Wailana Coffee House

Looking for some late night eats?  Well, I often get hungry in the middle of the night and don't feel like cooking, but I can't normally think of a place that's open.  And unlike other cities, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles or New York City, where you can easily find a decent 24-hour restaurant or coffeeshop, Hawaii is somewhat limited in it's late night dining options.  This past weekend, I developed a craving for pancakes at midnight.  I tried Liliha Bakery, but the wait was too long.  Instead, I went to Wailana Coffee House.

This place has been around for as long as I can remember, and I used to be a regular here in the mid-80s.  The restaurant is spacious and reminds me of any number of coffee shops or diners that I have eaten in, or will eat in, at some point in my life.

Since I was craving pancakes, I decided on having the jamboree breakfast (US$5.45).  This includes two eggs cooked to your liking, two slices of bacon, all-you-can-eat pancakes and a bottomless cup of coffee.  Isn't that a bargain?

The first serving of three pancakes arrives.  I add just a little butter and top them with some boysenberry syrup.  The pancakes are light and fluffy and just a bit crispy around the edges.  Just the way I like it.

I ordered my two eggs scrambled and instead of bacon...you guessed it!  Spam®!  For some reason, I've been craving Spam® lately.  I can go for months without eating it, then suddenly, I'll have to eat it.  In just a matter of days, I've already managed to fit this into my diet twice.  Besides, Spam® is considered standard breakfast fare for us here in Hawaii.  We eat Spam® as often as those in the states eat bacon, which is why I asked for the substitution.  Besides, breakfast would be incomplete without it.

This is better than your average breakfast, especially since you get as many delicious pancakes as you can wolf down.  So I normally try to come here when I'm hungry.  You can eat and eat until your heart's content.  Wailana Coffee House serves more than just breakfast fare though.  They have a full menu, including some delicious fried chicken, burgers and omelettes.  And the best part about it all, is that I can have my breakfast any time of day that I choose.

Wailana Coffee House
1860 Ala Moana Boulevard
Telephone:  808.955.1764

Comments

[pieman]

Quite frankly, I can go years without eating Spam... Now, that is a real diner as in your regular movie kinda diner, a bit tarted up.

[AugustusGloop]

All-u-can-eat pancakes...? 24/7? Wow...

Sydney is pathetic when it comes to 24hr eats.

Do the waitstaff come around with pots in hand to top up your coffee? Or do they just do that in the movies? :-) No, we don't get that here!

The eggs and pancakes look pretty good. Can't say I'm a fan of spam though. But each to their own...

[foodpocket]

Hey Reid, do you ever eat at LikeLike? When I go there to visit my grandparents my family always goes to LikeLike. It seems like we mostly ate breakfast there but from my last visit there I remember loving the fresh "fruit salad" which is huge and comes with rainbow sherbert on top!! Um, also have you ever been to Pagoda's breakfast? I believe it's part of a hotel and it's actually a shaped like a pagoda surrounded by water with koi in it. ^__^

[FatMan Seoul]

Wow those pancakes sure looks good .... with maple syrup and cold butter .... yummy.

[Moira]

Wailana Coffee House....all you can eat pancakes....aahhhgghh (insert Home Simpson sound effect). We used to go to LikeLike, too for Loco Moco, but King's Koa was our all-time favourite. I LOVE diner breakfasts and miss them a lot over here. English breakfast just doesn't cut it for me!

[Clinton]

I've always wondered why locals choose Wailana as their meeting place late at night. I guess because it's easy to find and always open. Haven't been there in years but I always glance at it as we drive back and forth thru Waikiki. Reminds me of an upscale IHOP or Denny's here in California.

[foodie]

Aloha! I've been a lurker for a while (after one of my friends referenced a post of yours in her LiveJournal), but I finally started up my own food blog recently, so now I can post non-anonymously. :)

I love the islands.. Have family near Diamondhead, Oahu, and have many many happy childhood memories there~ Mostly about the food.. ;) So, thanks for having this blog, I'll be sure to visit often!

p.s. I have most of the same cookbooks as you; just bought 'Shiok', and loving it. I haven't seen 'Singapore Heritage Food' though, is it worth it? (I'm wondering how many SE Asian cookbooks I need/desire until I really have enough.) ;)

[Allen Wong]

Wow, $5.45 is a great bargain for the three pancakes, bacon, and eggs alone. Come clean - how many of those pancakes did you eat? ;)

By the way, your local boy omelette on toasted pao doce really sparked my interest in Portuguese sweet bread. I remember my father once brought home a bun wrapped with clear plastic with a label that said, "Portuguese Sweet Bread." It was covered in an extremely sweet "frosting" which was more than cloying. I found pieces of yellowish fruit, but I couldn't really taste it through the frosting. Anyway, I'd really like to try an "authentic" version. So, I went through google and found quite a selection of recipes. I found that some had mashed potatoes in them, and some didn't. Would you happen to know if the ones you can get in Hawaii have potatoes?

[Robyn]

I just stopped by from Natto Kun's blog... OK.. I'm sorry... Your post, has REALLY made me want to eat pancakes.. I'm pregnant and I want pancakes.. Do you know how dangerous that is? lol... :) TFS!

[Julia]

Give me breakfast food anytime of the day! My hubby and I love it so much we sometimes have it for lunch or dinner too. The all-you-can-eat pancakes and coffee is a great deal, but it'd be wasted on me as I probably can only manage just two pancakes.

[Reid]

Hi pieman,

While I wouldn't say that I could go years without eating Spam®, I could probably go months without having it. But then again, Hawaii is probably one of the biggest consumers of Spam® within the US. It just wouldn't be right for me not to have this!

Hi AG,

This is one of the better 24 hour coffee shops. I like it here, but there are others too. I'll try to get to them at some point. And yes, at some point, though not often at times, the wait staff does come around with the little pots of coffee to refill. =)

Hi foodpocket,

Thanks for visiting me.

I haven't been to Like Like or Pagoda in ages. I was thinking about going to Like Like tonight though. Any suggestions on what I should have? =)

Hi FatMan,

I love pancakes too. Especially if they are light and fluffy with just the right amount of crispiness around the edges. They actually have a great variety of syrups here - boysenberry, maple, coconut and maybe even pineapple.

Hi Moira,

Ahhh...that settles it. Maybe I'll go to Like Like tonight and have the loco moco. Did you really like eating the loco moco there? I'm always on the lookout for a good place to eat it at, and haven't come across it yet. Will let you know if I do.

The place I miss the most though is the old King's Bakery. In my opinion, they made the best sweetbread and the best french toast. It's too bad they closed up shop. Now we have to deal with Makino Chaya. =(

Hi Clinton,

I think locals flock to Wailana, not only for the great value, but also because they have a full bar and karaoke room off to the side of the main entrance. The food isn't so bad either. And yes, the food is comparable to either an ihop or a Denny's. BTW...Denny's at the corner of Kapahulu and Kalakaua has closed and the only ihop we have here is on Maui if I remember correctly.

Hi foodie,

Thanks for reading my blog and thanks so much for the compliments. It's great that you finally decided to come clean and let me know about you.

We have a lot of diverse eating options here in Hawaii and I hope to explore many more of them soon.

I'm glad you enjoy "Shiok!", it's quite a good book. If you like Singaporean cuisine, you'll like "Singapore Heritage Food". It has some great recipes, though at times the ingredients can be hard to find.

Hi Allen,

It certainly is a great bargain, that's why I come here. Lately though, I've been neglecting this place. I need to make it a point to start coming here more often. To be honest, I think I may have eaten 4 1/2 or 5 pancakes. *burp*

I don't think that any sweetbreads that I've tasted were made with potatoes, but I could be wrong. If you'd like, send me an e-mail and I can either send you a loaf, or try to locate a recipe for you.

Hi Robyn,

Thanks for visiting me! I appreciate it. I can only imagine your cravings right now. I hope you were able to satisfy it with some yummy pancakes. =)

Take care.

Hi Julia,

The all-you-can-eat pancakes is an excellent deal. Even if you eat only two or three, it's about what you would pay for a normal breakfast right?

By the way, I can eat eggs, pancakes, french toast, etc. any time of the day too. I love breakfast. Don't always get to eat it though.

[Reid]

Hi foodie,

BTW...I visited your blog! Good job!

Moira,

Before I forget, even though we have diner breakfasts, you have black pudding, beans, bacon, eggs and chips. =)

[Moira]

Oh, no! King's Bakery closed? Jeez. Yes, the Loco Moco was my husband's favourite at LIke LIke- but we're talking years ago now, so don't blame me if you don't like it! ;-)

Were you saying black pudding like it's a good thing? Like it's something you wish you could get?

[foodie]

Great, thanks for the info! That book is going to the top of my wishlist now. :]

Thanks for stopping by my blog too; it still needs a lot of cleaning up, but I anticipate it evolving as the year continues. Maybe someday it'll even look something like the blogs that I admire so much right now. ;D

[MrsT]

Wow..!! price VERY good.. :) and 24hrs some more.. lagi wow!! boysenberry syrup some more.. wow, wow, wow..!! and unlimited coffee.. wowowowowwowow!!! ok.. no more wows.. coz' of the Spam.. hehe!!

[gabrielle]

hi reid! ah, Wailana...has saved me from many a hangover! it is a bit bright when one's eyes are all bleery. thank you for bringing back memories!

[Reid]

Hi Moira,

No. I didn't mean that I didn't like it at Like Like, I just didn't try it there yet. If your husband said it's good, then I think I must try it.

BTW. I like black pudding every now and then. The one thing I really miss about the UK are the "fry ups" for breakfast.

Hi foodie,

Keep your eyes open for the book. I'm sure you'll like it. As for the blog, it does take time, doesn't it? I still don't feel like I'm where I want to be...and yet, I'm not so sure where that is.

Hi MrsT,

I take it that you're not a Spam® lover either. My Singaporean friend said that what we call Spam® here is what you call luncheon meat over in Singapore.

Hi gabrielle,

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Back in the day, it was either Eggs 'N Things, Wailana or Sizzler. Do you remember the Wailana on Kuhio Avenue? That was the better location of the two, in my opinion.

[Jonny Angel]

Reid, you didn't mention Wailana's amazing coffee. I asked. It's called Egbert's and I think it's a Dutch brand. I just love it!

[Reid]

Hi Jonny,

I never knew that about the coffee. Thanks for sharing. =)

I'm not sure if the coffee is still the same as you remember though. It hasn't tasted like anything special in a while, or maybe my tastebuds have grown accustomed to Starbucks.

[Dan]

Hi Reid, I just saw your Wailana Coffee House review via a Big Island Grinds URL. I live near this place and love it. I really like USA all-night diners and this one has maintained some charm and decor despite being overrun with customers for who-knows-how-many years. I was stationed overseas for years and years and so this kind of diner (and the sit-at-the-counter-and-eat) style is really satisfying.

Thanks!

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - Don't forget to add Canterbury to your Wailana, Eggs n' Things, and Sizzler list....

[Reid]

Hi Dan,

Nice to see you again! I love Wailana and have been visiting this particular location since the mid-80s. To tell you the truth, it might have changed just a little, but not very much. At least the food's still the same...

Hi Kirk,

LOL! BTW...Sizzlers is gone now! *sigh* I loved the Texas toast.

[Foodlover]

TRY THEIR BELGIUM WAFFLES WITH STRAWBERRIES AND WHIPPED CREAM. OMG IT'S TO DIE FOR!!

[John]

wow! haven't been to Wailana Coffee house since the mid '90s!

always had the all-you-can-eat pancakes in the few times i've ate there.

don't think they're Liliha Bakery quality but for the price you can't go wrong if you're hungry for a lot of pancakes.

[panasianbiz]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. Okay, I've heard of a lot of different kinds of cravings, but this is the first time I've ever heard anyone admit the craving is for Spam!