kabuki

There is an okazuya in Waimalu called Kabuki. An okazuya is like a deli but they serve dishes for your bento (boxed meal). Mostly all of the foods sold taste great hot or cold.

In Japan these days, okazuya is called sozaiya. But sozaiya in Japan are different, most of the foods there are pre-made.

Okazuya in Hawaii is something of an icon. Lots of places are run by people who have been in business for a really LONG time. So, if you love your Hawaii grandma's cooking, chances are you'll love the stuff they sell at an okazuya.

At Kabuki, the line starts early in the morning and they usually sell out before lunchtime. Even on a Sunday morning (when I went), there was a line (before and after me).

Since this was my first time going to an okazuya (yes, it was my very first time), I asked the lady in front of me how to order. She wasn't quite sure herself, and she got scolded by the ladies preparing her order...yipes. So, while I ordered, I smiled a lot and apologized to the ladies preparing the orders which saved me from getting the "stink eye" (evil eye)...whew.

On Sunday, I needed to buy lunch for my dad and myself, so I got 4 inari(cone sushi), 2 chorizo, 1 shoyu chicken, 1 butterfish, 2 hash and 1 serving of kinpira gobo...all for (US$10.52 tax included..totally cheap eats!). I thought the inari were like the cute things we have in Japan, but as the lady put the inari in the box, I was shocked...these inari were HUGE and only US$.95 each. (In Japan, I think you'd have to pay at least 300yen(US$3) for one this size.) Everything was delicious.

Most okazuya that I know serve their orders in these paper boxes (cake boxes). Even the older plate lunch places used to put their paper plated lunches into these boxes for take-out. Definitely more earth friendly than those styrofoam containers.

So, if you need something fast for a picnic, breakfast or lunch, check out an okazuya.

Kabuki
Waimalu Shopping Center
Aiea, Hawaii
Phone: 808.487.2424