Hawaiiowan Cafe — Restaurant in Burlington

From the moment that my wife and myself walked in the front door it was exactly what and where we wanted to spend our 11th anniversary. The atmosphere was intimate and special from the dimly lit tables to seeing the passionate owner/chef smiling when you ask what his favorite dish to prepare is. The watermelon salad appetizer was deliciously light starter. For entrees we had the seared Ahi tuna and oven kalua pig with cabbage that were plated beautifully. The Ahi tuna was delicious standing alone and then when you add in the seaweed slaw, jasmine rice, and Wasabi aioli it was an explosion of flavor. The pig and cabbage was so tenderly cooked that it would melt in your mouth and had a nice serving of jasmine rice and potato salad (that would be a fan favorite at any summer cookout). We finished with a crème brûlèe to share (the first time my wife has had this desert) and it didn't disappoint! We will be dining here again in the near future and have already suggested it to...

The saving grace is that the food is spectacular. We had the baked brie, tuna and shrimp grits. Disappointed they were sold out of the weekend special, as I was definitely looking forward to it. Walked in about 3 minutes before our reservation the waitress calls out from halfway back in the restaurant "name"? And then points to a table near the bar. She wasn't friendly nor professional, especially for this caliber of restaurant. Although it seemed like many guests were regulars and she was more friendly with them but professionalism was still lacking. Took 40 minutes to get our appetizer and the restaurant was north of 80 degrees inside with no sort of ventilation or breeze. Which made no sense because there is a screen door on the front but they had the storm door closed. Music was loud and kept shuffling on/off with streaming ads mixed in. Probably the best food I've had since moving to Burlington but very disappointed in the...

Chef Jared’s food is always amazing. Burlington is so lucky to have him and his little restaurant, the Hawaiiowan.

A lot of love and imagination goes into this food. Portions are large and satisfying. I recently got the bibimbap with beef and the beet + goat cheese salad—amazing and I had lots left over for lunch the next day. Atmosphere is cozy and the drinks yummy. Great dessert drinks and menu too—I love the bread pudding!

I have not tried them, but there are also lots of vegan options!

The restaurant is on the smaller side so I definitely recommend making dinner reservations on the weekend. Thanks for all the love and hard work you put into the...