Last week I wanted to get together with my husband, my bestie, and her husband and try out a new sushi restaurant in our area. Unfortunately for all of us, it was closed on Sundays. So we thought we’d head off to a nearby taqueria we’d never gone to, where we were greeted by dozens of men screaming, jumping, and beating the table in a fervor over some spandex-wearing dudes chucking a football around. No thanks! Finally, we wandered across the street and into the welcoming arms of Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ.
The atmosphere was quite warm and pleasant, and the menu was long and varied. There were a lot of hawaiian dishes, unsurprisingly, but also dishes with asian and pan-asian influences. It was kind of tough to choose just a few things to eat. But we managed it, with friendly help from behind the counter, and seated ourselves out on the patio to enjoy the evening. (Thankfully we were far enough away from the screaming men as to not have the mood marred.)
Nice interior design/decorating here.
Pretty colors… I may be biased though, this palette is very similar to the one in my house!
To start, we snagged a plate of shrimp chips and another of samosas. Adam and I also partook of some hawaiian draught beers.
Shrimp chips appetizer – puffed rice ($2.95).
The shrimp chips were still popping when the plate arrived, and would have little spasms of popping when dipped in the sweet sauce they came with. Fun and affordable.
Samosas (10 for $2.95).
The samosas were darn good for the price, but not quite what I am used to. I am willing to bet they are made a bit differently in Hawaii than in India though, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
Hawaiian beers, Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale in the front, and – I think – Kona Coco Loco Toasted Coconut Brown Ale.
The barbecue beef ramen noodle soup was good. The ramen noodles were more like lo mein noodles than the ramen noodles I am used to, but they were still tasty. Adam and I both preferred the udon noodles that Ashley got though. She did have to remind the server that she had paid the extra money for udon, because they brought her ramen at first.
Barbecue beef ramen noodle soup ($6.59).
We both really enjoyed the barbecue combo plate. All three meats were very tasty, and the macaroni salad was interesting. We’d definitely recommend this dish!
Waikikie Combo – barbecue beef, barbecue short ribs, and barbecue chicken ($8.99).
Ashley kindly shared her thoughts with me:
“I was very pleasantly surprised by Waikikie. The menu is a bit long for such a small place, and by the turnout of our dishes I can tell some things will be hit or miss.
Our appetizers were interesting and tasty and quite cheap! While my order did get slightly messed up, they fixed it as quickly as they could. The ramen and udon weren’t great, but they were satisfying. Stephen’s curry, though, was delicious!
The blend of cultures is intriguing and I am definitely planning to go again. I think given the hit-or-miss aspect, I would have to keep it down at 3.5 stars, but I hope to be further surprised (in a good way) by this restaurant.”
Ashley’s barbecue beef udon noodle soup ($7.59).
Stephen’s barbecue chicken curry ($7.59).
Adam and I sampled the barbecue chicken curry and it was indeed quite good.
We had a nice meal out on the patio, though it got a bit muggy. We decided to head inside and cool off with some shaved ice.
As night fell on the patio.
Adam and I split a lime ice and Ashley and Stephen shared a blue raspberry ice with strawberry ice cream inside. We had to pay with cash because the cost of the ice did not meet the minimum amount to use a credit card. The portions were generous and the syrup-to-ice ratio was spot-on.
Lime shaved ice ($3.49).
Blue raspberry shaved ice with strawberry ice cream ($5.14).
Overall, I have to echo Ashley’s sentiments. I was pleasantly surprised by Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ. I really know very little about hawaiian cuisine, and a quite bit of research on Wikipedia leads me to believe that this is pretty darn authentic cuisine.
This place is a little gem. There is a DVD playing inside of traditional dance and I believe I overheard someone saying that every second Sunday there is live music and dance. The prices are extremely good, and the food is good, too. A very strong 3.5 stars for Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ.
Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ
2160 Briarcliff Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
emily
Nerd. Foodie. Gamer. Homecook. Perpetual planner. Gardener. Aspiring homesteader. Direct response graphic designer. I use too many damn commas.
Oh, I need to get back here again soon. This place was so darn fun, and say that having clearly stayed on the very safe end of their menu when I visited!
Fun place – did you try the spam sushi? BTW – Sushi Itto across the street is very good (since you guys were looking for sushi :)), Also next door in the small shopping center, Ameer’s Mediterranean is excellent – great chicken shwarma and one of the best fallafels in town.
No I didn’t, that sounds like a must-have!
We were eyeballing Ameer’s as we approached Waikikie and decided to try Waikikie first, but now I can see we’ll clearly need to get over to Ameer’s very soon.
Your suggestions are always amazing… please do stick around! Thanks!