Shimogawa Scoops

Moani Island Bistro and Bar, a popular establishment in West Oahu, is expanding east with a new location in Waikiki at the International Marketplace, public records show. Moani, which is the local version of “Cheers,” is opening in the former Kona Grill space at the Waikiki shopping mall. Moani filed a permit this week to build out its second floor space at IMP, which will join other restaurants such as ShoreFyre Grill, Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi, Stripsteak and a new pizza brew pub opening in the former Flour & Barley space.  Moani, which has a heavy live music lineup and a solid menu that includes mainly local favorites such as smoked meat, spicy ahi nachos and sizzling kalbi, has grown to become the go-to bar and bistro in West Oahu. It hopes to ride that wave of popularity into the state’s tourism mecca  of Waikiki. 

Billionaire Larry Ellison, the 7th richest person in the world, has purchased another property on the Hawaiian Island of Lanai for $1.4 million, according to public records. The tech titan purchased most of Lanai for $300 million almost a decade ago.  The co-founder of Oracle Corp., who has a net worth of about $93 billion, according to Forbes, purchased the property from a nonprofit preschool on the Pineapple Isle.  The property, which was formerly occupied by a church, consists of about 13,600-square-feet of land with a nearly 2,000-square-foot building on it.  The property has a total assessed value of about $520,000, but is exempt from being taxed. Lanai Resorts LLC, Ellison’s company that runs the island’s operations, only will be paying hundreds of dollars in property taxes since a nonprofit is leasing the property. Its lease expires in 2023.  Ellison has been slowly buying up properties on Lanai, and has plans to double the island’s population in the coming years.  Ellison made

Beer Lab, one of the most popular craft breweries in Hawaii, is not opening at East Oahu’s Kuono Marketplace, Shimogawa Scoops has confirmed. Many in the area were excited about Beer Lab’s expansion into this craft beer-starved market. Beer Lab was slated to open next to Foodland’s Kahala MKT., but that’s not happening anymore because of “unforeseen circumstances.” Beer Lab was founded in 2015, and has three locations, including two in Central Oahu at Pearlridge Center and the Waipio industrial area as well as its original location in Manoa near University of Hawaii. Although Beer Lab is not opening at Kuono Marketplace, J. Dolan’s is still scheduled to open its second location at the new Kahala shopping center, as first reported by Shimogawa Scoops.

Skybox Tap House, a new sports bar concept serving pizza and beer, is opening in the former Flour & Barley space at International Marketplace in Waikiki, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. Skybox is the creation of the same owners of ShoreFyre, which is also located on the top level of the marketplace amongst other restaurants such a Stripsteak Waikiki and Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi. Skybox recently filed a building permit for the former Flour & Barley space. The architect for the new sportspub is MGA Architecture. Skybox, which is scheduled to open later this year, should be a popular addition to the marketplace, especially during football season, where nearly every seat in sports bars around town is occupied. 

J. Dolan’s, a pizza institution in Hawaii, is expanding to East Oahu with a location planned at the new Kuono Marketplace in Kahala. The popular Irish pub and pizza joint is opening in the end-cap space that’s directly across from Zippy’s.  The space comes with outdoor seating, something it doesn’t have at its Chinatown location. J. Dolan’s, which serves a variety of New York-style pizza pies, is widely known as one of the best pizza pubs in Hawaii. J. Dolan’s was founded by Danny Dolan and J.J. Niebuhr more than a decade ago, with help from Don Murphy of Murphy’s Bar & Grill. Niebuhr stepped away from the business a few years ago. The long-awaited expansion of J. Dolan’s will be well received by the East Oahu market, which currently lacks good pizza restaurants.   Kuono Marketplace is anchored by Kahala MKT. by Foodland, and also includes Purve Donut Shop, Wholesale Unlimited, Great Clips, Drybar, Lanikai Juice and Daiichi Ramen, among others. 

Crumbl Cookies, the nation’s fastest-growing gourmet cookie company, is expanding to Hawaii with a new location in West Oahu, public records show. The Utah-based chain has nearly 80 locations with another 50 shops in the works. Crumbl Cookies has more than 180 different types of cookies, with a creative menu that rotates on a weekly basis. In Hawaii, it is opening later this year at the Target-anchored Kapolei Commons shopping center.  Crumbl filed a permit this week to build out its space at the West Oahu center. Some of its more popular cookies include the Muddy Buddy, Biscoff Lava, Funfetti, Snickerdoodle, Coconut Lime, Orange Creamsicle and Nutella Sea Salt. The company is known for its open kitchens that show customers its baking process and for its pink box packaging, as well as its delivery model. Be on the lookout for more Crumbl Cookie locations across Hawaii, especially in other shopping malls such as Kapolei Commons.

Daiso, the hugely popular Japanese discount retailer, is expanding on Oahu with a new location opening in Downtown Honolulu, according to sources close to the situation. Daiso already has two stores on Oahu, one in Pearl City and another in the Honolulu area on Piikoi Street. The retailer has drawn huge crowds and will most definitely continue on that trajectory at its third location in Hawaii at the historic Pantheon Building on Fort Street Mall. The “Japanese Dollar Store” has more than 3,000 stores in Japan and over 5,000 across the globe.  Daiso has more than 80 stores in the United States, with many more on the way, especially in Hawaii.