Before heading to Queensbreak, the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa’s new pool deck restaurant, I prepped by slathering myself with sunscreen. I had already been there for dinner so I figured I needed protection from the elements while dining in the open air by day.
It turned out I needn’t have worried about the midday sun because it was surprisingly cool and shady throughout the afternoon, with any harsh rays blocked by the resort’s oceanfront Kealohilani Tower.
It made for a very pleasant afternoon, which is what the Queensbreak experience is all about, an enjoyable escape, whether you live here and just need to get out of the house for a few hours, or are visiting from continents away.
While it’s something of a risk to open a big restaurant today, the new venue was part of a multimillion-dollar renovation that included transforming the 1-acre Queens-break pool and amenity deck into a lively gathering space. That much square footage creates plenty of pandemic-era distance between tables, while plenty of plants deliver a natural, green vibe, and there’s also a separate bar area.
The restaurant’s all-day menu of fun food was created by executive chef Nuno Alves, who worked at Boston’s Rialto and later, Tavolo Ristorante, before arriving on Oahu to work at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Sheraton Waikiki. Casual bar favorites such as burgers, flatbreads and tacos, befit the casual setting, though Alves brings a healthier, more upscale touch to enhance dishes with sauces, slaws and condiments made from scratch.
Start light with a Caesar salad ($18) or papaya salad ($18). I often say that few restaurants build good salads here. In my mind, a good salad should be full of diverse healthful ingredients, not things bad for you — from heavy cream dressings to bacon bits — disguised by the notion that “green salad = good for you.” Queensbreak’s papaya salad is one of the good ones, the fruit layered over a base of baby kale and romaine, tossed with Maui onions and sprinkled with quinoa, dried cranberries and macadamia nuts and finished with a light papaya seed vinaigrette.
For shareable snacking, there’s QB crispy fried chicken wings ($20) served with a trio of buttermilk ranch, Thai and Hawaiian chile sauces; nachos ($19) loaded with a housemade cheese sauce, charred corn, salsa fresca, olives, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, guacamole and cilantro; and savory flatbread ($20) topped with a flavorful combination of goat cheese, mozzarella, Hamakua mushrooms, Maui onion jam, tomato and basil with a pinch of sea salt.
Alves also prepares a credible katsu sando ($17) that he perfected under the scrutiny of his Japanese wife and inlaws. Crispy fried pork loin is sandwiched between soft Japanese milk bread with hot mustard sauce and shiso leaves are served on the side for wrapping this heavenly bundle.
The chef has a way with fried foods and one of my favorites here is the newly added fried chicken sandwich ($22). It starts with the crisp, tender fried chicken and brioche bun, but the magic happens with the layering of crunchy cabbage slaw, pickles and chipotle aioli that add up to an explosion of flavors.
Drawing on his Portuguese heritage, Alves creates a flavorful dish of drunken clams ($25). This one is not to be missed with its base of lobster broth, white wine and butter, accented with a thick dice of Portuguese sausage, red potatoes and finally topped with crispy fried ogo. The dish is accompanied by grilled French bread. Alves grew up making the sausage with his Portuguese family and doesn’t rule out making it from scratch at the restaurant in the future.
The restaurant is also an unlikely source of one of the best pad Thai ($28) dishes on the island, topped with Kauai shrimp. I loved the moist, soft texture of the noodles and sweet, clean-flavored non-ketchupy sauce. If sour is what you want in pad Thai, this ain’t it, but the Queensbreak version suits my palate.
Burger lovers will find a juicy wagyu smash burger ($28) served on toasted brioche with such crowd-pleasing ingredients of applewood smoked bacon, Maui onion jam and American cheese plus the standard lettuce and local tomato.
Heavier recent additions geared toward the dinner crowd include a 14-day dry-aged strip steak ($38) and seared island fish ($32), also finished in healthful style with a bed of kabocha mash, long beans and sauce of ume-yuzu beurre blanc.
And if you want a refreshing pick-me-up any time of day, desserts here fit the bill. They include a creamy mango soufflé ($10) served over raspberry coulis with fresh fruit and whipped cream; and shave ice açaí bowl ($12), the fluffy ice melting on the tongue with the crunch of granola and toasted coconut, plenty of fresh fruit and a drizzle of local honey.
These all add up to a perfect day in paradise.
Queensbreak
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa
2552 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu
Food: ***½
Service: ***
Ambiance: ****
Value: ***½
Call: 808-921-7181
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Prices: About $75-$95 for two without drinks
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
