10 New & Coming Eateries on O‘ahu: March 2024

Cha to Gelato

Midnight matcha and gelato are coming to the Kapahulu corridor. Part lounge, part café and full of cozy vibes, this is a sister eatery to Aburiya Ibushi: After an izakaya dinner, you can night-cap next door at Cha to Gelato, which is soft-opening this month from 2 p.m. to midnight with single-origin organic Japanese tea and gelato.

744 Kapahulu Ave., @cha_to_gelato_zen

Giovedi

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Bao Tran’s inventive take on Italian food (as in Spaghetti Vietnam-atriciana with minced lap cheong in the pecorino-tomato-pepperoncino sauce) gets its first permanent home in the space being vacated by Encore Saloon, which serves its last mezcal drinks and loaded nachos this Friday. Encore owners Danny Ka‘aiali‘i and Jonny Vasquez offered the long, saloon-style restaurant and bar with its open-air courtyard to Tran, Jennifer Akiyoshi and Jake Saito, the same team that opened Mad Bene in Kapolei. Following a nine-month run as prix fixe pop-up in Kaka‘ako last year, Giovedi plans a summer reopening in Chinatown with an all à la carte menu.

10 N. Hotel St., @giovedirestaurant

SEE ALSO: Giovedi, A New Pop-up Italian Restaurant with Asian Sensibilities

Good Chicken Waikīkī

Kaka‘ako’s Good Chicken, home of great Korean fried chicken and house-made mandoo, soft-opened a second location at Stix Asia food hall in Waikīkī this week. The menu is bigger, there’s a 10% kama‘āina discount and—maybe the best part, if you’ve ever been defeated by Kawaiaha‘o Street parking—this spot offers validated parking on certain floors of Waikīkī Shopping Plaza.

2250 Kalākaua Ave., @goodchicken_waikiki

SEE ALSO: What the Cluck? 3 New Korean Fried Chicken Shops to Try on O‘ahu

Island Vintage Coffee Kapolei

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Island Vintage Coffee’s return to West O‘ahu at Kapolei Commons makes this the local coffee shop’s largest location, with a shave ice and gelato shop. Lines are already out the door for a full food menu that debuted in March; a full-service wine bar and dinner service are in the works for summer.

4450 Kapolei Pkwy, islandvintagecoffee.com, @islandvintagecoffee

Korea Garden

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Korea Garden opened this month in the former Home Bar & Grill on Kalākaua Avenue. Fans of the former Choi’s Garden on Rycroft will feel right at home with the extensive menu of Korean stews, noodles, stir-fries and gogi gui (barbecue). Lunch specials are an affordable splurge, or bring (and carpool with) friends if you plan on dinner. The attentive service is borderline annoying, but you’ll always have a fresh grill and a full water glass.

1683 Kalākaua Ave., (808) 949-9909, @koreagardenhawaii

Sweet As

Photo: Andrea Lee

The New Zealand-style ice cream shack opened at Ala Moana Center (third level, near Lacoste) last Friday just in time for spring break. With locations already in Lā‘ie and Hale‘iwa, Sweet As brings a unique twist with a machine from New Zealand that swirls ice cream and frozen fruit toppings into fresh waffle cones. The result is a soft serve-esque experience with delightful pops of fruit in each bite.

1450 Ala Moana Blvd., @sweetas_icecream

SEE ALSO: Ice Cream and Malassadas Worth the Drive to Lā‘ie

Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya Mililani

Photo: Courtesy of Tanaka Ramen

O‘ahu’s fourth Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya opened this month with sashimi platters, crab stick tempura and other Mililani-exclusive dishes. Gyoza and signature ramen bowls are also at this newest location at Town Center of Mililani (by the theaters). It joins the popular micro-chain ’s other eateries at Ala Moana Center, Pearlridge and Kapolei, plus six more in Illinois, Texas and Georgia.

95-1249 Meheula Pkwy, tanakaramen.com, @tanakaramenhawaii

Taqueria El Azul

Photo: Mari Taketa

Tacos, burritos and bowls have appeared deep in Pālolo Valley. The new Taqueria El Azul, opened by Luis Castro and Chadley Jacobson of Cuban/Latin specialist Castro’s Waikīkī, has a simple menu centering on birria, al pastor and grilled chicken, appetizers including elotes and birria fries, and a juice of the day (ours was tamarindo). There are dine-in tables inside and fronting the parking lot, the juicy chicken tacos are the best we’ve had and on a weekday night, nearly a mile into the valley, every table was full.

1827 Pālolo Ave., taqueriaelazulhawaii.com, @elazulpalolo

SEE ALSO: Castro’s Brings Soulful Cuban Food to the Edge of Waikīkī

Village Beer in Kapolei

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Kaleo Chong, formerly of Butcher & Bird, leads the kitchen at the forthcoming Kapolei Commons outpost of Village Beer slated for late spring. It’s expected to be a much larger venue than Timothy Golden’s original space in Salt at Our Kaka‘ako with a full menu and all of the same qualities craft brew lovers have come to rely on. A rotating tap system, extensive selection of bottles and cans and a lively atmosphere to enjoy them in.

4450 Kapolei Pkwy, @villagebeer

Yohei Sushi Kāhala

Photo: Mari Taketa

Yohei Sushi at Kū‘ono Marketplace across from Kāhala Mall is an all-new sequel to the original Yohei Sushi, opened 34 years ago in Kalihi. News of founding chef-owner Kazuto Obara’s intention to retire brought an offer from an unexpected source—Hiroshima Mazda chairman and CEO Tetsuya Matsuda. That was in 2017. Now Matsuda owns both restaurants, the latter opened this year with omakase sushi offerings priced between $220 and $350. Courses start with a simple cup of dashi, the sublime base flavoring of many Japanese dishes, and range from traditional to contemporary, including this ika nigiri and a playful take on a Japanese egg sandwich.

4210 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 425-4143, yoheisushi.com/kahala, @yoheisushi.kahala