Aloha from Hawaii USA: Makittii, Waikiki's Japanese Buffet Infatuation

When Greg called me from Waikiki’s Grand Hotel that afternoon the timing could not have been better. I was definitely in the mood for celebration. 

At long last I was moving out of the Downtown/Chinatown area of Honolulu. What started off a year and a half before as a chapter in convenient, urbanized living near my place of work had devolved into annoyance and disappointment. The surrounding neighborhood witnessed a growing number of homeless, druggies and six-foot-tall lady boys on patrol along was is dubbed "Mortuary Row." 

The area had lost its charm. Dodging meth-heads and enduring the reek of urine in the streets has that effect. 

Greg Marconi has been a friend of mine for many years. One day he entered a radio station contest in Orange County, California, where he and his partner Denis Dechochor call home. 

The prize? A nearly-all-expense-paid* trip to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii for a week. This gem of a holiday included round-trip flights on Hawaiian Airlines. Not too shabby! (*Under American tax law contest winners are required to pay applicable taxes. It's an imperfect world). 

Guess what? Greg won. He and Denis flew over and spent a wonderful time at Aulani, which is located in Southwestern Oahu near Kapolei. After Greg and Denis departed, they decided to extend their stay a few days and come to Waikiki Beach. 

It was late Friday afternoon when I met up with them. The question came up: where should we go for dinner? As savvy, frugal travelers we reviewed the array of choices offered in Waikiki. Sure, it’s all very, very touristy and prices tend to be high. 

As a former Waikiki resident I can assure you that there are bargains to be had. You have to know where to look. It also pays to search for incentive coupons in tourist convenience haunts such as the famous ABC stores. If you want to stretch your holiday dollars it can be done. 

We walked five blocks along Kuhio Avenue until we reached our destination: Makittii Hawaii Japanese Seafood Buffet.  

Makittii is readily located at 2380 Kuhio Avenue at the corner with Kanekapolei Street, just two doors down from the (very, very pricy) Food Pantry and across the street from the Ohana East Hotel. 

I am no stranger to this place. When this was known as Perry’s Smorgy restaurant it had a reputation for providing cheap comfort food to tourists. They always looked happy, but I thought it was a gastronomical nightmare. Breakfast and lunch were cheap at $12.99. That's hard to argue against. 

Nevertheless I cheered when it was announced that Perry’s was closing in August, 2010. To this day I am unapologetic. Life and business goes on.

Makittii offers a combined all-you-can-eat dinner buffet for US$19.98 plus Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) added with two 'Makino Ring of Fire' shows.  

When we arrived there was a long line. Denis walked in and made a reservation for the three of us. That was quick and easy -but we had roughly a 30 minute wait. What to do? 

Denis mentioned that an aunt worked at the famous Moana Surfrider Hotel two blocks away. He wanted to take a look So, off we went to explore this oldest and historic of Waikiki's numerous hotels located just two blocks away on the shore of Kuhio Beach. 

Here's Denis, me and Greg (L to R) in the lobby of the Moana Surfrider. Hotel lobbies here are open to the public. We enjoyed a trip back in time and history as this is the oldest of Hawaii's hotels. In my tourist days -before calling Hawaii home- I would stay here. A kind, friendly tourist from Japan offered to take our picture. That's the 'Aloha Spirit' for you! It tends to rub off on visitors very quickly. 

With our sojourn at the Moana Surfrider over we trekked back to Makittii. The line had disappeared and we were promptly escorted to our table. 

We were offered several tables to choose from. The show did not particularly interest Denis, Greg and I.  We chose a quieter spot with this view of the outer dining area. 

With plate in hand we began to explore Makittii's various buffet stations. 

Do you see that bottle of sriracha sauce in the foreground?  I generally love "it" hot and spicy. ;) The buffet stations were easy to approach since restaurant patrons could do so from both sides. Other patrons were considerate of each other. I never stood in line for any of the selections.  

Tempura is a Japanese favorite of mine. Is it yours? 

I always say "yes" to sushi and sashimi! 

I was pleasantly surprised by the nairagi poke. "Nairagi" is the Hawaiian term used for all marlin fish caught off shore. It's very tender, and the colors as you can see here are vibrant and appealing.

Hawaiian tuna (ahi) poke is one of my seafood favorites.  This is often served as a raw seafood salad. It's very refreshing, especially on a hot afternoon or evening. Often, vegetables such as Maui onions and tomatoes are mixed in, thus adding a delightful texture. 

I love shumai! This is often found in Chinese dim sum restaurants.  These look like 
Cantonese-style shumai dumplings.  

Very elegant -and tasty! 

Who could not gravitate to the salmon poke? My buffet stomping grounds at Makittii 
were getting better and better as I continued my seafood exploration. 

Yes, this is a bowl of wasabi! Yikes! Just a touch of this with my seafood would cause a four-alarm fire alert. 

This was my first plate. We ordered white chardonnay. It was a good combination. You might be wondering, "Is that all, Jeffrey?" Since mid-December 2013 I'd shed 30 pounds. With such an array of attractive selections I welcomed the challenge to maintain plate portion discipline. Was it easy? Hell, no! 

Here is Plate #2. By this time my resolve had weakened. Uh oh! I was sliding down the slippery-slope of the culinary side of the "The Force." 

What are some of the other available selections? How does abalone with butter and shoyu, shrimp tempura, dungeness crab, prime rib, snow crab legs, assorted fruits, and stir-fry veggies sound to you? I knew it! 

If you think that sounds appealing you can finish off your culinary joy ride with a variety of desserts, including crepes and ice cream. I had to pass on those -not because I wanted to, but I had to. 

Next time? I'll keep my options open! Let's keep that as our little secret. ;)

Yes, they all work for me, and I think they will for you, too. Just be warned! You might gain weight, but you won't lose sleep! 

The evening show was in full swing. It was very crowded in this part of the restaurant. The enthusiastic audience consisted mostly of visitors from Japan, South Korea and the mainland USA. There was lots of applause, smiles and picture-taking! 

Traditionally, I've not been a fan of buffets. My friend Bob Stowell was a restaurant manager in New York and our home State of Connecticut. Years ago over cold beers and lively, sometimes off-the-wall conversation I received a free education about the behind-the-scenes world of restaurants. He often pointed out that buffets tend to be the receiving places where restaurants would provide their leftovers to unsuspecting patrons.

Hawaii is different. I learned that after I moved here. Bob came here a few years after I relocated to Honolulu and came to the same conclusion.

Buffets in the islands of Hawaii tend to be on a higher cultural level. A local friend here explained  that in the 19th and early 20th century sugar and pineapple plantation days workers in were segregated according to race, but they shared their cuisines with each other. We're the beneficiaries of their aloha gestures -something to remember.

To this day you find a diverse selection of dishes and cuisines offered at Hawaii buffets. You can stay within your comfort zone -or get a little adventurous! Our island chefs take a great deal of pride in what they offer. Honolulu is a "big-small town" where word gets around quickly -both good and not-so-good.

Makittii is not intended to be a five-star food experience. There's plenty of other locales offering pricy experiences, and that's fine. If you are traveling with a group Makittii will suit your budget, especially if you do not want to break your bank account.

We emerged pleased that we judged this place on our own, sweeping aside the negative reviews and previous owners of years past.

Our experience at Makittii reminded us of why we love Hawaii's food culture. It does not have to be fancy. When you are looking for an affordable place in Waikiki to cater and coddle your seafood satiations this place just might be for you.

Even though some of the most congested vehicular and pedestrian traffic was yards away, we felt transported to an escape from everyday toils and cares. We enjoyed lots of laughs and characteristic good humor from one of the staff who took good care of us.

For Denis and Greg our evening of scrumptious feats marked the conclusion of an enjoyable Hawaiian-style holiday. For me our evening at Makittii signaled a cause for celebration as I was poised to depart the malaise and negativity of downtown Honolulu for greener pastures in nearby and far-flung places.

Good company, good service, congenial staff and an atmosphere of free-spirited island-style bliss was the fuel for good memories at Makittii. I'll be back.