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Food & Dining

A new izakaya recently opened in Māpunapuna — and it’s related to a popular neighborhood sushi bar.

 — located next to its sister business, Mitch’s Fish Market and Sushi Bar — opened quietly at the beginning of October. While Mitch’s Sushi specializes in sashimi-style fresh fish, sushi rolls and platters and omakase, Izakaya Mitch’s offers more cooked dishes designed to share.

The business is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays, and is currently BYOB. There are designated parking stalls for customers right in front of the restaurant (street parking is also available).

Customers can choose from a variety of seafood, salads, pūpū, kamameshi and nabe. The nabe is designed for groups of four to share.

We start with sashimi ($45), which is an assortment of ‘ahi, salmon, scallop and hamachi. This is one of the few raw dishes you’ll find on the menu. The izakaya strives to offer different dishes from its sister restaurant, where you can still find an extensive selection of sushi.

We also love the dashimaki tamago ($13) — the rolled omelet, coated in dashi broth, is fluffy, light and easy to eat.

Of everything we tried, the crab tempura with matcha salt was one of my favorites. The Hokkaido king crab tempura is perfectly crispy on the outside and is delicious in and of itself, but the matcha salt takes its savory flavor to the next level.

The A5 wagyu steak ($45), cut pūpū style, is delivered to your table and meant to be cooked on the hot stone. The presentation is impressive, and the sizzling steak is buttery and tender, boasting that signature melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Kamameshi — traditional Japanese rice dishes served in iron pots — are designed to be shared; half and full portions are available.

Choose from a kamameshi with fish of the day, or with saba and salmon and ikura. The saba comes highly recommended. Sometimes, saba can have a fishy flavor, but not so in this dish. When the fish is mixed together with the mushrooms, rice and other veggies in the iron pot, the flavor is balanced.

Be sure to check out the specials of the day; menchi katsu ($18) was featured during our dinner. Its fried exterior was satisfyingly crispy, while the meaty interior is savory and juicy. At first glance, the katsu ball looks petite, but it’s hearty and filling.

We concluded our savory meal with the eatery’s featured dessert — ice cream with sweet potato ($5). We’re told the dessert changes periodically, based on seasonal, fresh ingredients the izakaya is able to obtain. 

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Parking available directly in front of the restaurant; street parking also available

Izakaya Mitchs crab tempura with matcha salt 110125

<title>New izakaya now open in Māpunapuna</title>

Izakaya Mitch’s — located right next door to Mitch’s Fish Market and Sushi Bar — specializes in cooked dishes designed to share. You’ll find everything from Hokkaido crab tempura, dashimaki tamago and assorted sashimi to A5 wagyu steak, menchi katsu and nabe.

New izakaya now open in Māpunapuna

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

 “Covered with dirty hovels, ugly billboards, and unsightly stables.”

That was the description of the land at the mauka-Diamond Head corner of Punchbowl and South King Streets in Downtown Honolulu. The 1911 newspaper article proposed using the site for a Territorial Armory, carrying out a plan for a Capitol Park scheme, in which the Palace Square would be surrounded by stately public buildings.

At the time, the space included a huddled collection of haphazardly constructed buildings, including the Stockyard Stables, and various run-down shops, creating a picture of Downtown that would be unrecognizable today. It wasn’t the first time the issue of this unsightly corner had come up. A few years earlier, Territorial planners considered this corner for the Federal Building, but the final decision had it built just a block away, across from ‘Iolani Palace. Over the years, suggestions for the land included a municipal opera house, an auditorium, or a museum. In 1918, Governor McCarthy suggested that the Bishop Museum be moved to the Downtown location, citing the first and foremost purpose as tearing down the frame of shacks, which were an eyesore to all passersby.

Since he became Honolulu’s first mayor in 1907, Joseph Fern began making plans for the construction of a city hall, but he died before he could convince Honolulu citizens of the need for such a building. Over the years, city offices moved around, and residents had to visit several buildings to complete paperwork and permitting. The necessity for a City Hall building was apparent, but the decision on where to build it remained undecided for another two decades. Suggestions included above the police station on Merchant Street, the triangle section of land next to the Hawaiian Electric property, and Union Square.

In 1921, a prominent citizen posted a quarter-page ad in the Honolulu Star Bulletin suggesting that the city hall should be built on the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace, then referred to as the Executive Building. The large structure would be facing Richards Street, straddling the Kina‘u Lane just behind the gate. One city supervisor suggested that the municipality take over ‘Iolani Palace as a city hall, building a new Capitol in another location.

Thankfully, Charles N. Arnold, who was mayor at the time, stated, “It seems to me that the palace, a structure of historic interest, should be left just as it is.”

When the site at the corner of King and Punchbowl Streets was finally chosen, members of Kawaiaha‘o Church and O‘ahu Evangelical Association protested, primarily because the plans included a police station and jail, an emergency hospital, and district courtrooms.

Reverend W. D. Westervelt spoke out, “Do you see the pilikia that will result when you have the city hall as a close neighbor?”

However, due to projected population growth and the project’s cost, the city planning department decided to omit the jail, police station, and emergency hospital.

Finally, in August 1928, an informal groundbreaking ceremony was performed, and construction started immediately. On December 27 of that year, the cornerstone was laid with full Masonic rites by the Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Hawai‘i. More than 500 items representing life in Honolulu in 1928, including photos, reports, and books, were placed in a copper box and sealed beneath the cornerstone.

The new city hall opened for business on December 17, 1929, as a modern landmark representing beauty, order, and growth. Yet, after nearly a century of history, other tales have emerged along with the feeling that not everyone who walks the halls is part of the living. Rumors of former mayors walking the halls are common, as are the sounds of voices talking and children playing, even when no one else is around.

A few years ago, I got a message from a security guard who works in this building. The guard asked for a blessing because when he works the graveyard shift, he hears something heavy, like bodies, being dragged across the floor. He also hears women whispering to each other and children playing around, making noise. The guard’s main issue was that when he stood in the basement, it felt as if a crowd of people were pressing in around him. He said that in the hallway where the portraits of past mayors hang, he saw a man at the end of the hall, wearing an angry expression, upset about something. When he glanced at the portraits on the wall, he realized the man he saw was Mayor John Wilson. When I set up a time to meet, the guard never showed. He didn’t reply to further messages and just seemed to disappear.

Honolulu City Councilmember Augie Tulba shared his own experience in these haunted halls. On his very first day after being sworn in, Tulba arrived early and was walking the halls, looking at the portraits of past Councilmembers. The building was still quiet, as the rush of the workday hadn’t yet started, and anyone there that early usually had important business to attend. As Tulba looked at the pictures on the wall, the realization hit him that he has a big job ahead of him.

[{"type":"text","text":"Suddenly, a voice behind him says, “You have some big shoes to fill.”"}]

Tulba turned to see a short Japanese man standing behind him. He enjoys talking to and getting to know people, and had a light conversation with the man. Tulba said at one point, he turned to point to a former councilmember who helped his baseball team years ago. When he looked back, the man he’d been talking to was gone.

If you’ve ever been to Honolulu Hale, you’ll notice the hallway is long and the floor is lined with Spanish tile, so footsteps tend to echo through the corridor. But there were no footsteps, and it was impossible to run away silently from where they were standing in the short second that Tulba turned away. To this day, Tulba has never run into the man again.  

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Honolulu Hale Downtown

<title>Haunted halls of Honolulu Hale</title>

Honolulu's city hall, Honolulu Hale, is nearly a century old — old enough to acquire a reputation for sightings of a supernatural nature. Here's the history of how the building came to be, and what people have experienced in its hallways.

Haunted halls of Honolulu Hale

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

Business & Tourism

Getting to and from Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve just got easier for out-of-state visitors.

A new contract between the City and County of Honolulu and Roberts Hawai‘i streamlines the journey to the popular snorkeling spot, packaging transportation, entry and an educational video, while also freeing up space in the public parking lot.

The new online admission options now allow visitors to reserve their Hanauma Bay excursions a month in advance, the city said in a recent announcement. The packages include roundtrip transportation from several spots in Ala Moana and Waikīkī as well as entry into the bay.

During the bus ride, visitors will be shown a 10-minute educational video, which is required viewing for everyone entering the nature preserve.

Advanced reservations can be made on the 

 websites. A portion of these packages also will include tickets to the Honolulu Zoo.

(ICYMI: The Honolulu Zoo has also recently launched a new online ticketing system. Read about that 

According to the city, 400 tickets will be available daily through the new advanced ticketing option, while adjustments will be made to the existing ticketing system to keep daily attendance around 1,400 people.

? You can still make those two days in advance.

Residents, though, can still get in free, without payment or reservation required. Only a $1 parking fee is applicable to locals for a space within the 280-stall parking lot, which was 

Laura Thielen, director of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, said in the announcement that the idea came from the Hanauma Bay Steering Committee and progressed with the help of preserve staff and partners in the city’s departments of Enterprise Services, Information Technology and Office of Economic Revitalization.

“This effort aligns with Hanauma Bay’s goal of balancing the recreational and cultural needs of the community with the education and preservation mandates of this wahi pana (storied place),” she says.

“We’re proud to collaborate with the City and County of Honolulu to make Hanauma Bay more accessible while preserving its natural beauty," 

JoAnn Erban, vice president of sales and marketing for Roberts Hawai‘i, said in the announcement.

 "As a locally owned, employee-owned company, we’re deeply committed to caring for our island home. By providing eco-friendly transportation and the convenience of advance booking, we’re helping guests enjoy a seamless, responsible experience at one of Hawai‘i’s most beloved and culturally rich destinations.”

It's not immediately known how many people have already used the new options.

The lava flows that created the Hanauma Bay region began about 

, while the bay itself was created about 32,000 years ago "in a violent series of explosions" that occurred after a volcanic vent opened underwater.

Today, DPR maintains the land portion of the preserve, while the state Department of Land and Natural Resources oversees the ocean.

Once a favorite fishing spot for Hawaiian royalty, Hanauma Bay was designated as Hawai‘i's first Marine Life Conservation District in 1967, 

The number of visitors peaked in the 1970s and 1980s at an estimated 10,000 people per day, but a management plan put into place in 1990 helped mitigate the impact, the site notes.

In 2019 — before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 closed the preserve for nearly eight months — nearly 3,000 people attended each day for a total of nearly 845,000 visitors that year.

The city says there were 400,776 visits to Hanauma Bay in 2024. You can find last year's attendance numbers 

Hanauma Bay PANO reverse

<title>Honolulu, Roberts Hawai‘i aim to improve access to Hanauma Bay</title>

A new contract between the city and Roberts Hawai‘i packages transportation to and from the popular snorkel spot, entry and an educational video.

Honolulu, Roberts Hawai‘i aim to improve access to Hanauma Bay

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Arts & Entertainment

For Leilehua High School Fine Arts Department Head Dustin Hart, teaching students “who are raised in this age of glass” is what inspired him to launch a brand-new art class this school year.

“Students, they see their cell phones, they know what's on it, but they know apps, they know social media, they don't really know what makes it,” Hart said in a statement. “Understanding all the property elements of glass, how it can be used and leveraged, and the future of what they're stepping into. After they graduate high school they're going to be in a world that is of glass.”

Currently, 40 students are enrolled in the semester-long course, Introduction to Glass which focuses on three primary disciplines of the art of glass: kiln-forming, glassblowing, and coldworking.

, a 12th grader at Leilehua High, who is taking the class said, “I think my favorite thing about glassblowing is that we have creative freedom. No matter what it is, we still have to follow certain guidelines or else it wouldn't be a class. But you pretty much just have full creative freedom. You can make whatever you would like. And that's honestly the best part about having Mr. Hart as a teacher.”

Stewardship and leadership are both intentional pillars of the course to set students up for success outside of school.

“I'm also working with the students — demonstrating leadership, humility, service to the community, incorporating recycling and environmental stewardship, how to be sustainable and how to work with one another,” Hart noted. “You don't always get a partner that you agree with. You don't always get a partner who has the same vision as you, but you have to learn how to work with one another to accomplish the same goal. I think that's essential for the workforce.”

The Wahiawa community and beyond can help supply materials by bringing in recycled glass bottles for the students to melt and upcycle, 

 The students then go on to manipulate and melt the bottles into Christmas ornaments they can later sell.

He added, “The first thing that we do is we wash that glass, take care of that glass, talk about where it comes from, what it's made of, its chemical properties, break it down, melt it. And they learn how to blow tubes to give back to the community.”

Hart also serves as a senior lecturer for studio and applied art at Hawai’i Pacific University and was previously an adjunct instructor at Honolulu Community College, and a part-time teacher at Honolulu Museum of Art School. He also previously taught woods/drawing at Pearl City High School and studio art at both Kailua Intermediate School and American Renaissance Academy in Kapolei.

His artwork “that blur the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, and ritualistic experiences” has been on display in Hawai’i, Canada and Arizona.

“Ultimately, my artistic pursuit is fueled by a profound desire to establish meaningful connections and offer a space for reflection, where viewers can immerse themselves in the beauty and complexity of the human experience,” 

. “By merging materiality and imagination, I strive to evoke awe and reverence, prompting viewers to pause, engage, and discover solace in the poetic resonance of my creations."

He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and master’s in education from Northern Arizona University.

Based in Wahiawa, Leilehua High School is the first public school to offer Instruction to Glass. Hart also created the curriculum course document, approved by the state Department of Education, for any art departments to adapt in the future.

The mission of Leilehua High School’s Music, Visual and Performing Arts Department is to empower “students through a diverse approach in our curriculum. We use an interdisciplinary and rigorous methodology that connects multiple academic disciplines to the expressive and creative arts.”

“We strive to make meaningful experiences for our students that lead to fulfilling careers and ultimately, contribute to an ever-advancing civilization. We pride ourselves on excellence and strive to exemplify leadership, humility, and service in all facets of our professional practice.”

, Leilehua High School has at least six Fine Arts teachers, who in addition to ceramics, offer creative dance/drama/ʻukulele, drawing/painting, band, piano, photography and more.

Dustin Hart Glassblowing Leilehua HS P1001072

<title>A teacher’s fire creates new glass blowing class, curriculum</title>

Wahiawa-based Leilehua High School is the first DOE school to offer this course developed by Fine Arts Department Head Dustin Hart. He also created the curriculum for other public schools to pick up.

A teacher’s fire creates new glass blowing class, curriculum

, knew she wanted to specialize in a unique dessert when she first started her business in 2020.

“I’m an immigrant; I came here because of my husband,” says Smith, who is originally from Colombia. “I wanted to do something very unique that is hard to find. I decided to start with alfajores, which is a cookie that comes from South America. It’s originally from Argentina, but it’s found in all of South America — Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.”

The dessert features two crumbly, shortbread-like cookies sandwiched together with a sweet filling — and for Smith, that’s dulce de leche.

“This (our alfajores) melts in your mouth,” she says. “It’s super soft, and it comes with our dulce de leche, which is the milky caramel.

“Dulce de leche is the main flavor in South America,” she adds. “That’s why pretty much everything I make has dulce de leche. We can make it (alfajores) with different flavors, but our signature is dulce de leche.”

Aloha Alfajores officially opened in June 2020, and Smith rented out various kitchens. Customers often direct message the business on Instagram to order, or they order online.

Since starting her business, the menu has expanded to include dulce de leche brownies — a blend of chocolate, caramel and cheesecake — crème brulees and frescas con cremas. The latter features a combination of strawberries and cream with layers of alfajores.

“They have the cookie crust as the shell, and a little touch of dulce de leche,” Smith says. “We also have our rice pudding, which is a very Latin American dessert; our frescas con cremas has alfajores inside.”

While renting out kitchen spaces, Smith was looking for her own commercial kitchen. She says she started the search a long time ago, but remembers feeling discouraged.

“It got to a point where I was going to give up and sell my business,” she says. “The day I got two people interested in my business, I felt something in my heart … something was telling me not to sell it.”

Smith resumed her hunt for a kitchen space and started looking up possibilities on Facebook Marketplace. That’s when her current space on Mango Avenue in Wahiawa popped up.

“I found two locations — one in town, and this one — and I talked to the guy here,” Smith says. “He was like, ‘Just come and see it,’ and it happened within a week. I was like, ‘OK, if it’s going this way, it’s meant to be.’”

Smith clarifies that the commercial kitchen space is not a café or storefront — yet — but it’s a step in that direction.

“It’s mostly our production place,” she says. “We produce for events, for distribution, and for people that want to come by. Hopefully, if everything goes well and I get more of a budget, I can design it better—I would like to have a little place where people can sit.”

Besides the packaged desserts at her kitchen, Aloha Alfajores is at Ala Moana Center on most Saturdays (Mauka wing second floor, near Target) and her products are distributed at retailers like Mari’s Garden, Taqueria el Ranchero, and Teapresso’s Ewa Beach and Keeaumoku stores.

“We also do shipping nationwide; we have a special box of cookies,” Smith says.

As her business celebrated its five-year milestone and Smith looks ahead to 2026, she says she is hoping to further establish her business’s new kitchen location and expand its distribution locations.

“Our business is very unique; it’s something that’s hard to find somewhere else,” she says. “This is a place where people can come and get something completely different.

“Business owners — or anyone — don’t give up,” she adds. “Keep going and following your dreams, even though it can be hard.”

Kitchen space open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, Saturdays 

Limited parking available in front of the business; street parking also available

Aloha Alfajores business owner 103125

<title>Aloha Alfajores opened a new kitchen space</title>

The business, which started in 2020, officially has its own commercial kitchen space in Wahiawa. Besides its signature alfajores, the biz offers dulce de leche brownies, crème brulee and frescas con cremas.

Aloha Alfajores opened a new kitchen space

Real Estate

Kamehameha Schools has sold its remaining interest in the Royal Hawaiian hotel, selling the lease fee landholdings under the iconic pink oceanfront resort to Japan-based Daisho Co. for $510 million.

The transaction closed Nov. 6, KS said in an 

According to KS, the property will continue to be held and operated under its current long-term ground lease to 

Daisho Co. is a private, family-owned company with hospitality holdings in Asia and the Pacific, KS noted. This is the company’s first commercial venture in the Islands.

, KS says it manages its portfolio as one that “evolves to meet the needs of the trust and the Native Hawaiian community.”

“In a globally competitive market, Ke Kula ‘o Kamehameha must manage Pauahi’s portfolio with care and strategy, mindful of how best to position our ‘āina to serve the evolving needs of our lāhui, both today and for generations to come,” the announcement states. “This means sometimes acquiring ‘āina, sometimes restoring it, and at times, when conditions call for change, releasing lands so their value can further the mission in new ways.”

KS sold the buildings and improvements at the neighboring Royal Hawaiian Center in 2014 — you can read more 

 — but said in the Nov. 7 announcement it is “not presently considering a sale” of its remaining interest in the lands underneath the shopping center.

Crystal Rose, chair of the KS Board of Trustees, said in the announcement that the trust only sells land “after much deep and agonizing consideration.”

“Our kuleana is to steward a dynamic portfolio that best serves our trust. At the same time, we know that our lands carry historical significance, especially this one, which our founder and generations of ali‘i before her had nurtured,” she says.

KS CEO Jack Wong said in the announcement that in the coming months, KS will meet with its school communities, alumni and lāhui to discuss and better explain its changing role as a landowner.

Dubbed the “Pink Palace of the Pacific,” what’s now called the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikīkī, opened nearly a century ago on Feb. 1, 1927, and was built for $4 million by the Matson Navigation Co., as a “luxurious resort for Matson passengers,” a 

Following the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy recreation and morale office leased the Royal Hawaiian, “transforming the resort into a major rest and relaxation center for Navy personnel,” the site reads. “The resort was restored to its pre-war elegance in 1947.”

KS is one of the largest landowners in the state, according to the 

, ranking third behind the state and federal government with more than 373,000 acres.

In August 2024, KS announced it would pay a total of $872.5 million as part of a $4 billion global settlement in the wake of the 2023 Maui wildfires. Read more about that 

It’s also gearing up for another legal battle: Virginia-based nonprofit Students for Fair Admissions recently filed a 

Royal hawaiian unsplash

<title>Kamehameha Schools sells land under Royal Hawaiian for $510M</title>

Japan-based Daisho Co. is now the fee-simple owner. The property, however, will continue to be held and operated under its current long-term ground lease to Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, KS says.

Kamehameha Schools sells land under Royal Hawaiian for $510M

E Kingma Large

<title>Eric Kingma</title>

Eric Kingma

This viewpoint from the Hawai‘i Longline Association makes a case that President Donald Trump's reopening of commercial fishing grounds around Pacific islands is good for local consumers and industry, which use more sustainable methods than do foreign fishing fleets.

Eric Kingma

Latest from Eric Kingma

Community Voices: Presidential proclamation balances ocean protection and sustainable commercial tuna fishing

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