220 Grille

Parking is hit or miss. It can be a long walk for those out of shape because of all the stairs and hills.
I used to give this place 5 stars but I feel the changes they have made for the later half of 2015 and January 2016 have made it worse. I think they were too popular before and their kitchen was inundated with take out orders. They are there to learn so now it is dine-​in only. No take out. I’ve always eaten in so that’s not a problem for me.
Why doesn’t the wait help write my orders down?! That would help with order errors and getting the check. Isn’t part of learning managing the orders with a POS system?
For January 2016 they are going with Latin American cuisine. I feel that pan-​pacific or fusion pacific food is more desirable. It could be delicious but not for the price which is average as their portions have gotten a lot smaller. I have to remind myself that this is a sustainable restaurant so you have to keep that in mind also. If you are looking for awesome Alan Wong’s type of food don’t bother but for good sustainable food at a decent price I’d say this place is A-​OK.
Dessert is always good and I see people come in just for dessert and of course, the view of Koko Head. Bonus: no GET tax or rail tax: P Don’t forget to leave a tip in the top jar at the cashier as you leave.

Although the food is good in taste the price is too much for the quantity. The cafeteria has better deal then this and the Cafeteria is like a rip off.

FINALLY got to 220 Grille on the last day if this session… Been meaning to try this venue for years, but never had the time (working) until today!
Tried the catch-​of-​the-​day (succulent opah!) over creamy risotto with edamame, spicy radish sprouts, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese! ONO! With a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, the dish was perfect, no need for salt or shoyu or any other seasoning. And the various textures made the eating interesting!
Got to have dessert! So I finished lunch with Chez Lauren’s Chocolate Decadence Cake. Even in a cardboard take-​out tray, it was delicious, especially with the coffee cream and tart, fresh raspberries and mint. Ah, food happiness! Woo hoo!

I feel like the food gets worse every time I eat here. I only eat here because it’s a little better than the café food.

Service is always slow everytime my party and I dine in. Today, no one even acknowledged us until 25 minutes later. We had to call over a random server to take our order because it took so long! But even then I don’t even think she put in our order. It took almost a full hour for them to realize that we didn’t get our food while everyone else who came after us did.
Our original server who we barely saw, came to our table and asked us what we ordered to ‘double check’ what we had put in but everyone else who came after us got their food before us, so I could tell they didn’t even put in our order. She didn’t even apologize for the 45 minute wait.
I ordered fish and poi and thought that the poi would be set aside from the fish. I asked my waiter for the poi and she said, «it’s poi crusted,» with an attitude and walked away without letting me say anything else.
With that being said, our server and the rest of the staff that was by the cashier who saw us wait for an hour didn’t even apologize or try to help remedy the problem.

The staff are friendly and very patient. They can get quite busy. I love their salads and pies. The calamari was also fresh and tasty. I think they got busy and accidentally forgot I placed an order for my dessert, because when I asked for it the waiter apologized and went into the kitchen to check on it. It was worth the wait! I don’t have classes at KCC, but sometimes I’ll go there for that pie!

It took my coworker about a year to convince me to try this restaurant out. I usually don’t need much convincing when it comes to food; I like trying new things but 220 Grille is a restaurant run by Kapiolani Community College’s culinary students and is next to their cafeteria. First of all, we work nowhere near KCC; second, I didn’t exactly like the idea of being a food guinea pig for the college students. My coworker didn’t give up. He kept raving about it and he actually convinced a bunch of us to go. So I finally agreed to take the 20 minute drive away from work during lunch and pay for a meal made by students. Guess what… I’m impressed!
PARKING | It sucks. The college students have a hard time finding parking as it is and there aren’t too many parking stalls near the restaurant.
HOURS | The operating hours are lame. They’re only open during lunch from 11:00 am — 12:45 pm Tuesday — Friday
I know, I know… two negatives so far but everything else is worth it. Trust me!
AMBIANCE | The restaurant itself is really simple, minimal decorations and basic wooden tables and chairs. There is both indoor and outdoor seating and if you sit outside or near the window, you get a pretty good view of the ocean. The restaurant is very casual and most of the patrons are students.
CUSTOMER SERVICE | The employees are very polite and helpful. Our server, Spencer gave his recommendations and was very informative. Some of our food came out very quickly while a couple of the dishes took a long time.
FOOD | Impressive. Just freakin’ impressive for food made by students. Their food can easily compete with other well-​established restaurants and straight up blow the competition out of the water with their low prices. The appetizers are small and are good for two people. Although the portions were small, I can’t complain-​the appetizers cost $ 4 each! I tried 3 different ones and my favorite is the fried calamari. The calamari is seasoned with furikake and made the flavor perfect.
I had the dry rub barbeque chicken with mac and cheese and a quinoa salad for my main dish. The chicken was covered in really good barbeque sauce and the mac and cheese was on point. I’m usually not a fan on quinoa but it had a good mixture of veggies and it was actually pretty darn good.
For dessert, my coworkers and I each ordered something different and I was able to try a little bit of everything. My two favorites are the Strawberry Shortcake Biscuit and the Okinawan Sweet Potato Cheesecake. The cream filling mixed with fresh strawberries was perfect for their freshly made biscuit that was drizzled in honey. If you’re a fan of both cheesecake and Okinawan sweet potato, you’ll enjoy their dish. The cheesecake wasn’t heavy like most cheesecake and the sweet potato was perfect and didn’t overpower the dessert.
PRICE | Two thumbs up! I had a three course meal and paid only $ 16 for really good food! Most of their appetizers are $ 4, entrees average $ 8 and dessert is about $ 4. Winning!
It’s apparent that Kapiolani Community College runs an outstanding culinary program. The taste and quality of the food was amazing and at great prices, I don’t see why these students would have a hard time starting a culinary career. I’m happy that KCC allows the students to showcase their skills and share their talents with us. My tummy is extremely grateful for that!
P. S. The students aren’t allowed to accept tips but there’s a donation box at the front with the cashier. All donations go towards the culinary program.

Wonderful place to stop if visiting Oahu :) can hike diamond head then stop here after for lunch :) affordable pricing for gourmet entrees
$ 4 – 9 :) plus supporting the KCC culinary programs
Great views of diamond head and koko head :)

I am back to school!
Yesterday I had the great luck to go into this venue, and lucky me won’t be the last.
I ordered ribs because I saw the person next to me eating them and it was one of the best decisions I have made since I landed in la isla bonita!
The meal was an incredible piece of pork meat perfectly cooked sitting on a beautiful bed of mashed potatoes, natty pieces of vegetables submerged in gravy presented in a very fancy hotel-​like gorgeous way.
The price I paid was nothing, compared to all the pretentious, airy, presumptuous, overblown, conceited, arty-​crafty restaurants outside Kcc who offer nasty costumer service, horrible food and charge stupid amounts of money.
When food touches my spirit, makes me remember or hanker different stages or moments of my life I can do nothing else than give a 5 start review on Unilocal,spread the word and look at the many positive things that make Hawaii and US a great place to be.
I love food.
Latino love food
Food is soul, food is life, food is familia
discaimer:
You know I adore 1 star reviews and Unilocaldrama
BUT
It is a CLASSROOM, it is an educative experience for people involved into the KCC culinary and hospitality program so all 1 star reviews are not only mean but harmful to this place, do you have a comment?
is it constructive and contributes in some way with the learning process?
mistakes are what makes us learn.
not only they are learning, we are learning too as costumers/​clients/​diners.

220 Grille is the student-​staffed restaurant (for lunch) at KCC. It’s cheap, the food is generally excellent, the staff is attentive, and the view is gorgeous. It is only open at certain times during the year and the menu changes, so please be sure to check the menu online or through their Facebook page. There are weekly/​daily specials in addition to the menu for the semester.
My regular dining companion and I usually sit outside, which has a gorgeous view of Diamond Head to the right, and the bay out towards Aina Haina/​Hawaii Kai, with Koko Head and Koko Crater in the distance. If you sit outside, the servers may or may not notice you, depending on how early in the semester it is.
I generally order the Island catch and the Vanbanna pie, both of which are fantastic. Most of the items on the menu are excellent; however, the quality of the dishes varies depending on: (a) how far into the semester it is and (b) who is cooking your dish that day, with certain students being better chefs than others and a tendency towards better cooking later into the semester. My companion noted that the island catch I ordered today was much better than that of the beginning of the semester.
The service is usually very attentive and professional, though a few points are worth mentioning:
1) it helps to speak slowly, as some of the staff may not yet be used to American/​Hawaii English
2) you may not be noticed if you sit on the patio
3) you may be noticed TOO often if you defy expectations: one day when I was running a little late (office hours ran late! I am otherwise a gentleman!), my companion was repeatedly asked if she was ready to order by all four staff members, to the point that she was flustered by the time I sat down. Similarly, I do not like to drink more than one glass of water, so I drank my water. Each server who passed by naturally asked me if I’d like water, which is very attentive and wonderful, but meant that I got asked about 4 times in 10 minutes.
These are very small, insignificant things. The students give far more professional service than most of the restaurants in Hawaii.
As Nat N. has pointed out, no tipping is allowed, although there is a tip box at the cashier, the benefits from which go to benefit the program. Huzzah!
If you are at KCC, make the time to dine here. If you are not, it is worth the trip if you are in the Kaimuki area. This kind of thing makes me very proud to work at KCC.

It amazes me that Kapiolani Community College (KCC) has better dining options than UH Manoa. If I worked at KCC, I’d dine here everyday.
Enter 220 Grille and the first thing that will catch your eye is the ocean view. It is absolutely gorgeous, even though the ocean is in the distance.
The menu changes every semester, and they usually post the current menu on their website, so if you are like me and like to plan out your meal ahead of time, check their website for the menu, and check Unilocal and their Facebook page for pics of their current offerings. Also check to be sure they will be open because they close during school breaks and holidays.
On their current menu, the Yankee style short ribs is a sure winner. The meat is super tender, you need not use your knife to cut it.
For dessert, you must try Chef Eddie’s Vanbanna Pie.
Prices are very reasonable ($ 8 – 9 for an entrée; desserts are $ 3 – 4) and the servers really aim to please.
You can park on campus for free so long as you don’t park in the zones reserved for faculty/​staff (look for the signs). There are a few stalls reserved for restaurant guests in the back of the building (diamond head side if campus).
Service is first come first serve. Take out is available!
No tipping is allowed since this is a laboratory for culinary students.

First of I would like to say that Katy P.‘s review should be disregarded. I was part of the class of servers that she was bashing. The student that didn’t know what mountain dew was, is a international student and hardly speaks English. and the food would have been good if it was not cold. yes it is unacceptable for that to happen but remember it is students you can speak up and ask whats going on. also the serving class is not only culinary students its hospitality ones and they do not «WORK» for the restaurant they are learning there. anyway moving on.
220 grill is a great place to eat when it is open. food is great, cheap, and has large portions. the chef likes to follow sustainable food practices so locally grown produce and live stock as much as we can. the menu changes a lot because the chef is always trying to improve the quality of food. but at the same time he keeps the favorites. the food is top quality. my personal favorites are the korean inspired noodle salad, kalamari steak, 220 burger, and the pork sliders. oh and you must try the vanbanna icecream cake atleast once. i have eaten everything on the menu and its all good.
I want to point out that this restaurant is made up of 2 classes, one is the cooks and the other is the servers. they are all LEARNING to serve and cook so please be a little tolerant and if anything is wrong let the students know. if it ever gets as bad as katy p.‘s go and talk to the cashier and they can see whats going on. REMEMBER THIS IS A CLASS that hardly makes a profit on the food and what is made goes to the culinary program. seriously that burger is a 15 dollar burger served for 8 bucks.

I’ve been going to Ka’Ikena for years, and just discovered Kulia Grille a couple years ago… yet I only found out about 220 Grille last September… where have I been all this time? OMG! First, let me say that I LOVE the fact that culinary students get hands-​on experience working with customers at all of these locations… and they do a really great job. =) Unfortunately, I haven’t had much luck so far with the small plates here (spinach gnocchi & shoestring potatoes from last season were disappointing, as well as the over-​sauced asian steak tacos). BUT the entrees have been AWESOME… from the chicken puttanesca, and calimari steak last season, to the braised shortribs just a few weeks ago… all winners! Only thing I can say is, make sure you get there by 11:45 (or earlier’s better!), or expect a long wait… to-​go is also a good option. If I worked closer to KCC, I’d be here all the time!

My cousin has been bugging me to try this place out for a couple months and I finally had the pleasure of going. I had the 220 Burger and it was HUGE. I’m talking at least 4 inches of bun, burger, cheese, avocado, and bacon. It was seasoned very well and totally delicious but alas, I could only finish half. It’s definitely well worth the $ 8 price! I know this is a class but it makes me sad that their hours are so limited, you only have an hour window to get there and chow down.
Just as side note (because we were totally confused), leave tips in the tip box next to the register, not on the table.

The perks of being on campus at KCC from 745 – 430 is that I can have lunch here whenever I want and not to have to worry about dealing with the ridiculous parking that occurs in the morning/​mid afternoon.
220 Grille is where the culinary students get hands on experience cooking, serving, etc. And I love it. The food range from $ 4-​$ 12 depending on what you get and everything I’ve tried, was delicious. The spareribs (any way) tastes great and I really like their vanbana cake. yummy!!!
From buying lunch at the cafeteria all the time… I like to treat myself to 220 once in a while.
They are only open for lunch. 11a-​1245p. They do take phone orders but it can take a while since EVERYONE on campus phone orders as well. Since they are students also, it can take a while but hey, I’m on campus all day. where am I going to rush off to?

Yes, yes I know — they are just culinary students practicing their skills, but hey, like I always say, you only get better with a little criticism.
Environment/​Ambiance:
Overall, the restaurant area look decent. They need a new color combination for the room, but like I said, they don’t have much control over renovations. I like the open patio area — it brings in the natural light and it makes the room look larger than it really is.
There needs to be a better sitting area (or the existence of one) at the front so that the front entrance isn’t clogged up by people when the line-​ups begin.
The bar area at the front is quite boring and. They use it as seats for single customers who want a bite to eat. That is a good idea, but the lack of use and the emptiness of that area takes away from the ambiance. In addition, I saw some stuff on the counter at that area, and some cleaning supplies leaning against the counter and that really kills the look of the place. The good thing is that they cleaned up after I mentioned in to them.
Service:
Overall, the service was good. Most notably the girl that was going around refilling our water. She displayed an honest, happy smile (the kind that says «hey! I’m happy I’m here!»). The cashiers were very nice and kept their composure up despite the long line ups.
However, our waiter was below average. Before I arrived to the table, my friend was sitting there without water or any refreshments and I asked why didn’t he get anything to drink and he told me that he didn’t get a waiter yet. Our waiter arrived 5 minutes after I sat down and he took our order (nothing special) and took off. We got our drinks 5 minutes afterwards and order 15 minutes after we got our drinks. In between I needed some sugar for my coffee, but I had the most difficult time getting the waiter’s attention because he was rarely making eye contact with our table. He didn’t check up on us as frequently either.
Food:
I ordered the steak (I will get the fully name and description of the item when I get to work tomorrow… i completely forgot what it was called)
The mushroom/​gravy sauce that they poured over one end of my steak was delicious. It was packed with lots of flavor and it was of good consistency (not too thick/​not too thin). In saying that much, it was soooo good that it completely killed the taste of the meat. I ordered steak, so I want to taste some steak. The steak I ordered was suppose to be medium rare… i got well done (you can imagine the look on my face when I took a bite out of that) but good thing for them their gravy was so good otherwise I would’ve said something. The steak with out the gravy sauce on it would receive a below average rating from me, but that is mainly due to the fact that it was well done and it lacked flavor. On their survey, I made it clear that they needed to work with the taste of the meat so they can bring out the natural flavor instead of covering it up with delicious sauce (otherwise it wouldn’t really matter what they gave me as the meat because their sauce would cover up the taste anyways)
The steak was served with a side of watercress salad and a taro croquette (I will get the name of the thing I promise!). These items were very well made — especially the taro. This particular item was breaded with panko and fried/​baked to a beautiful golden brown. Looks aside, the taste was somewhat bland, but that may be intentional since this was the substitute for rice. The consistency of the taro was perfect — no lumps it was very smooth inside.
The salad packed some flavor… a little too much maybe, but I could taste the watercress. Maybe they could ease up on the dressing or serve the dressing on the side so the customer could put it on themselves. They also served the dish with a lovely slice of grilled red tomato. It added color to the dish and its appreciated :)
Parking/​Time
Its at KapCC so parking is not good unless you go on a Friday.
This place only opens from 11am — 12:45pm. So plan ahead if you are planning to go! I suggest check out their website to see the menu before you go.
Other Comments:
During my visit there, I noticed someone drop a used napkin on the floor. No one bothered to picked it up until the restaurant was about to close. For me, that’s will put you down a star on Unilocal; always pick up the garbage on the floor no matter how busy it gets because it could be a potential slipping hazard and it definitely does not look good for the restaurant.
They usually display their specials at the front entrance, but they are real food! Good effort for advertising, but the food starts to look wilted and what not, and it doesn’t look too appetizing after a while. Maybe they should invest in a monitor and wall mount it so they can display their food digitally instead.
I give the restaurant koodos for going green! But I would like to be served with nicer plates and utensils…

I feel so stupid for not trying this place sooner. I spent my hard earned cash at the crappy cafeteria when I could’ve been spending it here. 220 Grille is not open all the time, the menu is constantly changing, and their hours are strictly lunch time. If these limitations are alright with you, then 220 is AWESOME SAUCE.
I ordered the coffee panna cotta and calamari steak. This was my first panna cotta experience, and the one at 220 was just coffee pudding with chocolate. It was okay… the cookie that came with it was great though! The calamari steak was HEAVEN for only 8 bucks. It came with a cream sauce, hamakua mushrooms, tomato, and bacon kale mashed potatoes.
I loved the variety on the menu, though I think they need to put more vegetarian friendly options. I’m not a vegetarian, but my friend is and he was sad :(

Never disappointed… :)
So cheap, but so tasty… Is that possible?! Always 220 Grille!!!
Every semester they have a different menu, plus it changes twice a semester, so their dishes are always different. There hrs are very short so you gotta be there after 11am and before 1pm while the food is served, they also don’t work weekends and there are periods when its closed during the semester because that’s their in class time…
Its really cool that college kids from the culinary arts program make all this classy and fancy food. You also really can’t miss out on the delsh deserts they serve, once in a while they also have a dish or dessert of the day that is only on the menu for that day.
This place is really a must try, you can’t go wrong, plus you’ll always find at least something on their menu that suites you… I always do and I’m a picky eater: P
Thanks to all the students putting their hard work in learning to become great chefs and servers… I’ll be back :)) and I’ll keep on recommending this place…

I am excited 220 Grille has opened for the Spring semester. I went a couple times in the Fall even though I wasn’t attending class at KCC.
There are some changes from last semester. Of course, all the cooks and servers are new. The menus are now printed on a sheet of paper clipped to a board. The menu selection has changed as well. Sadly they no longer serve the pumpkin crunch dessert. I was going to post the menu but it got crumpled in my bag. Besides, there are some errors in punctuation and format that need to be fixed.
I ate the specials for the day, which is what I usually get. Today was blue cheese & apple smoked bacon burger and for dessert banana cream chocolate cake. The burger was delicious. You can’t go wrong with putting bacon in a burger and it was crispy, just how I like.
I really shouldn’t have eaten the dessert since the burger was so big, but it’s difficult to pass up sweets, especially chocolate. The chocolate cake itself was a little too firm. I think it’s because of the amount of time it was in the fridge. Overall, it was a good combination of flavors.
There are some changes I would like to see. The first is to have fruit juice and hot tea on the beverages list. As of now there is only coffee, iced tea, and soda. Since it is «a sustainable food bistro» I would like to have options for dishware and silverware. I’m not sure, but while the utensils and cups are biodegradable, I don’t think they are compostable. Are ceramic mugs and silverware too much trouble or more detrimental in the big picture? (Washing time and water use? Storage limit?)
220 Grille is open from 1100 to 1245, but you can place pick-​up orders over the phone starting at 1030.
Overall I had a very good experience. The servers were very friendly and did quite well considering it was their first day on the job at 220 Grille. I will definitely go back. Just need to head to 24 Hour Fitness to work off that dessert first.

Hit or Miss, the staff is always changing here. Its a shame that it’ll be closed until next January, but I’d really like to get to see it after the renovate. Students take your orders, serve you, and cook your food. They’re not allowed to accept tip, but you can definitely donate to the class up front at the register instead. They work for their grades here, a couple of months of service and then the crew and the menu switches off to cooking and vice versa for the cooks.
I’ve had the seafood pasta, the crepes, the chicken marsala, the red snapper, rock shrimp risotto, chicken drummies which was a special one day, bruchetta, calamari steak, strawberries abaglione, atlantic salmon, shrimp burger, avacado burger, fried ice cream, sea food ravioli, new york steak, quesadillas, special steamed clams (didn’t really like, but I don’t like clams so… no biggie) with garlic bread, and I’ve had repeats. Most recently, they haven’t had the fried ice cream in a long while. It was batter shelled, and I enjoyed it every time I got it, with the coconut flakes and the pineapple sauce and the hagen daaz choco covered almonds vanilla bean ice cream!
FAVORITES!:
1)Fried Ice cream,
2)Red snapper when they had it with GREEN bamboo rice! It was awesome!
3)Rock Shrimp risotto when the cheesy bowl was extra large
Mrs. Frizzle: She would have to agree: 5 stars for taking chances, making mistakes and getting messy.
«I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.»
– Maya Angelou