It was the Sunday of Veteran’s Day weekend, and we were looking for lunch in the Kaimuki area. I had seen pictures of EARL’s sandwiches on Instagram but had never tried this specialty sandwich shop before. The bright, colorful sign stood out in the municipal parking lot, where lots of restaurant goers were parked on this day (note: it’s the same parking lot as Big City Diner and Kim Chee II).
We were there just before 12:00 p.m., and there was no line. There were approximately 8 stools along the counters built into the sides of this tiny eatery. While we were there, we saw a line build and watched as customers patiently waited for their meals, mostly to-go.
Being a pescatarian, I was excited to see lots of vegetarian options on the menu, including the avocado banh mi. The vegetables were crunchy and had all of the expected banh mi flavors. The bread was nice and fresh. The drizzle on the side of avocado toast definitely made it something special. By time I was done, I was stuffed!
My meat eating date ordered the French Dip. He raved about the flavor and said he’d definitely come back to try more of EARL’s sandwiches. We both made our sandwiches a meal. Usually it’s $3.50 for a drink and chips, but they had a deal on the drink to celebrate reaching 20K followers on Instagram. They usually offer 3 drinks but on this day, they only had their Becky’s Sweet Tea available. We both thought it was sweet and refreshing.
We enjoyed our meals and will definitely be back for more sandwiches. I am interested in trying their other non-meat options like the Beets, Fun Goat, and the Veggie Sub. They also have a shrimp toast that sounds to-die-for!
- E.A.R.L. Kaimuki: 1137 11th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816
- 808-200-4354
- www.earlhawaii.com
- limited seating, great for take-out
- parking in municipal lot
- Service: friendly, polite, and helpful
- open daily 10am-8pm or until they sell out
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