HawaiiStories: Next stop...?

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Posted by Ryan on April 9, 2002 9:18 AM:

Zippy's!

I know they have a bad rep, and much of it deserved (my wife, from Florida, had to explain to me what "chili" is supposed to be), but they still epitomize "local" (and cheap and easy and 24-hour convenient) to me. After a long trip, I just have to have a Zip Pac, or a Zip Min, or...

Posted by honukai on April 9, 2002 9:46 AM:

Korean food from Gina's at Market City or Tasty's in Kaneohe. Can't be too far away from the meat juhn...Yum just thinking about it. :p

Posted by Stella on April 9, 2002 10:36 AM:

My first instinct - and I'm sure Greg will agree with me on this - would be to seek out Grace's Inn. It's like, once you've been on a long trip, and you've forgotten how people in Hawaii make chicken katsu, you hit this place right away.

And since I live soooooooo close to Market City and Kapahulu, I'm going to make it a whole WEEK of food - Grace's for katsu, Gina's for Korean BBQ, Catch Of The Day Sushi, Sekiya's for okazuya, KC Drive Inn for peanut butter shakes... and, for damn sure, Leonard's Bakery Malasadas!

(I'm sorry, but even those Leonard's Jr. franchises can't get it right, the way the main store does.)

I love Zippy's, too, but I've also found some places that are just as good for the homesick feeling (especially after 12 hours on a plane from Manila to HNL with no decent bacon and pancakes), like Like Like Drive Inn (Keeaumoku - a family favorite, especially when my parents are in town), Columbia Inn (the last one, in Kaimuki/Palolo), Hungry Lion (Nuuanu), or even Big City Diner.

Posted by NemesisVex on April 9, 2002 11:05 AM:

Dammit, Stella, you stole my answer! :)

That's literally what I do when I visit -- go straight to Grace's Inn after I drop off my luggage.

I've always considered Zippy's to be tolerably evil, but after eating at 24-hour restaurants that do it right, I only go to Zippy's when Ryan takes me to Zippy's.

Posted by Vivi on April 9, 2002 12:35 PM:

I got The Boyfriend (who is from California, tho Japanese) hooked on Zippy's katsu. The portions are gigantic for that plate lunch...and I admit, Zippy's mac salad is among my favorites.

Grace's...I had almost forgotten about that place. I guess that stems from not living near one. :)

Posted by Stella on April 9, 2002 12:41 PM:

Legend has it that there used to be a time when Marriott's chicken katsu was supposed to taste exactly like Zippy's.... nyeeeks!

Posted by honukai on April 9, 2002 12:49 PM:

I can honestly say I haven't been to Grace's since high school time when they were located on Beretania in Moili'ili. Where are they now?

Posted by Stella on April 9, 2002 1:15 PM:

Grace's, at Market City - it's the stripmall BEHIND Gina's and Blockbuster (you will have to come in through Kaimuki St. from Kapi`olani - near Ben Franklin's, Fujioka's, and the laundromat). There's also a Grace's near Times Supermarket in Makiki, on Beretania.

Posted by honukai on April 9, 2002 1:36 PM:

OMG, I'll have to make a trip!

Posted by Jas on April 9, 2002 2:59 PM:

Zippy's is the first place we hit for some fast food, and I have to admit that I like their saimin and kalua pork. :)

Posted by Tom on April 9, 2002 5:53 PM:

Aww.. man! You Oahu folks have all the good places to grind! We have to actually be on a trip to eat at those places.

Posted by Ryan on April 9, 2002 5:59 PM:

C'mon, Tom! You've got Ken's House of Pancakes! (Mmm... Ken's Loco Moco...)

Posted by julia on April 9, 2002 6:39 PM:

Lee's BBQ meat jun plate - in Temple Valley Shopping center. When I used to pump gas at the texaco (pre Arco) there, I got hooked.

Posted by Stella on April 9, 2002 7:10 PM:

Tom: Here's another vote for Ken's - from someone who actually had their pancakes! (mmmmmm!) But, yes, I did have the loco moco too, and... what can I say, it rocks.

(This is coming from someone who once got embroiled in the age old Ken's-vs.-Cafe 100 debate over loco moco... I've never been to Cafe 100, and my friend hadn't been to Ken's, so it was a draw - which we settled by going to Hungry Lion. Meh.)

Four words: Zippy's Wun Tun Min. That's what I practically lived on around this time last year. Yummy. :)

Posted by Tom on April 9, 2002 8:11 PM:

I'll admit that Ken's and Cafe 100 have good food.. but being that there are only a few places around town it can get pretty old really fast. Another place worth mentioning (though I am sick of it) is Koji's. They are only open for lunch on weekdays.

Posted by Tom on April 9, 2002 8:12 PM:

... does anyone mind picking up a Papa Johns Pizza for me?

Posted by honukai on April 9, 2002 8:24 PM:

If you're talking pancakes, Boots & Kimo's in Kailua has the best Banana Pancakes with Mac Nut sauce! I'm not a huge fan of pancakes, but this I could eat all the time!

They also have the best fried rice (even better than Times Coffee Shop)...but you have to get there before 8:30 am or they run out. Worth the early wake-up!

Speaking of breakfast, Big City Diner's got wonderful & thick sweet bread french toast! Yummy:)

Posted by Stella on April 9, 2002 9:34 PM:

Honukai: I'm besotted with Big City Diner and their breakfast menu. The one time we were there for Sunday brunch, my niece got chocolate chip pancakes from their keiki menu with whipped cream and chocolate sauce... it almost, ALMOST, made me wish I was six again so I can order it from the keiki menu.

Posted by bunny on April 10, 2002 7:14 AM:

I will attest that the Boots & Kimo's banana pancakes with Mac Nut sauce are the best. So tasty. And I will be having cocoa puffs every time I come home from now on!

I never ate at Grace's. In fact, I never ate at most of those places you're talking about. I feel so detatched. :(

I always have to get manapua from somewhere (anywhere), Spam musubi, and I always have to eat at a Genki sushi. I don't know why conveyer belt sushi places don't open here. They're so quick and convenient! Here, sushi is still "fancy."

Any place I can get mochiko chicken is also good. And an Icee float. No Icees here and no slushee floats except at the Dairy Queen.

I also have to make sure I drink that sickly sweet Tahitian Fruit Punch. We don't have anything remotely like it here, just (yuck) orange soda. That fruit punch reminds me of Tiki Tops. Or is it Jell-O that reminds me of Tiki Tops...

Posted by Stella on April 10, 2002 9:41 AM:

I don't know why conveyer belt sushi places don't open here. They're so quick and convenient! Here, sushi is still "fancy."

Man, I forgot about Genki Sushi in my overview of the Kapahulu/Market City area (see above) - it's always been a classic, even though some food snobs I know have complained that it's not "real" sushi.

Speaking of conveyor belt sushi, I did mention Catch of the Day, which I just can't help but love - food snobs be damned! While I do live right by the Market City branch (aka "the one with the toy boats" - on an underwater conveyor belt) and have always gotten my takeout sushi from there, I've always had a soft spot for the Kapiolani Boulevard one, the one with the toy trains delivering sushi. It's the furthest thing from fancy-shmancy, and (except for the fact that their "Spam Musubi" is the size of my toenail) kids love it.

Any place I can get mochiko chicken is also good.

Does 7-Eleven in HNL count? Not the best, but I've never complained.

Posted by Joy on April 10, 2002 11:45 AM:

Okay, I know many people might not find this appealing but after working at Shirokiya part-time for three years, I would go for their bentos... yummy! Also, I go to Zippy's... Zip Pac or even just their chicken. Another thing I miss... McDonald's Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice! And being from the Big Island originally... Tex Drive-In malasadas and loco moco from Cafe 100.

Posted by Vivi on April 10, 2002 9:49 PM:

There was a time when I would forgo Makai Market and end up eating a Shirokiya's bento or one of the sushi rolls instead. I have a fondness for their California rolls, for some strange reason...

Posted by bunny on April 11, 2002 3:11 AM:

I love Shirokiya bentos, too.

Yum. I want sticky shoyu taste right now, and, ironically, the place I can get it is at fast food places containing the names "New Orleans" or "Cajun." They're all run by Korean Americans, so you can guess how authentic the Louisiana cooking is. lol. The first time I had their Bourbon Chicken, I did a double take.

Stella, Catch of the Day - I've eaten at the toy boat one. It was fun. I didn't know about the trains, though. :)

Posted by honukai on April 11, 2002 7:31 AM:

Sounds like the New Orleans Express here at Makai Market, which is owned by Panda Express, hence the Korean connection. I believe the bourbon chix is REALLY the same as Panda's orange chicken. surprise surprise.

Posted by Stella on April 11, 2002 7:54 AM:

LOL about New Orleans Express! I've noticed that about the Bourbon Chicken, too. So when they started including fried rice and mixed vegetables, I had to shake my head.

Bunny: The trains are really cool, if a bit fast (there's been times when I've missed grabbing the spicy tuna roll just because I didn't anticipate soon enough... for that they have waiters) - there are two sets of trains running on two different tracks, all of them delivering sushi right to your table. (At that particular Catch of the Day branch, they also have booths situated right next to the tracks.)

Posted by honukai on April 11, 2002 10:16 AM:

I wonder why Catch has boats at their Market City and Pearl City locations, but trains at Kapiolani? Now I have to mosey on there to see the trains too:) Parking's a bitch, tho.

Hey, while i'm there, I can get dessert at Dunkin Donuts:)

Posted by 7train on June 12, 2002 4:44 AM:

Hmm, here's my checklist for when I come visit da 'ohana in December...
St. Louis Drive-Inn for bentos, Leonard's for malassadas, Grace's for chicken katsu, Liliha Bakery for coco puffs, DeeLite Bakery for lilikoi or guava chiffon cake. Probably more I'm forgetting.

Posted by meri on June 12, 2002 5:32 PM:

Hmmm. Lessee. Leonard's, Zippy's, Jack in the Box (no more JitB anywhere near me, you know), Schlotzky's (only one around me, in DC proper, pain to get to), Yummy's, Dixie Grill, L&L Drive-In. Andy's used to be on the list, before they closed. Gee-A-Deli, but didn't they go under, too? Is Broke Da Mouth still open on Bishop Street?

Man. I'm hungry now. :)

Posted by Vivi on June 12, 2002 5:48 PM:

I'm pretty sure Broke Da Mouth shut down a while back. Although I heard the owner is now running an eatery in the downtown YWCA?

Posted by Ryan on June 16, 2002 1:55 PM:

Yep. Cafe Laniakea at the YWCA on Richards Street. Good food, and good heart:

"As important as the menu is the can-do attitude of this nonprofit community operation. The cafeteria has a job-training program that welcomes students from Alu Like..."

Only ate their once for a work lunch, but I have good memories.

Posted by nikii on July 29, 2002 4:27 PM:

did anyone post kim chee 2!?
that place is awesome!!!

Posted by helen on July 29, 2002 8:49 PM:

It's been a long time since I have been to Hilo but I remember the hamburgers at Cafe 100 being pretty good for the price but of course it was a time when a burger was under 75 cents.

I also remember another place in Hilo that close to the bowling alley that was a rival to Cafe 100, I can't remember the name but some how the letter 'K' was part of the name.

Speaking for myself if I was away from Oahu for a time and I just arrived I would either head over to a L&L Drive Inn for the BBQ Chicken, or either U-Choice Drive In or Patti's Chinese Kitchen for noodles, orange chicken and whatever else they had at the time.

Posted by NemesisVex on July 30, 2002 8:24 PM:

There's this diner that was down the street from a Catholic school where we stayed in Hilo during a high school band trip for the Merrie Monarch Festival.

The only thing I remember about that diner is a long-haired blonde one of my classmates mistook for a woman -- he turned around and had facial hair.

My classmate named him "Devline". I don't remember the diner -- it had terrible food anyway -- but I do remember "Devline", even though I never set eyes on him myself.

This has nothing to do whatsoever with original thread. Carry on.

Posted by Meakiai on August 3, 2002 11:20 AM:

Columbia Inn has the BEST Saimin anywhere. Zippys saimin might as well be the boil at home kind, compared to Columbia Inn.......
being on the mainland stinks. Wish they would send me some like Zippys doesn. Id pay 25 bucks for Inn Saimin.

Posted by Just an old Maui boy on November 21, 2002 3:53 AM:

Omygod, I've been on the mainland wayyyyy too long, thousands of miles from real food. I'd pay serious money for anything close to a Zip Pac or Grace's Katsu Chicken for lunch today. Portugese sausage and eggs. Kalbi Ribs. I can't stand it - when's the next flight leave from Atlanta?

Posted by raevyn808 on November 21, 2002 5:58 PM:

K's Drive-In is that take-out place near St. Joseph School, next to Kadota's Liquors. Good shoyu pork plate, though I haven't been there in about a year. I'd have to cast my vote for Cafe 100 loco moco but I'd be hard-pressed to figure out which of the dozen varieties is my favorite. Probably the classic loco...nope, maybe the Spam loco...or is it the Super Loco with spam, smokies and chili? Nori's Saimin & Snacks is the place to go if you're in a fried Saimin & chocolate mochi mood...at 2am, even. Lucky me, I work right across from Asami's in the Plaza. She makes wonderful nori chicken and crispy panko fish! Mmm, that's what I'll have for lunch tomorrow. =)

Posted by Stella on May 5, 2003 1:39 AM:

THE PASTELE SHOP ROCKS!! GO THERE FIRST!!!!!1

Posted by Corinna on July 8, 2003 11:24 PM:

HELLO,
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO MAKES THE BEST PASTELE ON OAHU? AND I ALREADY TRIED THE PASTELE SHOP. PLEASE E-MAIL ME.

Posted by Doug Rodrigues on May 8, 2004 9:13 AM:

Hello everyone,
I've been gone from the Islands since graduating from Kaimuki in '62. Someone told me that there is a place for me to order Hawaiian food frozen and have it mailed or UPS'ed to me. Is that true? Does anyone have addresses or web sites I can go to for that? I live near Reno, Nevada now and really have a craving for lau laus and poi or just the Zippys type food.

Posted by Ryan on May 9, 2004 9:17 AM:

Doug, as linked early on in this thread, the Zippy's site allows you to order all sorts of foods from their local menu and ship them halfway 'round the world. Chili, kim chee, portuguese sausage...

Posted by song lyrics on September 21, 2005 5:40 PM:

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Posted by MusubiHi on January 18, 2006 7:19 AM:

I'm not making it here in Fl without korean food. Does anybody have a recipe (that imitates) Kaimuki Korean rest
for meat juhn and mandookooksu and pulkogi and minari namul? Having a hard time duplicating thru the internet..not the same!!!! Also Sekiya's inari sushi?? and pasteles (hot hot hot)
Aloha..a lonely transplanted
Hispanic local.
Musubi Hawaii - musubiHi

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Next stop...?

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