Zippy’s Kapahulu

First-​time trying this place out and I was blown away at how good the food is. The boyfriend ordered fried chicken, potato macaroni salad and chili with rice. This by far was probably one of my favorite food dishes I’ve ever had in Hawaii. So flavorful and tasty, the food is mind blowing. Wish we had this in California!

25 min. Wait for chili and rice. Don’t go here. No one seems to want to work. Then my orders ready and sitting on the counter for another 10 min. Never coming here again.

Zippy’s is like the Hawaiian version of a fast food restaurant.
The restaurant is simple.
They have their own parking lot.
The tables are all simple as well,
a lot resembles like tables you would find at other fast food chains.
They have things like fried chicken, spaghetti, chili, bbq meat, chicken katsu, loco moco, hamburgers, spam, etc etc.
They also have a bakery where you can buy cakes, baked goods, donuts, and cookies.
Most plates are around $ 10.
Fried Chicken Chili Plate
The fried chicken was okay. A little bit on the drier side than what I’m used to.
BBQ Mixed Plate
This was a nice combination. Came with fried fish, chicken katsu, and teri beef. It was pretty good. Not a fan of the chili though because it tastes like sloppy joe sauce with beans in it to me.
Overall, just a quick and easy place to go to if you want some Hawaiian food

The location is kinda ghetto, but shoot the food is still bomb! I always get the zip pack, chili, or some breakfast items too! The two times I have been here to this location I got the zip pack and then the next time I got a corned beef hash deluxe size. Both times I got a side of chantilly puff and cake.
There’s a lot of homeless people at this location.

First lesson in drunchies (drunken munchies) 101 is to come to Zippys if you’re in Hawaii after a night of drinking…
My group and I met up with our friends from the North Shore some who are locals and some who are visiting just like us. The locals recommended Zippys as we were leaving Sky Lounge in Waikiki.
Zippys is pretty much your typical fast food joint with everything from fried noodles to Katsu and burgers. It reminded me of more in depth version of Hawaiian drive in with menu items such as oxtail soup (which was $ 17 btw?!) and zip pacs which is a combo plate. They also serve breakfast.
I opted for the fried noodles since I’m a pretty big noodle person. The noodles were actually pretty good with some hot sauce. They add fish cake and spam which I loved and overall it hit the spot.
Reason for the 3 stars, it’s probably not somewhere I’d come back to unless I was out late at night looking for a snack. I actually would give 3.5 stars since prices aren’t too bad but I tend to steer away from fast food for the most part. The mini fried noodles were about $ 5.65 ish plus tax.

Can’t go wrong with Zippy’s! It’s a place that has fast, good food. It’s a place I tell my friends they have to go to at least once while in Hawaii.
I’ve gotten the Chicken Katsu, Chili, and Saimen. Their katsu was so good; there wasn’t too much breading like a lot of places over do. Perfectly crisp! It came with mac salad and they had brown rice!
Their saimen is good and cheap; not the most filling, but it’ll do. It’s pretty hard to mess up Saimen, so with that being said it was good. Plain and simple!
The chili is always good; they’re known for it. You can find it in the freezer section: Zippy’s Chili ;) This is my cousins favorite. Can’t go wrong here; haven’t had something I didn’t like.

It’s an average plate lunch. I like that they offer a mini plate. Their Korean chicken was good. Their chili and rice is also pretty good. This time I tried their jello cheese square dessert — it was alright, but actually my mom makes it better. No refills on sodas.
This location is an order at the counter and find a seat.

After hearing so many good things about Zippys it was finally my turn to see what all the hype was about.
The Korean fried chicken was off the hook, chicken katsu was on point, and the chili cheese fries were soooo bomb with the famous chili I had heard so much about.
Needless to say I’ve been back a few times since and continue to try all the other delicious items on the menu.

Ordered saimin, loco moco and Portuguese chili bowl. Oh wow, miss eating these local food.

It’s fast and it’s ok. A typical fast food restaurant featuring Hawaiian favorites. Not my top choice for dining but you can’t beat the value.

Zippys is not a place I say to myself «Ooh I feel like eating at Zippys»
It’s convenient for 2 reasons. It’s open 24 hours and it’s 5 minutes walking distance from my house. Because we have monthly potlucks at work and I start at 4 in the morning, this is where I grudgingly come.
A couple months ago I called the night before for a barrel of chicken to be picked up at 3:15 am. When I went in the next morning, they didn’t know anything about the order. 17 minutes later, chicken is ready and I’m out the door.
It happened again a month later, this time with the chili. I would have taken it frozen if we had a big enough microwave at work.
Last Monday I went in at 6 pm just for a container of gravy for homemade hamburger steak. It was busy with the dinner rush but they had only one cashier and one counter help. After waiting for 15 minutes I went up and asked why it was taking so long– didn’t they have the gravy ready made? The frazzled guy said sorry someone has to heat it up. Another 7 minutes go by before they call my number up.
This morning I went in for my phone order and it was surprisingly busy. About 5 people in line. Each person that ordered took so long! When I got to being second in line I saw what was going on. Not to be mean but the cashier had such a heavy accent that they didn’t understand what she was saying.
The poor guy in front of me just wanted a cornbread from the bakery and she was asking if he wanted it grilled or regular. He said no I want cornbread 3 times and finally gave up and just nodded his head.
I think for me it would be —
Last Stop, Zippys

I am NOT a Zippy’s fan, but that is not meaning I am against it either. I don’t exactly like food but appreciate the selection. Additionally, they do fund raisers for schools and do it willingly. Their coffee is fine and their pastries are plenty. The staff is always nice. This is a Hawaiian establishment and maybe if i grew up here, it would feel like our Denny’s. The place is Always clean and the servers are always nice. My friends can’t get enough of their chili, bean soup and their chicken. Since I am not a fan of fried foods or chili, it is lost on me, but this business is top notch. Anyone staying over 2 weeks should come here and try everything.

We first tried Zippy’s when we visited Oahu in 2013 and we liked their Fried Chicken and Loco Moco.
After a long day at Lanikai beach and heading back to our hotel in Waikiki, we were looking for a place we can get something to eat. We came across this location and decided to order food to go to bring back to the hotel.
The food was good as I remembered back in 2013. Again, we had their fried chicken and we weren’t disappointed. If you want something fast, Zippy’s is a good choice.

Its good when you need it. Like mcdonalds, I find I need a Zippys fix every month or so. Its somewhat speedy and good but not great. If you go, stick with the korean fried chicken, anything with the chili, and get the mac salad. Thise are consustently good while ive found everything else to be a crapshoot.
I work across from this place so im here constantly. Dont come expecting amazing local food, its Hawaiis version of fast food, and it succeeds at being just that.

I Love love zippys.
I had it for the first time when I went to Maui and was obsessed. Its a chain all over Hawaii… I wish they had a location here as well.
I always get the Chili (no beans) with spaghetti. Add a side of spam and portugese sausage and you’re good.
The fried chicken here is pretty good as well.

Local diner food? Zippy’s has your name written all over it.
Local bakery with a few baked goods– just the basics? Again, that’s Zippy’s.
If you expect more than diner quality food, tho, you’re going to be disappointed. The won ton min is entirely at the level of diner or cafeteria food as are most of the other dishes, but service is quick and the price isn’t bad.
I see why locals, or former locals, get all nostalgic about the place. But is it actually good food? Not really.

This is a must visit when you go to Hawaii.
They have them everywhere and most are opened 24 hours. We came here right when we landed. We got a chili rice (brown rice option WOOHOO) and also a korean friend chicken plate. The chili rice was nothing mind blowing. The rice was dried up and crunchy. The korean fried chicken was pretty bomb though. Definitely try the chicken!
I think we came here late night again as well and got the saimin. From what i remember it was delicious :)

My dad was craving Zippy’s before we left for the Big Island (the only Zippy’s there is in Hilo, and we were in Kona.).
I feel like the prices are a bit high for the quality. It’s decent food if you want something heavy, especially after drinking. And the atmosphere is very, very casual/​divey.
I usually order a mini chicken katsu, which fills me up. I do like that they have mini versions of their entrees because the portions are large.
I wouldn’t get dessert here. They’ve never looked appetizing to me.

My coworker recommended that I come here because he said the chili is the best he ever had. This place reminds me of L & L Hawaiian Barbecue.
I, of course, got the chili, that came with either rice or crackers. I opt for rice. The chili was really good. It didn’t have too much beans which I like. It tasted even better the second day after the rice have soaked in there for a bit. The rice wasn’t soggy the next day either.
The other stuff on the menu was okay. Nothing to rave about.

I’ve heard so much about zippy’s and was pretty dissappointed when I finally tried it. Its alright and nothing amazing. I probably had better from Ono hawaiian bbq or L&L here in the bay area.
The food at zippy’s came out luke warm. That’s kind of disgusting.

Zippy’s is a popular restaurant chain in Hawaii. Almost all of the locations are on Oahu, with a lone location on the Big Island in Hilo and Kahului on Maui. This location is the one on Kapahulu Avenue in the same name neighborhood.
This location is good in that there is on-​site parking and the restaurant is open 24 hours. There is also a Napoleon’s Bakery here in which you can get their famous Napples (apple turnovers) and tropical cakes.
The restaurant setup is fast food style in which you order and then wait for your food. The menu is large and varied. It includes plate lunches and sandwiches/​burgers. But also local favorites like wun tun min and oxtail soup. There are also daily specials which you can review ahead of time as they are posted on the restaurant’s website.
Zippy’s is known for a couple other things. The first being their fried chicken which is comparable to KFC. But their most famous offering is their chili. There is just something in this chili that makes it stand out from all of the other ones I have tried. The secret appears to be in the sauce.
The best way to eat it in my opinion is with rice. I ordered the large chili with rice ($ 4.95). It is an okay size. Smaller than I was expecting. You might want to order a burger or maybe some mac salad to fill you up completely.
I have made due on the mainland eating the frozen version of Zippy’s chili and it is clear that the freshly made version is superior. The chili with rice is a warm and hearty meal. I would recommend trying it if you haven’t before.
If you are looking for a quick bite or looking to grab some takeout before heading off to Waikiki, I would check out this Zippy’s.