Tommy’s Coffee Shop

Our go to place for lunch when we forget home lunch. The food is great! And it’s cheap. The portions are big. The grilled ahi and garlic chicken is our favorite. Call in your order first.

3.5 stars. Ginormous portion of food for just $ 6.50 for a regular plate w/​2 scoop rice Mac/​tossed salad and some Korean veggies ($ 5.50 for mini). Tucked away in the basement of the medical arts building, this little gem is just a take out window in a hallway that serves up a large and tasty plate lunch menu. Take your food and enjoy it at Thomas Square or the Honolulu Art Museum across the street

accross of blaisedell concert hall in the basement of the medical building is more of a local plate lunch hole in the wall takeout place than a coffee shop (the way i imagined a coffee shop to be) that i heard rave reviews about. so i wen checkem out a while back. the eggs over easy was neither burnt nor undercooked. twas sorta like a flexy watery texture which was perfect. if i were to make a reccommendation, some menu items was neither hit or miss but waaaay off. like off da charts! for example AVOID THE LUNCHEON MEAT IS NOT SPAM btw. the omellette looked to be a very generous portion. i cannot make 2 eggs look that much. and ingrediants you can choose and they cook it right there like the omellette chefs at the buffets. on a different occassion i had the loco moco and it was smotherred in gravy like soup dripping on the side of the plate. *sluuuuurp. the hamburger patty was cooked well done, which to me in a loco moco shouldn’t be cooked any other way. believe that the medical praticioners are eating good in the neighborhood. the ajima knows how fo cook’em!

Literally a hole in the wall run (most of the time) by one older grandma — ish Asian lady. Slow and not the most energetic or enthusiastic but good cheap food. I wouldn’t expect anything else from my own grandma so this doesn’t bother me at all. Sometimes hit or miss but mostly hit and you can’t beat the prices. The oxtail soup on Fridays is the best deal in town.

Disappointed. I would actually like to give a NO STAR rating.
Wanted breakfast but couldn’t get service from the
older worker that was working today. She answered the phone and literally ignored me. I had to do the «excuse me, can I order? «but she yelled out from behind the barrier «just a minute». When she did reappear from behind the barrier. I tried to order a spam musubi but she stated not ready and retreated behind the barrier before I could actually ask what was available. Shouted out if I could order breakfast but she never came back. It was already 8am and she was not willing to take my order. I was the only one there.
I have ordered here for over 10 years but she is less enthusiastic each time. As she never returned I ultimately walked out.
Considering his place relies on walk in customers you’d think they would be a lot friendlier and willing to take my order.
After all, it is take out.
I will think seriously about ordering there again. Poor service…

Not good. Turkey sandwich had bones in it. It was not enjoyable. Never will I eat here again.

This little food spot in the basement of the Medical Arts Building is great! $ 5.50 for a mini or $ 6.50 for a regular plate lunch on their daily special menu. You can’t beat this price when you work in the neighborhood of Thomas Square and there is literally no eateries around here!
Things I’ve had here are the Bibim Kooksoo, beef curry, spare ribs… One day I will have the famous oxtail soup here.
The only caution I would put out there is if you order outside of the Daily Special Menu, there may be a 20 minute wait. However, you can always call in your order before you walk over here. That will save you some waiting time as well. :)

Call your order in or else you’ll be waiting. The lady is really nice. Not many people know about this place.

If you are within walking distance of the Medical Arts Building and craving breakfast (2 eggs, 2 scoops of rice, and choice of meat), or BLT, you need to go to Tommy’s Coffee Shop. The Ajimas make the food to order, so call ahead or you might be waiting for a long time, and make sure to bring cash.
Tommy’s also has a pretty big menu of local favorites including a Hawaiian plate (Fridays), BBQ Chicken, Pork Adobo, and Kimchee Fried Rice, but I go for the Breakfast Plate which is a deal at $ 4.97 – get either the bacon, Spam or Portuguese sausage. I have put in big orders in advance to pick up for morning meetings and it’s always a hit.
Look for the takeout window at the bottom of the stairs, they are located in the basement of the building. This is a hole in the wall worth finding for cheap eats!

LUNCH TIME!!! Tried this place with the recommendation from the Unilocalers! It is definitely a hole in a wall but the food is to die for!
Directions: Its located inside the Medical Art Building which is infront of NBC across Thomas Square. Once youre in the Medical Arts Building you’ll see Invision (imaging Center??) Infront of the entrance and then turn immediately to your left, follow the stairs going down then turn to your left again till you see a magical window or hear a Korean radio station ;) ;)
Better if you call in before going there, saves time coz they dont make it till you order.
No seating only 2 chairs for waiting. The food is extra good knowing its cheap. :)
Will definetely go back here tomorrow for the sweet and sour ribs yuuuumm cant wait! :)

THE MAGICAL WINDOW!
You want another detailed 5-​paragraphs review from me?
Pffft. Pay me. Haha. It’s all in fun, really.
You want info on this hole-​in-​the-​window?
Please. Really? It’s a window, yo!
Nothing more to add from what my friends already said about this hole-​in-​the-​window!
I mean it’s not a café, definitely not a restaurant, not even a food truck, but instead you order at a window. Wait for food to magically appear. Pay CASH. Grab food to-​go, since that’s the only option. Got that?
This magical window is called…
TOMMY’S COFFEE SHOP!
And interesting enough, it’s not even a Coffee Shop! I emphasize it’s a WINDOW and nothing more!
What Tommy’s lack in ambiance, décor, and all those other good stuff… It makes up for it with…
–CHEAP WINDOW GRUB:
Breakfast at under $ 5! Mini-​plates starting at under $ 6! Regular-​plates in the $ 7 — $ 8 range! Yup, now you can get that dessert afterwards!
–YUMMY WINDOW GRUB:
It’s not only cheap, but delicious too! You heard that right! I’ve only been here twice, each time ordering the specials. PORK ADOBO and the SWEET & SOUR SPARE RIBS. Each time I was impressed with my meal! Flavor was spot-​on! Mini-​plate was enough for me, but if hungry or TITA go with the regular!
–BYOB TO THE WINDOW:
I mean since it’s to-​go anyway… don’t forget to bring a drink! If not, Tommy’s has cheap soda, iced teas & juice! Funny, but Tommy’s «Coffee» Shop has very little coffee options, or you can pickup some killer Italian soda or coffee from my «Tia Carrera» look-​a-​like at Coral Café, just upstairs!
So, yes I definitely recommend this hole-​in-​the-​window, located in the basement of a medical building, called…
TOMMY’S COFFEE SHOP!
It’s simple, yet efficient, and most of all pumps out some pretty yummy foods! So, why not 5-​stars? Well, I’m not being nit-​picky, but the coffee options are pretty slim-​jims! See, I have a thing about names and titles! If you really want coffee go see my friend at Coral Café! You’re here at the WINDOW for the cheap and tasty foods!
OVERALL GRADE: 4.0-STARS!
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #340

An absolute gem; this place is pretty well hidden, but is an absolute hit with everyone who finds it. Low prices for great portions, and great taste!
It’s only take out orders, but that’s no surprise, considering their location.
It can get busy during the morning and lunch rush hours, but that’s easily solved by making a phone order.
There’s usually only two ladies working the orders, so try to be patient; I promise it’ll be worth the wait.

Pretty good food for a hole in the wall! Almost literally! The place looks like a little storage closet, with a walk up door, located in the basement of the Medical Arts Building.
Was starving after all my procedures and didn’t feel like driving around, so I tried out this place. I tried the sweet and sour spare ribs and a burger, which cost me only about 7 bucks total! The food was tasty and homemade and filled me up so my stomach wasn’t grumbling when I went back to the Doctors office.
You know, it’s usually these little places that you always want to return to, yah?! I wished I ate there more often, since I was in the building so often. I think this would be a great place for take out the next time I’m in Honolulu! Plus, the location is so off the charts that they aren’t super-​packed. Only bad thing is there are only a couple of tables/​benches to eat your food upstairs, but you can always pitch a tent and eat across the street at Thomas Square!

Cheap and delicious hole in the wall place in town! Did I mention that it’s CHEAP???
Two of my coworkers and I got lunch for under $ 20… Total! My boss got the Kim chee fried rice, my friend get the hamburger steak and I got the «mini» pork adobo. The portions are huge, that’s why I chose the mini.
When you enter the building go down the stairs on your left and then you will see their tiny kitchen on your left at the bottom of the stairs. I called in my order ahead of time and the food was ready right when I got there! Talk about perfect timing! Lucky for me it wasn’t busy, however I did see her preparing other take-​out orders.
The pork adobo meat and hamburger steak meat was so nice and tender. I didn’t get to try my boss’ kim chee fried rice but it must’ve taste good cause she ate the whole thing and was quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Talk about kannack attack! hahaha
I heard their oxtail soup is pretty good but they only serve it on Fridays. According to the lady, it’s best to call in and make sure they still have before you go there to pick it up. :)

Friendly service, wide menu selection, and good prices for the amount of food you get. You’ll just have to deal with the food coma afterward. I don’t necessarily like all their dishes but they have something for everyone and their breakfast is much better than nearby fast food options.
No parking so you’ll have to look for street parking or walk. The building it is in is across of Thomas Square and Blaisdell’s main parking entrance, just head one floor down.

Wow 6 breakfast plates for $ 22! This is a hidden gem. Tucked away in the parking garage of an office building on the corner of King and Victoria. This is a walk up type place, no place to eat and just 2 chairs to wait in for your order. This isn’t really a problem cause this lady cooks fast, and waiting is minimal.
I have posted a picture of the menu. I encourage you to check it out. They take phone orders if you don’t want to wait the 6 minutes for your plate lunch. This place is so close to Thomas Square you can easily pick up lunch and eat in the park, just steer clear of the «occupiers» on the Beretania end.

This is a hidden gem in the basement of the medical building on Young st. (across from Thomas square). They have limited hours, but when I can get there the food is well worth it. Everything is fresh and homemade. Their hamburger patties are moist, tasty and homemade. The fried mandoo is delicately made (not too much dough) and the filling consists of hamburger and veggies. They have everything from Korean food, to Japanese food (including gyoza and ramen) and your classic American and local favorites, including breakfast served until 2p.m. Their pancakes are light and fluffy.
Their prices are incredibly reasonable and their portions are plentiful.
Tommy’s is owned and run by a Korean mother and daughter team who are pleasant and efficient.
When you get a chance, venture down there and enjoy some great affordable eats!

Ten noteworthy things I believe.
1. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
You need energy to start your day. Tommy’s Coffee Shop opens at 6:00 A.M. and closes at 2:00 P.M. For $ 7.75, you can order a mini kalbi for breakfast at 6:00 A.M. It will give you a lot of delicious energy.
2. Not all Korean women are rude, loud and self centered.
You’ve heard it before. Korean women are rude, loud and self centered. That is not a truism. Not all Korean women are like the notorious ones you hear about in Koreamoku or Korealihi. There are many nice and sweet Korean ladies.
Tommy’s Coffee Shop for instance has two nice and sweet Korean ladies. They are a mother and daughter team. The daughter is friendly and cheerful. The mother just does her thing.
Believe nothing of what you hear. Approach things with an open heart and mind and you will find that you love Korean women.
3. High price doesn’t mean wonderful experience.
I used to dine at some very expensive restaurants in Honolulu: The Top of the I, Hy’s, Michel’s, La Mer. All this to impress a woman. Look what it got me. divorced!!!
A man should look for a woman that understands value. He should find a woman that loves a good oxtail soup. The oxtail soup at Tommy’s Coffee Shop is $ 7.99 (Friday’s only). It is not fall off the bone oxtail but never the less pretty damn good. A great value for such a wonderful experience.
4. Opening up your wallet for a lunch date at Morimoto’s, doesn’t guarantee there will be love and affection at night.
Think about it! You work hard for your money! You can spent over a hundred dollars for lunch at Morimoto’s. Your date complained about the service at Morimoto’s. In fact, she complained about everything and she didn’t even thank you for lunch. She was in no mood for a kiss.
Be smart. Live within your means. If you have a date, get two laulau plate (Friday’s only) lunches from Tommy’s Coffee Shop. Make it a mix for $ 7.50. Call in your order. Pick it up and head on down to Kakaako Waterfront Park. The weather is marvelous! The ocean and sky so blue! As you looked into her eyes, you will see the glee on her face and you just know… love and affection tonight.
Hold hands as you walk back to your car. Hug her! She will kiss you on the cheek and whispers …“I love you!” In your mind you will be thinking .Ha! All this for less than $ 20.00 at Tommy’s .YeeESS!!!
5. Never judge a book by its cover.
Tommy’s looks like it needs a facelift. It has a 1960’s lunch house feel. But before you get too critical; think of how much the plate lunches would cost if it looked like Morimoto’s. $ 50.00/plate for lunch!
The food is good and pretty cheap at Tommy’s. For that Morimoto feel, I recommend ordering takeout and eating in your luxurious office or home?
6. If you find a restaurant with no tables; that means you should order takeout.
Tommy’s Coffee Shop doesn’t have any tables. They got chairs but no tables. It is kind of like a lunch wagon with no wheels.
I think of this place as Tommy’s Lunch Wagon. It is definitely not my idea of a coffee shop.
7. Never judge a woman by the size of her breast.
Remember: The most important thing about a woman is .can she cook? The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The ajjuma here got me with her sweet sour ribs! It was love at first bite!
This is what I have learned through my experiences: Women that can cook have small breast. Women with size B cups are fabulous cooks; but you go do your own research on this one.
8. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun does not mean it taste good.
The burger at Tommy’s Coffee Shop is $ 2.75. Patty taste like ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ hamburger. Not greasy and taste lean. Patties here are at least the weight of a quarter pounder at McDonald’s. A pretty good burger for the price.
9. Avoid waiting in lines when you can. Use your phone and call ahead!
597‑8018! That’s 597‑8018! I say again 597‑8018. What’s the number again? 597‑8018!
10. Just because a man has a small pecker doesn’t mean he is not good in bed. Size does not matter! Size does not equal pleasure.
Do not judge by size. A small restaurant that is a hole in the wall in a hallway, just may serve great food that you like at very affordable prices. Tommy’s Coffee Shop is small in size… but man does it deliver on the pleasure.
P. S. For your information: Number 10 is an observation and not a confession.
P. P. S. Regarding No.7. To my gf: If I say «Honey you really have small breast!» .don’t get mad because it’s my way of saying, you’re a fabulous cook!

I was excited to hear we have a new (to us) lunch place that’s close to work when my co-​worker announced Tommy’s Coffee Shop to the office. He had taken a picture of their menu and emailed it to everyone. Their daily lunch specials ($ 6.50 + tax) are a good deal and had my mouth watering when I saw today’s offering had pork adobo; I’ve been craving adobo for quite a while now.
We took a stroll across the park and walked into a totally unassuming building and down the stairs into the basement. There, we found Tommy’s Coffee Shop, literally a lunch window that serves up plate lunches to-​go (there is no seating or area for you to eat).
We had called the order in and only had to wait for the people ahead of us to pay for their lunches before claiming ours. I got the pork adobo with brown rice and tossed salad. In hindsight, I should have gone for the mac salad because they have Sriracha (my favorite mac salad topping) as one of their condiments… next time.
I couldn’t hardly wait to get back to the office so I could devour my meal. Upon first glance, I was excited to see the loads of garlic they used. I was a little disappointed the adobo wasn’t saucy though. I love tons of sauce and the flavor to be sour with vinegar. Instead, the adobo was a bit dry for my liking. BUT it was still ono and I killed the whole thing quickly. Along with the salad, they gave some Korean cabbage salad which was pretty good.
All in all, I give it 4 stars… very good, but not perfect. I’ll definitely go back to try out the rest of the lunch menu.

Whew! I got the Tommy’s Special and I swear it should be called the Tommy’s gut buster I just couldn’t finish it and I was hungry! Sorry my picture doesn’t even give the amount of the food justice as it was buried under the Kalbi, what was included was like many places specials Kalbi, BBQ Chicken, Teri Beef, not one but two pieces of Fried Mandoo Mac Salad and loads of rice and 4 different vegetable sides buried under the mounds of food.
It’s a small shop buried in the basement of the building if you didn’t see the sign in the parking lot you would never know it was there (I never saw the sign until the day I went there).
Nice friendly people although no place to eat but there is Thomas Square across the street or the Academy of Arts Annex also across the street to go and eat (that’s where I opted for).
What surprised me was I have been coming to this building and near it for ages and never knew that it was down there in the basement of the building the prices are reasonable and the food is good. Now I have to try the Cheeseburger that Dawn L. raved about, I’ll be back!