Sure, it's not fresh and hot off the grill like they used to have at the old Shirokiya site, but for $3.99, this box of eight Okonomiyaki with Tako (Octopus) is very tasty. Just pop it into the microwave oven near the cashier for 90 seconds, and you're good to go. The bonito flakes on top bring this dish up to snuff.
Nijiya Market has various discounts from day to day on its boxed lunch/snack items. On this day, mochi was discounted to $4.49. For every plate that is priced $7 to $9, there are smaller packs that do the job when you just need a snack.
Seating at the Puck's Alley location is sufficient, though it seems like there are too many chairs or not enough tables. Also, anyone with a smart phone will notice that there's an "NM-Guest" Wi-Fi offering (?), but a cashier said that's for managers, not actual store guests. There are other Wi-Fi options if you are seated and near the ewa entrance.
In this area, maybe the word gentrified isn't accurate, but the arrival of Raising Cain's, Pieology, Jersey Mike's and Starbucks across King Street adds to what has become a foodie two-block. There are already two Japanese eateries behind the mauka bus stop at King and University. And across University Ave., Blazin' Steaks has been a mainstay for some time now, while Kit N' Kitchen and Ezogiku departed in the past year. Next door, Smokey's Pipe and Coffee has been a home run for patrons who enjoy great sandwiches — I recommend the consistently tasty turkey pesto — and the best mocha latte (frappe) on the island. The ingredients at Smokey's are just different from any other coffee shop I know. That even goes for the cinnamon that goes on their superb Cinnamon Toast. Starbucks is good at what it is, but it can't touch Smokey's.
The fate of Puck's Alley and properties in the area have been up in the air for decades. So I just enjoy these nearly hidden gems as a longtime Moiliili resident. We’ve lost so many good things in this neighborhood, from Moilili Mochi and Candies, Varsity Theater, Moiliili Store, even Kuhio Grill back in the day. Hopefully, Nijiya and Smokey’s Pipe and Coffee find new homes as change keeps coming — homes very close by.
In the back of Puck's Alley, across the parking lot from Nijiya, is The Nook, and on the street side is Greek Corner. Haven't tried either place in all these years. Generally, including Study Hall, formerly Varsity Bar and Grill, the eateries in this area are dependent on college students from nearby UH, and even Chaminade a mile away. Summer time is never good for businesses in that scenario, but so far, they all seem to be holding up. Can the mainstay joints (no pun intended) withstand the barrage of new competition? I hope so. We've lost enough already over the years. Varsity Theater. Moose McGillicudy's. Even L&L Hawaiian BBQ, which had the best grilled teri chicken in the 1980s.
I'm not against Starbucks, though a few friends truly believe I should be after then-owner Howard Schultz sold the Seattle Sonics to a group from Oklahoma City in the late 2000s. If I'm looking for an air-conditioned shop to do some work or kill time in the area, it'll be Smokey's for me, after maybe a pit stop at Nijiya.
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