fries for $4. My friend and I shared one order between the two of us and it was the perfect amount.

We were too full to try the soft serve but I'm sure we'll try it next time around.

THE DALEY
1110 NUUANU AVENUE

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O'Kims Korean Kitchen

I'm so glad O'Kims is now a sit-down restaurant. It's previous location was take-out only, which wasn't conducive to lunch dates with friends.  But now it's the perfect gathering place for a casual sit-down lunch in Nuuanu.  

The shrimp and pork appetizer was tasty, but a little pricey at $2+ per piece. 

I usually don't order salmon at restaurants, but since my friend raved about the seaweed salmon here, I just had to try it. It was excellent! 

My friend's korean chicken and & gnocchi was good too - although it was served with gochujang sauce, it wasn't as spicy as it looked. 

My other friend loved the confited pork belly brulee.  

It's definitely not your run of the mill Korean restaurant - it's different and contemporary, but executed well.

O'KIMS KOREAN KITCHEN

1028 NUUANU AVENUE

(808) 537-3787

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