Any Recommendation for a good but not overly expensive restaurant in Honolulu?

[BBK]

Can anyone make a suggestion for a nice, but casual dinner restaurant in Honolulu?

[slowfoodgrrl]

Try Olive Tree Cafe next to Kahala Mall, a small Greek place that my sister and I love. I adore their fish souvlaki (type changes nightly) and the egg lemon soup is delicious. It gets very busy most weeknights, but patience is well rewarded. It's also BYOB, which is great since there is a little market owned by the same people next door where you can buy wine.

[swsidejim]

When I was in Honolulu/Waikiki for my honeymoon, the first night we were there my wife and I enjoyed Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch, and Crab. Not expensive, casual, and pretty good. But then again I can eat crab legs every day.

Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab
580 Nimitz Highway
Honolulu, HI.

www.samchoy.com

[Yoshio]

Not all good restaurants in Honolulu are expensive. What type of food are you looking for? For contemporary Japanese there is Shokudo, traditional homestyle Japanese would be Mr. Ojisan. Town (http://www.hawaiidiner.com/restaurant...) in Kaimuki offers some of the tastiest and affordable food (the housemade French fries with deep fried herbs are to die for) all day long. Dinner is a great bet as you'll find a seasonal menu featuring lots of great local beef, chicken and produce. If you can give a bit more of an idea of what you want to eat, I can give you additional specific recommendations.

[hopkid]

Also what do you mean exactly by nice, but casual? Is good food a priority over ambience? Vice versa? Are you looking for a nice quiet kind of place?

I'd say the Pineapple Room is in the nice ambience and great food category and more moderately priced than Alan Wong's. It's actually AW's restaurant as well.

Side Street Inn also has great food and is definitely casual. No white table cloths here. It's actually more of a bar atmosphere but there are booths and tables for diners. The food really is good here.

[FO Foodie]

I like the Pineapple Room - went there for lunch and saw Jim Nabors having lunch there also! It was of course cheaper at lunch - very large open room, with great food. The SF Chronicle recently listed it as a place to eat in Waikiki. Another very reasonable spot for dinner is the nightly buffet at the Waikiki Parc Hotel - right across the street from the Halekulani and owned by the same company - has a different theme each night and the food is very good - you need to make reservations as it's popular with locals.

[ML8000]

The Pineapple room is good. Only drawback is it's in a mall. The Kailua BLT (pig + bacon, lettuce and tomato) however is worth the stop.

[Yoshio]

FYI - The restaurant in the Parc Hotel has been closed for some time now. It will be the newest Nobu's when it re-opens (supposedly in May '07), but there may yet be delays. The Pineapple Room is very good, but I am not such a fan of it in the evening. Perfect for lunch.

[ML8000]

You're right about lunch vs. evening. At night it's sort of creepy and low energy or something. Maybe it's the lighting.

[Debbie M]

I've been to the Pineapple Room for dinner, and it was great, but it was an early dinner and still light outside. Come to think of it, with the way the room is shaped, I can see it being odd if you didn't have the sunlight or view (such as it is) from the mauka-side windows.

[Debbie M]

Thanks for the tip on Town. It sounds great. I think I'll try to make it over there on my upcoming trip.

I'm a fan of Kaka'ako Kitchen, which fits the nice but casual -- you eat outdoors at picnic tables. I like to have breakfast there, and I had a mac-crusted ono with a ginger-soy reduction for dinner that was fantastic.

[Quesera]

Everything in casual in Honolulu, and everything is expensive as well. If you're there, just go for it and go to Alan Wong's...you won't be disappointed. Honestly, one of the best meals I have ever had. I can't wait to go back, it's very very worth it.