Pee Wee Drive-In

If you’re looking for a place with some pretty home style burgers, then Pee Wee Drive-​In is the place to go. It’s another one of those «hole-​in-​the-​wall» type of eateries, and the BBQ Cheeseburgers are just delicious!

This place was alright nothing to write home about though. My 3 friends and I all ate there for under $ 15. It’s def cheap.

I always think of the movie, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, when I see the name of this drive-​in each time I passed by this place (just a random thought to throw out to you all).
But, I was around the area when I became hungry especially because I realized that I didn’t eat breakfast.
Although Jack in the Box was right around the corner, I wanted something local.
You can’t get any more local than looking for one of those back in the day drive-​inns.
I Unilocaled the nearby local eats and Pee Wee Drive-​in was listed. I’ve never been there, so I decided to give it a try.
As I read the Unilocal reviews, my eyes zeroed in on everyone sharing about the BBQ burgers and I placed an order for BBQ Cheeseburgers .
Drove to the nearest ATM since it is cash-​only.
Picked up my food and ate my french fries and cheeseburger while I was driving to pick up my son.
One word for Pee Wee Drive-​in: Satisfied

This is a nostalgic one for me. My mom used to work just a block away, so we’d swing by before visiting the office. Or after. Or NOT visiting the office at all (sorry mom!) but made the drive anyway cause those BBQ burgers were so damn good.
And…GREEN RIVER. AHHHH. I swear I can’t find this stuff ANYWHERE anymore! For those poor souls who have no idea what I’m talking about, a green river is a lemon-​lime (possibly crack-​laced) drink. It’s not diluted like gatorade though; it’s sweet, potent and seriously addicting.
Haven’t been there in years though… I wonder if it’s still as good as I’ve hyped it up to be, haha! I gave the place only 3 stars cause I’m prepared to bet the nostalgia factor is a big part of the deliciousness. And judging from the foods I thought were amazing as a kid (chicken nuggets, airheads, dried saimin)…well, draw your own conclusions.

Whenever we are in the area and hungry we stop by and pick up some of their BBQ cheese burgers. They are the absolute best!
Service isn’t bad either. If we call ahead our order is usually ready by the time we get there and it’s never been wrong. They also sell their bottled BBQ sauce.
The only down side is the parking situation. I think there are like 5 or 6 tight parking stalls and this place can get busy and packed especially around lunch time. It’s also not the easiest to place to maneuver my suv around in, being that it’s such a small area. But that’s not a big issue because their food is AWESOME!

Teriburgers, oh delicious delicious teriburgers… less than $ 3 teriburgers… you are so delicious and make me so happy. This place is a standard lunch plate spot with not too much seating, but with really great prices and a bang for your buck. It’s cash only so come prepared, and come prepared for that damn good teriburger.

Well for one I used to frequent this place when I used to be in Intermediate school across the street those days I used to get a BBQ burger, fries and a Green River Sprite mix that was the thing! Now days different owner supposedly same recipe but just not the same taste not as good no Green River plate lunches nothing special, the BBQ burgers seem not as tasty *sigh* well there goes another of my Childhood haunts. I miss backstore that was behind Washington Inter. for their burgers too.

Took the girlfriend here for brunch one day and we missed breakfast by 15 minutes. Breakfast ends at 10 am. So, we opted to try a few things off of their Monday specials menu, which included sweet and sour spare ribs and adobo chicken. Unfortunately, these two menu items don’t hold a candle to the mochiko chicken that I had a few days before. Both the spare ribs and adobo were quite difficult to put our plastic forks into. Most of the time the sweet and sour spare ribs just slide off of the bone and are easily shred. The meat on this one was hard to chew and even harder to get off of the bone. I wasn’t able to finish it and was thankful that it came with tons of rice and mac salad to fill the grumbly spot in my stomach. My girlfriend’s adobo had a similar consistency and had a hint of adobo flavor, but didn’t really capture the overall taste of what adobo is. Because of this I had to subtract a star, but I will definitely go back for the mochiko chicken. That one is a keeper in my book. I still have to try these bbq burgers.
This time we ate at the benches which was nice, since it was a very pleasant day.

As a whole Pee Wee Drive-​in is your standard Hawaii plate lunch spot. There is however one standout that I love. The chicken adobo kicks ass (which they serve on Tues & Thurs). 2 scoops rice, 1 scoop corn and the tenderest chicken, perfectly seasoned (with skin on I must add) that just falls off the bone (and melts in your mouth) when you eat it. They also serve a nice breakfast plate (fried rice, eggs & choice of meat) and a good teri beef sandwich (get the crinkle cut fries with that).
Bottom line 4 stars for the chicken adobo!

Living right up the road from here, I have tried quite a number of the plate lunches at Pee Wee’s.
From the top of my head, I remember trying the pork adobo, mochiko chicken, fried chicken, and shoyu chicken. The adobo is kind of different than your regular Filipino style adobo. Being part Filipino myself, I am quite particular on my adobo. The one at pee wee’s wasn’t as saucy and I think they put more vinegar than shoyu so it was too tang for me.
The mochiko chicken is pretty good. Not the best I’ve had, but I like it way more than Shokudo’s mochiko chicken. The fried chicken was good. Not in the style of KFC, but good nonetheless. Ahhh and the shoyu chicken, I like it.
If you order, order the specials! They’re made fresh, but certain items go out quick so go fast! I knocked one star out because they don’t sell the green river drink anymore, I really miss it.

I only come here when I want Shoyu Chicken. Other than that this place is alright. Miss the Green Rivers, but those days are long gone.

This little local drive-​inn is aptly named. It’s got only two picnic benches and a tiny parking lot, but a whole lot of history. The place opened in 1966 and quickly earned a reputation for having really good fried mahi-​mahi sandwiches and BBQ burgers. It’s changed hands, but the new owners still make old-​style burgers, thick fries and a long list of daily local specials. Old-​timers might be sorry to hear they recently crossed green river soda off the drink list. But the prices are still old-​fashioned. It’s still only $ 1.75 for a burger. Or how about a bento with fried chicken, hash, luncheon meat, hot dog, egg and rice for $ 5.75?

Located at 1602 South King Street, Pee Wee Drive Inn has been serving locals since Nobuo Watanabe opened up the eatery in 1966. Although Watanabe has since passed away and there has been management changes (Watanabe sold the business in 1996), Pee Wee continues to serve the local style food that it has become known for.
Having never eaten at Pee Wee’s before, I decided to forgo the regular food flare freely available at other plate lunch hot spots. I indulged in a mini chicken adobo plate (US $ 5.50). I have had my share of chicken and pork adobo having grown up in a Filipino household, so I know how good adobo tastes. For the untrained, adobo is a filipino dish, of either pork or chicken, that «is slowly cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and black peppercorns, and often browned in the oven or pan-​fried afterwards to get the desirable crisped edges.»
My chicken adobo plate was ready in less than five minutes, very fast indeed. It came with a scoop of rice and a side of corn (you get to choose a side of either corn, mac salad, or greens). I have to admit though, that the chicken adobo plate was a bit lackluster. Each bite I took made me long for my grandma’s authentic adobo dishes. The chicken adobo at Pee Wee’s tasted more like shoyu chicken with a small splash of vinegar. It was not «adobo» enough for my liking!
Next time maybe I will try the chicken katsu plate and see how it compares to L&L’s herelded katsu plate. I know for sure that I won’t be ordering the adobo plate again! All in all, the plate that I had was sub par, but the service was quick and efficient. The parking can be a mess if you go during rush hour lunch times, so I suggest you go during off hours if you just want to test the place out. The ambience is great, there are a few tables and chairs outside. It’s a rustic experience that’ll make you’ll feel as if you’re back in 1966.

I would like to start off by saying that I really wanted to like this place. It’s a Mom & Pop drive-​in that has been around for ages (the days when Checker’s Auto Parts used to be Cinerama Theatre). I mean, anything off the grill alone should be terrific with all that built-​up flavor, right? This is the type of place I want to support — an original tasting haven from the ubiquitous L&L-type plate lunch places (no offense). Plus, I’m a pro-​David, anti-​Giant kind of gal and every time I pass by, there is always a line. All in all, I was highly optimistic and ready to love this place…
Food: Not that good! I kept thinking, «I must be ordering the wrong thing,» so I went three times. I had the chicken katsu (overcooked, dry), the bbq chicken (overcooked, dry and charred, but not in the good way) and the teri beef (overcooked, dry, but flavorful). Anyone else seeing the common denominator here? The french fries were thickly cut and okay, but nothing special. I’m thinking the teri sauce is possibly what has people coming back? Maybe the bentos (which I didn’t try)? I am seriously at a loss.
Service: The lady that staffs the counter is nice enough, though not the effervescent sort, but very nice. She patiently waited while I was trying to decide what to order my first visit.
Ambiance: There are a few wooden benches there so you can dine al fresco, but most people get their food to go. The three times I ordered food there, there were at least 3 or 4 other people ordering, too. I thought about asking some of them what they liked so much about Pee Wee (on my third trip there), but I was too chicken. Ba-​gak!
Overall: I still want to like it. There is this spicy chicken dish that sounds good, so maybe I’ll give it one more try. Their hours are kind of limited if you like to sleep in: Monday-​Friday 5:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 6:30 — 3:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

This is one of those «local» hangouts that are fast disappearing. You can get a real cheeseburger with thick fries. There is also the standard «plate lunch» to be had. There are only two picnic benches, so take your lunch home or to the nearby «old stadium park» down on King Street past McCully. Also, if you do «score» a table, don’t hog it for long, and definitely don’t smirk arrogantly at anybody standing around waiting for a table. Some of the people hanging around here might give you «cracks» (punches) or «false cracks» (sucker punches) for that kind of behavior. Don’t laugh in disbelief; I witnessed this once. So, just be nice. They are open every day, except Sunday.