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

FUUD: Breakfast at Nico’s Pier 38

By Catherine Toth Fox • November 22, 2013 • Food

IMGP0083

Our gang meets up for breakfast almost every morning.

And it’s almost exclusively at Rainbow Drive-In. (Hence why I post so many photos from there.)

We eat there for three reasons: food is great and cheap, it’s the closest spot to where we surf (Waikiki and Diamond Head), and we know the owner, so we can cruise there for as long as we want.

But the other day, someone suggested that we try a new place every month. She and her husband had just been to Nico’s Pier 38, a restaurant and fish market located just off Nimitz Highway.

IMGP0077

I had been there before for lunch and dinner — it’s been open since 2004, but last year it moved to a nearby location and expanded to 160 seats with a full bar — but I didn’t know it served breakfast.

So I was intrigued.

Breakfast runs from 6:30 to 10 a.m. everyday but Sunday (which I thought was strange). And the menu is big enough, with items like fish and eggs, loco moco, fried rice, pancakes, French toast and sides. Prices range from $3.25 for a bowl of saimin with Spam, kamaboko and green onions to $8.95 for a fish omelette with garlic and green onions. A bit pricey — at least compared to Rainbow’s — but you get a ton of high-quality food. And you really can’t beat the view!

IMGP0093

So here’s what we ate: (All photos taken with a waterproof camera — Pentax WG-3 — by the way.)

IMGP0079

Here’s the omelette ($7.95), which can come with two of the following: Portuguese sausage, bacon, ham, Spam, kamaboko, cheese, mushrooms and green onions. The omelette also comes with white or brown rice and fruits.

IMGP0087

This is the loco moco ($8.75, $5.95 for a mini). It’s a combination of Nico’s hamburger steak — which tastes a lot like meatloaf — and two eggs and rice with a mushroom-onion gravy. This guy opted for fried rice, which is on the peppery side. Talk about overkill — but in a good way!

IMGP0090

The French toast ($5.25) is made with sweet bread from Kaneohe Bakery — plus! It’s got cinnamon, too, which was a nice touch, and the plate comes with fruits.

IMGP0092

Here’s the fish omelette ($8.95) with chunks of grilled ahi, garlic and green onions.

IMGP0082

I got the breakfast croissant ($4.25) with bacon — it actually comes with ham, but you can substitute it out — eggs and lots of cheddar cheese in between a buttery, flaky croissant. Heaven.

So if you’re looking for an uncrowded, relaxed place to eat breakfast, consider Nico’s Pier 38. You order your meals take-out-style and grab any table you want in the dining room. It’s hard to believe more people don’t venture here, but then again, maybe that’s a good thing for us.

Nico’s Pier 38, 1129 North Nimitz Highway. Hours for breakfast: 6:30-10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Phone: (808) 540-1377.

breakfastFoodFried RicefuudHawaiiNico's Pier 38Rainbow Drive-Inrestaurant review
Tweet
5
#TasteTest: Velvet Rope Bake Shop's Cake Truffles
It's officially time to freak out

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

5 Comments

  • Reply Annoddah Dave November 22, 2013 at 3:36 pm

    CAT: Aaaiiiyyyaaahhh! Fuud Pix! Tenks! I too did not know they had a brekkie menu. While you are in the area, try Ethel’s for breakfast.

  • Reply Dennis November 23, 2013 at 1:25 am

    I too didn’t know they served breakfast. I was not impressed by dinner when I brought a cake for wife’s birthday. They charged me $10 just or the plate and forks. Maybe breakfast will be a better experience.

  • Reply Bruddah Shaun November 23, 2013 at 4:41 am

    Have they been serving everything in styrofoam since 2004? Auwe!

  • Reply Glenn D November 24, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Cat, I did not know they served breakfast. Whenever I’m home visiting, we make it a point to stop by Nico’s for dinner. I like their tuna belly. Now that I no longer can have white rice, I am looking for places where they serve brown rice. I will make a note that Nico’s has breakfast. Mahalo!

  • Reply Glenn D November 24, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    Oh and speaking of Rainbow’s, they get brown rice or just white rice? I like get the chili hot dog plate there.

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.