Check Out 9 New & Coming Eateries on One Block at Ward Village
New tonkatsu, local ice cream, Korean barbecue and more are coming to Kaka‘ako.
Photo: Mari Taketa
Unless you live in the area, chances are you haven’t ventured to the short block of Halekauwila Street just before it dead-ends at Victoria Ward Park. It’s a side of Ward Village most people don’t see—a narrow slip of road running between two condo buildings whose ground-floor storefronts are almost all papered over. A single restaurant, Cino, has opened in ‘A‘ali‘i and another, Nori Bar, across the way in Kō‘ula. There’s absolutely no hint that by year’s end, seven more will join them.
Image: Courtesy of Ward Village
Cropping up on this stretch will be brunch fare, vegan smash burgers, Korean barbecue, tonkatsu and boba. Most are locally owned; two are chains based in Asia. You’ll find parking on the next block in the Whole Foods Market and Consolidated Theatres structures. Here are the restaurants and eateries coming to Ward.
SEE ALSO: 10 New & Coming Restaurants on O‘ahu: January 2024
Black Sheep Cream Co.
Photo: Martha Cheng
Black Sheep’s Ward shop will be the fifth for Tasi Reid, who opened her first in Waipi‘o six years ago when she was 21. Classics like Guilty of Strobbery (strawberries and cream) and It’s Gonna Be a Rocky Road will be joined by “new flavors, an expanded menu of baked goods and drink specials,” Reid promises. The cozy space will have tables for those who want their cups, cones, affogatos and ice cream floats for immediate gratification.
Targeted opening: Tentatively Nov. 29, 2024
SEE ALSO: Black Sheep Cream Co. Brings Its Unicorn Poop to Wahiawā
Cino
DB Group’s long-awaited upscale Italian spot debuted last fall, the first restaurant open on the block. Crab spaghetti, charred Spanish octopus, braised beef cheeks, fritto misto arrive in a wood-paneled dining room with seating at a bar, tables and a luxuriously long banquette. Cino is DB Group’s fourth eatery after Kaka‘ako’s Café Duck Butt and Kapolei’s DB Grill and Mad Bene; Pizza Dadi, a pop-up restaurant also in Ward, closed last year.
Open Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m., 987 Queen St., (808) 888-3008, cinohawaii.com, @cinohawaii
Dean & DeLuca Hawai‘i
The upscale deli’s third Hawai‘i location will be a 1,870-square-foot café fronting Victoria Ward Park. If it’s like the first two in the Ritz-Carlton Waikīkī and Royal Hawaiian Center, expect charcuterie selections, craft pastries, hot and cold dishes, Dean & DeLuca merch and picnic basket lunches for dining in the park.
Targeted opening: September 2024
Happy Lemon
The Taiwanese chain’s OG Honolulu shop is moving from its Ward Centre address to its permanent spot between Dean & DeLuca and Black Sheep Cream Co. The pop-up opened with boba teas, slushies and bubble waffles in fall 2022; a second location followed at Ala Moana Center.
Targeted opening: Tentatively Oct. 28, 2024
Nori Bar
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Wildly popular since its late November opening, this 16-seat sushi counter from the owners of Paradise Poke serves up hand rolls made to order one at a time, just so you bite into creations like freshly grilled unagi or spicy ‘ahi wrapped in a thin layer of sushi rice while the nori is at its crackly-crisp prime. Definitely reserve ahead.
Open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 1000 Auahi St., noribarhawaii.com, @noribarhi, reservations at (808) 379-1144 or on Yelp.
SEE ALSO: Fresh, Crackling-Crisp Hand Rolls Make Nori Bar Worth a Visit
Onkee
Opening on the second floor of Kō‘ula, Onkee is the first Hawai‘i eatery planned by SG Hospitality (for husband-and-wife owners Skye Kim and Grace Park, a former LPGA pro golfer). At the Ward restaurant, 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.
Targeted opening: August 2024
Planted by La Tour Café Kaka‘ako
Photo: Annabelle Le Jeune
Directly across from Nori Bar, La Tour’s second vegan eatery after its ‘Āina Haina store will be the block’s first opening of 2024. Plant-based burgers, sandwiches, salads, sides and desserts will be on offer, including vegan versions of the local chain’s famous macarons in flavors like guava and mango.
Targeted opening: Early 2024
SEE ALSO: La Tour Café Has Switched Its Entire ʻĀina Haina Menu to Plant-Based
Tonkatsu Kuro
O‘ahu Katsu Inc.’s first eatery will feature premium kurobuta pork tonkatsu and hot and cold noodle dishes, Ward Village says, including Cold Soba + Half Tonkatsu combinations. Look for it in the corner spot on the ground floor of Kō‘ula, kitty-corner from Rinka Restaurant.
Targeted opening: December 2024
Westman Café
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Slightly offset from the other restaurants along Victoria Ward Park, Westman Café 2.0 will be smaller than the one that just closed in the airy, cathedral-like former Bills Hawai‘i/Upstairs Waikīkī space. Owner Westman Corp. says the menu of brunch and lunch dishes—including noteworthy soufflé pancakes and this oxtail soup—will be augmented by a new dinner service. The move toward cozier, more economic and manageable spaces is in line with other recent and coming developments by the company, which also owns Shokudo, Buho Cocina y Cantina, Fukurou and Kaimukī Shokudo.
Targeted opening: Now January 2025
Image: Courtesy of Ward Village
