Cheeseburger Waikiki

This time last year, there were signs indicating the opening of a new Cheeseburgers in Paradise location at the corner of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue.  Open since December of 2004, Cheeseburger Waikiki has tried to fill the shoes of the previous tenant here -- a Sizzlers restaurant that had been in this same location for more than 20 years.  This restaurant joins another Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant which is located at the opposite end of Waikiki and has been open since 1997.

While being taken to my seat outdoors, I snapped a few photos of the restaurant's interior.  The inside of the restaurant is fun and playful, and there are strings of lights hanging everywhere.

There are a lot of knickknacks, tchotchkes, doo dads, or whatever you want to call them.  In any case, there's a whole lot of clutter in here, which I guess makes it great.

For some reason, the waitstaff all wear grass skirts around their waists.  I wonder if this is only done in the Hawaii stores.  When I visited the original location in Hawaii, our server had on a a grass skirt as well.  See the waiter at the bar in the grass skirt? 

My seat was out near the sidewalk under an umbrella.  The lighting was provided by these gas torches.  If Waikiki weren't so crowded, this might have been really nice.  It was much better than sitting indoors though -- at least it was cool and breezy.

After looking over the menu, I placed my order.  The waitress advised that the food would take about 20 minutes to arrive.  It actually came in 10.  Good thing because I was quite hungry.  It was already past 9:00 pm.  Since the burgers come with no sides, I decided to get an order of the 'ono onion rings^TM (US$4.95).

The onion rings were made with real onions and a different sort of batter and coating.  According to the menu, this was a "flaky crumb breading that you (I) will love". Did I love 'em?  Of course.  The crunchiness was just amazing and surprisingly these weren't oily either. 

Now for the burger.  According to the menu, all the burgers are made from "100% Natural Meyer Angus Beef.  Served Hot and Juicy with 1000 Island Dressing, Fresh Lettuce, Tomatoes and Sautéed Onions.  Our Sesame Seed and Whole Wheat Buns are baked Island Fresh every day!"

I decided to order the Black N Blue Cheeseburger^TM (US$9.95).

After I placed my order, I realized that I had ordered this same burger in Lahaina more than a year ago.  Oh well, maybe it was subconcious.  The burger arrived a little pink even though I ordered it well done.  I had half a mind to send it back, but decided I was too hungry to do so.  The burger came topped with three strips of bacon and lots of crumbled blue cheese, but surprisingly, no sautéed onions.  That was perfectly OK because I wouldn't have eaten the onions anyway.  Inside the basket that the burger was served in was a pineapple wedge, a pickle, and a bamboo umbrella.

Open wide....

The burger was indeed juicy, though not really hot for some reason.  The blue cheese and bacon went very well together and I was quite happy that there wasn't too much dressing on this sandwich.  The menu also states that the burgers served here are "5 napkin cheeseburgers" and on this occasion, it was no lie.  After the first couple of bites, I ended up using a napkin to hold the burger.

The burgers here are juicy and flavorful, but in my opinion, just a little too expensive.  Then again, this is Waikiki right?  If I were in the area, and in the mood for a gourmet type of burger, I would definitely consider coming back  here for the Black N Blue Cheeseburger^TM and definitely the onion rings.

Cheeseburger Waikiki
1945 Kalakaua Avenue
Telephone:  808.941.2400

Comments

[AugustusGloop]

Aloha! This place looks cheesey but fun.

ps. are you left-handed? =)

[Big BoK]

I love it.. Reid..!! Drooooooooooolllllll...!!

[Transparent Reality]

Methinks Reid is right-handed. After all, the steady hand is for the camera. ;)

That Black and Blue Burger looks so good. Oh man, I can swear I can taste it.

[Jo]

A THUMB! I HAVE SEEN REID'S THUMB! ::swooning with delight::

OK, so that was a whisker on the goofy side, what can I say? It's 2 a.m. or there abouts and I can't sleep. That burger does look yummo. Puts me to mind of the OZzie style though with the beet slice. I'm still wondering if the beet is supposed to be cooked (how?) or raw. I wouldn't mind some of those onion rings right about now either!

[Reid]

Hi AG,

The place is fun, but filled with lots of knickknacks.

No, I'm not left handed, are you? =)

Hi Big BoK,

I liked it a lot too. It was just a little expensive for me though.

Hi Allen,

I am indeed right handed and normally will hold the camera in the right hand while holding the food steady with the left. In the case of noodle photos, I'll hold the chopsticks in the right and the camera in the left. Confusing isn't it?

The black n blue burger was definitely delicious. I think I'm going to make burgers with blue cheese at home.

Hi Jo,

EEK! I was going to try and Photoshop out my thumb, but I thought the photo would look strange! LOL!

I think that in Oz the beetroot can either be served raw, but more than likely, the ones that come in cans are used.

Anyone?

[anthony]

Nicely manicured thumb there Reid.

Blue Cheese 'n Bacon, just sounds so right. And what a fabulous place.

[transposes old Scottish joke]
Tell me Reid, is anything worn under the grass skirt?

[AugustusGloop]

You mean *all* Hawaiians don't get around in grass skirts? Well I'll be...

ps. all Aussie beetroot is sweet pickled from a can

pps. yes I'm a southpaw =)

[Reid]

Hi Anthony,

What a pleasant surprise. It's been a while hasn't it?

I don't know if my thumb was manicured or not, but uh, thanks!

Blue cheese and bacon was so good. I wish that the bacon were done just a little bit crispier. And yes, the decor makes this place fun.

Under the skirt? That would depend now wouldn't it? heh! =P

[Cathy]

Hi Reid - I'm sneaking in a comment here, 'cause it appears comments are turned off on your earlier post... Thanks for the little "tour" of the captiol, etc.! I've also been getting pictures every morning from my brother, who is in the 9th day of his trip. What a beautiful place! They visited Hawaii and now are on Maui. I'm not sure what's next or even when they plan to come home. Sounds like they are loving it!

[clare eats]

Those onion rings look great
and yep the beetroot is pickled in a can, although it can be replicated at home. The works also has pineapple slices (preferably grilled) and bacon and cheese and lettuce and grilled onion and an egg!

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - You know I had the same burger in Lahaina on my last visit years ago - and I thought it was pretty good! Oh man, i'll have to get a Blue cheese burger sometime soon. I also love onion rings - they're great when not greasey and limp.

[Clinton]

Hm-m-m-m...what's this with the thumb thingie? I hope there was no extra charge for that considering the high prices? Those onion rings resemble Jack in the Box's but it does look kinda ono. Not much rings for the price though, especially for $4.95. How would you compare this burger to Kua Aina's (notice, I always use that as my base comparison)?. Like you mentioned, it's kind of pricey for a hamburger joint but what can you expect in Waikiki? I believe it's probably on the same scale level as the Hard Rock Cafe down the street?

[milgwimper]

ohhh Reid, the onion rings! The rings the rings *sigh* My hips asre getting wider just looking at your pics! LOL

[Jo]

Thanks AG & Clare! I've been wanting to know bout the beet so I can try a home version. OH, what kind of bacon? If I used streaky bacon (smoked) would it throw it way off?

[boo_licious]

Blue cheese on burgers! I'm in heaven as I love the combo of beef and blue cheese.

[anthony]

Reid
Nae laddie! Yer suppoosed t' say:
No, it's all in perfectly good working order.

Hisashiburi ne! Gomen _(__)_

[Jo]

When Mike where's his skirt, the only thing under it is an occasional breeze ;oP

sometimes self created |oP

[J]

hi reid, that cocktail brolly really floats my boat...sounds like a fun kitschy place...cheers,j

[Reid]

Hi Cathy,

For some reason, I timed scheduled that post for 6 am, and it posted at midnight. I refreshed the screen and it disappeared. I'm glad your brother and his family have been enjoying themselves here. Hope you get to visit our beautiful state sometime soon.

Hi Clare,

I remember seeing that "works" burger on your site! Sounds tasty, though I think I'd have to have jaws like a snake to be able to bite into something stuffed with so many wonderful things. =)

Hi Kirk,

For some reason, when I looked at the menu, I couldn't remember if I had this before or not. But then, I realized that I had eaten this same burger in Lahaina as well. That place was packed and the wait was almost 45 minutes at 8:00 pm. LOL! The onion rings here are great, but the fries are just so-so.

Hi Clinton,

LOL!

Actually, the onion rings were much better than Jack in the Box. They had this crispiness to them that I just can't describe. You can't really tell from the photo, but you could easily split the order of rings with someone and it would be more than enough for the two of you.

To be honest with you, this is on par with Kua 'Aina IMHO. Can you believe that I've never eaten a burger at the Hard Rock Cafe?

Hi Milgwimper,

I know...the onions rings...ahhh!
*burp*

Hi boo_licious,

The burger and blue cheese was a delicious combination. In fact, the blue cheese goes very well with steaks too.

Hi Anthony,

LOL! Don't worry about it! =)

Hi Jo,

LOL!

Hi J,

This is quite a fun and kitschy place. Too bad it was full of boring people! hehe! =)

[Kyle]

As a Hawaii expatriate now living in the San Francisco Bay Area, friends/coworkers often ask for my advice on the best "local" places to eat on their Hawaii vacations. Upon their return, I'm puzzled that a number of people, rather than raving about Ono's Hawaiian Food or Rainbow Drive Inn, have told me that Cheeseburger in Paradise was favorite Hawaii restaurant. Go figure.

[Reid]

Hi Kyle,

Strange isn't it? I would have definitely thought that people would have enjoyed Rainbow's more than Cheeseburger Waikiki or Cheeseburger at Waikiki Beach (the original Oahu location). I guess they like the burgers. Then again, I think Kua 'Aina is just a little better than this and cheaper too.

[Sandi]

Cheeseburgers Waikiki..Hawaii...they make the oh so best Coconut Shrimp I have ever tasted in my whole life and believe me I have tasted many many different recipes...they are the very very best. If i were any of you I would give them a try...checked out the Bluecheese burger...it was oh so good too and I dont eat beef...go figure....

[panasianbiz]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. This facility certainly seems to have all the elements needed for success: good atmosphere, appealing waitstaff, terrific looking food.

[Dana]

Thought you should know, the burger you had did have onions. Every burger has onions underneath the meat, they're just hard to see. I worked as a dishwasher there and everything the menu says is actually true about where the ingredients come from.

[Nathaniel Wagner]

I work their..unfortunately they DONT have the atm machine anymore so u gotta go to the 7-11 right behind corner.and I yes I do wear a grass skirt...fortunately the bussers dont have to so nights that I bus I am so happy!and also there was a jack in the box across the street.which we lost alot of people to...they got shut down so now we get more business...I guess?I have a pic of me on myspace wearing the skirt..check it out!