Liliha Bakery — Restaurant in Honolulu

So this is Christmas Eve and I decided to eat at the Original Liliha bakery for dinner specifically the oxtail stew with the Saimin noodles added. Thus it started out okay but as I dug into my bowl of oxtail stew I kept biting into star anise seeds and my mouth was overwhelmed with the flavor of star anise. I tried to avoid them but there was too much. So my mouth was tasting like I chewed anise gum. I feel like they should’ve wrapped and tied the anise and seasonings in cheese cloth so customers don’t have to eat or chew on the anise seeds. So at the end of my meal I informed the waitress about my bad experience and asked to tell the cook or manager she laughed at what I share with her. Then I go to the register to pay and another waitress rings me up with another waitress not serving me and they both laugh at what I’m sharing and my suggestion. Then I asked for the manager and they kept saying they was going call her. She only came out when I got louder. I told her 3 people had laughed at what I shared of my experience about the Star anise seeds and she didn’t say a word. The only person that apologized was the grill cook who had nothing to do with my meal which I appreciated but the ladies who were helping me did nothing for me like apologize. I didn’t want my money back which is $32 dollars with an iced tea. Oxtail isn’t cheap yet for these staff to devalue my Christmas Eve meal really pissed me off. The cooks need to put the star anise in cheese cloth. You get all the same flavors without the star anise overpowering the meal. I’m just pissed because the manager said nothing and looked at me like she didn’t care. I believe the staff aren’t evil as I might have depicted, but human kindness and decency should let you know not to laugh at a person voicing a reasonable complaint. Ny suggestion is that everyone avoid the Oxtail Soup at Liliha Bakery because they don’t remove the Star anise seeds and if you tell them about it they laugh at you if you complain. So NO FU*KING CLASS. I was being low key in the beginning but it seems the customer is only respected when they don’t...

I love this bakery! Lots of parking, service was a promt, this place can get busy, they have overflow tables in the kitchen! So you can actually see all the desserts being made! Pretty cool! Ambiance is slightly on the noisy side but still able to hold conversation!

I've been here several times and the food is nothing short of amazing!

Ordered:

Butter rolls - 10/10 perfectly grilled nice and crispy! So good I crave it.

MacNut Waffles with fruit - 10/10 perfectly cooked, nice and crispy has a nice bite! No need for syrup cause the macadamia sweetens it naturally! Fruit and whip cream were a nice added touch !

Steak and eggs 10/10 cooked to perfection! I opted to upgrade from regular rice to fried rice; fried rice was great!

Cheese burger deluxe 10/10 so satisfying the patty was cooked ourfectoy and had a nice char to it, It was so good I didn't take a picture! Buns were nice and toasted well, their potato crisps are nice circle potatoe with a nice width very different but paired well with the burger! Perfectly seasoned too!

Loco moco with egg 10/10 the gravy was bomb, about of rice was great! Nice char burger meat, perfectly seasoned ! Perfect plate, and would definitely order again!

Coffee - 10/10 free refills, great bold coffee!

Desserts:

Cream puff, coco puff, matcha puff - 10/10 they are known for it! It's perfect and not as sweet as other places!

All desserts are made in house, which I appreciate it! Quality food and desserts!

Highly...

Although Liliha bakery has, over the years, gotten very popular and has taken a lot of steps towards its renovation and expansion, the fact that the main flagship doesn't offer the same food as its satellite restaurants is only a slight disappointment. Nonetheless, the classic offerings were great, and the Coco Puffs were amazing. The staff however was a different story, and not understanding Filipino (as Filipino seems to be the only thing spoken there) really made the atmosphere quite foreign. It was not the Liliha bakery of my youth, and the three times my friends and I went to eat there always incurred some sort of unwelcoming incident by both the regulars and staff. The first time, I met a friend whom I hadn't seen in a while and although we ordered over $200 worth of food late at night where it was not busy, nor crowded, we were rushed out because our conversation seemed to bother the person sitting next to us. The waitress who could have alleviated the situation a bit, seemed to concur, and spoke loudly in Filipino to make us feel very uncomfortable. Still, we went two more times after that and each time didn't feel welcomed nor appreciated. It was great that Liliha bakery now accepts contactless payments which can quickly take your money; convenient for both patrons and the staff, that can just as quickly usher you out once you pay "Shoo! Get outta here!" Was heard as we left, and the waitress laughed as she...