What began as a single location in 1998 has since grown into a five location franchise spanning the island of Oahu. Big City Diner has made quite a reputation for good service and food at reasonable prices. With a very family-friendly atmosphere, Big City Diner has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades in its relatively short history.
Big City Diner’s locations are almost always buzzing with activity. The restaurants are decorated to be reminiscent of an old fashioned diner. Red booths flank either wall of the restaurant with an array of standard tables in the center. Big City Diner also features a bar in their locations which serves a variety of beers and cocktails. The atmosphere is always very relaxed and the staff very friendly.
Once we were seated by the hostess our server introduced herself immediately. She went over the fresh catch of they and the soup of the day, then walked away to give us a few minutes to review the menu.
The first thing we ordered was this delicious milkshake made with Bubbies Ice Cream. The shake was very rich and creamy, nothing less than what you’d expect from Bubbies.
Each “Local Specialty” item comes with your choice of soup or a house salad. Not in the mood for anything really heavy I opted to get the house salad. The salad included lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and shredded beets. Big City Diner offers the standard selection of salad dressings. For my salad I went with the house dressing, which had a semi-creamy and tangy flavor. The vegetables used in the salad were quite fresh.
Recently Big City Diner had an “Iron Chef” competition among its own staff and two dishes came out on top. One of these was the Spicy Ahi Poke, which features ahi in a spicy aioli sauce on a bed of crispy wonton strips. The ahi used in this poke was average grade, with a few pieces being a bit chewy in consistency.
Overall the flavor of the dish was quite good. The chili aioli added a great spicy kick to the poke. The crispy wonton strips added another layer of flavor and texture, rounding out the dish nicely.
My fiancee was not very hungry so she ordered a small bowl of Big City Diner’s chili. The chili was not rich and creamy like Zippy’s variation, but proved to decent in taste. Perhaps in need of a few more spices though.
One of the dishes that has been very popular at Big City Dinner is the fried rice. I have always enjoyed the kim chee variation. The fried rice is a bit different from your regular Chinese restaurants, being stickier in consistency rather than dry. The kim chee adds a spicy flare to the rice, but doesn’t overpower your taste buds too much.
Final thoughts: Big City Diner has made a fine reputation of providing good food at low prices, and in my numerous visits this has mostly held true. Service is always fast and friendly throughout three of the locations I have patronized so far. While not the place to go for a fine dining or gourmet meal, Big City Diner is a great choice if you’re looking for a relaxed setting with good value.
| Service: |   |
Above Average |
| Food: |  |
Average + |
| Atmosphere: | |
Average + |
| Overall Value: | |
Average + |
| Price: |  |
$10+ per person |
Big City Diner
3569 Waialae Ave Honolulu, HI 96816
Phone: 808.738.8855
Tags: Big City Diner, Hawaii Food, Hawaii Food review, Kim Chee Fried Rice
Other Popular Reviews:
Five stars to the BCD in Kaimuki. I should also add the Kailua location to that list too. For us, the Kaimuki location is a must when visiting the old neighborhood from LA. Service and the food quality are impeccable.
Now for the downside. Had the worst experience ever at the Kakaako location several months ago and will never patronize that place again. Our fried rice orders were grossly undercooked and mushy. The table next to us had similar complaints and it was mentioned to the young waiter who apologized. Seems they had similar complaints all morning he mentioned. He went back and spoke with the manager who never came out to explain the reason and cause for our dissatisfaction. Our waiter told us that he couldn’t do anything but to offer only HIS personal discount of 20% off the rice dishes. We didn’t believe it was his responsibility to offer his own personal discount and should have been addressed by the manager himself. Money was not the issue here but just the principle. I immediately emailed the BCD management and explained the situation when we arrived home and received a “canned” apology. The Kakaako experience had left a bad taste in our mouths but only for that specific location. I sincerely just hope the situation has changed since then. We still think BCD is the best except for…