Making your morning an eye-opening experience with ono food

Acai Bowl ($13)

Start your day off the perfect way with a power-packed breakfast or weekend brunch at Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar in Waikiki.

Founder Wolfgang Zwiener opened the authentic Italian restaurant and named it Il Lupino, meaning “little wolf” in Italian, which was the nickname he picked up while traveling through Italy exploring his love for the country’s food. During that time, he dreamed of opening a restaurant offering his favorite dishes.

Local Benedict ($15)

Although Il Lupino is deservedly famed for its Italian cuisine, it also offers customers a diverse and comprehensive breakfast menu. The menu is perfect, “whether you are looking for a hot and hearty made-to-order breakfast or need to dine and dash to work or the beach,” says Mona Wood-Sword, public relations and marketing director.

The scrumptious dishes range from a healthy and tasty acai bowl, a bagel and coffee and everything in between.

Bananas Foster French Toast with Thick-Cut Bacon ($15)

“Like our lunch and dinner items, we use only the highest quality, freshest ingredients, so you can be sure your breakfast will taste great and be good for you, too,” notes Wood-Sword.

Il Lupino’s breakfast, which is served daily 8-11:30 a.m., and its weekend brunch, which is offered Saturday and Sunday (8 a.m.-2 p.m.), are great for anyone who lives, works or plays in Waikiki.

Guests coming in for breakfast can dine in Il Lupino’s wonderfully furnished indoor dining room while indulging in frittatas, eggs Benedicts, steak and eggs, pancakes or waffles, or they can start the day with a tasty meal and a thirst-quenching mimosa or bellini while sitting on the restaurant’s lanai to take in the vista of the Royal Hawaiian Center’s Royal Grove.

Among the restaurant’s breakfast and weekend brunch offerings is Acai Bowl ($13), which is crafted with premium acai, Anahola granola, Hawaiian honey and fresh seasonal bananas and berries.

Another selection up for grabs is Bananas Foster French Toast with Thick-Cut Bacon ($15). This delectable delight is made with Hawaiian sweet bread, caramel, and bananas, and served with Boar’s Head bacon.

Guests also can try one of Il Lupino’s popular eggs Benedicts.

The Classic Benedict ($15) features Boar’s Head bacon, Hauula tomatoes and poached eggs on a fresh English muffin, covered in house-made hollandaise sauce.

Local Benedict ($15) includes Boar’s Head thick-cut bacon, Hauula tomatoes,slices of avocado and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin.

Another satisfying treat on the lineup is Smoked Salmon Benedict ($16), boasting cold smoked salmon, Hauula tomatoes and poached eggs on an English muffin, topped with house-made hollandaise sauce.

So, next time you are looking to “wolf” down some delicious eats, make a stop at Il Lupino in Royal Hawaiian Center.