Ho-Hum Plate Lunch in Downtown Oakland
Written: Nov 24 '04
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Pros: Fill up on cheap Hawaiian food for cheap.
Cons: It's not that great Hawaiian food.
The Bottom Line: Hawaiian food in downtown Oakland.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Hawaiian Walk In |
Hawaiian Walk In
402 15th Street
Oakland CA 94612
During the week - 10:30 AM - 9:00 PM
weekends - 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Ever since Aloha Fest at Presidio Park this past summer, I have been fixated with plate lunches, malasadas, and SPAM. Ideally, SPAM in my plate lunch somewhere, but defnitely not in my malasada. Imagine then, how excited I was to discover that Hawaiian Walk In - a place that cooks up plate lunches - was located less than five miles from my apartment. Awooo! Then, imagine just how disappointed I was after finding out the food was just under so-so. That's just how it happened.
Location
It's in downtown Oakland, a stone's throw from Broadway. You really wouldn't be doing anyting in downtown Oakland unless you work there or are going to Temple Tattoo, so there aren't too many accidental walk ins at Hawaiian Walk In.
There is no parking lot either, so you'll probably have to spend some time looking for metered street parking. The best time to try this place out is after work hours or on weekends. Of course, the closest BART station is City Center.
The Scene
It's downtown Oakland - not in the hip part - not that there is a hip part. There's one woman who is the hostess, waitress, and cashier and she'll happily hand you a pink paper photocopied menu and hang out by the cash register up front. Behind her post is a fridge, the kind you can see in, where you'll find a jumble of Hawaiian Sun juices and sodas. This place is ridiculously casual, and almost has a dive, hole-in-the-wall charm to it.
Menu
Lots of island-style plates at ridiculoulsy low, low prices. The food is better to talk and read about than eat. Specials include things like a Teriyaki Mixed plate (think of it was a three way plate - teri short ribs, teri chicken, and teri steak), Loco Moco (a hamburger patty and fried egg smothered in gravy atop a mound of rice), Pork Lau Lau, or a Bento lunch of Mahi Mahi, teri steak, teri chicken and ham. All Specials come with two scoops of rice and a scoop of mac salad, just like all Hawaiian plate lunches. Specials are around $5 and each plate is plenty. The monster special, which is a ridiculous amount of food, is the Mahalo Chicken Combo - Teri chicken, Lemon chicken and Chicken katsu with rice and mac salad. It was more than enough for two starving adults.
There are also "regular" plates, which include one meat choice with the same sides - other things like lemon chicken, deep fried shrimp and curry are available. ($5-$6). For lighter eaters, or if $5 is too expensive, opt for a "mini" plate wich is the same as regular, but you just get one scoop of rice instead of two. No mini plate is over $4. Need to go cheaper? Get a sandwich - teri chicken, mahi mahi or teri beef - less than $2.50. Yup. $2.50.
Now you're thinking that this is plate lunch nirvana with its jumbo portions and mega low prices. Nope. The food isn't that great. The chicken breasts for every chicken item we ordered was way too fatty with mystery, chewy bits. (I've eaten here a handful of times now.) The teriyaki flavor is actually pretty good - a full sweet taste - but no amount of marinade and sauce can mask poor quality chicken. The lemon chicken is a heavy overly battered and deep fried breast - the batter is so thick and bready, kind of like corndog batter without the cornmeal, which becomes a pocket sponge for what it was deep fried in. The lemon sauce - sugary, lemony, sad.
The mac salad, which for many is what makes or breaks a plate lunch, is actually pretty good. But, cannot stand for the plate lunch. They also have saimin - but I can't recommend it either way because I haven't tried it yet. ($4 with egg and chicken, $2.25 plain!) I'm such a fan of island food that I'll probably go back to try the saimin.
The Verdict
I was disappointed, but it doesn't mean I won't go back. I really should learn my lesson. The prices are low, and there are enough things on the menu for several visits. This place though, is better and more authentic than the new place in El Cerrito (Waikiki something.)
However, if you work in downtown Oakland anyway, and are short a few bucks...
Recommended:
No
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 317 members
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