An Outburst of Oktoberfest Specials

To commemorate Oktoberfest, a 16to 18-day beer festival held annually in Munich, Germany, restaurants in cities all over the world are hosting special celebrations. And Waikiki’s Wailana Coffee House is no exception, as it’s planning a special menu that celebrates German cuisine.

The restaurant will serve items from its Oktoberfest menu this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8, from 11 a.m. to midnight.

“It’s a fun menu for us and we started it about 10 years ago,” says Kenton Tom, the general manager at Wailana.

Four main entrees are featured on the menu. The most popular item is Smoked Ham Shank ($15.25), which is braised slowly with special seasonings so it’s tasty and tender. The shank is served with a robust Dijon mustard sauce. The special menu also features Bratwurst ($12.50) — authentic German sausage, grilled and generously plated — and Smoked Pork Chops ($13.95), a large portion of grilled center cut loin chops.

“For all of the above items (Smoked Ham Shank, Bratwurst and Smoked Pork Chops), they are served with sauerkraut, German potato salad, Bavarian red cabbage and chocolate mint cake,” Tom says.

The Bavarian Breakfast Special ($9.75) is the last entree featured on the menu. This special is a combination of crispy potato pancakes, bratwurst sausage and two large eggs (any style), served with sour cream and apple-sauce.

“For this breakfast, we have German potato pancakes, which we normally don’t serve but we make special for Oktoberfest,” Tom says. “They are made with potatoes.”

Also included on the menu is House Wine by the glass, Chablis, Rose or Burgundy ($3.75 each). Takeout options also are available.

Beyond its Oktoberfest menu, Wailana is known for its numerous breakfast entrees. Especially popular are the eatery’s “All-You-Can-Eat” Pancakes Breakfast Special ($6.35), which includes all the pancakes one can consume served with two eggs and two strips of bacon (no sharing is allowed and customers are not allowed to take home leftovers). Another breakfast staple is the “S.O.S.” Special ($7.50) — available on Saturday and Sunday — which features creamed beef on toast served with two eggs.

Other popular early morning dishes are Old Fashioned French Toast ($5.75) — special egg bread stuffed with guava jelly, dipped in a rich egg and cream blend and served with whipped butter and assorted syrups — and the restaurant’s signature Eggs Benedict ($9.85), a toasted English muffin served with smoked ham and turkey breast, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and hash browns.

The restaurant’s Chef’s Daily Specials are customer favorites for lunch or dinner. These daily offerings — including the Mahimahi and Teriyaki Chicken ($11.25), Catch of the Day Ahi ($11.25) and Corned Beef and Cabbage ($10.50) — come with the customer’s choice of soup, salad bar or fruit cup that comes with the meal.

As depicted through its Oktoberfest menu as well as its regular menu, Wailana strives to provide customers with delicious dishes at reasonable prices.

“We cater more toward the local people,” says Tom of the eatery, which first opened in 1969 and has attracted both locals and tourists since. “It’s upscale casual dining and we give high value for your dollar — for breakfast, the average price per customer is about $8 and for dinner, it’s about $12.”

Although Wailana Coffee House only features its Oktoberfest menu annually, it offers specials and promotions throughout the year for other holidays and special events.

“We have promotions for all the major holidays,” Tom confirms. “So the next one coming up is Thanksgiving, then we have specials for Christmas and events like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.”

Wailana Coffee House