Located on Kamehameha Highway in the heart of Wahiawa is a small Italian restaurant named Cafe Olive. From the outside Cafe Olive doesn’t appear to be much, in fact it seems very ordinary. To be honest I probably would not have tried this restaurant, or known about it, if an acquaintance of mine hadn’t suggested I give it a try. What awaited me inside was a pleasant lunch I did not expect!
One step inside of Cafe Olive and you can already tell that this is certainly one book you can’t judge by its cover. On the outside the restaurant is very ordinary, located within just another small building in Wahiawa. Inside you are taken into a lovely little Italian restaurant with warm wooden tones. The walls are decorated with colorful paintings and bottles. The ambiance of Cafe Olive is certainly not what I had envisioned, far exceeding my expectations.
The only logistical problem I could see is the parking lot, which offers maybe a dozen stalls at most. These stalls are also shared with the neighboring businesses in the building, so if the restaurant is busy you may need to search for street parking.
After being seated we browsed the menu and ordered a few dishes. Here is what we sampled:
This house bread is actually complimentary. A little different from your usual bread in that the individual slices are actually crisp throughout, with a great crunch to them. The simple yet delicious garlic butter was a great addition, although these pieces of bread might be saved for making use of your leftover pasta sauce!
To start off we ordered a classic Italian appetizer, the deep fried calamari. These calamari pieces were fried to a golden brown color, leaving the kitchen and arriving at our table with a great aroma. The calamari was pretty fresh, absent of any real “fishy” taste. The sauce provided was well prepared, with a good combination of spices.
For my dish I decided to try a shrimp pasta with a cream sauce that had a kick of vodka in it. The sauce over the pasta was very rich and creamy, with just a hint of alcoholic taste. The shrimp was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. The pasta noodles themselves were cooked well to a nice “al dente.”
The second dish we ordered was a chianti based tomato sauce served over penne pasta with Italian sausage. This dish was delicious! The tomato sauce was very well prepared, full of flavor and zest. The Italian sausage added a great hint of oiliness to the dish, along with the excellent flavor of the sausage itself. We were really pleased with this pasta.
Final thoughts: Of the Italian restaurants I have visited recently, I must admit that Cafe Olive proved to be one of the more memorable dining experiences. The small yet quaint restaurant setting creates a great atmosphere for enjoying the delicious Italian fare. If you are ever in Wahiawa, or live on the Leeward side, I would definitely recommend stopping by Cafe Olive.
Cafe Olive
71 S Kamehameha Hwy Wahiawa, Hawaii 96786
Phone: 808.621.7997
My wife and I live in Mililani and on occasions when we want good Italian food we go to Cafe Olive. I definitely think it’s the best Italian restaurant on this side of the island. It truly is a “hidden” gem.