Hawaiian casual dining chain known for its stews, chili & other comfort-food dishes.
Zippy’s
Fast forward more than 58 years later, and through their hard work and vision, Zippy’s has become a beloved Hawaii institution with 23 locations on Oahu, Maui, …
FA Mel Z (Z Goddess)
End of April 2024… During my most recent visit for mine and my husband’s 22nd yr. inlove/ our 17 yr. wedding anniversary. I was excited to bring him to a place I used to come to when I was a keiki (child) where the original location was apparently still currently located and operating on King Street. Zippy’s Ewa was the closest one to my aunty’s house, where I chose to stay for the week during our celebrations. The first thing noticed was the lack of true aloha, that welcoming and inviting spirit we kanaka pride ourselves with. That was number 1, number 2 it was difficult to get the attention of anyone to take our order, 3, the portion of food compared to the price point was questionable (at least to me and him) and disappointing. All in all, we did not have the best experience, especially my haole husband, who had never been to my homeland before. The food was sub-par and not satisfying, especially for the small child plate amount of food we both got each. I rather make it at home tbh. I did like the bakery portion, of course, and I had to get myself a slice of dobash cake before leaving Zippy’s. Anyways…, this is just our personal experience and views. Please enjoy the pictures and video clips I was able to capture during our visit.
… moreDD Vill
We ordered online for zippys last night we put our order in just before 7pm and it said our order was going to be ready at 7:08 we got to the drive through line a little after 7:08 but we didn’t reach the window until 7:30 because everyone before us was at the window for about 5 minutes each when we got to the window I gave the lady my name she went to go get it but she came back to the window and said you have to wait 5min she want back to the counter then a boy came to the window and told us it was going to be a 10-15 min wait because the kitchen was backed up we parked and went in everyone that was waiting for their order looked pissed and they were asking each other how long they been waiting then a gentlemen came to the counter and asked the girl where was his order and that he was waiting 1 hour! and all he had was 2 spaghetti meals she asked him his name then she went to look for his order it was right there behind her on the counter NOBODY CALLED HIS NUMBER!! I was standing by the counter for 20 min and all the food on the counter wasn’t even being covered or bagged the workers were walking back and forth and NOBODY WAS COVERING OR BAGGING THE ODERS on the side of where they put the slips for the orders they were just put in a pile all stuck together a girl came in she also ordered online she asked the girl if her order was ready the girl asked her for her name she had to grab all the orders that were stuck together she found the girls order and told her sorry no it’s not ready and stuck ALL the orders back where it was. It didn’t look like the kitchen was backed up it’s was the workers in the front not even covering and bagging the orders as I was watching by the counter I was watching the kitchen they were making the orders but they had to put down in the back where they were because there was no ROOM ON THE COUNTER!!!
… moreDavid Algee
This is the first stop I always make when I come home to Hawaii. Love the food and always have. Of you are looking for a good place to eat this is it. Would recommend this place and will continue to come back. Will make it a point to go again before I leave.
… moreMelissa Frederick
It’s Zippy’s. It’s local comfort food, in a clean, friendly, busy, affordable neighborhood location. The seating system was new to me and required me to scan a QR code then enter my name and the number of people in our group to get on the waitlist. Although we were initially 10th in line and several groups ahead of us were quite large things moved along quickly. The display at the entrance to the dining area kept us updated on the expected wait time, as well as our place on the waitlist. We were called no more than 10 minutes after arriving in spite of the very busy weekend lunch rush time. I don’t know if that seating system is used for dining in at all Zippy’s locations since this was the first time I’ve seen it and it’s been a minute since I’ve actually eaten in at a Zippy’s. It’s much more usual for me to order takeout. Our server was excellent and the food came very fast, even though it was 1230pm on a Sunday and they were really, really busy. There was a table made ready for us that accommodated my wheelchair but when I told our waitress I wanted to sit in the booth to eat, not my chair, she immediately pivoted to a nearby booth and showed my cousin where to stash the chair while we ate so it wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. She made the adjustment so flawlessly I never had a second to feel embarrassed or like I was making any extraordinary requests by needing the additional consideration and I was really impressed by her tact and her kindness. At the end of our lunch (I had chili spaghetti with garlic bread) we hit up the bakery for Napples, doughnuts, pie, and brownies to take home.
… moreRik H
Place was clean, food is kinda meh, service was meh.
Edit: Just to clarify… trying to emulate home cooked recipes in a fast food environment is HARD. Most fast food workers don’t care nearly as much as mamas and aunties.
Zippy’s does about as good as you can at replicating home cooked in an environment where the workers don’t always give a crap.
Service is almost always your typical fast food “I don’t wanna be here” kinda service. The food is always pretty good. When you get a location where mgmt gives a crap (it shows at all levels) the food and service are GREAT.
This location, when I visited, was absolutely “meh” energy/vibes and “meh” food quality. I don’t feel ripped off or anything. You kinda expect “meh” when you enter fast food places.
… moreTonya Kubo
Delicious dinner food. The chili rice with cheese and onions was filling and flavorful. Others had the loco moco (mini), saimin, and salmon katsu. So much food! But it was all so good! And the service was friendly. We will be back.
… morePhilip Umali
Long wait to be seated in the morning even though it was empty. Service slow. Upholstery worn in seats.
… moreC R
Food is just delicious now as I remember saimin noodles during my childhood in Hawaii. The flavor of the soup you can’t forget, it just has that taste you can’t get anywhere else. Service is good when it’s not too busy but expect to wait a bit during lunch/dinner time. It’s like everywhere else and worth it!
… moreKiani Delizo
Great for late night dinner. Rather walk-in, seems like they don’t answer the phone. Be specific with your order. I don’t care for the fried chicken as I used to, now it’s hard & dry. I got the chili Moco ( bed of rice at bottom, one big hamburger patty, scoop of chili covering & topped with 2 eggs w/ Mac salad ) pretty good
… moreSean King De Caprio
Zippy’s Ewa has always been my go-to Zippy’s spot and I always order their Korean Fried Chicken plate. However, on the last few orders of my KFC plate, the chicken portions that I got were more like chicken skin. I’m not trying to talk bad about it, but I was unhappy when two out of eight pieces of chicken on my plate had meat & the rest were just crunchy skin.
One thing I’ve noticed though is when I order my plate in the morning/afternoon, my plate is full of nice pieces of chicken. But when I order in the evening, the plate has less chicken meat & more skin.
… more