Breakfast
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Pancakes 'n cream - one of the many fabulous breakfasts at the very popular Waikiki eatery, Eggs 'n Things. |
There are so many great choices for breakfast on the island. Most, but not all, of the spots listed here specialize in only breakfast and lunch, usually shutting down before dinner. Of course, there are many other restaurants in other sections that do not exclusively cater to morning meals and are also great for breakfast, such as Sam Choy’s BLC from the Hawaii Regional Cuisine Section, a Grand Café & Bakery from the Bakery section, and Zippy’s from the Local Family Restaurants section (just about all the restaurants from this last section mentioned are ideal for breakfast).
For our visitors (mostly), Waikiki also has some great, cheap breakfasts in almost every hotel, and in the larger hotels you will often have several options. Denny’s, at the Imperial Hotel across from the Halekulani, is covered in the American Casual Family Dining section, and is always a safe bet for large, tasty breakfasts in the true American fashion. The Dinner w/Drinks section includes Shorebird at the Outrigger Reef Hotel and Duke’s and Hula Grill at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel, all of which are great for economical breakfasts, as are the three Cheeseburgers in Paradise restaurants, located at the Beachwalk and near the two sides (Diamond Head and Ala Moana) of Waikiki. Hau Tree Lanai from the Hawaii Regional Cuisine section is a fabulous spot for a gorgeous breakfast, with an outdoor dining room right there on the beach, under the hau tree! There are also many great and very extravagant Sunday brunch buffets available, the best of which are mentioned in the Buffet section.
Da Big Boy’z: Boot’s & Kimo’s for banana-macadamia nut pancakes; Eggs ‘n Things for everything; Cinammon’s for great food with warm, friendly service; Cream Pot for artisan-quality breakfasts and great atmosphere; quaint Cafe Kaila is worth checking out; Hau Tree Lanai, from the Hawaii Regional Cuisine section, sports a more upscale, yet still casual, experience right on the beach.
Recent Closings: Brent's Deli.
Boot’s & Kimo’s. A Closer Look. 131 Hekili St. in Kailua. 263-7929. Breakfast and lunch only, daily. Parking on street. Prices: $. Map. Perhaps one of the most interesting eateries on the island, with its cheerios boxes, collector sports posters, and memorabilia covering the walls. There are two things this little hole-in-the-wall is mostly known for – pancakes and steak. The banana-macadamia nut pancakes, most notably, will leave you speechless, and had it not been for the picture provided by the passionate blogger Kathy at the A Passion for Food blogsite, you’d be wondering if you’ve ordered correctly or not. It certainly doesn’t look like a normal stack of pancakes because of the thick, frothy, super-sweet syrup. The pulehu rib steak, on the other hand, is flavored simply with Hawaiian salt and covered with blackened mushrooms and onions. Other menu items are decent but not quite as memorable, like strawberry waffles, hamburger steak, omelets, and fried rice. The line of people waiting to get in (from 7am weekdays and 6am weekends) can seem a bit disconcerting, but don’t let that stop you from this delightful little stop. Simple, down-home, local-style goodness at it’s very best!
Eggs ‘n Things. 339 Saratoga Rd. in Waikiki. 949-0820 or 923-3447. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Prices: $$. Parking on road or in lots around area. Map. Both locals and tourists alike, especially Japanese tourists, have fallen in love with this very popular restaurant. Just about all morning, there's always a line of people waiting outside the doors, and this with good reason. There are a wide variety of great omelets as well as fish, steak, and sausage dishes. As good as they are, we more often go for pancakes, especially the whipped cream banana pancakes, featuring a light, fluffy batter that is complemented well by bananas and a giant mound of an even lighter house-made cream. There are also excellent waffles, which can be ordered thick and chewy or thin and crunchy, as well as French toast varieties and crepes stuffed with cream cheese and fruit fillings. The perfect breakfast stop any way you look at it.
| May not look the most appealing, but this Hawaiian omelet from Cinnamon's is a very unique, very original, very tasty winner! |
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Cinnamon’s. A Closer Look. 315 Uluniu St. at the Kailua Square in Kailua. 261-8724. Breakfast and lunch daily, dinner Thursday-Saturday. Parking on street. Prices: $. Map. Kailua is home to several great breakfast outlets, and one of them is hidden in tiny Kailua Square. At Cinnamon’s, gracious hosts with big smiles do their best to make you feel at home as customers often crowd this beautifully homey and quaint eatery with the country-style gazebo in the middle of the dining room. On the menu, various types of eggs Benedict such as crab-cake, mahi-mahi, and kalua pork, along with the traditional Canadian Bacon, are ordered in single or double sizes, with toppings that can be mixed-and-matched. Otherwise, there are a full range of items, from chili omelets, frittata’s, and skillets to fruit-filled pancakes with sour cream toppings, French toast, and home-made biscuits and cinnamon rolls. For lunch, there are Chinese chicken salads, patty-melts, stir-fry’s, linguini w/pesto, and meatloaf, to name a few.
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Artisan breakfasts like this banana almond waffle abound at the Cream Pot in Waikiki. |
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Cream Pot. A Closer Look. 444 Niu St. at the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel in Waikiki. 429-0945. 6:30am-2:30pm daily. Parking at hotel. Prices: $$. Map. And you thought Kailua was the only place for fashionable breakfast spots? Guess again. The Cream Pot is a slice out of an old French countryside home, with wire-backed chairs, fresh flowers, stucco walls, rustic wooden tables, frilly curtains, and bronze-colored pots hanging off walls. The European village look is so cutesy it is destined for fame in every Japanese woman’s trip to the island! Besides the look, they have an excellent breakfast, with artisan-like waffles to die for, crepes, eggs baked in small ramekins and filled with house-made chunks of maple-smoked bacon, and a variety of omelets. There are three different eggs benedict dishes that are so original, none of them even include hollandaise, and only one comes with an English muffin! The most interesting benedict arrives with a slightly grilled medallion of white rice, which is then topped with avocado, ahi sashimi, shiso leaf, and a pour of miso-orange sauce. Definitely a quality place with talented people designing both the menu and the décor.
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Bogarts on Monsarrat Ave. is a casual, funky-eclectic hide-away popular with surfers and college-types, with large portions and great breakfast and lunch options. |
Bogart’s. A Closer Look. 3045 Monsarrat Ave. near Diamond Head. 739-0999. Breakfast and lunch daily from 6am. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Part beachy new-age and part college/professorish, this very casual day-time spot carries Western-style dishes like large breakfast bagels, chicken apple sausage or pesto mushroom omelets, breakfast burritos, veggie wraps, bbq chicken pizza’s, sandwiches like pastrami and cheese or turkey and Swiss, and salads like spinach and strawberry or avocado and roast chicken. There’s also a popular Hawaiian waffle and taro pancake, both of which can come with various fruits and syrups, but make sure to try their haupia sauce/syrup, which always draws raves. In addition, don’t forget about the shakes of peanut butter Oreo, peanut butter banana, and more, as well as a long list of fresh-brewed espresso drinks with fancy names like macchiato, Cafe Vienna, Krakatoa Steamer, and Thai latte. Order at the counter and they’ll bring your meals out, but you may have to take-out, as this place gets plenty busy. Not the nicest of atmospheres in the traditional sense, but perfect for the more stylishly eclectic, New-age scene.
| Gorgeous lunch and breakfasts meals like this banana strawberry French toast can be had at Cafe Kaila at the Market City Shopping Center. |
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Cafe Kaila. A Closer Look. 2919 Kapiolani Blvd. at the Market City S.C. in Kaimuki. 732-3330. Breakfast and lunch daily from 7am. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$. Map. This Kailua transplant has a quaint, laid-back, cutesy, and altogether charming atmosphere, complete with four-tiered Roman water fountain, combined with a modern yet home-style menu with lots and lots of heart – definitely a girlfriends-gathering type of place - and I do mean that in a good way! On the menu are such delights as light, fluffy frittata’s, breakfast quesadillas, panini’s, caramel apple French toast, Belgian waffles, Cinnamon pancakes with strawberries, brown sugar, and cream, grilled salmon salad, roast pesto chicken, and a wide variety of three-egg omelets, from veggie to Spam to chicken sausage. The French toast, waffles, and pancakes are especially pleasing on the eye, and they use only fresh fruits and make everything from scratch, making all three standout items. In the past, they've been associated with long waits, but seem to have largely corrected the problem. Not that it doesn't get crowded at times, though, to where you may have to wait for a seat!
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Super thin, with super-crispy edges, these 49er flapjacks from the Original Pancake House are one of my favorites! |
The Original House of Pancake. A Closer Look. 2 locations: 1221 Kapiolani Blvd. near the Ala Moana S.C. (map shown), 533-3005; and 1414 Waiakamilo S.C. in Kalihi, 847-1496. 6am-2pm daily. Prices: $. Map. The best breakfast houses on the island always get crowded, and this popular restaurant is no exception. Be sure to get there before 8:30am or so, or you’ll be taking a seat outside for a while, especially on weekends. The 49er flapjacks are thin buttermilk pancakes that are wonderfully light and delicious with a crispy edge. There are two other dishes, however, that are true show-stopper’s! One is a magnificent apple pancake, with tart green apples bathed in a sweet, glossy, cinnamon glaze, and the other, the Dutch baby pancake, is an egg batter that puffs while oven-baked, and covered with powdered sugar and lemon for a sweet, gooey, and butter-rich flavor. Both take a half-hour or more to prepare, so you may want to phone order them before you arrive – unless you brought a newspaper and enjoy a leisurely cup of hot, fresh-brewed coffee. I don’t know how they do it, but the eggs here are always so very light and fluffy, whether scrambled or in omelets.
| It's all about crepes at Crepes No Ka oi in Kailua! |
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Crepes No Ka Oi. A Closer Look. 131 Hekili St. in Kailua. 263-4088. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, except closed Sunday evenings. Parking on street or behind building. Prices: $. Map. The most successful crepe operation on the island is not only open for breakfast and lunch, but also dinner (except Sunday evenings). Saturday nights feature live music, and there’s no corkage fee for this lively byob spot! You won’t find anything on the menu except for crepes, but with the many choices available, you won’t suffer any lack whatsoever. There are sweet varieties like their Temptations in Paradise (brown sugar/cinnamon-baked apples, whipped cream, and powdered cinnamon), Banana au Nutella, and a We’re Jammin (guava jelly, strawberry and boysenberry preserves, whipped cream, and powdered sugar), as well as plenty of savory choices that are complete meals in themselves, such as the Haole Boy (Jack and cheddar cheeses, honey ham, and pineapple chunks), Vegetarian, and Get Mushy (sauteed mushrooms, Jack and cheddar cheeses, and choice of oven-roasted turkey or honey ham). Prices are reasonable, ranging from $5.95 to $8.95. The atmosphere is clean, contemporary, and stylish, in a casual, Kailua Beach sort of way!
Moke’s Bread & Breakfast. 27 Hoolai St. in Kailua. 261-5565. 6:30-1pm daily except closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Parking on street. Prices: $. Map. You’ll love the smell of fresh-baked bread, and the taste even more so, if you ever happen to find this little hide-away in Kailua town. In addition, the pancakes and waffles are great, as are the simple omelets and egg dishes. They also have a few lunch items, with a thick-cut, juicy, country-style pork chop that is one of their specialties.
Koa Pancake House. 4 locations: 94-050 Farrington Hwy. at the Waipahu Town Center in Waipahu (map shown), 671-7172; 930 Valkenburgh St. by the Navy Exchange in Moanalua, 422-6700; 99-115 Aiea Hts. Dr. at the Aiea S.C., 488-8805; 703 California Ave. in Wahiawa, 621-0123. 6:30am-2pm daily. Prices: $. Map. Hearty, local-style breakfasts at very reasonable prices, this family of restaurants seem to be popping up everywhere, mostly outside of the town area, for some reason, where they are very popular. There are pancakes with whipped cream piled high and proud, breakfast meats, waffles, crepes, and omelets. Lunch is served after 11am and features burgers, sandwiches, and plate lunch fare. They even have some Portuguese vinha d’alos, which is a pork that is pickled and grilled, and Korean meat juhn.
Ihop. 3 locations: 46-056 Kamehameha Hwy. at the Windward Mall S.C. in Kaneohe (map shown), 235-4467; 98-1254 Kaahumanu st. in Pearl City, 486-4467; and 2211 Kuhio Ave. at the Ohana Malia Hotel in Waikiki, 921-2400. Breakfast and lunch daily. Prices: $. Map. This large, national chain has outlets all over the United States and has the full line-up of breakfast items in a Denny’s-style atmosphere.
Café Haleiwa. 66-460 Kamehameha Hwy. in Haleiwa. 637-5516. 7am-2pm daily. Parking outside store. Prices: $. Map. As is fitting for this new-age-friendly surf town, the walls of café Haleiwa are filled with funky artwork and surfboards, and the atmosphere is laid-back and friendly. Positive energies are tantamount in this section of the island. You can’t surf with a bad attitude, after all - unless someone drops in on you, that is, but that’s another story altogether… Giant, healthy sandwiches and large, not-so-healthy breakfasts with Portuguese sausage, fried rice, and eggs are the order of the day here. One of the better breakfast options in Haleiwa.
Jack’s. 820 W. Hind Drive at the Aina Haina S.C. in Aina Haina. 373-4034. 6am-2pm daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. This little eatery is famous for their home-made biscuits, which are a cornbread/dinner roll hybrid served with a slathering of honey-butter. The pancakes are also very good, with a slight buttermilk flavor and a nice, crispy edge that gives the fluffy cakes a nice touch. The eggs and omelet dishes are straight-forward and simple, right in tune with its location in a quiet residential district.
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