Page 4 - Dining Out - March 28, 2021

Cover Story
Story by
GINGER KELLER
bi ($3), a variety of poke bowls ($12-$18) featuring the freshest of fish, a Portuguese sausage “hot dog” ($5) and a lobster BLT ($19).
Other new items at the Waiki- ki locale include King Crab Legs thatcanbeaddedtoanyentrée for $29.
“We have a different kind of crab leg called the merus cut,” says Gouveia. “It’s basically the fattest part of the leg.When you buy crab here, you’re only get- ting the meatiest portion. That’s new for us, we’ve never really ventured into that kind of sea- food before. It’s a really popular dish — people love it.”
Staples like prime rib grace the menu at Duke’s Waikiki.
Photos courtesy
DUKE’S WAIKIKI
There’s no question why Duke’s Waikiki remains eminent as one of the most popular dining destina- tions on Oahu. According to general manager Keli‘i Gou- veia, it’s truer than ever, with the average wait time being a colossal three hours without reservations.
“A lot of (the popularity) has to do with sense of place,” shares Gouveia.“We are smack- dab in the middle of Waikiki; this is Duke (Kahanamoku)’s playground. Being the iconic figure he was, you just get that welcoming, warm feeling from coming in this restaurant. We’re
very synonymous with who he was and it’s very important for us to do that, because if you’re representing somebody like that, you can’t do it wrong.”
Since transitioning to Tier 3, the restaurant, located in Outrig- gerWaikikiBeachResort,stays open a tad later, while still con- tinuing to keep social distancing precautions in place.
“Being able to go to midnight just opens up to a whole new opportunity of people who are getting off of work from other restaurants, industries and ho- tels, and it also gives people time to relax and enjoy them- selves instead of rushing out of
here by 10 o’clock,” says Gou- veia. “We were waiting for that. We needed that.
“We’re safe.We have sanitizer stations all over the restaurant; we have mobile hand-washing stations on our patios — we’re taking every precaution to maintain safety.”
Offering everything from curbside and beachside pick- up to delivery (within walking distance or via Grubhub), Duke’s Waikiki also launched The Sandbar last week. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the beach-oriented food service has premade local favorites up for grabs, such as Spam musu-
Easter Eats
Duke’s Waikiki is of- fering an Easter take- out special April 3-4. Honey Baked Ham, King Crab and Prime Rib can be found on the menu. Learn more about it in the Easter guide on page 17.
4 / Dining Out / March 28-April 3, 2021