Ono-licious Hawaiian Style Bakery

Update: I've been told that as of Christmas 2005; Ono-Licious Bakery is no longer open.

I got to Kaisen's a bit early yesterday, and they weren't open yet, but right next to the restaurant was this little shop:

Hmm, Hawaiian Style Bakery, huh? Well I thought I'd go and check it out. And believe it or not, there was Malasada's, and Guava and Haupia Chiffon cakes. I thought that I may have just hit the "motherlode" here. Talk about a bonus, I'd driven out to Oceanside for Hawaiian Food and found a "local style" bakery to boot! And yes, I could smell the familiar Malasada smell in the air. I'd almost forgotten the mission at hand, and shook myself back to reality. Also, the really nice young lady behind the counter was starting to stare at me. I told the cashier to "not sell all of the Malasada's" and that I'll be right back after lunch. She laughed and said not to worry, the bakery's not going anywhere.

As I ate lunch I watched a few people walking out with cake boxes and a few flower arrangements. Lunch finally over, I entered the bakery and ordered two Malasada's (0.85/ ea) to go:

While waiting I ogled the wonderful looking cakes:

The gal behind the counter told me that Ono-licious has been open about 5 months, and that business was pretty good. In addition to the cakes Haupia Malasada's, as well as Baked and Steamed Manapua, among other pastries are available.

At home we bit into the malasada's. They tasted pretty good, though these were really alot more "cakey" and dense, not like the lighter, fluffy-er, one's from Leonard's back home. These are more like Champion Bakery, heavy and cake-like, and not the style I enjoy. But, if you enjoy that style of Malasadas this is probably a required stop. If you're in the neighborhood make sure to stop by and give some of these ono treats a try. Service is great and the smells are wonderful!

Ono-licious Hawaiian Style Bakery
1906 Oceanside Blvd (next to Kaisen's)
Oceanside, CA 92054

760-757-7060

Open Daily 9am - 6pm

Comments

[kyle]

What....no long johns? Why is it that you can't find a good long john on the mainland?

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

Too bad you can't get the light, airy malasadas on the mainland like we can get at Leonards. If I could send some your way, I would...they would just be soggy by the time they got there.

Champion ain't got nothin' on Leonards.

[Annie]

great entry!! i've been wanting to check out the bakery since i read about it on an online san diego news page!! i'm slightly disappointed that the malasadas are more like leonards. but hey i'm happy for any malasadas in hawaii! the malasadas are a reasonable price too!

[Kirk]

Hi Kyle - You know what, you're right, hmmmm, that is a good question. I really don't know, might take some investigating here...

Hi Reid - You're right. On my last visit home, everybody was raving about Champion, and I found I really didn't care for it. I'm thinking that maybe the reason the malasadas are more cake like is that the light and fluffy one's have a relatively short shelf life, so they have to be more like a traditional doughnut in order to keep a few hours?

Hi Annie - This place is worth a try. Didn't have time to try the Manapua and stuff. You know I never saw any article on this place, it caught me by (pleasantly I might add)surprise!

[Jo]

oooooo ::groans and shivers with pleasure:: malasadas... ::tries not to hyperventilate:: must have... ::moans:: custard... Leonards...

[milgwimper]

I am so hungry right now Kirk and it is your fault! it has been years since I have had leonards. *pout* hmmm maybe I can get a ride to ocean side! LOL

[RONW]

I've always been curious to see what a restaurant's menu looks like along side a reveiw of the featured restaurant itself. Serves as an impartial Exhibit A, although I bet it's not always congenial to photograph the menu in the presense of the proprietor or the wait staff.

If there happens to be a menu displayed outside the eatery, photographing the menu is more simple. I've even searched without success for a website that compiles current restaurants' menus.

[Jo]

Ron, we have a service here called "Waiters on Wheels" (www.waiter.com). They have the most comprehensive listing of menus available. I agree with you about having the menu as part of the post but I haven't really figured out how to do it when there is no website for the restaurant in question.

It would be interesting to have some enterprising soul actually go out and collect menus somehow and post them. Of course one would then have to deal with keeping it all updated with openings/closings and prices, etc... hmmmm...

[Kirk]

Jo - Breath, Jo, breath...somebody get Jo a paperbag before she passes out!!! LOL!

Mills - It's been about 5 since I've had Leonards, I fell your pain.

Hi RONW - I try to take a photo of menus when possible, helps me remember prices, and also shows what other offering the restaurant may have. I actually have the menus from two of my favorite places as photo albums of all things! I wish I had a memory as good as Reid's - he remembers everything.

Hi Jo - There have been really ambitious "business" projects to get comprehensive menus online - but all of the sites were looking for "income streams" (i.e. they wanted money), that they eventually didn't do real well. And you're right, there's the ongoing maintenance...it could be a fulltime job!

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

Well, I don't really remember everything, and I actually have a collection of take out menus here! I'm going to start scanning them and posting them on my site when I have time.

That said, I usually take notes, either using my PDA or my cellular phone about stuff I encounter so I don't forget. I'm getting old you know.... =P

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - Say it isn't so! Oh, you've just "lifted the curtain off the mighty OZ!" Here's how we're technically different, you use the PDA and cellphone, I write it on the palm of my hand and up my arm! No wonder I get stared at, I'm the walking around chanting "Macaroni and Cheese 99 cents", "Macaroni and Cheese 99 cents", so that I can remember the prices! LOL! ;o)

[Jo]

So THAT's what those black streaks were! I started to ask but thought better of it! ;o) If you do the scan Reid, I would suggest some sort of date labeling so that you won't need to deal with price changes. I've toyed with the same notion. Another thought I've pondered is how many of these places already have their menus in file format? Maybe they wouldn't object to emailing the file and you could post it that way. I don't think I would do it because I would end up editing it and sending it back! HAH!

Thanks for the paper bag Kirk! I'm gonna have to try making malasadas one of these sweet days. I'm thinking the textural difference between Leonard's and Champion might be leavening. At least in part. I've seen recipies for a variety of leavenings and I would guess that yeast makes the fluffier variety.

[Jack]

Malassadas...I have childhood memmories of going to a local carnival and standing in line at the Leonard's booth...was it red and white?

[Kirk]

Hi Jo - You're probably right - it's alot more cakelike.

Hey Jack - Yes, it's those red & white Leonard's "wagons" - I think they're still around, on my last visit we went to one in a parking lot of Times Supermarket. But now they have all the Haupia filled and stuff. I still like mine plain.

[Mike V.]

Malasadas are one of the greatest things in the world!
I've been to Leonards in Honolulu several times while on family trips.
It's been there since my mom was a young lady.

[Kirk]

Hi Mike - You know when people visit Hawaii and ask me for rec's, I usually try and figure out things based on what the individual's preferences are. But Leonard's is always recommended across the board.

[Joe]

I don't think they are completely closed. I just searched the net and found a web site for them and its says copyright 2006. http://hawaiiancupcakes.com/index.html. Also, when I called them, they had a voice mail for accepting orders.

I might go up to OC this weekend, and, if so, I'll stop by the place where the bakery is suppossed to be and check it out.

[Kirk]

Hi Joe - Thanks for the info! Please let me know how it turns out!

[Cae Besaw]

This looks really good! I want to check it out when I visit California in October.