Little Village Restaurant

Little Village Restaurant on Smith Street in Chinatown is one of my favorites. I try and eat there at least once every time I visit Honolulu. Their Honey Walnut Shrimp is the BEST. You must try it if you go there.

Anyway, I was heading back to my parent's house after a unsuccessful 3 hour trip to Nordstroms at Ala Moana. I must have tried on 50 dresses, and no luck. I just ended up buying a blouse and Spanx and left at 9 p.m. I was starving, and the only restaurants left open were in Chinatown. I knew Little Village stayed open late, so I drove over there thinking of Honey Walnut Shrimp.

Little Village has free 2 hour parking in back of the restaurant. Anyone who has been to Chinatown knows that is a plus, since parking is hard to come by. Sure enough, they were open and about 10 people were eating in the restaurant, which is pretty good at 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night.

The restaurant is clean and well lit. Colorful butterflies hang from the ceiling, and they have a semi-private room in the back of the restaurant. I came in and ordered off the take-out menu, which is comprised of 101 items and 17 items from a "Taste of Hong Kong" mini-menu. I ordered steamed Pork Pot Stickers, Black Pepper Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp and the Cold Ginger Chicken off their 'Specials' menu. I wanted to try a bit of everything, and I knew my grandma and dad would enjoy some of the food for their lunches the following day.

I waited about 10 minutes and then my food was ready. It smelled delicious on the car ride home and I couldn't wait to eat! The Honey Walnut Shrimp was delicious, although I think it is probably much better if eaten in the restaurant, when it is fresh out of the kitchen and piping hot. I wasn't crazy about the Pork Pot Stickers, so maybe next time I'll try the Chicken and Veggie Pot Stickers. The Black Pepper Beef was served with white onion, and was good, although I was expecting it to be spicier, since it had a 'pepper' (meaning spicy) next to it on the menu. The Honey Walnut Shrimp was great, and the Ginger Chicken was good as well. The Pot Stickers, Black Pepper Beef and the Honey Walnut Shrimp are listed on the menu as "Signature Dish(es)".

For you vegetarians, the menu states that 'vegetarian substitute available for all dishes'. Also no MSG is available upon request.

Little Village has won 7 Hale Aina and 2 Ilima awards. It is owned by the same family that owns Restaurant Epic, which is a very nice fine dining restaurant located on Nu'uanu Ave in Chinatown. I've eaten once at Epic, and it was fabulous. The food is catorgorized as Euro-Asian/Pacific cuisine. Epic has great food and a really nice bar. I highly recommend both restaurants.

Little Village
1113 Smith Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
http://www.littlevillagehawaii.com/

Restaurant Epic
1131 Nu'uanu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96817
http://www.restaurantepic.com/