Byron's Drive-In

I got home late from work tonight and I was working on the previous post for more than an hour!  I'm too tired to write this up, so here are the pictures.  Story to follow.

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About a week ago, actually I can't really remember already, I had to pick some friends up at the airport.  They were hungry, and rather than drive around looking for someplace to eat at, we decided that we would eat at the first place that we came across that was still open or at the first place that we could think about that was still open.  Well, we came across Byron's Drive-In near the airport entrance/exit on Nimitz.  That settled that.

Byron's Drive-In...hmmmm.  Even though I lived nearby, I never really came to eat here.  If I had to get some late night munching sessions in, I normally went to eat out in the general direction of "town."  Byron's is open 24 hours and it does draw a decent crowd at most times during the day.  What actually brought me here was the bright lights and the need to get something to eat...fast.

There were a lot of items on the menu and the kitchen area was fairly clean.  The most surprising thing was how lit up the place was.

I ordered the loco moco.  I'll post the price here when I can locate my notes.

The bonus here was that I actually got two eggs cooked over easy.  The yolks broke when I tried to "gently" lift them up and out of the way so that I could take a photo of what was below.  There was a ton of rice, topped with a couple of homemade hamburger patties and a scoop of macaroni salad there in the back corner.  All of it was covered in gravy.

For those of you who don't know, the loco moco is "local" comfort food.  Rice, eggs, hamburger and gravy.  No real science, but the thing that really makes this dish is the gravy.  It should be thick, flavorful and plentiful.  Well, there certainly was a lot of gravy here, but it was lumpy and cold...and, it didn't really taste good, in my opinion.  It had a "greasy-buttery" sort of flavor.  If it weren't for the gravy, I think this would have been a lot better.  The hamburger patties, were a little better than average and the macaroni salad...just OK.

Given Byron's extensive menu, it's location (near the airport) and it's hours of operation (24/7), it may make sense for someone in the area to stop by and check this place out.  Although the gravy for the loco moco was not up to par, in my opinion, there are some other things that I've had here that were quite good (the shrimp burger) and the prices are quite reasonable.

Byron's Drive-In
3297 North Nimitz Highway
Telephone:  808.836.0541

Comments

[anthony]

Is that eggy burger with rice and gravy? Quelle fantastique!

[Ryan]

So you went to Byron's for your loco moco fix, huh? How was it? My personal pick at Byron's is the Little Red Hen box. That may be my favorite fried chicken, and with the honey and fries and the dinner roll to go with it . . . Oh, man. Top it all off with one of their great chocolate malts, and it's heaven under an overpass. It's completely worth braving the creepy location.

[MrsT]

Is this the one.. near the airport..Reid..?? i've eaten here before .. if it is.. :)
Cheers..!

[Jonny Angel]

Digusting!

[claudine]

if you do get a chance, do chime in to let us know what you ate... it does look eggceptionally interesting! ;)

[Reid]

Hi Anthony,

It's local comfort food called loco moco. We don't really know where the name came from, but from what I've heard, and read, it was first served somewhere in Hilo, hometown of Chika at "She Who Eats". Rice topped with hamburger and over easy eggs with gravy all over. This one wasn't too good, especially the gravy.

Hi Ryan,

I'm going to have to try that the next time I'm at Byron's. It sounds quite good. Most times that I'm here, I have the shrimp burger or the mahi plate, which I really like. Don't know what came over me this time. I guess my body was telling me no more deep-fried foods.

Hi MrsT,

Yes, it's right near the airport. I'll be leaving shortly and I'll have to pass by this place again. How long ago were you here, if I might ask?

Hi Jonny,

OK...

Hi Claudine,

Nice to hear from you! =)

Looks are can be deceiving. Though this looks good, the gravy made this a disappointment. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect loco moco.

[MrsT]

Hey.. Reid.. :)
Was in Hawaii about 2.5yrs ago.. :) but it was for work.. and i didn't really need to stay too long.. and had another project to go to.. so didn't even plan time to explore.. but i promise i will.. when chloe is a little older.. and then i have to ask you to be tour guide.. ok..??

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

If you ever come back to Hawaii, let me know. I'll be more than happy to take you around. =) We can eat our way around the island!

[MrsT]

Cool.. so cool.. coz' my spouse is not as adventurous.. as you and i.. when it comes to food.. so sad.. and so sayang (waste).. heh!! oh well.. more for you and i then.. no..???

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

Definitely. The more the better! I have to really start watching my weight though. I haven't been to the gym in months. Just recently started going back after I gained 15 pounds. =P

[anthony]

Loco Moco!

I am going to be quite the dude when I get to say "Hey people howsabout we pop back to mine for a little loco moco."

[Moira]

Reid! Quit posting photos of loco moco! When you get back, you have to try Like Like for real and let me know if it's still good or not.

Hope your trip is great!

Cheers,
Moira

[Clinton]

Reid,

Have you tried Kam Bowl or Kapiolani Drive Inn as it's called for their loco moco? My wife orders it when we always go there and loves it. I've always order my usual oxtail soup which is their specialty with rice and condiments (fresh grated ginger and cilantro) on the side. Arg-h-h-h...I'm actually salivating all over the keyboard!

[Eiko]

K, now you have to know that this is just mean for those who are transplanted OUT of Hawai'i, now don't you?
lolol

Byron's is known for their hamburgers, try a hamburger deluxe with cheese. :-D

The turkey ala king and swiss steak is often a special (yes someone still makes swiss steak)

I hope you enjoy :-D

I'm surprised that you don't have something about Zippy's on your page.. or maybe I just missed it. :-D

Peace,

Eiko

[Reid]

Hi Anthony,

Then perhaps everyone will think you're crazy at the same time. =P

Hi Moira,

I'm back, and I tried Like Like. =) It was a bit of a letdown.

Thanks for wishing me well on my trip.

Hi Clinton,

I haven't tried the loco moco at Kam Bowl, but I did have the oxtail soup. I posted about it a while back. Here's the link:

http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/10/kapiolani_coffe.html

Hi Eiko,

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving me a comment. I'm sorry.... A lot of other displaced locals say the same thing.

Actually, I the hamburger patty in this loco moco was actually quite good. I think I am going to try a hamburger next time. BTW...years ago, we used to order the shrimp burgers.

A while back, I did do a post on Zippy's. You can find it here:

http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/09/zippys.html

Hope to hear from you again!

[Eddie Moss]

I lived in Hawaii for three years, courtesy of the US Armed Forces. I was stationed at Hickam and lived in Aeia. I used to take the bus down Nimitz back and forth to work at the base - get off at the appropriate stop and walk to Aeia down that long block going away from The Nimitz. I discovered the macaroni salad and could not get enough of it. I used to buy two pints a day - one to eat on the walk to my apartment and the other for later on that night. Absolutely, the BEST MACARONI SALAD EVER. If I could order a pint to be delivered to the San Francisco area, I would.

[Reid]

Hi Eddie,

Welcome to my blog.

To tell you the truth, I can't really remember the macaroni salad. It's probably because it was drowning in all that gravy!

I'll make sure that I have some next time I'm in the area.

Thanks for stopping by!

[bee]

I can't believe Byrons is still there! I used to go there when I lived on the island back in 80. We would driver all the way from Ewa for a cheeseburger. ONO!

[Reid]

Hi bee,

Thank you so much for dropping by my blog!

Yes, Byron's is still there, although the food has gotten progressively worse over the years. I have yet to go back and try the shrimp burger. Maybe I can stop by on my way to Seattle next month.

BTW...I had the burgers here before and they were pretty good.

Hope to hear from you again!

[jeff]

I live hawaii when i was little. my parent's take me to Byron's after Church on a Sunday. Primo bruddah. Later, when I work at the airport pumping gas for the tourist airplanes bumbye i stop to get the curry. My first time Byron's was 1971, the las time was 1979. I was looking on the net because my parents move back to Hawaii and now live Waienae and when I visit it is the first place I thought to go back to. Tanks for lettin me know they still exis'. Shaka Brah, tanks ey,

aloha

[Reid]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment.

I'm kind of surprised that Byron's has lasted this long myself. I'm sure that it will be around for years to come. Hopefully you'll be able to come back and eat there again!

Thanks again for stopping by!

[John]

the last time (which was about the 2nd time i ever ate there) i bought food at Byrons was sometime back in '97 or maybe it was '96. i ordered the fried chicken box meal. it was good i think but i got kinda grossed out cuz the drumstick/leg i had, i saw that the bone was curved after i was done eating it. *shiver*

[Reid]

Hi John,

Welcome to the blog!

Thanks for sharing. I'm glad I never had any experiences like that. *whew*

Maybe I need to stick to processed foods huh?

[Jo]

What would the curved bone mean other than that the chicken's leg was a little deformed? I don't quite understand why that would be gross?

[John]

well, after seeing that curved leg bone, i thought "what else could be wrong w/that chicken?"

haven't been back to Byrons since. doubt i will ever again.