BEST ETHNIC RESTAURANT: PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Keo's in Waikiki |
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A generation ago, Keo's taught Hawai'i to eat Thai food and captured the attention of dozens of visiting celebrities at a time when nobody knew from lemongrass or curry paste. Keo Sananikone, a Laotian by birth, educated in the United States, understood what Western diners wanted and gave it to them: flowers and light, tablecloths and English-speaking servers happy to explain the menu. "I put in everything I personally liked in a restaurant," he has said. The Sananikone family restaurants — Keo's, Keoni's, Mekong I and II — continue to please. The Waikiki flagship with its breezy windows opening on Kuhio Avenue, orchids and celebrity wall of photos shows Sananikone's flexibility, offering American and Asian breakfasts, Thai lunches and dinners.
2028 Kuhio Ave. 951-9355. Breakfast: 7-11 a.m. daily. Lunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Reservations recommended. Valet and self-parking. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. No checks. $$.
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VS: Visa
MC: Mastercard
AX: American Express
DC: Diners Club
DS: Discover Card
JCB: JCB Card
Olioli: Olioli Card |
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$$$: Pricey; entrées mostly more than $17
$$: Moderate; entrées $10-$16
$: Budget-friendly; entrées mostly less than $10
Checks: Local checks and travelers’ checks only |
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 Past 'Ilima Award winner
 "Cheap eats" restaurant
 "Local classic" eatery
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