Cheap eats on Keeaumoku

More than traffic and kim chee

By Mari Taketa
Special to Metromix

What took us so long? Just because Keeaumoku happens to be a six-lane street lined with crumbling eyesores, hulking megaliths and the occasional hostess bar doesn’t mean it can’t also be a mecca for cheap eats.

After five walkabouts crisscrossing Keeaumoku and side streets from Kinau to Ala Moana Center, we found so many yummy deals that we had to set ourselves some strict limits:
• Keeaumoku Street addresses only
• No chains
• Nothing more than $8, or a combination of stuff for $8
• If a menu had only one or two things under $8, we passed
• Everything had to be worth a short drive to get — meaning this ain’t just for those of you who work at HMSA, one of the medical buildings or the Department of Ag

So what did we find? This succulent $3 seaweed egg roll from Ono Kimchee, for one — but we’ll come back to it later. The foodfest begins at the other end of Keeaumoku…