Here's a list of awesome places I've been going to for lunch/dinner. Price range is reasonable, no more than $12 a plate (at least, the menu items I choose). It's in no particular order.
1) Himalayan Kitchen
1137 11th Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 735-1122
Nepali and Indian food! Tucked away on the second floor above Bozu Japanese Restaurant (near Big City Diner), it's a hidden gem. Suman, the owner, is very personable. The staff is very friendly and helpful. You can ask them to substitute/omit menu items. They make their own cheese balls, cook in clay ovens, and have vegetarian/non-vegetarian choices. I like the saag aloo. Haven't had a chance to try desert there cos I get so full from the entree!
2) Spices
2671 King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
949-2679
Yummy Asian Fusion! This place is amazing. Friendly and accommodating staff. Cozy. Tofu Laotian Curry(medium spicy) is my absolute fave. Best Shrimp Pad Thai in town (sorry, Bangkok Chef...but I love you, too!). Tofu Ginger Stir Fry is great as well. This place is veggie friendly (obviously). The ice cream is amazing. Try to get the 3 scoop combo. I like Okinawan Sweet Potato, Pandan, and Banana Cinnamon. Mix the Okinawan Sweet Potato and Pandan flavours in a spoonful and you will love it.
3) Olive Tree Cafe
4614 Kilauea Ave Suite 107
Honolulu, HI 96836
(808)737-0303
Honolulu's best Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, in my opinion. It gets fairly crowded (half an hour wait sometimes) so you can call ahead if you want. I like to have grape leaves for an appetizer, some Martinelli's Sparkling Cider, and a falafel. YUM. It's BYOB and there's a wine store that also sells gourmet beer, for those of you who are interested. You need to have eagle eyes cos those tables get taken fast.
4) Hale
1427 Makaloa St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808)944-1555
This is a fairly new restaurant. From the website, owner/chef Moco Kubota describes Hale: "HALE in Hawaiian means 'home', or 'castle', in Japanese means 'sunny', and in Old English means 'health'." That pretty much sums up the philosophy behind Hale. The dishes are mostly vegan and vegetarian, but they do serve fish (cooked separately). It's also a macrobiotic restaurant. What is macrobiotic? I've had the seitan cutlet and veg curry rice with cashew nuts. I also recommend the sweat and sour veggie "meat", and teriyaki tempeh with lotus roots. I had the tiramisu with couscous for desert once. It wasn't too sweet, but it was amazing cos there were no eggs in it. The decor is very modern, with dark wood, hanging lights, and white seats . This place is also very cozy and gets crowded fast. The staff is very friendly. You'll most likely have to park on the street cos the parking lot is very small.
5) The Well Bento
2570 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 941-5261
I am not much of a plate lunch kinda gal, cos they tend to be greasy and don't sit well in my stomach. Enter Well Bento! This teeny tiny place (takeout ONLY) is on the second floor of a small L-shaped building that has a nail salon, Indian grocery store, hair salon, tattoo parlour, and convenience/video store. Owned by Kristine & Todd Brown, it's a macrobiotic, vegan, and vegetarian plate lunch dream. They also have chicken, seafood, and beef dishes that are macrobiotic. The prices are a little more than an average plate lunch but well worth it. Trust me, your tummy will thank you. I usually get the BBQ seitan. The Tempeh Scallopini is pretty good, too. They use a light vegetable gravy with brown rice, and their mac salad doesn't have mayonaise in it. Score! Definitely call ahead. It takes 15-20 minutes to prepare the food.
Allrighty, that's it for now. I hope this was a useful restaurant guide. I'll be posting more fun stuff. Thanks for stopping by.
xoxo,
Mish
Nepali and Indian food! Tucked away on the second floor above Bozu Japanese Restaurant (near Big City Diner), it's a hidden gem. Suman, the owner, is very personable. The staff is very friendly and helpful. You can ask them to substitute/omit menu items. They make their own cheese balls, cook in clay ovens, and have vegetarian/non-vegetarian choices. I like the saag aloo. Haven't had a chance to try desert there cos I get so full from the entree!
2) Spices
2671 King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
949-2679
Yummy Asian Fusion! This place is amazing. Friendly and accommodating staff. Cozy. Tofu Laotian Curry(medium spicy) is my absolute fave. Best Shrimp Pad Thai in town (sorry, Bangkok Chef...but I love you, too!). Tofu Ginger Stir Fry is great as well. This place is veggie friendly (obviously). The ice cream is amazing. Try to get the 3 scoop combo. I like Okinawan Sweet Potato, Pandan, and Banana Cinnamon. Mix the Okinawan Sweet Potato and Pandan flavours in a spoonful and you will love it.
3) Olive Tree Cafe
4614 Kilauea Ave Suite 107
Honolulu, HI 96836
(808)737-0303
Honolulu's best Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, in my opinion. It gets fairly crowded (half an hour wait sometimes) so you can call ahead if you want. I like to have grape leaves for an appetizer, some Martinelli's Sparkling Cider, and a falafel. YUM. It's BYOB and there's a wine store that also sells gourmet beer, for those of you who are interested. You need to have eagle eyes cos those tables get taken fast.
4) Hale
1427 Makaloa St
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808)944-1555
This is a fairly new restaurant. From the website, owner/chef Moco Kubota describes Hale: "HALE in Hawaiian means 'home', or 'castle', in Japanese means 'sunny', and in Old English means 'health'." That pretty much sums up the philosophy behind Hale. The dishes are mostly vegan and vegetarian, but they do serve fish (cooked separately). It's also a macrobiotic restaurant. What is macrobiotic? I've had the seitan cutlet and veg curry rice with cashew nuts. I also recommend the sweat and sour veggie "meat", and teriyaki tempeh with lotus roots. I had the tiramisu with couscous for desert once. It wasn't too sweet, but it was amazing cos there were no eggs in it. The decor is very modern, with dark wood, hanging lights, and white seats . This place is also very cozy and gets crowded fast. The staff is very friendly. You'll most likely have to park on the street cos the parking lot is very small.
5) The Well Bento
2570 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 941-5261
I am not much of a plate lunch kinda gal, cos they tend to be greasy and don't sit well in my stomach. Enter Well Bento! This teeny tiny place (takeout ONLY) is on the second floor of a small L-shaped building that has a nail salon, Indian grocery store, hair salon, tattoo parlour, and convenience/video store. Owned by Kristine & Todd Brown, it's a macrobiotic, vegan, and vegetarian plate lunch dream. They also have chicken, seafood, and beef dishes that are macrobiotic. The prices are a little more than an average plate lunch but well worth it. Trust me, your tummy will thank you. I usually get the BBQ seitan. The Tempeh Scallopini is pretty good, too. They use a light vegetable gravy with brown rice, and their mac salad doesn't have mayonaise in it. Score! Definitely call ahead. It takes 15-20 minutes to prepare the food.
Allrighty, that's it for now. I hope this was a useful restaurant guide. I'll be posting more fun stuff. Thanks for stopping by.
xoxo,
Mish
