Seed Restaurant

This is our favorite date-​night restaurant.
Love their mission and their staff are well trained and catering to their customers. Bibimbap and beef casino are some of my favorites. My boyfriend loves the clam linguine.
Great local ingredients and great entrees. Also love their sodas made in house!

It’s Thursday and wanted to try a new local place to eat with a friend that was on the healthier side With BYOB! This is a more relaxed atmosphere with a no rush feel but very friendly service! Stop in around 8ish and shared go plates the grilled salad which is served with great dressing and added the fresh Ahi. Then the Filet Mignon served with risotto! Risotto was perfect! Don’t miss out on Dessert here because it’s all homemade. We indulged in the crème brûlée which was served with a raspberry sauce on the side and some of the best I’ve had, it wasn’t to dense light and fluffy and flavorful! I nice evening in a cool spot! It’s food on a mission helping those been through tough times is serving up great meals at affordable prices! Food presentation was delightful and colorful and very appetizing!

This place is delicious. I got the beef casino which was awesome. It was a beef filet chopped up in small bites and barely had to chew because it was so tender. It comes with three dipping sauces, mixed rice, and mixed vegetables.
Shared the brownie/​cookie with ice cream for dessert, which also was delicious.

This place is slightly hidden but a great find. Their mission is to help people that have been through hard times such as domestic abuse, jail, and mentally challenged. They also use locally sourced foods and all seems very fresh. They have a great business model in my opinion.
¾ of us had the bibimbap bowl and none of us could eat the whole thing as they provided large portions, but they were great tasting. The 4^th member of our party had great guacamole and pita chips as well as some wonderful looking Brussel sprouts. We also tried their homemade soda of pineapple and basil, it was different and not what I expected, but I can’t fault them for that.
It was early afternoon and my family was the only party in the whole place. This was good for us but unfortunate for the business. I highly recommend this place and hope it receives more patrons. It isn’t far from Diamond Head and we ate here after hiking it.

My first time eating at a restaurant like this. The story behind how the restaurant came to be is amazing. In addition, the staff are awesome. Service was quick (although it wasn’t packed). There was a miscommunication on the bill, but it is irrelevant when discussing the quality of food.
The appetizer’s were by far better than the main course (I was with a group of 4, we ordered every appetizer). I ordered the filet mignon for my main course. I rate the appetizers a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ and the main course a ⁸⁄₁₀.

See is located on 11^th Ave. in Kaimuki. It’s part of a paid parking lot so it’s easy to find parking (just not free).
Overall the food seemed a little on the pricey side for what it was but it did have a very clean (non oily) taste to it.
Pita Chips and Guacamole — Solid Guacamole, Pita Chips tasted like the ones you can get at Costco.
Pork Shoulder with rice and veggies — Not bad but not a really exciting dish it was pulled pork with a little bit of rice and cooked veggies. The pork was done well but didn’t have a ton of flavor to it.
Bi Bim Bap with Ribeye Steak — This was the best dish I had, It was a lot better than it sounded and I even would have enjoyed it without the Ribeye in it. It was a lot of interesting flavors with the vegetables and tofu.

So Seed Restaurant shut down for renovations and when they reopened they had a new head chef and menu. The juice bar is gone, so is breakfast. Here’s what we had in their place.
To start, the Cucumber Sushi, which is basically cucumber and dip, Brussels Sprouts, that had a nice char on the outside, and Firecracker Shrimp, that were plump and juicy with a tasty sauce.
For entrees, we had the Grilled Veggie Salad, the Beef Casino, and No. 44 Seared Chicken. The salad featured grilled peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, and cucumber on mixed greens and a balsamic dressing. The Beef Casino is tender marinated grilled beef, with rich rice (brown rice with quinoa and chia), and sautéed veggies. The marinade was on the salty side, so I ate it as is without the dipping sauce. The Seared Chicken was the opposite, the flavor was bland, but the dark meat was juicy.
For dessert we had the Crème Brule which had a nice berry sauce and the perfect burnt sugar top.
If you haven’t been back to Seed lately, go check them out for the second time and support their mission.

I was excited to visit Seed because of the mission and loved that the food was good enough to make me want to seek it out, mission or not. You feel not only satisfied because of your meal, but that you contributed to people’s lives. All around win!
Service was attentive, friendly, and she was knowledgeable about the dishes. I had the fillet which was delicious. Friends had Bi Bim Bap, as well as the Rib Eye, and hubby had some sort of steak and seafood sausage. All enjoyed their meals, and we felt that the pricing was great for the portions and quality. BYOB. I’ll definitely be back.

This place is one of my newest favorites. Simple and clean setting, bright and full of life. Came in on a Sunday early evening for dinner with my other half and we were just taken back. Not to mention, the menu is made to eat clean and fresh foods! My favorite. I will be back at least 1 – 2 times a month.

I tried this place with my stepmom last weekend on our way to the Symphony. We just wanted a quick bite and since it was 5:45 we were the first ones in the restaurant so the service was pretty quick.
We were seated and given iced water and bread with a pesto dip. I think the bread was the French loaves from Costco, perfectly adequate, and the pesto sauce was fine.
My stepmom ordered the Bi Bim Bap bowl with fish and I ordered Beef Casino, which was chunks of beef in a teriyaki style sauce served with brown rice, sautéed veggies and 3 dipping sauces. My entire plate was lukewarm, not hot at all, which seems odd since it looked like it was cooked to order. Also the meat was incredibly salty. I didn’t use the sauces provided, but the brown rice was good. The sautéed veggies were a strange combination of onions, carrots, and red cabbage. Not something I’d normally put together, but it tasted alright. My stepmom said her bowl was alright but a bit salty.
We both took at least half of out meals home to go, since it was a lot of food.
The prices were pretty reasonable and I’d be interested in trying some of the other dishes next time.

FOOD
Island Guacamole (Made fresh with super-​food avocados, onions, local tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and fresh lime juice. Served with pita chips. $ 6.95) — This is probably one of the best guacamoles I have ever had. It had such a rich and bold flavor. You could definitely tell that the ingredients were fresh, and there was a hint of spice that lingered after each bite that made.
Bread and Pesto (Fresh bread with house basil and garlic pesto. $ 3.95) — Very simple, but satisfying side that is perfect as a starter!
Big Island Filet Mignon (The classic steak experience. A thick, Big Island grass-​fed filet, served sizzling in a light balsamic reduction with grilled tomato. Accompanied by seasonal vegetables and Rich Rice. $ 18.95) — This is definitely worth the price. Probably the best $ 19 steak you can get in Oahu!
Beef Casino (Meat for the flavor freak. Marinated steak, thickly diced and pan-​glazed, with house dipping sauces. Served with seasonal farm vegetables and Rich Rice $ 14.95) — This dish was hearty and playful with the choice of dipping sauces (each with a very unique and delicious flavor). Certainly a second only to the Big Island Filet Mignon for all the meat lovers!
Pasta Primavera (It makes the garden proud. Fresh greens, mushrooms, peppers, onions and seasonal veggies in a tangy herb, tomato and wine sauce, over steamed wheat penne. $ 12.95, add grilled chicken for $ 3.95) — This dish is good in the aspect that it felt like comfort food and was well balanced in flavor and texture, but certainly not one of the highlights of their menu.
Steamed Clams Over Linguine (Fresh clams steamed with a citrus and herb infusion, tossed in a light garlic and white wine sauce, served over linguine. $ 14.95) — You can never go wrong with a seafood pasta in a white wine garlic sauce, and Seed did a very lovely rendition. Their sauce was robust and well rounded; hints of garlic, citrus acidity, and was pleasantly light.
SERVICE
The staff here has consistently been friendly, knowledgeable and tentative. Never had a bad experience.
AMBIANCE
The décor is casual, and comfy with lots of earth tones and cute succulent plants scattered throughout the restaurant.
One of the Main Reasons Why I Go: Food on a Mission!
— Our food is locally sourced whenever possible: Some even comes from our urban garden on the premises. We use chemical-​free produce and responsibly managed animal sources. Daily recipes might vary depending on what’s available from island farmers.
— Our meals are always healthy: We won’t serve it if it isn’t true to the body. Our plates are proportioned and balanced for optimum health.
— Our business is an expression of Justice: Seed is staffed by survivors of homelessness, human trafficking, domestic abuse and other unique challenges. We create flexible jobs in community with the help of volunteer employees. Justice works.

The ultimate win-​win restaurant.
Good food, good service– the balance every restaurant strives for and every diner craves. Finding this balance is not as easy as one would hope but here at Seed Restaurant we find the makings of achieving that plateau.
Seed is a justice restaurant and the work that they do on behalf and with their employees is phenomenal. The whole experience becomes even more enjoyable when you taste the generous-​sized offerings that are reasonably priced. After all this time, we finally made it out to try dinner and it was great. They once offered breakfast but because of procrastination I never did get to try– they have scrapped the breakfast model for now.
We ordered the ahi wrap with local greens and mint iced tea, the pulled pork plate with local greens and smart rice and the boneless chicken with cooked veggies and smart rice.
The seared Ahi wrap was outstanding with avocado, sprouts and a special aoli spread. The ahi was literally bursting at the seams and the ahi filling had no tsuji– no strings at all. Searing was done perfectly and kept the flavor and texture intact. The mint ice tea was great and had just the right amount of mint essence to make it a refreshing offering. The other two plates were enjoyed by my table mates and they appreciated that in each case the meat was not dry or over cooked.
I can’t say enough about the service, the friendliness, knowledge and timing was near perfect and you could feel how genuine they were to please the diners. A great option when dining in Kaimuki, we will definitely be back.

My sister and I stumbled onto this place yesterday afternoon after we were done with our yoga exercise at bikram. We didn’t want to eat anything, something light and delicious.
As we walking we saw the banner «Seeds» and one of their nice employees outside wearing the tshirts. So we figure we’ll take a look at the menu see what they got to offer.
Wow, they are in the same location as the former Bella Mia was in but, this time as you walk in its so bright, cheerful, and welcoming. Place looks the same but, pristine and clean looking. The hostess-owner???/waiters were exceptionally sweet and fun as we came in that we had to stay and experience this new profound restaurant.
We were able to seat ourselves up on our cute little two seater table. Our waiter came up quickly serving us our waters and the interesting part being it’s our first time their he shared with us the mission of this restaurant. I was very very intrigued by what he was sharing– «Seed is staffed by survivors of homelessness, human trafficking, domestic abuse and other unique challenges. We create flexible jobs in community with the help of volunteer employee»
soo a portion of their proceeds go to benefit their mission.
Another interesting part about their mission is they support local farmers meaning everything we are eating is organic, grass fed, and range free. Huge huge plus in my factor book.
Both waiters were very nice, always on it with their customer service, helped us describe what was really good on their new menu and their food yummy, very tastie and onolicious. Ohhh by the way, they do change their menu at times sooo don’t be getting all nuts if you tried it once expecting to try it again, they do support local farmers so seasons do change.
They have won a customer for life and I pray they never go out of business.
God Bless you all and Mahalo for having a restaurant that really means something!

Disclaimer: having owned restaurants, I never give a restaurant a negative review. (I’ve also never given a 5 star review, either)
We wanted to visit here before we left Oahu because some dear friends of ours swear by this place. We were NOT disappointed.
The wait staff was friendly and attentive. They started us off with some delicious bread and pesto dipping sauce.
I had the Hapa Tea (half lemonade and half tea) and my wife had the passion fruit tea.
We ordered the Kailua Pulled Pork Sliders (3) and a house salad to split. When the chef heard we were going to split the sliders, he gave us an extra one, and am I ever glad he did. They were, without question, among the best food decisions I have ever made! The pork was crispy yet tender (go figure), with bacon and onion mixed in. The dipping sauce on the side was perfect, and the Sweet rolls put these sliders over the top.
The salad was easily the freshest and most refreshing one we’ve had the entire trip. We came for lunch, and if we had ANY nights left on this trip, we would hit this place up for dinner (we leave in a few hours, sadly)
Because we love the mission and idea behind this place, we also splurged and bought a t-​shirt and a hat as souvenirs. Keep up the great work!

Absolutely love this place. The mission is amazing and I have first hand seen some of the amazing stuff that goes down at this place! I won’t focus too much on the mission though because I think most people can agree that helping people in need and eating healthy are both great things.
The food is so flavorful. My favorite lunch items are the blackened tofu portabello and bi-​bim bowl. Im not a vegetarian because I love meat too much. But the tofu portabello doesn’t have an ounce of meat in it, yet I still love it! And it’s so filling I had a hard time finishing it. The bi-​bim bowl was filled with flavorful vegetables and tofu (you can add meats if you want). I should’ve asked for the sauce on the side because it was a little too spicy, though I think my spice taste buds are just a little weaker than most. My favorite dinner items are the pulled kalua pork and the beef casino. Honestly the meats just ooze flavor and goodness. I cleaned my plate both times even though I’m not a big eater.
Service is awesome. Don’t be scared to talk story, they’re all friendly people. Thanks Seed!

I love the idea behind Seed. If you haven’t heard about it, you should check it out. They hire homeless, abuse victims, etc.
Went here a few times before they renovated. I really liked their shabu shabu style meat. Unfortunately, after the reopening it seems they’ve replaced it with steak. Kind of sad about that because the meat was my favorite thing about their food. Along with their veggies. Their steak was still pretty good but I preferred the shabu shabu.
I wouldn’t recommend coming here when it’s humid. They tend not to turn on the ac or fans so it gets pretty hot and sticky.
The staff is really nice. And it makes me a little jealous that what seemed to be the manager? Could be wrong. Well he was dressed in a tshirt, shorts and slippers… Wish I could wear that to work.
But I’ll definitely be back to support their cause!

Disclaimer: This review is based on a one time visit… so you may take with a grain of salt.
I’ve had Seed bookmarked for a long time. They are owned/​run by a couple that I used to know through a local church, the restaurant stands for something awesome (hiring homeless/​abused/​otherwise down trodden people to give second chances to and train up as successful members of society… also using local produce), and their menu seemed interesting. Word of mouth and Unilocal reviews seemed mixed so when I was given the chance to try their food on Valentines night, I was stoked!
My hubby and I were seated, given crayons to draw on the butcher paper table cloth with (I love being artistic so I got right to it!), and were told no menus, it was a set menu for Valentines day for $ 30 pp.
Don’t expect pretty plating, refined food, etc here… this is simple fare. Our first course was a spinach salad with a honey vinegarette, with a feta crostini. (their descriptions made the food sound way more elegant than they actually were, the bread was just a toasted piece if bread with a couple crumbles of feta on it, barely enough for each bite). Second choose was shrimp scampi on rice (I think the menu had said something other than rice but they were out). Simple enough, the scampi sauce was delicious! Thirdly, we got to choose between two entrees. My husband got an overly salty steak (I saw another table complaining about their steak) and I got scallops, delicious but slightly under done.
Dessert is where I became very disappointed. I was really looking forward to the chocolate peanut butter «Mary» sorbet… as I am a chocoholic. When I got it I could barely choke down one scoop (they give you 4)…it was very spicy and strange tasting, not palatable. When I asked the waitress what was in it, she said cayenne pepper. This is not listed on the menu so beware if you don’t like pepper. For me I would normally not mind, but it seemed that the mix was off… too much spicy and too much bitter chocolate… not much else to balance out those flavors. I left with a bad taste in my mouth, literally, and as I was using the restroom I heard a few others complaining about the spicy dessert.
That night I had horrible stomach cramps and couldn’t sleep… and after doing some online research, came to the conclusion that it must have been the scallops.
This is not to say that you can’t have a good time here… only I didn’t. The waitstaff was sweet and funny (although sometimes forgetful with utensils and water refills)…but everything else will probably keep me from returning. :(

I’m so disappointed that they don’t serve breakfast anymore… But it’s been on my list so I tried anyway this afternoon.
I had Shabu-​Cut Meat Platter and it was a pretty big portion as our server told me. As she suggested I ate half and took the rest home and it became tonight’s nice supper :)
It came with 2 sauce but both the beef and sautéed veggies had great flavor already so I didn’t need to use it.
It was a big portion and tasty but as I’m a big fan of breakfast especially pancake I am not sure if I would go back. My lunch, Platter was $ 15.95 without any drink. Though I like the concept Food on a Mission and I would give a credit for it, in that casual setting I think my lunch was little pricy.
I might go back for their 1^st Monday special dinner course because I love BYOB :)

We had a nice office lunch there. The place was clean and hip looking with lots of open seating despite the cramped Kaimuki shopping space floor plans. I would say it’s a poor man’s Town, but that’s good since you can get quality ingredients at a reasonable price. I had a turkey burger with avocado and turkey bacon. The burger patty itself was nicely grilled to have the feel of a beef burger, there were plenty of avocados and the turkey bacon was decent. It was on a toasted bun so the whole thing was tasty and crunchy. I also had it with a side of baked potato wedges, and that was decent if not healthier than normal greasy fries.
My coworkers had the bibimbap (Wahaiwa tofu — didn’t know they made tofu in Wahaiwa), chicken katsu and turkey pesto sammy. All these orders were all about in the $ 12 – 14 range, portions plentiful, and ingredients good for you (at least that’s my understanding). The server was super friendly and happy. Hippie places rock! This is a good alternative to Town if you want good stuff, but want to save.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE SEED!!! I know the CAPSlock statement may seem dramatic, but I was beyond impressed by this beautiful (& healthy) gem. Seed is officially my favorite breakfast spot. After this weekend’s initiation, I’ll definitely come back to try their lunch and dinner menus.
This restaurant reminds me of Aroma Café in Studio City. Clean, great food and friendly service. Early mornings are preferred to catch up with friends because with the exception of Café Kalia, it’s usually less crowded. Breakfast/​brunch is great, but can sometimes be on the heavier side. Seed, however, offers so many nutritious options to start the weekend with a punch of energy.
The Apple Kale Kicker (Sweet apple, iron and antioxidant-​rich kale. A pinch of cayenne closes the deal on this super energy juice.) is my favorite. At $ 5.25, this is such a great deal for freshly juiced veggies and fruits.
I also had the Veggie Power omelet with egg whites. It’s packed with stir-​fried veggies and has just enough cheese and avocado slices to make this a very satisfying breakfast. I was full the whole day!
I can’t wait to go back!