Photo: Andrea Lee
TThere’s a lot of buzz here about the new Midtown Eats food hall at The Park in Ke’eaumoku, and for good reason: With more than a dozen vendors, a wide variety of cuisines, tons of seating, and free parking, it’s a great place to satisfy everyone’s cravings and hang out.
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SEE ALSO: where are they now Restaurants on Ke’eaumoku Street
Image: Courtesy of Midtown Eats
Sellers
Here is the current list of providers:
Boba-Bing! is expected to open in March, while Dragon Burger and Bonburi are slated for May. All other vendors are open.
Boba-Bing! will serve boba, bingsu (Korean shave ice) and bungeopang (fish-shaped waffles). Expect Japanese-inspired burgers from Dragon Burger and Japanese food from Bonburi; both companies are from Japan. The rest of the vendors are all locally owned.
Of the 15 companies, five have opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurants here: K Park Bar, Mangiamo Gelato, Middle Eats, Ms. Nguyen and Sakurajima. Mangiamo Gelato gets its ice cream from La Gelateria Hawai’i, which only offers cups, pints and tubs, so that’s where you can get scoops. Middle Eats is a popular farmers market. If you remember the Japanese restaurant Hatsuhana that used to be in Hilton Hawaiian Village, it has been reincarnated here as Sakurajima.
parking lot
Guests can park for free in the building’s garage (currently subject to change). There is an entrance on Liona St. and Rycroft St. The car park door will open automatically, no ticket or validation required.
There are a few guest parking stalls available on the first floor, but you’ll find more upstairs on floors 2 and 2.5. Follow the signs to the ramp, go up to level 2 or 2.5 and park in any of the stalls marked ‘guest’ or ‘commercial’.
On Level 2, follow the Midtown Eats signs to the escalators that will take you to the dining room on the ground floor. On floor 2.5, you will need to take the stairs or elevator to floor 2 and take the escalator down.
The parking lot can be a bit confusing to navigate as it’s all pillars and gray walls. Be careful to remember where you came from so you can find your way back to the car and the exit ramp.
Payment
The entire dining room is cashless. Sellers accept credit, debit and contactless payments.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Order kiosks
You can order from each vendor or use one of the ordering kiosks located around the dining room. Currently, about half of the vendors are connected to the kiosks.
You can order food on the screen, pay by card or contactless payment, then get an order number and go to collect your food at the counter. You can indicate whether you want to eat here or to go. Some of the kiosk menus have photos, but not all, so if you’re curious about a dish, it’s best to go directly to the vendor to see if there’s a photo or ask the staff.
The toilets
The bathrooms are at the back of the room, past Mangiamo Gelato. Ask a salesperson for the door codes.
What we recommend
Having been to Midtown Eats a few times, we’ve moved around but not all the vendors yet. From what we’ve tried, here’s what we recommend.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Serg’s Mexican Kitchen is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, so if you haven’t been because they’re in Mānoa, take that as a sign to try them here. The menu is the same. The famous flauta ($16.95) is always a good choice, and the nachos or rajas con queso are delicious sharing dishes.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Middle Eats has been a farmers market and we are happy that they now have a location at Midtown Eats. The menu is bigger here. The mezze box ($20) is great for sharing with a group; it comes with cumin fries, pita, green falafel, halloumi cheese and pickles plus a choice of two dips: baba ghanoush, roasted garlic hummus, green tahini or garlic toum. The shell container the mezze came in was full, and it was fun and tasty to explore all the texture and flavor combinations with the different pieces.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Sister restaurant to King of Thai Boat Noodles, King Thai Cuisine has an exclusive dish on the menu: the grilled pork, which we would definitely order again. The pork is grilled with a nice chew, and the chili sauce has a nice kick – authentic taste Frolic Editor Mari Taketa notes, not sweet like the locals usually do.
Aloha Sugarcane Juices also has locations in Waikīkī and the Makai Food Court in Ala Moana. Only at this place, you can add tapioca to your juice or slushie. Although the drinks are made with cane sugar, they are not super sweet; the only sugar comes from pure cane sugar and added fruit, all blended to order. We liked the calamansi and mango flavors.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Mangiamo Gelato has 24 flavors of ice cream and sorbet; some flavors may rotate, but generally the offerings stay the same. Feel free to ask for samples before choosing. Hawaiian Honey Yogurt is the most popular and is very yogurty. I got the deliciously creamy condensed milk and the not-too-sweet green tea. They are $5.50 for one scoop (keiki), $6.75 for two (doppio), and $9.75 for three (trio). You can add two add-ons for an additional $1.50. The first ones were huge, so I’d say the doppio is well worth it. Pints are also sold for $14.50.
Photo: Andrea Lee
Tips
- Midtown Eats is a patio, not a restaurant, so no free water is available. Bring your own or buy a drink from the vendor of your choice.
- There’s also outdoor seating, so if you’re coming during a work hour, don’t forget to check for tables outside.
- Free Wi-Fi is available; ask a seller for the password.
- The entire dining room is family-friendly, though there is a sports bar, K Park Bar, at the front of the space that serves beer, cocktails and bar bites. The food is prepared by Mrs. Nguyen, the neighboring vendor.
- K Park Bar has a weekday happy hour from 11 am to 6 pm with $5-$6 beers.
- Serg’s Mexican Kitchen does Taco Tuesdays with $3-$4 tacos, as well as weekday happy hour specials from 3-5pm (except Tuesdays), including $7 quesadillas and $9 flautas.
Open Sunday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-10pm, individual vendor hours may vary, 1515 Liona St., Ke’eaumoku, midtowneatshi.com, @midtowneats_hi
Andrea Lee is the digital publisher of HONOLULU Magazine.
