NEW EATS: Monkeypod Kitchen Opens in Waikīkī with a Killer View
And the cocktails are great, too.
I’m a big fan of restaurants with views.
Even better if the food’s great, too.
Enter Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman.
This new restaurant, which sprawls over 13,000 square feet in the lobby of the Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort on Oʻahu, opened in July 2023 with sweeping ocean views — even a peek at Lēʻahi (aka Diamond Head) in the distance.
The opening of this restaurant, led by culinary pioneer Peter Merriman, marks the completion of the hotel’s $85 million renovation. It’s located in the space vacated by the beloved restaurant Shore Bird, which opened in 1979 — remember you could cook your own steak? — and closed in 2017.
Merriman remarked that it’s always been his dream to open a restaurant on the beach in Waikīkī.
This is the only Monkeypod Kitchen — there are four; this is the second on Oʻahu and the largest — that serves breakfast, in addition to lunch and dinner. (Plus, there’s a daily happy hour, which runs from 3:30 to 5 p.m.)
So guess what I ate?
I met a co-worker at 9:30 a.m. on a weekday, and the cavernous restaurant wasn’t too busy. We nabbed a table right at the water’s edge, with a clear view of Diamond Head and surfers in the lineup off Waikīkī Beach.
The breakfast menu features some exciting items, including a fun list of day-drinking cocktails including a Bloody Mary with kimchi and its signature Monkeypod Mai Tai with Kula Organic rums and housemade macadamia nut orgeat and topped with a honey-lilikoʻi foam.
Breakfast standouts include:
Avocado toast ($19): Mashed avocado with Big Island goat cheese, local tomatoes and greens, and an egg on housemade multigrain bread.
Big Island blueberry and lilikoʻi flapjacks ($22): Pancakes topped with Big Island-grown blueberries, ricotta and housemade lilikoʻi butter.
Monkeypod mai tai flapjacks ($24): Pancakes topped with Kula Rum butter syrup and the same honey-lilikoʻi foam that tops the cocktail.
Pete’s Benedict ($24): A classic eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon, poached eggs, housemade hollandaise sauce, mixed greens and a Champagne vinaigrette.
The Cure ($22): A bowl of saimin with kālua pork, poached egg, red chili chicken broth, ginger, bok choy, mushrooms, red onions, carrots and bean sprouts.
Hawaiian chilaquiles ($24): Monkeypod’s version of chilaquiles with tortilla chips, shredded kālua pork, a fried egg, housemade ancho chile salsa, pinto beans, jalapeño peppers, white cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, avocado, onions and cilantro.
I absolutely loved The Cure, a breakfast saimin packed with toppings and flavor. The broth is a bit spicy (and the perfect hangover cure, hence the name). And the Hawaiian chilaquiles was also a surprise hit, with lots of spice and textures that really wake up your senses.
The lunch and dinner menu features a lot of what you’d find at other Monkeypod Kitchens, including the pumpkin ravioli (a fave of mine), garlic-truffle-oil fries, poke tacos, hand-tossed pizzas and Merriman’s signature cream pies. Entrées include fish and chips, bulgogi pork tacos and a giant burger made with Maui Cattle Co. beef. The cocktail, wine and beer offerings are great and include a lot of local spirits and suds.
Because of its size (and views), this restaurant would be great for languid meals — girls’ night outs, baby showers, birthdays, date nights. But be warned: Parking is expensive. You can valet at the hotel, but validation is $15. There’s no self-parking.
MY VERDICT: If you’re already in Waikīkī — or have some secret parking spot — Monkeypod Kitchen is definitely worth a visit, especially for breakfast. Most of the items on the dinner menu are dishes you can get at the Ko Olina location (or even at Moku Kitchen in Kakaʻako), but you won’t find the breakfast saimin or Hawaiian chilaquiles anywhere else.
Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman in the Outrigger Reef Waikīkī Beach Resort, 2169 Kālia Road, Honolulu, (808) 900-4226, monkeypodkitchen.com
