Dining Scene
Lunch Break: Paradise Cafe heavenly at lunch

By Debra Yuen
TGIF Editor

Paradise Cafe offers a variety of sandwiches and lunch dishes, but you have to pass the sweet treats at the bakery before you can place your order. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Force yourself past the sweet temptations and there is an exhaustive menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, combinations, all pretty affordable.

The special — turkey pesto on focaccia with cheese and tomatoes ($6.50) — was exceedingly special, warmed to perfection and more than enough for a large appetite.

The sandwiches come with a small bag of potato chips and two little cookies, which Paradise calls "chippers." Most sandwiches — such as club, roast beef, turkey reuben and many more on your choice of several breads — are in the $5.95-$6.50 range.

Paradise Cafe actually is split into two parts. One side offers heftier meals such as rotisserie chicken, turkey and the popular quesadillas; the other spotlights the wide variety of sandwiches. Your chances of finding a table are pretty good, especially on the sandwich side, which seats several dozen.

Oh, as for those bakery temptations: Those big ol' cookies (96 cents each) — we tried the sugar, oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle — will satisfy any sweet tooth. Bring on the milk!

Paradise Cafe is on the ground floor of the Davies Pacific Building at Alakea and Merchant streets. Hours: 6:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. Catering is available, too. 599-8448.