Plate Lunch

Wikipedia says the plate lunch is a "quintessential part of the cuisine of Hawaii" and Ambassador could not agree more. Consisting of rice, delicious sides, and different meat entrees, the plate lunch is a well rounded meal full of local flavors that anyone (vegetarians aside) will enjoy.

Where is your favorite place to pick up a plate lunch? WE WANT TO KNOW! You can comment on our blog, Facebook, or Twitter! And if you're simply looking for some ono kine grindz (delicious food!), follow us as we discover the best plate lunch places in Honolulu.


Either way, let us know what your favorite plate lunch place is, and why, and as we post our comments and experiences, add YOUR VOTES to be entered to win restaurant gift certificates and more! You can suggest one place per category, as well as post one vote and/or comment per category (counting as two entries total) to enter into the prize drawing. At the end of each category we will announce the TWO WINNERS! The Ambassador's Pick and our prize winner!

Shave IceCapades Roster

Ambassador took a quick blog-break due to APEC, but is back with a list of some fantastic shave ice places for you to try! Thank you EVERYONE (Colette, Amanda, Jasmine, Joycelyn, Mister Ed, Sean, Dara, and KiteGoods! We love you all!) for your input on Facebook, Twitter, and our shave ice blog post!

Shave IceCapades Roster

Ailana Shave Ice
2250 Kalakaua Avenue; Ground floor of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza
1430 Kona Street

What makes them special: Ailana prides themselves in their homemade flavors made from fresh fruit. These flavors are deliciously refreshing and taste exactly like the real thing! Ailana also has great, friendly service at both locations.

Ambassador says: Just a stroll away from our Kuhio location, Ailana is definitely worth trying! The ice is very fine and smooth, and the syrups are one of a kind. Ailana has our taste buds saying "10"!

(Uncle Clay's) HOPA
Aina Haina Shopping Center

What makes them special: The motivation behind Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha is not making or selling shave ice, it's creating and sharing pure aloha. Their goal was to create a gathering place as and for Ohana, as "there are no such things as strangers, just Ohana yet to be met."

Ambassador says: We love the spirit of aloha you get when you walk in to Uncle Clay's. On top of this, we love that they give each shave ice two pours of syrup--once in the middle, and again on the top! As with their aloha spirit, all of their ingredients and products sold are natural. We also love that you can take a picture with cardboard Uncle Clay outside or even buy a shirt with Uncle Clay's face on it. Great stop on the way to Hanauma Bay--definitely check it out to meet the man himself!

Kaka'ako Kool
831 Queen Street

What makes them special: Kaka'ako Kool is the cutest convenience store that happens to sell amazing shave ice. They offer RB's ice cream, which is locally made, in vanilla and haupia flavors (we tried the haupia; thumbs up!), and even make their own azuki beans!

Ambassador says: Take note that while there are only two parking stalls in front of Kaka'ako Kool, you are allowed to park in the surrounding lots! We loved that the sizes weren't gigantic and the prices were great, not to mention there were no lines and the service was so friendly! We highly recommend!

Shimazu Store
330 N School Street

What makes them special: When we asked Shimazu Store what made their shave ice special they said "Uhh, nothing? We just make classic shave ice." Amidst the flurrying array of shave ice shops trying to set themselves apart, Ambassador will take a leap and say that Shimazu is trying to keep something classically great in its simplest, purest form.

Ambassador says: Shimazu Store has an extremely wide variety of syrups including ones that aren't so classic (contrary to their statement above). Ones that stuck out to us were buttered popcorn, red velvet, and creme brulee. We also loved that they had white vanilla so we could enjoy the classic flavor without turning our teeth blue! *Watch out: kiddie size is more like large.

Waiola Shave Ice
3113 Mokihana Street
2135 Waiola Street

What makes them special: Waiola advertises their homemade syrups and finely grated ice, saying that these things make them special. They also sell a wide variety of snacks and souvenirs and have ample parking.

Ambassador says: As seen on Hawaii 5-O, Waiola is one of the older shave ice establishments in Honolulu. We love the wide variety of flavors available and number of different shirts you can buy! The shave ice man you can take photos with is another added touch that makes us smile. There is plenty of outdoor seating so you can eat shave ice comfortably! We love Waiola!




Ambassador wants to get your true opinion on all of these great shave ice contenders! We will be closing the polls on Monday, December 5 to give you a chance to try some shave ice and vote! You can comment on our blog, or Facebook, or Twitter, for a chance to win some awesome gift certificates and other prizes! Stay tuned to find out who won our raffle and to see which shave ice place is the best in Honolulu!

Shave Ice Anyone?

Attention: these are NOT snow cones! Shave ice is a delicious local treat of finely grated ice with flavored syrups poured all over it! Multitudes of toppings can be added, from mochi balls to condensed milk, to give even more diversity to your dessert. And while you may be thinking that all grated ice and sugary syrup must taste the same...it certainly isn't true.

Ambassador Hotel Waikiki is on the hunt for the best shave ice in Honolulu. We are going to do a shorter expose on as many shave ice places as you can recommend! We will eat five servings of shave ice in one day if we have to!

Where is your favorite shave ice place in Honolulu? LET US KNOW! Is there more than one joint we should let our guests know about? TELL US! You can comment on our blog, Facebook, or drop us a tweet! And if you simply want to join us on our shave icecapades, explore with us as we brain freeze our way to satisfied stomaches full of syrupy goodness.

Either way, let us know what your favorite shave ice place is, and why, and as we post our comments and experiences, add YOUR VOTES to be entered to win restaurant gift certificates and more! You can suggest one place per category, as well as post one vote and/or comment per category (counting as two entries total) to enter into the prize drawing. At the end of each category we will announce the TWO WINNERS! The Ambassador's Pick and our prize winner!

So join the discussion! Let the shave icecapades begin!

Breakfast in Waikiki Winners!

Today we will reveal the winners of the Best Breakfast in Waikiki category!

Ambassador is proud to announce that Bogart's Cafe received the most votes in our Breakfast in Waikiki category! Congratulations, Bogarts!! If you haven't tried breakfast at Bogarts yet, you need to!

And now we will pick a winner from our Ambassador hat...

Congratulations to LAWSON! Thanks, Lawson, for suggesting our category winner, Bogart's Cafe! We truly appreciate your input and would like to reward you with a $50 gift certificate to the iconic Top of Waikiki restaurant, located in the heart of Waikiki. Please email us your mailing address so we can send this to you to enjoy! info@ambassadorwaikiki.com

For those of you who did not win the prize drawing, we thank you for your votes and input! Be sure to get involved with our next category, to be announced after APEC, for more chances to win great prizes!!

Mac 24-7

Ambassador decided to close out the Breakfast in Waikiki category with a bang and headed to the infamous Mac 24-7. Besides the fact that, as in the name, Mac 24-7 is open all the time ("We don't close unless it snows!"), they also serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner items so you can eat what you want when you want!  Mac 24-7 is located conveniently in the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel on Kuhio Avenue blocks away from our own Kuhio location.

Why is Mac 24-7 so well-known, you may ask. The answer lies within the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge, which we ordered, but definitely did not take, just to show you the insanity of these pancakes.

You can choose from five different pancake options and we chose the cinnamon streusel with vanilla glaze. Perhaps the portions are hard to distinguish in these photos, but the three gigantic pancakes included in this challenge are each about one foot in diameter!

As shown in the video below, the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge has been featured on the television show Man vs. Food where even the host Adam Richman could not finish this monstrous feat. There is a hall of fame, however, of those who WERE able to down this plate full of carbs, including two women and the food contest champ Joey Chestnut who gulped these down in 15 minutes. Fascinating yet disgusting.

Besides getting your picture on the Mac 24-7 wall of fame, as the winner of the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge, you also receive a t-shirt and the gratification of being better than the host of a national television food show. Oh, and you don't have to pay for your pancakes!

Finally getting over the huge deal that is the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge, Ambassador MUST recognize that Mac 24-7 had fantastic and friendly service, a calm and peaceful ambiance, and delicious tasting pancakes. At Mac 24-7 you don't have to choose quality over quantity.

Have you tried the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge? If so, we want YOUR opinion!! We'd love to hear your feedback or see your name in the hall of fame! You can add YOUR VOTES to be entered to win restaurant gift certificates and more! And after you vote, stay tuned to hear the TWO WINNERS! The Ambassador's Pick and our prize winner! Get your votes in to win! Get in on the discussion NOW here, Facebook, or Twitter!

Wailana Coffee House

 

Today, Ambassador headed to Wailana Coffee House–a well-known local joint open 24 hours a day (except early Wednesday mornings). Besides the obvious time convenience, Wailana is located on Ala Moana Boulevard, just minutes from our location on Kuhio Avenue. There is underground public parking available (watch out, it's quite a confusing lot!) or you could take a nice stroll from the hotel!

The cashier said she was not allowed to give us any video statements so we apologize for having no video again. However, the staff was still very friendly! Wailana is a very casual and old establishment and is great for a late night snack or bite to eat after a long day at the beach. You will definitely feel comfortable and at home at this coffee house. 

Breakfast is served 24 hours a day but the menu also includes lunch and dinner items. To get a feel for the food, you can truly rely on the name Wailana Coffee House–menu items include many comfort foods. 

Since we're blogging about Breakfast in Waikiki, we ordered a special off of the breakfast menu: eggs benedict! The portion was generous and we loved the side of hash browns. It was a very homey meal reminiscent still of the title Coffee House. 

We love that Wailana Coffee House is so simple and comfortable, but if you are looking for something more gourmet or upscale, this might not be your joint. If your tummy is craving pancakes at dinner time or a snack past midnight, however, this is definitely where you should head!

Have you tried breakfast at Wailana Coffee House? If so, we want YOUR opinion!! We'd love to hear your feedback, especially since we don't have a video to show you. You can add YOUR VOTES to be entered to win restaurant gift certificates and more! And after you vote, stay tuned to hear the TWO WINNERS! The Ambassador's Pick and our prize winner! Get your votes in to win! Get in on the discussion NOW here, Facebook, or Twitter!