Hope you’re hungry, Honolulu, because we are getting more birria tacos, more spicy Sichuan, more steak, doughnuts, ice cream and beer! Lots and lots of craft beer. Here are the recently opened and upcoming places that caught our eye.
Aloha Beer Downtown
The Kakaako brewery’s first expansion opened last week in the newly renovated Central Pacific Bank headquarters with six Aloha Beer styles on tap, plus flatbread pizzas, hot sandwiches, avocado toast and salads. Repeat: This is beer in a bank.
220 S. King St. • Downtown • alohabeer.com • @alohabeerdowntown
See also: Aloha Beer Co. just opened Downtown
Aloha Mamacita
The Ewa-based food truck’s birria tacos, churros and Jaritos are set to debut at a brick-and-mortar spot on Cooke Street in Kakaako soon; the truck will roam.
See also: Aloha Mamacita’s birria tacos are coming to town
Bar Podmore
Two years after it was announced, this spot in Downtown’s 1902 Podmore building by Senia chef-partner Anthony Rush and wife Katherine Nomura is finally slated for a spring opening. The inspiration: “The great cocktail lounges that Anthony and I have had the privilege of enjoying when life has taken us to different parts of the world,” Nomura says, “notably The Connaught Bar, the Beaufort Bar, The Aviary, and The Nomad to name a few. During the day, it will be a restaurant for brunch.”
Beer Lab Kahala
Kahala craft beer fans, the opening of your new neighborhood pub has been pushed back from its early 2021 target, but the rapidly expanding chain (it’s in Moiliili, Waipio and Pearlridge) is still working toward opening in the new Kahala Mkt. by Foodland complex.
See also: Beer Lab’s new brewpub is at Pearlridge
Chicken and Brisket
Promising “bold flavors, generous portions and a lot of meat,” this newcomer opened in December with fried chicken all ways (including gizzards), brisket all ways (including a brisket moco) and ribs, lechon and pork chops — all for pickup or delivery between noon and midnight. We can vouch for the fried chicken and Korean fried chicken, both juicy and legit.
1111 Dillingham Blvd. • Kalihi • chickenandbrisket.com • @chicken.and.brisket
Cocina de Roja
2020 brought Honolulu birria tacos, birria saimin and birria bao buns. Apparently we still want more: Cocina de Roja took over part of Sweet Home Cafe’s Moiliili space in January with more birria beef tacos plus birria banh mi and birria pho.
2334 S. King St. • Moiliili • @cocinaderoja
DT Steak House
Billing itself as “an authentic Taiwanese traditional steakhouse,” DT opens Jan. 24 at the corner of North School Street and Waiakamilo Road — the same neighborhood that’s now home to Rainbow Drive-In, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Aloha Cones, Helena’s Hawaiian Foods and Mexico Restaurant. DT’s steaks will come on sizzling cast-iron platters with fried eggs, spaghetti and a choice of black pepper or mushroom sauce.
1339 N. School St. • Kalihi • 888-2800 • dt-steak-house.business.site
Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery
Vein chef Dell Valdez’s upscale plate lunch spot shares the same space as Mio Pastalogy. With Masa Tsuda, chef at Kahala’s shuttered Central Bakery Restaurant also in the kitchen, Japanese and local mains include light, crunchy karaage chicken, nori-shiso chicken, Maui-style short ribs, loco moco and salmon furikake katsu plates with rice and sides, all for $9.50 to $16.
1110 McCully St. • McCully • dellskitchenandbakery.com • @dellskitchenandbakery
Domo Café Kahala
To celebrate its brand new second location, sushi, sashimi, poke bowls and everything else on Domo Cafe’s new Kahala menu are 20% off through Jan. 31, 2021.
4346 Waialae Ave. • Kahala • 888-8860 • domocafehawaii.com • @domocafehawaii
See also: Boba where you least expect it
EP Bar
Morning Glass Coffee’s coming venture cryptically promises “highballs and vinyl” in the old Madre Chocolate space in Chinatown. Opening date is pending COVID considerations.
8 N. Pauahi St. • Chinatown • @ep.bar
Han no Daidokoro
Yes, the name’s hard to remember; the A5 Korean yakiniku focus isn’t. This glossy third outpost of a restaurant from Shibuya and Kawasaki, Japan is expected to open across from Whole Foods Kakaako this month.
1108 Auahi St. • Kakaako • @hannodaidokoro_kakaako
Holey Grail Donuts
On a rapid roll, this taro-based doughnut truck that expanded to Kakaako from its homebase on Kauai has opened a five-month pop-up at Ward Villages’ old Paina Cafe space. Holey Grail’s first brick-and-mortar features an open kitchen that lets the hungry see doughnut makers and baristas at work. A permanent shop is planned for the nearby Ae‘o building, home to Whole Foods and Rinka Japanese restaurant, while the doughnut truck will roam.
1240 Ala Moana Blvd. • Kakaako • holeygraildonuts.com • @holeygraildonuts
See also: Holey Grail doughnuts is opening a 5-month pop-up in Kakaako
Honolulu Skewer House
Lamb skewers, black pork belly, beef-wrapped chives: The city’s only northern Chinese skewer specialist has moved from Makaloa to Kapahulu, with grilling now done at the table on self-rotating metal skewers.
567 Kapahulu Ave. • Kapahulu • @hnlskewerhouse
Kapa Hale
Keaka Lee’s first solo restaurant is the culmination of nearly 15 years in kitchens like Alan Wong’s, Gramercy Tavern, Benu and The Pig & The Lady. Try the quiche luau, koji-aged rib eye steak and Naan Ya Business tikka masala (tip: A side of gluten-free fried paiai cakes goes amazingly with the curry).
4614 Kilauea Ave, Suite 102 • Kahala • 888-2060 • kapahale.com • @4614kapahale
See also: Kapa Hale is one of 2020’s most exciting new restaurants
La Bettola
Former Diamond Dining president Hide Sakurai (Shokudo, Buho Cocina y Cantina) recently took over open-air Sky Waikiki with revamped cocktails and an expanded food menu. Sky’s interior will reopen as an Italian eatery with Japanese celebrity chef Tsutomu Ochiai of La Bettola da Ochiai of Ginza, Tokyo, Sakurai says — after Japanese tourists return to Waikiki. He’s hoping that means by fall 2021.
2270 Kalakaua Ave., 19th floor • Waikiki
La Birria
Speaking of Buho, former head chef Arturo Silva and partner Justin Mizufuka are expanding with a second birria taco truck tentatively planned for Kakaako — Hell Fire tacos and birria saimin included — as early as this month.
la-birria.com • @la_birria_hawaii
See also: The hot new beef birria taco truck at Pearlridge
Lokahi Brewing Co.
Honolulu’s newest craft beer brewery is reported to be close to opening in the old Precision Radio building, possibly in February.
1160 S. King St. • Makiki • @lokahibrewing
Mama Kim’s
Word is the Keeaumoku area’s newest spot for poke, sushi bowls and assorted kim chee is solid on flavor. Of note: a poke-kim chee-natto bowl and a build-your-own option with two proteins and three sides.
1481 S. King St. • Pawaa • 260-4109 • @mamakimshawaii
Mochi Do
Will Hawaii ever have enough mochi donuts? No! Will Waikiki? Hmm. These, by a subsidiary of Roberts Hawaii, come in Thai milk tea Oreo, ube cheesecake, haupia pie, matcha-cha, mocha mac and Melona flavors, all sold until noon daily.
444 Niu St. • Waikiki • @mochidohawaiibakery
See also: Waikiki has a new mochi donut shop
Ono-Ya Ramen
While details are few, fans who remember Ono-Ya’s black garlic paitan ramen from Shirokiya and Waikiki Yokocho are waiting for its new incarnation on Kapahulu Avenue.
Pint + Jigger at Ala Moana Hotel
Word that this OG Honolulu gastropub is coming back to life more than a year after its original Moiliili spot closed was some of the best news of last year. Also returning is its cocktail speakeasy alter ego, Harry’s Hardware Emporium. Tentative opening on the renovated lobby floor of the Ala Moana Hotel is this spring. Says co-owner and mixologist Dave Newman: “We’re gonna try to keep the feel and aesthetics of the original Pint so people who liked the original will feel right at home in the new one.”
See also: Pint + Jigger is coming back
Pizza Mamo
Brick Fire Tavern may have moved to Kaimuki, taking its Neapolitan-style pies with it, but that only means different kinds of pizzas are bubbling up in the Hotel Street shop frontage. Pizza Mamo’s specialties are Brooklyn- and Detroit-style pizza — one floppily foldable, which is de rigeur for pizza-eating in Brooklyn, the other rectantular, crispy-edged and topped with items like Wisconsin brick cheese and Ezzo pepperoni.
16 N. Hotel St. • Chinatown • 369-2445 • eatpizzamamo.com • @pizzamamo
See also: Chinatown lands a Brooklyn- and Detroit-style pizza shop
SXY Szechuan
That primo spot on Ala Moana Center’s mall level, where Tanioka’s Seafoods pop-up was? And Christmas Bar, Holiday Bar and Ninja Sushi? Serious spice is coming in the form of another Sichuan eatery. Think mala beef, chicken in chile sauce, stir-fried chile-vegetable pork intestines and spicy pork won tons. Everyone pronounces SXY as sexy, but it stands for “shu xiang yuan,” which SXY claims is a concise way of saying “a great gathering place for family and friends to enjoy delicious Szechuan cuisine.”
1450 Ala Moana Blvd. • Ala Moana • sxy-szechuan.business.site
Sage Creamery truck
Ice cream wizard Zach Villanueva launched Sage Creamery on Instagram, which launched him into farmers markets, Kokua Market Co-op and ChadLou’s Coffee Roasters. Now in the works is an ice cream truck, which means one day this spring, locally sourced pints like Strawberry Fields, North Shore Vanilla and Paniolo Hot Chocolate may show up on a street near you.
See also: Farmers market finds: New luxe ice cream at Honolulu Farmers Market
Simply Sichuan
Cumin lamb, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu: With a chef from Sichuan Province, Legend Seafood Restaurant’s new sister eatery at Chinese Cultural Plaza is getting good buzz among Chinese food aficionados.
100 N. Beretania St. • Chinatown • 524-6877 • @simplysichuan
Taqueria el Ranchero at Ka Makana Alii
If you’re on Instagram, you probably know that this Wahiawa favorite is coming to Kapolei with its tacos, quesadillas, Taco Tuesday birria tacos and everything else this spring, since every one of its Instagram posts announces that it’s coming to Kapolei this spring.
elrancherohawaii.com • @taqueria_el_ranchero
Tex 808 Moanalua
The Hawaii Kai eatery’s westward expansion brings Texas-style barbecue in the form of brisket, ribs, pulled pork and sausages to Moanalua Shopping Center.
930 Valkenburgh St. • Moanalua • 888-2066 • tex808.com • @tex_808
The Alley
New year, new boba. Hawaii’s latest is a massive chain from Taiwan, newly ensconced at Ala Moana Center. Those lines you see are for the signature Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brulee Milk, “Deerioca” referring to tapioca pearls. Other locations are in Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US Mainland.
1450 Ala Moana Blvd. • Ala Moana • 278-9216 • thealleyusa.com • @thealley.usa
Wicked Maine Lobster
Two brothers from Maine started selling lobster rolls and New England clam chowder at San Diego farmers markets. Six years later, Wicked Lobster has lobster-crab rolls, lobster mac and cheese, lobster tacos, queso lobster fries — at four brick-and-mortar locations, with more slated this year for southern California (including three in Los Angeles) and another opening this spring at Royal Hawaiian Center’s Paina Lanai food court.
wickedmainelobster.com • @wickedmainelobster
Youpo Noodles
Northwestern Chinese-style hand-pulled noodles are new at Honolulu farmers markets this month courtesy of Andrew Pressler, whose interest in Asian cuisines predates his stints as sous chef at The Pig & The Lady, his own Indo-Malaya pop-up dinners and Grondin French Latin Kitchen. Pressler makes each noodle bowl to order — including Malay curry pork, Sichuan beef and cumin lamb noodles — and you can customize your spice level.
See also: Farmers market finds: Spicy hand-pulled noodles at Kakaako
