Sweet Home Cafe Waikiki

13 Hidden Restaurants in Waikiki, Honolulu | Eater

"Even when it’s warm out, locals say bring it on to hot pot. Just look at the consistently packed Sweet Home Cafe, which feels like a sauna with all the roiling pots. Compose your pot in three steps, beginning with a choice of broths that range from sour cabbage, tinged with tamarind, to healthy herbs, reminiscent of Chinese medicine but actually delicious. Serve yourself from the fridge, where a plethora of ingredients include spinach-tofu and roe-filled fish balls, then face excruciating decisions at the sauce bar (you can only carry so many tiny dishes at once). Finally, dive in — but eat quickly. After an hour, a bowl of free shave ice, packed as joyfully as an unbridled hot pot, is plunked in front of you. It’s the sweetest way for the servers to tell guests to chill out and move on. [$$]" - Martha Cheng