A Kaimukī Guide to Eating and Drinking Your Way Down Waialae Avenue
On the periphery of town lies one of Honoluluʻs best low-key neighborhoods for eating and drinking.
Cơm Tấm with lemongrass chicken and pork at Broken Rice
In this series, I share the places I eat, drink, and shop for ingredients throughout the entire island of Oʻahu. The businesses listed in these guides are here because they are places I would return to and I believe are worth recommending. I do not rate or review them, but I do include what I go there for. For example, “Flatbread and box of pastries at Breadshop in Kaimukī.” There are definitely places in each neighborhood that I have not been to (it would probably take a lifetime to eat at every restaurant on Oʻahu), but I did get pretty damn close. I do not include fast food restaurants, corporate chains and nationwide supermarkets.
Moving to Hawaiʻi was a big life change for me, a fresh start. When we arrived, my partner and I stayed with a friend in Hawaiʻi Kai waiting for our furniture and car to arrive so we could move into our new apartment. We were terribly bored, but luckily there was a bus stop across the street. Kaimukī was the first stop into town. I found a yoga studio there and would explore the area before and after class, grabbing a smoothie at Jewel or Juice or dinner with my partner.
There are a multitude of diverse mom and pop businesses and restaurants in Kaimukī, on and around Waialae Avenue, from 21st to Kapahulu, with cuisines ranging from Mexican to Middle Eastern. A built-in clientele lives in rows of modest-sized homes, some built as early as the 1900s, that surround the avenue reaching high atop a hilly landscape. Queen Theater, on Waialae and 12th, was the main focal point from 1936 to 1977, before it turned into an adult porn cinema. It was demolished in 1982 and has essentially remained empty ever since. Rumor has it the new owner is looking to restore it.
The old Queen Theatre
Kaimukī was not always so inhabited. Precontact, it was nearly desolate due to a lack of flowing water. Kanaka Maoli had several ovens here where they would bake kī, which are the roots of the tī plant. The name Kaimukī comes from Ka imu kī, meaning "The tī root oven" in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. According to historian Jill Byus Radke, developers created a reservoir here in 1898, turning Kaimukī into a suburb with all residential roads linked to Waialae Avenue.
Ed Kenney’s restaurants have helped define Waialae’s dining scene since 2005. His first restaurant Town, now a barber shop (I have yet to step inside The Cutlery), sadly shuttered during the pandemic, but his restaurant Mud Hen Water is still going strong. Here you can find dishes like beet poke and buttered ʻulu. The baked iholena banana, split open and topped with curry butter, chopped peanuts, hard-cooked egg, bacon and shredded coconut still stands out in my mind as one of his best dishes. The food is progressive, yet still rooted in Hawaiian culture, much like the neighborhood.
Baked iholena banana at Mud Hen Water
It has been bittersweet to watch businesses go over the past few years. I remember going to Top of the Hill to drink Bud Light and snack on the kimchi made by Auntie behind the bar. We watched the Uncles on the pool tables play money games, and took our turn during their breaks. One of the bar’s regulars was a Jamaican man who loved to cook. He ran a lively open-air restaurant on the other side of Waialae, called Jawaiian Irie Jerk, which blasted live music on weekends and hosted a weekly open mic comedy night. The kitchen turned out remarkable goat curry and jerk chicken. I loved his stewed vegetables – a mixture of cabbage, onions, carrots, and whatever else he had on hand mixed with fragrant Jamaican spices. It was apparently Bob Marley’s favorite. He closed the restaurant in 2018 and returned to Jamaica to pursue his agro-tourism dream of managing land with a farm, a restaurant, and zip lines that lace through the jungle. Fond memories are all that remain now of that magnificent curry, and our cozy watering hole is now locked away in chains.
Kaimukī Crack Seed Store has been in business for over 70 years
With every closing, however, comes an exciting new opening, and many old Kaimukī restaurants, such as Sekiya’s Restaurant & Delicatessen which opened in 1935, are still going strong. Bean About Town now roasts its own coffee and sells it to other coffee shops in town. The Curb moved into a larger space next door and expanded its offerings to include impressive selections of artisan chocolate and natural wine. Kaimukī Superette is now The Local General Store and the commissary kitchen behind it flutters with passionate entrepreneurs offering everything from local, troll-caught seafood to vegan donuts. And, speaking of vegan, where else on this island will you find a completely chef-run (no FOH staff) restaurant plating a 12-course modernist, vegan tasting menu directly in front of you as you eat? That would be AV on 11th and Waialae.
Sous chef Gordon Li and cook Aiden Raboteau plating the Flower Pot Pie at AV
Local Iʻa and Little Vessels behind The Local General Store
In the evenings when the sun slides down Waialae and the pickle ballers play in the park against a violet-peach sky, families spill out onto the sidewalk licking ice cream cones at Via Gelato and college kids sip beer under sparkling string lights outside Brew’d. I marvel at what a beautiful community resides here and what a food lover’s paradise it is.
Navigating Kaimukī is easy. Everything is centered around Waialae Avenue.
Take the number 1 and 9 bus to travel up and down Waialae. It is also very walkable.
Park in the lot on 12th ave (a block makai from Waialae) or, if you get lucky, on the street.
Weather in Kaimukī is primarily dry and hot. It drizzles on some mornings, but usually stops by 9:00am.
Sustainability is a theme that runs throughout Kaimukī. Boutiques such as Keep it Simple and Sugarcane make or sell wellness and beauty products, jewelry, home goods, and more created with reusable, chemical-free materials and ingredients. Organizations such as #KeepItKaimuki, which promotes small businesses, and Kaimuki Compost Collective, which collects food and cardboard waste to turn into compost for farmers, work to keep the neighborhood sustainable.
Kaimukī Storeroom (at The Curb) specializes in natural/low-intervention wines made with sustainable farming practices
My perfect day in Kaimukī:
8:00am - Enjoy a Tropical Fruit Smoothie with a Matcha Energy Ball on the lānai at Bean About Town
9:00am - Take a vinyasa class at Yoga Under the Palms and order lunch to-go from their vegan cafe: Plant-Based Paradise
10:30am - Relax at The Curb for a coffee and leave with a bar of artisan chocolate and a bottle of natural wine
11:30am - Pick up my bread and pastry order next door at Breadshop. (Breadshop allows online orders once a week every Tuesday at 9am. I know, I know…Trust me it’s worth it.)
12:00pm - Eat my vegan lunch and (not vegan) pastry in the park under a shady tree.
1:00 pm - Cool off with an iced hapa matcha latte on the lānai at Daily Whisk and then peruse Summer’s latest styles inside her boutique: Ten Tomorrow
2:00pm - Buy a book at Da Shop and a locally-made gift for a friend at Sugarcane
4:00pm - Stock up on Zero Waste goods at Keep it Simple
5:00pm - Sip on a Cocktail at Miro
6:00pm - Enjoy Dinner with my bottle of natural wine on the lānai at Red Elephant Thai Cuisine (it’s BYOB).
8:00pm - Cap off the night at Via Gelato with an ice cream sandwich or a scoop of the “Chef’s Choice” flavor of the day
Dinner and BYOB at Red Elephant Thai Cuisine
Food and beverage recommendations in Kaimukī:
Shakarato, latte, Kahuna Smoothie, banana bread, and energy balls at Bean About Town
Iced hapa matcha latte with macadamia nut milk at Daily Whisk
An evening scoop at Via Gelato
Pour over or latte with a kinako ameretti cookie at The Curb (While you are there grab a bottle of natural wine from Kaimuki Storeroom)
Flatbread and pastry box from Breadshop
Brunch at Mud Hen Water
Cocktails at Miro
Nitro Coffee at Coffee Talk
XO Restaurant for an avant-garde twist on local food
AV Restaurant for a modernist 15-course vegan tasting menu with sake pairing.
Combo Beef Pho or Hot Spicy Beef Soup in Hueʻs Style at Super Pho
Kaimukī Superette for breakfast or lunch [Now Closed]
Local Iʻa to purchase fresh, troll-caught seafood from Oʻahu
Pick out a new succulent and read a book of poetry with a cup of tea at Planteom.
Black Garlic Ramen at Noods
The Big Kahuna at Sprout Sandwich Shop
Ricotta Pancakes, Luʻau and Eggs and Irish Coffee at Koko Head Cafe
Malamodes at Pipeline Bakeshop
Italian wine, Neopolitan pizza, and pasta (salads and meatballs with focaccia are great too!) at Brick Fire Tavern
Dinner on the lānai at Red Elephant Thai *BYOB a bottle of white or rose wine. They will put it on ice for you. There is no corkage.
Beers and fish tacos on the lānai at Brew’d
Pastries, quiche, sausages, and local meat at The Local General Store
Dim Sum at Happy Days
Vegetable dishes and garlic naan at Himalayan Kitchen
Vegan breakfast burritos and cookies at Juicy Brew
Kale tacos at Leahi Health
Cozy dinner for two at Maguro-ya
Poke + extensive wine and spirits selection at Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors
Mini Laulau Plate with a side of poi at Oʻahu Grill
Order a beautiful cheese and charcuterie box from Bubbly and Bleu (takeout only)
Late-night beers and karaoke at 9th Avenue Rock House
Hog wild (Piggyback rye, Averna, black tea Simple, citrus) + Applewood smoked fried chicken sando (kimchee mayo, kimchi salad, brioche, fries) at Surfing Pig
Mango Rice Tea with Boba at CowCows Tea
Poi Cheesecake and Carrot Cake at Otto Cake (86 cheesecake flavors rotate daily)
Broken Rice with Lemongrass Chicken at Broken Rice
Yakitori and warabi mochi at Japanese Restaurant Aki
Banana pancakes with a side of bacon or sausage at Mokʻe’s (try to score a table on the shady lanai!)
Grilled shishamo, yakitori, green tea ice cream and warabimochi
Takeout on the cheap:
Toona Salad or Cheezeburger at Plant-Based Paradise (inside Yoga Under the Palms)
Lengua and Carnitas tacos at Tight Tacos
BBQ Pork Bahn Mi at No Name BBQ
Vegan donuts at Little Vessels (Sat-Mon only)
Li Hing Mui Candies at Kaimukī Crack Seed Store
The Big Kahuna at Sprout Sandwich Shop
Made-to-order Mini Mix Bento at Okata Bento (Arrive at noon and be prepared to wait 20-30 minutes)
Laulau plate at Oʻahu Grill
Mini Bento with teriyaki chicken and tonkatsu with side of mac salad at Okata Bento
For animal lovers:
Popoki + Tea Cat Cafe - Release your inner cat lady
The Public Pet - Carries organic, holistic and locally-made products including raw food, healthy treats and supplements.
Other places of interest:
Puu O Kaimuki Park in the evening (especially during the holidays to see the big Christmas tree all lit up).
Bead It! for DIY jewelry making