The Hawaii Convention Center has witnessed a series of hugely successful events over the past few weekends, with the Pokemon Go Championships, Made in Hawaii Festival, and Okinawan Festival. This weekend is Comic Con Honolulu from Friday, September 6, to Sunday, September 8. The event promises a fun lineup including a cosplay contest, video gaming sessions, movie screenings, an art auction, panel discussions regarding comics, movies, TV shows, music, games, and other aspects of current pop culture, and much more.
With all the activities hosted at the convention center, discerning palates may opt for higher levels of gastronomy as opposed to a quick bite at the center’s concession stand. And since soup noodles make for quick but satisfying meals, here is a list of popular noodle spots in the area.
Ramen Bario
Featuring a soup crafted by simmering carefully selected pork bones for more than 20 hours, the savory ramen at Bario Ramen found in the Makai Food Court at the Ala Moana Center (and in STIX ASIA on the lower level of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza) is pure addiction. Imagine custom-made thick noodles wading in this broth accented by a secret soy sauce wafting with garlicky aromatics. Then pile on a heaping mound of vegetables, slices of thick pork char siu, and tiny globules of se-abura (back fat) adding punches of flavor. Now this is a ramen worth taking a break for.
Hearty ramen: Thick noodles, rich soy tonkotsu, generous toppings
Ramen Bario >> Get a special offer!
https://www.bario-hawaii.com/
Ala Moana Center, Makai Market, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI
(808) 942-2025
11am – 8pm daily
Naniwa-ya Ramen
Chaste, but just plain flavorful, the ramen at this long-standing counter in the Makai Market of Ala Moana Center comes in soy sauce or miso variations. However, the toppings make this place unique, with a garlic shrimp ramen and teriyaki chicken ramen sounding quite unorthodox, but equally alluring as the traditional soup noodles.
Local favorite: Spicy Beef Ramen
Naniwa-ya Ramen >> Get a special offer!
Ala Moana Center, Makai Market, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI
(808) 955-0066
Mon-Sat, 10:30am-8pm; Sun, 10:30am – 7pm
Ringer Hut
Champon and sara udon are considered soulful noodle dishes in Nagasaki. These Kyushu-originated flavors feature pork, seafood, and loads of vegetables with special thick and firm noodles in a light, chicken and pork-based broth. Check out this recently opened eatery located at the west end of Ala Moana Center.
Regular Nagasaki Champon
Nagasaki Champon Ringer Hut >> Get a special offer!
Ala Moana Center St.Level 1,Ewa Wing ,1450 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI
(808)626-5588
10:00am – 9:00pm
Santouka
Hailing from Asahikawa in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan is Santouka. Its creamy white broth, which the chain claims to be “delicious to the last drop,” is established by separately boiling down pork bones, vegetables, and dried fish at different optimal temperatures before being blended into one broth. Add some chewy noodles and you have a ramen that some swear by. Take a slight walk to those food stalls adjacent to Don Quijote, where this ramen shop’s main location in Hawaii is located.
Shio Ramen
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka >> Get a special offer!
https://www.santouka.co.jp/en
801 Kaheka Street, A-8, Honolulu, HI
(808) 941-1101
11am – 10pm daily
King of Thai Boat Noodles
For a slightly different take on soup noodles, consider a Thai rendition at King of Thai Boat Noodles, located across Keeaumoku Street from Walmart (and along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki). In addition to traditional Thai fare, this restaurant features delectable soups such as Thai boat noodle soup with beef with sliced beef, beef balls, beef stewed morning glory, and bean sprouts. The pork version has sliced pork, pork balls, morning glory, and bean sprouts. And there are a few other noodle soups such as the roasted duck noodle soup, wonton soup, yen ta fo noodle soup, and more. The restaurant is open until late, so they can serve as a spot to go for a late night snack or to conclude a night out drinking.
King of Thai Boat Noodles >> Get a special offer!
661 Keeaumoku St. Suite 103
11am – 11pm daily
(808) 949-3800
Mian
While this outlier may be the farthest, it is still among the best noodle dishes worth walking to. Mian, located in the 808 Center on Sheridan Street behind Walmart, serves authentic northern Chinese noodle dishes. Its Los Angeles location has been featured in newspapers and in the Michelin guide. Consider trying the Chongqing Zhajiang noodles with peas, Sichuan hot and sour noodles, spare rib noodles, and if you are daring enough, the piquant intestine noodles with green onions. There are non-spicy dishes as well, including the pork bone soup noodles and clear broth beef noodles.
We recommend the House Beef Noodles!
Mian >> Get a special offer!
808 Sheridan St. #105 *808 Center 1F (Nearby Walmart)
Phone: (808)589-1118
Lunch : 11am – 3pm, Dinner : 5pm – 9pm daily
Kamukura Ramen
From the Dotonbori district in Osaka, this popular ramen chain established in 1986 features a light yet deeply flavored broth crafted in a fashion similar to French consomme. The proprietary recipe is so guarded that even the staff working there does not know what is truly in that alluring broth. For the summer, until the end of September, there are a few worthwhile limited-time noodles in soup, such as the Volcano Ramen with its ichimi and kimchi-laden broth, the Cold Ramen with a refreshingly chilled broth, and the Vegetable Ramen with some charred tofu to add a dimensional note. The first location in Hawaii opened in the Lanai Food Court on Ala Moana Center’s east side, and a second location opened in Waikiki last month.
Oishi Ramen
Kamukura Ramen >> Get a special offer!
The Lanai Food Court,
Ala Moana Center 2F (Macy’s side)
(808)400-0705
9am-8pm (Mon-Thu until 7:30pm)
Goma-Tei Ramen
Goma-Tei is a local chain of ramen shops that has been in business for over a decade. Known most for its tan tan ramen, which is a Japanese-Chinese hybrid of the spicy sesame-seasoned ramen, Goma-Tei also offers shoyu ramen and sunho ramen. There is a location right at Ala Moana Center, near the Makai Market Food Court.
Goma-Tei Ramen
Ala Moana Center 1F (near the Makai Market Food Court)
(808) 947-9188
Mon-Sat, 11am-9pm; Sun, 11am – 8:30pm
Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya
Seeking to serve fresh, gourmet, yet affordable Japanese ramen, Tanaka Ramen establishes traditional flavors in a chic environment. With locations in Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, and Hawaii, people dining at Ala Moana Center may enjoy its classic ramen with pork char siu, kikurage (wood ear mushroom), spicy bean sprouts, green onion, seasoned egg, fried onion, and thick noodles in a pork based broth with garlic oil. Other worthy selections include the garlic cheese ramen, garlic volcano, beef sukiyaku tonkotsu, yuzu tori (chicken), chili cilantro tori (chicken), and more.
Chili Cilantro Tori Ramen
Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya
Ala Moana Center 2F
(808) 400-0506
Sun-Fri, 11am-9pm; Sat, 11am – 9:30pm
The one caveat is that while the ramen is traditionally a fast dish to come out, it may take some time to get in as Hawaii locals love their noodles. So you may end up stepping away from your convention for about an hour or a little more if there are lines, but you will return completely satisfied and ready to squeeze into that costume that you once fit hours ago.
