Leilani's Cafe

I remember once being asked while having some sushi, "geez what do you do, drive around different neighborhoods looking for interesting places to eat?" I remember answering with an affirmative, "Yes, doesn't everybody?" And getting a strange look in return. I don't quite know how to describe the expression on that Gentleman's face, maybe pitiful amazement would suffice, but that look has remained imprinted upon my memory. And every so often when I do "take a drive", I chuckle to myself thinking about that look.

And those drives do pay off, as in the case of Leilani's Cafe. I was driving up the "quiet" part of Cass street in Pacific Beach, when the banner for Leilani's Cafe caught my eye.

Leilani's looks like another one of the almost endless number of coffee shops and cafes in the Pacific Beach area....I do think there's one on every corner. And I would have just driven past, except that I saw the Kikkoman Soy Sauce bottles sitting on the tables lining the outdoor patio tables, I can spot a Kikkoman bottle a hundred yards away...okay I'm exaggerating...make it fifty yards away. The significance of the shoyu bottle is important, telling me it's more than muffins, croissants, and sandwiches being served at Leilani's. When I got home, I did a quick search on the indispensable Southern California Plate Lunch Connection, and found a listing for Leilani's, which pretty much sealed the deal. I dropped by Leilani's on a quiet afternoon.

As I walked into the tiny cafe, I could hear the sounds of Bruddah Iz in the background. The interior of Leilani's is quite small, and the fireplace in the corner and later on, when I saw the shower stall in the restroom, it pretty much confirmed that this was a former residential studio or duplex. The walls are lined with photos of Leilani's Grandchildren, and other "local-kine" knick-knacks.

Initially, the menu seems a bit long and somewhat intimidating. The first thing that strikes you are what seems like every single type of Frappa-Zappa-Crappa-Nappa-Cuppu-cino known to mankind. It did seem as if Leilani's was just a Coffee Shop. But wait, a little to the right, and you'll start seeing familiar items.

And there among the Hot Oatmeal, and Cream Cheese Bagels, were the Loco Mocos, Spam and Eggs, and even a Spam Bagel! Most items ran in the $6 to $10 range.

Being absolutely famished, I went for the most expensive item on the menu, the Big Luau Plate ($12.50). After I placed my order, Leilani went to the tiny back kitchen, and started cooking everything up. The aroma of the food cooking triggered off some memories....it smelled like my Mom's cooking......

After a short wait(Leilani was doing all the cooking Herself), my plate arrived. Where to begin....let's start with the starch, there were two scoops of rice, with some Teri-Sauce on it(this is scary, it really is like Mom), A piece of Local-Style Teri Chicken, Kalua Pork and Cabbage, and a rather large piece of Fried Mahi Mahi. The Kalua Pork was moist, and had a nice smoky flavor, and wasn't too salty, overall it was quite good. The cabbage was a bit undercooked for my tastes, but this goes to show that it was made to order, not sitting around to to be microwaved. You can't really see it, but there was a pretty large portion of Kalua Pork and Cabbage. The fish was a simple seasoned and fried piece of Mahi Mahi. I'll readily admit that this isn't everyones cup of tea, it's a bit more fishy, and there were more than a few bones. But this is almost exactly the same way that my Mother used to fry up Aku, and other fish, no frills, simple, and the fish will stand on it's own. The fish was moist and flaky.

The piece of Teriyaki Chicken thigh was full of flavor, sweet yet not too sweet, very good! Beats that generic Hawaiian BBQ stuff any day of the week. The macaroni salad had a good amount of mayo, just enough salt, and the addition of celery was a nice flavor and texture bonus. This was a satisfying and filling(to the point of a nap) meal.

So, of course I had to make a return visit. There were two items that I was a bit interested in, Leilani's Spicy Hawaiian Fried Rice($5.75), and of course the Loco Moco($6.25). Lucky for me, I could get the best of both worlds, it's called a Hilo Style Loco Moco($8.75):

This Loco Moco featured a nicely browned hand formed hamburger patty. I'm pretty sure that the patty was almost all beef without filler, which meant a drier and tougher patty, but with a more pronounced beef flavor. The gravy was home-made, dark in color, with a mild beef flavor. The eggs were done a perfect over-medium.

The spicy fried rice was studded with pieces of Portuguese and Spicy Italian Sausage, which added great flavor. As did the shredded carrots. The rice was indeed fairly spicy.....I really enjoyed it.

The food at Leilani's has that "home cooked" signature, something that Mom or your favorite Aunty might make for you. The food may take a while longer, but it does carry that bit of TLC that is missing at those generic, corporate, all-business type restaurants.

I did manage to chat a bit with Leilani, but unfortunately didn't get much info on Her, other than She's from Hawaii...we were too busy talking about getting Local-Kine stuff in San Diego, and how she prepares Her food, and other "stuffs".

Hey even your Pooch can get a little bit of Aloha!

For some reason, I don't do very much exploratory driving anymore...maybe I need to get back into the groove.......you never know what you might find!

Leilani's is open 7 days a week, from 630 am to 2pm.

Leilani's Cafe
5109 Cass St
San Diego, CA 92109

Open Daily 630am-2pm

Comments

[nhbilly]

That looks so good! Thanks to you I had my first experience with loco moco at a L&L, overall patty was too dry. Medium rare is the only way to cook a good patty or let it cook and don't ever ever push down on the patty! Geesh to bad there isn't a mom and pap shop around OC...

-bill

[Ted]

Hey Kirk,

Great job finding one of these little local treasures that's all about eating at a place that adds to the individualism of a community. Thanks agiain!

[toisan]

thanks for the find! i cannot wait to get leilani's hilo style loco moco. two of my favorite eateries are on big island: (the original, i believe) sam choy's, and cafe 100. now that the beach area traffic won't be so congested, i'm going to head over to leilani's (p.b.) soon! isn't there a leilani's in encinitas, too?

[Ben]

Nice, really nice. I wish we have places like these in Vancouver.

[Didi]

Hi Kirk,

I'm glad you found this place.
Glad to know that it's still open. I've been by a few times and it was closed. Love the Spicy Fried Rice and the Teriyaki Chicken. And Leilani is very nice. She always talks to you.

[Didi]

BTW, Kirk, have you gone to Aloha Sushi & Hawaiian Grille in La Jolla, yet? I thought the Loco Moco is only OK, definitely below Da Kitchen's quality. The Katsu is not bad, though.

[Captain Jack]

Hey Kirk,
Glad you posted on Leilani's. I have been going there since they first opened a couple of years ago, when her husband was doing the cooking on a hot plate. They are good people.

[Jim]

Hey Kirk,

“coffee shops and cafes in the Pacific Beach area....I do think there's one on every corner”

Not far from the truth; however, tattoo parlors now out number the coffee shops…scary, huh?

Thanks for the post. I’ve never been there, but plan on going now.

[howie]

Good find! My friend has lived a few blocks away from here for years and never knew it existed...

[jasont]

Nice report. Did you notice an outdoor eatery just up the street called Rafaela's? I was always interested in trying it when I lived in PB.

[Andy 食神]

i do that random driving around too.. and most ppl think I'm nuts too.

[Kirk]

Hi Nhbilly - I think the problem as a whole is with the preformed mass production patty that L&L uses. After resolving myself to that, I just try to make the best of the gravy.

Hi Ted - There must be dozens of these neat little eating places.....

Hi Toisan - The Missus likes the Chili Loco from Cafe 100, we used to have friends in Hilo so have been there many times(Suisan, KTA, Ken's Blane's)... I think you're thinking of Kealani's?

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/07/kealanis.html

Hi Didi - Yes, Leilani is very nice! Haven't made it to Aloha Sushi & Hawaiian Grille, these places seem to be popping up everywhere.

Hi Ben - If there isn't a plate lunch or Hawaiian Food place in BC yet, I'm sure there will be one soon enough.

Hi Capt Jack - Funny, Leilani told me they've been open for 3 years, and I hadn't even heard of them.

Hi Jim - Yes, tattoos and body piercing....they seem to be everywhere.

Hi Howie - I was quite surprised to find this place myself.

Hi JasonT - Is that the little house on the corner with the Italian Restaurant sign and all those tables in the front yard? It does look interesting...wonder how the food is......

Hi Andy - We're not crazy.....I think....I hope...maybe just a bit odd?

[Vu]

Hey guys, I used to live next door to Rafaella's and two doors down from Leilani's. The beauty of Rafaella's is it's a BYO beer and wine (she doesn't sell alcohol), so you can get a nice meal with your own wine for a bargain price! I'll leave the food comments for someone else...

[lance]

That's so funny about the shoyu bottle on the tables. And you can really see them in your photo. I guess we in Hawaii take it for granted. Good one Kirk!!!

[Pam]

mmm, that Hilo Style loco moco looks good!

i know what you mean about waiting a little longer to get your food at mom & pop type places; i love knowing that so much extra care is going into the meal you're about to have =)

[Kirk]

Hi Vu - Thanks for the info.

Hi Lance - You know, it's those little things that you kind of pick up on....you don't realize it, until you stop and think.

Hi Pam - You're right on target as usual!

[dave]

i used to live right around the corner from leilani's. for some reason all i ever had there was breakfast... as for rafaella's, vu said it best. it's byob. it's one of those places that by the end of the meal you realize with a little effort you could have made a much better meal.

[Kirk]

Hi Dave - I can understand, seeing that Leilani's is only open till 2 pm.

[Didi]

Hi Kirk,
one other place that I like to go to is Big Kahuna off of Ingraham and PB Drive. The portion is good and the pull pork with cabbage is very good. They have this sampler plate that's not bad to try.

[Kirk]

Hi Didi - Big Kahuna's is coming up!