A surprisingly good place to meet up with someone right on the outskirts of downtown Honolulu. We were able to have a fairly quiet business meeting right at noon as it appears classes were in session and it did not get busy until about 1:30pm. I liked the clean, contemporary look - not at all like a typical student cafeteria. High ceilings, lots of windows with an view of the harbor, and an option for outdoor patio seating. Lunch options were good for the $15 price, all you can eat so you can mix it up. Today was pizza day so I tried a slice - nothing out of the ordinary but it's hard to mess up pizza. They have a grill menu - chicken or ribs today. They also had a pasta of the day. I enjoyed the salad bar which had a good amount of options. Soup and salad was also available. Besides soft drinks, there was a good selection of juices and infused waters and the coffee options were great. For desert, they had cookies but I understand they bake daily so the option changes. There was also fresh fruits - whole or sliced. I hear that the most popular day is Wednesday "poke" day, but for me, I'd go on the less popular days and opt for some quieter time. read more

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Pier Nine By Sam Choy is located in Aloha Tower toward the back by Gordon Biersche. They validate parking and we all paid only $2 when we left (we were there about 2 hours). You can get validation when you pay. One really cannot beat the value of this AYCE restaurant. Breakfast is $10, brunch/lunch is $15 and dinner is $18. They even have a late night special after 9pm ($15)! I came here on a Friday for lunch with some friends. You will enter and pay before dining. We got there at the right time of 11am because a line formed out the door behind us. It was a mix of customers and HPU students. A large party was in front of us and they decided to paid one at a time which probably attributed to the line. They only accept debit or credit as a heads up. When you enter, you'll have the trash and dirty plates immediately to your left. Directly in front of you is the cookie, poke bowl, salad bar and hot bar station. I was told the hot bar menu changes daily. To the right is where you can get pizzas or burgers. In the far back is the utensils and drinks (coffee, fountain soda and infused water). Tables are inside and outside but only inside has AC. Even though we got there at 11am, there were no seats available inside so we had to sit outside. All the customers inside were from breakfast or brunch. It was rather warm outside but the view of the water wasn't bad. Sitting inside would be ideal due to the AC. Hopefully you'll be luckier than we were. The cashier made some jokes while we were in line and paying. Everyone was friendly and helpful. One thing though, my burger wasn't made exactly how I wanted it. I think the guy just assumed I wanted the same cheese as my friend but it was busy and it could happen to anyone. At least Cheddar was less calories than what I planned to order. The burger and poke bowl stations will accommodate if you don't want rice or the burger bun. I got poke without rice and used lettuce as my bun to be healthier. My friends did say the rice was hard. Don't worry, the poke is good and will make up for it. Maybe it was just a bad batch of rice? Their menu lists how many calories are in each item if you're counting calories. You're also able to purchase other drinks in the fridge by the cashier if you don't care for the beverages included with the buffet. Overall, solid AYCE spot where you can take home food that you don't finish. Great value geared toward the college student budget and appetite. 3.5 stars. **A few people asked me why 3.5 stars. They probably didn't expect such a crowd so they probably weren't adequately prepared. The staff still needs to work on timing of dishes, pizza and burgers. At one point, there were no clean plates, pizza was out and the burger line was really long. My burger wasn't the way I wanted but I took it because I didn't want to wait again. Once these issues are addressed, solid 4 star restaurant! read more

Pier Nine By Sam Choy - Lunch buffet 10/26/18 (Poke Bowl, Pizza, Hot Bar and Salad Bar and Burger) - Buffets Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

# for 2018 This is a great place to eat and sit during the twilight hour. The changing colors of the sky is so beautiful to see. If you're lucky cruise boats will toot their horns, sail by and you'll wave to the passengers aboard. Bon voyage I came here to meet up with friends to experience this new Sam Choy endeavor. Located in the Aloha Tower, towards the rear where Texas Roadhouse use to be. Gonna miss that. It takes up front up center to a spectacular view when sitting outside. Entering in, you pay immediately for your ayce buffet. Don't forget to get your drink and get your parking validated. Take a seat anywhere you like. Yes, you seat yourself. I felt like I was in a campus cafeteria. College students walking around sure enhanced that. Once you are in you get up and go to what you like. There are several stations doing different things. So, take your time scope it out. Towards the rear is a cereal setup for those students studying into the wee hours or just getting up. The salad, hamburger, taco and sub sandwich stations are popular building your own with no limits. I did go to different stations to get ingredients. For example, tomatoes from the hamburger station for my salad. I like them big. Service was okay. Robotic in a way everyone is learning their job. It is students working and probably fulfilling requirements for a class attending. However, the price I do feel is a little high for the quality of food, variety and service. Also, considering this seems to be servicing the college students there, It would be nice to make it more affordable for them even with the student discount. I would come back for the scenery alone. Lucky to be in Hawaii. read more

Pier Nine By Sam Choy - Buffets Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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A New All You Can Eat (AYCE) Buffet at Aloha Tower Marketplace (aka HPU Campus) in Honolulu! I was so excited to try this new restaurant by Chef Sam Choy! I asked a bunch of friends to go with me and they were looking forward to checking it out, too, since they had seen it on television! One of my friends had gone the day after Media Day when it was crowded, so I'm glad that we went for dinner on a rainy Tuesday... We didn't make reservations, so I got there before 5pm - it was empty! Later on, the HPU (Hawaii Pacific University) students came and went. There was a constant turnover of seats! PARKING: I had parked in the lot in the front (Irwin Park) where the first hour is free and the next couple hours are $2 each. The workers were friendly and welcoming. I told them that there would be six of us. They reserved us a table near the door to the outside seating. Yes...I requested indoor seating for the air conditioning. The rainy weather seems to increase the humidity. The clouds made a spectacular sunset which we thoroughly enjoyed! The environment was clean and modern to me. I liked the spaciousness and the pleasant lighting. The traffic flow was circular with the beverage station in the back and the food stations parallel to each other. The grilling area with hamburgers, followed by pizzas was on the right and the salad bar, followed by hot entrees was on the left. Overall, it was well organized. Even though we were here for dinner, we were charged the lunch price of $15. We were quite pleased with the pizza, burgers, salad bar, tofu Vegetable soup, oatmeal raisin cookies, beverages (including coffee), and purple mashed sweet potatoes. The orange chicken seemed more gingery, the banana muffin was a bit dry, and the shrimp noodle dish was on the tart side. These hot entrees will change daily, so I want to return and see what else is served! Tip: you may take leftovers home. Just ask the cashier for a take out box! Note: there was no poke at dinner, so I should check out the lunch menu... I also want to go to the omelette station at brunch time... let's go! read more

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An oceanfront cafeteria mainly to serve the Hawaii Pacific University students, but also open to the public. Great view of the harbor. Reasonable price for a buffet. Nice seating inside and out. The food? For dinner, it was underwhelming. But, the Kalua Pig with onions and cup of coffee saved the day! Alright, I admit. There were two other items that were pretty good. The mashed Hawaiian Purple Sweet Potato and pizza. Not exactly a combo that sounds appetizing, but that's what I liked after sampling from Pad Thai, fried brown rice, orange flavored chicken, cheeseburger, broccoli soup, and French fries. With these offerings tonight, I don't think it's enough to bring me back, especially when there are two well-known commercial restaurants at the same location. Give it a try and decide for yourself though. Since the menu changes daily, you might have better luck. Just keep in mind, this is not farm to table dining. It's an elevated cafeteria experience brought to you by Aramark with a Sam Choy twist. Enhancing the menu with a local entree is a nice touch. The Kalua Pig that I mentioned up top? It speaks Sam Choy. What caught my interest before dining in, was the local news feature on Sam Choy preparing poke and beef short ribs behind the counter. Had me drooling! Unfortunately, tonight's dinner didn't quite live up to what my tastebuds were expecting (no poke or short ribs tonight [insert sad face here]), but the company with fellow yeeps and an incredible sunset view in the harbor made for a pleasant experience! Service was great. Bus your own plates. Self parking will cost you about $2 for 2 hours with validation. But be careful, the lanes are slim and spaces are tight in the front lot. read more

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Dined here on a rainy evening, initially excited after hearing about SamChoy's latest venture at the Aloha Tower Marketplace which is now owned by Hawaii Pacific University. It's located on the 1st floor on the water, at the former location of the Don Ho restaurant. I usually refrain from posting a review based on a single dining experience, as it may not be representative of the quality or variety of the menu offerings. So after that caveat, here goes. The food stations are clean, nicely lit, and have a contemporary look. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating, which provide ample opportunities to enjoy beautiful, camera-worthy views of the harbor and the sunset. The various food stations offered: daily entrees (an overly spiced chicken, shrimp pad thai, vegetable fried rice, shredded braised pork, quinoa, mashed ube); salad bar; pizza bar (3 types, with a build-a-pizza option available); burgers (including veggie burger, which a dining companion tried and didn't like); soup bar (two choices, chicken vegetable and tofu); and sandwich bar. The best entree (if I had to choose one) was the braised pork, which reminded me of kalua pork. There were a myriad of choices at the beverage bar. Overall, I really enjoyed the company of my dining companions, the photo opportunities, and the cleanliness of the dining room. The food, not so much, sorry to say. Parking is validated, with 1st hour free, and $2 per hour up to 6 hours at the Irwin Park lot. The lot is unmanned, so stop at the automated parking machine before you proceed to your car. It may be a while before I go back. . read more

Pier Nine By Sam Choy - Buffets Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Having the Sam Choy name attached to it and seeing some of the local social media folks hit this spot, had me wanting to give it a try. It wasn't anything more than college buffet. We arrived close to 10:45 on a Saturday and left around 11:30, with nothing more coming out in terms of lunch. I didn't see any poke either, which I saw on some of the social media folk's posts about the opening. Brunch (and lunch) is $15 for adults, $10 for kids. It's serve your own, bus your own, so no tip. You'll end up leaving for about the price you'd pay anywhere else for a full meal so in terms of value or quantity, you're likely to get your moneys worth if you're hungry. There was an omelette station. The lady seemed a bit inexperienced then went on to complain to me how she didn't care to work that station. Salad bar (moderate amount of toppings available) and some fruits. Taco station, pizza station, sandwich station. There was the special of the day, which was the wagyu burger. It looked preformed and not very appetizing so I passed on this but they do have fixing to go with it (cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon, etc). Fries were offered but not very fresh. Also two kinds of cereal and milk were offered. I'm not sure what stays and what goes for lunch/brunch. I believe the time we were there was considered brunch. Soft drinks, coffee, orange juice and water were available. Nothing special but if you're in the area and need somewhere simple and of value to eat, this might be it. It also has a nice view. Parking: some parking in the front lot. Pay the automatic pay station at the front of the marketplace. You'll need to ask the buffet for validation. That will give you the first hour free. It's $2/hour after that. You likely won't stay long at the marketplace as everything is basically closed as it's not catered to HPU (shops are all gone). read more

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This place is in the Aloha Tower Marketplace, across from Gordon Biersch Restaurant, in the former Don Ho Restaurant space. Note that this a cafeteria type of restaurant; a little more upscale (mostly for the students, but open to the public). If you sit outside in the open air, you get a great view of the big ships coming thru the harbor. The AYCE buffet prices are Breakfast $10; Lunch $15; and Dinner at $18. Validated parking is 1st hour free; 2nd hour $2. It was advertised on TV morning shows that they had Sam's Poke and Loco Moco dishes; apparently though those items are not available on the weekends. I'm not sure if it's available for lunch or dinner or both on the weekdays. You might want to call ahead to make sure, as those two items looked really good on TV. As for the food: Hamburger Sandwich Station - they will grill the burgers for you (regular, or teriyaki style, or a vegan burger); and you can add your own condiments (like relish, tomatoes, lettuce, 4 types of cheeses, grilled onions, etc.). This was good! Panini Sandwich Station - they will put the sandwiches together for you with their meats (slices of turkey, ham, or roast beef), along with their condiments & panini grill it for you. This was also good; plus they even wrapped another sandwich for me to go. Omelette Bar - they had two chefs cooking your own omelette; you choose the ingredients. I did have to wait awhile while they cooked it; maybe the heat was too low? They also had trays of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, bacon, hash browns, & blueberry pancakes. Salad / Fruit Bar - nothing too fancy here; just the salad basics. The only fresh fruit today was cut strawberries & honeydew melon. Fried Rice Station - they had Garlic fried rice & Kim Chee fried rice; definitely winners! At this Station, they also had one hot item; today it was some kind of sliced pork dish, which was okay. At least it wasn't dry. Pizza Station - this one was just average but seemed popular with the students. Today they only had a cheese pizza or a pepperoni one. Beverage Station - they had coffee, fountain soda, orange juice, milk (regular & skim), dry cereal, and orange cucumber infused water which was pretty good. All in all it was a good buffet for the price. It would have been even better if today they also included Sam Choi's Poke & Loco Moco. I guess we have to go back on a weekday. read more

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This review is strictly based on our visit here for breakfast yesterday. We came around 8 am and it wasn't too busy yet, but it definitely started filling up as we ate our meal. Ambiance: It's a cafeteria-style buffet. Both the indoor and outdoor seating are clean, spacious, and nice and airy. The view outside is pretty nice, too. All the workers were friendly and helpful. A gentleman walking by even helped us by explaining that the omelette station also makes pancakes to order. Food: The fried rice was way too healthy (I think it was brown rice) for me to enjoy. The bacon was baked and nice and crispy. The omelette (to order) was delicious and speedy. The hash browns and scrambled eggs were whatever. I think both were out of a frozen package and the eggs didn't really seem like "real" eggs. The omelette eggs, on the other hand, definitely tasted "real". The fruit bar had tons of fresh fruit, yogurts, and peanut butter. Right next to that is the toast station. Toast, English muffins, bagels--you pick and toast your own, just like a hotel. The soda fountain has a good selection and you can choose between regular and decaf coffee. There's even a small (two-choice) cereal dispenser across from the drinks. Overall: You can't beat this all-you-can eat breakfast for just $10. Sure, the food is not gourmet, but you definitely get your bang for the buck. I ate my fill on the veggies, omelette, and bacon alone. And bottomless drinks included, too--you honestly can't beat that. Recommended for breakfast. read more

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Very good and convenient option for a downtown lunch. The pluses: -Easy validated parking -Delicious food options at reasonable cost -Beautiful views - spectacular on a clear day -Excellent poke (on poke day) -$15 AYCE THE MINUSES: -It feels like a school cafeteria - bouncing voices on walls, super loud yappers -It feels like a mainland college cafeteria. Little to zero locals. Overall, great value if you dont mind the loud mouth yapping college girls and nonstop chatter bouncing off the walls. read more

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I give it a 3 star. The host was excellent. He hustles, accommodating, and great customer service. Everything is set up cafeteria style. Some food was good and some needed a little more effort. Upon entering on left will be a small salad bar filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, and Sam Choy's dressings. The right made to order grilled sandwich station. Left hot entree station with servers serving mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed eggplant, hamburger steak and gravy, bbq chicken, pasta. Left macaroni and cheese and a pasta station. On the other side of the station, two soups New England clam chowder or broccoli and cheese soup. Dessert station peanut butter cookie, peanut butter Rice Krispie treat, guava cake. Back of the station beverages self serve machine. Fountain drinks, coffee, and milk. I ate the mashed sweet potatoe, half a hamburger steak pattie, sautéed eggplant, and Mac and cheese. I liked the mashed potato, eggplant, and Mac and cheese. I had half a Sam Choy Teriyaki Burger. Grilled hamburger with cheese deluxe topped with bbq teriyaki meat. The burger was juicy and tasty. For a $10 AYCE place, you can't go wrong. Special good until mid August. read more

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Enjoyed their $10 lunch buffet summer special! Yep, you read that right, $10 buffet!!! Regular breakfast is $10, lunch $15 and dinner $18 which is still very reasonable. Parking at Aloha Tower is typical in that it's limited and pricey. First hour is free after validation and then $2 for the next two hours (even if you go over by 5 minutes). After three hours it's $20! The weekly menu is available online: https://hpu.campusdish.com/LocationsAndMenus/PierNinebySamChoy The selection is great and so is the food. I thoroughly enjoyed their indoor seating in the cool A/C, although they have outdoor seating with the view of the harbor. read more

Bud: "I'm so sorry, I read somewhere "Sam Choy" and though it would be cool place for a birthday lunch". Me: "I appreciate it but next time, how about just buying me a beer?" Sam Choy? Really? Seriously? There is NOTHING "Sam Choy" inspired unless you believe that Sam Choy cooks food, the food is cooked therefore Sam Choy inspired this food. Being polite, this is a good way to get a balanced, pseudo nutritious meal for a good price. Straight up, this is HPU's school cafeteria. Dirt cheap AYCE ($15 lunch). Salad/fruit bar, burger station, pizza station, sandwich station, steam table entrees; typical buffet. Being a world traveling food snob, YUCK! From oil slick pizzas on what taste like half baked pizza dough topped with processed meats and cheese to a rubbery burger topped with anemic, wet mushrooms and more processed cheese slices. Black bits in the greens and a dreadful "cream of mushroom" with a surface skin and tasting like it was from a bag. The only saving, the great view and very friendly service. Free parking with validation for one hour. It is what it is though in my opinion, a poor way to celebrate one of the innovators of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Sam Choy. read more

In a nut shell, the experience of dining at Pier Nine by Sam Choy (PN) is like being back to my college campus cafeteria, which was reminiscent of a depressing era. It, much like PN, had a fairly decent spread of unimaginative food, with timid workers trying to peddle products they would never exchange money for; and the students forced to dig deep to be creative in combining different food station components to assemble something eatable and tasty because they do not have any means of leaving the campus, which is surrounded by an ocean and rocky reef and a highway packed with road rage speed demons. The burger station spat out reheated, overcooked, leathery patties in store bought sesame seed buns. Sauces of bbq, teriyaki, and thousand island, as well as deluxe-status-making toppings are laid out in self serve containers. The cook--the patty reheater--will over cook that under seasoned "meat" (is it?), which is his only role in the burger assembling process. The pizza station has only three kinds of pizzas at one time. I'm sure if you're willing to wait, a customized pizza can be assembled from the limited toppings. The crust reminded me of Sbarro or something that was crispy without any meaningful taste. The sauce tasted...manufactured. The most interesting appliance in the joint were the panini presses. The sad thing were the choices of cold cut meats and toppings--no bacon in sight. I'm sure if given some time and experimentations--with some pizza sauce or salad dressings--a respectable cuban sandwich could be, theoretically, made. There are no trays provided to carry multiple plates at a time for those trying to minimize the amount of trips between table and food stations. After busing your own table into the trash container located across from the restrooms, I am left to wonder if the cooks and workers know what a great burger or pizza or sandwich should be because the cashier surely did not appear to know. read more

It's been a while since I've been at Aloha Tower and found out that it is now a part of Hawaii Pacific University (HPU). A space to serve HPU students such as their meeting space, community event areas, and restaurants. Pier Nine by Sam Choy is a restaurant open to the public for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Being that it's designed to serve the students on campus, the restaurant has a cafeteria style feel. With seats indoor and outdoor overlooking Honolulu Harbor, serving healthy and hearty buffet with affordable prices! Where was this when we were in college?! Prior to entering the food area, you'll have to pay at the entrance. Then you can indulge in the buffet style food! There are different stations to choose from such as build-your-own grilled burgers and sandwiches, pizza station, salad bar, bakery, soup, and of course Sam Choy's featured dishes. The menu changes daily which you're able to view online. Ps. They serve POKE BOWL! read more

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Was looking for a quick lunch and decided to try here since I knew you could do "take out" of the buffet and I can choose what to put in my container. While the atmosphere was just like a school cafeteria, and the selection wasn't expansive, for $15 AYCE, you can't really complaint. Walking around to take a look at the food, I noticed you need to look up at the signs to know what they have, and that food isn't "self-serve" - they have staff scoop it onto your plate. There was a salad bar, pizza selections, make your own burgers and sandwiches, and I also saw they had a sweet and sour chicken, Asian noodles, mashed potato, carne asada, mac and cheese, French fries, and an assortment of some jello and pastries. I got one slice of cheese pizza, some mashed potatoes with carne asada, some fruit, lots of salad, and a little bit of French fries lol. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the carne asada, as the flavor was good and for the most part, it was delicious. A few pieces were not cut "against the grain" though so it made it a little tough. The mashed potatoes that I ate with it were pretty good too. As for the salad bar, they have a good spread of toppings, and I got some lettuce, chopped up hardboiled egg (my favorite), and ranch dressing. I wish they had some dried cranberries to put on top as well :) Since it is basically right across the street from my work, I will probably venture here again if I don't know what I feel like eating. I also want to try their breakfast one day, as I see they have waffle makers in addition to an omelet station. read more

I am really surprised by the reviews and disappointed that I tried this place. There is nothing "Sam Choy" about it. We came for Sunday brunch, $15. 1st of all, had no idea HPU has pretty much taken over Aloha Tower. The restaurant was filled with college kids. I also didn't know there are now dorms at Aloha Tower. The set-up is completely cafeteria style. Hamburger bar: it would be easier if the pineapple was in circles than chunks for it to stay on your burger. The fillings for your hamburger are far out of reach, just like the salad bar. You have to really stretch to get items placed further away as the sneeze guard really blocks you. The pancakes are very thin and take a while to get when you have a line. There are scrambled eggs, hash browns, oatmeal, muffins as well as typical buffet fruit but limited to apples and bananas. The pizza tasted like cheap microwave pizza with no flavor. You have to get everything on your own, incl drinks. And clean up on your own. Seating was completely filled inside so we had to eat outside. It was super hot and uncomfortable even being by the water. My parking although validated, was still $9. I'm not sure why Sam Choy put his name on this place. I know I would not return, but for the kids on campus now, it is an economical place for them to go. I was hoping for poke and such, but none. The expectation and experience was not at all what I had in mind. If you want to eat alongside college kids and hear swear words and gossip from them, this is the place. read more

As I was starving one day, scrolling through Instagram to see what to eat for dinner, I came across multiple posts of the new restaurant Pier Nine by Sam Choy. Based on the pictures, the food looked amazing and everyone raved about the food. I heard all you can eat dinner buffet for $18 and good food...I am sold, so my friends and I decided to try it. It was hard to find the place at first. It's right across from Gordon Biersche, in the back of the market place. The decor is nice, very bright and clean. It looks like a well decorated cafeteria. The first thing we went for is the salad bar. There was a selection of toppings and dressings, but the first thing I noticed was that the iceberg lettuce was turning brown. Already not a good sign. I also got the beef, pilaf rice, and pepperoni pizza. All the dishes were okay. The beef was prepared almost like pulled pork with the same flavor. It was tender and flavorful. The pizza was okay, standard cafeteria pizza. I think the biggest disappointment was that they didn't have any poke. That was the draw for us...we wanted together all you can eat poke, but there was no poke in sight. Maybe it's a lunch only item? I may come back to try their other meals, but I don't think I'll be coming back for sinner. read more

Went there for lunch and was turned away, said was for students only. I wouldn't waste your time going there.

Came here dinner time and a lot of things were "closed"...they also stopped serving food at 8:50, which is weird because they're supposed to be open until midnight from what I believe? Didn't expect much, but was at least expecting poke, burgers, pizza, and panini. They did not have poke when I went, and I also asked if there was a specific day and all they could tell me was "only on special occasions" and I clarified with, is it a day of the week, and they just repeated "special occasions..." huh? The burgers are left out and you get to choose your toppings. The "chef" wasn't there when I was picking out the toppings and I used the tongs to grab myself some lettuce since it was near me and I thought that was how you were supposed to grab the toppings. He then appears and tells me oh, we're supposed to be the ones grabbing it, not you. So I asked for tomatoes and mushrooms, and he asked if I wanted my mushrooms grilled. There were also fries on the side. The pizza you grab yourself. The panini they also make for you. There were also hot food items but from all I could see it was fried rice, roasted potatos, chicken teriyaki w/ veggies and quinoa. There was no list of items, even on the TV screen? The soups are next to the panini station and I had to ask what soup was what, no signs. My friend wanted pasta and they had none the day we went ): better call ahead. The panini tasted so weird...I put turkey breast, avocado spread, onions and spinach and something tasted so floral/perfumey. I ate half and threw the rest away. The pizza tasted like school lunch pizza from high school, but the crust/bread is a bit better. The burger buns are not toasted, but everything else about the burger was pretty good considered that it is under a heat lamp. The fries were the best thing I ate...for $18. I was so disappointed. I felt bad that I dragged my friends with me and to spend that kind of money, we could've went zippys instead! The only way I will try this place again is if I go there for breakfast or brunch. $15 and $18 dollars is not worth it. read more

Pier Nine By Sam Choy - pizza, fries, potato soup and custom burger - Buffets Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Simple yet very satisfying. I like that they don't put tons of food out so that it stays nice and fresh. It was very peaceful since school is out. The staff was very friendly. The place is clean & organized. Both lunch & breakfast are good! For summer only until school starts. Lunch is also $10 except Wednesday when they have poke. Then it's $13. read more

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Here to try their brunch on Sunday. It opens at 10am. Cafeteria style restaurant. Brunch is $15 all you can eat. If you are looking for fancy this is not the place. Head up towards Waikiki for wait service and $50 more. Up to you but can't beat the price for the variety and tasty food. read more

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Went for breakfast. Got there at 6:55am. Supposed to open at 7:00 but they didn't open till almost 7:10. When the cashier asked me if I wanted to look at the food before I paid, I should have took it as a sign to leave, but wanted to give them a chance and try it. No frills basic breakfast. Nothing special. Bacon, sausage patties, hash browns and scrambled eggs were all ok. There were pans to cook the omelets on, but they made it in the flat top instead. Omelet was just ok. Tried the pancake and it was terrible. Flat like cardboard and tasted weird like it was old batter or something. Couldn't put my finger on it. There was also toast, oatmeal, fruits, cookies and Loves Bakery pastries straight out of the box. Worth the $10 for breakfast? I'd say maybe. I'm hoping brunch, lunch and dinner are better. Maybe I'll come back and try those options later. read more

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So I saw a TV news report about the Sam Choy and HPU cafeteria collaboration that just opened. This sounded Interesting as it seemed to be an inspired food service concept. Along with many other Yelpers we headed on down for Saturday brunch. Location: Way out on the pier next to GB. Indoor and outdoor seating. Great views of the harbor and boat activities of all sort. I love watching it all. Validated parking. First hour free. Chances of getting into the preferred front parking lot is small. Sort of humbug to park at the far lot. Work in progress: I'm not going into detail but there are several problems outlined by others. First, my wife went off to the omelet station. A full 30 minutes later I went in search of her. She was still in line...it does not take 30 minutes to cook an omelet...was this a solar powered frying pan?...were they trying to save gas by cooking at 1/8th power...she also said she declined the spinach which was partly wilted and decomposing in the container. I ate some marginal cheese pizza while waiting for her. The chocolate chip cookies were good. I got a veggie burger which was 2 stars. Another convoluted but faster cooking process. The drink machine and coffee available was good. Soy milk was available for the coffee. We did try some poke. The rice was cold,dry and hard. IDK...but no local person was involved in putting the poke bowl together. Lots of students in there along with locals checking it out. A number of students getting their food in to go containers. Recommendation: Keep your expectations low. Give them some time to work out the bugs. I love Sam Choy so I'm cutting them a lot of slack. There is lots of real potential here. I'm optimistic. Not quite ready for prime time. read more

Saturday night we was heading for fish n chips at Gordon Biersch ,but seen this place right across with seating outside by the pier. We didn't know it's a buffet that was originally for HPU students, but just recently opened for the public. They have pizza, sandwiches, burgers, salad bar, and hot entrees. It was worth the price! read more

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Great vegan alternatives here! I devoured the garlic tofu and garlic flavored Cauliflower. These two main dishes along with the Kim Chee Friend rice, we were in local vegan heaven. The food was delicious although I wish I didn't have to continue to go back and forth for more as the servers put a small scoop on our plate. Either way, it's like a high-end cafeteria.​ Mainly for university students as their meal plan fits reasonable into it for an all you can eat buffet. It's open to all and I'd say the next hot spot for mid-day lunch. Hours: Breakfast 7am-10am , Lunch 11am-2:30pm, Dinner 5pm-pm, Weekend Brunch 10am-2pm, Late Night Dining 9pm-12am (Monday-Thursday) and 8pm-10pm (Sunday) Parking: Validations have the first hour free and then $2 per hour up to 6 hours. read more

Absolutely the worst Worst food Worst service How would a known chef put his name on this place? Today at salad bar What kind of dressings do you have? The names are on the labels! But there are no labels? Do you know the flavors No! Taste it and find out! Sandwich bar What kind of bread do you want? I dont know, what do you have? I dont know? Is that rye? Could be?!?! Ok ill take that, you have cheese? Yes what kind do you want? What do you have? What ever is in the bin!! But i cant see inside the bin, can you tell me what kinds? No, i dont know Taste moderate to poor Price $15 ayce lunch, $18 dinner Location awesome Drinks self serve soda machine and milk? read more

I saw people posting about this restaurant and looks good so I came . Let me tell you guys how was this restaurant. I really liked to love this restaurant but not my type. But the view is nice and supposed to be a new restaurant but the table chairs is disgusting!! It's filthy... i set down after 39 second so itchy so I had to move another table ( hard chair) . I ate most of dishes here whatever they have (Sunday around 1pm ?) Paid around $32 for two which is very good deal in Hawaii and but nothing not even one dish was my thing.. most of dishes under seasoned and pizza dough was too hard and tasted like frozen pizza . Burger was make your own burger but better I make at home .. one guy work inside section he don't even toast the buns and it taste horrible of course! Burger with cold bun come on. Panini (grill sandwich ) was ok if I have to pick what is the best dishes over here? I will pick this sandwich. But it's just ok. ( good things not horrible) poke bowl was ok too nothing special just poke . OMG!!!!!!!!!! Don't go to omelet section take 25 mins to make dang omelets..... I was only customer there... wasn't even line mine was complicated?? Nope just regular omelet and whoever works there she tried to flip and omelet got break and she add another egg and another egg and another what the heck????!!! I was about to say stop!!!!! Give me dang omelet!!! I don't usually get mad and it was too much. The three soup (mushroom cream soup,vegetables soup,oatmeal) mushroom soup was ok but need more thicker water creamy soup no good. Oatmeal its ok same taste as you put water in the bowl and oatmeal and microwave..... vegetables soup needs salt... salad bar?its just salad bar. A lot of local people likes spicy sauce ( sriracha or any kind of hot sauce but this place doesn't have it . It will be nicer to have those kind of sauce) the people inside just watching people. And of course it's new restaurant some customers has questions but the answer is not nice. Act like they get bother. ( questions like how do I order the panini or how it works for make your own burger? ) rice section I tried everything whatever they have all of them are horrible like horrible... sorry for this place. But if I'm broke student I would probably go sometimes but me since I'm not really broke so I would never go back here again . read more

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Pier nine is located at Aloha Tower in the back by Gordon Biersch. It's $15 for lunch and $18 for dinner. The selection is adequate for lunch but it's only $15 AYCE so I can't complain lol. The wait staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Almost everything is served to you and burgers are completely made to order so they can put the ingredients inside. Some of the items, such as salad, I believe you make yourself BUT the glass counter top makes it almost impossible to grab the things in the back. You have to put your head completely under it and your face inches away from the things in front. For lunch yesterday there were choices of burgers, Pizza, fries (add chili and cheese!!! Sooooo ono!), meatloaf, Mac and cheese, some Kind of Asian stir fry on rice, broccoli cheese soup and salad. There may have been some other things I missed. Things I liked: All you can drink orange juice!!! Mac and cheese (inside my burger YUM!) Pizza was sooooo good The outside seating has a beautiful view! Things I didn't like: Food wasn't piping hot. The burger to bun ratio was super off lol. Carrot cake dessert was very dry. Will definitely recommend and return! Cheap eats are the way to go! Tip: do NOT leave your dishes on the table. You bring it inside and to the right there's a station to put your stuff. read more

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Love it. Pier Nine by Sam Choy is a cafeteria for HPU students and is open to the Public. I heard part of the Aloha Tower building has converted into student dormitory. What a beautiful place to live and study. Nice to see Aloha Tower turned into a lively community with a mix of educational and touristy vibe. Buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner are also very reasonable. Validated parking as well. read more

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After reading the reviews, I learned that Wed is poke day, so went to the buffet for the first time with a friend. This review is for the African American man at the poke station. When I requested poke without rice and the seaweed, he gave me 3 pieces of poke and some tofu cubes. When I asked him for a little more poke, he rudely told me that was the serving size and if I wanted more, I would have to go back. What?! First of all, there was only one type of poke. Beside the salad bar and burger station, there really wasn't much else. If you charge people $15, at least let them eat what they want from the very limited choices there were. After all, it's a buffet! Because of this experience, I will never go back. I can pay the same price or less and go to other buffet places and get much better food and eat what I want. Thanks but no thanks. You can keep your poke and let the leftover rot. read more

Not good. That is all you need to know, it's a student cafeteria for HPU students who are forced to eat there with their meal plan, as a tourist or local looking for food you should avoid this "restaurant" at all costs. Staff is great and mostly friendly, food is often tasteless bland and sometimes just gross. read more

I asked the workers if the pasta sauce was vegan and was assured there was not meat. Upon closer inspection there definitely was. While their lack of respect for my religious views is disheartening I am concerned that a similar incident could happen to someone who has allergies. Dont trust the workers at this place. read more

Atrocious. This "restaurant" has awful service. I waited in line 15 minutes by myself for 15 minutes for a server to be at their station and take my order. Servers are never at theIr stations, food is subpar. Imagine if Burger King and lubys combined to make a "restaurant" but also hired people who slack off and don't do their jobs. If I could give it 0 stars I wouldn't Update: There's literally no plates or Update: WOW! They just hired a new chef. She is outstanding. Has down a phenomenal job. This is the first meal she has been here for and I'm impressed. If this continues I will change my rating accordingly. read more

"They're trying their best!" some kinks can be worked out with time, but other kinks are sure to persist 'cuz obtuseness reigns everywhere! there were TWO hot pork dishes when i went for lunch. the counters where you place your order had a nasty horizontal plexiglas sheet that'll hit you somewhere in the eye or jaw if you're not tall. the chairs for the high counter were a lawsuit waiting to happen as they very easily tipped forward. the regular chairs had a nasty corner for your under-knees area if you don't sit primly like a woman. kinks that could improve with time: both coffee urns went empty, iceberg lettuce bin needed replenishment, burger buns from Love's needed more baking, some salad dresssings needed labels, etc. (no need to list details -- good help & supervisors are impossible to find!). a frozen yogurt/ice milk product would be a nice addition. hot veggie pasta was not in high demand & hopefully will discontinue. the good ol' American buck, the folding kind, is no good here -- only plastic money is accepted. the parking arrangement is great. you have a nice view of Honolulu Harbor & Sand Island. the landscaping in Aloha Tower Marketplace is topnotch -- pause, look, enjoy. is it worth $15? maybe just once, to satisfy one's curiosity. read more

This is probably the worst buffet I've eaten at, even worst than Silverton in Las Vegas. We went to the lunch buffet. It seems like they don't season anything, most every dish on the line was refrigerator cold! The famous beef stew was sub par.The selection was bare minimal, the bread pudding was dry, coffee was ok. Would not recommend this place, very disappointing. read more

The Beef Stew looked like dog food. the burger looked like a flattened out hockey puck. poke is once a month but staff cant say when. extra star for giving us a refund (since we didnt eat) and the nice view. Definitely not worth $15 for lunch. If you're not a student on one of their meal plans, go eat some place else. read more

I Went to "Sam Choy's" Pier Nine with my work mates last week for the breakfast buffet. The large coffee decanter only had enough coffee for about 1/4 cup. This was extremely annoying but what is unforgivable is that the back third of the salad bar items are far out of reach even with their provided tongs. I had to ask an employee to (reluctantly) put the container forward in order to access the cherry tomatoes and I have long arms. It is difficult to believe that chef Choy would authorize the use of his name in this place! read more

If you ever wanted to know what it's like to eat at a Carnival cruise buffet, come here. Idk who told my mom about this place but she wanted to try it. We drove all the way from Wahiawa for a cafeteria experience... The majority of the customers are university students. For students it's fine but this is not the kind of place you want to bring the entire family to. I don't see me ever coming back again. The food is not the worst I've ever had but I'd never knowingly drive 40 min to a restaurant where I have to bus my own table. read more

Went for breakfast today, students must be on break cause it was really empty, but the ladies handling the stations were really attentive to the 3 people eating at the time. Lunch was about to start so all breakfast and lunch items were available. Will definitely time my visits based on time of day and student breaks, 10x better than 1st visit. read more