Editor’s Note: In April 2022, when this article was published, a traditional feast of seven courses of beef at Super Pho, or bo bay mon, was $40 for two. That was eye-popping. But even now, at $50, it’s still dazzling. We’ve updated this post—read on for Martha Cheng’s take.

Clockwise from top: vinegar beef fondue; a platter including meatballs and bo la lot (beef wrapped in betel leaf); and congee. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Bo bay mon, or seven courses of beef, is not the orgy of beef you might expect. What I love about it: It feels special enough to be festive, what with the lavish variety, the wrapping of rolls tableside and dipping thin slices of beef into a vinegar fondue, and yet it’s surprisingly refreshing and comforting for everyday meals, with the heaps of fresh herbs, lettuce and pickles and a soothing finish of congee. The beef is treated more as a condiment, harkening back to when meat was considered a luxury—the bo bay mon tradition dates to 1930 when the restaurant Au Pagolac opened in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

In Honolulu, where bo bay mon disappeared after A Little Bit of Saigon stopped serving it in the 1990s, it made a comeback when Super Pho in Kaimukī opened nineteen years ago. 

SEE ALSO: We Found Goat Hot Pot and Whole Roast Fish with Skin Like Chicharrones in Chinatown

Beef congee. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

The seven courses of beef can vary, but they usually highlight various cooking techniques, much like Japanese kaiseki. At Super Pho, where the bo bay mon is $50 for two, it begins with a beef salad, thin rare slices of cooked beef tossed with equally thin slices of lemon, rind and all, a fistful of torn rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), onions, peanuts, fried shallots. And what really makes it a salad you can’t get enough of—a sprinkling of sugary pork dust and ethereally fried skin on top.

Courses two, three, four and five arrive on a large platter overflowing with herbs, including cilantro, purple shiso and mint. And then there’s lettuce, cucumbers, vermicelli and pickled daikon, which you’re meant to roll into rounds of rice paper with the beef. Or not: I also enjoyed treating the DIY rolls more like bites of salad while eating the beef separately, the better to taste the nuances. Here, it’s prepared as a steamed meatloaf and various grilled preparations: skewers, meatballs wrapped in tissue-thin caul fat and beef wrapped in la lot leaves.

The traditional dipping sauce for your rolls is mam nem, a fermented anchovy sauce that Super Pho makes with lemongrass, ginger and fresh pineapple. But if it’s too potent for you, you can also ask for the more familiar nuoc cham.

SEE ALSO: When Rice = Comfort Food: 6 Steaming Bowls from Around the World

Beef dipped in a vinegar fondue. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Then, course six, beef fondue—a carpaccio of beef arrives, and a Sterno-fueled pot of vinegary broth. And to finish, a warming beef congee.

My friend and I had originally stepped into Super Pho for noodle soup. I had seen bo bay mon on the menu for years, but always said I’d get it “next time.” Finally, this time, we said, if not now, then when? It shook us out of our routine and delighted us on an otherwise mundane weekday. And all that for not much more than the price of two bowls of pho.

Angel Le Tran, Super Pho’s manager, said bò 7 món has been popular ever since the restaurant opened, and the day I talked to him, a couple from Colorado had ordered it—just two days after they arrived in Honolulu, when they also ate it. “People get it first thing when we open at 10 a.m. and late night at 9:30 p.m. with wine and beer,” he says. He remembers eating it when he was a child in Ho Chi Minh City, and though, at one time, it was reserved for special occasions like weddings, given the cost of beef, it has since become one of Vietnam’s most beloved foods, in part because “it’s just really fun.”

3538 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 735-9989, superphowaialae.com

Last week, Sean Morris texted me asking if I’ve tried the gumbo at Nola Café, the New Orleans-inspired café that took over the corner of St. Louis Drive and Wai‘alae Avenue this summer. I have not, but I’m all ears. Sean is not just a local marketing wiz (he helped the café open), he’s also a gourmand. Funny enough, it’s not the gumbo that he can’t stop talking about, it’s the shrimp étouffée, another creole dish you rarely find in these parts. I agree to meet him for a hosted lunch the next day.

We split the jambalaya ($13 a bowl, $16 a plate), chicken and sausage gumbo ($15 bowl, $18 plate) and shrimp étouffée ($15 bowl, $18 plate). I order an iced coffee drink to cool off. Nola’s air conditioner struggles against the humidity, so it feels like you’re in the South.

SEE ALSO: Leila Brings a Refined Taste of Morocco to Kaimukī

Three bowls arrive with varying degrees of spice and heft. Jambalaya, the Cajun answer to paella, combines shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage with rice, tomatoes, broth and aromatic spices in one of my favorite dishes. With Spanish, African and French influences, this dish brings a lot to the table. Nola’s version is on the softer end of the texture spectrum but isn’t lacking in flavor. It’s got a decent note of spice without being too hot. I’d order a bowl again.

Jambalaya. Photo: Thomas Obungen

Nola’s recipes come from co-owner Courtney Aczon’s family, whose hometown is New Orleans. The gumbo is thinner than the gumbos I’ve had elsewhere that incorporate a dark roux. Served with two scoops of rice, it is closer to a light gravy with shredded chicken and pieces of andouille sausage than it is a stew. If you’re used to thicker Creole gumbo, mix in the rice to soak up the broth so it becomes thicker and more comforting. Plates, which are $3 more, come with extra rice and/or a side salad.

Chicken and sausage gumbo. Photo: Thomas Obungen

Shrimp étouffée is elusive, so when Sean could not stop talking about it, I knew I needed to try it. It lives up to my expectations with a velvety texture that smothers the bouncy shrimp tossed in just before finishing. If you’ve ever had pan roast at the Oyster Bar in Las Vegas, this is close, except without tomato. It’s served with rice, but I think a crusty baguette would do a fine job mopping up every drop.

Shrimp étoufée, foreground. Photo: Thomas Obungen

To make it a full lunch, I sip on a sweet Café Nola, espresso balanced with milk and chocolate, cinnamon and caramel syrups over ice. A completely different experience from the New Orleans iced coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee, but same in that the details make it stand out. Row Aczon, who co-owns Nola Café with his wife, Courtney, comes from the world of specialty coffee and knows a lot about pouring amazing lattes. Previously an operations manager at Kai Coffee, Aczon set off to make his own space with the added flair of Creole and Cajun food.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

But what would a New Orleans-inspired café be without beignets? Nola’s beignets are on the smaller side, which means they won’t leave you feeling like you need to run a marathon. In addition to the classic, non-filled version (4 pieces for $7), you can also have vanilla, chocolate or ube custard-filled beignets (4 pieces for $10). And yes, they are covered with a dangerous amount of powdered sugar, so be careful when inhaling.

Nola Café may not have the best parking situation, but don’t let that stand in your way. This menu is served all day, every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3040 Wai‘alae Ave, nolacafehnl.com, @nolacafehnl

I first met chef Chris Kajioka in 2011, while meeting up with fellow food writers in San Francisco at Aziza, an acclaimed Moroccan restaurant where he worked. Although Kajioka already had admirers in Hawai‘i, one of whom pinged me that evening to say hello to him, I had absolutely no idea who he was.

From left: chefs Mourad Lahlou, Jorge Velazquez and Chris Kajioka. Photo: Melissa Chang

As I later learned, Kajioka fell in love with the Moroccan flavors that his boss, Mourad Lahlou, introduced him to while there. The Honolulu local’s goal was to someday bring those flavors back home by opening a restaurant with Lahlou.

That day has arrived. Leila, which means “night” in Arabic, opens Tuesday at the former Angelo Pietro space in Kaimukī. I had a chance to preview the three-course tasting menu, in which the first and second courses are set and the third is selected. (Supplemental dishes and desserts cost extra.) At the time of this writing, the price for the tasting had not been firmly set, but they were considering $75.

SEE ALSO: Fusion Café Is a New Drink, Snack and Lunch Spot in Kaimukī

Photo: Melissa Chang

If you’ve been to Kajioka’s other restaurants, including Miro Kaimukī, three courses are never just that. Before the courses, we were served “snacks,” a fresh Kusshi oyster with preserved lemon, cucumber and a yuzu foam. There also was foie gras on brioche with maple berbere. I know some people shy away from raw oysters, but you won’t want to miss this. It sparked a new sensation on my palate, a subtly refreshing citrus so refined compared to the acidic mignonettes that often punch you in the mouth.

You’ll experience similar refinement in everything on the menu. The first course, served with house za’atar bread, presents an array of bites and spreads, which we joked is like Moroccan banchan. You can eat them as they are or with the rest of the meal, and order more if you wish. You get muhamarra (roasted piquillo pepper and almond), zaalouk (eggplant, black olive gelée, pine nuts and herbs) and bissara (white bean hummus and black garlic)—spreads that are all incredibly silky and luxurious. You also get olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, which, as you can see, are prepared and presented for a sultan.

Charred cabbage. Photo: Melissa Chang

The second course is charred cabbage, a signature dish for Kajioka. Charring the cabbage brings out a sweetness, and the vadouvan cauliflower, date chermoula and allium give the dish flavor and texture that’s both delicious and mystifying with the illusion it creates on your palate.

Photo: Melissa Chang

The third course is your choice, but it’s made for two people to share. I love lamb and tried the lamb meshoui, which was fork-tender and accented with a date glaze. The sweet sunchoke purée made it feel a little lighter, too.

Branzino. Photo: Melissa Chang

My other choice is the Mediterranean branzino with red and green chermoula. While firm, the fish is moist and the herbaceous chermoula itself is one that I’d want to put on everything. I’m not saying the wagyu beef tagine is not as good as the branzino, because of course, it’s fantastic. I just happen to be eating lighter lately, and the fish suited this preference.

Basteeya. Photo: Melissa Chang

Leila also offers added menu items, which were also not priced yet. The Kaua‘i prawns sounded tempting, but the duck confit basteeya was the standout. This is a dish Lahlou is famous for, a must-have at Aziza. The duck confit came wrapped in puff pastry with almonds, raisins, caramelized onions and berbere. It’s almost sweet enough to be dessert, if not for the savory duck. The flavors and textures are, like everything else, ultra refined.

Date cake. Photo: Melissa Chang

Dessert is extra. We tried the yuzu custard, topped with papaya, grapes and a dill syrup. That may sound strange, but the syrup took on more of the physical profile of dill, rather than its flavor. Yet it was the date cake, topped with Parmesan ice cream, that intrigued me the most. The cake was just sweet enough, and the Parmesan ice cream was brilliant. It seemed to have salt crystals in it, much like how you might find in the cheese itself. It’s like eating french fries with vanilla ice cream.

As far as ambiance, Leila is stunning at night with Moroccan lights twinkling against blue walls. The blue is the same shade as Miro’s, but also the color of Yves Saint Laurent’s home in Morocco.

Reservations are available through OpenTable.

Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., 1108 12^th Ave, (808) 888-0884, leilahnl.com, @leila_kaimuki

You already know ‘ono and you’ve probably heard oishii, but what about shiok? I just added the Malay slang for delightful or tasty, pronounced “shi-ōk,” to my vocabulary this weekend. It just might become part of my daily vernacular if I can eat the beef rendang at Shioketh, a new Indonesian-Singaporean street food pop-up at Hapa Market in Pālolo, on the regular.

Indonesian, Malay and Singaporean cultures converge in an ethnic group known as Peranakan or Nyonya who are descendants of the first waves of Chinese immigrants who settled in areas around the Strait of Malacca. Peranakan cuisine is unique for its hybridization of Chinese techniques with local flavors as a result of the cross-cultural and multi-ethnic marriages common in the region.

Even before work took me to Kuala Lumpur in 2018, I’ve been a fan of Peranakan cuisine’s myriad flavors. Malay and Indonesian friends in college, and later in Los Angeles, would invite me to seek out nasi lemak rice bundles, rendang curries, kaya toasts and laksa noodle soups wherever they made surprise appearances. Although none quite came close to what I had in KL, they kept me satisfied. Enter Shioketh, which soft-launched Saturday with the flavors I’ve been missing in six dishes and drinks. A grand opening is set for Sep. 7, after which they will regularly open on Mondays and Saturdays.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Start with the beef rendang ($18.95), an Indonesian dry curry made with chunks of beef rendered soft after braising for four hours in spices and coconut milk. The liquid is reduced until it caramelizes around the beef, imparting a unique sweetness. The spiced aroma when you open the plate is intoxicating. Served with jasmine rice garnished with crispy onions, sliced cucumber batons and grape tomatoes, it is a comforting taste of the region.

SEE ALSO: New SingMaTei’s Curry Laksa is a Malaysian Delight

Between the hot, spicy food and the non-air-conditioned space at Hapa Market, you’re going to want a cold drink to sip on as you sweat from every pore. It wouldn’t be a proper Singaporean experience otherwise. The pandan coffee ($5.75) is the way to go. Cold-brew coffee flavored with pandan-infused coconut milk cream supplemented with whole or oat milk and sweetened with gula melaka palm sugar: It’s rich, creamy and everything you want in a pandan drink.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

The ayam penyet ($16.95), twice-cooked smashed chicken, is an entrée worth waiting for. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are boiled in a broth with a paste of garlic, galangal, ginger and shallots. The thighs are deep-fried until the skin is golden-crispy and, before serving, get a proper whack to crack the skin and meat. Shioketh serves the chicken with perfumed jasmine rice and a spicy chile sambal-infused kecap manis, a thick sweet soy sauce, that is both painful and addictive.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

The pandan waffle ($8.95) is the sweet savior amid all the spice. Flavored with the subtly floral vanilla cream-like extract, this waffle also gets a side of gula melaka palm sugar whipped cream and peanut butter or Nutella. Although the texture is softer than I like, the flavors more than make up for it. You can order it with a scoop of ice cream (add $4) if the plain waffle isn’t sweet enough for you.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Side dishes also skew Peranakan like the sambal goreng ($3.95), a vegetarian dish of tofu, tempeh and long beans stir-fried in a paste made with garlic, chiles, shallots, galangal, lemongrass and kecap manis. I’ll be the first to warn you about the spicy kick hidden a few bites in. Blooming eggs ($5.95) are interesting, in a good way. In a hot wok, the omelet blooms into a fluffy, eggy cloud garnished with pork floss, crispy shallots and sweet soy sauce. I’d order this with rice and be happy.

SEE ALSO: New Windward Café Has Singaporean Flair and Weekend Laksa

Emily Terukina is the Singaporean expat who brings these fiery recipes to life, while her husband Gavin runs the behind-the-scenes, including the shop’s graphics and web design. Emily arrived in Hawai‘i in 2014 and spent the last decade working in Waikīkī and more recently as a host and kitchen helper at The Pig and the Lady. She left those jobs in February to open Shioketh after missing the food from her native Singapore. My hope is that this leads to something more permanent for food that’s both exciting and shiok for a lot of us in Hawai‘i.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Shioketh pops up at the Hapa Market Grill space in Pālolo on Mondays and Saturdays. There are a few tables for dine-in, though plating is all for takeout. Follow Shioketh on Instagram for schedule updates and events they’re participating in.

Open Monday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1720 Pālolo Ave, shioketh.com, @shioketh

Bamboo Tiger Shop by Beer Lab

Photo: Alexander Gates

It’s as if retro-trendy Asia barreled into a craft beer hangout, with attitude: Beer Lab’s latest opening, Bamboo Tiger Shop, debuted at Puck’s Alley this week with a focus beyond the local brewpub chain’s own beers. In line with a menu of Thai curry, Chinese Salt Pep Wings and daikon pickles, soju and cocktails are offered, with plans to start brewing kombucha. The vibe is summed up by the motto at the center of a graphic tiger-daruma mural by local artist Kaelyn Okuhata: “Drink beer, my friend.”

Open Monday to Thursday 2 to 10 p.m., Friday 2 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 2600 S. King St., beerlabhi.com, @beerlabhi

SEE ALSO: Beer Lab Opens a Fun Bar and Lounge with Food at Puck’s Alley

Broome St. General Café

Photo: Courtesy of Broome St. General Store

Ward Village’s new pop-up retail shop is now home to a pop-up café. Beans for Broome St. General Store’s flat whites, cortados and affogatos come from Kailua-based ChadLou’s Coffee Roasters; specialty latté flavors include ginger, rose and butterfly blue vanilla. Weekday breakfast pastries, toasts and sandwiches are made by Sophie Graham, who owns the California-based micro chain with husband Peter; weekend brunches feature plates like this, with smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese. Both shop and café will be open through December.

Daily 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., 310 Kamake‘e St., Suite B, (808) 752-8499, broomestgeneral.com, @broomestgeneralhawaii

SEE ALSO: August Shopping: 9 New & Coming Soon Stores on O‘ahu

Izakaya 855-Aloha

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Where izakaya are usually low-key pubs, 855-Aloha makes a splash as the phone booth-themed ground floor restaurant at the Romer House Waikīkī. Bay Area-based chef Sho Kamio brings cache to the menu that shares hints of his roots in Sendai in northeastern Japan. Staples include the 855 Chicken karaage, an offally delicious motsu-ni, beef tongue grilled tableside, spicy ‘ahi tataki and playful phonebook-inspired cocktails to match the vibes.

Daily 5 to 10 p.m., 415 Nāhua St., izakaya855aloha.com, @855aloha

SEE ALSO: New in Town: Summer 2024

Leila

Photo: Mari Taketa

Chris Kajioka’s latest venture, Leila is opening in the old Angelo Pietro space in Kaimukī in early September. With him in the venture is Marrakesh-born Mourad Lahlou, Kajioka’s longtime business partner and chef-owner of San Francisco’s Mourad and Aziza, which both earned Michelin stars. Leila’s Instagram has this vague teaser: “Close your eyes and imagine yourself transported to the bustling markets of Marrakech, the fragrant spice stalls, and the vibrant flavors of Morocco.”

1108 12th Ave., @leila_kaimuki

Lotus Café

Photo: Mari Taketa

The space that housed Kaimukī Café and Café Laufer before that is now home to Lotus Café. The new incarnation serves coffee sourced from Green World Coffee Farm in Wahiawā along with a small menu of bites like grilled cheese sandwiches, lox bagels and fresh chocolate chip cookies. It’s also the latest spot in town to serve up a matcha latté.

Daily 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 3565 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 732-5266, lotuscafehawaii.com, @lotuskaimuki

Mai Musubi

Photo: Mari Taketa

Born in Liliha and nurtured in Mō‘ili‘ili, Mai Musubi in early August graduated to its latest storefront. In the old Karen’s Kitchen space in Kaka‘ako, you’ll find the same array of chicken karaage, ume, mentaiko, Portuguese sausage with egg and other musubis; assorted bentos in the $10 range; and popular drinks from Japan in the chill case, including strawberry milk and melon, mikan and peach sodas. A steady trickle of loyal fans is already wiping out the stock during this soft-opening phase, when selections are more limited. Park in the stalls marked “MUSUBI” out front.

Tuesday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 614 Cooke St., @maimusubi

Mana + Pua

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Salt at Our Kaka‘ako’s newest eatery debuted on the second level near Butcher & Bird in late June. Mana + Pua, familiar to many as a winery-café when it was in Hale‘iwa, serves a mostly seafood menu, including a daily crudo, fresh catch of the day, poisson cru and clam chowder in a coconut clam stock; there’s also bone marrow on focaccia and a venison-pork belly burger. Dining here is al fresco, with views of the emerging Kaka‘ako skyline.

Daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 324 Coral St., (808) 462-1368, @manapua.wine, @manapuasalt

Onkee

Photo: Courtesy of Ward Village

Opening Aug. 28 on the second floor of Kō‘ula in Ward Village is Onkee, the first Hawai‘i eatery planned by SG Hospitality  (for husband-and-wife owners Skye Kim and Grace Park, a former LPGA pro golfer). Look for Onkee’s “flavorful stews, noodles, soups and high-quality proteins, which will be available during lunch and dinner,” a Ward Village description says. Flame grills at each table promise another option for DIY barbecuing after Han no Daidokoro, a Korean-inspired microchain from Tokyo, on the other side of Whole Foods Market.

1000 Auahi St., onkeehi.com, @onkeehawaii

SEE ALSO: Check Out 9 New & Coming Eateries on One Block at Ward Village

Editor’s note: This post was updated Sept. 9, 2024 to correct the ownership of Onkee.

Photo: Martha Cheng

These days, you’ll find steak plates all around the island, but where can you get one with local beef? The Local General Store, of course. Honolulu’s all-local butcher debuted steak plates a few weeks ago with New York strip steak, one scoop ‘ulu-mac salad, one scoop rice.

When I buy beef from Local General Store, I usually pick specialty cuts like the Denver or flatiron, but this steak plate ($19) gave me new appreciation for the strip steak—because look at that fat cap! It was crispy, salty and flavorful in the way that only grass-fed beef can be. Each bite doused with the au jus, sticky and rich, and paired with that dill-flecked ‘ulu-mac salad made for a perfect summer lunch.

It turns out it’s because of people like me that Local General Store introduced Steak Plate Saturdays. “It’s really cool that people order all these non-conventional cuts [from us],” butcher Jason Chow says. “It’s a testament to what we do—utilizing the entire animal and educating people on the different cuts. But one of the things that we have the hardest time selling are actually the cuts that everybody is accustomed to, like the New Yorks, filet mignon and ribeye.” So the steak plates are a way to re-introduce old favorites—the irony being that come the holiday season (which Chow’s already starting to plan for), the primal cuts will be all people will want. 

SEE ALSO: The Local General Store Brings Meats and Sweets Under One Roof

The new specials are also a throwback to Chow’s memories of getting steak plates from Times Kāhala, its parking lot wafting all those meaty smells from the grills set up outside. Local General Store roasts the beef rather than grilling it, so it’s not quite the same experience. But steak plates from the local butcher? Sounds like a new tradition in the making.

Available starting 11 a.m. on Saturdays. Preorders are also available online.

3458 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 777-2431, thelocalgeneralstorehi.com, @thelocalgeneralstorehi

Photo: Courtesy of Hana Quon

Rare these days is an Instagram-beautiful dessert that’s also exquisite in taste. Hana Quon nails both. Eight months ago, she moved to Honolulu after closing Café Madeleine in Boston, where she was a partner for 10 years. Her pastries are so beloved that when Katy Perry filmed American Idol on O‘ahu, she put in a special order. Quon’s textbook-perfect canelé showcase crunchy exteriors and custardy insides, eclairs serve as vessels for an almost fudgy Honoka‘a Chocolate Co. pastry cream, fresh figs and honeycomb are set like jewels on danishes. At The Curb in Kaimukī, where she provides the sweets and sandwiches, these will likely have sold out by the time you read this.

At Café Madeleine, Quon executed a mostly classical French patisserie, she says, and like many pastry chefs and bakers across the country, over the years has begun to incorporate Asian flavors (she is Korean and Chinese) into European techniques. “I don’t think it’s as simple as just black sesame this or matcha that,” she says. “You can’t just be like, ‘Oh, it’s this fun, Asian trendy flavor.” She wants to treat Asian ingredients with the same reverence usually reserved for whatever’s French and fancy by association. “Before I use anything, I like to use the best possible version of it and learn about its history. Getting to know the ingredient really well is important to me, even those I grew up with—I can’t bring it up if I don’t do the work.”

SEE ALSO: My 9 Favorite Bakeries in Honolulu

For her, that has meant learning that “black sesame actually shines the best when you balance its natural savory and bitter notes and add more sugar than you’d like to” and delving into matcha’s different flavor facets—for instance, a prized matcha might have an “umami flavor profile that doesn’t work very well for baking.” What does pair well is the “complex bitterness” of “Tsujiri’s ‘Old Days in Kyoto’ matcha” with Honoka‘a Chocolate Co.’s 85% dark chocolate “that works to support the earthy notes in the matcha and not overpower it.”

Quon moved to Hawai‘i to start a life as intentional as her pastries. She earned degrees in English literature and linguistics at the University of Maryland before turning to pastry, a career that led her to study and work in Paris and Lyon. After 10 years running Café Madeleine, a moment in her personal life jolted her, “where I was like, this is a little bit too much,” she says. She decided that “closing and starting a new era with more intention would be best. [Otherwise,] I feel like you just keep going into a black hole of working forever.”

Photo: Courtesy of Hana Quon

Quon is also the rare mix of artist and businessperson. She says that Café Madeleine’s wholesale accounts—providing baked goods and sandwiches to coffee shops—gave her the financial stability for creativity at her own shop, a model that she hopes to replicate in Honolulu.

So until she finds a bakery storefront of her own, the best place to get Quon’s offerings is at The Curb, where for breakfast there is a soufflé egg between shiopan, a fluffy, lightly salted bun; and for snacks, a pressed sandwich of serrano ham, black truffle and honey. Other choices in the past have included a roast beef sandwich doused with barbecue sauce that was astonishingly messy to eat, but worth it. Get there early for the full selection of pastries, which might include fresh lychee and cherry tarts or black sesame Rice Krispies Treats—a mix of high- and low-brow associations, all of it prepared with a high level of detail.

@hanaquon

Editor’s Note: Add two new musubi specialists from Japan to Thomas Obungen’s list, originally published in the fall of 2022: Omusubi Fujimaru inside Waikīkī’s Mitsuwa Marketplace, with luxe toppings including wagyu, butterfish and scallops; and Nana Musubi, which returned to its old spot in the new Stix Asia food hall in January 2023 (yes, they still have tonjiru pork miso soup). Sadly, three musubi shops on the original list have since closed; another is relocating and will reopen this summer.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Onigiri, or musubi as we love to call them, are a dietary pillar for many of us on the go. The locals’ version of an energy bar, but way more fun and oishii, rice balls often add up to more than the sum of their parts. They’re the quick snack between meetings, a trip down memory lane or just a simple indulgence we don’t have to break the bank to enjoy. You can pick up musubi at convenience stores, supermarkets and okazuya delis, but here, we’re talking about specialists.

Musubi are so popular, O‘ahu is home to 11 shops dedicated to the craft of pairing freshly cooked rice with salty, pickled and sweet toppings and wrapping them up in nori. Here’s where we go for the best musubi in Honolulu.

Got’z Grindz

Photo: Maria Burke

Location: 45-726 Kamehameha Highway, Kāne‘ohe
Instagram: @gotzgrindz_gotzkitchen
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Musubi varieties: 40+
Price range: $1.95 to $5.25 each
Specialty: 20+ Spam musubi variations
My pick: Butter garlic corn musubi and red hot dog musubi

You have to be on the “right” side of Kamehameha Highway if you want to get to this Kāne‘ohe hidden gem. Got’z Grindz is worth the hassle, though, especially for their myriad musubi choices. The rice-to-topping ratio is ideal: You get more flavor in each bite. I also recommend picking up side dishes like garlic noodles, and the poke bowls are excellent.

SEE ALSO: Hidden Gem: Got’z Grindz Musubis in Kāne‘ohe

Higoto Japanese Eatery

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: 3221 Waialae Ave. # A4, Kaimukī
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or sold out
Instagram: @higoto_japanese_eatery
Musubi varieties: 20 (10 types, with two rice options)
Price range: $2.60 to $2.95 each
Specialty: Large, filling musubi generously stuffed with toppings
Other menu items of note: Bento and donburi
My pick: Karaage chicken musubi and cheeseburger musubi

I’m always shocked by the line that forms outside Higoto Japanese Eatery in Kaimukī. Are there even enough parking stalls at this small shopping center? But every time I bite into a cheeseburger musubi, I’m reminded of why. These fistfuls of rice and generously portioned toppings are sublime and enough to fill a grown man in one go.

Komedokoro M’s

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: 438 Hobron Lane, Suite 107, Waikīkī
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. or sold out
Instagram: @komedokoro.ms
Musubi varieties: 25
Price range: $2.69 to $4.25 each
Specialty: Musubi made with Tsuyahime rice that’s milled fresh in-store each day
Other menu items of note: Chicken karaage, Japanese beef curry and ‘ahi poke bowls
My pick: Spam and egg onigirazu, shiso with ume musubi and mentai-mayo musubi

In places like Waikīkī, especially the corner of Hobron Lane and Ena Road which many Japanese expats call home, it pays to go off the beaten path. I’m talking about Komedokoro M’s, a teensy musubi shop that teems with business from open to close. They use Tsuyahime rice from Yamagata, which comes in brown rice form and is milled fresh daily at Komedokoro. From the first bite to last, these are the musubi I dream about.

Mai Musubi

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Editor’s Note: Mai Musubi temporarily closed in May and will reopen at 614 Cooke St. in July 2024. The info below is from its former University location.

Instagram: @maimusubi
Musubi varieties: 25+
Price range: $2.55 to $3.75 each
Other menu items of note: Bento
My pick: Crunchy ume musubi and tuna mayo musubi

Mai recently relocated from Liliha to just off University Avenue in the former Bubbies Ice Cream shop. Loads of space, parking and a larger menu (with online ordering) are the results. The musubi keep well and are generous on toppings with a good ratio of rice to match. Reasonably priced bento and curry bowls are just as popular.

Mana Musubi (Mana Bu’s)

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: 1618 S. King St., McCully
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or sold out
Instagram: @manamusubihi
Musubi varieties: 32
Specialty: Uniform musubi made with a wide variety of toppings with California and Japanese Koshihikari, pilaf and mixed-grain rice
Other menu items of note: Coffee jelly and custard pudding
My pick: Beef sukiyaki musubi with Japanese Koshihikari rice and chicken shiitake pilaf musubi

Manabu and Fumiyo Asaoka opened what was known as Mana Bu’s in 2008. If you’re looking for the OG musubi folks in Honolulu, they’re it—they literally wrote the book on musubi. Although they’ve explored third-party operators in the past, they returned to oversee operations in 2020 and increased the shop’s offerings and output. Mana Musubi is also the only musubi shop with staff in chef coats, which says all you need to know about these premium onigiri.

SEE ALSO: Best Fancy-Kine Spam Musubi: Our Top 5

Ma‘ona Musubi (closed)

Location: 921 Alakea St., Downtown; 1920 Ala Moana Blvd., Waikīkī; various farmers markets
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or sold out
Instagram: @maonamusubi, @maonamusushi_express
Musubi varieties: 30
Price range: $1.55 to $2.50 each
Specialty: Onigirazu (rice sandwiches)
Other menu items of note: Donburi rice bowls

Onigirazu are large, square musubi that resemble sandwiches, only they’re made with rice. Ma‘ona sells onigirazu by the half, so you can get a variety of flavors without committing to a full one. It’s perfect to pick up before heading to the office Downtown, or you can find them at the Kapi‘olani Community College, Kaka‘ako and Pearlridge farmers markets. In early October, they expanded to Waikīkī at Inn on the Park, where they sell a limited selection of onigirazu.

Musubi Café Iyasume

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: 6 locations (Ala Moana to Kāhala)
Hours: Vary by location
Instagram: @musubi_cafe_iyasume
Musubi varieties: Varies
Specialty: Spam musubi in dozens of variations from shiso and ume to deluxe versions with avocado, bacon and shrimp tempura
Other menu items of note: Bento, tonjiru pork belly miso soup, fried chicken
My pick: Shiso Spam musubi, chicken karaage mayo onigiri, shrimp tempura roll

Another OG in the musubi game, Musubi Café Iyasume is likely the shop everyone knows best. With up to seven locations at one time, it is pretty much where most people get their onigiri. What I love most about Iyasume isn’t that you can find them from Kāhala to Ala Moana, but that they have the most options, best prices and are fairly consistent across the board. When I work at the mall, they’re my first choice and I always get the same thing: a shiso Spam musubi, a chicken karaage mayo musubi, potato salad and an Aloha Maid Iced Tea.

SEE ALSO: Iyasume Makes Up to 23 Kinds of Spam Musubi

Musubistro (closed)

Location: 61-676 Kamehameha Highway, Hale‘iwa
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Instagram: @musubistro_
Musubi varieties: 3
Price range: $3 to $8 each
Specialty: Fresh-caught fish katsu musubi with teri sauce

Local, fresh-caught ‘ahi is filleted and turned into crispy blocks of katsu that Musubistro serves from a cute trailer outside Kawailoa Ranch. They also have the original Spam musubi, poke bowls and rotating specials. Truth be told, I haven’t had a chance to visit this musubi shop, but it’s first on my list the next time I’m in Hale‘iwa.

Palolo Factory pop-up at Fishcake (closed)

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: Fishcake, 307 Kamani St., Kaka‘ako
Hours: Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or sold out
Instagram: @palolofactory
Musubi varieties: 8
Price range: $4 each
Specialty: Made-to-order musubi and sets with side dishes
Other menu items of note: Side dishes like potato salad and gobo kimpira
My Pick: Portuguese sausage musubi and tuna mayo musubi

When Palolo Factory began popping up in Kaka‘ako earlier this year, I wished that Hikari Takahashi and Kevin Kuroda were accepting adoption applications so they could feed me every day. I was only half-joking; you can get the same experience every Saturday at Fishcake. Takahashi, a self-taught home cook, delicately prepares musubi to order along with a trio of side dishes and miso soup while Kuroda tends to each table. They often travel, so it’s best to check their Instagram for updated menus and schedules.

SEE ALSO: Rotating Pop-Up Vendors at Fishcake Hook Us With New Delights

Paradise Poke

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: Nu‘uanu, Waikīkī, Pearl City, Hawai‘i Kai
Hours: Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to sold out, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to sold out
Instagram: @paradisepokehi
Musubi varieties: 8
Specialty: Salmon and ikura onigiri with crispy nori
Other menu items of note: Poke bowls, garlic shrimp plates and baked salmon
My pick: Goteborg musubi

There are two types of Paradise Poke customers: those who go for poke and plate lunches and the occasional boiled peanuts, and those who go straight for the morning onigiri. I’ve been both. Paradise is the slight exception to my criteria that these shops be musubi specialists—it lays out rows of onigiri every morning that are snatched up by folks on their way to work and school faster than you can say “poke.” This is also the only shop that serves onigiri with crispy nori, a huge standout if you ask me.

SEE ALSO: Garlic Shrimp, Musubi, Lemongrass Kalbi: There’s Way More than Fish at Paradise Poke

Pork Tamago Onigiri

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Location: Waikīkī Food Hall, 2301 Kalākaua Ave., Suite C311-C, Waikīkī
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Instagram: @pork_tamago_onigiri
Musubi varieties: 8
Price range: $5 to $8 each
Specialty: Okinawa-style Spam and egg rice sandwiches
Other menu items of note: Miso soup
My pick: Double shrimp PoTama and goya tempura PoTama

Affectionately known as PoTama, Pork Tamago Onigiri is an Okinawa-based chain of musubi shops specializing in Spam, egg and rice foldover sandwiches—whether for efficiency or aesthetics, I’ll never know. But, I do know that these are freaking delicious, especially when the Spam is slathered with sweet abura miso paste or layered with bitter melon and katsuobushi flakes to make a play on goya champuru. I’ve been to PoTama shops in Okinawa and Fukuoka to compare, and their local cousins are just as good.

SEE ALSO: Waikiki Food Hall grand opens at Royal Hawaiian Center

No. 3: Thieves Stole Tight Tacos’ Equipment. Then This Happened

Ballesteros at the Palm Tree Music Festival. Screenshot courtesy of @tighttacoskaimuki

Published May 22, 2024

Yesterday was one month to the day since thieves drove off with Tight Tacos’ van and all its grills, tents, tables and everything else Reggie Ballesteros and Rizza Cozio needed to do off-site events and catering. Ballesteros’ first-person account tells what happened in the two weeks after—a huge outpouring of grassroots support that gave Tight Tacos heart and hope. That’s still ongoing, Ballesteros texted us last night. “I hear it a lot: ‘We heard about the theft.’” Catering gigs and business at the Kaimukī restaurant are still going up, he says, with sales now about a third higher than before. But there’s still no trace of any of the missing equipment.

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No. 2: First Look: Hawai‘i’s First Tokyo Central Opens in Kailua

Photo: Maria Burke

Published May 14, 2024

Maria Burke, our former digital dining editor and still a Frolic contributor, was waiting to cover this story. A Waimānalo girl, she’s seen Kailua evolve over the years, including the presence of more chains. Few places have been immune to this, so I wondered why Maria was so excited about the coming of Tokyo Central, part of the Don Quijote retail group. In response, she listed a string of closures of longtime businesses she grew up with. The result, she said, was fewer Asian food and grocery options in a neighborhood with a large local Asian population.

It was a good reminder that all our neighborhoods come with different histories and, even in an age of globalization, are evolving toward different futures. “In a small community with three Safeways, a Foodland, a Whole Foods and a Target, Tokyo Central brings something totally different,” Maria writes, “and I couldn’t be happier.”

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No. 1: Top 15 Picks of a Las Vegas Man Who Eats Out in Honolulu 180 Times a Year

Screenshot courtesy of @brickfiretavern

Published May 29, 2024

Two things I love most about this post: Young Park’s passion for Honolulu’s food scene and the fact that most of his picks come from small, locally owned businesses. Someone as volubly opinionated about food as Park is a rarity; rarer still is someone who can back up his opinions with corroborated details. Park makes it a point to get to know a dish, and sometimes the story of whoever made it as well: When he and his wife find a place they like, they eat there several times a week.

So when I pinned him down, he talked about specific qualities that set his favorite dishes apart; and if a restaurant’s better-known specialty was not a standout, he noted that, too. But even I couldn’t believe it when this post soared into the No. 1 spot just two days after publication. Young, if you’re reading this, how about sharing your favorite Las Vegas eats? For real!

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For the record, the next three most-read posts were All the Food Coming to Filipino Fiesta 2024, 9 New & Coming Eateries on O‘ahu: May 2024, and Ka‘a‘awa’s Crouching Lion Returns With a Revamped Look and Menu.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Afew posts on social media hinted at what happened in the early morning hours of May 5, the second anniversary of the day Tight Tacos opened in Kaimukī. Thieves stole its catering van, leaving the mom-and-pop business without the grills and everything else it needed for events and off-site catering.

The story might have spiraled from there, another one about hard luck hitting a small business already feeling battered. Tight Tacos closed its Maui shop in December in the ongoing downturn after the Lahaina fires. But a week ago, there was exuberance on its Instagram. “No thanks to the thief who stole our van and all of our catering equipment the night before Cinco de Mayo but thanks to all of you for pulling together and helping us do the damn thing!” co-owner Reggie Ballesteros wrote. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of this community. And our team.”

What happened there? We contacted Ballesteros and asked him to tell us. Here, in his own words, is his story:

Reggie Ballesteros behind the counter of now-shuttered Tight Tacos Maui. Screenshot courtesy of @tighttacosmaui.

“We did the Taste of East Honolulu event at Mary, Star of the Sea School. They know us because my kids go to school there and I used to make tacos at show-and-tell. So I ended the night pretty late. I parked the van at my kids’ mom’s condo area next to Waikīkī Elementary around 11:30. I went back the next morning around 6, and it was gone.

It was our catering van with all Mexican grills. One comal (disk-shaped griddle), I’ve had it for nine years. You can only find that in Mexico. I found it in Portland, Oregon, it was from Mexico and I shipped it to Hawai‘i. And another comal and a heavy-duty plancha as well. They took it all. There was a generator in there, an A-frame board that I shipped from Amazon and it took weeks to get, a tent I just bought from Sam’s Club. They gutted everything and they left me a bunch of cigarette butts.

It was Cinco de Mayo, Sunday, so we were jam-packed at the restaurant, and my van just got stolen. And we had the Zedd and Kygo event, the Palm Tree Music Festival at Turtle Bay Resort, coming up on Friday and Saturday. Projected 5,000 [eventgoers] each day. Four food vendors. So we knew we were gonna get rocked.

Our hands were tied behind our back. We were like, what the hell do we do? It’s a big event for us. It’s just me and Rizza [Cozio, Ballesteros’ partner]. We don’t have investors. This put us way, way back.

We were like, let’s just post it on social media, see what happens. From there, @808viral reposted us. They have a huge following, local, on O‘ahu.

Screenshot courtesy of @tighttacoskaimuki

Then Flash [Hansen] helped us out. He does BAMP Project, and he’s the event organizer for the music festival. He was like dude, what can we do to help you? All the little things that were in my van—the tables, A-frame, electrical cords, I didn’t even have tablecloths or signage—he was like I got you, don’t worry. We were so running on fumes. He could have picked any other Mexican restaurant, but he picked us and supported us.

Keli‘i Heen hooked us up. He offered us what he had in his garage—a bunch of grills, propane tanks. I really got to know him when the Maui fires happened. He has his hand in everything. Anytime there’s a crisis, Keli‘i’s there. He was the first person that called me.

Ballesteros at the Palm Tree Music Festival. Screenshot courtesy of @tighttacoskaimuki

Then Danny [Ka‘aiali‘i] was the big one. He was like hey, I just closed down Encore Saloon, I have that same style plancha just sitting in my backyard if you want.

It’s a grill and al pastor. It’s two in one. I have the grill on Maui, but on O‘ahu, I didn’t have the pastor machine. It’s a heavy-duty trompo that Danny got out of L.A. from a taco cart. He gave it to me for a steal, and he said just pay me later.

Al pastor, they call it the king of all tacos. It’s very technical in terms of how it’s stacked and how it’s cut. It’s amazing. There’s taquerias that do it, but it if you do it on the trompo, the vertical rotisserie, it chars it so you get that char flavor rather than [when it’s cooked] on the plancha. And then you slice it super thin, so when you bite into it, it’s supposed to melt like butter. Adobada marinade, I put a lot of strawberries in there with achiote natural food coloring and a ton of spices. I’m confident in our marinade and the way we slice it. It’s damn good, for me being Filipino. I pride myself on that. It took me years to figure it out. Years.

SEE ALSO: Tight Tacos Brings Luscious Carnitas and Foodie Cred to the Top of Wai‘alae Avenue

Friday-Saturday was the launch of our al pastor on O‘ahu. I want to keep it going. I’m shooting for Taco Tuesday, but I ran out Friday-Saturday, so I gotta get the meat cut.

And then @tommy__eats. Tommy was like hey, they just got their van stolen, go and support them, go eat at their restaurant. His video was amazing.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

All the little things helped. They helped a lot. You just see the sales going up day to day. Customers said hey, I heard about your vehicle, we’re here to support. New customers that we wouldn’t even have reached came out. Just a simple three-taco plate or a burrito. Hopefully, that offsets what we lost.

This shows how the community in Hawai‘i, on O‘ahu especially, just came together. For us. I’m super thankful for that.”

Open Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 3617 Wai‘alae Ave., tighttacoskaimuki.com, @tighttacoskaimuki