There is a hidden gem in Kalihi which I just discovered.  Ethel's Grill is a small hole in the wall, but these are the kinds of places where the food is home cooked and tastes so good.  This restaurant is a lunchtime favorite of some celebrity local Chefs here on the island such as Roy Yamaguchi and D.K. Kodama.

I was happy to go on this adventure with my Ohana, Jamie Yoshida who owns the Bead Gallery.  When we first arrived, we found covered parking under the building where Ethel's is located.  They are located in a 3 story walk up apartment building on Kalihi Street.  You could easily drive by and miss this place.  We got there around 11:45 am and there was one table left just for us : )   We stepped in I saw pictures of Hawaii sumo stars, newspaper clippings about Ethel's, and Japanese decor.  It reminded me of the old kind restaurants in Hawaii where my dad used to take me to eat when I was a young boy.  

When we got seated we were handed a one page two sided menu.  Also by the register there were hand written specials.  I don't know about you, but those are the things that catch my eye.  There was some that stood out right away which was the fried turkey tails, pig's feet soup, and Spam with bittermelon and egg.  


We decided to try the Fried Turkey Tails, Spam with bittermelon and Egg, and of course Ethel's Famous Tataki Sashimi

This sashimi was so very tender and not fishy at all.  But the magic of this dish was in the sauce.  Wow!  I could practically eat that sauce on anything.  This was unlike any sashimi I had tasted.  Could I have seconds please!!!

Now these Fried Turkey Tails didn't taste oily, which made them seem light, if that makes sense.  The inside was very moist as well.  Again Ethel has this wonderful sauce that we poured over the turkey tails which just added to the flavor.  The sauce had vinegar and other flavors which made it mesh so well with the turkey tails.  A winner!

If someone said I have a dish of bitter melon to eat, I would politely say "No thank you."  I don't eat bitter melon all that much, but in this dish it went very well.  The eggs were that type of Japanese style where it was almost like shoyu eggs.  Now the spam was really good.  The way it was flavored made it not taste like spam, but like the best mystery meat ever.  

Overall the food tasted great.  I would definitely come back here and eat this wonderful food.

Why eat here: If you want comfort local food that tastes so good and well worth the wait, then head on by to Ethel.  

Try this: Ethel's Famous Tataki Sashimi - $5.00

Tip: Get there early for parking and seating is limited.