Victoria Inn

For a little old place in Kaimuki, Victoria Inn is great. The fact that it hasn’t change much over the years is part of the beauty of this old landmark. I have read reviews about how «old & outdated» the place looks, but I have been to brand new places trying to create that «old» look. So whats the difference? As long as the food is fresh n tasty, we’re happy. Their Japanese breakfast is the best! I haven’t really tried anything else there because it’s that good.

Dining at Victoria Inn is like time traveling back 40 or 50 years. Its as if I’m transported back to old town Kaimuki, what feels like a 1970’s local-​style diner.
In fact, this place has been around for ages. Not sure exactly how long, but long enough. While it has been around waaaay before my time, even I have memories of coming here as a child. On my last visit (which was a few months back), I came during my lunch break on a Friday. In Hawaii, us locals know & refer to it as Aloha Friday. As the song goes *ukulele strumming along*… «it’s Aloha Friiiiiiday, no work till Monnnnday!» (…and I’m writing this review on a Monday, go figure.)
Anyway, my Boss & I both ordered Hawaiian plates for lunch. Note: they are only served on Aloha Fridays –in case you haven’t figured that out yet. This ono-​licious plate of Hawaiian food came with the norm (kalua pig or lau lau, chicken long rice, lomi salmon, rice…). It was very good and I was happy to have found a place so near to my office which served Hawaiian food, even if it was only once per week!
While Victoria Inn may not be my restaurant of choice on an average day, I do feel good about supporting long-​time local businesses. Its cool to have a place to eat at that has been around for 3+ generations. A little harder to find these days, no?
ps — I heard the Japanese breakfast is good too. Maybe I’ll try that the next time I make it there.

This place is seriously questionable. It is soooooooo incredibly ghetto, it can warrant nothing more than 3 stars. Severely dated ambiance, crackling speakers, sticky table surfaces, should I go on?
This was just not worth the parking nightmare I had to endure.
My close (and local) friends took me here for their breakfast biscuits and all I can say is eww. Am I missing some kama’aina taste buds or what? Those biscuits are nothing to rave about.
And the breakfast? Two generous stars for an $ 8 breakfast, because it’s not like it made me sick or anything. But it was absolutely nothing special; definitely under-​ordinary. And damn, steer clear if you’re not in the mood for grease. This was worse than Zippy’s, which is also overhyped by the locals.
Mayhaps I should have ordered the Japanese breakfast. Though I don’t see myself coming back here for a second shot…

Food here is outstanding). Every time I come I always order the Japanese deluxe breakfast with fried fish (available all day even though its not on the dinner menu) or the Hawaiian plate with laulau (only available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). I don’t know if its because they cater to an older crowd but the food here seems to taste less salty. For a diabetic heart attack recovering diner this is a god send. The Japanese deluxe breakfast with fried fish comes with fried fish, miso soup, rice, tofu, tsukemono and green tea. The portions are just right for me which I am sure it makes my doctors and dietitian happy. It also nice that they serve both Japanese and local food (entrees, burgers and sandwiches).

This is where all the cute little old grandpas and grandmas hang out. And I love this place, because this is where I came with my grandma, grandpa, parents, uncles, aunties and cousins back in the day. This is an old establishment with their regulars. The waitresses have been there for so long, that they have seen me grow up, and still remember my grandparents.
It’s a little ghetto, yes, especially in the bar area in the back, but I still love it. It’s a casual diner where everyone is down to earth.
I usually come here for breakfast. I am a huge fan of their Japanese breakfast: egg over rice, tsukemono, fried fish, tofu and miso soup. For dinner, I like their ahi specials, and on Friday they have a Hawaiian plate. Not the best food in the world, but this place has character and history.

I remember this family restaurant as a young kid and nothing has changed. Food is still good and ambiance is from an other era in a good way. Will always go for weekend breakfast with the family. Friendly old waitresses that have been there FOREVER! Love the Japanese breakfast!

I was gonna click on «2» stars instead of 3, in reality my last experience there this past weekend was closer to a 2.5. First of all, it’s a small business that’s been in Kaimuki forever and I’d hate to see the place fold like so many others have… so good or bad I do try to give them some business. The banana pancakes are good, as is just about everything I’ve ever tried there. This time around service was slowwwwwwww… I kept telling myself, the wait help is OLD. I mean really, the waitresses are all kinda old and therefore move at their own pace. It’s not because they are inept, they’re just old and slow and eventually we’ll all move at that pace… so why be a hater? Anyway, once finally getting my menu and coffee things got better. My breakfast was cooked to order, and while not exactly served piping hot, I had no complaints as far as quality goes. I can’t help but imagine how renovating would boost their business each time I visit, but then again the old time, nostalgic appearance is what it is. Truthfully they are probably closer to closing than they are to renovating, and I figure this is a good place to enjoy — while we still can.

Rating: 3.5÷5
Date visited: 11/​13/​2010
Food: ³⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅
Price: ⁴⁄₅
Parking: ³⁄₅
If you want to go back in time to the 60’s or 70’s, this is the place. Nothing bad about remembering the past, but some people are still living in those years.
Food:
Great comfort food.
Service:
Good ol’ fashion service. We had a sweet elderly lady serve us who had all the right touches.
Atmosphere:
I’m a big fan for nostalgic décor. This place probably hasn’t changed since it opened its doors.
Price:
Not over priced.
Parking:
Not bad.

I usually don’t walk into these hidden places, but my mom came to Oahu for the weekend & showed me this spot, which she said was comparable to Likelike Drive-​In. For the most part, it was.
The food served is alright. Taste is pretty good, a little better than same old diner food, but same concept. You get bang for your buck because you not only get salad, but soup & dessert with your entrée. The service on the other hand deserved a good tip! As for our waitress, she was an older Japanese woman who was friendly, kind, and very helpful! (props to her).
Try this place out, its a little kick of history as the chandeliers, dishes, and atmosphere is set in that older time period. It’s not the kind of restaurant that most people dine at in this day and age, but it brings comfort to know that these places still exist.

We passed this decrepit-​looking place numerous times over the years and just tried it recently. The old-​style atmosphere is part of the charm here. Love the booth seating, the small glasses of water, and kids meals complete with jello or pudding (with whipped cream too!) Went for an early Friday dinner with the kids and was surprised to find the restaurant relatively full. Had the oxtail soup — winner! Came with 3 — 4 large pieces of oxtail, complete with mustard cabbage, peanuts, and side plate of ginger. Satisfied my craving.

I love this place. Maybe it’s the atmosphere and the old-​school feel more than anything. But the food is also good, and reasonable. My parents always took me to places like this as a kid. The local Japanese /​American family diner experience. Like Wisteria and Flamingo’s. As a kid I didn’t like Japanese food, but my parents loved it. So, these places ensured they could drink hot green tea with their meals, and I could have coca-​cola. (I really like Japanese food now that I’m a grown-​up, however)! Highly recommend the Tender Plate (sandwich).
They have a bar in the back, but I’ve never gone. Excellent service.

Went for a walk and ended up here. At around 7:15 tonight, the place was mostly empty but by the time we left at 8:00 most of the tables were full.
We ordered a saimin and a combination chicken teriyaki/​shrimp tempura plate.
The miso soup is served with the tofu pieces cut into small cubes which when eaten just melt in your mouth. I usually don’t like big pieces of tofu and will avoid it if it is big, but I always finish all of the tofu here.
The saimin noodles are not like other places and the soup also has a unique taste to it. Must be some old family recipe.
The chicken teriyaki was one piece sliced up and ready to eat. Served on a bed of chopped cabbage. The shrimp tempura also had it’s own flavor to it as the batter used is not like the typical shrimp tempura batter, but it too was very good. Pretty nice size piece of shrimps too. Two pieces of shrimp with a number of assorted pieces of veggies as well.
We love the casual environment and the helpful staff. Including the «nostalgic» music.

One of my favorite restaurants in Honolulu… and in general. Super laid-​back place with excellent service. If you don’t get your meal lightening fast I’d be shocked.
I love the tonkatsu and patty melt the best, but it’s hard to go wrong. The sashimi is also yummy. I always return with my dad when I’m home for the holidays. I hope they never close!

Good simple local food. Always reliable.

Came back to Victoria Inn after a much-​too-​long hiatus… Like at least a dozen years. Not much has changed and thank god the oxtail soup is just as good as it used to be. It’s broth is one of my favorite oxtail broths. Much fresher than Zippys. There aren’t too many places left with ono, homemade oxtail, but Victoria Inn is one of them. Somen salad is really good too and comes in a hearty portion.

A solid 4.25.
In a galaxy far far away, a quadrillion years ago, i came here as a young lad with my family, by the way i was a hefty kid, and i used to clean up, breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatevas. Not much has changed here, but that is quite encouraging to see an old-​time neighborhood Kaimuki business holdin it down. So the food is still good.
I was torn between Japanese breakfast and oxtail soup. Auntie said go oxtail soup and she did not steer me wrong, mmmmmmmmm!!! Super tender meat, get da soup nut stuffs, and the broth was mmmmmmmm!!!
I feel like they should have keno in here?