Aku Eats Oahu : American : Casual Family Restaurants (American Chains)

Casual Family Restaurants (American Chains)

Outfits like Bubba Gump Shrimp are typical of the fun, casual ambience of American-style Chain Restaurants.

I could also name this section the Chain restaurant section, as all of these listed are familiar national or international chains that have set up shop here. High-minded types often criticize these haunts as over-commercialized or lacking in the character or originality found in smaller individual restaurants. I, however, beg to differ with this opinion. With shareholder-backed financing and much worthwhile experience, I like the consistent quality and modern, clean atmosphere, often set to a theme that is fun and enjoyable.

These restaurants can be addictive in some ways, much like American fast-foods are. Why, even local plate lunches cannot keep up with the amount of white bread, flour batters, butter, crèmes, and other caloric transgressors consumed here. Sure, we can always order brown rice, baked fish, and steamed veggies, or hit the salad bar while going easy on the dressing, but those large, colorful menus will forever sway us to the loaded fries, juicy burgers, crispy chicken wings w/ranch dressing, and deep-fried anything’s. It’s not our fault. They make us do it. The nerve.

Outback. A Closer Look. 4 locations: 6650 Kalanianaole Hwy in Hawaii Kai, 396-7576 (map shown); 1765 Ala Moana Blvd. in Waikiki, 951-6274; 94-810 Ukee St. in Waipio, 671-7200; and 302 Kamokila Blvd. in Kapolei, 674-1300. Dinner nightly. Parking outside all stores. Prices: $$$. Map. Somehow, this Austrailian-themed restaurant has gotten lobster cooking down to a science, especially the Hawaii Kai location (I’ve found some other locations not quite as consistent). When ordered steamed, I’d take these petit slipper or spiny lobster tails any day over the larger Maine lobsters at many of the fine steakhouses and seafood restaurants. You can order two tails on a plate or a single tail as an add-on to any entrée. For appetizers, the popular bloomin’ onion appetizer is a large, whole onion drenched in a highly-flavored batter and deep-fried, while the locally inspired seared ahi is as good as you’ll get anywhere. For one serious burger, get “the Works” burger and have them include an entire grocery’s list of items between your buns. Outback is mostly a steakhouse, with a menu that is a bit on the smallish side but still sufficient to cover all your meaty desires, from prime rib to pork chops and lamb, as well as chicken to fresh fish and seafoods.

Cheesecake Factory. Aloha Tony's Closer Look. 2201 Kalakaua Ave. at the Royal Hawaiian S.C. in Waikiki. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. This has got to be the most pumpin’ single restaurant in the state. Even though the multi-room dining areas are huge and the tables are a-plenty, there is always a wait. The beepers they give you do help, though, and allow you the freedom to find a comfortable spot to people-watch on busy Kalakaua ave. instead of standing in a crowded line for who knows how long. The food here is simply delicious for this genre of restaurant. The menu is huge and covers a dizzying array of items from large salads, burgers, and pizza to chicken Madeira, Steak Diane, and Pasta Da Vinci. One of the most popular items, and my favorite, is the Bistro Shrimp pasta, which comes with crispy battered shrimp, tomato, mushroom, and arugula in a creamy garlic/basil sauce. The namesake item, cheesecake, is a lot lighter and not quite as rich as a normal cheesecake, and comes in a large assortment of flavors and varieties.

Ruby Tuesday’s. 4 locations: the Ala Moana S.C., 943-2525 (map shown); the Windward Mall S.C. in Kaneohe, 235-5800; the Moanalua S.C. in Moanalua, 422-8585; and the Mililani Town Center in Mililani, 623-4949. Lunch and dinner daily. Prices: $$. Map. Your best bets here are the juicy burgers, baby-back ribs, Spencer steaks, or the salad bar, which is one of the larger and better ones around. Serves some great loaded fries with thick bacon bits and lots of cheddar cheese.

Shrimp in a bucket makes for loads of peel 'n eat fun at Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Bubba Gump. Ala Moana S.C. 949-4867. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. There is a fun-filled atmosphere in this movie-themed restaurant at the busy Hookipa Terrace of Ala Moana Shopping Center. Shrimp in a bucket is always a winner – you can get a combination of garlic/butter and Cajun-style in one bucket, both flavors steamed as great seafood should be. Otherwise, there are mostly other seafood choices with an emphasis on, of course, shrimp. Luckily, the servers have refrained from playing those silly games with us, often having gone into a forced comedy routine that just made everyone uncomfortable. I guess it would have worked if the waitstaff were named Robin Williams or Chris Tucker, but that hasn’t been the case.

Video games, comedy shows, karaoke, movies, pool, bar, restaurant - Dave and Busters really went overboard on the fun. The restaurant is pretty darn good, too, with their chicken parmesan over alfredo being one of their best dishes.

Dave & Buster’s. A Closer Look. 1030 Auahi st. at the Ward Entertainment complex in Kakaako. 589-2215. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map.

Not a bad place at all to dine, and located in one of the best nightspots on the island. Along with the restaurant, the facility includes three floors of fun, with the largest game arcade in the state, comedy acts on selected nights, a small area for pool and shuffleboard (pricey!), a sports bar, and karaoke nights, not to mention the nicest theatres in the State right next door. There are food and drinks available on all three floors, with items like tempura fried mushrooms, Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, parmesan chicken pasta, blackened tilapia, and Jack Daniel’s BBQ ribs.

Chili’s. A Closer Look. 6 locations: Kahala Mall S.C. in Kahala (map shown); 2350 Kuhio Ave. in Waikiki; Pearl Ridge S.C. in Aiea; Kapolei S.C. in Kapolei; Mililani Town Center in Mililani; Waikele S.C. in Waikele. Lunch and dinner daily. Prices: $$. Map. Mex-American themed restaurant with items from both sides of the border. There are a good variety of burgers, steaks, and ribs as well as fajitas, tacos, and quesadillas. A killer chocolate bundt-shaped cake, with a warm, gooey, oh-so-chocolat’y surprise in the center. It’s a good idea to ask for the vanilla ice cream on the side, as it melts quickly on the warm cake.

Trio of typical American starters - boneless buffalo chicken, crab/artichoke dip, and mozzarella sticks from Chili's.

Red Lobster. 1765 Ala Moana Blvd. at the Ilikai Marina in Waikiki. 955-5656. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking at hotel lot or in lots ocean side of restaurant. Prices: $$$. Map. Decent seafood and great place for drinks. Can get a little busy on weekends, with lines forming both here and at Outback Steak House next door. If your party finds itself closing the place down, you can step outside, chat your way down towards the ocean, and before finishing a joke or two, arrive at the Chart House, which is open till 2am every morning.

Monterey Bay Canners. 98-1005 at the Pearl Ridge S.C. 483-3555. Lunch and dinner daily, late-night till 12:30am and 1:30am on Friday and Saturday. Also Breakfast from 8am on Sunday. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$$. Map. This seafood-themed restaurant has a lounge area that gets a bit loud after 9pm, when live music kicks the tempo up on the weekends and sometimes on the weekdays, too. You’ll find crabcakes, shellfish skewers, coconut shrimp, and a variety of fish choices cooked any which way, as well as pasta, blackened chicken, and prime rib. The restaurant sits away from the main mall at Pearl Ridge Center, fronting a large watercress farm that supplies amost 80% of all the watercress sold in the entire state.

Lobster pot-pie from Mac-24-7.

Mac 24-7. 2500 Kuhio Ave. at the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel. 921-5564. 24 hours. Parking at hotel. Prices: $$$. Map. Like its name says, this restaurant is open 24-7 for club crowds and more, with a contemporary, chic design and atmosphere throughout. Several 50” plasma screens play all your favorite sports programs in the bar area, which has a single, long aisle that separates counter-seating on one side and spacious booths on the other. For something a bit more quiet, there is a private room and several dining sections within view of a beautiful garden courtyard complete with gazebo, waterfall, and lush Hawaiian foliage. Mac 24-7 touts kicked-up, modern American dishes like mac-and-cheese, eggplant/spinach lasagna, meatloaf, fried chicken, and much more. The signature lobster pot pie comes with large chunks of fresh lobster, pearl onions, and baby vegetables smothered in a rich, creamy lobster sauce. I wish it were encased in a Wellington-like covering, or even a Swanson's Pot Pie-like covering, but it is simply a stew with a large croissant-like pastry placed on top.

Spaghetti Factory. A Closer Look. 1050 Ala Moana blvd. at the Ward Warehouse in Kakaako. 591-2513. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Who knew spaghetti could taste so good? The mzithra cheese/browned butter is my personal favorite, but you can get other spaghetti choices with different toppings like meat, clam, marinara, or mushroom sauce. There are also a few other dishes like fettucini alfredo, baked chicken breast, and salmon fillets on a bed of angel hair pasta. They sport a casual, fun atmosphere that looks like an upscale, old-time saloon, and is easily the most inexpensive place in this section - perfect for entire family outings. I always try to sneak away and spend some time at the almost vintage, coin-slotted video-games you hardly ever find anymore. The original style of look-down tables sporting forgotten legends like Mrs. Pac Man, Galaga, Galaxian, and asteroids are scattered throughout the restaurant, all of which I much prefer to the shoot ‘em up or kung-fu stuff they feature these days!

Planet Hollywood. 2155 Kalakaua Ave. at the ANA building in Waikiki. 924-7877. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking at ANA building, 1st garage on left side of Beachwalk as you take right from Kalakaua Ave (no sign indicating ANA building at entrance!). No parking available daytime on weekdays – and fees are high even with validation. Aaah, just find public parking nearby and walk! Prices: $$$. Map. Hollywood-themed restaurant with lots of clothing and gift items available. Menu items are pretty straight-forward. There are salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, steaks, and a few “kinda-oriental” dishes like yaki udon noodles, orange/pineapple chicken, and garlic chili shrimp.

Denny’s. 3 locations: Pearl Ridge East S.C. (map shown), 488-6311; 205 Lewers st. in Waikiki near the Beachwalk, 923-8188; 94-305 Kunia rd. in Kunia, 671-6200. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Prices: $. Map. What would America be without Denny’s? For those outside the continental US, Denny’s is the casual, inexpensive diner that you find in every town across America. The menus are large and colorful, with pictures of just about every dish they have. Endless combinations of classic American comfort foods are available for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with prices that are tough to beat.

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