Pop up with poppin' flavors! Yelp BFF and I have been eyeing out Mama Guava and after the end of the hectic holidays, we finally got a chance to visit. Things we ordered: lumpia look fun, veal pancit/pad see ew, and curry fish with roti My favs: lumpia look fun and curry fish with roti The lumpia was crispy and the look fun was nice and thin. Topped with green onions, a soy, vinegar and chili sauce. My only wish is they used a Thai sweet chili sauce instead. The veal pancit/pad see ew was saucy, but a little too salty for my taste. The curry fish with roti was perfect. Fish was flakey, curry was packed with flavor, and paired well with the crispy roti. Definitely worth a visit! Thanks for reading my reviews! Let me know what I should try next! read more

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Bold Bites and Soulful Flavor at Mama Guava I first tried Mama Guava's food at a pop-up at SALT at Our Kaka'ako, and it was delicious. So I had to check out their pop-up restaurant in the former Pig and the Lady space in downtown. Lumpia Look Fun: A fun fusion of two of my favorite things to eat. Oxtail & Pechay Soup: Hearty and healing, this soup had real soul. Fried Chicken: Crispy salt and vinegar fried chicken was a hit. The batter and crunch were excellent. Tortang Talong: Charred eggplant and garlic rice. I became addicted to that garlic rice. Kang Kong (Ong Choy): My favorite bite, served in a savory garlic sauce. The staff was friendly and attentive, and we really enjoyed our time there. Mama Guava brings bold flavor, thoughtful fusion, and warmth in every dish. This is the kind of pop-up you hope sticks around for good. read more

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Finally had a chance to try them out. Non traditional Filipino food that works well IMO. The limited menu makes it easier for you to choose. . Tried a few items: Utog Burger - surprised how good this was. Reminds me of a better version of the Big Mac! If you look burgers, you won't be disappointed. Lumpia Look fun - soft on the outside and crispy on the inside. Wifey liked this one the best. Also very good. Banh - taste like a Vietnamese/Filipino fusion. The cheese shell gave it another twist. Pancit/see ew- a bit too salty. Shrimp portions were good tho . But the Thai version is better IMO. I'd skip this one next time. This dish was meh. Service was good. You order thru the app. Can also do take out. Easy process. Similar ambiance to your average china town spot. Overall solid 4/5. read more

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Undeniably good cooking from the very first bite This new pop-up at the old Pig & Lady location in Chinatown is special. Growing up in Kalihi, Chef Monique Cadavona left home for the bright lights of NYC, where she cut her teeth in fine-dining kitchens under Michelin-star chefs. Now back on Oahu, she returns to her Kalihi roots and applying all that world-class technique to local flavors and we're better for it. Although Cadavona's heritage is Filipino, her menu pays homage to the rich, diverse flavors of Hawaii. The menu is small but impressively broad: from Vietnamese Banh Xeo to an all-American Cheeseburger, everything is crafted with thoughtfulness, restraint, and real culinary craftsmanship. The standout of the meal: Lumpia Look Fun vegetable lumpia wrapped in chewy look fun and served in a soy-vinegar-chili oil bath. Pure genius. The lumpia is perfectly crunchy with a satisfying mouthfeel, while the look fun wrapper is soft, silky, and toothsome. This dish alone is worth the visit. The Banh Xeo is super crispy with a generous filling of shrimp and ground pork rivaling the best Vietnamese kitchens on the island. The Veal Pancit "Pad See Ew" is a nod to the chef's Filipino background but built on house-made Chinese-style noodles. Tender veal, crispy shallots, calamansi brightness, the whole dish lands in that perfect intersection of salty, sour, pungent, and umami. It's comfort food elevated through technique. Not your typical table side service. You order and pay via QR code, and a staff member (often Chef Cadavona herself) brings out the food. We found that to be a wonderful opportunity to engage with the Chef and get to know her better. In any case, the service was super friendly and attentive. It's BYOB, so bring your favorite bottle. Street parking is available, or you can park in the Smith St. municipal garage around the corner. This pop-up is only here through February 2026, so get in while you can. Support local. This chef deserves to be seen, celebrated, and talked about. Happy eating! read more

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Lunch in Chinatown, Honolulu, Hawai'i... I convinced my friend to go with me to a pop-up called "Mama Guava". It's located where Pig & The Lady used to be. I told her that it will only be open for a few months... so we should go now! We found free parking on the left side of King Street, near River Street. This area is free on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays! We didn't make a reservation, but we were first in line. The door opened at 10:30am Ordering via QR code, we each got a Mama Guava Tea. It was refreshing! I tried to stretch it out a bit by adding a bit of water to the jar! Haha! We shared Garlic Fries, Salt & Vinegar Chicken Skin, Banana Lumpia, and Lumpia Look Funn. We both enjoyed the Banana Lumpia the most. The caramelized glaze, crunchy outer shell, and touch of kaffir lime leaf was amazing! The Salt & Vinegar Chicken Skin was crisp and not greasy, but very, very tart! The Lumpia Look Funn was spicy for me - however, the other flavors and the texture were great! We both liked the Garlic Fries and wished that they were served at a hotter temperature. Overall, it was a fun experience. Our server offered us refills on water. We asked another server for takeout boxes. We liked the spaciousness and calm, dark atmosphere. The lights and brick wall were cool! read more

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Finally got the opportunity to visit Mama Guava when celebrating two coworkers' birthdays! This Filipino-inspired pop-up (in the old Pig & the Lady space) is only around until February 2026, so definitely check it out while you can. Ordering and paying was super easy and quick via QR code. The server/host/busser (yes, all one person!) was incredibly friendly and suggested we order family-style so everyone could try a bit of everything. We shared the Lumpia Look Fun, which came with perfectly crisp vegetable lumpia on chewy rice noodles with a soy vinegar and chili oil combo that tied everything together. The Salt & Pepper Karaage was another standout featuring crispy chicken with serrano and garlic, served with an addictive chicken-fat ginger scallion rice and tangy pickled mustard greens. It was also my first time eating Tortang Talong, a dish made of grilled smoky eggplants and savory fluffy eggs. I would order that again! We also snacked on the garlic fries and these were perfectly seasoned and super garlicky and crispy. Our food took a little while to come out, but the restaurant was busy and there was only one person running the front of house. None of us really minded since the quality made it worth the wait. The highlight of the afternoon came as we were getting ready to leave. Our server surprised our birthday guests with a complimentary dessert. He brought out two bowls of their ice cream sandwich: a giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with guava and pistachio ice cream. The tart ice cream was really refreshing and paired perfectly with the crumbly sweet cookie. Overall, really delicious food, warm service, and a great spot for sharing dishes with friends. We're already talking about going back before the pop-up ends. read more

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Three co-workers and I made a return visit to Mama Guava for lunch. The place was half-full at 12:20pm and we were seated at a table along the brick wall. One of our party was treating us to lunch so he ordered for all of us .... Fried Chicken ($20), Pancit "Pad See Ew" ($24), Oxtail & Pechay Soup ($25), and the Utog Burger ($18). We added an order of Garlic Fries ($7). With tip, the total was about $112. Everyone enjoyed their food. I was happy to find my chicken not overly seasoned. The last time, my fish curry was too salty. While we enjoyed the food, for some of us, the portions were a bit small. We should have ordered an appetizer to share. The Lumpia Look Fun looked delicious .... It appeared to be a popular item as we saw it delivered to many tables. We spoke to the chef / owner ... there is no definitive end date for Mama Guava but if you want to try her cuisine, I suggest you not delay. My issue with service remains ... The food came out piecemeal ... They should try to serve everyone on the table at the same time. That's the primary factor in my rating of 4. read more

New kid on the block - here is my story About a week ago I saw a clip on the morning news about a new pop up. The clip featured Chef Monique Cadovana, Honolulu girl who moved back to Honolulu after making a mark as a chef in / at the Big Apple. Mama Guava has popped up in the former Pig and the Lady location on King Street in Chinatown Honolulu October 8 yesterday was their opening day. I was lucky to have elite Irene M as my lunch partner today, October 9 day number 2 for Mama Guava For those who previously dined at the Pig and the Lady you will feel at home because the interior is the same as when they left it The menu is viewed by QR code. It's pretty efficient. The menus outlined you get to pick the table you're at. Order your food and it gets delivered in no time flat. It's a pretty good system. They have set up. The menu is eclectic. It's a combination of all ethnic Asian tastes. We had three dishes and as of this writing, I am still full and content Chicken Karaage, banana lumpia and lookfun spring roll was what we had for our lunch The portions are huge, share plate style. Everything is made on order. Teas and juice are made fresh Since the orders are digital, the staff works as bussers and food movers from the kitchen to the table I am looking forward to my next visit so I can try other items on the menu Of note, I try not to write reviews for new establishments, especially in this day and culture but, Mama Guava is the exception to my rule. I wanted to share my wonderful experience with everyone. Go there, be there or be square read more

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Wow! Renovated atmosphere from the former Pig & the Lady with upbeat music, trendy, pretty fuschia lights strung above the bar area. Unique, tasty & intriguing dishes. The veal in the noodles was so tender and the flavor- high five. They have a variety of teas, I had the guava tea, more like a light guava juice, refreshing. Their gender neutral restroom which is decorated top to bottom, is a must-see with collections of someone's favorite posters, collectible items. Would be nice to have paper menus for the UN-tech savvy generation but easier on the staff and kitchen. Staff is very friendly. You may need to flag them down for chopsticks, take out boxes for left overs. You pay before the food comes out when you order. Foodies... this place is calling your name. You will be lucky to find street parking. I had the last rooftop parking at Marin Tower. You pay by debit or credit card there. Thankyou for lunch, Yelp Elite, All Star, Terry K. read more

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Popping in downtown... Chef Monique Cadavona has popped up in downtown Honolulu in the former ThePig and The Lady location is now Mama Guava. Thank you Terry K for finding out this gem as they'll be here for just six short months. I've never been to The Pig and The Lady but know where it's former location so it was very easy to find and with some luck found street parking just a block away. We did have reservations just in case and is totally recommend as it was almost a full house upon our 12 noon arrival and yes they're open for lunch only though today October 9th is just their second day of service you'd never know of how the flow is so nice and chill. Once seated I enjoyed the simplicity of the decor though many of its former occupant decor remains it does give that industrial vibe that I love. Ordering is cashless as each table has a QR code to order all you need to do is enter your table number and decide...which is quite easier said than done as each item is different in its own way though we did decide on "Lumpia Look Funn" is exactly just that with a veggie lumpia is wrapped in a soft and fresh look funn topped with spicy shoyu vinegar sauce won me instantly as it was just a fun and very flavorful bite. "Salt & Pepper Karaage" looks quite simple but is delicious and comes with a bowl of rice topped with chicken fat ginger scallion which was incredible paired with the rice so perfectly I was very impressed. "Banana Lumpia" I just couldn't resist ordering and though I wished it had a bit more banana filling it was a nice and not too sweet bite. I had to have a sip of their "Mama Guava Tea" sencha with guava, calamansi, ginger and mint...very light and refreshing the mint is quite prominent with a hint of guava I really enjoyed it. Chef Cadavona is very hands on as she greeted us upon arrival and got to briefly chat about her temporary venture is so inspiring along with her adventures she's on and feel so blessed to have taste of what she's been creating. Thank you! read more

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Christopher and I decided to check out Mama Guava, a Filipino-inspired pop-up by Chef Monique Cadavona, located in the former Pig & the Lady space in Chinatown. The restaurant still looks pretty much the same as it did before, which brought back some nostalgic vibes the moment we walked in. We made reservations a few days in advance and were greeted right away when we arrived. The host quickly found our reservation and seated us immediately. Water was poured as soon as we sat down, and from there, everything ran smoothly. Ordering is done through a QR code system--super convenient since you can browse the menu, order, and pay whenever you're ready. The food comes out as it's prepared, so everything is fresh and nicely paced. We tried the seasonal fruit salad, lumpia look fun, tako poke, salt & pepper karaage, and the banana lumpia for dessert. For drinks, we had the Mama Guava tea and the Turon Matcha. The fruit salad was light and refreshing with that perfect balance of sweet and savory. Every dish that followed was full of flavor--the lumpia look fun, poke, and karaage all hit the mark and were perfectly portioned for the two of us. The banana lumpia was a great finish--crispy, caramelized, and full of that familiar merienda comfort. My only note is that the banana inside was a bit shriveled instead of plump, which isn't bad, just different from what I'm used to with traditional turon made with apple bananas. Still, it was delicious. The Mama Guava tea was wonderfully refreshing, and the Turon Matcha was creamy and not too sweet--just the way I like it. If you haven't been yet, make the trip to Chinatown to check out Mama Guava. Between the vibrant flavors, friendly service, and easy-going vibe, it's well worth it. There's street parking nearby and plenty of municipal lots, so finding a spot isn't too bad. Your taste buds will thank you. read more

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Hawaii needs more up and coming chefs, and I think we've found a good one! Came here for lunch today to see what the hype is all about. Nestled in the old pig in the lady location on king street, this place has kept the same vibe and the same funky feeling , especially the bathroom. IYKYK. I think the food and the funk of the ambiance really matches. Filipino fusion food goes really well with this location. We started with lumpia look fun. The chef combines a familiar crispy veg lumpiang, covers it with a silky soft look funn roll and adds a soy/vinegar sauce. Very cool contrast of textures and great flavors, too. We had the utog burger and fries. The burger was juicy and covered in their house special sauce. But the garlic fries were the star to me. Thin shoestring fries perfectly cooked and tossed with fresh garlic. So tasty! (bring your breath mints, though, because they aren't shy about their use of garlic!) Our other entee was the Ilocos banh xeo. One of the crispiest banh xeo crapes i've ever eaten. The filling is longanisa, shrimp, shredded papaya and a fried egg. You get shiso, mint, and cilantro to add to your lettuce wrap and an awesome soy vinegar dipping sauce, too. Definitely a must try if you like banh xeo. The mama guava tea was refreshing,a tad sweet, and the guava seemed to overtake the green tea flavor. I'd experiment with using oolong or even Thai teas maybe. Service was great. They're a QR code ordering place, but if it's not working properly you can have the servers key it in and pay on their devices. Chef Monique was also very sweet and was very humble when I complimented her on the food. This may be a pop up for now (til February 2026?) But it looks like chef has hit on all the right notes for a successful restaurant. read more

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Karaoke Friday.... Is when we arrived for lunch. Super fun vibes but difficult to have full on conversations. Food and service were spot on! 1. Drinks: She's healthy and Mama Guava Tea - both were great 2. Appetizer: Salt & vinegar fried chicken skin - addicting! 3. Appetizer: Ilocos ban xeo - another great dish :) 4. Main: Fish curry with homemade roti - yum! 5. Banana lumpia - a bit dry, a sauce or ice cream may have helped but the banana was not ripe Overall great menu and look forward to additional menu creations. read more

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Pop-up restaurant located where the Pig and the Lady used to be. Pig and the Lady's signs are still posted up but a small A-Frame fronting the door advertised Mama Guava. We ordered take out for lunch so can't really comment on the service or ambiance. However, the decor looks untouched from the previous tenant's time. Ordered the Utog Burger -- a longanisa onion smash burger with garlic fries. The burger came with a double patty smothered in a sauce that I'm not quite sure what it was. Didn't really catch any flavors of longanisa. It was huge and I was only able to eat half of it. The garlic fries were crispy, thin, and garlicky, made with real chunks of garlic. My coworker ordered the oxtail soup and said while it was delicious, the portion size was disappointing. Prices are pretty steep, expect to spend at least $25 for a main dish. read more

Mama Guava - Utog Burger - Pop-Up Restaurants Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Mama Guava is a 6-month pop up located in the former Pig and the Lady space in Chinatown, led by Chef Monique Cadanova. The space recently opened on October 8th, and is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11am -2:30pm. Not much has changed in the interior, as the bricked walls and tables from Pig and the Lady days remain. Reservations are available through Open Table, but there was a good amount of open seats when I walked in around 11:45am on their second day of business. Mama Guava is completely cashless. We were not presented with a physical menu. Instead each table displayed a QR code. From there, you select your table number and you place the order and pay directly from your phone...including the tip. Those who know me, know I am NOT a fan of paying tip before my meal. Tips are based on the service, and I have no way of knowing how my service will be. As such, I always do a customary 15% when requested to provide a tip before hand. There have also been times where I forget to tip completely (I apologize!!! Although this was not the case this time around. I provided the 15% as calculated for me). We tried the: - Ilocos Banh Xeo ($19) - I was most excited for this dish, as it includes shrimp, longanisa, egg, and papaya, and is a mix between an Ilocos empanada and Vietnamese banh xeo. I love both Ilocos empanada and banh xeo so the thought of a fusion dish was just perfect. The dish came on a round, wooden slab, with lettuce, shiso leaves, and mint, accompanied with a vinegary (shoyu?) dipping sauce. Unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark for either banh xeo or Ilocos empanada for me. I didn't feel like there was quite enough filling, and my bf thought the filling lacked flavor on its own (I thought it was fine - I don't like my food too salty). It was nice and crispy although interestingly was not hot - just luke warm. I also missed the typical fish sauce that comes with banh xeo, as opposed to the vinegary sauce (which I know matches the empanada). - Salt & Pepper Karaage ($23) - The karaage was fried really well and was nice and crispy as well. It came over a bed of cabbage with a side of pickled mustard greens and chicken fat ginger scallion rice. This whole dish reminded me of a fried version of Cantonese ginger scallion chicken. We liked this dish, but did feel like the pricing was a little steep for the amount of chicken. There were about 6 small-medium size pieces. - Mama Guava Tea ($7.50) - The Mama Guava tea is a sencha green tea, with guava, calamansi, mint, and ginger. It was also very sweet, and tasted a little like POG. But I did taste the guava (overpoweringly), calamansi, mint, and ginger which I appreciated. Nice and refreshing, although a bit sweeter than I expected. - Leche Flan Coffee ($8.50) - The coffee is a Vietnamese style coffee, with a salted leche flan foam. Surprisingly the foam was not very sweet (I expected it to be sweeter). The coffee was also not too sweet but was nice and strong, although the ice melted very quickly causing it to be watered down shortly after we received it. Note to others: just chug it haha. Service: I don't expect too much when experiencing a new restaurant, as I understand it takes a bit of time to work out the kinks. That said, it's important to acknowledge what worked and what can be improved on. It took about 15 minutes after ordering for our drinks to arrive and about 30 minutes after ordering for our food to arrive. That was a little longer than I expected, given the restaurant didn't appear to be overly busy. However, the servers were VERY quick to collect dishes as we finished. They were very courteous however, asking to make sure we were finished before taking away the dishes. I've had other restaurants collect my dish without asking before I was finished. All in all, Mama Guava is a welcome addition to the lunch scene in Chinatown/Downtown Honolulu. Pricing is on par to Pig and the Lady, but unfortunately it's just not quite on the same level. The whole experience was really just okay, but headed in a positive direction. There are a few other items I'm eying on their menu so I look forward to maybe giving them another try in the future. read more

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Mama Guava is a 6-month pop-up at the old Pig & The Lady location in Chinatown, serving Filipino fusion inspired dishes. There is no physical menu. There is a QR code and each table is assigned a number. Orders are placed online through the QR code and your table number. Payment is cashless, and made in advance by credit card, Apple Pay or Square Account. This may be a little tricky for the less tech savy person or persons used to paying in cash. They pretty much kept the ambiance and layout of the old place the same. There is no bar seating anymore, only tables. Although the bar is still there, they do not serve alcohol. It is BYOB. We are unsure if there is a corkage fee, so you may want to check with them in advance before doing so. We each sampled each other's drinks, the She's Healthy, Leche Flan Coffee and Mama Guava Tea. All were very refreshing and on the sweeter side. The dishes are very creative and unique. The lumpia look fun was very original. Crunchy on the inside, but with a nice, soft texture of the look fun on the outside served with the chef's sauce. Definitely ordering this again next time. The Utog burger was also an original we've never found anywhere else, made with longanisa and beef. Very unique and very moist and juicy, served with a generous portion of garlic fries enough for our table to share. I've had chicken karrage and salt & pepper chicken before, but never a combination of both. Good stuff, and also served with a very generous heaping bowl of rice, which again, our table shared. LOL Service was good, quick. Our drinks arrived at our table within minutes of ordering and paying online and our food shortly thereafter. The staff were friendly and checked on us from time to time, also providing us with additional napkins. Water was served in a wine bottle, so there is no need to wait around for a refill. Overall a great experience. Restrooms are in the same place in the back of the restaurant. There is street metered parking on Smith Street and Maunakea Street. There is also parking at Marin Tower or a municipal parking nearby in Chinatown. You may want to call or check ahead for parking rates. Better yet, if you are already in the downtown/Chinatown area, we just walked over from our office so we didn't need to worry about parking. read more

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4.4/5 Super fun pop up from @theguavastory !! I was excited that a fusion spot would be replacing Pig & the Lady (my fav) albeit temporarily. Food: Overall great! I enjoyed the oxtail soup the most, it came with a very generous amount of oxtail. Lumpia look fun was also yummy, crunchy and soft/slippery, a great blend of textures and flavors. I thought that the veal pancit wasn't very pancit like but was still good. Karaage and banh xeo were good but didn't stand out, maybe because everything else was better? Matcha was a bit disappointing but I'm generally a bit more critical about my matcha lol. $9 for a glass which unfortunately is becoming the norm. Overall I felt like it was moreso Filipino twist on Asian food than Filipino food with a twist. Service was good and the interior didn't change much from P&L. Funky bathroom is still there! Closest lot I think is Marin tower, there's also street parking but since it's in Chinatown it's not reliable. read more

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My aunty brought me here to celebrate my birthday. She told me let's go eat something different but familiar. She was right. Located in the old Pig & the Lady location as a pop-up of Filipino fusion food. So yes, location and Filipino food is definitely familiar to me. We had reservations for 11:30 am and the restaurant was fairly empty; there was only one other party in the space. Decor looks fairly the same with a few changes, but nothing major. Our server was attentive and answered our questions. I wanted the sinigang. My aunty said to try to lumpia look fun and the torta talong. We also got garlic rice to eat with it. It was all so yummy! We ate it all. I can only describe it as different but familiar! To top everything off, we got the chocolate chip cookie. They put a candle to celebrate my birthday. It was really great. I really enjoyed my birthday celebration with my aunty here. read more

Very good, what I can only call l, upscale filipino food in a casual lunch time atmosphere located at the old Pig and the Lady location on King street. Our three top arrived is stages so we really didn't get the welcome and here's how it all works instruction from our server don't was a bit weird for me how you ordered. Scan a QR code, order and pay for what each persons orders, and then, only after you pay and optional tip does your order get placed. That's great for the restaurant cause they guarantee payment and tip eve before they make your food. Again, weird and a little off-putting, but oh well. Server said it's a New York way of doing things. read more

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Mama Guava aka Chef Monique can cook! She's a pop up but I hope she's there to stay because we can't wait for more. There were 4 of us ladies so we ordered dishes enough to share and left full. For the record, the word in the street is that it's Filipino food , but it was more of a mixture of Asian cultures and everything that makes it unique and taste good. First... let's talk about the fish curry and roti. Don't expect it served with vegetables and rice. The star is the curry sauce and is so well paired with the chewy melt in your mouth roti. It's had 5 chunks of white fish cooked to perfection. We also had chicken Karaage with a tangy adobo flavored sauce and Bun x. Hurry over to her pop up before she's gone! read more

Delicious NA drinks and yummy fusion food!! Loved this pop up! We ordered the cold brew and the matcha - both were really great but I liked the cold brew more! The sweet cream at the top was delicious. For food, we ordered the fried shrimp, banh xeo, mochi noodles (a special), pad see ew, and the burger. The best things were the banh xeo, burger, and fried shrimp. I highly recommend all three. The banh xeo was such a fun fusion of the dish and had raving reviews from the whole table. I'm not a burger person but decided to give the longinisa burger a try. It was delicious!! I would totally get it again. The fried shrimp was crispy and flavorful. The pad see ew was a little too salty for most of us, so we didn't end up finishing it. The mochi noodles were slightly vinegary? It wasn't a favorite for our group. Service was a little lacking - I think they only had two people working the floor for the entire restaurant. Overall, a fun and delicious pop up! read more

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I'd been wanting to try this restaurant for a while, and when my friend made a reservation, I couldn't wait. The chef's creative approach to Filipino/seafood cuisine truly impressed me! The flavors were incredible and every dish was beautifully crafted. I enjoyed it so much that I asked for the chef's name and told her that wherever she cooks, I'll follow. Fantastic experience. I'll definitely be returning with my partner when he has time ;) read more

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Opened during the 1st week of Oct 2025, Mama Guava is a pop-up for 6 months for lunch only. The restaurant serves Filipino-inspired fusion cuisine, and its menu is based on what chef/owner Monique Cadavona likes to eat and cook. Her inspiration comes from her Filipino roots, growing up with flavors of HI, and exposure to the cultures of NYC while living there. Monique says she was "born into" cooking, since her entire family cooks and started out in the food industry. She spent many years helping her mom with her banana lumpa's side business. She has many years of local work experience at Zippy's, Nobu, Pig & the Lady, and MW Restaurant before moving to NYC. Working in NYC for the past 6 years, she went back and forth from NYC to HI this past year for private chef gigs and events. She then moved back permanently to Oahu in Sept 2025 to open her pop-up. In addition to her work experience, Monique started a catering business in 2020 that does catering, menu development, and event organizing. The business was started as a tribute to her mom, as well as Filipino and Hawaiian heritage that is influenced by Asian immigrants. With her pop-up and catering business, Monique's motto is "I just want to cook like your grandma." Monique named her restaurant Mama Guava based on the meaningful impact of these two words: * "Mama": pays homage to Monique's time living in NYC. During Covid, she fed the NYC residents who felt safe, loved, and nurtured despite missing their moms' cooking. Monique called herself "Mama" to provide that care for the community during a time when everyone felt isolated. * "Guava": she went to Andy's Sandwiches and Smoothies in Manoa almost daily while in high school to get a guava cream smoothie to resolve all her problems. Thanks to Terry K. who recommended this exciting pop-up! Fortunately, our son was visiting from Toronto, and on his last day here, hubby, our son, and myself took in Mama Guava for lunch. Menu items are limited. We ordered the following: * Mama Guava tea. Served in a mason jar, this consisted of green tea with calamansi, guava, and mint. The somewhat tart calamansi balanced well with the sweeter guava and made it very refreshing and delicious! Wished I had more! * Salt n vinegar chicken skin. Light and crispy, the chicken skin had a flavorful taste of salt and vinegar! * Rice. Served piping hot, the rice has a topping of salted pickled vegetables that blended well when mixed. * Salt & pepper karaage. Crispy fried boneless chicken topped with serrano pepper, shallots, garlic, ginger, pickled sin choy, and a quarter of a lemon. Delicious flavors enhanced by the ingredients! * Veal pancit "pad see ew". Look fun, crispy shallots, bean sprouts, carrots, green onions and calamansi are stir fried with tender veal chunks. Tasty and interesting flavors! * Banana lumpia. As Monique's specialty dessert in helping her mom's banana lumpia business, it appears she uses phyllo instead of lumpia wrappers, which give the lumpia a flaky, light crunch, and drizzles it with honey. A little sweet, but it's delicious and a different take on lumpia! Each table has a jar of sliced jalapeno peppers of you want hot and spicy. We enjoyed the innovative dishes and want to try more! Customer service is somewhat lacking due to the entire ordering and payment process being done on an entirely cashless basis via your cellphones at your table. It's understandable that perhaps the chef/owner desires to keep labor cost down; however, if you have questions or need boxes for leftovers, you will have to flag one of the few staff for assistance. But I guess it's a sign of the times when everything is done via cellphones. No renovations were made in the former Pig & the Lady spot in Chinatown, as Mama Guava is a pop-up. Noise level is loud due to the building's acoustics. Hours of operation are Tues to Sat 11:00a to 2:30p for lunch only, Sun/Mon closed. Reservations can be made via Open Table or message via Instagram. As Monique had previously worked with chef/owner Andrew Le of the Pig & the Lady, he offered her the space for her pop-up for the remainder of his lease (Pig & the Lady is moving to Kaimuki). Parking is available in the Main Tower and Maunakea municipal lots, and metered street parking. We parked in the Marin Tower lot and found almost all spaces taken, with spaces very tight (don't think we'll ever park there again). What a fresh concept of Filipino fusion! I'm anxious in returning to try the lumpia look fun and the curry fish. Nice to see locals returning home in sharing their talents in the culinary arts! Much success to Monique and hope that she is able to continue her restaurant in a brick-and-mortar location with lots of potential in growing her business! Support local! read more

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In the old pig and the lady spot in Chinatown, mama guava is a pop up for five months. The host said they'll be open until February 2026. Made reservations on open table, they were pretty slow, maybe 4 tables filled and that was it. The food came out at a good pace. We ordered the spring rolls with look fun. Kind of reminded me of a Chinese doughnut. Wish they used a little bit more like sweet chili sauce instead of the soy based. Also ordered the pad see yew and coconut fish with home made naan. Coconut fish curry was perfect, the bread was a little flakier than I'm used to but was so good. Pad see yew I really liked the garlic chips on top and it kind of reminded me of a beef chow fun dish. All in all solid food choices. I also like that we could order on through the QR code. But disliked that I had to pay to complete the order rather than just placing orders then paying when you're done and at least received the food. But maybe that's a square thing and not an establishment thing. read more

Pretty good experience overall. I had made a reservation for opening for two on a Tuesday. There were about 3-4 other groups and eventually the lunch hour group trickling in from the surrounding businesses. We were promptly seated then we ordered from our phones after scanning their QR code on a sign on our table. We ordered four things: two appetizers and two mains. For our two appetizers, we got the lumpia look fun and the ilocos empanada bahn xeo. The two mains were utog burger and pancit pad see ew. The lumpia look fun tasted good, but I don't think I would get it again. I'm used to getting look fun in Chinatown and eating homemade lumpia. I didn't think the combination was profound for the price point. As for pancit pad see ew, I think I would have wanted to taste more of the "pancit" than the pad see ew. For me, it tasted too strongly of soy sauce, and I think I'm used to flavors closer to pancit or beef chow fun, so I couldn't quite enjoy or finish it. Would like it to be less salty and have more wok hey served hotter. Of the four, I enjoyed the utog burger and the ilocos empanada the most. I liked that the utog burger wasn't too salty and the bun held up. I absolutely love the garlic shoestring fries that went with it. The ilocos empanada was delicious, within my expectations of what ilocos empanada is (after trying some of the ones made in Waipahu) but in good balance with the lettuce. Definitely would like to have the utog burger or ilocos empanada again and try the other mains! read more

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We came on a Saturday afternoon and there were ample seating. Scan menu to order. What's odd is that you have to pay and tip before you get your food. You can street park or park inside one of Chinatown Municipal Parking lot. For drinks our group got the Leche Flan Coffee and it was a big hit. The Mama Guava Tea not pictured tasted like POG, wished the calamansi and ginger flavor were stronger. We wanted to try other things on the menu but they were rotated out. The best was Lumpia Look Fun, no questions. The shrimp noodles were too salty after a couple of bites. Utog burger was just okay, but the fries that came with it were better. We thought the Tortang Talong was going to be a flatten eggplant that still held its shape, but it was more like a soggy pancake that tasted eggy. The garlic rice that came with it saved the dish a little. It looks like their menu changes often so we might check back soon to try their other things before they close since it seems like it's just a temporary location. read more

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1/22/26 Utog Burger was missing longanisa flavors but was good "As Is" for a smash burger Filipino BBQ Pork Skewers was juicy, fatty n smoky Crispy Fried Chicken w Patis Pickled Lomi Tomato n Onion made the dish tasty The best dish n the only pic missing was the Oxtail Soup because We just dove into that very tender meat n flavorful broth Would go back just for that Supporting Locals read more

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Been fallowing on IG and finally we made a afternoon lunch date if you been going to Pig and the lady in downtown that the same spot Mama Guava is in. Everything is to order online and deliver to your table or take out which is cool. First off on the food me and the wife had the Ox tail Sinigang and it's a sour soup and it pair very well, Utog burger was hella good next time I ain't sharing, next up was the look fun lumpia very interesting on taste and maybe got to try that one more time, Ukoy was one of the top frave that's a must on the next visit remind me of the deep fried veggies I use to get at gulick deli. This spot hands down is a must on return hope to see the menu grown and see what she whips up. read more

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Made reservations online. Went this past Saturday at 11:30am. There was a DJ and the music added to the nice vibe of this place - clean, open and red-brick walls. Got seated right away and server confirmed it was BYOB. Scan QR code to view menu and order/pay. Ordered 3 dishes for the 3 of us to share... an Asian fusion of Veal Pancit, Lumpia Look Fun, and Ilocos Banh Xeo. Each dish was brought to our table in this order (separately, not all together) so it gave us time to savor each dish and talk story. It happen to be Chef's birthday so we were given comp banana lumpia to end our meal. We enjoyed our lunch here. Nice, new experience. read more

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hopped off the plane and rushed right over to Mama Guava before lunch service ended! first meal in Honolulu and you gotta pick a winnah! shout out the Chef Monique for returning to HI to open up her pop-up! the food looked really amazing with familiar flavors but served up with Chef's twist. we ordered the Lumpia Look Fun, the Ilocos Banh Xeo, Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Spicy Chicken Sandwich and the special Lechon Kawali bowl. Sweet treats included Leche Flan Coffee and Turon. great textures and flavors, and reimagined dishes. Ilocos empanadas are all the rage right now, so these were a genius way to meet the moment while fusing two cultures. the Lumpia Look Fun is a textural delight. the Lechon Kawali was my favorite. it's one of my favorite comfort foods after all, but this one just hit so good especially after a 5 hr flight. I think the menu rotates so it will be exciting to see what other dishes she will create. the space is in the former Pig & The Lady in Chinatown, where Chef once worked. what a cool full circle moment for her to return home and bring back her experiences. don't miss this limited run pop up! read more

I think this pop up may have closed already, but wow, this was another pleasant surprise! I'm not typically impressed by fusion restaurants since they can be a hit or miss, and I don't have a lot of experience with Filipino cuisine overall, but Mama Guava did a great job blending these two flavor profiles well. My favorite item was definitely the lumpia look fun, makes me want to try and eat my lumpia from now on wrapped in noodles! Service was a little slow, but still friendly, just a large space with only a few workers. They haven't changed anything from the inside from the old Pig & Lady but it still felt clean and comfortable. My friend from NYC commented they've been in her city before, too and she also loved their food! read more

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Food was decent, but the amount of food you get for the price wasn't good. It's a hip place and service was good. I don't think I would go back though. read more

This service, the coffee, the matcha, fried chicken, ox tail soup, longanisa smash burger... they are all exceptional! Great menu. Just enough options without being overwhelming. I will definitely be back!! read more

Forgot to take pictures Caz it was a work lunch. The food was damnnnnn good. The flavors were leaning towards Thai with a Filipino influence. It was Asian fusion. Had the spring roll thing and the ox tail. The oxtail was super tender. Service was aite, they got 1 dude walking around from what I saw but you order through an app. The set up on that app was annoying, my only complaint. Ambiance was good, generally quiet and it's the old pig and the lady. They didn't have to do much. Must try while they still open read more

Glad I got to catch this pop-up. Love my Filipino breakfast (Silog). This placed popped-up randomly on my social feed and quickly noticed this was in my Mamas hood. I saw they had their take on a Smash-Burger using Longanisa (Filipino style sausage) so, that was something I knew I had to try. It was a tasty burger with just the right amount of longanisa mixed in the patty (not to over powering). Also, tried the Kangkong (water-spinach), as well the chicken bbq skewer. As for drinks the Leche Flan Cold brew and Turon-Matcha were tasty and unique. read more

Mama Guava - Longanisa Smash Burger - Pop-Up Restaurants Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Mama Guava is something special. Stopped in while exploring Chinatown and left genuinely impressed. The Ilocos Banh Xeo was unreal. Crispy, comforting, and full of flavor. Tortang Talong done exactly right, simple and soulful. The Turon Matcha somehow managed to feel both nostalgic and new at the same time. Every dish felt intentional and cooked with care. What really elevated the experience was the service. Warm, attentive, and full of aloha. You could feel the heart behind the kitchen and the pride in what they're creating. Mama Guava is a pop up and only here for a short time, which makes it even more worth visiting. If you appreciate food with culture, story, and genuine care behind it, don't wait. This is the kind of place that reminds you why supporting local truly matters. Highly recommend stopping in before it's gone. read more

We came in right as they opened. The hostess was very friendly. This place is a cashless business. You order via qr code menu. I ordered the fish coconut curry , it is very tasty and I also like the dipping bread that comes along with the curry. The curry does have a little bit of heat that sneaks up on you. The fish in the curry is nice and soft. We also had the lumpia look funn that was tasty as well. Located in the original Pig & Lady location on King St. . Nice quaint atmosphere for lunch. read more

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Checked out this new spot pop-up today. In Chinatown area, easy to find in the old Pig and the Lady spot. So glad my other half suggested this restaurant for lunch. Amazingly wonderful dishes. Just got back from Singapore trying so many delicious dishes. And this blew my taste buds away like I was still on my vacation doing a culinary flavor umami trip to wonder land! Ordered the Lumpia Look Fun, Salt and Pepper Karaage Chicken, Tako Poke and Veal Pancit. Lumpia Look Fun was so flavorful. It was crispy. The Look Fun texture and softness was perfect. Could have eaten a dozen of these. Tako Poke was tender and juicy. The sauce on it was oiishi! Ono! Threw it on my rice and couldn't stop eating it. Veal Pancit had so much depth and different flavors mixed in. Salty, tangy, garlicky. It was punchy my face with its deliciousness! Salt and Pepper Karaage chicken may sound unexciting but the sauce and the ingredients made that chicken shine. With a little squeeze of the lemon juice on it and the scallion ginger rice that comes with it was like a martial arts master hitting me from all side with taste bombs! Now this is just my opinion and my flavor profile giving this review. But I feel no one will be disappointed by trying any of these dishes. I need to go back tomorrow if I could. To try the curry and the burger and a few more things I haven't tried yet. Thank you to Gauva Mama for making my first lunch back from vacation an experience. Making it feel like I am still on vacation in flavor country. Mahalo! read more

The lumpia look funn is a revelation--crispy lumpia wrapped in a thick, smooth noodle with a savory sauce. A perfect appetizer. We also enjoyed the tortang talong, which was like a pancake of an eggplant and egg scramble and came with a flavorful serving of garlic rice. The fish curry was well-cooked and tender, and the roti had an unusual satisfying heaviness to it; this dish in particular was just a bit too salty for my own tastes (both the curry and the roti). Everything reminded us of something we'd find in Singapore--a delicious marriage of multiple cuisines blended so expertly that each influence harmonizes with the rest. We hope to come back again before the pop-up closes. I think about the lumpia look funn every day and my mouth starts watering instantly. I absolutely need to eat it again before it's gone... read more

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One of the tastiest meals in Hawaii prepared by an excellent chef/owner. Service is friendly and professional. Location is the former location of The Pig and the lady on King Street. The fish curry with the flat bread (roti) is the best I have tasted. The lumpia is unique and packed with flavor. Pancit is delicious. Overall, awesome experience! read more