Zippy’s Makiki

From the outside i didn’t expect this restaurant to be as big as it was. We were seated promptly. The waiter came to the table right away. The food came out super fast. The shoyu chicken and rice was just right. Tender and flavorful as i was expecting. Nice for a quick casual meal.

I really don’t understand how this place stays in business. I’ve never liked this place even as a kid. It’s nicknamed «Rippy’s» for a reason. You’re paying a lot of money for some rice and cheap meat. It’s overpriced. I went to this location recently because someone else wanted to go. We sat on the bench inside to pick up a takeout order, and it smelled like pee the entire time. It looked dirty too. I would never recommend this place to anyone. You wait a while because somehow people love to order this peasant bento food. The fries we got were cold too. What a joke. I guess if you like this kind of food like L&L you will love the taste of dog food. Better food comes out of my butt, and I won’t charge you as much.

Had the Ox Tail soup. Not up to par. The broth tasted watered down. Almost like they added hot water to the bowl to bring the level up.
I had Ox Tail at this location before and it was pretty consistent with the other locations. So i know what taste I’m looking for.
Fried Saimen was good. That still gets a good star. Service was a little off, but I’m willing to let that slide because it seemed to have a number of large groups which is unusual. Three large groups is the most I’ve ever seen here. But it looked like four or six groups were going on.
Single and smaller groups had to wait a bit because they were waiting for adjacent tables to become available to accommodate the larger groups.
We shall see next time when not as crazy.

The hostess is the most unpleasant person I have ever been greeted by. First she tells me our party of 10 will take a «very long time.» When I asked «how long?» She says in a super sassy voice, «I have no idea!» When seated she throws our menus in front of us.
Our waitress was very nice. Which is sad because the hostess was very bitchy.
Pic of lady posted.

My family and I never actually dined in at this Zippy’s Makiki, but we recently got take-​out from this location. I called two hours before our actual pick-​up time because we would be running errands in the area, but it was good to see that our order was definitely done and ready by the time we arrived at the restaurant.
There’s a small parking area on the side of the building, and this Zippy’s location is open 24 hours, for all you night owls.
We were pleased with this Zippy’s because not only were they prompt, but we witnessed excellent customer service. They included a generous amount of dressing with our salad (six small containers), and when my dad asked for a cup of water upon paying, they gave me one as well (even though I didn’t even ask for one). The workers behind the counter all seemed cheerful.
When we enjoyed our salad at home, the taste was consistent to that we had experienced at other Zippy’s stores. The salad containers themselves were rather big (in proportion to how much chicken comes with each), but that’s besides the point.
I would definitely return to this Zippy’s if I ever was in the area or wanted to dine in. The only thing I was disappointed about was that there were no chocolate napples during the time of our visit … and that still reigns as my favorite dessert from Napoleon’s Bakery.
Here’s what we got:
«Korean Chicken Salad»: We got two orders of this salad to-​go because it’s our favorite one from Zippy’s. It includes iceberg lettuce and locally grown Kunia aquaponic greens. The Korean chicken is served in containers on the side if you get take out (great so the chicken remains hot, crispy and fresh) and you also get containers of that signature honey sesame ginger dressing on the side. The lettuce did taste fresh, but I modified my salad by adding in my own spinach to the mix. The chicken was as tender and tasty as ever, but the dressing is what makes this salad really unique.
«Chicken Katsu»: I discovered the chicken katsu from Zippy’s is actually delicious, so if I were ordering an entrée from here, this is what I would get. I know every Zippy’s is different, so I would be taking a risk by ordering … but my original katsu experience was so good that I think it’s worth the risk.
«Chocolate Napples»: If this dessert is available during a future visit, it’s the one I would get. I know Zippy’s is famous for its apple napple and other napple flavors, but the chocolate version has always been my favorite. I love the thin, flaky crust, as well as the chocolate interior.
«Cinnamon Malasadas»: I don’t see malasadas being offered at every Zippy’s, so when I saw these in the display case here, I had to do a double take. Yup, this Zippy’s offers malasadas in different flavors. I love cinnamon, so I would definitely be down to try this dessert one day.
«Double Cocoa Brownie»: When I deviate from my «Chocolate Napple» staple, this is the dessert I often go with. I love these double cocoa brownies because they don’t contain nuts, and they’re moist and super chocolaty. My mom likes the «Whole Wheat Brownie» variation, which is undoubtedly healthier.
«Korean Chicken Plate»: Because I love the «Korean Chicken Salad» from Zippy’s so much, I would have no hesitation in ordering this «Korean Chicken Plate.» My grandma has ordered it before (the mini size), and it’s delicious, since it features the same chicken as the salad … but just in a larger quantity. If I got this plate, I would order it with brown rice and mac salad as my side.

Today the service was really fast. The waitress was also really friendly and fast. She was also very helpful. The food was really good. I would definitely recommend trying the garlic rib eyed steak, it was so good that I didn’t need to put steak sauce. Should come here for good customer service.

Not bad for a Zippys. Usually prefer to not eat at Zippys because of the overpriced mediocre food (sorry! Never been a huge fan), but we were around the Makiki Zippys and just decided to eat breakfast real quick. The restaurant itself was relatively clean (or so it looked) and we were seated basically as soon as we entered (on a Saturday at breakfast time too!) Off to a good start.
After awhile of pondering (darn indecisiveness), I went with a short stack of pancakes and corned beef hash. We also chose the breakfast platter (forget what it was called) with rice, Portuguese sausage and overhard eggs, as well as another short stack of pancakes with ham. Was pretty displeased when the food came cause I chose the short stack instead of the regular stack, but I really enjoyed the pancake. Dunno why… The pancake was heavier than most other pancakes, but something about it was really good. And the corned beef hash was aiight. Better with ketchup! As for the other two dishes, they gave a generous amount of Portuguese sausage in the breakfast platter, but the short stack with ham wasn’t a favorite. Apparently the ham tasted like cardboard.
Despite the cardboard ham, I would not at all mind returning to this Zippys to eat again. There’s lots of parking too!

Definitely isn’t what it used to be. Zippys used to be my go to place when I visit and wanted something quick and or on the go… Not to mention they’re open ²⁴⁄₇ so it’s convenient at any time. but this time everything fell short from the Korean fried chicken, to the saimin to the Mac salad, and even my beloved chili. Idk if it was This particular location or if it’s because we weren’t on the restaurant side… Who know but I would definitely pass on the food here next time and go to another location. Service was slow and people were rude. Food was barely warm. Korean chicken was way too saucy and overly sweet. Mac salad tasted just like mayo, saimin came out luke warm… Just Ehhhh in my book. Such a disappointment when you’ve been craving it for so long. Other locations aren’t so bad I think it’s just this location. When will people realize that Cutting corner will get you in trouble…

When we went yesterday, we had a huge party of about 30 – 35. It was around 10 at night and there were many diners, so it took 10 – 15 minutes to be seated as we all wanted to sit together. Our orders were taken quickly, and some got their food quickly. But for me, I got my food when some of our party almost done lol. It’s alright though, it was extremely busy that night and the pumpkin spice waffle was so delicious! I believe the pumpkin is inside the waffle. It comes with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, slivered almonds, syrup on the side (like you do when you get pancakes or waffles) and happiness for your belly.

Ahhh, that place you go to in the middle of the night when everyone is closed. The food is mediocre but 100 0000x better than fast food. I’m here for the chili and chicken people, get outa my way. I’m hangry!!! =)

This review is on the service here.
We came here one night maybe about 9. We were a group of 7 so we had to wait for a table which was no problem. We were seated about 20 after we came in.
Our waitress… OH BOY! This woman was terrible!
We waited for 45 minutes for our food and when we got it, it was cold. Half the time I see her sitting at the bar. She would tell us pas stuff down instead of her going to the other side of the table. She would grunt and huff and puff when we asked for things.(which wasn’t often) or she we requested something she just wouldn’t bring it. Our water would not get filled unless we asked.
I will not come back to this zippys because of this woman. It was absolutely terrible.

For many locals, Zippy’s is their go-​to combination fast food and casual dining chain restaurant. This local food-​chain was started by two brothers, Francis and Charles Higa, who were inspired by the then novel and expeditious use of postal zip codes. Um, if memory serves me, postal zip codes first started appearing in the late 1960’s. Yeah, I was actually old enough to have memory!
Anyway, Zippy’s is conveniently and mostly located in free-​standing buildings to accommodate ²⁴⁄₇ service. The meals are typical to the Hawaiian «plate lunch» which always consists of the entrée, two scoops white rice and one scoop of macaroni salad. We usually will come to this location as we think their food is consistently prepared and seasoned. There is the choice of diner-​style seating dining with full service or just order at a counter, pick up and self-​seating.
There are so many tasty plates to be had that will cost you less than $ 10 per person and some even more inexpensive that cost less than $ 5. Each meal is satisfying, well-​prepared and served to you by friendly counter help. Most popular dishes are their Zip Pack and Surf Pack which features a combination of American, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Hawaiian influences all on a bed of steamed rice. However, Zippy’s is known for their chili aka bowl of Red. You can choose your chili with beans, without beans, or vegetarian-​style.
Today and for many times in the past, our meal choice was their combination plate of pressure-​fried chicken, chili and rice. It usually comes with macaroni salad but unfortunately, my hubby misunderstood the counter help when she repeated his order and said «all rice». So that’s why we ended up with 3 scoops of rice in our plates. The 2-​pieces of fried chicken thighs were juicy, tasty and crisp-​skinned. There was a huge scoop of chili that filled and overflowed a partition in the plate and rice. We greedily bit into the fried chicken as the crust shattered with each bite. The chili was mild and flavorful.
It was another «cheap eats» day for us but it sure saved me from cooking!
# 418

After reading the review, I probably should have gotten the fried chicken or the korean fried garlic chicken :(
Oh well, I did enjoy my moco loco. A bed of rice with a hamburger patty, two eggs and gravy! Not as huge as other places I’ve had, but it did the job. A tasty dish and it came out hot for me to enjoy. This place has a lot of choices and well priced too. If you want something quick and delicious and don’t want taco hell or McCracker, this is a better upgrade and more delicious food to enjoy. I would like to return to try other dishes as well as the bakery. The kid at the register was really nice and cool and handled being busy with lot’s of customers.
Overall: Great food, Great price, Excellent service

You have to have reasonable expectations and evaluate each establishment as its own.
For what zippys is, this place does well, and it satsifys those with realistic expectations for meals around 10 bucks. Do not demand top notch steak or expect a table-​cloth clearing butler, and you will always leave happy (hmm. What slogan is that from again…)
What’s to say about good ol zippys that hasn’t been said before? Who has not tried one of The many zippy franchise on this island? There is at least one zippys per town, as common as Starbucks is in the states, and ABC stores in waikiki, there is always a zippys close by and at your convenience.
four stars for zippys Makiki (my personal fav location)
1) open 24 hours and major holidays
2) to go order side, bakery, AND dine in restaurant
2a) usually clean, usually manageable staff
3) easy on the wallet
4) my regular spaghetti plate and large orange bang
I feel like everyone has there «usual go to» for zippys.
Me? I hardly ever order any different than the spaghetti, which I douse in tabasco. Something about it, I find myself with actual cravings. And oh geez the orange frothy bang drink? Idk what’s in it, but I’ll pay 5 something for a large easy. That’s just as Much as the spaghetti! But it’s worth it. Sometimes I stop in just for that alone! No joke.
So, When you want to Kick back casually, then zippys is your one stop shop. (… What about that one… man the power of repeat advertisement!).
This location doesn’t have as many people watching opportunities as other zippys do around the Honolulu area, but if it’s before midnight than that’s probably more of a positive…
(I said «zippys» 10 times! Is it in your head to eat here now!!!)

Zippy’s is a local favorite. This location, like most of the others offers both a take out area and a fine in area. Parking is usually not a hassle, but I usually go very late at night to this particular Zippys. I’ve come here several times throughout the years for late night bites with friends or family and I am never disappointed.
I usually order the chili/​fried chicken plate, the spaghetti or one of the specials. I also come to the bakery to pick up lemon chiffon cake or guava cake. The orange bang is good, as are the ice cream Sundays.
The people who work at Zippys are consistently friendly and at this location, the cashier on the take out side was exceptionally patient with our group as we attempted to order after a long night.
This Zippys is one of the older ones. If you care about décor and ambiance, I would suggest going to the Kahala location instead lol. We walked through the dining in area and saw some broken chairs… Eh it is what it is.

Korean garlic fried chicken. So crispy, saucy, garlicky, crunchy, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Nothing like this exists on the mainland! Boo!

If i could pick any 24 – 7 restaurant to eat at, Zippy’s would be it! The food is always tasty and consistent. The Young St location is the one I probably went to most growing up so that’s where I usually hit up when I’m back home. I dont care if it’s a chain. The food is freaking awesome! So many options and it doesnt matter what time of the day or night it is. We really need one here is Seattle!!!

Yummy loco moco! Also yummy BBQ pork!
I know this is just a fast food chain but it is very delicious :) huge portion and cheap as well

Parking: Ample, private lot — though a little narrow and sometimes annoying to navigate
Restaurant layout: Poor
Service/​servers: Friendly, and though usually nice, sometimes «ditzy»
Food: Comparable to other locations
Bathroom (women’s): Disgusting (not as bad as Waikiki public parks & beaches I guess, yay?)
Detailed review
Though the private lot has a lot of parking, the layout itself is a little confusing even though there are arrows and signs — which are very clear to see — there are so many directional features that it can be a little overwhelming unless you’ve been here before. There are narrow two-​ways, one-​ways and several ways to enter and exit in a medium sized lot (where they squeezed in as many spaces as possible).
Entering this Zippy’s (dine-​in restaurant side) is another annoying experience. Upon entering, there is a narrow «hallway» where people are supposed to line up to wait to be seated. Poorly designed, as both the bathrooms are right at the entrance and the people waiting will usually be in the way. Oh, and chairs also line this «hallway». Because of this, navigating with a wheelchair, walker or stroller is not without great difficulty and annoyance. Especially when there are groups of people waiting and don’t care to stay single file. Like a lot of other Zippy’s walking through the restaurant can get a little tight, again especially for people with wheelchairs & strollers. They should really consider a light renovation.
Servers are usually friendly, but for some reason I get waitresses that don’t offer refills or to-​go bags… or the check. I’m not a big fan of having to stop a waitress to get any of these things.
Food is prepared, presented and tastes like Zippy’s food. Though, my mom ordered a shrimp burger and found the sauce in a little quarter sized circle in the center of the bun, and she wasn’t to thrilled with that. It tasted fine.
The women’s bathroom is usually pretty dirty, but this visit it actually smelled like cat pee. Yes, I know what cat pee smells like. It smells like cat pee. While it isn’t as bad as using public restrooms at parks & beaches, it’s not too far from it. At least there is toilet paper, soap & paper towels. That’s nice.

I love zippys. nothing can go wrong with Zippys. This location has tons of parking and you have the option to dine in or sit outside. We decided to dine in because outside was busy. Dining in was a bit busy too but the wait was not long.
The waiter we had was very friendly and very patience. I ordered the Korean fried chicken salad with a side soup. I love their portages bean soup, but somehow this one tasted a bit funny. The Korean Fired Chicken salad was very good because it was fresh. I love their house dressing. The salad was a very big portion that comes with tomato and cucumber.
I love that zippy has a napolean bakery where you can go for dessert. If your every at zippy the orange bang is a must order. Its so good.