Deck on Rainbow Drive In - Hawaii Restaurant Review

When I think about Hawaii, certain things come to mind; sun, beach, palm trees, relaxation, and simple, but usually delicious food.  Today I embark on a week in Hawaii that will undoubtedly trigger a few blog posts.  And one of the nicest things about my food travels in Hawaii is that I spend most of my time with locals.  That means a lot of great restaurants that the traditional Hawaii tourist is not eating at.  And today, that was definitely the case as our lunch stop was the Rainbow Drive In located in Honolulu. 

The Rainbow Drive In is a simple building, located on a side street not too far from the beaches of Waikiki in an area called Kaimuki.  The Drive In has been around for over 45 years, and a lot of the ambiance and decor feels like it is still the original.  It is the type of place that writes its daily specials on a white board, has a menu board that is straight out of the 70s, and a few old picnic tables outside (there is no dine-in option...for those from Seattle, think Dick's Drive In).  It's only a few minutes walk from the beach, and a place the surfers come strolling up to after a day on the waves.  And it all just works.

This wasn't my first trip to the Rainbow Drive In, so I was prepared.  I knew exactly what I wanted; a plate lunch.  The only trick is which one?  I debated quickly between the cutlet and the curry, deciding on the pork cutlet.  One thing to note is that you have to pay attention to the menu as certain dishes are only available on certain days.  After not more than 5 minutes, our order was called, and we picked up our lunches and headed to the beach to enjoy them.

Like all plate lunches that I've had in Hawaii, they aren't lacking in quantity of food.  Inside the box were three thin, breaded cutlets smothered in gravy, two big scoops of rice and a scoop of mac salad (steamed white rice and mac salad are plate lunch staples).  The gravy was a very nice, curry based gravy that was very flavorful.  The pork was nice and moist, as well as pretty tender.  I did have to use a knife to cut it, but that owed as much to the fact that I was eating out of a cardboard box perched on my lap, than anything else.  As for the mac salad, well, it's mac salad; one of those things that as long as it has a fair amount of mayo and cooked macaroni, it's pretty difficult to mess up.

In the end, it was exactly what I was expecting.  A very healthy portion of good tasting comfort food.  This is what I've come to expect when I think of lunch in Hawaii.  For those traveling to Hawaii, that are near Waikiki, do yourself a favor.  Take a few minutes to walk away from the shops and the restaurants targeted to the "tourists", and enjoy a lunch of real Hawaiian food.

Final Verdict - 3.5 Stars