Pioneer Saloon — Restaurant in Honolulu

I don't get it. Had dinner there last night for the first time. The place was jammed with people ( tourists I/m assuming mostly ). First off its called a saloon but there is NO ALCHOL NONE !!!! Why its called a salon I have no idea.

You have to stand inline to order and there are no printed menus the only menu is posted right when you're ready to order which for some becomes a bit of a pressure item just to get an order completed. If you have 5 in your party, you can see that it might get complicated. I/m sure they post it right at the cashier ( who was very pleasant very knowledgeable is because they do run out of items).

My wife placed her order and was told they were all out of stir fried vegetables. OK, so she ordered macaroni salad and rice along with her halibut. I ordered Ahi with kim chi and rice.

The program is they give you a number ( like McD's) and you wait until its called, except the young man had the softest voice ever and among the din of noise from a variety of boisterous children and large parties of tourists it was impossible to hear when your number was called. After a time, if I hadn't gone up to him and asked what numbers he was calling I might have waited a long time to get my dinner. Who wants room temperature grilled fried or stir friend entrees?

Seating is first come first served - and, joining a party at a table that has extra seating is not only acceptable but that's the deal, except ( not me ) some are fearful of that happening so they stand around and wait until a table becomes available.

I asked a nice family from CO if anyone was sitting at their large table ( they were a party of four) and they gladly said no please sit down, I attempted to round up a couple of chairs which took a bit of doing because some of the locals I'm guessing had their purses and coats on them and were reluctant to give them up, One party had their young son ( maybe like 12 lying crosswise on two chairs sound asleep. When I asked the Mom if he needed both chairs she became a bit surly, stood up and slid her chair over to me without a word. I smiled and said thanks.

Now for the good - The two entrees were excellently prepared and delicious. I had Ahi i n a garlic sauce and it was perfectly fresh and beautifully prepared. My wife had steamed halibut and it was equally wonderful. I enjoyed the meal and would likely go back as the food was good and the prices were fair. Knowing what to expect might make a second visit a bit more enjoyable. I'll have to think...

Would Not Go Again. Every thing looks good, but that's about it. The taste did not match the looks. The mochiko chicken was over cooked and didn't have any of the sweetness that it should have had, not even a hint. Mochiko is sweet and some sugar should also be added but it really didn't taste like anything besides shoyu (soy sauce). The Grilled Chicken with wasabi was completely unseasoned grilled chicken with a container of shoyu with a tiny bit of wasabi in it. So, just plain chicken and shoyu. Sensing a theme? Plain old shoyu. The Garlic Ahi Steak was the same, Ahi with a bunch of sliced garlic on top and a whole lot of shoyu. The piece of Ahi itself was very nice, but overall it just tasted like Ahi with garlic and shoyu. Plate lunch in Hawai'i is a staple and based on what we had today I don't see how this place stays open. There are SO MANY BETTER places that even give more. For $10+ I expect more than 1 scoop of rice and potato salad (which by the way was the best thing we had). Even if this place was in Oregon (where we live now) I wouldn't go. My friend's haole boyfriend from Oregon cooks better local food than this place. It's not horrible but it definitely didn't come close to living up...

Great value local joint featuring very tasty lunch plates.

Right at the foot of Diamond Head, this not quite a hidden gem of a restaurant offers great flavors at a price point much better than what you’d find on the Waikiki strip.

We ordered the Rib Eye and Mochiko Chicken plates. Both were good, but I would say the Mochiko Chicken was the winner. It was a very healthy serving size, and the breaded chicken was moist and tender.

When we were there, it was mostly locals dining there, which is always a good litmus test.

It’s a no frills resto where you order from a window outside and there’s a decent amount of seating on the inside if you want to dine there. The interior is rustic and eclectic looking.

We were so happy to have found this place, because the majority of restos on the strip are overpriced and not really...