Local Chains & Familiar Names on Oahu

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Back to OahuLocal Chains & Familiar Names

Todai, 1910 Ala Moana Blvd. (tel. 808/947-1000), a string of Japanese seafood buffet restaurants with locations ranging from Dallas to Portland to Beverly Center, is packing 'em in at the gateway to Waikiki with bountiful tables of sushi (40 kinds), hot seafood entrees (tempura, calamari, fresh fish, gyoza, king crab legs, teppanyaki), and delectable desserts. No one cares that the place lacks ambience; the food is terrific, the selection impressive, and the operation as smooth as the green tea cheesecake.

Ala Moana Center's third floor is a mecca for dining and schmoozing. The open-air Mai Tai Bar is a popular watering hole. Next door are the boisterous Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (tel. 808/949-4867) and the California Pizza Kitchen (tel. 808/941-7715), which also maintains branches in Kahala Mall, 4211 Waialae Ave. (tel. 808/737-9446), and Pearlridge, 98-1005 Moanalua Rd. (tel. 808/487-7741).

L&L Drive-In remains a plate-lunch bonanza islandwide, with 45 locations in Hawaii (36 on Oahu alone). Zippy's Restaurants -- at last count 21 of them on Oahu -- is the maestro of quick meals, with a surprisingly good selection of fresh seafood, saimin, chili, and local fare, plus the wholesome new low-fat, vegetarian "Shintani Cuisine," sold in selected branches and deli counters. Every restaurant offers a daily Shintani special, and at several locations (Kahala, Vineyard, Pearlridge, Kapolei, Waipio) you can order cold Shintani items in 2-pound portions to take home and heat up.

It's hard to spend more than $7 for the French and Vietnamese specials at the Ba-le Sandwich Shops. Try the pho, croissants as good as the espresso, and wonderful taro/tapioca desserts. Among Ba-le's 20 locations are those at Ala Moana Centre (tel. 808/944-4752) and 333 Ward Ave. (tel. 808/591-0935). A Ba-le location at Manoa Marketplace, 2855 E. Manoa Rd. (tel. 808/988-1407), serves a terrific selection of Thai dishes in an enlarged dining area, making it as much a restaurant as a place for takeout food. For smoothies, head to Jamba Juice, with seven locations at last count, from Kahala Mall to Ward Village, Kapahulu, Pearlridge, Kailua, and the new DFS Galleria on Kalakaua Avenue (tel. 808/926-4944). The ubiquitous Boston's North End Pizza Bakery chain claims an enthusiastic following with its reasonable prices and generous toppings. Boston's can be found in Kaimuki, Kailua, Kaneohe, Pearlridge, and Makakilo.

For Italian food, the American chain Buca di Beppo (tel. 808/591-0880) is in the Ward Entertainment Centre, 1030 Auahi. Heaping plates -- piled high with more than enough Italian food to feed a very hungry family -- make this place quite popular, along with the reasonable prices. Reservations are a must.

In Waikiki, the local Hard Rock Cafe is at 1837 Kapiolani Blvd. (tel. 808/955-7383), while at the Ala Moana end of Waikiki, Outback Steakhouse, 1765 Ala Moana Blvd (tel. 808/951-6274), serves great steaks and is always full. In downtown's Restaurant Row, beef eaters can also chow down at Ruth's Chris Steak House, 500 Ala Moana Blvd. (tel. 808/599-3860).