JOJA — Restaurant in Honolulu

[ ] Saw a posting for this on instagram as a “suggested for you” and was hooked. Conveniently enough they see going to be at a farmers market on Saturday which we would still be in town for. Our mistake at how ridiculously long we waited for this burger. About 1.5 hours in total. At the Saturday farmers market they are open from 8-12p but go early as they stop taking orders at 11a because of the wait. We waited in the hot sun for 30 minutes just to order and another 1 hour for our burger to be cooked. You can watch the cook right in front of you. Props to him because that’s a hot sweaty job. They only cook about 10 burgers every 20 minutes and depending on how many burgers were ordered by the people ahead of you would determine how long your wait is. Each burger has 2 smash patties unless you add additional patties for $4. They have a system but they need another grill. We spent all day here waiting for just a burger and it really wasn’t anything special. The Oklahoma burger was good, the onions gave great taste, the patties did have a good crust and the truffle not too overpowering but I did not find it worth wait. If we knew how long the wait was we wouldn’t have stayed but we already ordered and spent $45 just on two burgers. We had to skip our other plans because of how long we spent waiting line. If you want to try the burger, plan for this to be half day exertion...

My wife and I have gotten food here consecutive weeks in a row (at the Saturday farmers market in Kakaako) because the food is so remarkably good. We've gotten only pasta and coconut ice coffee so far: the mushroom pasta (more than once), rattlesnake, Bolognese, bang bang, kare kare Mac (special) and they're all fantastic restaurant quality and very generous portions (I can only finish 3/4 in a sitting as a 180lb man). Ingredients are high quality--hand rolled oats from scratch, fresh meats, seafood, vegetables, etc., and the sauces--chef's kiss. Everything is made to order, so be prepared to wait even if there isn't a line, it's worth it! Plus you can browse the rest of the market.

They let me bring our pyrex snapware (I'm trying to be eco friendly!) today too--the lady who manages orders is kind and efficient. Their website is high quality with accurate pics and descriptions, and they're very responsive via Instagram. Really just world class food service that we're so grateful to have here. Mahalo...

I stumbled upon this gem by pure chance, I saw a long line at 9 AM at the Smash Burger line at the Kaka’ako Farmers Market on Saturday. The first thing I asked myself was, “do I really want to eat a hamburger at 9 AM in the morning?” After asking a couple of people in line the same question, they had an answer, they said it was THAT good. I was sold. My wife wanted us to split one hamburger but the others in line advised me against it. I am SO glad I listened. I have never had a hamburger that was so flavorful in my life. I am vacationing from the Bay Area but I will definitely be back for another Smash Burger on...