A down-home diner as nice as pie

BY ANDY BETH MILLER

We’ve all been there. It’s 2 a.m. in the middle of the night and you just can’t sleep. Or maybe you’re driving home from that late night game or date, and it hits you like a ton of bricks — that intense feeling in the pit of your stomach (or was that a ferocious growl?) — the I-gotta-have-it-now-or-I’m-gonna-be-bananas breakfast craving that just won’t go away. Back in the old days, this would be a sad situation where you would just have to wait it out until morning and bide your time before bacon, buttery biscuits and piping hot pancakes could be in your belly. But that was before Anna Miller’s.

“Always Open to Serve You,” Anna Miller’s motto rings true, as the landmark establishment has become a beloved meeting place of locals and tourists alike ever since flinging open its dining room doors in 1973. One of the first Oahu restaurants open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days per year, Anna Miller’s is a down-home, no-frills diner, serving up breakfast (available all day), lunch and dinner with a heaping side helping of aloha.

This year marks Anna Miller’s 40th anniversary, and when asked how he hopes customers come away feeling about the restaurant, area manager Wade Hashizume says he desires that each diner, “feels they have experienced the aloha and warm welcome of a good, honest coffee shop with fast, friendly service.”

Good, old-fashioned comfort food is the star of the menu at Anna Miller’s. Choose from bountiful breakfast offerings including fluffy omelettes, Bel- gian waffles oozing with mouthwatering maple syrup, and sweet bread French toast; or opt for a light mid-day meal like a classic BLT. Dinner is done right with savory chicken pot pie or hearty chicken fried steak, topped off with the piece de resistance of the entire experience: a slice of Anna Miller’s famous, made-from-scratch pie. With 31 varieties to choose from, the only unpleasant part of your visit will be leaving without sampling them all!

The upside is that Anna Miller’s sells entire pies in every variety to take home and enjoy. Chocolate Hau-pia, Macadamia Nut, Banana Cream and Lemon Meringue are just a few of the fan favorites. They even have a special Apple Lite pie made with NutraSweet to cater to diabetics and calorie counters.

“Thanksgiving is an especially popular time for customers wanting our pumpkin pie,” says Hashizume. “Over the holidays, when all is said and done, we will have baked and sold over 2,000 pumpkin pies alone.”

That is why Hashizume encourages patrons to pre-order for the holidays. The restaurant will be taking orders up to the day before Thanksgiving for take-home pies (and asks for 24 hour notice), with the choice of Pumpkin ($9.65), Dutch Apple ($9.95), Apple ($9.95), Pumpkin with Whipped Topping ($9.95) and Mince Meat ($11.75). Other varieties will be available for pickup on-site on a first-come basis. And for those looking for a place to dine-in, Anna Miller’s will be open for operation Thanksgiving Day as usual.

Anna Miller’s

98-115 Kaonohi St., Aiea
487-2421
Open 24 hours
annamillersrestaurant.com