Cafe & Deli

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli

750 Kailua Rd. (262-DELI). Mon.–Thu. & Sun. 6am–9pm, Sat. & Sun. 6am–10pm. Entree: $12.95–$14.95. AmEx, MC, V.

Sitting right off of Kailua’s main drag, between KFC and Arby’s, Kalapawai Cafe & Deli is a cute, charming and quaint surprise. Part country cafe, part saloon-style eatery, it’s this island’s equivalent to Maui’s Hali’imaile General Store. The mostly southern-European-inspired flavors can be mixed and matched at whim, and always with rewarding results. The portions are kept in check–you won’t get mountains of food or family-sized platters. Who says you can’t have your steak … and fish and pizza and pasta … and eat it, too?

– Kawehi Haug (5/30/07)

Chinese

Aloha Bistro

444 Kanekapolei St. (926-8288). Mon.–Sun. Lunch:11am–2:30pm, Dinner: 5pm–9:30pm, Entree: $12.95–$19.95. Disc, JCB, MC, V.

Along with the chopsticks and handle-less tea mugs, the restaurant offers few entrees over $20 and excellent service. The bus boy will zip over and exchange a half-full teapot for a fresh one, just to ensure piping hot tea throughout your meal. Presentation figures big into the bistro’s specialty dishes, the Seafood Taro Bowl: a medley of fish, squid and vegetables which comes in a delicate bowl of violet taro that soaks up the garlic sauce as you eat. Chinese tourists and islanders alike can find something familiar and comforting at Aloha Bistro: Good food, good prices and a staff that shouts in Cantonese.

–Rachel Brown (5/7/08)

Filipino

Marilou’s Restaurant & Catering

70 Kukui St. (621-1196). Mon.–Sat. 9am–9pm. Sun. 9am–3pm, Entree: $7.35-$9.50.

The allure of traditional Filipino cooking lies in the braising of meats slow-cooked for several hours to release the flavors. Each lunch/dinner combo comes with four items of your choice–pinapaitan, pinakbet (a soup with long green beans, few pieces of lechon-crispy fried pork, bitter melon, eggplant and tomatoes), dinguanan, pork guisantes, pork adobo, mungo beans or pork menudo. All items on the combo plates are savory. Banana lumpia and halo halo for dessert. Marilou’s is the place to go for a real comforting home-cooked Filipino meal.

–Walter Rhee (3/5/08)

Italian

Baci Bistro

30 Aulike St., Kailua (262-7555). Lunch Mon.–Fri. 11:30am–2pm, Dinner Nightly 5:30pm–10pm. Entree: $13.95–$26. AmEx, MC, V.

Don’t leave without trying the tiramisu. Where most places take on the traditional dolci as an Italian version of the Midwestern trifle, Baci treats it right: Each layer separate, but all coming together perfectly on the fork. The ladyfingers are moist, not wet; the mascarpone layer is light, not cheesecake-like; the amaretto is complimentary, not overpowering. The answer is simple: When in Kailua, eat at Baci Bistro.

– K. H. (5/9/07)

Buon Amici Ristorante

3605 Wai’alae Ave. (732-5999). Tue.–Sun. 5pm–9pm. Entree: $20.50–$34. AmEx, MC, V.

Buon Amici has retained the tradition of making fresh pasta. The wide sashes of pasta danced between firmness and the slightest tenderness, a feat that only the freshest cooked al dente can achieve. When tossed with herbed Italian sausage, salty bits of pancetta and sweet strips of caramelized onions then bathed in a tomato sauce further richened by both wine and cream. Entrees include costoletta d’aggnello, grilled Australian lamb chops so tender that they’re worth smuggling across town to Wai’alae Avenue and salmon aneto, Atlantic salmon cooked in anise flowers, bay leaves, shallots and cream.

– Napua Leong (2/21/07)

Pasta Basta by Donato’s

Restaurant Row, (523-9999). Lunch Mon.–Fri. 11am–2:30pm, Dinner Tue.–Sat. 5–9:30pm. Entree: $9–$15. MC, V.

Pasta Basta does brisk business for the lunch crowds that come pouring out of neighboring office towers around noon, and while ordering at the counter may seem unglamorous, it’s a smart way for the restaurant to maximize its lunch service. Handmade pizzas come straight from the oven, including spicy shrimp, margherita, napoletana and grilled chicken-portobello versions. If you like fresh pasta but want a simpler dish, there’s fresh spinach fettucine with Bolognese sauce, linguine with basil pesto or cappellini with sauteed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and garlic.

– N. L. (4/25/07)

Taormina Sicilian Cuisine

227 Lewers Street, R100 (926-5050). Sun.–Thurs., 11am–10pm, Fri.–Sat. 11am–11pm, Entree: $12–$32.

With its reasonable prices, wistful outside environment and distinctive yet hearty food, this Japanese-infused restaurant is worthy of becoming a local date night institution. The candle-lit, romantic outdoor tables provide the environment for an affordable date in a chic environment. The uni (sea urchin) pasta is the perfect meal for the daring diner–however, it sells out quickly so be sure to request it when making dinner reservations! Although the menu items can be eclectic, Taormina also offers more traditional fare such as the Bucatini “Fresh Sardine”, bucatini (thick spaghetti) with fresh Japanese sardine fillets, garlic, saffron, pine nuts, tossed lightly in olive oil.

– Ryan Senaga (1/9/08)

Japanese & Okinawan

Chiba-ken

468 ‘Ena Rd., (941-2800). Sun–Thu. 5:30pm–11:30pm, Fri.–Sat. 5:30pm–1:30am. Entree: $8.50–$17.50. AmEx, MC, V.

Chiba-ken is a quiet garden in Dante’s dark wood of outer Waikiki, just over the bridge and the crawling Ala Wai canal. Their outdoor seating even includes a proper lava rock wall to shield you from the sidewalk traffic and really makes you feel like you’re in Hawai’i. While they offer Western-style drinks, the true star is the sake. They have over a dozen selections ranging from very sweet to very dry. And the sushi? Chiba-ken makes it as it’s supposed to be made: perfectly bite-sized with just a tiny mouthful of rice under a slice of fish you don’t have to gnaw in half. Reasonably priced delicious sushi in a great location with a spectacularly helpful staff, Chiba-ken promises a perfect evening before you can say “banzai!”

– R. B. (5/21/08)

Matsugen

255 Beach Walk (926-0255). Daily, 11:30am–1:45pm, 5–9:30pm. Entree: $7.80–$35.50. AmEx, DC, MC, JCB, V.

The handwritten, photocopied menu reflects the artisan allure of hand-crafted soba. The fresh soba noodles are perhaps best enjoyed mori style, served simply boiled and chilled and reverently laid atop a lacquer tray alongside a carafe of tsuyu dipping sauce to pour into a broader dipping dish along with a clump of fresh wasabi and sliced scallion whites. There are izaka-style appetizers whose origins are primarily confined to the maw of sea creatures. There’s no sushi here, but you can get assorted seasonal sashimi and traditional “Edo” style poke.

– N. L. (2/30/07)