Hapa Dog

CLOSED!
Hapa dog is no more. The sandwich shop next to it is still going but cant imagine she can pay the rent there.

Finally got here! 1^st impression? Nice people… friendly, helpful, polite. All of this adds to the dining experience! Good value! $ 6 for hot dog, chips and drink… ok, now the test… let’s see… looks good, actually, looks great!!! Bun toasted, teri beef wrapped around nicely, sauce looks good and yummm, lots of nori! They serve on a nice plate with fork and knife all on a nice tray. They even have Diet Coke and Sun Chips, original… ok…now taste and texture test… Yummmmm!!! Eh man! Really good… Great hot dog (grilled and firm), delicious sauce and the teri beef is really tasty and tender… definitely a winner (weiner too!)
This is my new favorite lunch place in Waikiki… definitely worth the trip to Waikiki.
Next time I should try the one with the teri pork wrap…
They also have 2 daily soups and FRESH sandwiches.
Oh, BTW, after I ordered, they said I could sit down and they even brought it to my table… then Daniel and Mike were nice enough to talk story! Not only do they have great food, but also great conversation. Can’t be beat!
BTW, I’ve been to Hank’s and Puka Dog… they can’t compare!

Now why the heck wasn’t this place around (or did I miss it?) when I still worked at the Waikiki Shopping Plaza (corner of Kalakaua and Seaside) just a year ago? Freekin’ freekas, ah? They are located right at the bottom floor food court, at the corner section of the Kalakaua wing.
Good call on the part of Unilocaler Brian A. on this place. In fact, the more I hang out with this guy, the more «well rounded» I get in the opu. Though unlike a lot of places that attract people in Waikiki, Hapa dog might be the one that makes your quest for «free» parking worthwhile, even if «paying» is still forgivable. I’ll have to admit, this is by far the best local hot dog I have tried thus far, next to Costco. LOL! Kidding and you can stop your groaning now. Though note, they use the same type of beef frank here.
What sets this Hapa Dog apart from others is their gourmet appeal. Being a visual guy sometimes, esp when quickly trying to choose a selection on a pictoral menu can be helpful. On this visit, the «Beefy Boy» is what looked best. Again, Costo size and Costo beef frank, cept grilled butterfly style (cut open down the middle) and topped with aoli sauce, pieces of teriyaki beef, chopped green onions, SAUTEED ONIONS and finally chopped nori seaweed — just a few sizes up from the type you find in a bottle of furikaki.
Taste = Meen. Not mean but Meen! Filling? Yes! And it’s the type of «dawg» that you have to work on with a fork and knife for fear of looking messy while you eat. Seriously. I say the Beefy Boy is the equivalent to W & M’s Hal burger, taking American backyard food as we know it, cept adding a Hawaiian-​Asian spin. In this case, teriyaki. Also, nothing beats a gourmet dog with giant pieces of sauteed onions MMM!
Price? $ 6 for the meal. Not bad considering Waikiki inflation. The only thing I found disappointing here was that they don’t serve any type of french fries or onion rings. The meal includes your choice of can soda/​bottle water and a small bag of potato chips: Cheetos, Doritos, etc. The bag of chip thing is something they should reconsider, just my opinion.
As for more of their selection, here is a photo of their pictoral menu:
4 stars
Hapa Dog in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza foodcourt

One of my new favorites on the island. For those not versed in local pidgin, «Hapa» is the term mostly used to initially describe a person who is half Japanese and half Caucasian. Now, it mostly means anything half. It’s located in an old Starbucks location and is oddly barren upon first glance. Actually, it seems that much of their business is from workers in the area.
I had a Wassap Dog which is a clear head nod to this commercial:
It was a fairly large beef hotdog, cut in half with crunchy jicama diced finely (kinda really didn’t taste like anything like a daikon radish), green onions, with a drizzle of Japanese wasabi mayonnaise, and chopped nori on top. Buggah was goo. The nori made it taste sushi-​esque, while the wasabi mayonnaise added a small kick of nose clearing goodness. Overall it was very good and the beefiness of the hot dog went surprisingly complementary with the toppings. Nothing really overpowered anything else (well besides a few nasal passage wasabi moments). They have several additional kinds of hot dog variations that I’d like to try. I think it was pretty much around $ 5, but with a drink and chips came to about $ 7.
From my understanding it’s similar to Japadog (
) hotdog stand in Vancouver, Canada.
It’s also only open lunchtime, so you dinner goers are out of luck. And parking? Find a garage in the area because they’re all expensive. It’s in the heart of Waikiki afterall.

I agree with the 1^st reviewer that this place kills Hanks Haute dogs. This place has originality with a local flare. I would definitely recommend this place to tourists. My fav is Hapa boy. This guy works off a portable electric grill and a microwave. How the hell does he make it taste so good. I know his secret, its the grilled bun! We work near by and eat at least once a week. $ 6 for a dog, drink and chip… Pwnd Hanks!

I was looking for a place that would put Hank’s Haute Dogs to shame. I just knew someone out there could make a way better dog.
The sweet bartender at Wang Chungs (See my other reviews) suggested Hapa Dog. I never did until I recently went galavanting through Waikiki and found The Sandwich Shop which it shares the same counter with.
This place is priced AMAZINGLY. $ 5 for a gourmet ¼ pound dog with chips and a drink!
I had the «Miso-​Hungry» which was a dog with homemade miso, homemade mayo, jicama slices, and nori flakes. Sooo good and juicy! It was like if a roll of sushi and a hot dog had a baby!
Ahh it all comes together. This dog is hapa! Half Japanese and half American. I can’t wait to try their other hapa delicacies.