Restaurant Review (Pancakes & Waffles)

While there are a ton of breakfast places for one to eat in Honolulu, there are only a few that are noteworthy and even less that not overrun by hoards of tourists thinking they are eating where the "locals" eat because they found it on Yelp or TripAdvisor.  I will admit that these places (Eggs & Things, Cinnamons, Boots & Kimo, and Original Pancake House) are very good but, there is often a wait of no less than 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours just to eat breakfast (as a good friend of mine experienced recently).

Pancakes & Waffles opened a few months ago to moderate fanfare and is located in Palama which is an older part of town and off the beaten path and in between tourist sites.  What makes this place great is their ability to make generous portions of food for a fair price and high quality.  Noteworthy, is their Fried Chicken and Waffles ($8.25 or $9.25 to be covered with brown gravy).which makes it the reason to visit on your way to Pearl Harbor or the Swap Meet.

On my recent visit, I decided to try something different from my usual Portugese Sausage Omelette and ordered the Fried Rice Loco Moco ($7.25).  For the unfamiliar, this is a multi-layered feast starting with a base of ham fried rice, a homemade hamburger patty (1/3lb), two egg (over easy), and covered with brown gravy.  What I liked about this particular rendition of a Hawaii staple was the quality of the hamburger which was obviously made in-house and grilled to a hot, juicy perfection.

For the more dainty diners, all orders are served on paper plates with plastic cutlery., but tough it out and you will rewarded with a breakfast on par with the tourist spots but with very little wait.  For the local reference, think Koa Pancake House but one level higher.  

Pancakes & Waffles  
1284 Kalani Street Suite 100
Honolulu, HI 96817  
(808) 847-7770

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