Located a block away from Kailua Zippy's is Cinnamon's a well known breakfast eatery. The very casual restaurant features dining inside and outside. The inside of the restaurant provides a very cozy and homey ambiance.
Probably not the best picture to showcase their inside dining area but I don't think people like to be photographed. As you can see they have an nice indoor gazebo with a few tables inside.
I went with my friend and his dad and we ordered quite a feast. About 5 different items that we shared and we were full. To start I ordered a bowl of their Portuguese Bean Soup. Supposedly it's award winning.
Thick pieces of Ham Hock and Portuguese Sausage with a tangy, salty Tomato Broth. Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It came out lukewarm which made me incredible sad. For me it was also a little more tang then i'm used too. Compared to Zippy's Portuguese Bean Soup (Which is one of the best IMO), this doesn't shine.
As a group we decided to share all of our food. We ordered; Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict, Loco Moco with Sauteed Onion and Mushroom Gravy, Hawaiian Omelet and Red Velvet Pancakes. The food came out shortly after my soup and it was quite a feast.
Hollandaise is a sauce that is basically Egg Yolks and Clarified Butter however, a lot of restaurants that serve this can't get it right. Cinnamon's does this amazing! The Sauce is Creamy, Buttery, Velvety and has a great tang that makes it incredible. As for the Crab Cake, it's made with Lump Crab Meat so you can break into it and get nice pieces of Crab. It's very delicate and well seasoned. The ONLY flaw that there was to this plate was that the poached egg was overcooked. The yolk was cooked through and couldn't provide that "Yolky Goodness" that you just want to slobber up.
Picture yourself at a Luau; watching hula, drinking Mai Tai's and eating a plethora of Hawaiian Food. If you take the dancing and drinking away, that's basically what you get in this omelet. Kalua Pig, LauLau (Even the Butterfish) and Lomi Lomi Salmon are basically what you get in this omelet. It's three Eggs and served "Local Style" meaning they mix it with the eggs rather then folding in between.
I really enjoyed this omelet. Although my friend felt it was a bit bland which it was, I thought it still had that "Hawaiian Taste" and a lot of it!
Every component in a Loco Moco determines how good it is. From the Patty all the way to the Gravy, everything matters. This Loco Moco would've scored great in my books but the problem was the Rice. The Rice was a bit hard and either a bit overcooked or to little water used. Everything else however was delicious. The Gravy mixed with the Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms was flavorful while it was smothered on top of the juicy Hamburger Patty.
Whoohooo this was the reason why I wanted to come to Cinnamon's. These are really good Pancakes but at the same time they are a workout. These are thick and heavy and oh so delicious. Red, Chocolate Hinted Pancakes with Syrup that tasted like the Frosting on a Red Velvet Cake! What more could you ask for. One of my favorite cakes turned into a breakfast item makes me turn into a little kid. However, I warn you, don't eat this alone. It's called a panCAKE for a reason. It's more cake then anything and it honestly felt like i was eating a whole cake the whole time (not that's a bad thing).
I live in Ward and that journey to Kailua was well worth the trip (and gas) to eat a breakfast. Definitely going to come back here and try their other specialties such as; Guava Chiffon Pancakes, Kalua Pork Eggs Benedict and some of their lunch items. I want to wish the crew at Cinnamon's congratulations on their 25th Anniversary!!!
Cinnamon's
315 Uluniu Street
(808)-261-8724
Open Daily: 7am - 2pm
Taste: 4.25
Appearance: 4.25
Location: 3.5
Value: 4
Overall: 4
*Based on a 5 point scoring system with 1 being Not So Good and 5 being Great*]
-Chef B
