Feast in Manoa Valley takes the classic Hawaii plate lunch and makes it a notch fancier. From hamburger steak to keto mac salad and pumpkin crunch, we love it all.
Welcome to Feast!
Remember our local plate lunch post? There are many styles of plate lunch in Hawaii. Plate lunch is typically a casual, no frills type of (very delicious) meal. But in the last few years, more and more fancy plate lunch places have been opening in Hawaii.
It's the same concept (rice, meat, and mac salad), but the ingredients are nicer and there might be a few special touches to the plate lunch. These fancier places cost a more than other plate lunch spots (think $15 instead of $10 for a plate lunch), but is worth it.
Feast is one of those places! Feast opened in late 2019 serving up local favorites, made nicer. Think soba salad with salmon, hamburger steak with a rich mushroom gravy, cauliflower mac salad (instead of pasta mac salad), salmon chazuke topped with smoked ikura, salt beef watercress, and pumpkin crunch.
Location
Feast is located in Manoa Valley, a beautiful residential neighborhood with lots of great food. Manoa Valley is just a 15-minute drive from Waikiki and convenient to many parts of Honolulu.
Check out our Manoa Eating Guide here. There are many tasty places within short walking distance to Feast:
- Andy’s Sandwiches & Smoothies - The local sandwich shop we've been visiting for over two decades.
- Choco le`a - For signature and seasonal truffles (think mochi truffles, gau truffles!), local fruits dipped in chocolate, and housemade ice cream.
- Morning Glass - For coffee and pastries. Great place to meet and catch up with friends. It gets quite busy here on the weekends.
- Off The Hook Poke Market - For all kinds of fresh poke. We especially love the "poke bombs" (poke-topped inari sushi), and the cold ginger ahi poke.
What To Order
Hilo-Style Hamburger Steak
Hamburger steak is a plate lunch staple. It's rice topped with a beef patty and gravy all over. (Add a sunny-side egg on top and then it becomes a loco moco.) What makes this dish so good is the savory, rich mushroom gravy poured all over the beef patty. In place of regular mac salad, you get keto mac salad (they use cauliflower instead of pasta).
JFC (Jonny's Fried Chicken)
Boneless pieces of dark meat chicken, nicely battered and deep fried till crispy and cut into juicy strips. This is delicious! Comes with hot sauce for drizzling. It's like chicken katsu crossed with mochiko chicken and regular fried chicken, all served with rice and keto mac salad.
Feast Deluxe
Can't decide between the hamburger steak and the fried chicken? Get them both in this combo plate! You get half-hamburger steak (with the mushroom gravy), half-fried chicken, rice, and the keto mac salad.
Salt Beef Watercress (Soup)
This is the dish I actually order the most often. It's soup! Clear soup with chunks of tender salted beef and lots of watercress. Simple but so flavorful and very satisfying. You get a big bowl of the hot soup and a side of rice. Pour the rice into the soup, mix and eat. Or alternate spoonfuls of rice and the soup. This is a very local Hawaii dish, and we have a recipe for it here ^_^
Pumpkin Crunch
You know how much we love pumpkin crunch! They make it the classic way here, and they make it nice. A nutty crunchy shortbread base, pumpkin filling, and whipped cream on top. In Hawaii, we eat pumpkin desserts all year long.
Insider Tips
There are a few parking spots right behind the restaurant, but they're usually taken so I just look for street parking nearby. It's a residential neighborhood so I've always been able to easily find parking within a block or two of the restaurant.
There's ample indoor/outdoor seating at the restaurant. Order and pay at the counter. They'll call your name when your order is ready.
Check their Instagram account for daily specials. From pulehu short ribs and ahi belly to a mix plate special with ahi poke, fried chicken, kalua pig and lomi lomi salmon, there is always something exciting going on with the daily specials.
The famous Manoa Falls Trail is located just a 5-minute drive from Feast. Lots of people pick up lunch to take on the hike (Andy's Sandwiches is a popular option for this)...there's a beautiful waterfall at the end of the hike and you can sit there and eat. Or if you hike earlier in the morning, stop by Feast post-hike for to enjoy a plate lunch.
Feast: Info
- Feast | 2970 E Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822 |808-840-0488| feastrestauranthawaii.com
- Price: Plate lunch, burgers, sandwiches, and salads are $12-16, desserts are $4-$7.50
- Hours: Monday (Closed), Tuesday-Saturday (11am-2pm and 4pm-6pm), Sunday (Closed)