Side Street Inn

Tonight, was University of Hawai'i football night, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to stay in, or go out to watch the game.  A friend called to ask if I wanted to go have a drink and pupus (appetizers) at Side Street Inn.  How could I possibly refuse?

(Sorry for the bad photo.  I wasn't able to take a nice outdoor shot with my U40, so I'll be back and this photo will be replaced.)

Located in a mostly industrial area near Ala Moana Shopping Center, Side Street Inn is more bar than restaurant, but the food is good which is why it's always full of people.  Sure enough, when we arrived, the place was packed.  This place draws all types of people, from sports fans, to drinking buddies, to hard core eaters and karaoke singers. 

Luckily for us, we didn't have to wait too long for a table.  We waited for about 5 minutes or so (I've waited much longer before), and once we were seated, our order was taken and the food arrived shortly thereafter.  Prompt, efficient service is routinely provided here, which is another reason to stop by.

By the way, food wasn't the only thing on our minds tonight...right?  After all, we came to watch the game too!  (Final score, UH 41, Michigan State 38)

The first dish to arrive was the fried rice (US$9.00).

This was done local-style using cooked Japanese rice.  The rice was seasoned with a bit of shoyu (soy sauce) and fried with bits of linguica (Portuguese sausage), char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), green peas and carrots, then topped with lots of green onions.  The fried rice was quite good although just a bit oily.

Next we ordered were the wing zings (US$9.25).

10 pieces of crispy fried chicken wing parts, these were light and crunchy.  They were served with some ranch dressing, and quite surprisingly, these were not oily at all.  They were a bit spicy (good), but just a little too salty for me.  Otherwise, I don't think I've had better chicken wings than this before.

Last to arrive, was a "skinny" (half) order of the pan fried island pork chops (US$8.75, full order US$17.00).

This is probably Side Street Inn's best selling menu item.  What we got was two crispy fried pork chops that were pan fried to a nice golden brown.  They were then cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating.  Lightly seasoned, the pork chops were great.  The only downside?  These pork chops were a bit fatty.

Looking for some local style comfort food, come to Side Street Inn.  Although a bit on the pricey side, the food ranges from very good to excellent.  The portions here are huge, making this a comparatively good value.

Side Street Inn
1225 Hopaka Street
Telephone:  808.591.0253 or 808.596.8282

Comments

[MrsTweety]

Food looks yummy.. :) I love wings.. fried rice.. and although i am not a pork person.. i think i am game to try these ones.. :)

[paprika]

1) Are you writing in Japanese or Vietnamese with the English translations in parenthese?

2) I am always curious why the sweet Portugese sausage is so popular in the island.

[Reid]

Hi MrsTweety,

For the most part, the food is quite yummy. I especially like the wings because they are a bit spicy and the best part, they are not oily. I'm not really a pork person either and choose to indulge once in a very long while. =P

Hi paprika,

Welcome to my blog!

1) The writing is neither Japanese or Vietnamese, but a lot of different things. For example, pupus (appetizers) is Hawaiian, linguica (Portuguese sausage) is Portuguese, and char siu (Chinese barbecued pork) is Chinese. The translations are generally in parenthesis for those who have no exposure to those words and I find it helpful to provide the meanings.

2) Since there are so many Portuguese people here, I think Portuguese sausage has become part of the "local food culture". There are many different types of foods that would qualify for this status, here are a couple of others to consider (in my opinion): saimin (local variation of ramen) and manapua (local variation of char siu bao).

Hope to hear from you again!

[anthony]

C'arn the mighty Warriors!! (did I get that right?)

[Reid]

Hi Anthony,

Yes, you did. They are the University of Hawai'i Warriors (used to be the Rainbow Warriors). While I believe the term you used is a sort of slang for "come on you can do it!" (c'arn), we sometimes use the term imua, which in Hawaiian means to "go forward". In Japanese, we'd say がんばって or "do your best".

Thanks for wishing the team well. They did an awesome job last night.

[MBS]

Reid:

Thanks a lot for reviewing this place! I think I've seen this place before--between Ala Moana (Ewa side) and Ward Avenue, right?

Looks like a cool local joint to hang out in. I'm definitely checking it out when I return home in 2 weeks! Mahalo.

[Reid]

Hi MBS,

If you're headed makai on Pensacola, then yes, it's Ewa of Ala Moana Shopping Center. It's a cool place to hang out and watch the game. If you're into karaoke, they offer that too. Look out for some of the local celebrity chefs that hang out here. Hiroshi Fukui, formerly of L'Uraku, was there last night. I've see Roy Yamaguchi (Roy's) and Russell Siu (3660/Kakaako Kitchen) there before as well.

Have a good time.

[Pantera]

The reason why portuguese sausages become so popular is, I guess, because they combine really well with so many flavours enhancing them. Why don't you give it a try and come to Portugal next summer? You'd love the food and the beaches! ;o)!

[gabrielle]

YUM! Sidestreet is one of my favorite places to go when I go back! I love love LOVE the porkchops (and in the evening a lychee infused martini). Go Warriors!! *wh00t*

[fish fish]

Hey Reid, the blue interior and the fried rice attracting me. It looks so much like a fried rice I had back home, except that the rice is Thai rice.

[Reid]

Hi Pantera,

I guess you could be right. The flavor of Portuguese sausage is a bit mild and very tasty indeed. I'd love to visit Portugal again if I had the chance. I'm not so sure that I could afford more than one major excursion a year though...next year, I plan on going to SE Asia.

Hi gabrielle,

Welcome to my blog!

The pork chops are great, although the price has increased somewhat over the years. At least the portions are still huge though. Never had the lychee infused martini...I'm not much of a drinker.

Hope to hear from you again!

Hi fish fish,

The fried rice is OK. Quite good for local style fried rice. The price is outrageous though. I guess that's the price you pay when you eat in a bar. Most of the time, food is expensive in bars.

[Bob Foster]

Side Street Inn is one of our favorite places in Honolulu but I find the pork chops VERY salty. Maybe it's just me.

[Reid]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for dropping by my blog.

Funny thing you should mention that. Sometimes I find the pork chops too salty, and sometimes they are OK. That night, the pork chops were good, but the chicken was a bit salty. This could be one of my favorite places if it weren't for the ever increasing prices. Good thing they serve "skinny" portions.

Hope to hear from you again!

[guchi]

I've been to Sidestreet many many times over the years and lately stop going for that one reason you've mentioned; Expensive! They have risen their prices over the years and just don't know if it is really worth it. Many of my friends feel the same way.

It ranks in there with excellent food, cold beer, and "to be seen" place but loses it in the prices.

I also suggest the two salads and the smoke meat. Whoa...the smoke meat is just awesome.

ok...sorry for the long rant.

[Reid]

Hi guchi,

Welcome to my blog. You echo my sentiments to a T. The food here has been going up in price , and while the quality and portion size has remained the same, nothing else has changed. I think that's why we don't go here as often as we used to either.

[Aunty Marsha]

We recommend Side Street Inn to all our "Malihini" friends from the Mainland, and they keep it on their "to do" list when they visit Oahu. As a local resident, I find that the prices have gone up and may have to put it on my "to do" list only once in a great while.

[KirkK]

I just noticed this review of Side Street Inn. Too bad the prices have gotten a bit high. I used to go there 3-4 times a month when I lived in HNL. Spicy Chicken wings, Big Island smoked pork, and lot's of rice!!!!

[Reid]

Hi Aunty Marsha,

Welcome to my blog!

Side Street Inn used to be on my "to do" list more often than it is now only because the prices were a lot more reasonable.

Hi KirkK,

I used to go there quite often myself, but have stopped going there in recent years because of the prices. Too bad because the food is actually quite good.

[Jim]

Had the rib eye at Side Street last week [07/05]. It was way too salty.. if I was a slug, I'd be dead by now. On the positive side, my partner had the clams and reported that it was great.

[Reid]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for visiting my blog and for sharing your experience at Side Street.

I agree that at times the food can be overseasoned, but there are generally a few dishes which can be counted on to be consistently good. I just don't think that I'll be stopping by the place anytime soon as the quality doesn't really justify the price anymore.

Thanks again for stopping by!

[Hiro]

Hi Reid,
This is my first time to write a comment here.
I always enjoy your blog, because I love to eat out.

Last night I tried the Fried Rice. It was so YUMMY. The price looks a little bit expensive, but the portion is huge. If we share the foods, it's a good deal!

thanks.

[kyle]

Reid,

Great review on Side Street Inn. Have you tried the yakisoba, garlic chicken (which is better now because it's boneless chicken) or the nachos?? I love hanging out there during football season!

[Barry from Alaska]

Just got back from there, a quick update...

Full order of Pork Chops is now $20.

And worth it.

[Bob on Maui]

Our visit to the Side Street was just fine. Many tables had "reserved" signs, but the waitress seated us at one of them and removed the sign.

I had the lilikoi ribs which were excellent. Very meaty, and the sauce was nice. My wife had the chicken katsu, and was overwhelmed. The chicken was very good, but this was not the usual serving of dry breast meat, but rather seemed like a whole chicken! The only disappointment was the mac salad, which was too salty for us.

Photos at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobswanson/2022451368/in/photostream/