*** Ono's has closed
A while back I heard of a small coffee/tea/dessert shop in the Bonita area called Ono's (love the name) that supposedly served Malasadas. Yep, Malasada's.
Now nothing can make an Ex-Pat Kama'aina as homesick as the thought of hot and fluffy Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu. For those who don't know what a Malasada is; think of it as a Donut without a hole, fried to a nice golden brown crisp on the outside, with a light and fluffy interior. Served piping hot, there is nothing that quite compares to it in my book. Though Portuguese in origin, Malasadas has long been an Island favorite. So naturally, this made Ono's a "must-try".
Ono's is tucked away behind a branch of Well Fargo on Bonita Road. Though hidden from the street, once in the parking lot, you can't miss the "statue".
The decor is a tasteful Asian-influenced tropical, with "New Age" Asian instrumental music piped in. On this day the Cafe was quite full, with people having tea or coffee, and various desserts like Kahlua Cheesecake.
I did find a sign for Malasadas, 9 for $3.50! Now that is very, very inexpensive. I placed my order, and was told that it would be an 8 to 10 minute wait. Soon enough, a small white package was delivered to me. I opened it as soon as I got to the car.
Though the donuts were golden brown, and smelled heavenly, these looked more like donut holes then Malasadas. I guess that explains the price. As I took a bite, I noticed that the interior of this small donut was cake-like and pretty dense. Overall these tasted pretty good, since they were served hot and fresh.
The texture was somewhere between a Malasada and Andagi, the dense Okinawan "donut". These really weren't Malasadas in my book.
Even though I was expecting Malasadas, and these didn't fit the bill, they still tasted good when "hot". Though I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Ono's in the future, I'd probably drop by for a cup of coffee or some dessert if I'm in the neighborhood.
Notes: Service was friendly and efficient. There are a number of desserts, smoothies, and other drinks available.
Ono's
4154 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902
A malasada-andagi, now that's a new one! Pretty much any deep fried dough coated in sugar is delicious when "freshly" fried :) Oh man, one more week till I home. At first I was only craving for a malasada but after this post, gotta throw andagi in the mix!
Posted by: Kathy | Saturday, 06 May 2006 at 11:29 PM
Aww, I'm sorry, Kirk. Your posts on new "local" food spots are tragedies too often. I always hope that you will find what you are looking for with that first bite; I can't help but feel sad when it isn't what you were looking for. At least they were tasty in their own way.
Posted by: Joseph E | Sunday, 07 May 2006 at 12:01 AM
Ah...now you're in my neck of the woods...I've only been Ono's twice. It was recommended by a haole co-worker. Ono's serve their edamame hot with some sort of soy sauce glaze and sesame seeds. It was too salty for me; I still prefer mine plain or with a bit of sea salt.
I wish they served a beef dish there (unless they've changed the menu); everything is either fish or chicken.
Posted by: Reynila | Sunday, 07 May 2006 at 07:08 AM
Hi Kathy - I'm sure you'll get your fill of all the "good stuff" back home!
Hi JosephE - I really didn't set very high expectations, and the "donut-holes" were nice and hot. Really, the only thing wasted was gas....but these days!!!
Hi Reynila - That does sound like a strange way of serving edamame. They were so very busy that I really didn't look over the menu, I did enjoy the decor.
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 07 May 2006 at 11:00 AM
Hi Kirk,
What a bummer, especially when you had your hopes up. I haven't been to Leonard's in a while and they have this groovy new lighted sign up. I should visit just to snap a pic of it.
Posted by: Reid | Monday, 08 May 2006 at 03:02 AM
Hi Reid- Leonard's has a new sign? Wow, would love to see a pic.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 08 May 2006 at 02:56 PM
I went to Ono's. That place changed a lot since before. They doubled in size and the have a bigger menu! They have kalbi short ribs, sushi, beer and wine. I tried the coconut shrimp appetizer that was awsome! Must go there again and try it out!
Posted by: Richard | Monday, 09 July 2007 at 08:20 PM
Hi Richard - Thanks so much for the update! I'll make sure to stop by when next time I'm in the area.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 10 July 2007 at 08:22 AM
Since Ono's upgraded to a full restaurant (wine and beer only - but a great, and unique, selection ... "sushi wine!"), I have visited for lunch and dinner and immensely enjoyed myself. The food is excellent, fresh, served with panache, and unique. I don't know many places in San Diego County that serve excellent Hawaiian food, and certainly not in South Bay. This is a real find. The service has also been uniformly excellent. They even remember what kind of wine I like!
Posted by: Lauren | Sunday, 29 July 2007 at 09:24 AM
I've been going to Ono's since day one, and boy have they changed. They've expanded everything including their menu. I really enjoy their lunch specials. I usually have the Ahi Poke salad but if I'm really hungry, I'll order the Seaford dynamite. I especially enjoy the Iced milk teas with boba. I always end my meal with an order of malasada to go, but they never make it to my destination. I usually eat them all in the car. Shout out to Mr. Rodriguez for always entertaining me and my group whenever we're there.
Posted by: Kristin | Saturday, 01 November 2008 at 10:21 PM