Review: Highway Inn Restaurant & Catering

Update 5/31/13: We just spoke to the owner and Highway Inn is planning to open a second location in Kakaako in a few months! Stay tuned!

Original Post:

My husband and I headed for Highway Inn this past weekend. He was hungry for their beef stew and their mouth-watering pipikaula so we decided to see if we could get a table at this popular family-owned eatery. Highway Inn is split into a fish market/general store on the left and a restaurant, specializing in Hawaiian cuisine, on the right. The decor is very casual with photos and souvenirs on the walls depicting the restaurant's past and its connection to Waipahu's plantation heritage. We have been coming here since the early 1990's after moving back from Washington DC. Besides the delicious food, the staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable.

My husband ordered the Stew Combo ($10.95) which includes your choice of beef stew, tripe stew or naau puaa. All combo plates also include a choice of rice or poi, lomi salmon or macaroni salad, their famous pipikaula, and haupia. I didn't feel like having Hawaiian food so I flipped the menu over to view their American menu. I ordered the hamburger steak with grilled onions, rice, and mac salad ($10.30). Yes, it blew my diet but it was totally worth it! I usually order the Lau Lau Combo ($11.05) when I'm craving Hawaiian food because it's hard to resist the larger-than-usual piece of salted butterfish in the middle of their house-made lau lau. The combo plates are served in nostalgic plastic school lunch-type sectioned trays, reminiscent of a bygone era. All of the food is made from scratch and you can really taste the difference.

I have never tried their breakfast but I have used their catering service. Be sure to place your catering order early to ensure that they can accommodate your order.

Highway Inn is located in a small strip mall across the street from Don Quijote (Ewa end). If you call their phone number, this is just a friendly warning that their voicemail message is hilarious. Select the option to hear the business hours and you'll see what I mean.

Highway Inn Restaurant & Catering
94-226 Leoku Street
Waipahu, Hawaii 96797
Ph: (808) 677-4345
www.myhighwayinn.com

Hours:
Mon - Sat: 9:00am-8:00pm
**Table Service: 9:00-2:00 and 4:30-8:00
**Counter Service Only: 2:00-4:30
Sunday: 11:30am-2:00pm

Country Store

Beef Stew Combo with poi, haupia, pipikaula, and lomi salmon

Hamburger Steak with grilled onions, rice and potato/mac salad