Cafe & Deli

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli

– Kawehi Haug (5/30/07)

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?

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

Mix Cafe

– K.H. (10/17/07)

The bustle and din at Mix Cafe belies its smallness. Six tables for two and one table for six turn the long narrow space into a cafe that seats fewer diners than most people here have family members. The full staff–warm, friendly and charming–is always at your beck and call. Order the sandwiches with a side of country salad, potatoes and roasted veggies tossed with oil, vinegar and salt and pepper and you won’t miss the fried starch that we normally pair with our sandwiches. These aren’t your typical New York-style sammies. These are simpler and purer. Bread, meat, cheese and maybe a few veggies. Choose from three homemade sauces: spicy crab, creamy Portobello or sausage. Its breakfast menu is also certainly worth waking up for. The amazing waffles are in good company with Bruno’s signature omelette, a fritatta-like dish that’s chock-full of fresh veggies and the most surprising breakfast sandwiches that threaten to make an addict out of anyone who discovers them.

35. S. Beretania St. (537-1191) Mon.–Fri. 7am–7pm. Entrees: $4.75–$8.90. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.

Chinese

Aloha Bistro

–Rachel Brown (5/7/08)

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.

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

Filipino

Marilou’s Restaurant & Catering

–Walter Rhee (3/5/08)

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 halo halo are great for dessert. Marilou’s is the place to go for a real comforting home-cooked Filipino meal.

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

French

JJ Bistro & French Pastry

–R.B. (6/18/08)

The food is so eclectic and the flavors so harmonious, that JJ transcends such labels as “French-Laotian” or “Eurasian.” There are two fixed menus offering soup, appetizer, entree and dessert. One such entree is the Fisherman’s Pot Pie with a dense, flaky crust that cradles a rich concoction of shrimp, scallops, salmon, zucchini and bamboo shoots, all drenched in a buttery cream sauce. The pastry display boasts a variety of desserts, including the famous chocolate pyramid, lemon honey cake, plum tarts and frou frou au chocolate. JJ provides world class cuisine in a chic setting at very reasonable prices.

3447 Wai’alae Ave. (739-0993) Mon.–Sat. 9am–9pm. Sun. noon –9pm, Entrees: $19.95-$24.95. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.

Italian

Baci Bistro

– K.H. (5/9/07)

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.

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

Pasta Basta by Donato’s

– Napua Leong (4/25/07)

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.

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

Taormina Sicilian Cuisine

– Ryan Senaga (1/9/08)

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.

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

Japanese & Okinawan

Chiba-ken

– R.B. (5/21/08)

Chiba-ken is a quiet garden in Dante’s dark wood of outer Waikk, 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, Chiba-ken promises a perfect evening before you can say, “Banzai!”

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

Gaku Sushi Izakaya

– N. L. (4/4/07)

The staff is exceptionally knowledgeable about the menu, even though a good portion of it changes daily. Izakaya-style specialties include baked king crab, ribeye steak with garlic or ponzu and asari clams either sauteed in garlic butter or steeped in sake. Among the cooked specials, there was beef tongue wrapped in shiitake mushroom and grilled green mussels. A hand-lettered and photocopied menu insert of the day’s specials showcases what Kikuchi picked out that morning at the fish market.

1329 S. King St., (589-1329). Mon.–Sat. 5pm–11pm, Closed Sun. Entrees: $7.50–$40. Disc, JCB, MC, V.

Hinone Mizunone

– Margot Seeto (7/16/08)

Hinone Mizunone joins the ranks of family-oriented Japanese restaurants that offer a fair amount of food for a fair price in an atmosphere that can accommodate larger parties. The staff is nice, the interior welcoming and the food satisfying, filling and reasonably priced. Teishoku with tonkatsu offers the Hinone original sauce–tart and not as sweet or thick as the typical katsu sauce. If you’re hankering for Japanese comfort food in a convenient location, Hinone Mizunone is worth a visit.

1345 S. King St (942-4848). Mon.–Sat. 11am–9pm. Entrees: $5.50–$14.75. AmEx, Disc, JCB, MC, V.