Located at the base of Wai`alae Avenue across St. Louis School and Chaminade University, is a locally owned eatery called St. Louis Drive-In. As far as I can remember, this establishment has provided locals and visitors alike with the comfort food that we all crave for from time to time. Many years ago, I worked in the hotel industry with the current owner and vividly recalled our conversation as he was making the transition to take over the ownership of St. Louis Drive-In. I’m glad he achieved his dream, as is the rest of the community.
Over the decades since then, he has provided a place where we can go to really enjoy ourselves even if for just a brief time during our hectic, stressful day. The menu has pretty much stayed the same throughout the years, but, I’m sure that a few items were added to keep up with the evolving palates.
During my recent visits, I selected items from the menu that I haven’t had the opportunity to consume before, like the Students’ Special that consists of two burgers, a side order of fries, and, a drink ($4.90). Since this was my first time ordering this “Special”, I asked the counter person if I needed a student ID, and she gave me a quizzical look.
For my breakfast visit, I noticed on the menu that there was the ubiquitous Portuguese omelet and two scoops of rice with a side order of macaroni salad, a unique combination I haven’t seen elsewhere, yet. After a few seconds of looking at this combination on my plate, down the hatch it went, and I was very satisfied. I’ll be looking forward to ordering this again on a future visit. The beef stew that has been a menu staple all these years, is always safe to order when you want a quick pacifier. Nowadays, it’s difficult to find a restaurant that has good comfort food at affordable prices. There’s also an okazu-ya located next door, but more about this place next time. See ya!
* Please note that the black specks on the mac salad are pepper, not bugs.
