Mitsu-Ken: How a Kalihi Okazuya Turned Garlic Chicken Into a Morning Ritual

Ask anyone who grew up in Kalihi where to get garlic chicken and there’s a good chance the answer is Mitsu-Ken. The family-run okazuya has fed Oʻahu breakfast and lunch since the early 1990s, and the line out its door has followed it through one move and a pandemic. Here’s the story, pieced together from published reporting.

The quick facts

• Where: 2300 N. King St., Honolulu (Kalihi), near the Middle Street end of King
• Hours: Mornings only, Wednesday through Saturday; closed Sunday through Tuesday. Recent listings put closing time at noon or 1 p.m., so go early
• Phone: (808) 848-5573 (also for catering)
• Known for: Garlic chicken, the Mitsu-Ken bento, breakfast combos and the fried saimin bento
• Online: 808mitsuken.com

Opened in December 1992

Mitsu-Ken opened in December 1992, according to a 2022 KITV segment marking its 30th anniversary. In that piece, family member Cody Kaneshiro described a business that runs on family: his grandparents, aunt, mom and sister have all worked there.

The shop’s original home was a small storefront at 1223 N. School St. A 2001 Hawaii News Now feature with chef Sam Choy described a line of customers willing to wait 20 minutes or more, and to risk a parking ticket on busy School Street, just for the garlic chicken. Co-owner Brad Kaneshiro wouldn’t give up the recipe, offering only a laughing “Chicken. Garlic. Shoyu.” Back then, plates ran about $4 to $4.75, and the shop closed at 1 p.m.

The move to King Street

In early 2013, Mitsu-Ken moved a short drive away to 2300 N. King St. The shop announced on its Facebook page in late February 2013 that the new store would open that Friday, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Nadine Kam reported in March 2013 that the new space was bigger, with plenty of parking, and that the line had come along with it.

Kam also noted a shift in how people order. Mitsu-Ken had become less of a pick-and-choose okazuya counter and more of a plate-lunch spot, with most customers ordering bentos and plates rather than browsing à la carte items. By 10 a.m., she wrote, the okazu selection was already thin.

What makes the garlic chicken

The chicken is boneless, fried and coated in a sticky, sweet garlic glaze; Kam described it as “candylike.” KITV’s segment showed what goes into the signature Mitsu-Ken bento: two scoops of rice, furikake, ginger, hot dog, egg, Spam, teriyaki meat and three big pieces of garlic chicken. The Star-Advertiser’s 2021 okazuya roundup listed the same bento along with the fried saimin bento and breakfast deluxe combo as the shop’s other popular orders.

Breakfast is a big part of the business. In 2022, Kaneshiro told KITV that Mitsu-Ken sold about 250 breakfast plates on a typical day, and possibly up to 400 on Saturdays.

Getting through the pandemic

Kaneshiro told KITV that the pandemic hit the business hard, but that the family felt lucky to keep all of its staff. He said the hope is to carry the family tradition forward and keep the business going.

Tips for your visit

• Go early. The shop is morning-only and popular items can sell out. Several current listings show a noon close on at least some days.
• Call ahead for big orders. Mitsu-Ken also does catering.
• Add a latte. The new Collective Cafe, which shares Mitsu-Ken’s parking lot, opened this week with matcha and coffee on tap.

Sources

• KITV, “Delicious garlic chicken and enormous breakfast plates from Mitsu-Ken Okazu” (2022): https://www.kitv.com/island-life/food/delicious-garlic-chicken-and-enormous-breakfast-plates-from-mitsu-ken-okazu/article_30fce7c6-c016-11ec-955a-c369396c73e0.html
• Hawaii News Now, “Mitsu-Ken’s” (Nov. 2, 2001): https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/533612/mitsu-kens/
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Mitsu-Ken Okazu has a new location” by Nadine Kam (March 20, 2013): https://www.staradvertiser.com/2013/03/20/features/mitsu-ken-okazu-has-a-new-location/
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Ono for okazuya” (July 6, 2021): https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/07/06/food/ono-for-okazuya/
• Aloha State Daily, “The Collective Cafe has coffee and matcha on tap” (Nov. 4, 2026), for the shared lot: https://alohastatedaily.com/2026/11/04/the-collective-cafe-has-coffee-and-matcha-on-tap/
• Mitsu-Ken Facebook post of Feb. 28, 2013 (as archived at hey-sushi.com): https://hey-sushi.com/03354047/Mitsu-Ken_Catering