This place is amazing! My boyfriend and I come here because they offer both meat and vegetarian/vegan options. Â FINALLY, a place where be both can enjoy a meal. Â Every time we've eaten here, there has been no left overs. Â
I've tried their BLAT (vegan bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato on sourdough bread), pesto chicken (vegan chicken, pesto, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, onions, mayo on sourdough bread), avo sammy (avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber balsamic vinaigrette on whole wheat bread), the teriyaki and american burgers. Â Each of those with fries are about $10 and let's just say that I have not been let down yet!
Last Saturday, my boyfriend ordered their Chunky Monkey milkshake since we've heard that they're a must try. Â I don't normally drink milk shakes--it's just too sweet for my taste but my boyfriend L O V E D it. Â I thought it was good but again, on the sweeter side.
This is a super cute diner with a red, black and white color theme to it. Â Good food, good atmosphere and a full bar. Â Seriously, can't get any better than that!
This was my second time going to this place and the first time I'm writing a review for it. Â The diner is nice and cozy. Â It has a rock/urban feel to it. Â Prices are also reasonable. Â They have a cool beer list that offers a few unique brews that you wont normally find. Â They even have a unique cocktail menu as well. Â Since I'm on a roll, they have a milkshake menu too! Â MILKSHAKES!!! Â This diner is definitely vegetarian and vegan friendly. Â But, don't be afraid, carnivores, because they cater to everyone's tastebuds. Â And, they stay open late!!! Â The first time I went there, I had the loco moco. Â They serve brown rice. Â In fact, I think they only serve brown rice. Â I was skeptical at first because I'm a traditionalist and expected it to be plated over a bed of white rice, but it was yummy and it didn't disappoint. Â My boyfriend had it the second time around, and he loved it. Â However, as much as everyone raves about the loco moco here, I strongly believe they should give a try at their Reuben. Â OMG. Â I love reubens and I'm really picky with where I get it from, how it's made, and everything in between. Â Hands down, Downbeat's reuben is the best I've ever had. Â The pastrami is amazing and the bread is beautiful. Â They use marbled rye. Â I opted to go with a side salad instead of fries and it was great. Â I gave it four stars because the service was inconsistent. Â The first time I went, we were greeted upon entering. Â However, the second time, no one was around except a couple that was dining. Â Maybe a few minutes passed and finally someone came around to help us. Â But when we did get serviced, service was friendly. Â Anyway, back to the star... Â the reuben is a must-try.
Review Source:My friend and I really wanted to eat at Lucky Belly but the wait was kinda long...so we went next door to try out Downbeat. Â We are soo happy we did, it was such a yummy experiance!
We had the chunky monkey shake was yummers. Â I had the Vegan bbq chicken sandwich and I couldn't tell it wasnt really meat...it was soo good! I loved the garlic fries too! We ended our diner meal with the apple fritters which you have to order at the beginning of your meal...try it! The batter of the fritters taste like its funnel cake....loved the caramel sauce on top! I will def be back to try more delicous vegan delights!
This place is pretty cool and the food is pretty good. General diner style food, but they offer most things on the menu as vegetarian or vegan. I am not a vegetarian, but I love their veggie burgers. I would give them a 5 but some times the service is inconsistent. Some times it's great, some times it's not so good. Food is always good though.
Review Source:As a strict vegetarian visiting from the mainland, I've been settling for salads at almost every restaurant I've gone to on the island...UNTIL NOW! Everything on Downbeat's menu can be made vegan with the exception of the jalapeño poppers and mozzarella sticks. Strict veg heads worry not, the waitress even informed me that all veg orders are done in a vegan specific fryer to prevent contamination. I ordered the vegan buffalo chicken sandwich and a side of the vegan chili fries. The sandwich was a little tricky to keep together but the flavors were great and the sauce was nice and spicy. Loaded with cheese and onions, the vegan chili fries were delish! They needed a touch of salt but overall very good. They also offer a creative selection of alcoholic drinks including a Guinness float! The wait staff was friendly and knowledgable about the food and ingredients. Prices were very fair. I will definitely  remember this place next time I'm in Honolulu and recommend it to all my vegetarian friends.
Review Source:What do you do if you have only one day off before work starts again, and all your friends (including hubby) are stuck at work?
You explore the ever changing-for-the-better Downtown/Chinatown area.
I enjoyed walking the surprisingly clean streets, peeking in the local (and expensive) boutique clothing stores, and finding tons of new places to bookmark for future yelp dining. I was really hoping to try Horeo's Peruvian food but they were closed (when they were supposed to be open) so I came back to Downbeat.
The first time I was here was when I was searching for BRAINS!!! as part of the Chinatown Zombie Crawl last fall...I tried an alcoholic milkshake and some sort of smothered fries (I think Volcano fries). Honestly I wasn't a fan of the fries...but the chunky monkey milkshake made such an impression on me that I ordered it on my second visit.
It was pretty empty around 1pm on a weekday...maybe the business crowd take early lunches. I ordered the Reuben (xtra crout) and a chunky monkey milkshake with a whiskey shot (bartender's choice). Both were fantastic...maybe I was already a little tipsy, but the sandwich was sweet, salty, and warm and the milkshake....I could drink one every day and never tire! Unfortunately my bill with tip came out to $20 which is not cheap for lunch (especially for just a sandwich and milkshake) but it was a nice treat. The bartender waited on me even thought I sat in the very front booth and she was very nice...even told me about the free concerts and events they have in their back space.
I will definitely be back to try their Monte Cristo!
Mmm you gotta try the Volcano Fries! Â It's garlic fries with gravy poured all over! Wow! Â I haven't tried the burgers, sandwiches, and milkshakes yet but I do want to try it next time I am there. Â Love the vibe here....it's like a feel of an old Diner. Â There is a cool bar that is right next door that is part of this Diner. Â You can go have lunch/dinner then go next door and have a few drinks. Â When you are here it goes you a feel like you are somewhere else. Â Friendly staff, clean restaurant, and great food!
Review Source:Cute little diner that has a HUGE selections of veggie and vegan items.
Service was fast and friendly, and the price was right. I ordered the veggie Reuben with cajon fries. The Reuben was decent enough, but was kind of shocked to see they used veggie hot dogs as the 'meat' in it. I was expecting a pattie of some sort, but got a split hot dog. Not quite what I had in mind... Though it was not bad, and I noticed after ordering it did state that it was a hot dog. But it would have been 10 folds better with a pattie or veggie pastrami.
They had a lot of other things worth trying on their menu, like vegetarian Chicken + Waffles!!
If I was rating this restaurant solely on my milkshake, I would increase the stars, however, I am basing it on my overall experience. Â During my visit I had the Jagger Bacon Milkshake (awesome BTW), and the buffalo chicken sandwich with cajun fries. Â My sandwich was disappointing to say the least and was served on "sourdough" that tasted more like cheap white bread. Â The chicken was sliced razor thin and tasted frozen. Â I could have made a better sandwich at home for half the price. Â As lame as my sandwich was, my bacon milkshake was pretty enjoyable. Â I didn't have any drinks, however many sounded really good. Â I would probably return for another shake or a drink, but will probably avoid the food.
Review Source:I love milkshakes.
No, furreal; I. Love. MILKSHAKES.
So on TOP of the sandwich/cajun fries rating, I have to bump Downbeat up another star for having some AWESOME milkshakes!
The regular selection is all there: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, etc., but what you really wanna try, if you're a chocolate milkshake kinda person, is the Chunky Monkey.
I was here on a Taco Tuesday (not to order tacos :/), was told that the milkshake would be a 10 min wait, and was still blown away by the Chunky Monkey when it came out. Chocolate, banana, and peanut butter all blended to perfection were well worth the wait, and to my surprise, tasted exactly like Reese's Peanut Butter Crunch cereal!
For those of you still on the fence about Downbeat, I'd highly recommend the sandwiches (I've heard mixed reviews about the plate lunch sort of stuff), and would DEFINITELY recommend grabbing a shake while you're at it!
Walking in here, it really had a... hipster vibe (newsflash!). It didn't take away from the overall experience, however. The TVs were playing Flashdance (1983 version... of course), which was unexpected. The table was wobbly, but we managed. The service was prompt (more prompt than some of the other places I ate at), and the waitress was excellent.
I had a Carnivore burger and some fries and it was fine. It was nothing great, but it wasn't  anything horrible. It was good.
Reading the other reviews, I guess we were either lucky to have this waitress, or we followed the little instructions on the bottom of the menu that said to inform the waitress if you want separate checks before ordering, which I thought was fair. Either way, I guess it's unfortunate that some people had that sort of rude service, but we never experienced anything like that so obviously I can't comment on that.
Overall, good experience. I'm curious about seeing how these other servers are..
This is my go to place for some yummy diner food with a vegetarian twist. Whenever I'm in Chinatown, for whatever reason I usually end up here if I get hungry. Although I haven't been here as frequently as I had before they remodeled with their lounge, I still get recognized by Miss Emily and some of the bartenders, haha. A good thing or bad thing? Not quite sure...
Highlights for me- cajun fries, cheeseburger or teriyaki burger (with their handmade black bean patties), and chai milkshake! To die for, let me tell you. Downbeat is also where my affair with St. Germain first started. My signature cocktail here- champy with a shot of St. Germain and a twist of lemon. This drink is the ultimate pick me up if you're feeling a little blue. Bubbly is already a happy alcohol but with these fixins, it's like someone giving you a nice hug and telling you everything will be alright. ;)
As a warning though, this place is paaaacked on Friday and Saturday nights! Super cray, usually with a line waiting to get in. I would suggest going on a weeknight- especially Tuesdays with specials on margaritas and tacos! Fun hipster vibe, a varied menu that includes breakfast foods (available all day), and friendly staff makes Downbeat Diner a winner for sure. Definitely pop in sometime!
I really dont have much to say about this place. Everything I have here was just meh. Nothing I would ever really crave or come back for.
The main reason why I come here often is because its close to work and its open late. So when I'm dying from hunger I definitely come here to grab a bite. If I have other options, I'll usually go there first.
Every time I have come here the staff is always nice and friendly so thats a plus. However, the food always take forever.
My wife and I stopped here on a whim. Â The menu is basic diner fare but with vegan options which was interesting, although we are not vegans so it didn't matter to us.
I had the Club Sandwich and my wife had the Pastrami Reuben. Both were good, and were pretty large sandwiches (both of us only ate half and took the other half home). My favorite thing from the meal was their Cajun Spiced Fries! Great flavor and just the right heat!
The main complaint seems to be service, but we got there when it was very empty, so we did not have a problem.
Went there for a birthday lunch. Food was good, but the service was extremely slow. It took about 45 minutes from the time we ordered til we got our food. There was only one waitress working and I would have totally understood the situation til it came to paying the bill.
We wanted to split the check between a couple cards but the waitress rudely stormed back and tossed our cash and cards back onto the table and ranted "you can't split checks on First Fridays."
I was left confused since First Friday activity in downtown doesn't pick up til well after dinnertime and dumbfounded as to why she would waste even more of her time to express how irritated she was that we were even thinking of trying to split a check.
Sorry to be a burden, geez!
Went here today to take my friends for a birthday lunch, sooo this is how it went down.
Service: Sucked. Pretty much when we got in she didn't really acknowledge us. And when she did, said there were a few people ahead of us which was alright. It took about 20-30 minutes to get us seated, even when there clearly was a table open; but she didn't realize it until later. It took them about 20 minutes to get our waters... And about 25-30 minutes for us to get our food. Kinda long. What sucked the most was the fact she charged us almost $20 over the original amount without mentioning the 18% gratuity. She didn't have such a great attitude when we asked kindly if we could split the bill; which she declined due to the "rush" Â which was non-existent & first friday. Probably won't be coming back for awhile.
Food: Decent. I got the pesto chicken sandwich with cajun fries which was pretty good, yet dry. The fries were a good cut, fried well. My other friendss also have noticed their burgers/sandwiches to be a little dry. The flavors were alright, I've had better. It was better before.
Atmosphere: Pretty chill, casual.
Parking: There's several places to park, mostly street parking of the chinese municipal parking. We parked at the South Beretania parking structure, because it's much cleaner than the rest.
Overall: Food's alright, service is meh and parking is good as usual.
Today was maybe my 4th visit to Downbeat, but had such a terrible experience with our waiter Kat, that I had to write a review.
Overall, including previous experiences, service here is usually quite slow and the burgers are always really dry. Make sure you have some kind of sauce in that burger or use ketchup.
I came with a party of 7 today, and waited for awhile for a table, although it would've been faster if they realized one of the tables had already opened up. We also asked if we could wait for a second table, and the waiter responded with a flat-out no. So we crammed into our booth and asked for a chair. Several minutes later I went up again and asked for a chair. Minutes later we saw another table with a chair leave, so we nabbed that, and only then did they come out back with a chair.
Once we were ready to pay we asked if we could split our bill and Kat said no. She then went on to give us a lecture about how busy it is and how they don't split bills on First Friday because it takes too much time. Mind you it is 1 o'clock in the afternoon, way before the First Friday crowd comes in. "You must consolidate guys" she says. Kidding me?
One of my coworkers puts it on her card and we were about to leave when she noticed they charged us a lot more than we thought it would've been. Ah gratuity, something she never mentioned, and she had already included a tip anyways. So all in all, the whole paying our bill process took probably 3 times as long as just splitting it. Well thanks Kat, I won't be coming back!
I regularly attend a lot of events in Chinatown and Downbeat Diner is a favorite place for my friends and I to stop and get a bite! Â They are open late, have a fun & funky vibe and the food is delicious....they offer Vegan and Vegetarian options, but this is diner food people so it's not fat free, I'm training for the cover of Sports Illustrated fair...yummy comfort food at its best :) Â The Volcano fries are great to share with a couple of beers or one of their fabulous drink specials...or the adventurous should definitely go for a Pandemonium Milkshake (vanilla milkshake with a shot of Jagermeister and bacon syrup), creamy deliciousness with a kick!
Review Source:Ah downbeat diner, where do I begin. I usually come here when I have a huge chunk of time between class and something else in the downtown/chinatown area. It's not too pricey and the food is amazing.
Why not 5 stars if the food is amazing? The service is alright. They're nice and informative but if you don't look "hipster" enough they don't give you the time of day. The last time I went in I sat down, ordered the usual with a different group of friends then I normally come with. Took us 20 minutes to get water and an hour to get our food. I wouldn't mind if they were busy but it was us and 3 other parties in the diner and they all got checked up on, told that their food would be right out and they even received their food before we did. I wasn't too upset about it but still I tip based on service, usually I tip 35-45% but this time I had to go for 20, and this particular waitress knows I give sizeable tips. I went back today with more of a "hipster" crowd and I received my water before I ordered and my food in 15 minutes.
Why still 4 stars? The ambiance/atmosphere is cool, they have very cool booths with famous people's portraits on them. Their happy hour specials are amazing and even though their service varies their waitresses/barbacks are pretty awesome.
P.s. If you're a vegan/vegetarian, try the teriyaki veggie burger, it'll rock your socks off.
Menu items are a bit misleading.... volcano fries are barely spicy- they're cajun fries smothered in grey gravy (they taste alright but nothing special) and their well-known Guinness milkshake does NOT have any alcohol in it; they use a Guinness flavored syrup :| I wouldn't order it again. The service was alright; the server knew it was our first time there but didn't ask us questions or make any recommendations. Now I'm just sad that I didn't try the fritters...
Review Source:The Good stuff: Staff is generally friendly and efficient, good characters all around. Full bar does all the basics well. Quirky atmosphere. Â Carry out option for food. Great shakes (which can be boozed up on request). Kitchen open late (huge plus).
Improvements: Standard diner food, but nothing extraordinary. The vegan option for all menu items will please the non-animal crowd, but I remember the vegan chicken wings being better in the past.
Bottom line: Causal meet-up spot in trendy Chinatown. Good place to launch your night or end it. Wish the juke box would be set to play only 80's rock or synthpop.
Bottomless mimosas??? Â Yes please!! Â
Came for the brunch experience that my friends have been talking about at this place. Â They had been here many times before to grab the bottomless mimosa deal. Â I also ordered the pesto scramble, which came with pesto scrambled eggs, choice of meat and toast. Â It was pretty delicious, though I was starving at the time I ate it. Â Â The cheese fries were also really good. Â The mimosas here are decent, though they kept running out of champagine and had to go out and buy more, making the mimoas....bottom-full for about 10 minutes. Â Seems like they should be a little better prepared for the deal if they're going to offer it, but I think it was their way of telling us to stop drinking :P. Â Overall, a decent meal.
For: taco tuesday, maybe brunch, $2 Tecate on Tues!
Against: inconsistent service, regular menu
Other essentials: All menus offered all day. Street parking all around Chinatown...or walk from my house!
More:
Came here on two different nights, had the same server / bartender and had CRAZY different experiences. I'm all confused now.
Let's start with Tuesday. Standing on Hotel St after Emi's show trying to find food. Options: late night Lucky Belly, Bar 35 or this joint we have yet to try. Lauren spots the PRB and bacon menu item at Downbeat so in we go. Sit down and see a TACO TUESDAY menu. Oh, how I love Tuesday and how Taco fits in front of you so seemlessly. The menu was mean...like good. Three tacos for $8. Okay the beef was overcooked and flavorless and they ran out of jalepenos but the other flavors made it delicious. Including the jalapeno salsa and sour cream! More importantly, there were $2 Tecate cans with limes shoved inside. I would 5 star any $2 Tecate lime combo.
Was impressed with all the vegan and vegetarian options - what diner focuses on that? Haven't tried it so unsure of the quality. The diner has cool seat covers - liked spotting Bill Murray and Frida - but no artwork on the walls. The brunch menu looks incredible especially that bottomless mimosa!
Fast forward to Easter Sunday. Everything is closed except for Downbeat (and Taco Bell) but since we had such a good experience on Tuesday, we raced off to Chinatown. We had the same server who said NOTHING to us even when I excitedly (making too excitedly) yelled hello at her as she was setting down menus. Girl was not happy to be there that night. To be fair, there were a ton of drunkies and people just generally happy to be eating and not working on a Sunday night. The sandwiches, burgers and salads were all so lame! Like good sounding on the menu and then nothing in your mouth. I now understand why Chuggy was skeptical of my rave Tuesday reviews. My friend had the Coke float with Sailor Jerry and was instantly drunk - in a good way.
Overall, Sunday night did not kill my Tuesday experience. I will be back for Tuesday and probably to check out the brunch menu!
I really love this diner. The staff are lovely and the food is really good. I get the teriyaki burger, it's the best veggie burger I've had in YEARS. The milkshakes are good (very thick) and the cajun fries are delicious -- crispy and spicy. Beer selection is limited but good and there's a full bar as well. The overall vibe is hipster-but-friendly.
Review Source:This place is great when you want a bite in Chinatown. Â The restaurant is clean, the staff is fun, and the overall vibe in the place is nice. Â I like Downbeat because it's multi-purpose. Â I can meet a friend or have a meeting for lunch and the place is pretty tame, or I can grab a drunken bite at night with my friends and talk story with the colorful crowd that seems to be in there every night. Â They also just opened up a bar in the annex next door which will feature
The food is mostly what you'd expect from a greasy spoon. Â Burgers, sandwiches and the like. Â They also have vegetarian/vegan fare and options. Â I'm a carnivore, but my nibbler friends tell me that the vegan wings are pretty tasty. Â That said, I find the salads pretty plain. Â I love the buffalo chicken sandwich and the green eggs + ham. Â I'm not a fan of the french toast/monte cristo because of the sweet bread they use. Â Too greasy for me.
The booths in this kitsch diner are black, white and red; feature portraits of pop culture icons inlaid with interesting patterns; and each pair can seat 4-6 (or maybe more if you're skinny/friendly) Â There's a jukebox, but the staff's Pandora stations are usually what I'd want to listen to anyway. Â The restaurant also screens movies and surf/skate videos on their television/wall projector. Â These often coordinate with drink specials on certain nights of the week, like Whiskey and Western Wednesdays. Â Downbeat is my go to for drink night grinds!
So many good things I don't know where to start.
1. Great tasting food (this seems as good a place to start as any.)
2. Cozy atmosphere, I love the booths.
3. Friendly waitstaff who are eager to please
4. Really interesting variety of foods with all kinds of unique substitutions (friendly for vegetarian, vegan, etc.)
5. Near all the fun stuff you want to be doing in Chinatown. How near? Across the street from Hotel 39 and Bar 35, so like, almost touching. A 2 block walk from Du Vin and Bambu 2.
To be honest we actually ended up going here because Lucky Belly had a set Valentines Day menu and had ran out of food already. Â ;(
But anyway, here's my rundown:
Service: Â Was not good. Â Our server hardly came to check on us. Â When we wanted a container she was no where to be seen. Â Then she decides to check on all her other tables but us. Â Really???
Atmosphere: Â Cool! Â The music was back in the day music, the kind of music my mom and dad listen to, so I actually enjoyed it. Â They were also projecting a movie on the wall, I think it was Dirty Dancing.
Food: Â I ordered the hamburger steak, which sucked butt. Â The worst hamburger steak that I had in a while. Â The burger was tough and dry and the gravy didn't have much taste. Â My gf got the BLAT sandwich. Â It was just a normal sandwich. Â Nothing spectacular. Â The best thing about this place was the peanut butter shake. Â LOL!
All in all, I was very upset because I read someones review that the hamburger steak here was the best!!! Â All I can say about that is...Lies...All Lies!!
Lastly...parking in this area sucks! Â Will I be back? Â I doubt it.
Downbeat was a bit of a mixed bag for us last night and I've realized that unless you're a vegetarian you really should order DESSERTS! They have a lovely assortment of sweets for those of you who share my penchant for SUGAR.
Here's the rundown of last night's late night visit...
KEITH: He ordered a ham and cheese grilled sandwich and unfortunately the cheese was not melted. Booooooooooooo. We told him to tell the server but he's very Japanese and would never send anything back. He ate his sandwich in sad silence and I grabbed a sample. I have to say although the cheese wasn't melted, it still wasn't half bad. It could have used some creamy tomato soup to make it spectacular!
JOHN: He's a vegetarian so I didn't really pay attention to his food because I don't think vegetables should be consumed after 9 pm. It was already 11:15 pm when we walked through the doors and John had to ruin my good time with his garden goodness. It was some sort of all veggie grilled sandwich and I did my best to ignore it.
GARY: He got chili cheese fries and a Nutella milkshake. OH YEAH! Now that's what I'm talking about people! This was no half hearted attempt to enjoy oneself, this was PURE UNADULTERATED GLUTTONY. The fries themselves were good but I didn't fall in love with the veggie chili. Gary liked the spiciness but honestly when I eat chili cheese fries I want that old school flavor that falls somewhere between ball park and cafeteria.
ME: I order the apple fritters and course corrected with the apple AND banana fritters. If you go to Downbeat you have to PROMISE that you'll order these! They come out HOT and are complete perfection when you've been out all night. They're like funnel cakes wrapped around fruit. The bananas were sweet while the apples had a nice tartness. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. In addition to my fritters I got a chocolate peanut butter milkshake which was DAMN GOOD. Poor Keith grabbed the spoon in my milkshake to have a taste and was unfortunate enough to inadvertently swallow a spoonful of peanut butter. Oh well, bygones!
Service was really friendly and he gave us some solid recommendations which made our experience. Definitely a hipster hangout but it makes for entertaining people watching.
Downbeat, you really put a down beat into my day.
Service:
I'm personally fine with sitting my butt down anywhere. But I do know others will just stand in the doorway until a host tells them they're allowed to sit. No one was there to tell me, so I just sat on over to a booth and waited for like 5 minutes for someone to finally  come over and acknowledge me.
After that though, the waitress was nice. She gave my boyfriend and I a menu each and waters.
Food:
We weren't too hungry so we decided to share their vegan version of a BLT between sourdough bread, called a BLAT (bacon lettuce avocado tomato).
And by vegan, I mean with veganaise and fakin bacon.
My boyfriend loves his bacon, but me not so much. So I'm thankful he enjoys the meat substitutes also.
We ordered a side of garlic fries (which are ala carte and will cost you an extra $2) since I have an IDCard (gives me a free side of fries).
I told the waitress this. She heard it and happily acknowledged it.
Food cont.. + Experience:
We got our sandwich back and started to dig in. The fries were standard with real garlic which I enjoyed. I looked at the sandwich though and it looked unimpressive.
Then I looked at it closer and the "meat" sticking out of it looked oddly like... bacon.
My boyfriend took a bite and after thinking about it for a bit, he was like, "Yup. This is bacon".
Soooo  we sent it back to this other waiter who apologized. I mean I'm not vegan but how could you send something out with this sort of mistake if you 1)Are the person taking the order and even repeated it back and 2) are delivering the food yourself to the exact same table that ordered ?
When we got the sandwich back with our fakin bacon it looked NOTHING like bacon and more like bologna would. So how could you look at the sandwich prior and not know it was the wrong order?
Anyways, I was fine with this mistake because the girl was nice.
Sadly, the sandwich wasn't special and the sourdough was thin and bland.
(If you want REAL GOOD fakin bacon go to North Shore's Beet Box Cafe!. They give you thick cuts of soy bacon that are delicious and even look similar to the real stuff)!!!
The guy waiter started helping us from then on though.
Experience cont...:
I mentioned to him again about my IDCard situation when we were done. He knew about it and even finished my sentence for me. He understood that I had it.
Then we got the bill. It was $10....
The sandwich was $8.
You know, the $2 isn't what bothered me.
It's the fact that
1)I mentioned the IDCard to them several times
2)They acknowledge it confidently several times
3)I got the wrong sandwich after waiting a while (and good thing the both of us aren't vegans or I would've flipped)
4)The food wasn't good..
Soooo the overall experience was pretty bad.
We didn't bother flagging the waiter down again to take the $2 off. My boyfriend was irritated, I was irritated, and we just wanted to leave.
The two stars is for the workers. They're laid back and kind of neglectful and don't have a good memory, but they were nice. So, yeah. Don't know if I'll be coming back.
Wish I could give a 4.5 but I can't.
First off, the food they offer is pretty good. Â I had the Western burger with a vegan patty and vegan bacon. Â Had it with the add-on fries and it's nice you get 3 options to choose from. Â I had the garlic fries. Â They also have cajun and one other type but I don't remember. Â Once I heard garlic...i interrupted and said YUP! Garlic it is!
As for the burger it was pretty tasty and decent on size. Â I really like how you can get vegan proteins for a lot of their menu items (vegan burgers, ham, bacon, chicken) and substitute without any price increase.
The garlic fries are intense but good. Â They aren't chintzy with the garlic so it's real garlicky. Â I still enjoyed it but my mouth/throat reeked of garlic all night.
Had a milkshake for dessert. Â They have many unique flavors to choose from and they are cool with mixing it up. Â I had a chocolate/peanut butter one and it was GOOD!
The negatives I have are the lack of parking and the menu is somewhat limited.
This place is in chinatown...so any establishment in this area doesn't have good parking. Â It is what it is...but if you are in the area bar-hopping or live in downtown this is a good spot to check out.
Their menu mainly consists of breakfast and sandwiches/burgers. Â They have a pretty good selection on sandwiches, could use a few more burger options (like a teri burger?). Â But I hope they expand more into dinner entrees where you don't have to use your hands to eat or might want something more with like rice or mash potatoes. Â Like meatloaf, bbq chicken, or some pastas (all which I hope they'd still have vegan/vegi versions).
Overall it's a pretty cool spot and with their vegan options it's definitely a place I'll still hit up every once in awhile.
We have eaten at Downbeat 3 times (there will be many more, trust me).
The first time was because we researched vegan friendly restaurants in the area that weren't all hippy dippy. My (now) wife and I went in July, had a Primo and a vegetarian loco moco, and man, it was LOVE.
We knew that while planning our December wedding on the North Shore, we wanted to incorporate the amazingness of Downbeat in the plan somehow. I contacted the diner and Josh was so helpful! He set us up with 3 booths and also helped me find a bakery to work on a surprise cake for my partner.
When we arrived onsite, the manager on duty (her name completely escapes me right now) was so NICE and accommodating!! She was excited to show me the cake that was hiding in the back and had also informed me that she had put champagne on ice for us "just in case we wanted to do a toast".
We ate, we danced, we toasted, and we enjoyed the entire night. Everyone was SO unbelievably impressed with everything. The surprise cake was a huge hit and we DID have some champagne toasts.
The third time we went, it was the night before we left Hawaii and right before we surprised our daughter by taking her to see Wicked. We just couldn't leave without having that vegetarian loco moco one. more. time.
Outside of Matsumoto's, Downbeat Diner is a MUST visit when on Oahu.
After looking at difference place, Charles and I ended up coming here for lunch. We walked past it the first time then ended up coming back and inside.
The interior of the place it neat and menus are already set out at whichever booth you choose. It's awesome they have a jukebox though modern, I like their music selection. No, not oldies this time.
Looking over the menu there were a few things I wanted to try like their wings and burgers / sandwiches, but I ended up ordering breakfast instead. Nothing wrong with that!
As I ordered my Egg Breakfast... I said white rice... I didn't know that they only had brown rice! That was a first for me. As I ate my breakfast... the eggs and bacon seemed a bit cold so I was disappointed with that. I couldn't really taste the brown rice. If there is such a taste to it. It also came with an orange slice. That I enjoyed.
Along with that, we got the Sampler which came with 3 cheese sticks, 3 jalapeno poppers, 3 buffalo wings and 3 sticks of carrot. The first food item I had to eat were the buffalo wings, though mild, it's too spicy for me! Yet I ate all three of them! I had some of the cheese sticks too. Can't eat it when it's too hot, can't really enjoy it when it's too cold. Grrr.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=iGSy2BbL3SkzN3TD03sRDQ&userid=jvRuOV51zF8HQOwl_xlpog">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
Our waitress had a cool outfit on and gave us enough time as we ordered, and got the check.
AHmazing find in Chinatown! Read on for my full experience at one of the greatest
places (for many reasons) I was taken to eat at 2am in the morning..
Summary:
Downbeat Diner and Lounge is a great place for that comfort taste and feel, a full cultural experience is what I got. The detailed, grungy-rock bar interior design contrasted by the vibrancy of people here is a great memory. The food is beyond exquisite when you are ready to chow down. Give your taste buddies and your wallet something I'm sure they will enjoy!
Here's the story:
It was a long day of drinking (14 hours to be exact). From an Aloha Stadium UH Football game to one of Chinatown's Halloween events, me and my partner-in-"crime" somehow made it to Downbeat Diner and Lounge around 2am.
First thoughts as I stepped foot into the eatery's establishment, "dark look, but vibrant people, awesome design, and the food is smelling great!" There was a 15 minute wait, but it was definitely worth it! My eyes grazing around the menu, everything would have satisfied my appetite (and I would have ordered everything if I could have). I chose wisely and ordered 'The Carnivore', which was a meat-packed burger accompanied with either fries or a salad. The taste was there, and needless to say I devoured every last bite.
I left Downbeat that night fully satisfied with my experience, and the place left me wanting more. I will be back to try every last option on that menu!
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