We Pick Our Top 5 Lobster Rolls on O‘ahu
It was a difficult job, but we had to do it.
January 18, 2021
The lobster roll at Jolene’s Market made our list of top five places on O‘ahu. Photo: Kelli Shiroma Braiotta
What makes a good lobster roll? If you’re an East Coast diehard, you’d look for cold Maine lobster meat mixed with mayonnaise, celery or scallions and tarragon piled onto a New England bun. You’ll find some of this in Hawai‘i, but local variations can get pretty significant.
I ranked O‘ahu’s lobster rolls based on amount of lobster, the bun, bread-to-filling ratio and overall taste. Besides the restaurants below, I tried lobster rolls from The Espresso Bar at Neiman Marcus Hawai‘i, Merriman’s Honolulu, Fat Cheeks Hawai‘i and Chocolate + Vanilla Bakery’s Savory Saturdays.
New Riff on Chinatown Restaurant-Bar Brings Back Vegan and Vegetarian Fare
Fans of the old Downbeat Diner can find new takes on meaty and vegan favorites, complete with a conspiratorial twist, at the new Other Side Diner.
December 16, 2020
If you’re craving some diner fare with vegetarian and vegan options, you can still find it at a familiar place with a new name: The Other Side Diner.
That’s because when quirky Downbeat Diner in Chinatown closed, the owners of neighboring nightclub and concert venue NextDoor were already looking for a way to take it over. An outright purchase didn’t work out, so Downbeat was reborn with a new name and a theme that’s a cross between ‘50s diner and conspiracy theorist hideout.