Liliha Bakery Nimitz — Restaurant in Honolulu

Arrived here are around 1130 am on Tuesday, right before the lunch crowd. Seating was pretty well filled out here.

Moving on, I came on a recommendation from a pilot when asked about a good breakfast place. The premises were clean, well run, and more distinctly well staffed.

After perusing the menu, I tried to look for something distinctive beside the usual breakfast and lunch staples. I decided to have the Loco Moco with garlic rice (18.50) and a side of sliced Portuguese Sausage (6.50 for five slices).

I was first served a complementary butter roll that was griddled and served with a strawberry syrup. It was really good. The problem is that I wanted another one, but it was not to be.

The side of sausage arrived, I personally thought this was pricey for the amount given. The slices were left on the grill a bit too long. There was no presence of any sweetness to the meat. Moreover I had to spit out twice bits of bone. I will not recommend this side item at all.

Next came the Loco Moco, it was done as best as it can considering it's humble components. The two scoops of rice were done a bit soft to my liking but was typical of the way it was made in Hawaii. The garlic in the rice was noticeable but not overpowering.

I really liked the broiled hamburger: it had a loose feel which indicates it was freshly made. Gravy was ok it was basically punched up McCormick mix with added beef flavour.

I did go to the bakery portion in the front of the store. Why wouldn't I stop in the bakery portion of a bakery/restaurant?

Please take a ticket and wait for to be called. Even if not busy,

At the time I wasn't aware of these famous "Coco Puffs." I thought they were giant creme puffs that were very attractive. I ordered a chocolate one (2.29)and green tea one(2.29) . I thought it was very good, but did not think it was spectacular. It was a oozy, gooey cream and sugar bomb. The puff pastry enclosing them was fine if a bit dry.

I purchased other baked items such as the ensamada (2.99), coconut danish (2.69), and the hot cross bun (2.59). They were very well done and authentically made. Yet they all used the same bread dough. It was a slightly sweet, eggy dough which reminded me of entemann's (sp?) baked goods but of a higher quality.

I did like this place. It is a solid place to get a bite to eat there and take some sweet goodies home....

I’ve eaten here before but never reviewed them, so here we go!

I’ve been on a waffle roll lately which is what brought me, my spouse and a friend here for breakfast.

ATMOSPHERE: Having taken over the former Sam Choy’s spot, it’s a sizable restaurant with its infamous bakery up front, large central bar, open-view kitchen and mix of seating styles. This is the company’s second location of the five in their arsenal.

RESERVATIONS: None taken but we easily got in for breakfast on a Saturday morning around 9am.

PARKING: Free and adequate.

MENU: American & Hawaii-style cuisine for all three meals. Beer & wine.

FOOD: Butter Rolls I can’t believe these delicious suckers are given to every table! Warm, soft, buttery heaven.

Waffard - $16.95 I’ve been on a waffle roll recently so this caught my attention. Available at four of their five locations (sans the original Kalihi eatery), it’s a quartered waffle with custard from their infamous Coco Puffs lathered in between. Loved the crisp & creamy waffles but didn’t care for the overly sweet custard. Accompaniments included fresh strawberries, blueberries, sliced almonds and whipped cream.

Mushroom Omelet w/ Cheese - $16.95 I added ham to be mixed in for a whopping $6.50 (sides pricing). I didn’t care for it as the egg to filling ratio was way off balance as just two-eggs were used. There was also an over abundance of cheese. It was like eating cheesy ham & mushrooms with a hint of egg. I also upgraded to fried potatoes for $0.95 as hash browns aren’t on the menu. Expecting yummy seasoned homestyle spuds, I received pretty bland slices of kennebecs. A small salad accompanied but I didn’t touch it.

Corned Beef Hash - $6.95 Made fresh and not from the can, the patty had good flavor albeit a bit peppery, with a crisp crust.

SERVICE: Our female server was very friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Truly local-style. Waters and coffees were constantly topped-off.

TIP: Their hamburger steak’s/loco moco’s popularities are well-deserved as they’re very legit in the authenticity department.

OVERALL: If you’re looking for a Hawaii style-diner,...

A couple of years ago, we briefly visited Liliha Bakery on N Kuakini in the Liliha area of Oahu (the original location) while on a road trip around the island. Known for their signature coco puffs, we made sure to stop by their other location on the border between Kalihi and Downtown Honolulu to grab some breakfast during our visit this year.

This particular location on N Nimitz Hwy gets quite busy. Inside, they have a full-fledged restaurant as well a bakery where you can just pick up some yummy pastries. We started out with a couple of guava juices (can’t really go wrong with this when you’re in Hawaii).

After placing our order, they brought out this dish which turned out to be a complimentary dish of grilled, Butter Rolls. At first, we thought this was the corn bread that we ordered but we quickly realized that it wasn’t corn bread. In actuality, this was a truly amazing freebie. The bun was so buttery and soft on the inside but with a slight crispness to the outside from being grilled. They sell these rolls in their bakery… I’m sure they were trying to get us hooked on them like a dealer who’s pushing their wares… and it worked.

After a bit, our actual order of Corn Bread arrived at the table. It was okay but it’s difficult to follow up a dish like those butter rolls.

For my breakfast, I picked the BLT with Avocado ($11.95) which was served on a large, soft bun. I know this is a BLT, but there was a serious amount of bacon in this sammie.

We also ordered the Loco Moco with Fried Rice ($14.99). It doesn’t get much more Hawaiian than starting out your day with a big heaping portion of fried rice covered with a hamburger steak, gravy and fried eggs!

On our way out, we grabbed a Coco Puff and Cream Puff to go. You really want to eat these as soon as possible because they don’t hold up in the Hawaiian...