Zippy's

Zippy’s is one of the most essential retail places in Hawaii, especially on Oahu. It’s a restaurant, the local equivalent of Denny’s with a sit down restaurant and booths, a bakery called Napoleon’s Bakery, and a take-out area.  Unlike Denny’s, Zippy's features local dishes, like loco moco (2 scoops of rice, hamburger patty, lots of gravy and a fried egg) or teriyaki chicken or chicken katsu or…But, I recently ate at Denny's as an experiment and they did have a few local items.

Zippy's Restaurant on Maui. 

On Maui, there is only one Zippy’s which took four years to build. I kept wondering how long it would take because the sign said “Zippy’s Coming Soon!” Four years later, it was finally open. My husband was relieved but thinks the prices on Maui are higher than on Oahu. He is fond of Zippy's mahi bun deluxe (mahi is a white fish that Zippy's breads and deep fries).

                                                                                                                     

I heard a story about Oahu life, and the writer said life on Oahu was “going back and forth between Longs (a drug store), Foodland (local supermarket chain) and Zippy’s.” This is not an exact quote. Since Zippy’s is open 24 hours, last time I looked, it’s a place you can always get fed.

Some photos of Zippy's including the take out chili.
The poor people in my collage are headless
because I didn't want them to be recognized.

Zippy’s is also well-known for their chili. I’m not sure why or how Zippy’s chili became so popular, but it’s available in the frozen aisles of most Hawaii supermarkets. There’s even a vegetarian version. Zippy’s also offers their chili as a local fundraiser for schools, churches and nonprofits. If you live in Hawaii long enough, you’ll probably end up going to Zippy’s sometime. 

Zippy's chili also comes in vegetarian versions. They also make hamburger curry and Portuguese Bean Soup, carried in the frozen aisles of local supermarkets.
By the way, curry is very popular here, although it's a
different style from more traditional Indian curries.
Portuguese Bean Soup is another local favorite.

P.S. If you are blog hopping from the A to Z challenge, please include your link if you comment! I try to reciprocate comments as quickly as I can, though I did lag behind last year, especially towards the end.

P.P.S. I am running two mini-contests during the A-Z Challenge (and into part of May). Here's how to enter.