Most people think sweet bread when someone mentions the King's Hawaiian brand. But did you know King's Hawaiian also has restaurants? Only catch is that the restaurants are in California and not Hawaii. No worries, put this on your list of Hawaii things outside of Hawaii to check out! They've got all the local dishes from saimin to loco moco, and of course, sweet bread.
King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant
Next time you're in Los Angeles, make sure to visit King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant!
If you're a local, it's always super fun to check out local spots outside of Hawaii. If you're not from Hawaii or haven't been to Hawaii, then its neat to get a taste of the islands on the mainland.
King's Hawaiian is a popular brand that originated in Hilo (Big Island / Hawaii Island) and then moved to Honolulu (Oahu). They no longer have operations in Hawaii (the Honolulu location closed in 1992), but they are thriving on the mainland.
It always crazy to visit a random mainland supermarket and see King's sweet bread on the shelves. How far they have come!
King's operates two restaurants and today's post is about their main location. Have you ever been to Zippy's in Hawaii? Zippy's is our go-to local diner chain. This restaurant feels like the dine-in locations of Zippy's, but on the mainland!
Half the space is devoted to the restaurant (full table service). The other half is devoted to the bakery. You should experience both parts ^_^
Location
King's is located in Torrance, California. If you're coming from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it's just a 20 minute drive!
The main flagship location is called King's Hawaiian Restaurant Bakery & Restaurant (2808 Sepulveda Blvd). This location is where all these photos were taken.
They also have a second location called The Local Place Bakery and Cafe (18605 S. Western Avenue).
If it's your first visit, go to the flagship Restaurant at 2808 Sepulveda Blvd. It has a *dine-in restaurant and that's where you can get the complete experience. The Cafe location is order-at-the-counter with a slightly different menu.
*Currently takeout only.
What To Order
Tip: King's is a restaurant and bakery. The highlight and their strong suit is the bakery. So go for the baked goods, and have a meal while you're there.
Saimin
Saimin (pictured above) hits the spot. King's has their own brand of saimin noodles, and these noodles are served in dashi broth with char siu, green onions, bean sprouts, egg, and kamaboko (Japanese steamed fish cake).
Dine there for the full experience, but I can also confirm saimin is delicious devoured in the car...just be careful not to spill the soup.
If you want the noodles but not the soup, order Fried Noodles (aka Fried Saimin). The noodles are quickly stir fried together with bacon, char siu, kamaboko, and green onions.
Plate Lunch
Can't check out a local spot without getting plate lunch. Stick to classics like loco moco, chicken katsu, kalua pork plate.
Most of the plates come with rice and mac salad (they do a potato-mac salad). The kalua pork plate also comes with lomi lomi salmon.
French Toast
They make the French Toast with their sweet bread! More about sweet bread at the bottom of this section.
Paradise Cake (2nd photo from top)
Everyone seems to love this cake! Also known as "Rainbow Cake" or "Queen Emma Cake", this is a very popular type of cake in Hawaii. I'll do a whole post on it soon ^_^
It's a chiffon cake (we are CRAZY about chiffon cakes in Hawaii). There are three layers: guava, lilikoi (also called passion fruit), lime. Each cake layer is separated by a brush of whipped cream. The whole cake is topped with matching fruit glaze (all three flavors).
P.S. If you get super into this cake, they also make a Paradise Cheesecake which is the same concept but with layers of cheesecake instead of chiffon cake.
You can also get the Paradise Bundt Cake which layers all three flavors into a simple chiffon cake (no whipped cream or fruit glaze) - this makes a great breakfast or snack type cake.
There's also a Paradise Cupcake, which is a cupcake version of the cake. The three flavors are swirled together in the cupcake. Guava glaze is injected into the middle of the cupcake, whipped cream on top.
Which to try? Paradise Cake is most popular, but it's also fun to try all the different styles and compare!
Other Cakes
Don't overlook the other cakes. Locals got a real sweet tooth and there are many types of cakes that you can only find in Hawaii or at Hawaii-type places.
This includes a Dobash Cake which layers chocolate chiffon with chocolate dobash pudding. The sides are covered with chocolate cake crumbs, so good. Dobash cakes are super popular in Hawaii.
They also make Dream Cake which has chocolate chiffon, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. Guava Cake focuses on just the guava component of the Paradise Cake.
There's also Haupia Cake and Lilikoi Crunch Cake (like Lemon Crunch, but made with lilikoi).
Sweet Bread
Sweet Bread is perhaps their most popular item, and one you can find many markets and restaurants across the country.
I'm not sure when sweet bread because such a popular thing nationwide but it was something we grew up eating all the time in Hawaii. They come in loaves and squares and buns, but the "classic" is the round loaf. We just cut wedges, and eat as is! Or even better, toast it a little and slathered butter on top.
Soft and fluffy with that delicate "crust"....what's not to love?
Insider Tips
No need to worry about parking. There is a big free parking lot attached to the restaurant.
Saimin or fried saimin (depending if I want soup or no soup), plus a slice of cake (usually the Paradise Cake or Dobash Cake). And a loaf of sweet bread to take home for later.
They sell all their cakes by the slice and as a whole cake. Make sure to order at least 24 hours in advance for a whole cake.
King's makes their signature sweet bread in a ton of forms so it can be overwhelming. If you're looking to make sliders, get the small slider size. They also have burger buns and hot dog buns.
I mostly get the round loaf. It's the classic and can be used in many different ways (though I usually just end up snacking on it).
Info
- King's Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant | 2808 Sepulveda Blvd, Torrance, California 90505 | khbakery.com
- Price (approximate): Plate Lunches $10.95 - $16.75, Saimin $8.75, Cake Slices $3.95 - $5.50; Whole Cakes $23.75-$29.95; Bread $2.99-$5.25
- Hours: Monday-Sunday (7am-9pm)
I live in Torrance and King’s Hawaiian is one of our favorite restaurants. Spam Musubi and Chicken Katsu are two favorites. Get a pack of Hawaiian rolls to go. They make great ham and cheese sliders. Many recipes online for that.
Aloha Thomas! Good tip! Now I am definitely craving a ham and cheese slider 🙂
- Kathy
King's Hawaiian Bakery has been here my whole life it seems and I've never gone. I have no idea why! Now I HAVE to. That paradise cake is calling my name. I absolutely love the softness of chiffon cake.
Ahaha yes the texture of chiffon cake is the best part for sure 🙂 So cool to see how a company that started in Hawaii grew to this!
- Kathy
Hi Kathy: Your post about King's Bakery brings back many fond memories for me. My son lives in LA so every time we went to visit him or the grandkids, my late wife would insist on me taking her to King's Bakery. She liked to eat the plate lunches there for lunch; me, not so much. And she would also buy at least one Paradise Cake and one round loaf of sweet bread to take home with us to AZ. In fact, there were a couple of times when I went to visit my son by myself while on a weekday business trip to the LA area and she would also make me go to King's Bakery to get those two items for me to bring home. Also, in the old days, whenever we would go home for vacation to HNL, we would have to eat at King's Bakery, either the one on King Street or the one on Waialae Ave just where the road up to Palolo Valley intersected with Waialae Ave.
Yup; my late wife had her favorite places where I just had to take her -- King's Bakery, Helena's Hawaiian Food, Ideta's next to the canal, Tai Sam Yuen in Chinatown, The Chart House next to the Ilikai, and Nick's Fish Market on Kuhio. Those places (except for Helena's) are now all gone. Do you remember any of those old places?
Hi Alan! So cool! Definitely seems like Paradise Cake and the sweet bread is everyones two favorite items. The whole bakery operation is so impressive. Oh man, I've head of many of those old places, but Helena's is the only one I've been to (and still go all the time 🙂 I might have gone to Nick's Fish Market as a kid but can't remember for sure... Wish I had a chance to try them all!
- Kathy
Wow, that paradise cake cools amazingly cool!
Aloha April! Agreed! Going to do a bigger in depth post about paradise cake in Hawaii. We love cakes ^_^
- Kathy