HAWAIIAN STYLE CAFÉ
ADDRESS: 65-1290 Kawaihae Rd, Waimea, HI 96743
While sifting through the reviews for places to eat on the Big Island, I saw multiple mentions about the Hawaiian breakfast item known as “Loco Moco.” A ground beef patty topped with a fried egg, gravy, and served over a bed of rice, the Loco Moco definitely sounded like something that was right up my alley.
For our first full day on Hawaii Island, my family was planning to take the full drive around the island for sightseeing and needed to get an early start to the day. To get some energy to last through midday when we’d be driving, we opted for some brunch at another spot in Waimea: Hawaiian Style Café. A few people that we had talked to after arriving on the island had recommended the place for its delicious food and generous portions. It also worked out great that the restaurant was right along our route for the day.
When you first walk into the restaurant, there’s a large U-shaped dining bar area, with additional booth and table seating in the back. We got seated almost immediately after we arrived, but people that came even just ten minutes after us weren’t as lucky. The line started to pile up and we saw people standing around outside waiting. Talk about getting there just in the nick of time.
There were certainly plenty of breakfast items to choose from, ranging between pancakes to omelets to french toast. My brother and I, however, were dead set on trying their Loco Mocos, but even then there were five different options to choose from! Ultimately, we both decided to go big with “Da Tita Mok,” a behemoth of a breakfast plate: fried rice topped with a fried chicken cutlet, hamburger patty, Spam, an egg over easy, and gravy.
The food came flying out of the kitchen; we probably didn’t even have to wait ten minutes before these colossal plates were in front of us. If I had any questions whether the food would keep me full until dinner that night, those doubts were certainly erased once I saw how much it really was. You can see my face of anticipation below as I get ready to chow down.
I tried to pile all the different components of my dish onto one bite and eat, but things just kept toppling over. I eventually settled for trying the meats one at a time, starting with the chicken. Crispy on the outside but moist on the inside, the chicken was breaded well and tasted great when paired with some gravy and fried rice. I broke the over easy egg and the yolk began to combine with the hamburger patty and fried rice underneath, making for a delightful savory combination as well. And the Spam, well, a Hawaiian breakfast wouldn’t be complete without it. Even the fried rice had more chunks of chopped Spam in it as well!
Even if the restaurant looks unassuming from the street, be sure to stop on in, because they certainly serve up some delicious breakfast food. If you don’t take my word for it, trust the people that were lining up outside at 8:30 a.m. on a weekday for some good eats. It certainly wasn’t by coincidence that multiple locals mentioned this place when we asked around about breakfast. I’m very glad I got to check off the “Loco Moco” from this trip’s culinary wishlist; my initiation into this Hawaiian breakfast tradition was now complete.
Let’s now take a look at the Hawaiian Style Café Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Da Tita Mok **
Fried rice topped with a fried chicken cutlet, hamburger patty, Spam, and an over easy egg, all smothered in gravy.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Hawaiian Style Café:
Food: 4.75 / 5
Good breakfast is hard to come by sometimes, but Hawaiian Style Café delivered on all accounts with massive portions and delicious flavors. A big spread of items on the menu certainly makes it difficult to choose what to get on any given day.
Atmosphere: 4 / 5
The décor of the place kind of reminds me as if you’re stepping into someone’s home, with food-themed wall ornaments hanging around in various places. It does get a little bit cozy since they’re squeezing out a few more tables by packing people in. We practically had no room between our table and the two-person table next to us.
Service: 4.75 / 5
Our waitress was very friendly and welcoming to us, making sure to answer all of our questions about the menu as well as give a few recommendations of her own. She stopped back by multiple times throughout the meal to make sure that we had everything we needed.
Price: 5 / 5
Gigantic portions and reasonable prices seem to mix well together, and I’m happy to say that also applies at Hawaiian Style Café. I’m not really sure if you can find a heftier plate of food for cheaper.
Overall:
18.5 / 20
(93%)
Categories: Hawaii, Restaurants
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