Max & Lucy’s

What can I add about Max & Lucy’s? It’s an awesome place for lunch and I’ve never been here for breakfast but I’m sure it’s good, too! The worst thing about this place is there are too many good choices! When I get to the front of the line to order, I end up standing there like a chronic late at night in a grocery store trying to decide what to get. Good thing Mike, the hilarious owner/​chef, knows what I like and points me in the right direction.
The full spectrum is covered from great healthy salads and turkey/​tofu burgers (excellent, standard choice) with brown rice to prime rib or roast pork or super meat loaf with mac salad. Home cooking, comfort food all around.
If you’re watching your weight, don’t get started on the desserts — the brownies are extra fudgey (standard choice, not so excellent for a diet), the lemon bars are good, and the cookies, and the applesauce cake are too. The plates are LARGE but minis are available. The only redemption for me is the long walk back to work!

Awesome favors and even friendlier service. We caught it when it was slow, but so we received undivided attention, but it seemed the same for everyone else that came through. The Opaka was tender and super flavorful while the ribs… man they feel
right off the bone. I was only bummed that I didn’t come on the day they had Prime Rib. I will be back.

Another place off the list of joints around the office.
So this place is a hole in the wall, but I have to say they do some pretty decent food.
I got the steak with rice and «potato mac» (potato salad with pasta).
I liked that the steak I got was served pretty medium — almost medium rare by default. I wasn’t expecting that. Short order and takeout places usually cook well done to avoid complaints and just have one uniform standard.
The steak however was way too seasoned. The salt and pepper dominated and it kind of took away from the steak a bit. Also, it’s not super high quality steak; there was a pretty decent amount of fat on it. But don’t get me wrong, the steak was still good.
The rice was good too; it was white rice but they put butter in it so it wasn’t just like eating plain white rice. I’ve never had potato mac before and that was alright, although I thought it was over seasoned as well. I might like it if I tried it from a few different places to get more of an idea.
So I think over seasoning is kind of a theme at this place. It’s better than under seasoning, but it can still throw off a meal. Another good thing however is the price. For a little bit over 10 bucks, I got a TON of food. So even with a couple kinks at least you’re getting bang for your buck.
I think if they could work on that a bit more I’d bump the rating.

Got the chicken cutlet today smothered in mushroom gravy with the tuna mac salad. It was sooooo good! I also had the southwestern chicken salad which was also awesome! Everything I’ve eaten here is good!

Great service, great food at a reasonable price. Highly recommend… So far everything I’ve ordered is good.

A solid 3.5 stars for sure. Great tasting, homemade feel, Max and Lucy’s can be described as lots of love, plate lunch style. Familiar comfort food that is decently priced with good sized portions. Beef stew can be described as yummy, meaty goodness (not super local style tomato based, but very good), and the baked chicken is on point. My lunch partner had panko crusted opakapaka and fried chicken. In his words: «Moist, not dry and delicious.» Good to know this spot exists. Tables inside and out, and plenty of food options to choose from. It is busy, but they are quick to serve and to-​go works for me. You can order brown rice (lie to yourself it’s a healthy option), and they have coffee and breakfast which I definitely need to sample. I will place this establishment in the lunch rotation. Yaaaay Max and Lucy’s!

The only reason I came here was because it was the only place open at 6AM in the area. (Plus 1 star for that) I had the breakfast sandwich. The only thing I wish the dude would have done is melt the cheese on the egg versus just tossing some shredded cheese on top after it was done and oh by the way I had to ask for the cheese, even though it comes with the order. SMH. Besides that, the sandwich hit the spot. I would return here for my breakfast needs.

Another nice lunch option in the Kaka’ako area. Home cooking, family-​owned, weekly specials, indoor & outdoor seating. Went in at noon, and it was packed. They were starting to run out of a few of their selections.
I had the mix plate with baked chicken and meatloaf which was recommended by a co-​worker. The chicken was tender and gingery. The meatloaf was quite substantial. A mini-​plate would have been enough. The prices were very reasonable. Enjoyed lunching here.

Max and Lucy’s how I luv thee. Just stopped in the other day cause I was craving some of those delicious baked chicken, my go to entrée when I am not feeling too adventurous. Max and Lucy’s pops, the chef in the house, makes his chicken to perfection… baked chicken, teri chicken, even fried chicken. There are many other delicious entrees. Some of my other go to dishes include the opakapaka, the loaded stuffed baked potato, the meatloaf.
Regrettably, Mike also bakes the most delicious desserts so, I have to make sure I am with strong resolve when I walk in otherwise a pumpkin cream cheese muffin or a banana with chocolate muffin or lemon bar might just drop right into my takeout package, magically.

I wish Unilocal was able to offer half stars. Because I would give this place a four and a half out of five. I love homemade comfort food done right. When it comes to fried chicken the ratio of the meat and batter needs to be balanced. I’m talking about chicken being rolled and drowned in flour then deep fried making it look like its on steroids. Everyone’s had one of those;). It’s where you bite into 4 inches of breaded skin only to find an itty bitty piece all the way at the bottom. Well that was not the case at this joint.
This eatery has a mom and pop Sunday night dinner feeling. I believe his kids drawings are hanged around the restaurant. That was pretty sweet. It made me think of my nieces and nephews. :)
I ordered the large fried chicken plate with one roasted, brown rice, Mac&cheese, and mac&potato salad. Needless to say I did not wait to start. I dug right in and took a huge bite out of the chicken. The crunch was wonderful and the chicken was still moist inside and very succulent! It was a little salty, but what fried chicken isn’t. I sprinkled some Tabasco on top and continued eating.
The Mac and cheese was interesting. I tasted the cheddar, but the cheese was clumped together in parts of the macaroni while some had none. It wasn’t evenly spread through. Although, it was a bit salty the topping of the breadcrumbs was a great touch.
I did order one roasted which was good. There was great seasoning on the skin. But, I’ll stick to the fried chicken. Sometimes my eyes are bigger then my stomach. I ended up ordering a mini plate of meatloaf and gravy. It was over brown rice and a side salad. The meat was very flavorful and tasty. I did not finish it since my stomach and my brain told me to chill a bit till dinner time.
I will be back!

Loved this place… I really want to go back to try the egg plant lasagne… the owner was really nice. I arrived too early for lunch but he went ahead and fried up a few opakapaka while I waited. As I mentioned in my tips, the Unilocal check-​in gave me a drink, but since I didn’t want soda, I opted for orange juice and they credited me for the drink and I just paid the difference. It was nice of them to do that.
People are really nice, selection is great! I can’t wait to go back!
10÷16÷15
Finally got back. Today I got to try the salmon katsu. What I live is he is using the New Zealand farm raised king salmon. In my humble opinion this is the best salmon I can get locally at a reasonable price. I’m really glad he doesn’t use one of the other Salmons on the market.
Love the brown rice and the beautiful mixed greens. Not a heckuva lot more to say except I think the food is great!
Will be back again

Only worked half the day, so my husband and I decided to try Max and Lucy’s since it’s not somewhere we can normally eat at due to it’s hours. We called in our order so I could jump out of the car and pick up the food just in case we couldn’t find street parking. When we got there 10 minutes later our food was all packed and ready to go!
I really wanted to try their meatloaf, but unfortunately, they didn’t have any today. Not sure if they just ran out or didn’t make for the day. I guess I’ll have to come back another day to try it. We ended up ordering their Friday specials, Meat Lasagna and Fried Chicken instead. Only $ 18 for both plates! The portions are huge! I actually finished my entire plate though! Looked like I was going the have a food baby…
The lasagna was pretty good. A large piece of meaty lasagna with a very generous portion of tossed salad. I think the lasagna had both ground beef and ground turkey in it. There was a lot of sauce in it too, so it wasn’t dried out like how lasagna can get from the oven. The noodles were really soft and it was also filled with spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. I wouldn’t have minded if the lasagna had a little more cheese in and on top of it.
The fried chicken plate comes with two scoops of rice, salad, and 3 pieces of fried chicken. Didn’t expect 3 pieces of chicken since it’s only $ 8.50! Even after the 30 minute drive home, the chicken was still crispy! It was really yummy too. Perfectly seasoned and moist without being oily!
Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal!You get a free juice or soda with your meal :)

A lot of Yeeps like this place. For me, it was ok. It wasn’t bad or anything, it just wasn’t tantalizing. It might have to do with what I ordered, the shoyu chicken. It wasn’t flavored enough. It probably needed to be marinated longer. The outside of the chicken was brown, however, the inside part was white. I like my shoyu chicken to be marinated brown on the inside as well. I’ve had better at other spots. Some of the other people I came with got the salmon katsu and they loved it. I will have to go back and try it. Another item here that people rave about are the lemon bars. They always sell out, so it’s best to call in advance to have them hold a piece for you.
The prices at this place are very reasonable. My chicken plate was $ 8 for 3 pieces of chicken, rice and mac salad. If you check in with Unilocal,you also get a free canned drink. I believe the owner is Mike. He’s a very nice guy. He came out and chatted with us for a bit and gave us free brownies.
There’s no parking for this place. It’s all street parking if you want to chance it.

Today, I brought Mog P. with me. Her first time. She’s a little under pressure at the moment so I thought this will help bring her down a bit so she can work. Plus, I really wanted to try that lemon bar.
As I’m walking out of the car from the parking lot, Mike had just pulled in and came out too. I turned around and asked him if he had the lemon mars this time. I got an affirmative YES with that. We in business now.
We ordered the Salmon Katsu that everyone is talking about especially Jozlyn H. We ordered it with the tartar sauce. However, Mike was kind enough to give us the katsu all warmed up. I also get 2 bars, FINALLY, and a drink. We decide to eat it there although Mog P. feels she should go and eat in the car.
We sit down and I open it up to look at the contents. The tuna salad, the 2 scoops of brown rice all beneath one big slab of nicely cooked salmon. Tearing a piece of salmon, I see the juices and feel the softness. The outside crust is crunchy stiff while the inside is soft and moist. My goodness it is do delicious. With the warmed katsu sauce it was truly wonderful. We ended up using that the whole time. Mike came around to see how we were doing and asked how we liked the katsu sauce. I showed him the sauces we had except the katsu was empty «What do you think». Point well made. A truly wonderful dish that Mog P. and I could share together.
Now, the lemom bar is good. Very good. But, I would describe it more of a lemon shortbread cookie. i was actually more impressed with the lemon blueberry pound cake. Moist and the flavors went so well together. Another slice of heaven. Holy moly that was really good.
I highly recommend this place to one and all. It’s a hole in the wall serving up some delicious food at more than fair price. The long lines there for lunch every day is testatment to that. Getting here before 11am or after 1pm will avoid the lunch crowd and get you a parking stall.

How did I not know about this amazing place? Max & Lucy’s have been in business since May 3, 2009. I only recently found out about this place a few weeks ago, by word of mouth. Since then, I’ve been back several times and always for their salmon katsu.
Service:
Mike (the owner) works super hard! He is quick and super duper nice! It’s always a pleasure when he takes my order. It gets super busy in here, but the line moves pretty quick. The food is worth waiting in that line for. Plus, like I said, he is quick and the line moves fast :)
Parking:
There are lots of metered parking on the street, most of his customers walk in from the nearby businesses. I sometimes park in the lot next door (illegally) … Pick up and go. If you plan to eat there, I highly recommend using the metered stalls.
Food:
AMAZE-​balls!!! So far, I’m stuck on their salmon katsu. I’ve had it with their tartar sauce or with gravy on top. Either way, both were delicious! My friends have tried their roast pork, fried chicken, baked chicken and prime rib and devoured their entire plate. I haven’t tried their famous lemon bars yet because they are always sold out when I get there. So one of these days, I’ll have to come early and get them. You have a choice of white rice or brown rice and for the salad I think it’s Mac salad, toss salad… Or something else… I always get their toss salad with lilikoi dressing. Delicious!!!
They usually post their daily specials on their Facebook page:
Come early because they run out of food fast :)
They also cater and do phone orders, however, if you call after 1030am, they won’t answer because it gets super busy. So call before then, or just walk in like the rest of us. They take cash or credit.

Prime Rib at an affordable price near Downtown? I’m there!
I came here with my lunch buddy after sorting through our list of places we wanted to try. It was just by pure coincidence that we picked Thursday and prime rib was one of the specials for the day. I absolutely love prime rib, who doesn’t? It’s like the best thing at weddings next to crab legs! When you walk into this restaurant, you’ll notice that people are in line. That’s good for two reasons, one is that you can take time to decide what to order and the second is that places with lines are usually places with good food! Once I saw prime rib, I already knew what I was going to order. As we were waiting for our turn, I checked in and got a free soda offer! Make sure to check in!
As the anticipation grew, it was finally our turn. After I ordered, Mike (the owner) walks back to the kitchen area and starts slicing some juicy prime rib. He brings it out cut in strips so it’s so much easier to eat. The plate was quite heavy with everything in it. The prime rib to me was perfect because it was medium rare and more on the rare side. We enjoyed our meal and talk about FOOD COMA! It was so filling with all the rice, salad, prime rib and free soda. You definitely get great bang for your buck here. It was so good that we decided to come back the following Thursday and invite some of our other Unilocal friends.
Our second visit there was also very filling and delicious. This time I ordered the fried chicken. It was full of flavor and very juicy. I saw so many pictures of people ordering it that I had to try. Both plates I ordered are good but I personally like the prime rib better. Come to find out that Mike changes the recipe weekly on the prime rib. I’m going to have to come back to have the prime rib more often! At the end of our meal, Mike came out and generously presented us some delicious brownies! Thanks Mike, you’re awesome! Mink felt so deprived that she commented on my check in to bring her a plate too! LOL. I ordered her the roast pork and she said she loved it! Seems like everything here is good… well except parking. You will need to get lucky with some street parking but aside from that, this place is legit!

What’s on your list?
While comparing our Restaurant Bucket Lists, my lunch buddy and I discovered that we both agree on Max and Lucy’s! We’ve read reviews of our trusted Unilocal friends, so we ventured on…
PARKING: metered street parking.
LOCATION: right next to the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, near Circuit Court and a block away from the Federal Building.
AMBIANCE: it’s not air conditioned well, so do not wear a sweater! It’s casual, cafeteria style, so you go to the counter, order your food, and proceed to the cashier. There are tables inside and outside. The cute children’s artwork is neatly displayed along the walls.
FOOD: choose from the Daily specials or the Weekly specials. Today’s weekly special was prime rib which my lunch buddy chose, while I ordered the Salmon Katsu. Unfortunately, they had run out of the Salmon, so I was offered the last piece of Opakapaka Katsu — YUM! Both the prime rib and my fish where excellent and come with 2 scoops of rice and a tossed green salad!
My lunch buddy kept saying, «This is so good!» I was silent since my mouth was constantly full! My Opakapaka was moist, tender and no fishy taste! The katsu sauce added the perfect kick!
SERVICE: pleasant and fast! The team of two really hustle! The line of customers really moved quickly! We were impressed by the way the HUGE slab of prime rib was cut, weighed, and plated!
NOTES: I got the last piece of lemon bar, which I thoroughly enjoyed at home!
— Remember to get your free 12 ounce drink when you check in on Unilocal app!
— We might come back again next week to try the other specials!
It’s that good!

Delicious, casual healthy-​ish plate lunch food at a reasonable price — and great service, to boot! Max & Lucy’s is definitely a new (to me) go-​to place in the courthouse area!
I had heard through the grapevine about a lunch spot that had the owner’s kids’ artwork up on the walls, and I thought, «Well, at least it’ll be cute.» And it really is! The menu board artwork, like the children’s artwork, is colorful and whimsical without being ridiculous, and the menu is varied without being overwhelming. The lunch specials vary by day, so now my friends and I know we’ll have to go back on a Monday. .. and a Thursday. .. at the very least!
Two of us today had the eggplant lasagna. Now, between the two of us, I’d say that one person is definitely more of a healthy eater than the other, but we both loved our food! The lasagna is really more like stacks of eggplant parmesan, with cheese and spinach between the layers (I had to remove the spinach because I have an allergy, but it was easy enough to take out without disrupting the rest of the dish), and the marinara sauce was tasty without being overpowering. And then, as if we didn’t have enough already, the owner came out from behind the counter and gave us a container that contained a fresh-​out-​of-​the-​fryer fried chicken for each of us! He insisted that since it was our first time, we had to try a variety of items. So nice!
In addition to the selection of entrees and drinks (bottled AND canned), Max & Lucy’s offers a variety of homemade desserts in really reasonable-​sized portions — so they’re somehow even more tempting. .. because you know you can finish one off quiet easily.
One tip: As Yvette L. mentions, get here EARLY. We were the first in line around 11:30, but two minutes later, the line was to the door, and it pretty much never slowed down from there.
My friends and I will definitely be back!

What can I say, I love these little hole in the wall gems. Max and Lucy’s shine bright!
My first visit here I arrived after the lunch crowd. That wasn’t a good idea. A lot of the food choices where gone. Yep, it’s so good that they tend to run out. I’m not a big fish eater unless it’s a poke bowl (sigh, bad Filipino). Much to my surprise I ordered the teri salmon and it was SUPERB! I knew I had to pay this place another visit, just to ensure I wasn’t just hungry where anything is good. I’ve since tried their taco salad, yum. I’ve also had another fish dish, yep, FISH! I ordered the opakapaka and was I happy that I did. You’re able to taste that buttery, lemon flavor in the fish. The breading is light, perfectly golden and simply amazing. I’ve also had their desserts and oh my, those are good too!
The staff is amazingly friendly. I haven’t been there and it not be busy, the staff (two people) are quick, efficient and provide perfect customer service. I will definitely be back again. On the must try list of mine, meatloaf and roast pork. Maybe I’ll stick to the fish for a bit longer *wink*

This is as good as it gets when it comes to «Hidden Hole in the Wall» diner food. According to my friend Erick, Mike’s (owner and chef) beef stew was some of the BEST he’s had. As for me, I enjoyed a delicious hearty vegetarian eggplant lasagna under a tasty tomato sauce. They both came with a chunky salad and a healthy helping of dressing of our choice.
The place has an everyday menu and a daily special menu where for each day of the week, he features something unique. Mike said, «If you get here at 11:30 a.m. you should be good to get your pick of everything. Anytime after 12:45 p.m. and you’ll get what’s left, which is still good (wink).»
I love it that he also has baked goods under pretty glass serving displays! His employee, a young lady was pleasant and the place felt welcoming and homey.
It was my first time here, and about 7 other patrons sitting at tables looked like they’ve been coming to Max & Lucy’s for years. Mike, is just the humblest and nicest guy who puts a lot of love into his food. I heard him shout a, «Thank you!» from the kitchen as a customer left.
The place is named after his two children, Max and Lucy and is decked with artwork from his children.