Some of Hawaii’s most beloved cuisines are served in bowls. Let it be acai, saimin, curry or poke — there’s just something about food in a bowl that hits different. Here are a few places where you can indulge in some delectable food that satiates not only your stomach, but also your soul.
Curry House Coco Ichibanya
Curry House Coco Ichibanya (multiple locations) serves up chicken katsu, croquettes and other comfort food in a casual setting. Its most popular curry dishes are its chicken cutlet with cheese, kalbi and fried chicken, jumbo veg croquette and chicken, and mapo tofu and gyoza. The biz also has curry bowls with other meat, seafood and vegetable options. Customers can choose their level of spice.
Visit @curryhousekapolei on Instagram.
Empire Steak House
New York-based Empire Steak House opened in Waikiki earlier this year and is located on the Sky Floor of the Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites (1777 Ala Moana Blvd.). The steakhouse is renowned for its exquisite cuisine and rich ambiance and takes pride in being a place “where classic elegance meets culinary excellence.” In addition to its signature and classic steakhouse appetizers, entrees and desserts, the biz boasts a variety of soups, including its French onion, lobster bisque and varying soups of the day.
Call 808-777-3100 or visit empiresteakhousehawaii.com.
Paradise Poke
Paradise Poke (multiple locations) serves up Hawaiian-style poke using high-quality fresh fish. The biz boasts poke bowls with options like ginger scallion ahi, ahi limu, spicy ahi, shoyu ahi, limu madako, truffle ponzu salmon and spicy salmon. Customers can choose between regular rice, salad or premium sushi rice, ocean salad or yuzu cucumbers, and can choose between one or two choices of poke. Paradise Poke also features specialty bowls, including the Hawaiian bowl that comes with kalua pig, lomi salmon and one choice of poke.
Follow its Instagram (@paradisepokehi).
da Cove Health Bar and Cafe
Located in Diamond Head Center, da Cove Health Bar and Cafe (3045 Monsarrat Ave. No. 5) emphasizes local-grown and island-caught dishes that are prepared fresh and ready to order. Find acai bowls, fresh fruit smoothies, savory salads, wraps and sandwiches on its menu. The biz has a section on its menu titled da Bowls, which includes acai, pitaya or a combination of both. Da Cove is an acai bowl with granola, banana, strawberry and honey. Try the popular Mana acai bowl filled with granola, banana, strawberry, blueberry, bee pollen, honey and taro.
Follow @dacovehawaii on Instagram and visit dacove.com.
Ocean Taste
Located in South Shore Market, Ocean Taste (1170 Auahi St. Ste. L150) boasts sashimi, poke bowls, torched bowls and chirashi bowls. The head chef personally selects fresh fish from Honolulu Fish Market and sources seasonal global seafood that is delivered directly to the shop. It has several chirashi dons, including the Five Seasons Don (ahi, salmon, uni, ikura, snow crab and ajitsuke tamago), kaisen don (ahi, salmon, tako, ikura, ajitsuke tamago), salmon ikura don, lava flow don (Hokkaido scallop, ikura, spicy ahi and tamago), Snowy Volcano don (snow crab and spicy ahi) and a dragon ikura bowl (ikura, shrimp tempura and ajitsuke tamago).
Call 808-636-0877 or visit @oceantastehawaii on Instagram.
Meet Fresh
Meet Fresh in Ala Moana Center (1450 Ala Moana Blvd. No.1320) has been offering the community fresh desserts using traditional Taiwanese methods ever since it was first established in 2007. The biz takes pride in serving healthy desserts using the finest ingredients that are made fresh daily. Popular items include its icy taro ball signature (taro balls, taro paste, potaro balls, boba and shaved ice), icy glass jelly signature (taro balls, grass jelly shaved ice and grass jelly), and double taro signature (taro balls, taro paste, ice cream, grass jelly shaved ice, grass jelly). Another popular option is its Q mochi shaved ice, which comes with mochi, mini q, melon jelly, potaro balls and more.
Call 808-809-9034 or visit meetfresh.us.
Tanto Hawaii
Tanto Hawaii (1035 University Ave. Unit 105) is a locally owned and operated Japanese restaurant that is known for its variety of delicious authentic ramen and gyoza. Its bestselling item is the Tanto shoyu ramen, which features a rich chicken and pork umami broth, aged shoyu, char siu, ajitama, menma, green onion, ground radish and red onion. Customers also love its Sapporo miso ramen that comes with chicken broth, aged miso, ground pork, bean sprouts, corn, ajitama, green onion and butter; and the red hot chile ramen that is topped with stir-fried ground pork, chives and red hot chiles.
Call 808-942-1000 or visit tanto-hawaii.com.
