Moneyball: None really. A decent place to take out of towners to introduce them to local food because it's more....toned down local food.
Makes: Service for me has been good. The last one even gave us extra garlic chicken because the first order to her standards was too small! Much nicer than the Ala Moana one (seen roaches on the INSIDE). Relaxed atmosphere. Food comes out quick.
Misses: food is def not great, Uncle Bo's across the street and Home Bar are much better alternatives, but all 3 miss on parking. It's unfortunate, so many great businesses in Hawaii that are shackled by poor parking. Sometimes you gotta wait for a long time to get seated.
Food: I would only say the porkchops are a must. Kalbi was tough, kim chee fried rice is good but way better at home bar (My fiancee's is still #1!), ahi poke is better from foodland, garlic chicken is ok (sugoi's better) but really, breaded and fried topped with spicy garlic sauce how can you go wrong? Nalo greens is good, escargo, yakisoba, but again, nothing special. The peanut butter crunch dessert though, that, is a must.
I feel like I need to put a DISCLAIMER for dining here:
If you are just a few minutes over your paid time in the parking lot, your car is gone, towed, because there are tow trucks waiting in the dark under the trees. So if your food is taking long, or your server is taking 20+ mins to run your credit card, go put more money in. Don't think to yourself, "they should have my card back any sec now it has already been 15 minutes I'll just wait another 30 seconds." No. $165 tow. I think Waikiki Towing rents out spaces in the Monarch Hotel parking lot on the 2nd floor so they can charge a multilevel car storage fee. Cash only. Side Street Inn said it happens and that they will remind their servers to be quick running the credit cards. Some people don't like to valet, and that lot is the closest to Side Street. I don't think it's good business to deal with companies like Waikiki Towing just hawking the parking lot that's only half full at 9pm on a weekday. I think it would be more inviting if they did not have Tow Trucks waiting, or better communication to let us know that the check will be another 10 minutes so go add more to your parking...the bummers of being tight with money I guess...
That said, it's a better atmosphere than home bar for out of town guests, and usually a shorter wait/cheaper than Uncle Bo's, and I guess out of town guests won't know what good local food is anyway, 3 stars if never have the tow truck hawks.
Definitely a "family style" restaurant! Be prepared for a lot of food. My first visit to Side Street, I ordered the Pan Fried Island Pork Chops and "Side Style" Fried Rice. Way too much food for a single person dining alone. I have to say the fried rice was excellent and when I visit Hawaii (every 3 months), I need my fried rice fix. Best Fried Rice I have ever eaten!
As stated above, I also ordered the pork chops. The portion is enormous, however they were too dry for my taste. Luckily, they have more items on their menu. The sautéed mushrooms are delicious, the Puleha Short Ribs and BBQ Baby Back Ribs are awesome!
The servers really take care of you.
You will enjoy your meal at Side Street, that I can assure you.
Make reservations to avoid long waits.
How amazing is this place?!? We had friends from the mainland come to visit & they wanted to eat bomb local food. My husband immediately said Side Street Inn. We came in on a monday at 3pm right when it opened. We were the first ones there, but i made reservations beforehand anyway.
Our server was just ok. The food came out quick so that was a plus.
-calamari: fried & breaded. Very crispy & good!
-nalo green salad: so much content. Flavorful. It had baby shrimp & taro shavings & a vinaigrette dressing. We ordered a split & it was enough for my husband & i to share.
-kalua pork sliders: served on a manapua bun & with a pineapple. OMG this was so good!
-lilikoi ribs: nice presentation. Excellent flavor. The meat fell off the bone.
-steam clams: another dish with flavor!
-pork chops: signature dish, but it was just ok.
-fried rice: this can feed an army! Overwhelming! It fed 6 people & it still looks like it wasn't touched!
Great place to take visitors who wants local food!
We read some of the previous reviews and would like to respond to them. Make reservations! We went early on a Monday (5 ish) and it was mostly reserved and filled up fast. We got sat right away and had an attentive and friendly waiter. We saw no sign of 'locals' getting preferential treatment. Being early may have helped.
That said let us get on to the food. Food is served family style, large plates to share. Our dishes and others that we saw were definitely large enough to share. My wife and I ordered the Fried Rice, Pork Chops, and a special Poke Combo. Poke came first, by far, so ate it like an appetizer . If you like raw fish, try this, you will love it. Rice and Pork Chops came after we had finished Poke. Large heaping plate of Fried Rice(leftovers) and Pork Chops not going to be what you expect. Deep fried and cut into strips...moist and delicious .(also leftovers)
We took a cab, a little too far to walk. The neighborhood was good, maybe not great, but not a bad area.
Nice menu, good food.
Make Reservations!
I think this was the one of the only places where it was truly sit down with waiter and real honest to goodness plates and silverware. Hahaha. We walked in to a bit of a disagreement up front. I guess they have an issue with parking and tickets and booting cars. Didn't hear the details but sounded really dire. Thus we were ignored for about 5-7 minutes. But we were finally seated in a cozy booth. The place has ambiance -it's pretty dimly lit but nice and modern. Our waiter was cool, didn't write anything down and took our order with no issues. We got the steamed mussels in white wine sauce, pork chops (!) and the plain fried rice. The mussels came out first - tasted fresh and came with garlic bread. Then the pork and rice. The fried rice was very Asian, which was a surprise to me since I was expecting very Americanized in a non-Asian restaurant. But yeah full on ingredients besides the rice. A little msg-y but not complaining. The pork chops were definitely the best I've ever had. It's nice that they cut it up for you and also leave the bone pieces which usually have the best meat. I also def prefer the more fatty pieces - so delish. Huge portions so share; it's a family style place. 3 dishes for the 3 of us and still have leftover for 3 the next day. Prices match the huge portions too. I'm digging any Anthony Bourdain approved places.
Review Source:I really really really wanted to like this place... I heard nothing but great things about this place from others.
After receiving great news about me passing my national exam, my boyfriend wanted to take me out to dinner to a place of my choosing. It was either Uncle Bo's or Side Street Inn, I chose  this place because I've always been wanting to try it. The reviews of this location seemed fair and average, so I decided why not?!
Parking was a breeze, we arrived around 5 and parked in the parking lot next to their building, it was cheaper but if you want valet it's $5 underneath the building. NOTE: Make sure you pay for parking and put the receipt on your dashboard -- it's a $160 boot removal.
We asked for  a table for two, but they offered us two seats at the bar to speed up the wait period -- we waited for a table, because we wanted to feel the actual service for the place. They take reservations, but according to the lady it's best to do it a few days before, if you call for a reservation the day of, they usually don't have.
We waited for 20 mins and finally got a table. The restaurant is nice, big tables and booths, tv's on the walls with games, etc. Our waiter was a nice gentleman, but he looked very bored like he didn't want to be there. Which made me sad for the guy, because I wanted to tell him to just be free, why are you here if you're not happy lol.
Anyways, food is served family style, so with two people that was going to be a challenge, but being filipino we are ALL ABOUT THE BALON (leftovers). We ordered the Poke (they ran out of calamari) and garlic edamame as our appetizers, the fried rice, teriyaki chicken, and shrimp scampi as our entrees. Â
The food came out quickly. The poke was alright, it was really slippery and fishy. Which sounds weird, but it seemed like they did not season it very well, the seasonings were at the bottom of the plate and it was just slabs of fish. I'm all about eating it, but come on -- poke is seasoned fish, where was the seasoning? Â The garlic edamame was not mind blowing. It was mushy and nothing amazing. I felt like I could've gotten all the appetizers way better at foodland. The taste was just average.
Our entrees came out shortly after our pupu's, the fried rice was good. I only ate a few spoonfuls because I don't normally eat white rice, but it was yummy. It was full of flavor, the lup cheong meat was tasty according to the bf. Now to the teriyaki chicken and shrimp scampi -- what a disappointment! The shrimp scampi was lacking the garlic flavor and the zucchini and mushroom that came with it was mushy and hard, there was no consistency within the texture of the vegetables. The "teriyaki" chicken is nothing to rave about. It was more of a BBQ chicken, I don't think i tasted the teriyaki.
Our waiter disappeared after taking our order, it was different people bringing out our food. Did not pay attention to us, even though he catered to the other tables next to us. He checked on us twice, once to see how it was and at the end to collect our plates and give us our check. My water was not filled once throughout dinner.
I wanted to like this place SO MUCH, maybe we should've tried the original location instead? But regardless, wouldn't you want ALL locations to have the same service and quality of food? I don't see myself coming back here and I regret choosing this place.
Entertained friends from Australia and Hawaii in a party of 8 with Kristen as our server! Â She was excellent, tending to our needs without any prompting and always with a smile! Â She assisted with our order selections and she was spot on! Â Enjoyed the sizzling boneless kalbi, garlic fried chicken, fried chicken, 2 lilikoi ribs, 2 pork chops, da works fried rice and regular fried rice, Kula's Farmer Salad, Chinese chicken salad, appetizers and our wine and drinks...too much to eat and had leftovers...we rolled out of the restaurant happy!
Review Source:Our family wanted to eat here because the place serves some very local foods. Â The food was good but it really didn't blow my socks away.
Fried Pork Chops: Â Nice cuts of pork chops breaded and deep fried. Â Before serving, they cut the pork chops into bite sized pieces. Â Seasoned with salt, pepper, and perhaps a bit of 5 spice seasoning? Â It was a nice dish, as the pork was not dry, but instead it was tasty juicy. Â Grade: Â B+
Kim Chee Fried Rice. Â Didn't do anything for me. Â Just your typical fried rice made with kim chee. Â Grade: Â B
Farmers Salad: Â This was perhaps the highlight of my trip. Â It was fresh greens served with capers, onions, and bay shrimp. Â The dressing tasted home made, and it was a vinegarette. Â Grade: Â B+
Chicken Gizzards: Â I was most looking forward to this dish. Â Deep fried chicken gizzards seasoned with cajun goodness. Â served with ketchup and a very salty mix of cajun seasonings. Â I bet this would make great bar food (which it is), because it was salty and made you want to drink more. Â But, for a dinner entree - pass. Â It was a bit too salty for my taste. Â Grade: Â B
Fried Saimin: Â Fried local ramen noodles with char siu, and tons of veggies. Â Nicely prepared and tasty. Â Nothing unusual. Â Grade: Â B.
So why the 3 star rating? Â The service (AGAIN!). Â We got to the restaurant when they opened at 5:00 and the place was empty. Â We walked in and the manager / hostess looked like she couldn't be bothered. Â There were three servers there setting up and were pretty standoffish. Â It appears that success has gotten into the heads of the employees.
Food Grade: Â B
Service Grade: Â B-
Worth the Money Grade: Â B- Â (pretty expensive).
Overall Impression: Â B-
5 stars would definitely be given for service alone. We arrived to Side Street Inn without a reservation on a Wednesday evening with a party of 10 people and though the host initial gave us an hour and half wait, they stated, "Actually, let me see if we can work something out for you." That hour and a half wait quickly turned into a 20 minute wait -- of which we only had to wait maybe 10 minutes of it!! Our waitress, I forget her name because it is a pretty uncommon name, was AMAZING! She told us all the good food to order & we basically obeyed her -- to our delight she was completely right about all the dishes she suggested!
OK on to the main part of the review:
This restaurant is located in the same building as a prudential office, so don't be discouraged if you see the "Side Street Inn" sign outside but can't find the entrance... It is in the same building. Parking is a little iffy -- might as well do the valet that they provided, I believe it is only a couple dollars and it is much easier than trying to find parking in this busy area!
The front area when you walk in has a bar feeling to it. TV's all around so that you can keep track of sports. The further inside you get, the more "restaurant"-y feel it gets. Word to the wise: if you're coming for a nice intimate date, not really so great because it is very loud inside the restaurant.
When you order food, just know that it is all family style... Like I mentioned previously, our waitress was great & pretty much ordered for us. A couple things that the group agreed on: the fried rice is SO yummy and their spicy (but isn't really spicy) chicken. I forgot the actual names of these dishes, but they were so delish that I definitely went back for seconds!! Their yakisoba and the chicken katsu was meh -- good but not "seconds" worthy.
The place is reasonably priced. For my group of 10, we only paid about $10 each and it covered the bill plus gratuity. Pretty reasonable compared to other restaurants in the Waikiki/Honolulu area that we visited!
Definitely would go back the next time I am in Hawaii!
"Every street has two sides, the shady side and the sunny. When two men shake hands and part, mark which of the two takes the sunny side; he will be the younger man of the two." Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
This was my first time at the Side Street Inn, and I was very impressed. The decor at this location is nice and casual, reminded me of a finished basement although it was on the first floor. The drinks are priced right and the Li hing mui margarita was tasty. We ordered the Hawaiian Style Pizza (which I was apprehensive about) Signature Pork Chops, Fried Rice, Tofu, and the blackened Ahi. The pizza was amazing... thin crust, enough topping to cover the entire crust. The pork chops were tasty and the fried rice was good. The blacken Ahi was a little disappointing but tasty none the less. The prices may be on the higher side, but the amount of food you get is well worth it!!
Yelp Challenge: 104/365
This was my first time at the kapahulu location, I thought it'd be nice to do a Mother's Day brunch here since my family was visiting! I wanted them to have something local but with a twist! Â First and foremost, try the fried rice! So goooood! Â We came here for the brunch buffet that they only have for special occasions, absolutely amazing ! So worth it to bring your family to eat, and even more perfect for bigger families!
Review Source:Side Street Inn is always on a must-go-to place when I'm in town. It never lets me down! It's a great spot to hang out with the family or meet up with friends. Be sure to come hungry, there's so much good food to order. If you're lucky to have an overzealous aunt that orders one of everything, you'll understand why I say come hungry. The portions are huge! And even bigger when your aunt orders seconds because it was too amazing and/or because she can't let any of us be anything but stuffed!!! I've heard of multiple rounds of drinks, but man, multiple rounds of food that you just can't say "no" to doesn't help the beach body! OK, you got me! I don't really have a beach body, but if I was trying for one, then I wouldn't be able to come here! There's too much temptation.
Regular orders in my family include the kalbi, fried rice, pork chops (A MUST TRY! That's how my aunt originally got me hooked on this place), poke, spicy chicken...I always get the custom Rogue ale. It's not as good as dead guy, but it's definitely a solid beer and yeah...I'm definitely won over by the fact that it's brewed just for side street inn...How cool is that?!
Seriously, if we can get my 90+ year grandparents out to this place once in a while for a family dinner (over their normal "let's go to zippy's!"), that's gotta be worth some brownie points right?! And if the server is able to accommodate a large party of 10ish (who join in my aunts "gotta eat" spirit by excitedly shouting out orders left and right)...and my grandparents, then it's a favorite place in my book for sure!
3 out of 3 stars. Â Fun place to get beer and pupus. Â Atmosphere is great. Â Definitely wear something more than board shorts and slippas, but not too fancy. Â Food is mostly over priced, but tasty.
Try: Rogue's custom Side Street Ale, fried rice, yakisoba, kalbi
*I rate all restaurants on the same scale. Â Some establishments, such as fast food chains have no hope of earning more than 2 stars. Â Others can earn up to 5, but a 5 would indicate the finest dining experiences I've ever had.
I just don't get it. I don't get the hype over this place.
It's funny because I use this place as a reference point to describe where I live. "Oh, I'm just around the corner from Side Street Inn off Kapahulu," I say and EVERYONE seems to know this place. Then starts a conversation about their food and how great it is, etc...
...but I just can't agree with most people's opinion about Side Street Inn.
MY opinion is this: They offer food that most people really enjoy. Kalbi ribs, fried rice, pork chops, steamed clams...Island favorites, right? BUT I feel that other restaurants do these dishes way better.
After a handful of visits, each time hoping there's that ONE dish that would capture my heart, I've been disappointed each time. The fried rice? I found it to be too salty. The pork chops? Nice flavor, but a little tough. Steamed clams? A certain place down the street does them WAY better. Finally on this last visit, I tried their "Da' Rouge Pie," a marinara-based pizza which was supposed to pair well with their Rogue Side Street Inn Ale. End result: Meh. The brew was tasty and earns itself a gold star, but the pizza was bland and boring. Lots of cheese, but lacking a lot of flavor. Does nothing to make itself standout from all the other pizza offerings throughout the island.
So what does this place do well? It's a fun place to drink. They have a good variety of beer, big TV's throughout the place, and the company is always nice. Staff really shows the aloha spirit as smiles come from all corners of the restaurant.
A great pre-game type of place, but I think from now on I'll keep the main event elsewhere. Odds are I'll be back as this is a favorite place for company parties, and being a 5-minute walk away doesn't help neither. But sad to say, not my first pick to dine at.
Side Street Inn saved the evening/night! My visiting cousin was requesting a spectacular and unique restaurant. I really don't know the dining scene in Waikiki where he was staying. How to find a restaurant last minute that would accommodate a party of 8 on a Thursday evening/night? Oh shoots! Duke's? (no go - only open reservations were too early or too late for us) Morimoto? (same deal) Roy's? (too much) Mac 24/7? (cousin already went) Wailana Coffee House? (probably not that spectacular or unique) Shore Bird? (no go).
Finally - Side Street Inn! Family-style eating. Good for vegetarians, omnivores, and meat eaters. Delicious dishes! Easily accommodates large parties. Roomy (more than the Hopaka St one). Close to Waikiki. Self-parking, valet parking, street parking (the boyfriend and I were lucky to find a spot). My cousin and his friends seemed happy with the restaurant choice. My boyfriend and I definitely were.
Now onto the veggie food:
- Sauteed mushrooms - Yum yum! With shallots, white wine, garlic butter, and parmesan.
- Nalo green salad - I tried this one before. Decided to pick this one again instead of trying something new. Good to balance out the meaty dishes that came out later for the rest of the party. Bleu cheese is a nice component.
- Yakisoba - Great noodle dish! My boyfriend said better than the ones he tried in Japan, albeit at cheaper restaurants. Can request meat on the side to make vegetarian-friendly.
- Peanut butter crunch - The dessert (no shave ice needed!). Comes with vanilla ice cream. Recommended by our server for sharing. Our group killed that crunch in less than a minute! So good! Definitely OMG!
Other notes from a previous visit:
- Cold tofu dish - able to request vegetarian style, so without the fish flakes etc.
- Garlic fries - so ono!
- Edamame - always good
- Molten chocolate cake - really OMG! need to order at least 20 minutes ahead of time.
Now I know where to take people visiting and staying in Waikiki!
I guess I had such high expectations that I was a bit disappointed when it wasn't what I anticipated. Â We ordered the Pork Chops and Garlic chicken. . . . the Garlic Chicken was dry, hardly any sauce or flavor. Â The Pork Chops were good, but nothing spectacular. Â The Fried rice was . . .well . . . fried rice. Â Nothing special. Â I had heard such great things about SSI that i was really expecting something fabulous. Â But instead it was mediocre. Â It was OK, but nothing special.
Couple that with the extremely LOUD atmosphere and I don't care to ever come back here again. Â We were seated near the bar and there was a large table of annoying middle-aged men doing shots and high fiving each other and talking in their "outdoor" voices. . . it was amusing at first but quickly lost its charm after the umpteenth time. Â Its ok to have fun, just not at everyone else's expense. Â Couldn't even carry on a conversation with my table-mates without shouting.
Some of my friends tell me that I should have gone to the other location, that the food there is much much better. Â . . . Â maybe I will give that a shot. Hopefully its much quieter!!
This was my first meal after we touched down. Damn you, Side Street Inn - you set the bar high!
It's been a couple of years since I was here but all I know is that I was tired, hungry and hoping this place would not disappoint, clearly it didn't.
Servers were on point. The ice cold beer I had was heavenly and just what I needed and the food, ugh, the food was beyond satisfying. It's disgusting how good it was.
I dined here with 3 other people so we kind of went overboard and over ordered. I wasn't a big Yelper a few years ago so sadly I don't remember ALL the dishes - I might have to dig through my photos but maybe some other time, it's close to 2am and I'm too lazy at this hour.
All I know is I was WINNING with the kim chee fried rice & fried pork chops! Oooh child! I worked hard at the gym 3 months solid before arriving to HI as I knew the beaches would be on the agenda, but this meal put all my solid attempts of maintaining a moderately healthy diet in the back seat and my inner fatty was the driver, speeding down the highway of foodie's paradise.
It was a perfect start to our trip & I made it safely back to the hotel room just in time to pass out into a much welcomed food coma.
BTW, this place was a bit hard to find - nondescript and inside a Prudential office building, so weird!
I almost missed this place when I walked by. It's right inside the Prudential office building. Head in make a right and you'll see it.
BTW ... I 'll start off that this place is recommended for families. They do family style portions a la carte, so you may have to suffer through finding something to order if you are a "party of 1". I'm glad the waitress told me other wise I would have had a humongous plate of fried rice and no one to share it with. (I have no microwave in my hotel room)
So what can a lonely party of one order???
Ahi Poke. ($16.00)
The poke was a great starter. Â They brought over some special sauce in a Patron bottle. No it didn't have tequila in it!!! Â But, wow what a kick. I mixed it with some soy sauce and dipped my tuna in it. Definitely not for those that can't handle the heat. But it was very good.
The poke without it is also very good so don't fret about losing some flavor.
Korean Chicken Wings. ($15.00)
Holy-Moly these things were big. Super saucy. Â Smothered in a slightly spicy sweet sauce. They were great but my hands were covered in the sauce. Lady's not the best choice if you have a "purrrty" manicure. Boys have at them and get them all over your face. I dare ya! These wings come out pipping hot so give them a couple minutes to cool down.
Lilikoi Creme Brulee. ($7.00)
This is a slight variation on your normal Vanilla flavor dessert. Â It had a slight tartness that went well with the strawberry. Enough to share but I'd say, "hands off boys, get your own"
Strawberry Lemonade ($3.00) No free refills on this one.
Refreshing on this hot summer day! I'd been walking too much and I'm not used to this warm weather.
Excellent staff: The waitress offered to call me a cab to get back to my hotel. Very nice gesture, but I opted to burn off the Creme Brulee and walk a mile back.
You definitely need to make reservations here. I got in around 4:45 when it was still slow, but by the time I left this place was getting full with groups of people.
Broke the bank by $44.50 plus tip.
This place is fabulous. A great casual atmosphere perfect for large parties and sharing meals family style. It's also great for smaller parties who want to take lots of leftovers home!!! ^_^ I've been here many times- reservations are a must for large parties and ideal for smaller parties if you don't want to wait!
My favorite dishes are; boneless kalbi (I don't like dealing w/ bones!)-- it is so tasty and delicious, the rib-eye steak is cut pupu-style and is sooooooooo delicious. Both meat dishes are served on sizzling skillets. Also, I love their fried rice-- I order mine w/out peas and carrots b/c peas and carrots get in the way!! ^_^ Also delicious is their Kahuku corn chowder... and basically almost everything else!!
I've never been to the original location, just this one in Kapahulu. Li hing mui margarita is delicious. It's an OK place to come for football Sundays, though, limited breakfast menu and sometimes it's tricky to get what game you want on right away. However, I highly recommend you try it! Neat feature: reserving tables online via Yelp!
Unfortunately, the service here has really gone downhill. Â We had reservations and they put a group of us on a table that was way too small. Â Then, after asking for a larger table, we got moved not once but twice. Â This place really lacks organization in the front of the house.
Yes, I get it, the food is very local style, sharing, pupu with beer and drinks. Â However, when the service is bad, it's hard to recover from that. Â I even found their "famous" pork chop to be not as tasty, with more fat and bones than I remember.
Also, prices are not cheap so don't expect any bargains here.
Overall, I would not go back. Â There are so many other bars that have excellent pupus and much better service. Â AND, they won't charge for a refill of your Coke or Pepsi like Side Street.
Service = 2 (wait staff is OK, hostesses are unfriendly & unorganized)
Food = 2 (has gone downhill from the original)
Ambience = 2 (tables and seats scattered make it feel like a cafeteria)
Overall = 2
I went to side street inn per a friend's suggestions and many positive Yelp reviews. Now I wonder if everyone had a few too many to drink before sitting down to eat.
First off, their famous fried pork chops were just pork chops. Not particularly juicy nor where they dry.
Their fried chicken was pretty unique. Large pieces of boneless leg meat that we're fried until golden brown. Very juicy
Their kimchi fried rice was the star of ths show. Very moist and flavorful. There we're ample amounts of meat and kimchi.
The restaurant is hidden in a shady alley. The atmosphere does not get better once you step into the restaurant. the service was ok. Our waiter was nice but talked in a very blunt manner. They rushed us out at 8 saying that they we're closing early even though their hours normally go until much later. Needless to say, I will not be back.
Loved it. That just about sums it up. Everything was tasty ... everything was ono ... everything we tried was broke da' mout' ...
The boneless kalbi ...
The misoyaki chicken ...
The crusted ahi ...
The yakisoba ...
The Chinese sliders ...
The fried rice ...
Oh, I better stop 'cause I'm making myself hungry all over again and I neva' even reach da desserts yet!
Do yourself a favor and GO. :)
I came here for the first time last weekend after hearing about for sooooo many year Good place for dinner and drinks if your going with a bunch of people. Portions are huge (family style) and their appetizers are definitely filling. So sharing is a must. Everything my friends and i ordered was packed with flavor from the fried rice, pork chops, kalua pig sliders, and mushroom fettuccine.
Overall a good experience but ill probably only be coming here if its with a bigger group.
Finally I've been able to try Side Street Inn, with many visits to Hawaii we've just never had the time to. Came here for dinner around 5:30 with a party of five, hubby and I arrived first and were able to get a table without the entire party being seated so that was great. The service was nice, a younger gentlemen was our server, and the hosts in front were really friendly.
Chinese Style Sliders - This came with steamed bao, with two picks of meat, either char siu or roasted pork belly. Both meats were very tender and extremely flavorful, the kimchi gave a nice contract compared to typical chinese restaurants they offer the dish with cucumbers and freshly shaved scallions. Not a bad take, pork belly was a bit fatty but hubby had no problem eating my piece of fat for me, oink.
Kimchi Fried Rice - This was probably my favorite dish of the night, the rice had a nice slight char/crisps, while the kimchi was flavorful. This dish also reminded me of korean ramen, I swear they took some of the seasoning packet and added it to this dish, very generous portion and super flavorful, I would only say next would be to add more kimchi to the dish itself.
Kalbi ribs - They had two choices, with the bone or without, bone is more flavorful so obvious choice. The meat is very well seasoned, maybe a bit too much for me personally, I had to pair this with rice. Great flavors though and a nice carmelization, tender more and not too fatty.
Pan Fried Island Pork Chops - The was the favorite at the table, personally for me I could care less for deep fried pork chop although I will admit that our meat was very juicy yet retained a perfect crisps outside, didn't taste oily either which was pretty awesome.
Overall I thought the food was good and service was good as well. Would I come back here, most likely, addicted to that kim chi fried rice now. They do accept reservations so I would highly suggest making them ahead. I enjoyed their spin on traditional items with a local twists to it, you won't be disappointed. Also to if you're having difficulties we parked underground and valet'd for $5 only, spare yourself the time.
We went on a Tuesday night and the place was bouncing. Â We went to the bar to wait and after about 10 minutes we could sit there and order our food. Â
If you are looking for an interesting experience at just about any restaurant always consider eating at the bar. Â This place was no exception - fun to interact with the bar workers and see them working their butts off.
The food was AMAZING!!
Remember though that the potions really are "family size" so one dish is enough for 2 (or the fried rice is enough for 3 or 4 people actually).
We had the Teri beef which was incredibly good value. Â The Korean short rib was pricier but was just so much better that it was fair enough. Â The fried rice - with no egg in it - was kind of like the way your mother would make it if she was having a good day in the kitchen - a lot of pork!
The only really disappointing thing was that because the servings were so big we had no room left for dessert and we wanted to try the peanut crunch. Â If we were local we would have taken food home and saved ourselves for the desert.
I just want to go to the other Side Street Inn next time.
Came here with my pool team for a team dinner. Â We all decided to order one thing and share it family style so we could have a little bit of everything.
We had two different pastas, lilikoi ribs, poke, fried rice, gizzards (try it!), pork chops, oysters and a few other appetizers. Â What. Â A. Â Feast. Â Everything was well cooked and tasty. Â Definitely a highlight of the night.
Service was also good. Â Had to flag someone down for some utensils once our food came but it wasn't too bad.
I would definitely recommend reservations as this place gets packed. Â Having a sports bar added to the hectic feel but I liked the high energy.
I would also recommend valet parking right under the building. Â It's only $5 and so convenient. Â I think at the pay to park right across Uncle Bo's you'll end up paying more.
Overall good times were had here and I will definitely be back! Â Thanks Side Street!
I dont even know how a person that loves to eat out as much as I do can live here for so long and NEVER make it to check out Side Street Inn.
WTF is wrong with me????
For years, I have been hearing all about how wonderful the Kim Chee Fried Rice is...and how life is NOT complete until I have had their Pork Chops. Damn! Really???
So, after an evening of failed outfit shopping in Waikiki, I was over it all and needed to adjust my attitude. (HINT: Food always helps for an attitude adjustment)
Sure enough, we were blessed by the Foodie Gods.
No wait!
Quick Seating
Quick Service
Score!!
We hit em all. Kim Chee Fried Rice, those yummy Pork Chops, Garlic Fried Chicken and the Chinese Chicken Salad. BAM!!! Love the family style servings that gave us plenty to gorge on yet leaving us plenty to take home.
Prices are decent but I must say that the Pork Chops were a bit up there especially since I found mine to be very fatty. EWWWWWWWWW
Rogue Side Street Inn on tap = MONEY
Decided to come to this location because it was closer to where we were.
It's a much modern and well lit place than the original location. We walked in and didn't have to wait for a table for two. The place was already pretty packed and the Laker game was playing on most of the TVs.
Since there was only two of us and we knew their portions were huge, we decided on two plates only:
-kimchee fried rice ($13.50): fried rice that could have used more kimchee...IMO
-kalbi ($24): tender and flavorful beef short ribs. Just a tad too salty though
We had so much food that we ended up taking the rest home. Service was standard and the food was hearty, low key and filling. I will continue to return to Side Street Inn during my Oahu visits.
There's an adjacent parking lot for diners. $2 for 2 hours (minimum).
WOW! This place has been opened for quite sometime now but always shrugged it off since the other location is a bit "G".... and I know that this place is very meat-atarian.
BUT! This place was a very clean restaurant with a great tofu salad.... but the best part of all is their Peanut Butter Crunch. OMG, I would so go to Side Street Inn just to get the dessert. That good.
It'd give this place 5 stars if it had more veggie friendly items on the menu.
Great place! Â It was my first time to this location. Â Came here with the fam-bam so we had a "set menu" that my Aunty pre-ordered. Â (we did add to it a little though)
Our regular dishes: garlic fries, chinese chicken salad, garlic chicken, teri beef, pork chops, lupchong fried rice, ribs and fish. Â I have to say that as usual, food was excellent.
I liked this location because of the option to be in their side room. The bar had quite a bit of seating and it was packed! Â I went to the restroom at one point and overheard the hostess at the front tell a new party that the wait was an hour long. Â You know a place is good when people are willing to wait an hour to get seated!
Service was excellent, waitstaff was courteous, and food was delicious. What more can you ask for in a restaurant. Â I totally recommend this place for families, large groups, or just friends wanting to have a nice dinner. Â A Plus: Â televisions with the football game playing.
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