My family on the neighbor islands Love their Manapua and minute chicken cake noodles. Always request from here. They can get busy so it's better to put in an order. read more

I would actually rate Royal Kitchen a 3.5, but 3 seemed a little low. I think Royal Kitchen has the best baked manapua. It's soooo soft like a cloud and filled with good char siu (not too fatty). Also got ma tai su and pork hash (decent). They also have really good gau. Highly recommend for baked manapua!! read more

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Best manapua and dim sum in Honolulu. Love their baked manapua, pork hash, half moon, chow fun and believe it or not turkey sandwich on their baked bun. The service is great and everyone knows their stuff. read more

When I arrived, there was one person being helped. While waiting my turn, the worker handed me a face mask. After she handed me the mask, I read the sign. They put together my order and rang up my bill, you get a small discount for paying cash. The food was excellent and everyone in the office loved it. Inflation raised the prices, so can't afford to go there often but, you can always depend on great food there. read more

The hubs and I stopped in here 3 times during our week long vaycay in Waikiki for the Manapua. It's a warm soft roll stuffed with your choice. My favorite is the coconut, but the chausiu and chicken curry are excellent too. The last time we stopped, the lady threw in an extra manapua! FYI, It's in a sketchier part of town so there are bums and streetwalkers. Royal Kitchen will validate your parking. read more

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I have to give a shout out to the employee there named "Louisa" She was so helpful and patient when I ordered 8 plate lunches. I wasn't sure which starch I wanted so she said I could have; fried rice & chow mein, chow mien & chow fun, chow fun & fried rice. I just decided on all chow mien. It looked the freshest.Then I ordered the chicken, mushroom, and bean curd. I thought it was jai at first. When I ate it at home, it was delicious! To me their manapua is always good. I have to say thank you again to Louisa. She made the ordering easy and pleasant. A side note. I had just come from Fook Lam and asked if they could make 12 plate lunches. They didn't seem busy. One waitress said they could and gave me a menu, but another came by and said in an irritated tone of voice, "No we can not do that!" I said "Fine!" My sister and I walked out and went straight to Royal Kitchen. I am so glad I did! read more

The Gang at Royal Kitchen got the system down. The prices are reasonable and cheaper than most chinese restaurant and other restaurants. The senior workers know what they are doing and fast service. Great place for dim sum and Chinese food! Must wear a mask before entering. They have mask on hand if you don't have one. This is a thumbs up! read more

3-1/2 stars - This used to be my go to place for char siu manapua. After the last couple of times this year (a few months ago), have to admit the filling is different ... too much sugar and bits of hard crunchy pieces in it. Not how it used to be. The sweet potato manapua and pork hash with mustard on the side for dipping so ono. The workers behind the counter diligently keep the line moving. This will be my opportunity to check out places that sell manapua on the leeward side and maybe find steamed ones, too. read more

Been here a number of times, and we'll go back. Great looking baked bao/manapua, but I'm off wheat, so regretfully can't eat any. Broke that rule to try their Mah tai soo. Good, but not the best I've had. It's dicey what's available each day. One day had their Ip Chai, which is char siu wrapped in steamed mochi rice and ti leaf. The bomb. Was not able to find it after that. Their siu mai doesn't have shrimp in it, just pork hash, which is great for me since I avoid shrimp. So many temping BBQ and warm items. Parking available, access from Kukui St. For the time that we're in there, the parking is usually free during the week. read more

Tried for the first time and holy moly! The baked char siu manapua is so good. Their pork has was the best ever! I'm typically not a morning person, but this was worth the drive and time. read more

Yummy buns buns. Love how soft and light their buns are. My favorites are the charsui, curry chicken, coconut and sweet potato buns. Really cheap too. Hard to find street parking. They also sell hot foods like to-go plate lunch. read more

My boyfriend brought me here to try out their dim sum because he says that they're really popular and the pork hash and the char siu Manapua. We ordered a dozen of the pork hash and char siu manapua, two of the mochi rice balls and three rice cakes. I must say the food here is pretty good. I wouldn't say it's the best dim sum I've had but their food is good. The bread for the manapua is very soft and mushy which I like and the meat inside is pretty flavorful. The pork hash has I think water chestnut inside or something crunchy and I don't really like that. Theochi rice balls are basically the skin of pork hash on the outside and sticky rice with lap churng in the inside who is good too. I like the rice cakes, it's pretty chewy and not too sweet. read more

Royal Kitchen - Char Baked Cha Siu Bun - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Read the reviews, I decided to try char siu bun, half moon, and pork hash, I was so disappointed. It's not good as I expected.

I've been coming here since I was a kid. My favorite place for Manapua. Hands down no one has better Manapua and dim sum than royal kitchen. read more

Growing up as a Chinatown hood rat, I remember sitting on the stony ledge beside the river outside of Royal Kitchen munching on baked Manapua fresh out of the oven. We didn't have much money then, and as a kid more often than not all my family could afford as an after school snack was a Manapua or two. These days, I'm a both a Chinatown old-timer and an unusual sight there along the riverbank mall among homeless friends; sitting on that same stony ledge all grown up in tailored suitjacket and trousers, sharing the same baked Manapua out of a small brown paper bag; remembering what the world was like in a different, simpler time before life became a terribly complicated thing -- and for just a few minutes letting myself be that kid growing up in Chinatown again, enjoying the simple love of warm, freshly baked bread opening up to steaming hot roasted shredded Char Siu pork. There is something unquantifiable about freshly baked Manapua from Royal Kitchen -- there's a kind of temporal fleetingness that, almost like the steam that wisps away when you tear open a freshly baked Manapua, wisps away just the same way in increasing orders of magnitude the more time that passes between oven and mouth. These Manapua are best enjoyed pulled from a fresh tray right out of the oven, dropped into a paper bag and eaten on-the-spot -- as anyone who has ever eaten bread freshly pulled from the oven can tell you, there is no other experience like it. Here's what you need to know about Royal Kitchen: FOOD: Royal Kitchen specializes in Baked Manapua. These are yeast bread buns that are slightly sweet, thin-shelled and airy soft, surrounding a filling that is traditionally Char Siu, which is a red-colored traditional Chinese Roasted Pork Loin, chopped up into small bits. The Char Siu Bao (Manapua) is their most popular by far, and they bake fresh every few hours. Think of them as round, semi-spherical Piroshky (anthropological records show a migration from China through Russia as an ancestral basis for European Piroshky). Fillings include (made less frequently through the day) in my descending order of preference and recommendation: Great: Char Siu, Kalua Pork, Portuguese Sausage, Lup Cheong Pretty Good: Curry Chicken, Chicken, Vegetarian, Hot Dog, Black Sugar Meh: Okinawan Sweet Potato, Coconut, Ma Tai Su Royal Kitchen also offers various Chinese roast meats and a few "plate" options. PARKING: There are two lots you can park in, both paid. The first one is on North Kukui and is on the ground floor of a building. This lot is closer to Royal Kitchen and has a 30 minute grace period. The second lot is the Cultural Plaza parking structure with 8 floors off of Maunakea. If you are staying longer than 30 minutes, this is the better lot to use. Be warned though, at lunch time this lot (structure) fills up quick and it takes a while to get in and out. There is also street parking nearby. ORDERING/ SEATING: There's usually a mob of people waiting inside, overflowing outside. Take a number, wait for them to call it. While you're waiting, take a look inside the Manapua case on the right side of the counter, and get an idea of what they have. The Manapua will be marked with a red mark of some sort on top of it (except the standard Char Siu, which will be unmarked - see photo), indicating what the fillings are. Before you start ordering, tell them how many you want total so they know whether to get you a box, a take-out styrofoam case, or a paper bag. When you're done, go to the register at the far left and pay there. No seating inside. There are some tables and benches outside. SERVICE: Minimal. They take your order, you pay. Move along. They understand English just fine even though some of them speak with a heavy accent. ATMOSPHERE: Tiny, oldschool Chinatown. Manapua case to the far right. A selection of local style Chinese foods in steam trays line the center of the counter, with a case of roast pork, Char Siu loins and roast duck and chicken hang in the case to the far left next to the register. COST/ VALUE: Extremely good. Each Manapua as of 17 May 2012 costs $1.20 and it only takes about 3-4 to fill up an average sized person. VERDICT: 5/5 - When it comes to Manapua, there really is none better, period. I have not had better anywhere, be it NYC, San Francisco, Honolulu, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or anywhere in between. I've had better Char Siu Bao, but none with quite the same soulful satisfaction that comes with a touch to the heart of a young, innocent Chinatown kid buried somewhere underneath the hardened exterior of the man I have become in my years. It's Manapua like this that makes you realize that your suit from London, your tie from Paris, your watch from Geneva and your car from Stuttgart mean nothing, and that the best things in life sometimes come $1.20 at a time from a tiny shop in the run down neighborhood you grew up in. read more

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Giving this place a review was very difficult. Here's my breakdown based on my experience this afternoon... Location - Creepy. The parking is free if under 30 min but also really sketchy. The location is also super sketchy. This is a take out place - grab your food and GO! Service - Absolutely horrible. Normally I wouldn't complain about this, but the woman behind the counter was quite mean and gave me a dirty look when I paid with credit card. Food - Amazing. Let me start by saying that I do not eat meat. That being said, I walked in hoping to get some non-meat half moons (which I apparently had at a staff meeting a few weeks prior). The woman told me they did in fact have meat. I felt that she either didn't understand my question or just didn't like me. So, instead of getting the half moons I asked if anything else was vegetarian - turns out they have vegetarian manapua! It was super small but also super cheap. I'd recommend getting at least 2 if you're gonna give it a fair try. I saw they also had some bomb chow fun that LOOKED vegetarian. She told me, "yah no meat." Then when I looked over the counter I saw her picking out the pieces of pork. I ate it anyway because honestly it smelt so darn good in the car and she actually took out all of the meat somehow. Glad I did because It was amazing! Noodles are the perfect consistency. Would have liked a few more veggies but not essential. I added some hot mustard sauce when I got home and I think I died a little. Even though I didn't get to try the meat options they looked bomb! I will definitely be bringing my meat eating friends. I may even make a friend try the half moons just in case... Cost - Amazing! My manapua and the noodles came out to $4 something. A man walked in after me and ordered a few items and it only cost him like $3. So, overall. This place is the epitome of hole in the wall but for the prices and flavor, you're getting a great deal. read more

Royal Kitchen - Chow Fun (with no meat?) - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Yelp 365 Challenge #111/365 Yum to Dim Sum when your bosses away and the assistants decide to have a luncheon because we can eat in peace. However, the only flaw in this was one of the assistants retiring who ordered for us last year and we couldn't remember the restaurant that she ordered from. Good thing we had her phone number and asked her. Royal Kitchen Researched on Yelp and thank you to all the Yelpers who posted up their menu! We were able to decide what we wanted and planned our menu. I called it in and they were so friendly in taking the order. She also shared that if we parked in the parking structure, it was 1/2 hour free since we were only picking up our food. But, my co-worker decided to park next to Borthwick Mortuary. As we stepped out of the car, I noticed she hitched up her pants because she's very germaphobic. Anyhow, our pick-up time was for 10:00am and I was surprised...it was bustling with business at 9:30am. As I looked outside, there were alot of elderly walking or talking with their friends. My co-worker was craving for a white custard pie but they didn't have any, but they recommended a Dim Sum restaurant, Tai Pan (?) in the Plaza Center. Since we were early, we decided to pick up white and yellow custard pies (the little ones) and walk around the plaza to look for "anything with a dragon on it" for our other co-worker. At 10:00, we walked back and our order was ready...my stomach was ready too. Baked Manapua: Char Siu...soft with enough char siu on the inside. Pork Hash: It just reminded me of the yellow truck by Campbell High School Roast Pork: Crispy and juicy Roast Chicken: Not dry at all Minute Chicken Cake Noodle: It must have been good because everyone wiped it out before me Beef Brocolli Chow Mein: Same as above Crispy Gau Gee: It was pretty good too :) Chinese Chicken Salad: You can't go wrong with Chinese Chicken Salad! Overall experience: I was not disappointed. The prices are reasonable and the service is friendly. Granted it is located in the downtown area that makes you want to cover yourself with lysol but to get to this food establishment as well as the other hidden gems in the downtown area, you need to man up and brave the streets to get to the good food that is waiting for you. read more

The few things I come here for is the sweet sour pig feet, baked manapua and their jai thats offered during the new years season. To some it might sound gross but the pig feet here is pretty good. Not as good as mom makes it but it does fill the void. The skin, the fat and small chunks of meat and cleaning that soft gristle off the bone ohh man so ono. (LOL! Yeah i know. No worry, its all good) This stuff has a lot of collagen so its good to have some handi wipes or water to dampen a napkin to wipe your hands clean. If you dont, you'll have a mess of napkin stuck to your fingers from the collagen and believe me it gets stuck. I had to wash my hands clean with orange juice because I had no water to clean the sticky napkins off. Sometimes la dat. The jai (monks food) here is ono. Its one vegetarian dish I could never get tired of. Bamboo shoots, mushrooms, baby corn, pepeau (wood ear fungus) Chinese snow peas, chestnuts, fried tofu, foo jook (bean curd) and bok choy are just some of the ingredients all cooked together to create this vegetable stew goodness. Eaten alone or on a steaming hot bed of rice, this dish a freaking winnah! The baked manapua is good too. Like always, it could use a little more char siu filling. Its best to eat it warm. Cold is not the same unless you nuke it when you get home. The people here are friendly. Just gotta know ahead of time what you want and dont forget to pull your number if its crowed or you'll be waiting a long time. They have parking in the back but I usually park on the Nu'uanu side of the bridge. Not in the middle unless someone is waiting for you.The cops don't bother and I never had any problem parking there. Just remember to lock your doors. Lots of flakes walking around there. If this dish sounds good to you, welcome in the year of the horse this new year by trying this vegetarian dish out. Who knows, you just might make it a tradition too. read more

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Believe it or not !those Chinese ladies who work behind the counter are nice! There manapua , pork hash, bitter melon, rice cake, char sui, mochi rice, and roast pork are all good! read more

This place is located near river street in the China town cultural plaza. It's a hole in the wall kind of place. I grew up in he islands so for me they have one the best baked manapua on the island. My favorite is the baked char siu manapua. Their pork hash is also good too. The best time to get their food is when it's hot. The manapua is $1.50 each and their pork hash is $0.75 each. They also have other items like gin dui, moon cake, chow fun, gau, and other Chinese food. They have a private lot in the back with a parking attendant that will give you a ticket that can be validated by royal kitchen then, parking is free. read more

Royal Kitchen - Baked char siu manapua at $1.50 each and pork hash at $0.75 each. - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My parents have been going to Royal Kitchen for 40+ years. Their baked char sui bao is famous. It's the one of the top three things to eat in Hawaii. (Leonard's madasadas and Liliha Bakery coco puffs) It's a Panda Express style restaurant, but their best dishes you have to special order. The best is Kao yuk with taro. It will take you back to your childhood where you enjoyed it at weddings. It a must have every time I visit the islands. read more

I have to tell you, growing up on the westside there was always that music you hear whether you are in bed, at school, or even just playing with friends. the sound of the Manapua Man coming in his van with all the graffiti sprayed all over was just music to my ears. I would just go to school and just think about what i was going to but with my one dollar when that lunch bell rang. Manapua is a staple that will always be a part of my life till the day i die. Now i have to be biased here, i never used to buy Baked Manapua before because i just never cared for that baked part of the bun because it lacked the spongy and soft texture that the regular manapua had. But as time passed by, the baked manapua started to grow on me more and more. Now believe me, i have tried many baked manapua's before from places like U-choice In and other places, but when someone told me you gotta try Royal Kitchen's baked manapua, it gave me a reason togo into the Chinese Cultural Plaza and give it a shot. And i came away leaving here with a very happy tummy and good vibes.. PARKING: Lots of parking to be had here and they do validate here. AMBIENCE: No ambience here unless you want see mahu's outsde River St or watch Chinese guys play Chess and sound like someone is pulling on their chin hairs... SERVICE: Now this where i thought there would be a problem but the service here is lightning fast and the turnover here is fast and furious. I had the most wonderful Chinese lady who was so pleasant and took her time with to explain everything about the place and what they have to offer. I thought maybe i inhaled too much of the incencse from the herbal shops nearby but this lady was amazingly helpful. I ordered 8 Baked and 8 Kalua Pig Baked Manapua's and they have a box which tells you which ones are which (Smart). I also ordered 5 different manapua's in another box in which the nice lady drew with her pen which ones were which. I was blown away. Then i ordered a plate lunch for me and she was always there to help me. So sweet of her. FOOD: If there is one reason, i mean ONE REASON to come back here again, it's for the Baked Charsiu Manapua. I took one bite and i thought i died and went to Manapua Heaven. The Baked manapua was so soft and airy it didn't taste like a baked manapua but the lady told me they use hawaiian sweet bread which makes it so light. It was like biting into a freshly baked dinner roll, it was just OH MY GOD.... BAKED CHARSIU MANAPUA: A must order yelpies, not your traditional baked manapua but simply outstanding.. BAKED KALUA PIG MANAPUA: A little diappointed in this one but to each his own. It's just hard to like something else after you eat the Baked Charsiu Manapua.. PORK HASH: It was very good as well but i think Char sung Hut and Libby's are just as good if not better.. ROAST PORK: Love the roast pork here. Crunchy Skin always gets to me and they have a nice Crunchy Roast Pork here.. CHOW MEIN: This was just as good too.. BAKED HOT DOG MANAPUA: Can't go wrong with this one too. That Soft Bun with the Rat Dog, oops, i mean the Hot Dog was delicious.. OVERALL: What really captivated me is that i have been in the service industry for 23 years now. The service from this one particular lady just made me feel like i was king for a day. She was so sweet and never tried to rush me as if i knew her for years. I even tried to give her a tip and she refused. She just told me to come here more often and that just sealed the deal for me. If im going to get Baked Charsiu Manapua, there is only one place i am going to, and because of this ladies passion and enthusiasm, and i am gonna be a regular here. Kisses to you sweet chinese lady... read more

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Very small and narrow shop that gets really, really busy. It gets even busier when the food tour buses drop in, so always make sure you take a number. They have a small selection of hot food items, but their main attraction is the manapua. They have a variety of different types, and they mark the tops of the bun so that you know what is on the inside. Yes, and they even give you a little paper to match up the print. Nice! Parking: They do have a lot with multiple stalls, and they validate up to 30 minutes. Otherwise, if you can find a stall, metered stalls are on Kukui St. as another option. read more

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Sweet, tasty, warm......Still my favorite place for baked manapua...baked char siu bau....took some to my customer..makes everyone so happy. Lots of local favorites...wide variety of baked manapuas....they will pack if you are taking it on the airplane...such nice people.. Validated parking and they do take credit cards. read more

Automatic 4 starts for having a veggie friendly manapua! Yay! But what I like most is the saimin! It's the soft/soggy noodles with the perfect tasting broth. Yes, I love soft/soggy noodles so if you don't like that kine, then don't get it. When I ordered it, I was expecting the instant saimin where you just add hot water, but no, this one is legit! Oh, bonus points for the aunty that helped me. She was cool. Oh, another bonus point for quality control. If their pork hash skin comes out crappy, they give them away for free. Scored two bags full! Too bad I don't eat meat. LoL. read more

Stood in line behind 10 people for 15 minutes before I had to leave cause the line was moving so slow. I wasn't the only one who bailed the line. It's putting manapua in a box! read more

I think we hit the back door take out, and it was perfect! We were in port do the day and didn't want to be total tourists. Found this lovely dim sum spot and are so lucky we did! The ladies/aunties at the counter were so sweet!! And loves that we knew the proper names for siu mai and other tasty dumplings. I had three kids with me and they were treated with all sorts of tastes and treats. These little treats, of course, led to us to ordering more. The siu mai were different than we've had and completely blew us away. It was siu mai Hawaiian style. The baos were so fluffy and good, all hot and filled with assorted savory fillings. The mochi cake was by far the biggest hit. The ladies have the kids a few to munch on and they were smitten. Upon ordering another 6 pieces, they were rewarded with six HUGE pieces and more for the road. The bitter melon was so tender, stuffed and stewed to perfection. The sauce they were floating in was a savory sauce with a hint of black bean and a subtle sweetness to it. If you've not tried bitter melon, this is a perfect intro to it. read more

Royal Kitchen - The little back side with tables on the sidewalk. Beautiful and so tasty. - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love the baked manapua here at Royal Kitchen. If you're looking for something to drop off when you pick your car up or visit a doctor, this is a great place to pick up a box of treat for them. A variety box of baked manapua, char siu, lup cheong, kalua pig, sweet potato, portuguese sausage and curry chicken always leaves them with a smile on their face and happy to see you! I love stopping by to pick up a few just for a quick lunch for myself too. Always hot and delicious! read more

Royal Kitchen - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Came here for the first time during our trip to hawaii. My family loved the roasted pork and char siu. I think that it was okay. I personally like more sauce. The manapua was okay too. Also wish it had more sauce in it. read more

Royal kitchen is my go to for Manapua! Their dough is sweet and soft. My mom got me mochi rice balls one day and I was pleasantly surprised at how good they were. I usually only like them in the lotus leaves. The tofu, mushroom, chicken in the entree section is also a mist try. It's covered in a gingery brown sauce that isn't too heavy. I can never tell what determines the crowd because some days it's super busy and others it will be empty. Parking is super easy and convenient too! You can street parking but make sure you pay the meter. Or even better, park in the lot behind and it's 30 min free with validation. read more

Royal Kitchen - Manapua heaven - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Try the manapua, but skip the pork hash. Chinese restaurants, well, the majority of them are run all the same way. I hate to stereotype the experience, but it's a "hurry up and order so I can cook" type of experience every time. It's meant for fast ordering. So, for a first time visitor, I had some questions and boy did I get short, not so very helpful answers. The regulars must have their orders ready and already know what they want, cause nobody is gonna be patient with you. I always feel rushed. I know Chinese culture is a tad different than American culture, so I don't mistake their behavior for rudeness. In a sense, Chinese restaurants are the realist dining experiences you could have. They aren't there to smile and pretend to be patient. In return you have to know what you want, because they are not gonna hold your hand through the ordering process. They are there to cook you good food. As with royal kitchen, they want to serve you good food as soon as possible. The baked char siu manapua was super good. I have yet to try the other things on the menu. The size was smaller compared to other places, but a good size since I always felt manapua was too big. The meat to bread ratio was perfect. I wasn't biting around for some meat. The pork hash gave me a sore stomach. I was able to pin point the source since I ate the pork hash on two separate days and got a sore stomach after eating it on both days. Maybe I am allergic to something in it or I had a bad batch. The pork hash did taste good going in, not so good coming out. I will stop by this little shop again, but the pork hash I'll have to pass. read more

The baked manapua are all wonderful, but you can also get satisfying & delicious local-style Chinese plate lunches here. I LOVE their very popular stuffed bitter melon (an acquired taste, for sure, but so addictive) with chow fun or fried rice on the side. My manuapua favorites are the char siu bao (of course) and their purple sweet potato bao. read more

A friend and I went to Royal Kitchen for manapua while we were staying on Waikiki. As others have said, their manapua is baked and not steamed...and perhaps that's why I enjoyed it less than other manapua I had while on the island, I don't know. The steamed manapua was definitely more my taste. I had one of their baked kalua pork manapua for breakfast one morning before my friend and I hit up the hiking trails at both Diamond Head and Manoa Falls. I also had one of their coconut manapua (my friend had a kalua pork and one of the purple sweet potato). Admittedly, I may have even enjoyed the coconut manapua over the kalua pork one (and I LOVE pork) because the slight sweetness of the bun complemented the slight sweetness of the coconut. Since I don't really have a sweet tooth, this combo was just right for me. The kalua pork on the other hand... eh, it just didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong...it's good manapua. I'd just rather pick up my manapua at someplace like Char Hung Sut, where it's steamed perfection. read more

This place reminds me of a hole in the wall restaurant I used to go to with my dad in Carson California. Same setting with a buffet style, servers barely speak English, inexpensive, nice servings, and bomb Chinese food! Needless to say it brings back alot of my childhood memories! I love going to this place! The pork hash and roasted pork is the best I've tested on the island! And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg!!! The roasted pork is sold per pound, so get ready to tell them how many pounds you want. The manapuas are also really good and lots of stuffing! When you walk in don't forget to grab a number otherwise you will be waiting in vain! If you go during lunch be ready as well because this place brings long lines! I personally like to go after the rush. In and out with the quickness! Go check them out!!! read more

FOOD: I was tasked with picking up some manapua and pork hash for a potluck and decided to try the famous royal kitchen! I got a dozen char siu manapua and 2.5 dozen pork hash. They are known for their baked manapua (versus steamed). Honestly, I'm not a big manapua fan, however I did enjoy their baked manapua. I like how the bread is fluffy and is lighter on the stomach than regular steamed manapua. They also put a good amount of char siu inside! Now on to the pork hash...they were huge! Pork hash is my favorite so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw how big they were! They were super juicy and yummy, especially with the hot mustard sauce! SERVICE: Came here on a Friday morning around 6:45am and had to wait ~15 minutes to put my order in. Not too bad, especially since I'm assuming they are the busiest at that time with people picking up food before work. When it was my turn to order, staff was friendly. No complaints. ATMOSPHERE: this is just a walk-in, order, and leave kind of place, no seating. PARKING: there is a parking lot and also street parking. Overall I was very satisfied and will probably start coming to this place more often. Plus, it's pretty cheap/affordable! read more

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Why so delicious? If I actually took the time to go through their menu to decide what to order, they'd probably kick me out for taking too long. There are too many good things to eat at Royal Kitchen. Their manapuas are Chinese style buns with a local flair. BBQ pork is my classic favorite, but sweet potato and kalua pig manapuas always seem to make it into my box as well. I cannot leave without a small box of their BBQ pork, which is seriously the best I have ever had. Tender, meaty pieces with just the right ratio of sweet and savory. Yummmmm!! Pork hash is big and filling too. See, I could go on and on. Sometimes there's a bit of a wait, but it's always worthwhile. read more

Royal Kitchen - Take a number - Dim Sum Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great manapua! We tried char siu, curry, Portuguese sausage, hot dog, Kalua pig. We ranked them and char siu is still #1. Broke da mouth! read more

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My late father told me about this place, whenever you need to buy goodies for the office, this is one of the places to go - since alot of Hawaii people love Chinese food - or at least the dim sum in the morning. Similar to kissing butt to the boss and making nice to your co-workers if you've pissed them off, coming here has been a blessing for me, since I may have burned a few bridges here and again. Whoops. Thank god for this place, among several choice eateries, that I can come and mend some fences and be good with my co-workers again. This place has pretty much the local favorites in what you know in dim sum. The most popular would be the steamed pork buns or "char sui bao" This place has been around since I was a kid and its located in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. My favorites used to be, the half moon and shu mai. Oh my god, those are one of the best ones. Even those egg tarty ones are pretty bad ass. Only problem is, is that they do cash only, so be prepared to hit up the ATM when you don't have the cash. They are open pretty early in the AM, so its best to get there early and get the first batch that came straight from the oven and into your mouth. The parking situation is ample, although street parking is your best bet. Just like McDonald's: order, wait, pay, and dart back to your car. That simple really. The service is fast, unless you have a large order. read more

After checking in to Chun Wah Kam and telling my Yeeps about getting my baked manapua fix, one friend mentioned that I HAD to try the baked manapua from Royal Kitchen because it was hands down the best she has ever had. How could I pass up that recommendation? Royal Kitchen has a parking lot that you can enter from N. Kukui St. Be careful because you might just miss it if you're not paying attention closely...I almost did! You can park for free (with validation) for the first 30 minutes. Royal Kitchen is definitely a pick up and go kind of place. I went in at about 12:00 and there was a crowd. The workers are not friendly at all, but they work through the crowd quickly so you're not waiting too long. Apparently, you're supposed to take a number so you know when it's your turn. However, when I walked inside a lady immediately asked for my order. I later saw another worker calling numbers and thought, "OOPS!" I ordered the baked sweet potato manapua, baked char siu manapua, and a rice cake. My typical orders from Chun Wah Kam so I could make a fair comparison to this place. I also wanted a jin diu to take home as well, but the lady said they didn't have any. Boo! My verdict? Their baked manapuas are okay, but I personally like Chun Wah Kam much better. The bread for the baked manapuas at Chun Wah are much tastier. I think Royal Kitchen fills their manapuas with more filling than Chun Wah, but to me, it's all about the bun that makes the manapua. Although Royal Kitchen is cheaper than Chun Wah, I think I would rather go to Chun Wah to get my future baked manapua fixes. read more

Although this place claims to have THE best manapuas (buns) in Hawaii, I beg to differ. I'm sure when the stuff is fresh and you come to buy it right when they've made it, they're pretty good, but the afternoon I went, the stuff was sitting in the display oven and no one was buying them. I was questioning myself, should I or shouldn't I? After 5 minutes and with a long line of people NOT buying them, I decided not to get any. They also have a buffet style arrangement with items which, once again, God only knows how long they've been sitting there. Surprisingly there was a line buying the stuff off the buffet table. I am not a fan of food that has been sitting anywhere for any length of time, especially NOT on a buffet style anything!! There were things I liked to eat like stuffed bittermelon, but it just looked shriveled up and I really shudder to think when it had been cooked. The shop was dirty and "sticky", the kind you wouldn't want to touch anywhere! I think it's time for a makeover and MAYBE people who are used to more hygienic conditions may frequent it. It definitely is a royal something, but NOT a royal kitchen that's for sure! read more