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    Waipahu Cafe

    4.2 (328 reviews)
    ModerateDiners
    Open 6:00 am - 1:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Waipahu Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    WAIPAHU CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Waipahu Cafe

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    Kevin W.

    Oh heard about Waipahu Cafe from my fellow Yelper's. Had a chance to visit them this morning. Love this place, it's so hard to find local neighborhood restaurants like this one. Locally owned and operated, staff and owner are amazing people. Very friendly and accommodating. Their food is outstanding. Prepared when you order on a griddle the same way it's been done since the 60's. We ordered the Famous Fried Rice Omelette with a side of Bacon and the Breakfast Special which come with 2 large pancakes, 2 eggs, and the meat of your choice. No reservations, take out available. Get there early they're open from 6am - 1pm. Closed on Tuesdays

    Kimberly B.

    Nice hole in the wall small restaurant! Inside is very small luckily we got the last booth to sit in. Worker is very nice, she calls everyone "baby". Seems like a lot of the people that dine in are regulars and like to talk story with her which is nice. Good to have friendly workers, makes me want to come back! Ordered the famous omelette and kimchi omelette. Portions are pretty big, lots of rice. More rice than spam in the famous omelette though. Kimchi omelette is very good! One of the best kimchi fried rice/omelette i've tasted. Not too spicy either.

    Kim chee omelette with the extras
    Janice L.

    Since the original owner retired, we haven't been coming often. None can ever replicate her love of cooking for her customers. However, her one devoted line cook is still there and she is awesome. We always look forward to seeing Manang. The place hasn't really changed but the atmosphere with the new owners can be a bit over whelming, the lady is a bit too forward calling customers "honey" lol. They kept the same eats from the original menu.

    Outside
    Derek Y.

    First time here, heard about it on Yelp and some of my friends. They're only open from 6:00am to 1:00pm. You can have breakfast or lunch. LeAnn the owner has excellent customer service, talking to all the customers. The food is good too...If you're in the Waipahu area, give this place a try. Aloha, Derek

    Storefront
    Nadine C.

    Takeout Breakfast from Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawaii... I needed some fuel to pep myself up. I searched my Yelp app and found Waipahu Cafe. It's the end unit of the strip mall part of Waipahu Shopping Plaza. Korea Foody is to the left of Waipahu Cafe. There's lots of free shared parking. Inside, the cozy, old-school diner has about four counter seats and four booths. Service is efficient and frank. Example: I was asked what kind of rice I wanted. I answered, "Brown." The woman said that brown rice wasn't available. I asked what kind they had. I didn't understand her reply, but I answered, "White rice". Maybe she offered fried rice and was trying to upsell? I'm not sure. I waited a bit and glanced at the open kitchen. There was a guy and a gal working the grill - great teamwork! I had ordered the Salmon plate. It was alright. I've had better, but I appreciated the presentation - the Salmon was topped with Sautéed onions and some chopped green onion. There was a half wedge of lemon in a small container. The rice was okay, and the macaroni salad had tiny bits of chopped onion and carrot. It was on the liquidy side. This wasn't "cheap eats", but it was convenient and satisfying. I'd try some other menu items next time... like Fried Rice Omelet or Miso Butterfish.

    Corn Beef Omlette
    Kylie T.

    Ok, ok, ok. To be truthful I've been coming here for years and stopped the last year or so cause I just never had the time and was never in the area. But you know when you get the urge after reminiscing about something to just... *do something*? That was me this weekend and exactly why I found myself at Waipahu Cafe not only on Saturday but also Sunday morning before heading to church. You can't ever go wrong with a hole-in-the-wall family owned and operated place selling breakfast AND lunch. Lunch for breakfast? Sign. Me. Up. With generous portions and fair prices this place is a go to. I never spend more than $40-50 for two people including special requests like adding on fried rice or sides of hash browns and breakfast meats. Everything is well seasoned, delicious, and well cooked. One of my favorite chicken katsu on island. Juicy, perfectly breaded, and crunchy! The meat Jun is also good (chicken Jun is equality good per Mom). And my fiance says that their over easy/over medium eggs are cooked to perfection - "no where ever gets it right like this!" Consider placing an order by phone and picking up your order to-go. There's limited seating but that adds to the quality of the food in my opinion as the cooks focus on only a few dishes at once.

    Menu as of June 2025
    Teri C.

    Filled our breakfast cravings here. Old skool neighborhood diner... cozy, taped-up booth seats and friendly staff. On the menu, you'll find your standard local breakfasts and korean/local plate lunch options (available all day)... and reasonably priced compared to other breakfast spots. They're known for their Fried Rice Omelet - and you can add-on a meat. We had the Breakfast Special and French Toast. Wow - portions are great... left stuffed. Next time I'm craving some Korean food for breakfast, I'm definitely coming here. They open at 6am.

    What we shared.
    Jo M.

    Got together with friends for brunch and we headed to Waipahu Cafe located near Saver's in Waipahu. Lots of parking at about 8:30am on a Friday. It's a small unassuming restaurant/diner with solid Korean food. They offer hefty plates of their dishes. The four of us shared four dishes: fried rice omelet (that was an entire plate on its own - gigantic), spicy BBQ pork, meat Jun, and three banana pancakes. Everything was yummy; one of my friends did the shoulder shake that comes with eating a satisfying bite. The pancake was fluffy and old-school in flavor. Ono everything. The fried rice omelet was served with kimchee. Solid. Got lots of refills for our coffees and water. They let us stay and talk story. $21 for my share. Good, huh? Looking forward to bringing my family here.

    Old school decor
    Rayne U.

    Simple cafe with a warm ambience. 6-7 booths & 5-6 bar stools for the counter. Seat yourself. Greeted quickly with water & coffee. Super friendly & happy staff. The Kim Chee ham omelet was delicious!! Juicy without being runny. Full of flavor! Denver omelet was full too!

    Pancake
    Craig T.

    Been here before pre-pandemic so it's been awhile. Since I was off on Friday State Holiday decided to go breakfast w/my sister and brother-in-law. I ordered their eggs, rice and Vienna sausages and they gave the whole can of Vienna lol! Most places give only 4-6 pieces. My brother in law ordered their eggs with fried rice and bacon . He said it was good . Their fried rice supposed to be their specialty especially the fried rice omelette. My sister ordered just a fried egg and bacon sandwich she said it was ok but would have been a lot better if it was on plain bread instead of toasting the bread . She also ordered a side of pancakes and it was little burnt and it was in the heavy side . Meaning pancakes should be light and fluffy not thick of pancakes mix . Normally they also give a complementary bowl Kim Chee but I guess they forgot Overall friendly service also good prices . They also sell plate lunches . Maybe next time I'll go for lunch and try their lunch menu . Support local and keep Maui in our hearts

    Banana hotcakes with eggs & Portuguese sausage.
    Reef A.

    Had to check out this place since many Yelpers recommended it. Great hole in the wall place. I ordered the Banana Hotcake Breakfast Special where mine included 2 pcs pancakes, 2 eggs over easy and 3 pieces of Portuguese sausage. No fancy frills here. The pancakes tasted good but were a bit thin not fluffy, the Portuguese sausage tasted good but the slices were thin and the eggs over easy were cooked perfectly. Service was great. I only ordered takeout so it's based on that. I was greeted coming in and multiple employees said "Thank You!" when leaving. The person taking my order appear to be the owner. She was patient while she took my order. Food came out without waiting long. Place is old school decor but amazingly clean and booth seating area was in very good condition. There are 6 booths and a few counter seats. Each booth had the menu conveniently posted on the wall and loads of condiments (soy sauce, salt & pepper, ketchup & mustard, tabasco, sugar & artificial sweeteners), straws, and a even hand sanitizer pump and container of wipes were on each table. I liked the old fashioned atmosphere in contrast to the cold urban metallic ambiance. However, no windows in this place and the main aisle feels a bit tight. There's a bunch of artificial flower plants all over this place. Mine was decent no frills meal for $12. If you want orchids on your pancakes, an ocean view and a big bill, go elsewhere. I'll definitely be back to try other things on the menu. Food 4 stars, service 5 stars, value 5 stars rounded average to 5 stars.

    Loco Moco
    Ashley M.

    Hole in the wall, local food places, are the best! All the workers were so friendly - they give little lychee jelly candies with your check and the guy cook ran out after us as we were leaving to give my daughter two more. So sweet! Food was great. They're busy so be patient and kind if you don't get a seat right away. It's worth the wait. Parking is easy too.

    Sean Y.

    Fantastic service! The food is okay. The pricing is a little high, but nowadays it's all high every where! Ordered eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and pancakes. Nothing stood out but none of it was bad. Service again was top notch! Super friendly!

    Shrimp fried rice omelette

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    4 months ago

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    3 months ago

    We love coming to support this restaurant in our home town of Waipahu. The fried rice omelette is our go to all the time!

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    28 days ago

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    5 months ago

    Nanas making breakfast, super good, can share one fried rice shrimp omelette. I come here with my family.

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    Great food and friendly service. A hole in the wall, with a country family vibe. I'll be back soon.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Waipahu Cafe

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    Rocky's Coffee Shop - Breakfast - Luncheon Meat & Scrambled Eggs & Fried Rice (add green onions)

    Rocky's Coffee Shop

    4.1(418 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    On my last visit over 15 years ago I was left very underwhelmed and slightly irritated with the…read morelack of Service. Fast Forward to this past weekend, the Husband and I wanted a simple breakfast after the gym and Rocky's had popped into my head. Definitely a staple in the Waipahu community, this cozy coffee shop sits on Waipahu Depot Street right outside of the Waipahu Festival Market. The area can get ridiculously busy so if you can, park on the street instead of in the Lot. You will have a hard time getting in and out once the surrounding Businesses open. I'm assuming where you're sitting will determine the type of Service you get. We sat at the Counter, and while we were very entertained with watching them cook orders, we were a bit neglected by the Staff, while the parties at the regular tables were presented with friendlier and more patient Servers. We waited over 15mins to get our order taken and since I guess they thought we were regulars they kept rushing to take our orders while we weren't given Menu's. We pulled the Menu up on Yelp lol. Food was standard. I really loved the fried rice! but the Hash was passable, it was too mushy for my liking. Also, our order of pancakes came 20mins after we finished eating, I wish i were kidding, We kept trying to flag down Aunty to cancel but she was very frazzled cooking, taking orders, and filling orders so we just waited. At the end we spent $60 including tip and left with a Hoo-Hum experience. Although I know for certain I just don't have the greatest of luck with this place, I am so happy they are still around and very much thriving! Places like this, that make Hawai'i so great are slowly shutting their doors so I do have a very great appreciation for their hard work and resilience through the many years.

    I canNOT stress enough the importance of places like this enough! Places like Rocky's Coffee Shop…read moreare a real life look in to the history of Hawaii as told by food. You walk in and there's a quaint dining room that probably seats 25 or so. The main centerpiece of the interior, set off to stage left of the shot is the 10 foot hot, flat grill! The smells that are coming from there can't be summed up in words. Sure, I can tell you what the meats they were but it's more about the feelings they conjured up. Rows of bacon, squished under a cast iron press. Hash browns sizzling to the perfect crisp. Fluffy eggs forming their shape. All the auntys there are so nice. You can tell they've been working there for years. They know the menu by heart. Service the way it used to be done! All the people eating there have the same spots that they always assume when they come. And if you stay long enough, or come at the right time, you watch the crowds change. The early crowd features the kupunas. They read their papers. Listen to the radio. Talk about bus schedules. The later crowd has the younger generations. Adults with baby faces and babies. The generation that had grown up eating here. Prices aren't the best, but it takes a lot to keep a place like this open. So PLEASE... come and eat. Enjoy the flavors that can only be made made from a grill that's cooked meats for decades, the same way. And always remember, though the flavor is unforgettable, it's more about the moments that you're sure to have that you'll never forget at a place like this! A must visit. MUST KEEP ALIVE!

    Photos
    Rocky's Coffee Shop
    Rocky's Coffee Shop - Hamburger Steak plate with green salad and French dressing... yummy!

    Hamburger Steak plate with green salad and French dressing... yummy!

    Rocky's Coffee Shop - Kim chi omlette fried rice.

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    Kim chi omlette fried rice.

    Big City Diner - Waipio Gentry - Macadamia nut, with haupia sauce

    Big City Diner - Waipio Gentry

    3.6(601 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    Stopped in for lunch after being away for a long while, and Big City Diner Waipio reminded me…read moreexactly why it's such a dependable local go‑to. The place still moves at Jurassic‑fast speed--tables turning over nonstop, servers gliding through the chaos with calm efficiency, and service that stays consistently friendly no matter how busy the room gets. The kitchen was absolutely swamped, but Aunty Ida and the crew didn't miss a beat. No go‑backs, no complaints--just plate after plate coming out hot and on point. * Fish and Chips: The breading was different in the best way--chewy, crisp, and clinging to juicy, perfectly cooked fish. Every bite was a little "mmm" moment. * Pork Chops: Tender, soft, and smothered in a gravy so good you could honestly drink it. Rich, savory, and balanced--comfort food done right. And to finish it all off, a scoop of Dave's ice cream sealed the deal. Cold, creamy, and the perfect sweet ending to a great lunch. Big City Diner Waipio still has that fast‑paced charm, that reliable service, and those flavors that make you want to come back sooner rather than later. Marie

    Always great for breakfast. Quality food that is served quickly. Service is excellent, our table…read morewas always being checked on. The restaurant was not crowded when my family arrived. We got a table right away. The restaurant did fill up once the church service ended. The restaurant does appear a little older, they've been there a long time. Bathroom was clean.

    Photos
    Big City Diner - Waipio Gentry - Sat in the first booth on right upon entry  4.12.24

    Sat in the first booth on right upon entry 4.12.24

    Big City Diner - Waipio Gentry - Side French toast

    Side French toast

    Big City Diner - Waipio Gentry

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    Aina Grill - Teri Steak

    Aina Grill

    4.0(192 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    I will be dreaming about this ahi katsu for the rest of my life. Drive here from anywhere; I…read morepromise you it is worth it.

    My mom saw this place on TV this morning and she had high hopes for the food but sadly we were…read moredisappointed. We can deal with it being kinda in the ghetto of Waipahu but it was the very unhappy (clearly annoyed) counterperson who was taking our order - who SNAPPED AT MY MOM because she was confused with what comes with their plate lunch AND then the cook (assumedly - a different person than who took our order) annoyingly brought our items out to the table. She ordered the chop steak - I thought tasted ok, but it was seasoned heavier than my mom would like. Portion was right for the price. I got their signature Loco Moco burrito - SAD. It was $20, majority rice and mac salad, no meat. I needed a knife to cut the burrito in half, there was no counterperson or anyone available to ask for a knife, so I kind of looked around their register area and found a random one on the side, cut the burrito in half, DEFINITELY NOT how they showed it on TV, if the counterperson came back, I probably would have asked for them to swap it out. We were sitting for about 25 mins - nobody came back to the counter? If it wasn't for the counterpersons unfriendly attitude I was planning to buy their signature dessert to go, but I was turned off by the whole experience AND he didn't come back out anyways until literally I was throwing our containers away. He didn't greet us. Thank us. Ask how everything was. Or say anything when we were leaving. We saw the owners on TV and are happy and glad to support a local business BUT NOT when your employees are rude and unfriendly. $45 - 1 mini plate + 1 signature item and 2 cans of soda, I would SKIP this place

    Photos
    Aina Grill - Double Cheeseburger

    Double Cheeseburger

    Aina Grill - Introducing our Mochiko Chicken crispy flavorful crust coated in your choice of signature sauce.

    Introducing our Mochiko Chicken crispy flavorful crust coated in your choice of signature sauce.

    Aina Grill - Ahi Katsu

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    Ahi Katsu

    Garden Island Café - Korean Chicken Plate Lunch

    Garden Island Café

    4.3(353 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    I first came to this place about a year ago and have been coming here ever since for lunch. With…read morethe rising cost of food places, this place remains to keep costs low, give generous portions of food, the food is always tasty, and the staff are so friendly. I hope one day they are able to expand because they would bring in more business, I think.

    I heard they have new ownership... and I haven't visited them in a while. I saw they had chicken…read morekatsu and gon lo mein on their weekly specials so I wanted to try it! Their portions and prices are insane... in a good way! Their specials change weekly Monday-Sunday. The lunch specials from 9:30am-2pm are $10.50 and after 2pm is $11.75. All day specials are $11.75. They always post the specials menu on their IG, so you can check there before you go - @garden_island_cafe :) The chicken katsu was crunchy and yummy! They cut their pieces a bit wide though... but the portion was filling! I had leftovers. The gon lo mein was tasty and had lots of flavor. They loaded it with lots of BBQ chicken too! I also had leftovers of that. The lady at the counter was very friendly... she said I came at a good time before the crazy lunch rush. I always like to call in my order so that I don't have to wait and I can just pick up and go. They do have a few tables to eat on if you'd like to dine in.

    Photos
    Garden Island Café - Clean interior/ counter has rice cake/ sign to order chicken chicherones

    Clean interior/ counter has rice cake/ sign to order chicken chicherones

    Garden Island Café - Delicious a la carte crispy fried chicken.

    Delicious a la carte crispy fried chicken.

    Garden Island Café - A la carte crispy fried chicken.

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    A la carte crispy fried chicken.

    Thelma's Restaurant - Three choice mix, best deal on town for under 14 bucks!

    Thelma's Restaurant

    3.7(657 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Thelma's Filipino Restaurant -- Pure, Real, Home‑Cooked Vibes…read moreAs authentic as it gets -- fresh Filipino cooking straight from Nana and all the indai working hard in the kitchen. They never miss. Every plate tastes like it came from someone's home. Big thanks to Omi and Ang for the good company. We smashed all the favorites: Pancit noodles, Pork Guisantes, Sari Sari soup for cold days and the legendary Thelma Special -- the true star of the night (iykyk). Flavor, comfort, and heart in every bite. Always a solid choice when you want real Filipino food done right. Marie

    Picked up lunch for my Co workers on a Friday around 11:30. It wasn't busy & had others picking up…read moreorders. They have disclaimers posted about consuming raw food, refund policy, and take out being your responsibility after it leaves the restaurant (must've explained that too many times - but hey they covered themselves)! Also a notice of 3% surcharge if paying with a credit card. Payment was easy (used debit) & staff was friendly. It looks like a comfy place to relax & get down on Filipino grindz. We got pork adobo (tender & flavorful), pancit mix (too lemony & lil mushy that day), Thelma's special (too salty, they wished I got regular lechon), Shanghai lumpia (ok) & adobo fried rice (good but small portion). The prices are reasonable but not as big portions as I thought would be.

    Photos
    Thelma's Restaurant - Counter seating

    Counter seating

    Thelma's Restaurant - Pork Guisantas

    Pork Guisantas

    Thelma's Restaurant - Menu | December 2025

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    Menu | December 2025

    Waipahu Cafe - diners - Updated May 2026

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