Green Papaya
3579 Waialae Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-8820
Mon. - Sat. 10 AM - 9 PM, Sun. 11 AM - 8 PM
When one of the folks you hang out with is a vegetarian, you realize that it’s not always easy to find a place you can both eat. That said, some Asian themed restaurants do a great job of providing vegetarian options as well as chicken, beef, and pork themed dishes. One of those is Green Papaya on Waialae.
Relatively inexpensive (dishes between $4 and $10), this restaurant can get busy, busy, busy! We ventured there on a Friday night post-movie, and there was just one waitress for a nearly full house. Yet, the service was reasonably fast, the food was very tasty, and the prices were reasonable. My vegetarian friend had the long rice tofu soup; I had fried noodles with chicken.
If you like spicy, Green Papaya has hot sauce right on your table. The restaurant is clean; it can get noisy, but at the prices they charge, it’s clearly not designed for fine dining. It is, however, a great alternative to places like Zippys or Dennys. If you’re at Kahala for a movie and you get out early enough but find the line at California Pizza Kitchen imposing, consider taking a short drive up Waialae to check out this Vietnamese themed dining establishment.
