Alakea Delicatessen

I used to come here all the time way back in 2009 – 2011 when the small soda came with the meal. I liked it being just a little bigger than a whole in the wall place. It has expanded from 4 seats to 7 seats with a simple little counter going around.
They have built up their menu selection and have it attractively displayed for all to see. The prices are just as comparable to any steak plate place. I purchased one at Times for less yesterday. With all their upgrades, you think they do business with more than just cash., but they don’t. Cash only business.
I was rather disappointed with my order. I ordered steak and chicken with all rice. The steak was a little dry, but okay, but the chicken was over cooked and way dry. The teriyaki sauce sprinkled on top of it didn’t do much to make it moist. My order was not worth $ 10.14 by any means, but this was a lesson learned for sure. I guess some of those good things do come to an end

The prices are really good! The food is delicious! The location is easy enough to find by bus, but beware when you drive. Slim-​to-​none parking available. I was a little disappointed by the portions, but it filled me up! Love it. Definitely going back!

Good food at decent prices — can’t go wrong! There’s a handful of go-​to places I eat at when I don’t feel like walking far, and this is one of them. My coworker likes their steak plates and breakfast so I finally decided to give their steak plate a try. I opted to make mine garlic for $ 1 more and requested for the steak to be done well. In my opinion, the steak was delicious. I liked that it’s thinly sliced and the garlic added perfect flavor. My only complaints are that I think the portion was somewhat small and that they are cash only.
I’ve also had the garlic chicken and one of the bentos before. Both were delicious as well. The garlic chicken I got was more like fried chicken strips with garlic sauce on it (so if you’re picturing Mitsuken, this is not it), but I liked it. I’m not much of a breakfast person during work days, but I’d definitely consider eating here if I ever felt like it since I hear good things about their breakfast.
Overall, this place is great! I’ve never encountered issues with long lines, but that’s probably because I usually eat after the lunch rush. They have a variety of food, so there’s something for almost everyone!

Alakea Delicatessen is located on the corner of Alakea and King Street.
I have literally walked passed this place a thousand times. I really don’t know why I never took the time to check them out. Oh wells, better late than never! :D
This is a tiny venue. No tables for seating, just a counter that goes along the left wall and window. Because it is so tiny, it also fills up quickly.
The Grub.
[[ MEAT JUN $ 7.99 ]]
I’m a fan of their meat jun!
[[ KALBI $ 11 ]]
a little pricey for lunch, but omfg it was so delicious and filling.
[[ STEAK PLATE $ 7.15 ]]
The steak was alright, I feel like they gave me a really tiny portion of steak.
[[ CHICKEN PLATE $ 6.75 ]]
The chicken was intimidating because it was covered in all this red sauce. But thankfully it was not spicy at all! :D

We were on our way to Yajima-​Ya when we ran into a red light and ended up side by side with this restaurant. My BF was checking out the menu on the windows and wanted to try their ramen!!! We ended up finding parking by the post office (paid Meter parking) and headed over to the restaurant. I got the steak and garlic shrimp plate for about $ 10, I believe. I was so excited because we were trying a new place and I was famished! About 15 minutes later we get our food. I opened my plate and I was so DISAPPOINTED!!! I had about 5 – 8 or less, thinly sliced steak with 2 big scoops of rice and a palm sized tossed salad!!! I felt ripped off!!! I didn’t even want to eat the food that’s how angry I was. Ugh NEVER AGAIN!!! my BF ordered the ramen with steak and it was at least 5 – 8 thinly sliced steaks with a great amount of noodles. Which had little to no taste whatsoever. Smh. And when I say thinly sliced, I mean you can see right thru the steak thin. Not to mention it was medium rare and I like my steak well-​done! Ugh

Disappointed with the Teri Beef plate… Looks Ono but it nothing big… 1^st time here and was bunk…

This place is great. Went here this morning and got their sunshine plate which consisted of your choice of meat, eggs, and rice for only $ 3.58. I also ordered lunch to go with their mini plate that consisted of spam, hotdog, steak and furikaki rice for only $ 5.25. Bfast and lunch under ten dollars? The prices are so cheap I couldn’t believe it. Would definitely hit this spot up if your in the downtown area.

Really good food at a very price. Almost always have a late lunch and the $ 7.50 steak plate with rice and tossed salad. New menu boards are a nice touch and easy to read.
Only drawback is it’s located on very busy corner so traffic noise but location is good cause close to people.

I like to go here sometimes for breakfast and lunch. The Korean guy and wife are pretty friendly and their food is pretty fast, convenient and good. Prices are pretty fair for what you get. I got a steak/​garlic shrimp all rice with a bacon burger for all under $ 15. Pretty cheap for downtown. I also like to go here for breakfast and get their steak and eggs. I would personally highly recommend this place if your looking for something good to eat and affordable. Also their fried saimin with either garlic steak or garlic shrimp is really tasty and if your not a garlic fan it comes regular too. They have a wide variety of selection which I have not tried yet cause I’m still stuck on their steak.

It was hard for me to decide whether to give this place three or four stars. I chose to give it four because this place «is what it is.» You likely will not get stellar food here, but you will probably leave full and happy without breaking the bank. I come here for breakfast when I’m pretty hungry and (like today) I can expect to get exactly what I ordered; a mound of rice, scrambled eggs and Vienna sausage (I’m such a fan of Vienna sausage, its a childhood thing). They give you a lot of food and my breakfast was only $ 3.75. Plus, if I want to be extra fatty (it happens), I can get fried rice instead of white rice for an extra $ 1.00. I recommend this place for those who want a quick hearty breakfast downtown on the cheap. As for the name of this place… I am just as unsure as the rest of you. The sign outside (currently) just says «Alakea.» I’ll just refer to it as that place on the corner of Alakea and King.
I might have to skip lunch today… full.

Im always an advocate for cheap eats! I’m already living life on a budget on a daily and the more times I can save on food while spending is always winning in my book.
This place offers that & then some. On the corner of Alakea & King, Alakea Deli offers a wide selection of cheap eats and never skimp on anything. They offer a huge selection of breakfast choices with eggs however you’d like them prepared, rice and choice of meat for 3.58. Everyone knows i’m a brown rice lover and im so happy to share that they definitely provide that. The service is always friendly and at times slow, it’s usually because people ordered before yours & at least it’s made right when you order!
I haven’t had a chance to try their lunch menu, but by the looks of the prices I know i’ll be back to try!

Fresh, hot, friendly, clean and affordable. What more is there? Their fried rice an fried noodle not over salted or dropping in oil. (Hard to find these days.) I also like that they cook their steak med rare, leaving it moist and tender. A convenient downtown spot on the corner of Alakea and King Street, across from FHB and CPB.

I come here almost every wednesday for their garlic chicken. It’s cheap and onolicious. The chicken is crispy and has just the right amt of spiciness to it. They’ve recently updated their menu boards and they look way nicer. I’ve tried some of their other stuff and would recommend the saimin with steak or their regular steak plate. Their meat jun is also pretty good. They also have some good breakfast deals. Cons: Cash only

CASH ONLY! HARD TO FIND PARKING. I usually buy the steak and fries noodle plate I always ask them to cook my steak well done because if not they will just cook it medium well. The seating area is fairly small because of the stores location.

This is a good, cheap eats, place downtown. It’ll satisfy. The prices here are the best part, it won’t break your wallet having lunch. Very limited seating, best fo grab-​n-​go.
My go to is always the «steak + fried saimin»

I actually don’t know if this place is still called Alakea Delicatessen or if the name has changed. However, this place is great for breakfast! There are not too many places where you can get a full breakfast at a reasonable price in Downtown Honolulu. I used to go to C&G’s, but discovered that they stopped breakfast service a while back.
Alakea Delicatessen serves up simple. breakfast plates, including my favorite, FRIED RICE. If I am hungry for a big breakfast (usually I’m not), then I’ll order the Fried Rice Platter with 2 eggs scrambled and Portuguese Sausage. All breakfast plates are made to order. The Fried Rice is a little different than what I am used to, but it is pretty tasty.
Because this place is also open on Saturday mornings, it is a great place
to pick up breakfast if I go into the office. I still haven’t tried this place for lunch, but judging from the crowd I see inside when I walk past, it looks like a pretty popular place to pick up lunch.

I love this place. I have been going here for a long time but I always forget to do a check in. I love the sirloin steak on the menu– My favourite among other things. I have taken colleagues and visitors here and they love the Ohana friendliness. The food is so tasty, tender and quick. These people are always so kind too. Always greeting you with a smiling face. They also have great breakfast choices. The food is reasonably priced. Support local small businesses.

Let’s sing the praise of hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants, the ones that look kinda scary to go into, but smell so good as you pass by the door. The ones that when you look inside, the person cooking the food looks like they consider themselves the luckiest person on the planet.
*I, Carey, of questionable mind and round-​is-​a-​shape body, to hereby attest that I really dislike chicken that I haven’t cooked myself. No offense to chefs who specialize in chicken, I’ve just had WAY too many bad experiences. I’ve only been here for breakfasts, but their lunch pictures look amazing*
KDEN! The breakfasts here are the bomb! Inter Continental Ballistic Missile Bomb-​diggity! Get the omelet. Then get the Rave plate with the steak, then get every single breakfast item on the menu.
1. Delicious! and not oily either, which is a big plus in my book.
2. ROI factor. Your Return On Investment in this breakfast is cost effective. Between 4 – 6 dollars depending on what you order? Not too shabby!
3. The ladies behind the counter really care about the food they make. It’s not S.O.S. they’re makin’ here folks, but brekkies that keep Honolulu running happy!
4.They have a record player. Sometimes if you’re lucky, you’ll get treated to some delightfully esoteric big band music. For clarity: not a DJ record player, this ain’t a club. This is your grandpa’s record player, right on the counter where the stools are.
So sit down, eat slowly, enjoy and remember to say thank you.

Cash only, bummers.
But the food is great. Love the breakfast and the bentos. I do have my favorites when I come here but there’s a lot to choose from. great plate lunch place.

I am writing this after having missed 2 days of work (so far) due to an under cooked chicken. The chicken was plain with what seemed to be just some bbq sauce spread over it. Anyway, I brought the plate lunch to my office to eat when it caught the attention of some women seated next to me. They specifically said the chicken didnt look cooked. Being a guy, and hungry, i just brushed it off and ate. It did look uncooked, but i was hungry and it was pretty good! I have paid dearly for that lunch though.
It was my first time here and I ordered it during the busy lunch rush so i wonder if that had anything to do with it. Overall, hole-​in-​the-​wall place like most downtown spots, decent prices, good food, but one star for positive food poisoning.

This review is solely based on breakfast.
The breakfast special they have here is the cheapest I’ve come across in downtown Honolulu. You get 2 scoops white rice, 2 eggs (any way you want it), and your choice of meat. I usually get portuguese sausage and receive four pieces. The eggs are always cooked perfect to my liking (over easy). No burning and the taste is what you expect. I’ve also tried the portuguese sausage omelet. Wasn’t a real fan of it. Maybe it was the green onions and other non essentials that were added to boost flavor. Not sure. Just something was missing.
If you’re looking for a cheap breakfast that will satisfy your hunger, you can’t really go wrong.
On a side note, they used to sell spam musubi’s but the past couple of times I’ve been by there hasn’t been. If by chance you see them on the counter, buy them. Cheap and really good. None of this 7-​eleven imitation musubies :)

I work at HECO and this eatery is a minute down the block.
I have tried several offerings.
DID NOT LIKE
Lemon chicken – Umm not lemony enough for me.
Mochiko Chicken – they don’t know how to make it. They need a brand spankin new recipe.
INDIFFERENT. form your own opinion
Loco Moco w/​fried rice. the loco mocos are ok but they skimp on the gravy. The size of the patty matches the price you pay.
Bradduh Moco (corn beef hash instead of beef patty).
LOVED
Meat Jun – tender meat used is flavorful. The sauce is good too. My only gripe is they give too little sauce (container too tiny).
Shoyu Chicken. They have good shoyu chicken (hard to ruin shoyu chicken). Probably the best of their chicken dishes.
They have daily $ 5 lunch specials. But you get what you pay for in terms of portions. «Special» doesn’t mean a regular plate at a discounted price; instead, it is an off-​standard-​menu item they are offering for that day with mini-​sized portions.