The Cat Dish
  • Musings
  • Food
  • #CatTravels
  • #BabyFox
  • #40trails
  • Videos
  • About Me
  • Contact

Dish 5: Honolulu lunch spots for gabfests

By Catherine Toth Fox • January 22, 2013 • Food

panya

People are always asking me for suggestions.

They want to know the best restaurants for first dates or which coffee shops have great brews and free WiFi.

So I thought I’d post my responses here, too.

The other day a friend of mine had asked about a restaurant in town — meaning, Honolulu — where she and her girlfriends could gab incessantly and not worry about an impatient server pushing them out. Or worse, quieting them down.

I wanted to raise my hand. “Yes, I know! I know!”

Ask any of my girlfriends and we can rattle off a list of restaurants where we tend to patronize not because the food is great, but because we can sit there for hours, catch up and dish about last night’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” (Oh, it was good.)

But there are restaurants where the quality of the food can be just as tantalizing as the conversation.

Here are my Dish 5 of my favorite lunch spots for gabfests, in no particular order:

moena1. Moena Cafe: Easily one of my favorite haunts in Hawaii Kai, Moena Cafe (left) offers tasty breakfast and brunch dishes until 3 p.m. Some favorites include fried rice, signature pancakes (shown) and whatever scones the restaurant is serving that day. The relaxed atmosphere helps, too.Koko Marina Center, 7192 Kalanianaole Highway, (808) 888-7716

2. Cafe Laufer: One of my go-to spots is Cafe Laufer in Kaimuki, where you can nurse a salad for way longer than you should — and still order a Chocolate Gateau St. Honore later. I’m a fan of the Chinese chicken salad and meatloaf sandwich. And don’t get me started on the desserts! 3565 Waialae Ave., (808) 735-7717

3. Panya Bistro: Whenever we need a lunch spot for a meeting — or just a long gabfest — and we need it fast, we head to Panya Bistro at Ala Moana Center. Lots of parking, a great little drink menu, and — believe it or not — a damn good burger and fries. Plus, the restaurant isn’t stuffy, so you can laugh from your gut and no one will tell you to hush. Ala Moana Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., (808) 946-6388

4. YogurStory: I have spent hours and hours here, talking with my girlfriends over red velvet pancakes or the restaurant’s signature Fat Pig Fried Rice. And there’s fantastic coffee drinks and wireless Internet, so you can Google while you gossip. 815 Keeaumoku St., (808) 942-0505

5. Marisposa: I’ve been to more baby and bridal showers, birthday lunches and post-shopping meals at Mariposa in Neiman Marcus than any other restaurant in Honolulu. We are lured by the spacious dining area — with great views of Ala Moana Beach Park — and the never-ending supply of the restaurant’s signature popovers. (It serves monkey bread for dinner.) And we can’t get enough of the corn chowder, lobster club sandwich and Mariposa Burger with a basil-tarragon aioli. Ala Moana Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., (808) 951-8887

Got any to add? I’m always looking for new spots to add to my list!

Starting today I’ll be posting my picks for everything, from margaritas to hikes to glazed donuts. I’m calling it the Dish 5. Check out my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @thedailydish to continue the conversation!

Ala Moana Centerbest restaurantsCafe LauferDish 5friendsHonolulu lunch spots for gabfestsMariposaMoena CafeNeiman MarcusPanya BistroYogurstory
Tweet
13
The truth may set you free, but there's a cost
Paying for bags, food and now to board first

About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

You Might Also Like

  • #CatBakes: Super Easy Coffee Cake

  • Why I Decided To Go Vegan — Sort Of

  • I Really Do Eat For a Living

  • #CatTravels: Five days in Tokyo

13 Comments

  • Reply David Jackson January 22, 2013 at 3:56 am

    I am curious if you asked all of your guy friends where they hang out like that what the list would look like. Do you see clusters of guys hanging out in these same five places? I gravitate toward Starbucks… not the one in the BankOH Tower but the one up the street. Also used to hang out at the Krung Thai on the back porch but I understand they aren’t there anymore. Same could be said of Smorgy’s I guess. Kalapawai in Kailua was good for it. Boston’s Kailua I understand is also gone. When I move back going to need new hangouts.

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 22, 2013 at 1:00 pm

      Guys — I think you like food trucks and drive-ins. As long as the food is good, the service is fast and the prices are affordable. Oh, and the portions BIG!

    • Reply lib January 22, 2013 at 2:02 pm

      omg… KRUNG THAI!!! i LOVED their food… haven’t found anything like it since they closed… the Starbucks on Alakea (Central Pacific Bank/Mandalay) is WAY better than either of those locations on Bishop Street…

      • Reply David Jackson January 22, 2013 at 4:23 pm

        have to agree, Krung Thai closing shop was bad. Ate there so many times over the five years I was in Hawaii… really miss it. Guess I forgot to mention Rainbow and the food truck in the Ala Wai. Have to try out CPB Starbucks.

  • Reply Annoddah Dave January 22, 2013 at 6:37 am

    CAT: What about the tea place in downtown?

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 22, 2013 at 1:00 pm

      Which tea place? 1024?

  • Reply M January 22, 2013 at 8:02 am

    Hello Cat!
    I just went to Sergio’s in Manoa and it looks like a good place to eat and chat as long as you want.

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 22, 2013 at 1:00 pm

      Is that the old gas station? Haven’t been, believe it or not, but planning to try someday!

      • Reply M January 22, 2013 at 1:06 pm

        That is the place. The fuud is pretty guud and there’s always people dining there so you know it’s guud.

  • Reply Jen January 22, 2013 at 10:02 am

    Love Cafe Laufer! I’d add Kissaten Cafe.

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 22, 2013 at 1:01 pm

      AAAAAaaaaah, Kissaten! And it’s open 24 hours!

  • Reply WildeOscar January 22, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    Until about age 35 with my guy friends, it was always a bar. Sparkling conversation it wasn’t. From 35-45 bars and restaurants seemed to alternate, and the conversation got better. After 45, it’s usually a restaurant for a group breakfast, and, if it’s a bar, wives and girlfriends are included and the meal is the main event.

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 22, 2013 at 1:01 pm

      Bars don’t work for gals who want to talk. Too loud and full of distractions. Plus, alcohol doesn’t help keep us coherent 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

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.

Latest Posts

  • Anyone Else Feeling Like You’re Failing at This?

    March 8, 2022
  • It’s Hard To Say Goodbye—So I Won’t

    January 29, 2021
  • Was 2020 Really That Bad?

    December 31, 2020
  • Here’s What Happened To My Dog Indy

    December 10, 2020
  • I Did Noom For a Month and Here’s What Happened

    October 7, 2020

Made with in Seattle

© 2013 Solo Pine Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.