Hawai'i's Best Restaurants

• INTRODUCTION

• 'ILIMA AWARD WINNERS

• BROWSE RESTAURANTS

• GLOSSARY

• FEATURED RESTAURANTS

	• Find a restaurant by category:
	or type in a restaurant name:		(separate words by a comma)

	2005 'ILIMA AWARD WINNER - BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT
	In the 10th anniversary year of the 'Ilima Awards, these are the restaurants that turned the heads of our readers and our in-house food experts.

BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT
Big City Diner

Big City Diner's Paniolo Chicken Salad is among the signature items. Other "local comfort food" favorites are Grandma's Incredible Kim Chee Fried Rice and Mama-san's Meatloaf. The restaurant is busy at lunch, dinner and weekend breakfasts.

Gregory Yamamoto | The Honolulu Advertiser

The Big City Diner folks call what they do "local comfort food" with a Pacific Asian focus. This means such signature items as Grandma's Incredible Kim Chee Fried Rice, Mama-san's Meatloaf, Paniolo Chicken Salad and, at breakfast, French toast made with Ani's cinnamon bread. The quartet of restaurants are busy at lunch and dinner and for weekend breakfasts; service is fast and cheerful.

Four locations: 3569 Wai'alae Ave., Kaimuki, 738-8855; 108 Hekuli St., Kailua, 263-8880; 1060 Auahi St., Ward Entertainment Center; 94-800 Uke'e St., Waipahu. Hours: Kaimuki: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday, 7 a.m.- midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday. 6:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday, 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Kailua: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday. Ward: 7 a.m.-midnight Sunday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday, 7 a.m.-midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. No reservations. VS, MC, AX, DS. No checks. Breakfast and lunch: $. Dinner: $$.

Legend:

VS: Visa
MC: Mastercard
AX: American Express
DC: Diners Club
DS: Discover Card
JCB: JCB Card
Olioli: Olioli Card

$$$: Pricey; entrées mostly more than $17
$$: Moderate; entrées $10-$16
$: Budget-friendly; entrées mostly less than $10

Checks: Local checks and travelers’ checks only