With a new year comes even more new restaurants and cafes. The openings this January were truly remarkable, with a popular Japanese ramen shop opening a second location, the launch of an Italian Brazilian pizza shop, a popular Kailua chef relocating to town, a unique sushi experience at an incredible price, and a swank café and Champagne bar in trendy Kaimuki.
Ramen BARIO
Ramen Bario makes a grand return to Waikiki. After closing its location in Waikiki Yokocho, the ramen shop resurfaced at Ala Moana Center’s Makai Market. However, the popular ramen shop reopened in Waikiki at STIX ASIA, the Asian food hall that replaced Waikiki Yokocho.
Highly touted in Japan for its thick pork bone broth, discerning noodle fans cannot get enough of the custom-made extra-thick noodles. Those who prefer some heat are in love with the Spicy Series, ramen featuring punches of chili featuring different degrees of spice: Mild, Hot, Fire, Kilauea, and Ghost. The Kilauea and Ghost levels are in no way tame, requiring the diner to be at least 21 years of age and to sign a consent form, holding Ramen BARIO free from any ensuing liability. Otherwise, stick to the regular or the Hawaii-exclusive tonkotsu ramen featuring thin noodles swimming in a black garlic-infused soup and let your taste buds enjoy a pleasurable bowl of noodles.
Ramen BARIO Waikiki Stix Asia >> Get a special offer!
2250 Kalakaua Ave. Honolulu HI
(808)772-4040
11am – 10 pm (LO 9 pm)
Ribs & Broth
Ribs & Broth, a Vietnamese pho restaurant, is now open at STIX ASIA in Waikiki, tucked away in an area called Noodle Street, alongside ramen shops and other noodle specialty shops.
The signature dish is the Double Beef Short Rib Pho, featuring an Instagrammable large bone-in short rib. Other dishes worthy of consideration are the Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich made with French bread, a papaya salad, or spring rolls.
Ribs & Broth
2250 Kalākaua Ave. Honolulu HI
11 am – 10 pm daily
(808) 744-2445
The Blue Fish Waikiki
The Blue Fish Waikiki is now open on the second floor of the Waikiki Beach Walk! This American Japanese restaurant has locations in Texas, Colorado, and Korea.
The signature is this bluefish tower. Avocado, ahi and salmon tartar, crab, sushi rice, tobiko, and other ingredients are all presented tableside before the server mixes them together.
Other menu items include a variety of sushi rolls, Wagyu steaks, and carpaccio. This restaurant takes a departure from traditional Japanese cuisine, creating a unique dining experience. For those seeking a dynamic American Japanese dining perspective with creative concepts, check out The Blue Fish Waikiki.
Bluefish Waikiki
226 Lewers St. Honolulu, HI
Sun & Mon 11am -10 pm, Tue-Sat 11am -11 pm
(808) 892-1115
https://www.thebluefishsushi.com/
The Japan (Food Hall in Mitsuwa Waikiki)
New Restaurants are opening in succession at The Japan inside Mitsuwa Waikiki, a food hall inside a Japanese supermarket on the second floor of International Marketplace.
The foodie destination offers savory and sweet discoveries such as Nagoya’s Ramen Taiga, Kanazawa Curry from the Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, and Motil, a Japanese-style crepe shop that takes pride in making its thin pancakes from glutinous rice flour.
Other restaurants include Cocoroe, where patrons may fill up on their Kagoshima wagyu beef; Unikura, which serves bowls of rice topped with fresh sashimi and Hokkaido sea urchin; and Fujimaru, a shop that specializes in onigiri, or Japanese rice balls that incorporate imported rice.
The Japan inside Mitsuwa Waikiki
2330 Kalakaua Ave. Honolulu HI
11 am – 9 pm
https://www.instagram.com/mitsuwawaikiki_foodhall/
Nicoli’s Cannoli
Nocoli’s Cannoli, a specialty Italian cannoli shop, opened at Duke’s Lane Marketplace in Waikiki.
When the Italian and Argentinian owners visited Hawaii on vacation, they realized that they could not find many Italian desserts and so they decided to move to the islands and open an authentic cannoli store. Nicoli’s Cannoli offers a variety of flavors, including pineapple, Nutella, berries, and more. Prices start at $6.95 for a small cannoli, and $11.95 for a large.
Nicoli’s Cannoli
5 Dukes Ln, Honolulu, HI
5 pm – 9 pm
San Paolo Pizza & Wine
San Paolo Pizza & Wine opened next to Red Lobster, adjacent to the Prince Waikiki!
This eatery represents a new genre for restaurants, blending Italian with Brazilian flavors into a fusion pizza concept. Standard Italian pizzas include varieties such as Margherita and Quattro Formaggi, but perhaps more adventurous spirits would like to taste the Brazilian Formaggi, a pizza showcasing four types of Brazilian cheese. Desserts universally fill a separate stomach, and dessert pizza flavors such as banana & cinnamon, chocolate & strawberry, and pistachio may be equally appealing to anyone from any part of the world.
San Paolo Pizza & Wine
1765 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu HI
Wed-Sun 5 pm-10 pm
(808) 425-5396
Threadfin Bistro
Jason Kiyota, a chef who gained a following while he had a fine dining restaurant in Kailua called The Food Company Café, re-established himself on Kapahulu Avenue in Kilohana Square, a charming shopping center about a block north from Leonard’s Bakery. Kiyota masterfully blends his Western culinary background studying at the Culinary Institute of America, with his various discoveries when he studied and traveled in Thailand to expand his experience.
Threadfish Bistro offers a very simple three-course menu: first, second, and dessert, with the menu regularly changing. The three courses are reasonably priced at $68 per person. And if you are lucky, you may be dining during one of the weeks he brings back one of the cherished dishes from his previous restaurant in Kailua, such as the Thai-style crab curry, raw beet & Fuji apple salad on lemon-scented goat cheese with truffle vinaigrette, or basil steamed clams.
Threadfish Bistro
1016 Kapahulu Ave., Honolulu HI
Thursday-Saturday 5: 30pm-8pm; special themed dinners on Sundays are sometimes held.
(808) 692-2562
Oli’s Kitchen
Oli’s Kitchen, a new local hotspot, opened along University Avenue, a short 10-minute drive from Waikiki. Next door to Nijiya Market, a Japanese supermarket, the fast casual restaurant is the brainchild of owners Oliver and his wife Skye.
Oli’s Kitchen offers a variety of breakfast dishes such as waffles, sweet bread French toast including a peanut butter banana stuffed version, Mediterranean avocado toast, omelet sandwich, and breakfast scramble. On the lunch/dinner side of the menu, there are more local inspired fare such as loco moco, kalbi, hamburger steak, and garlic chicken.
The Philly Cheese Egg Rolls ($8.99) are especially delicious and the perfect starter to whet your appetite. Crispy rolls are filled with thinly sliced meat and a generous portion of cheese. Plunge these into the housemade sauce parmesan mayonnaise sauce or even ask for the house spicy cilantro sauce that is herbaceous with a touch of tangy flavor! Or go local with a Shoyu Chicken Sandwich ($12.50) stuffed with cole slaw and Provolone for a hearty meal.
Prices are reasonable, ranging from $10 to $20, and the portions are generous. The eatery recently opened and has gained much traction among the neighboring local community, making this a place worth checking out among visitors who seek hot local spots outside of Waikiki.
Oli’s Kitchen
1009 University Ave. Honolulu HI
8 am – 8 pm
(808) 387-0457
Sushi Gyoshin
A new sushi restaurant, Sushi Gyoshin, opened on February 2 on Piikoi Street, across the street from the West end of Ala Moana Center. The charming 7-seat counter features a 16-course omakase menu consisting of appetizer, sashimi, grilled dish, sushi, and miso soup for just $150.
Japanese chef Hiroshi Tsuji is a veteran chef with 21 years of culinary experience, 10 of which were spent working in Japanese and sushi restaurants. Discover the flavors of washoku as they are interpreted as nigiri sushi bites, incorporating the finest ingredients from Japan, Hawaii, California, and Washington.
Sushi Gyoshin
436 Piikoi Street, Honolulu HI
Mon-Sat 5 pm – 10 pm (Seating hours: 5 pm – 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm – 8:15 pm)
(808) 853-7097
https://www.sushigyoshin.com/
Fusion Café + Wine
A new spot, Fusion Cafe & Wine, opened in Kaimuki. This restaurant was created by five women who love food and wine. In this warm yet sophisticated space, people meet up with friends for a morning pick-me-up or couples may have a few glasses of Champagne or Porto cocktails and a happy hour charcuterie board before heading out for dinner. Dressed up or dressed down, this space is designed to make people feel comfortable as they are, whether getting off work or heading out to a yoga class.
For morning service, the café offers espresso drinks featuring local Ruby Violet coffee, along with freshly baked bakery items, delicious grab and go lunches, and even handmade artisanal chocolates that look as beautiful as they taste. In the evening, throw in some bubbly and charcuterie, or cheese and chocolate boards, and you have a place to unwind.
Fusion Cafe & Wine
3457 Waialae Ave., Honolulu HI
Mon-Sat 8 am – 3 pm
(808) 675-6091
https://www.fusion-cafe.com/
Leahi Health Hawaii Kai
Leahi Health, a popular smoothie and snack shop among Hawaii locals, is now open in Hawaii Kai.
The location is in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center. At Leahi Health, patrons may enjoy vegetarian smoothies, salads, tacos, and other menu items with vegetable-rich beverages to energizes the body, mind, and spirit.
Leahi Health Hawaii Kai
377 Keahole St, Honolulu, HI
8 am – 5 pm
https://www.leahihealth.com/
Tanaka Shrimp
Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp, located in Kahuku on Oahu’s North Shore, moved to a new location! The restaurant also changed its name, and is now rebranded as Tanaka Shrimp. The new location is not very far from the original spot, just a minute drive away. Simply look for a green building and you can then enjoy the same delectable menu items that caused tourists to line up at Fumi’s.
Tanaka Shrimp
56-931 Kamehameha Hwy Kahuku, HI
10 am – 6:30 pm
Many of the dishes at these restaurants will have your taste buds learning something new. And with these amazing options to tempt, people may have to abandon their New Year’s resolutions of eating healthier a little bit sooner than later.
