St. Louis Drive In

(Merry Christmas, everyone!)

St. Louis Drive In is located on Waialae Ave. in Honolulu, Hawaii. It's a place that's been here for many years, where many people attending nearby Saint Louis School or Sacred Hearts Academy have gone for plate lunches and bentos.

I stopped here on a short stay back in Hawaii, in part to try some old school places. I doubt much has changed on the outside over the years. It's still that hole-in-the-wall place where one walks up to the counter and orders. There is some covered seating on the right side.

I tried a couple of dishes on this visit from the specials board on a late November day. Each plate lunch has that old-school feel when doing takeout. A sheet of wax paper over the top of the food, served on a paper plate and put in a paper takeout box.

The Shortribs (~$7.50 when on special) were just OK. A bunch of bones in our portion, but I did enjoy the meat that we did get. I'm guessing the sauce is tomato sauce-based, not bad there.

Old-school feel with these takeout boxes!

Short Ribs
(St. Louis Drive In)

The grilled ahi steak (~$7.65 when on special) also got average marks. A good portion of fish, lightly floured, cooked all the way through. Great browning on the exterior. It's just that, at the end of the day, I still prefer a more natural sear and raw in the middle. Appreciated the lemon wedge to cut through any heaviness.

Grilled Ahi Steak
(St. Louis Drive In)

For me, the mac salad (came with both plate lunches) had slightly overdone macaroni and excess mayo.

Apparently, people who enjoy this place have gotten items like BBQ burgers and bentos. In the end, the food I got fit the atmosphere. The food's not designed to blow you away, but the diehard fans will keep returning. 5/10