Panya Bistro & Bakery — Restaurant in Honolulu

I feel a bit sad leaving a negative review for a local place, especially during a pandemic, but I have to be honest; the food we had was mediocre and way overpriced at best. We showed up at 8:20 pm, and were told the kitchen would close at 8:30, so we had to quickly get our orders in, which was fine. (I'm still amazed that in a touristy city like Honolulu, restaurants close at 7-9pm...)

Our order was: Indonesian Fried Rice, Coconut Curry Chicken, Fish & Fries and Fried Chicken Wings.

The "Panya Fish and Fries" ($23) was just some frozen pieces of fish and a handful of cheap, tasteless frozen fries. The fish balls (pieces) were ok, but obviously were not made in-house and came out of the freezer. The fries were limp and cold, and I have had better at a fast food restaurant. The meal was worth about $6, at best.

The "Fried Chicken Wings" ($10) were a small plate of (again) obviously frozen wings that were just deep-fried. It's pretty hard to mess-up wings, but these were all just batter and bones, and very little meat. I would recommend finding a new supplier, Panya. I'm not a fan of Buffalo Wild Wings, but I would suggest the owner/chef of Panya visit one and see the difference between wings from BWW and Panya. The wings were basically bar food.

My wife had the "Indonesian Fried Rice with Chicken" ($20) which is basically a scoop of rice with an egg on top. Maybe a $6 dish in my opinion, but whatever. We were a little disappointed, because the rice we received looked a bit different from the one in the menu and online, which shows peas in it, if nothing else. Hers had no peas and almost no chicken, as you can see in the photo; it was just red colored rice that honestly didn't look fired at all. If there WAS chicken, it was minuscule. Maybe it was because we showed up right before the kitchen closed, and the staff were rushing everything? But yeah....$20 for a scoop of plain "fried" rice with an egg on top. New York City prices and Honolulu quality & hours.

Our son had the "Coconut Curry Chicken" ($20) which was the only item I can't complain about. It was ample, it was fresh, and it was tasty. It even looked like the picture in the menu. And I won't even complain about the price, as I feel it was fair.

My wife ordered a hot green tea, and was a bit shocked to pay $4.50 for a simple cup of hot water with a tea bag in it. I was expecting a teapot like in other restaurants, but whatever.

Sadly, my family didn't quite leave feeling satisfied. I feel Panya can do much better, since they obviously have the skill and knowledge to do so.

I would recommend making your own fries, it isn't that hard. And make "steak fries", not those skinny little shoestring things you served me. Make your own wings, with actual meat on them. Throw a few extra things into your fried rice, too. It's just vegetables, guys, not gold.

Total bill for all this and two beers: $101.62. After living in Hawaii for many years and eating at many restaurants, comparing quality of the food, we could get the same food at other places for maybe $60. We go to Stadium Pho and get a meal for three, all hot and fresh, for $55, so...

The world food tour continued …. At Panya Bistro in the Hokua condo. We stopped in for an early dinner after seeing Beautiful at the Concert Hall (a bravura performance by the cast).

We arrived early (4pm) so the restaurant was pretty empty but were told by the hostess about their 90-minute time limit policy. Okay, better to tell us up front than during our meal. Service was leisurely so that might have been somewhat of a concern but it worked out satisfactorily.

We started with a couple of Hendricks gin and tonics with limes instead of the more proper slice of cucumber. A very refreshing beginning …though I wish bartenders would note what garnish goes with certain gins.

We ordered three dishes: Pork Chops over fried rice, Pad Thai with chicken and Stir Fried Vegetables with Beef. First off, the pork chop dish is huge! Slices of breaded boneless chops are placed over a subtle fried rice (Chinese style … on the drier side) and covered with a very sweet tomato sauce. The texture and taste reminded me of waffles with maple syrup. It was very good but the sweetness of the tomato sauce was off-putting to me; not bad, but unexpected. The Pad Thai was fine; nothing to complain about. The highlight dish for me was the stir fried vegetables with beef. The vegetables (broccoli, green beans, slices of carrot and mushroom) were crisp and the cubes of beef were very tender. The sauce was thin but savory; it let the beautiful vegetables take center stage. I could have just eaten this dish with a bowl of rice.

No room for dessert but I finished my meal with a Thai iced coffee. The coffee was excellent and shone through the generous serving of milk. So cool and refreshing; I could have consumed two glasses.

Final thoughts … we hadn’t been to Panya Bistro in a long time; the food was very good and the service was fine (we left after 93 minutes). Parking in the Hokua is convenient and free with validation. Best of all, the prices were...

For those who know…KNOW..for those who don’t know this is for you, Panya Hawaii is an absolute gem! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warmth and hospitality, most importantly a family owned business of 2 sisters who really know how to deliver exceptional food and service. The ambiance is charming and inviting, with a perfect blend of modern chic and traditional Hawaiian vibes. Now, let's talk about the food. Oh my goodness, it was exceptional with the widest range of menu choices!! Every dish we tried was bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. The wide variety and always new specials is so important when feeding a hungry family. We all know that each person let alone each child has different tastes, wants, and needs. If you want to achieve super hero parent status this wide breath of menu allows you to get a dish to make everyone happy even your spouse. The pan pacific fusion as well as homestyle mainstream cultural dishes makes this place the perfect place for your next meal or event to take home. Honestly they have created dishes that can be refrigerated or frozen and headed up later when you need to pull our superhero parent meal status! On top of all the creative and delicious meal options (The pork culet and oxtail stew are my favorite) The dessert selection was the perfect finale to our meal. We indulged in some of their homemade pastries and were blown away by the intricate flavors and textures. Overall, Panya Hawaii exceeded all of our expectations. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this is a must-visit spot for anyone looking to experience the best of Hawaiian cuisine with a twist. We'll definitely be...