An Egg-stra Serving of Fresh, Island Flair

When describing Eggs ‘n Things, general manager Michael Skedeleski does not immediately mention the restaurant’s award-winning fresh Ahi Steak or fluffy pancakes. Instead, he emphasizes the eatery’s focus on local flair and fresh ingredients.

“The motto from 1974 was ‘serving quality food in a spirit of Aloha,'” Skedeleski recalls. “It’s (Eggs ‘n Things) a breakfast restaurant with local Hawaii flair, which focuses on using the freshest ingredients and serving food with the Aloha Spirit. We don’t store much of anything; we get everything delivered fresh daily.”

Husband-and-wife team Jerry and Jan Fukunaga opened Eggs ‘n Things in March 1974. Jerry, Skedeleski recalls, used to work at the Original Pancake House located on Dillingham, and was encouraged by the restaurant’s owner to start his own business.

“He saw that Jerry had a lot of talent and drive,” Skedeleski says. “Jerry put more of a local twist on it (at Eggs ‘n Things); he tried to implement fresh fish in his dishes. That became our thing —local flair— whereas Pancake House was more of a continental chain.”

Since it first opened, Eggs ‘n Things has moved from its original site on Ena Road to its current location on Saratoga Road. Many changes have occurred since its creation, according to Skedeleski.

“When we moved to this location (Saratoga), the hours changed,” he says. “The old hours were from 11 p.m. to 2 p.m.; that was because that other location was close to a lot of bars and clubs. Now, we have more traditional hours, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m.”

The change in location also draws different crowds to the eatery.

“We don’t have that late night bar/club crowd,” Skedeleski says. “We have a lot more of a traditional, family-style crowd. In the morning, there’s a lot of families and couples; in the evenings, it’s mostly tourists.”

When it comes to the restaurant’s most popular dishes, Skedeleski notices different tendencies between the locals and tourists.

“What we’re most famous for is our Fresh Ahi Steak & Eggs,” he says. “It was one of Jerry’s original dishes and we use fresh island ahi. That dish recently won Food Network’s ‘Best Breakfast in Hawaii award (2010); a lot of locals order that.”

Another menu favorite is the Spinach, Bacon & Cheese Omelet ($10.95), made with three fresh eggs and a choice of Cheddar, Mozzarella or Pepper Jack cheese. Two other popular dishes include the Strawberry Whip Cream Pancakes with Nuts ($10.75) — five buttermilk pancakes topped with strawberries, whipped cream and macadamia nuts — and the Portuguese Sausage & Eggs ($8.95).

“Our Portuguese sausage is popular with many tourists because Portuguese sausage, surprisingly, is not really found in many places other than Hawaii,” Skedeleski explains.

In addition to its unique menu, Eggs ‘n Things offers a variety of daily specials.

“We (currently) do Sweet Bread French Toast with Fresh Pineapple, Whipped Cream & Macadamia Nuts ($10.25), ” Skedeleski says. “Almost every day, we do Sweet Bread French Toast with a different fruit on it — blackberries, blueberries, pineapples.”

The eatery also prides itself on bringing back former menu favorites — such as the Smoked Pork Chops & Eggs ($9.95) — and creating different versions of popular restaurant favorites, like the Loco Moco ($9.50).

“We’ve been playing with different versions of the Loco Moco during the evening,” Skedeleski says. “We do a ‘Hawaiian Moco’ with Portuguese sausage, sauteed onions and mushrooms on top of a regular Loco Moco. We also do a ‘Maui Moco,’ where we add fresh-diced Maui pineapples.”

Besides its expanding menu, Eggs ‘n Things faces more changes in the near future. Starting this October or November, the restaurant will be opening its second location at the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel. Skedeleski hopes the new location will decrease the restaurant’s wait time and cater to another niche.

“There’s another market of local hotel workers (at the new location),” he says. “We (currently) do takeout, but once our wait is longer than 10 minutes, we stop takeout because our cooks get backed up. But (at the new location), we’ll be doing takeout the whole day … the niche is people who want to take it (their food) to the beach, to work, wherever they want to go.”

Eggs ‘n Things