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Healthy Choices
| Visiting here is going to a happy place for legions of health food lovers on the island! |  |
Please keep in mind that many of these outlets are not strictly vegetarian, as some have dairy products and even meat dishes, but they are no doubt health-driven and you will find no shortage of strictly animal-free products at all of these locations. If you are truly vegetarian, I’m sure you’ll know just how and what to order.
Da Big Boy’z: Well Bento can’t be beat for a hot, healthy meal; Down to Earth and Umeke Market are great for a wide variety of meals and health products; Whole Foods for the largest health food/nutrition store in the State; Loving Hut for vegan meals done deliciously and economically.
Down to Earth. 3 locations: 2525 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili (map shown), 947-7678; 98-131 Kaonohi St. right outside the Pearl City S.C., 488-1375; and 201 Hamakua Dr. in Kailua, 262-3838. Parking available at all stores. Prices: $. Map. This family of full-service grocery stores are the premier vegetarian outlets in Hawaii, featuring everything from fresh produce and organic groceries to herbal remedies, essential oils, and yoga books. You won’t find any meat here – you can’t even get fish-based omega-3 oil capsules! You will find a serve-yourself vegetarian food bar, supplemented with breads, desserts, and other items you can order over the counter. They offer tofu lasagna’s, mock-beef burgers, spinach-phyllo pies, salads of all kinds, and everything else needed to satisfy your healthy needs. Hopefully, this and other local companies will continue to do well even as the super-store Whole Foods Market has now come to the isles.
Govinda’s. 51 Coelho Way at the Hare Krishna Temple off the Pali Hwy. in Nuuanu. 595-3947. 11am-2pm Monday-Friday only. Parking at temple. Prices: $. Map. For $7, you can get an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet and dine in a small dining room, under a large banyan tree outside, or find a spot somewhere else while enjoying the peaceful temple atmosphere. The spread is quite small, but you will suffer no lack here, with items like vegetarian curries, fennel rice, daal soup, home-made breads, and mint, ginger, and honey drinks.
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Healthy kale salad and... Buffalo? Check it out at Umeke Market in Kahala!
Umeke Market. A Closer Look. 4400 Kalanianaole Hwy. in Kahala. 739-2990. 8am-8pm Monday-Saturday, 9am-8pm Sunday. Parking in small shopping center lot before store on highway off-ramp (one-way, town-bound) where Kalanianaole Hwy. and the H-1 frwy. meet. Prices: $. Map. Umeke Market is a local health food store that has grown quite an audience. Besides all your supplements and healthy grocery items, there are a large number of healthy bentos and other innovative, ready-to-eat food choices available. You’ll find a lot of meat here, but in the form of free-range chicken breast, wild-caught salmon steaks, and buffalo, ostrich, elk, or venison burgers, which are all leaner types of meats. There are also many vegetarian dishes, as well as healthy shakes, smoothies, sandwiches, and other interesting items.
Whole Foods Market. 4211 Waialae Ave. at the Kahala Mall S.C. in Kahala. 738-0820. 7am-10pm daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. The mega-store that struck fear into the hearts of every health-food retailer on the island has moved in, at the old Star Supermarket at Kahala Mall. No worries, though, I think Down to Earth, Umeke, and the rest have been doing ok, despite the fact. This store is impressive, though, not only catering to hard-core health nuts, but also those looking for pizza or calzone baked fresh in their own brick oven, an extensive wine, chees, and gourmet section, a large seafood and meat department, and as many items in general as any plus-sized supermarket in town. There are also fresh juices made to order, sorbets, yogurts, organic fruits and vegetables, and a huge array of nutritional and health-related products.
| A surprisingly delicious mock shrimp w/peppers from international franchise Loving Hut. |  |
Loving Hut. A Closer Look. 1614 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili. 373-6465. Lunch and dinner daily except closed on Sunday. Prices: $. Map. One of the lowest-priced, if not the lowest-priced, truly vegan meals out there. You pay at the counter and seat yourself in a simple, but clean and efficient operation typical of such a large franchise, of which is found in countries all over the world, as far as Mongolia and the Czech Republic. Heated trays hold a handful of different items that can be ordered in two or three-item plates, including Lemongrass Hawaiiana (mock chicken), sweet sour hapa (mock pork), and taro curry. There is a Vietnamese/Chinese bent towards many dishes, including a delicious veggie pho that includes several different mock meats and several different mock shrimp dishes that look and taste surprisingly like the real thing! A great choice for those vegan-wary but curious folks out there.
Kokua Market. 2463 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili. 941-1922. 8:30am-8:30pm daily. Parking in lot behind market. Prices: $. Map. This natural foods co-op specializes in locally-grown produce, meat, and other healthy grocery products. There is a small deli within the store that offers vegetarian meals.
Green Papaya. 2 locations: 1518 Makaloa St. near Ala Moana S.C., 953-2340 (map shown); and 3579 Waialae Ave. in Kaimuki, 737-8820. Parking outside store or on streeet. Prices: $. Map. These small, casual cafes offer Vietnamese cooking, and while they are known for great vegetarian food, they also have all your typical meat-filled Vietnamese dishes, such as beef pho and shrimp-filled summer rolls. There are also delicious green papaya salads, curries filled with tofu and a mix of veggies, noodle soups, and spicy lemongrass tofu. Not to be confused with Bistro Green Papaya, at 555 N. King St. in Kalihi, another great Vietnamese restaurant.
Paradise Found Café. 66-443 Kamehameha Hwy. inside the Celestial Natural Food Store in Haleiwa. 637-4540. Parking outside store. Prices: $. Map. This is the place to be for vegan delights if you happen to be out on the North Shore. You’ll find nacho’s with black bean and cucumber, eggplant wraps, veggie burgers, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, and all manner of funky, new-wave choices. The Celestial Food Store will also supply all your healthy grocery needs.
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Greasy plate lunch? Nope! Well Bento's meals, like this tempeh scallopini with tahini gravy (both made from veggies!) are so delicious, it tastes like they're sneaking in some bacon fat while you're not looking! |
Well Bento. A Closer Look. 2570 S. Beretania St., Suite 204 (second-story level) in McCully/Moiliili. 941-5261. 10:30-9pm daily. Parking outside store. Prices: $. Map. The owners call it macrobiotic “fusion” instead of strictly macrobiotic, I’m guessing because they do serve meats like fish, chicken, steak, and even hamburger! Actually, I happen to be one person who believes that we need some animal protein and fat in our system, and not just for taste – but that’s just an opinion, is all. Don’t think, however, that vegetarians will be disappointed! This is definitely a sophisticated health food eatery through and through, with items such as grilled tofu, hijiki, gobo, tempeh, tamari, and a delicious tahini gravy made daily from vegetables and hulled sesame paste All the meals follow macrobiotic principals of no additives, preservatives, and refined sugars, and nothing ever comes from a can. Well Bento is definitely near the top of the list for a great, healthy, alternative meal without the bloated feeling afterwards! Take-out only.
Gourmet Express. 4211 Waialae ave. at the Kahala Mall S.C. 732-7700. Lunch and dinner daily except closed at 5pm Sunday. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. The Gourmet Express offers build-yourself light meals with various pasta choices and toppings, along with wraps, quick stir-fry’s, veggie burgers, and healthier meat options like chicken breast and turkey. There are also veggie tamales, fruit smoothies, yogurts, and even a tofu poke! For parties there is a catering menu available.
I Love Country Café. 451 Piikoi st. next to the Ala Moana S.C. (map shown), 596-8108; also 4725 Bouganville Dr. at the Mall at Pearl Harbor (NEX), 423-6555; 46-056 Kamehameha Hwy. in Kaneohe, 236-1688; and 95-1249 Meheula Pkwy. in Mililani. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking fronting stores. Prices: $. Map. Ok, let’s face it, you can’t, like, totally say that this place is a health food joint! Yeah, they say they use less sodium and no preservatives, but c’mon – with things like spaghetti carbonara, mochiko chicken, hamburger steak, and chicken katsu, how healthy can it be? However, this place has long held a reputation with power lifters, body builders, and performance athletes because they have a lot of healthy options and actually do seem to come from a healthy angle. They just don’t take it so far as, say, a vegetarian new-ager would. Which suits me just fine! There are salads, wraps, protein smoothies, and lots of brown rice as well as fettuccine alfredo, pork adobo, furikake mahi, and tons more creative dishes like these. For those who want don’t quite want to go extreme, I Love Country Cafe is the perfect introduction to healthy foods!
Salad Creations. Various locations: Koko Marina S.C. in Hawaii Kai (map shown), 396-2380; 1102 Bishop St. in Downtown, 585-9549; Royal Hawaiian S.C. in Waikiki, others. Map. This fast-growing American franchise has a pretty good system down. Pick from different mixes of lettuce, throw in over 25 different “throw-in’s,” like alfalfa sprouts, chickpeas, feta, gorgonzola, cranberries, red onions, tomatoes, and more, then pick a protein (if you want), a dressing, and, finally, whether you want it tossed “as is” or chopped, which allows more of those lovely dressings to cover every bit of every bite. There’s also set salad varieties for the choosing-impaired, wraps, soups, and fresh-baked cookies - all of that in a fun, Jamba Juice-type atmosphere – and usually below ten bucks!
