Need to know
Area
Kaimuki
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Description
Get ready to sample some local favorites, reinvented — things like fried chicken with szechuan salt, ‘ulu (breadfruit) with fermented black bean and their popular beet poke. Small plates are served family style at this casual neighborhood restaurant which means you can sample a few different things at a time.
Sunday brunch is laid back, but that food is just as inventive (Hello, Sourdough Banana Pancakes) and the cocktails are solid.
Their menu changes with what’s in season and locally available. Even the cocktail ingredients are Hawaii grown, certified organic (and sometimes even pulled from what’s leftover in the kitchen).
Oahu born chef and owner Ed Kenney is well known for his mantra “local first, organic whenever possible, with aloha always” and has earned a dedicated following at each of his restaurants — including Town (which unfortunately closed during the pandemic), Kaimuki Superette, and Mahina & Sun’s (in the Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club).
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Website
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Menu
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Reservations
Ordering
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Address
3452 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
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Contact Info
808-737-6000
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Hours
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Brunch (Sun) â– 9:30am - 2pm
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Lunch (Tues - Sat) â–. 11am - 2pm
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Dinner (Tues - Thurs) â– 5pm - 8:30pm
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Dinner (Fri + Sat) â– 5pm - 9pm
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Price
$$ - $$$
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Brunch: ~$8 - $18
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Dinner: ~$17 - $29
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Cocktails: ~$11
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Nearby
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Kaimuki Superette — 1 min walk
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Little Vessels Donut Co — 1 min walk
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The Curb Kaimuki — 2 min walk​
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Cowcow’s Tea — 6 min walk
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KCC Farmers’ Market — 6 min walk
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The Surfing Pig — 6 min walk
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Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery — 6 min walk
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Koko Head Cafe — 7 min walk
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Diamond Head — 10 min drive
Hawaiian comfort food, reimagined by an Oahu born chef. Shareable plates and Sunday brunch that are seasonal, local, and organic. Fantastic cocktails too.
Mud Hen Water
BRUNCH | LUNCH | COCKTAILS
Good to know
PHOTOS
AMENITIES + PERKS
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Outdoor Seating: There’s a cute little side yard with picnic tables and string lights.​
TRY THE...
The menu is built around seasonal and available produce, which means it changes often.
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Food
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Fried J. Ludovico Chicken
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Beet Poke
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Chicken Long Rice Croquettes
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Buttered ‘Ulu
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He’e Lu’au
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Yaki o Pa’i’ai
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Loaded Baked Banana
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Sourdough Banana Pancakes
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Biscuit & Mapo Gravy
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Pineapple Polenta Upside Down Cake
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Chocolate Kiawe Bean Brownie
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Drinks
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Kitchen Cocktail (It’s a constantly changing drink that Bar Manager Kelly Jeffer whips up using the leftover ingredients from the kitchen.)
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Grapefruit Snap
TIPS + TRICKS
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Make a reservation, especially for brunch. If you don’t mind sitting at the bar or a high top, you can probably snag a spot without a reservation. ​
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If the donuts on the brunch menu are calling your name, make sure you put your order in right away because they do sell out.
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Parking in Kaimuki is a little tough. You can either park on the street and walk a few minutes to the restaurant or there are some paid parking lots.
FYI
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Take out is available.
PET STUFF
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You can bring your dog for outdoor seating.
DID YOU KNOW?
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The name Mud Hen Water is the English translation of Waialae, Kaimuki’s main street where the restaurant is located. (Wai means water. Alae means mud hen.) As legend goes, there once was a fresh water spring nearby where mud hens would hang out.
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Grass-fed beef and local freshwater oysters are supplied by Kualao Ranch, just 20 miles away.
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This is the 3rd of 4 restaurants by Oahu born chef Ed Kenney. He first opened Town, which unfortunately closed during the pandemic but had a cult following before that. Then came Kaimuki Superette. The most recent is Mahina & Sun’s in Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club.
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Kenney is a James Beard nominee.
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Mud Hen Water opened in 2015.
Last Updated 1 / 8 / 23​
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