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Kahai Street Kitchen

4.3 (584 reviews)
ModerateSalad, Seafood, American
Closed 10:30 am - 7:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Kahai Street Kitchen Photos

Business Info

KAHAI STREET KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Classy
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Kahai Street Kitchen

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Reviews With Photos

Catch Combo - Furikake fish and Misoyaki fish
Lauren M.

Came here again and got the Hibachi Chicken and Hamburger Steak. This was so good and might be a new favorite!

Beef stir fry
Deborah P.

My husband saw some yelpers went to this place on the corner of Coolidge and beretania street. So after we delivered gifts in the area we stopped by and picked up lunch. I had beef stir fry and my husband had kalbi plate. My stir fry was a little on the sweet side the gravy mix with the vegetables. I really wanted to eat furukake ahi roll but they didn't have it today. My husband said hes kalbi was good the carrots were grilled good and the salad had a flavor he couldn't put hes fingers on. Everything was good he said but a little pricey for a lunch plate. The specials changes everyday so that's why didn't have my furukake ahi roll. Go the website for specials everyday. Make sure you're not in a rush because they make it fresh and have to wait awhile. Good thing it wasn't rainy heavily. Try them if in the area.

Steak Loco Moco
Rene D.

Guys... their steak is so good. And you can pick how rare it is. I love a good plate lunch and Kahai Street hits the spot. You can pick what your main is (we did steak loco moco and the steak + shrimp combo) and two sides (rice, salad, corn, Mac salad). The demi glace sauce and garlic used were absolutely delicious, but rich. If ordering the steak loco moco (which I def recommend) and are with a group, I'd definitely split it with someone else because it's pretty heavy. There's both indoor and outdoor seating and the workers are very kind. Parking may be difficult but there is street parking available. I can't wait to go back to try their other plates!!

Butter Roasted Shrimp

If you are looking for local comfort food that hits the spot every time, Kahai Street Kitchen is the place to go. Everything we ordered was ono! We tried a variety of dishes, and each one was prepared perfectly: * Beef Stroganoff: Rich, creamy, and loaded with savory mushrooms. * Meatball Marinara: Hearty meatballs with a great sauce-to-pasta ratio and a side of garlic bread that is perfect for dipping. * Butter Roasted Shrimp: Fresh, flavorful, and served with the classic rice and greens. I also have to mention that their tacos are onolicious! Beyond the food, the staff here is incredibly helpful and friendly, making the whole experience even better. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a high-quality local plate lunch.

Daily specials
Kris T.

Street parking. I know for a fact that people park in the bank lot and eat in their car but i know i would be the one person who gets busted. Also, good to walk and earn my plate. Lots of good options. I got one of the daily specials. I got the fish sandwich. So generous and such good flavor. Was shared. Classic plate lunch place. There is indoor seating but we opted for the outdoor since it was so nice out. Covered bench seating. Anything I have ever ordered has been delish. Lots of people doing take away orders. They did a quick legality questionable parking and pick up and left quickly. Nice to see them doing well.

Seared garlic steak eggs Benedict with sub fried rice and beef patty loco moco. Both yum yums!
Amy A.

I should have updated this review probably a year or so ago. We love their Saturday breakfast menu! Their eggs Benedict is amazing! Generous portion, delicious hollandaise and not separated or gloopy, perfectly poached egg, and yummy protein options ranging from steak to soft shell crab! Wish the English muffin was slightly more crisp to withstand the deliciousness on top but it's understandable. I've had the pan seared garlic steak and the beef brisket hash and both were ah-mazing! Fried rice was yummy too and I'm pretty picky about what fried rice I actually like as some no more enough flavor, too sweet, or too salty- IYKYK. The husband kept talking about how good it was, how filling and worth it, and what a good choice I made (there's never a doubt when it comes to food that I'll pick a good place and the best dish when we compare what we order haha). He had the loco moco beef patty version and it was tasty! Not a super huge portion but reasonable for sure. Everything was seasoned well and blended together nicely in one bite. Egg was sunny side just like we ordered. Service is counter window. Hubby usually orders and gets the food for us and he said they're friendly. Get tables to eat outside if you want. We'll be back again!!! Can't go wrong.

Hurricane chicken and poutine katsu combo plate with rice and potato Mac salad.
Nick W.

I've been to this spot a few times. It's always been good. I've enjoy their specials before. But this most recent visit wasn't up to their normal standards. The chicken was mainly breading with little chicken meat. The katsu seemed to be overcooked with little gravy and cheese. I would come back because I've been before and had much better. Hopefully nothing has changed to lower the food quality.

Picking up lunch for the fam
Alvin K.

A solid 4.5 stars. I used to live on Isenberg Street years ago, and have seen this dining spot change many, many times. Kahai Street Kitchen may be one of the best. They offer a variety of unique dishes that you certainly wouldn't expect of a corner, take out (semi hole in the wall) dining spot. The on-street parking is limited, and the tiny parking behind the bldg only has a couple of spots, so people mainly order ahead, then kinda stop in front, or next door at First Hawaiian, then run over to pick up your order. That's what I did, but today being Saturday, the FHB lot was empty. I ordered the Chimichurri steak for me and my son-in-law, and my daughter had the Hurricane chicken. They both had chimichurri on top, so the flavors were similar (other than being different proteins), and the textures were good. The chicken coating could've been a bit crispier, but it's understandable with the topping and the time to take it home. The steak was cooked to a perfect mid-rare as requested, but tasted a bit bland and underseasoned on its own, but pretty good together with the chimichurri. I'm not sure if the chef felt it would've been overly salty with more seasoning, but I think it would've benefited a bit. Still good tho. The service is fast and considerate. My order was ready in the 15 minutes it took me to drive from Manoa, park, and walk over. When paying, the cashier told me that their card system had updated overnight and reapplied a 3% fee (I guess they normally don't charge that), if paying by CC. I could avoid that by either using a debit card or pay cash, so used my debit. It was good to know in advance. I noticed they wrote little "notes" on the take out covers, which was a nice touch. The food was good as was the service, and all in all, it's a great place for gourmet food at a reasonable price.

Mini hamburger steak on rice
Jo Y.

Gourmet food in plate lunches? You bet! Thank you, Kahai Street Kitchen! Opened in the summer of 2006 as a catering company in the industrial area of Kalihi Street off of Kahai Street, this takeout restaurant gave a taste of its menu offerings from catered events at Kualoa Ranch, HI Polo Club, and many wedding venue locations. Owners were Naohisa Iwata, who had spent his entire life in the food and beverage industry, and Chef David Yamamoto, who has 30+ years of culinary experience. In this restaurant, Nao helps to prepare meals and keeps tract of its daily operations, and David comes up with his unique creations of its menu offerings. Locally owned and operated, diners enjoyed the take of its unique and restaurant quality foods that are consistent and offered at reasonable plate lunch prices. Note that while the restaurant was named for its original location on Kahai Street, the word "Kahai" means to tell a story. So, it's no accident that the focus of this restaurant is about talking story about food and expressing itself through the chef's culinary creations. Kahai Street Kitchen moved to the corner of Coolidge and South King streets in the McCully area in 2016. The restaurant offers an extensive regular menu of: soft shell tacos; combo plates; local style fried rice; local favorites (braised boneless beef shortribs, boneless kalbi, guava bbq beef brisket, hamburger steak, steaks, teri beef, chicken); loco moco; fish; and value menu. In addition, it offers a rotating daily menu of specials, such as: prime rib, Chinese style steamed opakapaka, baked mozzarella chicken breast, pulehu bone-in pork chops, eggplant parmesan pasta, duos, patty melt smash burger, and many others. Normally, your choice of two sides accompany the plate lunches: steamed white, brown or hapa rice; steamed broccoli or carrots, sautéed corn; toss green or potato mac salad. And on Saturdays, there is a breakfast menu (meat/eggs/rice or potatoes), beef brisket hash patties, steak and eggs, fish and eggs, breakfast scramblers, omelets, eggs benedict, loco moco) that is served all day. The menus can be accessed on its website. I've had the following: * Mini hamburger steak. Just love their tender, homemade, and thick charred two freshly ground hamburger patties that were so tasty with their flavorful homemade gravy which enhanced the white rice. Also enjoyed the enoki/regular mushrooms and sautéed/crispy fried onions topping the hamburger steak, which set the bar as compared to other places. The fresh spring mix salad went well with their house made vinaigrette dressing. * Crispy baby back ribs with garlic sauce. These unique delicious ribs (three huge ones with lots of meat) on the special menu had its meat fall off the bones and fried crispy with a light batter, with its tasty garlic sauce giving the white rice a nice taste! As with the hamburger steak, enjoyed the spring mix with the vinaigrette dressing. There is always a line of people putting in their orders, which shows how popular they are. As all orders are made to order, they may take some time, but staff is efficient in preparing its orders consistently with a friendly smile. It's best to pre-order by phone to avoid waiting for your order. And despite how busy they may be, they will answer their phone to take your order (not like other restaurants who may take their phone off the hook or not even answer their calls). Appreciate the professionalism shown by its staff! Should you wish to eat there, you can dine inside the restaurant, which is air conditioned. There are also four covered picnic tables right outside the restaurant. There is a credit card surcharge, so best to pay by cash to avoid paying the fee. Hours of operation are: Mon 10:30a to 2p, Tues to Fri 10:30a to 7p, Sat 7:30a to 2p, Sun closed. Located next to First Hawaiian Bank, limited free parking of about 3 spaces behind the restaurant building; otherwise, free street parking on Coolidge St., and metered parking on So. King St. You can park at the bank when the bank is closed. This is certainly my go-to restaurant when I'm looking for an upscale meal that doesn't break the bank. Good to know that it's high on quality with delicious flavors and getting a meal of value with a good quantity. And good to know that they continue to do catering. Support local!

Outdoor seating
Jason M.

The food amazing and so ono, service 5 stars. If your an outdoor person then they have picnic tables outside or to the right of order window there is indoor dining as well! Today was a first for my wife and I but definitely won't be the last! Keep up the ono work!

Guava BBQ Beef Brisket
Indi E.

First stop from the airport on our way to the Air BnB. Parking is limited, only one person in line ahead of us. Many options to choose from and there is seating outside and inside. My kids had a cheeseburger, which they ate in its entirety (so that's always good). Brisket was tender and flavorful and so was the shrimp. I would totally get this again!

BLAT and fries. Generous portions and fresh ingredients!
Michelle S.

Prompt, friendly service...big portions...fresh, yummy flavors...reasonably priced. Took a chance and managed to find street parking nearby and continued good luck that there were open tables in the seating area. The menu is impressive - lots of delicious sounding choices...it was hard to choose! The staff was patient and helpful and even though it was an order window, if you tell them you're going to sit inside, they bring your food to you (promptly) and supply you with water. Even came by to check on us twice. If you're in the area and score some parking, come check these folks out!

Boneless kalbi. Very good!
Michael K.

Best plate lunch in Moiliili! This place would fall into my upscale plate lunch category. By that I mean it's luxury food, but still a plate lunch (and minus the luxury price). My current favorites from the regular menu are the sautéed opakapaka and the chimchurri chicken breast. The specials are posted on their website and change daily. I almost always order from the daily specials menu, unless what I want is sold out (pro tip: if you want the prime rib, order early because it always sells out). I would recommend this place for a second Tinder date if the first date went really well. If the first date didn't go so well, just take him/her to L & L or Zippys. Keep in mind, not every Tinder date should be upscale or luxury, I mean c'mon, there are lots of rules in the modern dating game. I always call in my order to keep from having to wait too long out front on the sidewalk. Since the pickup window is outside and facing King Street, I have to do what I can to keep the paparazzi from snapping my pic (#glamorous). Service is always good and your plate will sometimes come with a cool positive quote/message written on it.

Pork Katsu

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6 days ago

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6 months ago

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6 months ago

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10 months ago

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3 months ago

My go to place when I'm hungry. Staff are friendly & the daily specials are my favorite.

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

Food is excellent and also one of the few places you can find delicious, juicy, grilled chicken breast. I only wish I had come here sooner.

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

The guava-smoked beef brisket was so delicious. The lady who helped us was so nice. We'll definitely be back.

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8 months ago

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Kahai Street Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Kahai Street Kitchen

Do they take reservations?

No need, unless you are catering, which would be a must, otherwise their employees are efficient. It's a window service business, you order your food and get it when it's ready. Are order on the phone and pickup according to the time you tell them,… Read more

Does anyone know if they're still open?

Yes they're still open & they're sold out on their Thanksgiving special!

View All 3 Questions

Heavenly Island Lifestyle - Waikiki - Açaí Bowl (CoCo)

Heavenly Island Lifestyle - Waikiki

4.2(2.9k reviews)
0.9 miWaikiki
$$

Heavenly little restaurant with delicious healthy food and a friendly local vibe…read more Stopped in unintentionally at happy hour. The restaurant was busy but not crowded. Indoor and outdoor seating was available. We chose to sit inside and relaxed among the beach decor and pop music. The menu was limited due to happy hour but several wonderful options were available. We opted for a Strawberry Matcha Latte, the Organic Carrot salad, the Garlic Shrimp and a Mixed Berry Acai Bowl. Our food arrived in a timely manner, was well portioned, artistically plated and absolutely flavorfully scrumptious. The favorite was the carrot salad. It was lite, tangy, fresh and well textured. It was also surprisingly filling. Service was outstanding. Our server, Bruce T. , was highly attentive, personable and helpful. Pricing was reasonable. We would definitely return.

I've been eating at Heavenly Island Lifestyle about 10 times a year since 2018. I have eaten there…read moreso often because of what they were: a place with a beautiful inner spirit that celebrated Hawaii grown, and organic foods "whenever possible". 4 or five years ago they took a step down in menu diversity and freshness but I've continued to go, the folks there are nice. And it still retained much of what it was. Today I took my wife there and the menu is a shell of what it used to be. There was no steak option anymore. And the server (who is sweet) just let us sit for far too long between seating, order, delivery and check. And while the food is still good it is not superlative like it used to be but the prices are high, even by Honolulu standards. The lack of line out front tells the story: an outstanding restaurant has succumbed to the lowering standards that are evident in our whole society.

Photos
Heavenly Island Lifestyle - Waikiki - Atmosphere

Atmosphere

Heavenly Island Lifestyle - Waikiki - Manoa Honey French Toast (Mixed Berry)

Manoa Honey French Toast (Mixed Berry)

Heavenly Island Lifestyle - Waikiki - Heavenly's Loco Moco

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Heavenly's Loco Moco

Maguro Spot

Maguro Spot

4.3(1.4k reviews)
1.1 miWaikiki
$$

This was the first and last spot I visited on my vacation, and I honestly can't express how good…read morethis place is. You just have to try it for yourself. I'll definitely keep coming back anytime I'm here. I got the Signature Shoyu Bowl with no shrimp, extra tuna, spicy mayo on the side, and extra sea asparagus. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and flavorful. The sea grapes weren't my favorite personally, but I'm still glad I tried them.

This well-known poke shop in the heart of Waikiki always has a long line out the door. Be prepared…read moreto wait about 30min. In return, you will be rewarded with some super ono poke. Not the best flavor on island IMO, but very fresh. I like that they mix the sauce fresh in front of you. They claim this really lets the fish itself shine and I agree. But I personally prefer the deeper flavors in other places I've been. Perhaps asking for extra sauce might make a difference? Not sure... I got the spicy shoyu with ahi and avocado ($2.50 extra). I asked for sushi rice, but got plain white rice instead. Not a big deal, but I wasn't impressed with their rice, which seemed hard and undercooked to me. Overall, it's a good pick if you're looking for a casual spot in Waikiki and don't mind a little wait. No parking, but plenty of good outdoor table seating.

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Maguro Spot - Master bowl makers!

Master bowl makers!

Maguro Spot - Make Your Original Poke Bowl Make Your Original Poke Bowl

Make Your Original Poke Bowl Make Your Original Poke Bowl

Maguro Spot - Customized Poke Bowl - tuna and salmon in Rainbow sauce

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Customized Poke Bowl - tuna and salmon in Rainbow sauce

Peace Café - Mapo katsu tofu (special)

Peace Café

4.5(1k reviews)
0.2 miMo'ili'ili
$$

Peace Café has been my go-to for years and truly remains one of the best vegan spots on Oʻahu. The…read morevariety is incredible -- sandwiches, wraps, noodles, smoothies, plates, soups, and specialty drinks. One of my longtime favorites is their Yuzu Lemonade, but I think the new Aloha Energy Drink may have officially taken the top spot. It has medical-grade beet powder, natural caffeine from guarana, ginseng, and maca -- and you genuinely feel the aloha and the power. Today I ordered the spicy Yakisoba, and the noodles had the perfect bite and mouthfeel. The salad was fresh and crisp, and while I personally could handle quite a bit more spice, I appreciate that they balance the heat so it's enjoyable and approachable for everyone without overpowering the dish. Beyond the food, the atmosphere is always welcoming. The chef is consistently friendly, the staff is kind, and the restaurant is always clean. It's such a great feeling being able to eat somewhere with confidence knowing they're using fresh, clean ingredients. Highly recommend SYOY! Deb B

No Tempeh! My barbecue tempeh dish not available! Heart and…read moreSoul used to have marinated vegetables, now they are plain! Not as tasty! No more infused water! We were disappointed that things had changed since our last visit! Still friendly and kind service. That has not changed... Hope the changes are temporary! We want the wonderful Peace Cafe that we remember!

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Peace Café - Inside

Inside

Peace Café - Yakisoba Sandwich (@miguelmoralesphotography on Instagram)

Yakisoba Sandwich (@miguelmoralesphotography on Instagram)

Peace Café - Inside

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Inside

Kahai Street Kitchen - salad - Updated June 2026

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