Recently, I was talking to a friend about Mama’s Mexican Kitchen. It had locations at 378 N. School St., Moanalua Shopping Center, Pearl Kai Food Court and in Waikiki at 478 Ena Road. I particularly liked their taquitos, sopes and salsa.
Nolasco “Papa” Amador was the co-founder in 1971. “Mama” was his wife, Esther. Both had moved to Hawaii from Mexico. Their family ran it for a while, after their deaths, but they were all closed by 1994.
It inspired me to ask readers which long-gone restaurants they miss and wish they could dine at again.
McCully Chop Suey
Blake Nuibe said one of his all-time favorite restaurants was McCully Chop Suey on South King Street.
“In the early 1970s I had an office upstairs in the James M. Chrones Building. I could smell the delicious aroma coming up from the downstairs McCully Chop Suey daily.
“I started a personal tradition there. When my son was born in 1981, after I left my wife at The Queen’s Medical Center, I headed straight for McCully Chop Suey for a celebratory cold ginger chicken and kau yuk dinner to take home to our small one-bedroom apartment in Makiki.
“It was a splurge and treat for me. My daughter was born in 1984, and I did the exact same thing again.
“Recently, we got the phone call that our first grandchild (a girl) was born in Fairfax, Va. No more McCully Chop Suey, so I headed out to Golden Duck Chinese Restaurant for cold ginger chicken and kau yuk.
“I added chicken with vegetables on cake noodle. With a glass of Crown Royal, it was quite a nostalgic personal celebration, which brought on a flood of personal memories of the birth of our son and daughter.”
Bueno Nalo
Carla Margenau told me, “We frequently went to Bueno Nalo in the 1980s in Waimanalo. It closed around 1990, and the wait staff opened Papagayo’s in Kailua town, with pretty much the same menu, and we ate there often until it too closed.
“We were on a cross-country trip and stopped at Fort Bragg, Calif., and found a Mexican restaurant called The Purple Rose. After we looked over the menu, we remarked to the waitress that the dishes offered looked a lot like what we used to order at a restaurant in Hawaii.
“Imagine our surprise when the waitress said it was because the owners were the guys who had opened Bueno Nalo! The two fellows came out and chatted with us a bit, and we enjoyed our meal immensely. It was every bit as good as their food had been in Waimanalo.”
Jake’s Pancake House
Earl Engbino said, “I remember eating at Jake’s Pancake House on the corner of Hotel and Bishop streets (in the Oregon Building) before I started working there as a busboy in the early 1980s. They opened in 1976.
“They were famous for their made-from-scratch pancakes. They got lots of compliments! Only place I know that served Dutch apple, banana, strawberries, blueberries with three types of syrups: coconut, boysenberry and maple!”
Columbia Inn
Kathy O’Conner said, “My boyfriend and I used to go to Columbia Inn three or four times a week after work back in the 1970s and ’80s. I especially loved their shrimp tempura.
“We also loved to go to Mama’s Mexican Kitchen … a little hole in the wall on School Street, near Liliha. Their tostada was piled mountain high and was oh so good!”
Tripton’s American Cafe
Roger Kobayashi said he’d love to dine again at Tripton’s American Cafe, 449 Kapahulu Ave. Susie and Jim Tripton were the owners.
“I’d order prime rib (medium rare) along with mango-peach pie for dessert. A 14-ounce cut was under $20 in 1991. A complete meal included soup or fresh garden salad, vegetable, bread, baked potato, pasta or rice.”
Kakaako mom-and-pops
Jo Anne Yamamoto said, “One of my sister’s and my favorites was a simple but so tasty hamburger we’d get at the old K.T. Ching Grocery Store at 901 Queen St. in Kakaako for 25 cents. It was a plain hamburger with no frills, but I remember it was so delicious. They also had plate lunches, manapua and juicy cracked seeds.
“I remember seeing old- timers, back then, sitting on a stool, chatting away with friendly Mr. Ching while Mrs. Ching was cooking up in the kitchen.
“Another favorite but long-gone eatery was Elizabeth’s Delicatessen, which used to be in the building at 610 Ward Ave. and Waimanu Street. They made delicious okazu and the best maki sushi in town. Such fond memories of childhood in Kakaako.”
Elizabeth Hinaga ran it from 1957 to 1971.
Mekong
John Henry of Kaneohe said, “I have a few places that bring back great food memories.
“The original Mekong Thai Restaurant on Beretania Street, next to a barbell shop, was the best Thai food place at that time. My spouse and I participated in the Friday night sailboat races out of the Ala Wai Harbor, and after imbibing a few after the race, several of us headed for Mekong. No reservations were accepted.
“We would go across the street to Times, purchase our liquor of choice in a brown paper bag and then stand in line in front of the Mekong waiting for a table and maybe drinking out of our paper bag.
“The Evil Jungle Prince (choice of beef, chicken, shrimp) still brings back ‘broke da mouth’ memories.” Mekong opened in 1977.
“Another great food memory was what I believe was another original. I Love Country Cafe on Piikoi Street, next to the Blockbuster video store, had some of the best late night/early morning food in town and plentiful. I have never tasted a better Philly cheese steak sandwich anywhere, including Philadelphia!”
If you enjoyed I Love Country Cafe, Richard and Millie Chan’s healthy gourmet plate lunches can still be found at Adela’s Country Eatery in Kaneohe and at I Love Country Cafe at the Navy Exchange.
Ninniku-Ya
Harmony Bentosino said, “My favorite was the Ninniku-Ya Garlic Restaurant in Kaimuki. Everything was served with garlic, including oishi (‘delicious’ in Japanese) steak dinners. You could hear a resounding sizzle as they brought the entree to your table.
“They even served garlic ice cream for dessert! That too was oishi. It’s too bad the owner decided to retire and return to his native Japan. I sure miss that restaurant!”
Hana Broasted Chicken
Kendrick Lee commented on the Hana Broasted Chicken at 636 Sheridan St. in the early 1970s.
The owner, Ken Hashimoto, would marinate it overnight and coat each piece in over a dozen spices, then broast them in a light vegetable oil in a pressure cooker.
“The process kept people waiting in line, and he closed in less than two years, although his chicken was superior to all others.”
A three-piece dinner with choice of musubi or french fries, and coleslaw or mac salad, was just $1.60.
Tahitian Lanai
Eleanor Water said, “If I could dine again at the Tahitian Lanai, I’d have the eggs Benedict for sure. It was sooo good! I used to go there monthly with my mother, Olga Waterhouse. No need look at the menu. We always had the same thing.”
The Tahitian Lanai was part of the Waikikian Hotel on Ala Moana Boulevard. It served a basket of banana muffins to every table at breakfast.
The “TL,” as many called it, was an outdoor restaurant, with tables around the pool and many under a roof of sorts. It also had private grass shacks that could seat six to 12 people.
Readers: What is your favorite long-gone Hawaii restaurant, and what do you wish you could still order from its menu?
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Bob Sigall is the author of the five “Companies We Keep” books. Send you comments or questions to Sigall@Yahoo.com.
