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#CatEats: Bread + Butter at Ala Moana

By Catherine Toth Fox • July 10, 2015 • Food

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In the past couple of weeks, I’ve already been to Bread + Butter on Kapi‘olani Boulevard three times.

And not because I suggest it.

The buzz is out there — and the name helps, too. (I mean, who can resist a place called “Bread + Butter”?)

The first time I went, I was invited by my blogging pal Melissa Chang (@melissa808) who 1) knows I love both bread and butter and 2) who knows I love anywhere that has air conditioning and free WiFi.

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Inside Bread + Butter on Kapi‘olani Boulevard. I love the variety of seating, from couches to a raised communal table in the middle of the restaurant.

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There’s a counter where you can buy meat and cheese by the pound.

Bread + Butter opened a few months ago in the nearly 3,000-square-foot space vacated by Angelo Pietro in the Ala Moana Pacific Center, behind Ala Moana Center.

And it’s quite a transformation. I was just there with another girlfriend and she couldn’t believe it was the same space. I agree. The high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass windows create a beautiful and open dining area that’s so welcoming and modern. I don’t remember Angelo Pietro feeling that way.

This restaurant is owned by Diamond Dining, which also runs Shokudo Japanese Restaurant and Bar next door and Buho Cocina y Cantina in Waikīkī. And they’re all very different. This concept offers healthier options, grab-and-go items — and breakfast with some kick-ass 12-hour cold-pressed coffee. (The coffee program here was designed by Honolulu Coffee Co. founder Ray Suiter Jr.)

Here’s what I’ve been eating:

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At the counter you’ll be treated to quick takeout items like these unique scones and donuts.

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And there are always freshly baked muffins — love the Oreo-topped ones — here, too.

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I’m a sucker for musubis — and this place has my number. While it’s not always there by lunch, I’ve been able to nab one of these for breakfast.

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I’m a big fan of these Spam musubis topped with a fried quail egg. The Spam has a light teriyaki flavor and the rice is always perfectly cooked.

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I did ask for bread and butter. Who wouldn’t? So this is what I got: a bowl of housemade oven-baked focaccia and soft butter. I would like to see this place serve a variety of breads with a butter bar. Doesn’t that sound awesome?

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This is the breakfast dashimaki tamago ($7.95), a kind of Japanese-style frittata of egg and rice and topped with a thin slice of ham.

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My pregnant girlfriend was craving pancakes, so we ordered the taro and banana pancakes ($10.95), which comes topped with fresh fruits and whipped cream. This is one of the restaurant’s most popular breakfasts.

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The breakfast pizza ($7.95) comes with ham, pesto and cheese topped with a fried egg.

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There are four savory pizzas on the menu — minus the breakfast pizza, of course — cooked in the restaurant’s state-of-the-art pizza oven. My favorite is the four cheese and honey pizza ($14.95), with Gouda, Parmesan, Mozzarella and bleu cheeses — oh, and honey, which adds just the right amount of sweetness.

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There’s a lot to choose from on the lunch menu, including pasta dishes, a beef short rib loco moco, a red bean and brie sandwich, and a smoked ‘ahi sandwich that Melissa called the best she’s ever had. But I went for the Italian sandwich with ham, salami and cheese. For some reason, I had envisioned the bread would be buttered and toasted with a pesto olive oil drizzled on it — but I don’t know why. It didn’t say that on the menu. I guess my imagination ran away from me. This was a basic sandwich on super-soft bread and, if this is any indication, I ate the whole thing.

VERDICT: It’s easily one of my favorite go-to spots right now. Breakfast isn’t too crowded, which is nice, and you can hang out here for awhile, talk, meet friends, no problem. I wish it served Diet Coke — oh, they’ve heard this complaint from me already! — but I will say, the iced mocha, made with dark chocolate, is an awesome substitute. The free WiFi doesn’t hurt, either.

Bread + Butter, 1585 Kapiolani Blvd. near Ala Moana. Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Phone: (808) 949-3430

Angelo PietroBread + Butterbreakfast pizzaBuho Cocina y Cantinamelissa changShokudo Japanese Restaurant
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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3 Comments

  • Reply Melissa July 10, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Nooooo don’t mention the damn wifi!!! And where is my invite?

  • Reply Annoddah Dave July 11, 2015 at 6:59 am

    CAT: Aaaiiiyyyaaahhh! Fuud Pix! Tenks! Been there and it is as you say. I don’t know if they can make it with artisan breakfast and lunches. The hoi polloi want guud stuff, cheap, and plenny. Kind of reminds me of the old cafes at the Montmarte that attracted artists who hung out all day and talked about stuff. Nice gathering place for social media types to hang out and text about stuff, so far anyway.

  • Reply Vickie c. July 14, 2015 at 1:35 am

    Bread and Butter is a place my girls friends and I would like to do lunch. Guys like food that
    they sink their teeth into so not a place for them.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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