Dreamers Home Style Café

when this place first opened, it was a great venue to have «i love country café» dishes but, over time, this place has gone downhill — it has gone away from the typical «i love country café» items to their own filipino and chinese foods — not done right at all… for better food, take a couple more steps up fort street mall (mauka) and stop at the fort street café!

So far, I’ve only ordered two dishes from this place… the garlic chicken plate and the furikake mahi mahi. Both dishes were superb! I was surprised to see a bunch of negative reviews here, considering the fact that my experience so far has been great. Maybe everyone’s just ordering the wrong dish?

Leaving a star because there isn’t an option for 0 stars.
I had the Oven Baked Garlic Chicken. It was overdone and tasted awful. The Macaroni Salad was gross. The macaroni wasn’t cooked long enough and still hard. My daughter had Bacon, eggs and rice. How can anyone mess that up??? Eggs had a strange taste… maybe it was fried in old oil? I dunno. Husband had something called Spanish Sausage with Eggs (or something like that). Sausage was overcooked.
Very pricey, for crap. Never going back there again !!

My friend suggested this place for their breakfast. I came during lunch and ordered their pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. They are on the pricier side and their portion sizes were disappointing. The pancakes didn’t have any taste and neither did their syrup. I don’t know if I’d go here again even to give them another chance.

Horrible, horrible, horrible!!!
I may have a little bias because I only ate here once but it was a horrible experience.
I went during lunch time since I was in between classes. The menu was too all over the place for me and it was so confusing with all the different pictures on the wall and some of those items weren’t even on the menu. The price is a little on the expensive side as well and the portions weren’t all that.
I ordered the BBQ chicken with brown rice and a side of fries. It wasn’t busy at all when I went in but I waited over 20 minutes for my food! It was the longest wait for such a small order if you ask me. Then while I was waiting I heard loud bangs and screams from the kitchen. Then one of the ladies comes out and says to another customer «there was a big scorpion in there». That was a huge turnoff right there and I started to regret coming here but I was starving and I already paid so I was stuck.
When I got my food I rushed out so I could eat but was disappointed once I opened my plate. First off, the fries didn’t seem too cooked and it wasn’t seasoned at all. My BBQ chicken plate looked horrible. The sauce looked like one of those package sauces that lazy people use (I mean I use them at home but I figure a restaurant should make sauces from scratch) and was really thick and lumpy. The chicken looked as if it was a little dry and didn’t have the best flavor. The worst part was the brown rice. It was hard and not sticky at all and it had that «day old» odor. I was too hungry to think anything of it so I just ate it but I ended up not eating it all.
Then a couple hours later my stomach started feeling bubbly and sore and, sorry to say, I started throwing up!!! I just felt sick from then on, I had a headache, I was sweaty and I just felt nauseous the whole time. I don’t know if it was food poisoning or what but it had to be the food because I didn’t eat anything before that. I’m just scarred and will never try this place again.

Ended up going here because Ohana Bento didnt have kimchee fried rice this morning, and I’m so glad I did! I
was craving fried rice and this hit the spot! It isn’t any side street inn fried rice but it is the best I’ve had in downtown at a decent price!
It is a pretty healthy portion and comes with egg, 2 big pieces of portugues sausage and 2 pieces of bacon cooked just right!
I also got their HI-​Protein shake and it was delicious as well! I am definitely looking forward to trying other things on their vast menu in the near future-​possibly again for lunch! They have all kinds of food!
Definitely a must try place!

This place is OK. Huge menu. Can’t decide if it’s Chinese, Thai, Korean, local. The morning I went there in search of a greasy hangover cure downtown I got a good omelet. My friend ordered Kim Chee fried rice and pancakes. I would skip the Kim Chee fried rice, it wasn’t that spicy and it was made with brown rice. The pancakes looked good. Other things on the menu that day were, eggplant parm, red curry, club sandwich, Korean fried chicken, chicken long rice and about 50 other random choices. So if you like choices, this might be a great place.
The thing I didn’t like was the service. You have to order at the counter, the lady is rushing you to chose between the vast menu and obviously isn’t there to answer any questions or make any suggestions or substitutions. I also found it a little pricey for casual breakfast.
Maybe they call it Dreamers Café, cause anything you can dream up is probably on the menu, but it might be overpriced and average. I probably wouldn’t go again unless I was stuck downtown without a car on a weekend.

2.21.13
I was very hopefully about this place after reading some rave reviews about the kim chee fried rice here… sadly, I have to say I am so, so, so disappointed (clearly so, because this is my first 2 star review) :(
The location is super convenient for downtowners and college students and I was surprised that the inside was actually kind of nice – I guess I headed over there thinking otherwise based on what I had read – but I think it wouldn’t be so bad to sit down here. The lady manning the register was a little… hostile? Maybe add a little smile? Also, the menu is a little haphazard, there are so many choices and there are signs all over the place. While I do appreciate the variety of foods/​dishes they offer, even my coworker described some apprehension in ordering on a previous vist because of that overwhelming feeling.
As for the food, at almost $ 8 total, the kim chee fried rice was not worth it. Luckily I was hungry today so I kind of just scarfed down what I could, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t keep my leftovers for another meal. Yes, I wasted food but I don’t think it’s worth me feeling sick and not enjoying it. I guess I have gotten aquainted to the taste of the Aja (bentos, etc) brand of kim chee fried rice which can be found at UHM or I believe Ala Moana. The Shirokiya one from one of those food vendors isn’t so bad either. In my opinion this Dreamer’s one is a more local take on the taste – there def wasn’t enough kick for me and it was wayyy too salty! The rice was also super dry; it was more like a kim chee pilaf… Really the only redeeming quality about the kim chee fried rice was the egg – seriously, you cant really mess up that – and maybe the kimchee.
I would not purchase this again and I am very hesitant about coming back here… so much for stepping out of the comfort zone.
Unilocal 365 Challenge: #052/​365

I passed by Dreamers and saw the bright, clean sign and the myriad of photos of their offerings adorning their exterior. From the outside, Dreamers looks very inviting.
I wished I had heeded the multiple one & two star reviews on Unilocal.During lunch time on a workday, it was almost empty inside – that should’ve been a warning sign…
I came here for lunch and ordered their Ahi Katsu. As soon as it arrived at my table, i noticed the color of the katsu was a dark brown. I was thinking either they overcooked the katsu or used dirty cooking oil. After a few bites, it was indeed burnt. Besides the burnt flavor, I found the Ahi Katsu to be bland and the consistency mushy. Their recipe certainly is missing by a lot. Lacking any taste, I decided to drown the katsu bites in their sauce. Not much help – sauce was OK. Two-​thirds of the way through, I contemplated dumping the rest instead of consuming tasteless calories…
My friend ordered the Cobb Salad and although he was pleased with the salad and left quite content, the ingredients did not appear fresh to me. Perhaps it was indeed fresh, but the color looked drab. I did try the dressing and did like the dressing – a spicy aioli flavor…
Will trying just one entrée here prevent me from return visits? Probably, my eye will quickly glance over and focus in on other Fort Street Mall options…
This review should be 2.5 stars but I’m going to end this review on a positive note and bump it up to three stars…

I’ve always rooted for Dreamers (refer to original review). It used to be really good but when I Love Country Café kinda helped take it over or something, it went down the shit hole. I’ve been stopping by time to time and each time within the past year had left me with sadness.
Noodle specials, just don’t get it.
Tan Tan Mien is way, WAY, too salty. My mom owns a Chinese restaurant and MSG courses through her veins but damn, Dreamers’ noodles were so salty, she had to pour water into her broth to thin it out.
The Korean black noodles, jaja mein (sp?), is weak. I’ve tried it twice (second time for redemption) and both times I had to toss it without finishing. Even if it was only $ 2.99, I rather spend more money on food I can actual consume.
Breakfast…
I was falsely advertised. Their breakfast special had their «house-​cured» smoked salmon eggs Benedict. The lady at the counter was encouraging me to get it because it was good so I chose that. It came out in decent sized portions but WAIT, NO SALMON!!! It was a greasy white fish substitute. Lady, why didn’t you say something?! For $ 10.99, I felt cheated since I was expecting salmon and could’ve gotten their regular Eggs Benedict for $ 7.99 instead and be less disappointed. Hollandaise sauce wasn’t good.
French toast did not look like the pictures. The picture showed thick and fluffy slices of toast triangles but the ones we got were two long slices of bread and thin. It was also greasy and sad looking.
I quit. McDonald’s would have been a better option. When I go out to eat and the food is just crap, I think of Restaurant Impossible. Robert Irvine, please save this place!

Going to school downtown, I think Dreamers Café is definitely on my top 3 places to eat on Fort Street! One thing about this café is it’s always full of college students and Cops.
This café has a very casual atmosphere. If you come here to eat don’t expect anything fancy, or high end service. This is a very casual place, which is probably a family owned restaurant as well.
My favorite thing to order for breakfast is the Sunrise Skillet. It comes with scrambled eggs with bacon, ham & onion. It is also topped with tomato, green onions and cheddar cheese. YUM!
My second favorite breakfast item is the Eggs Benedict (not the best in the world but it hits the spot when you get mad cravings for it). The Benedict comes on a toasted English muffin and is topped with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
My favorite thing to order for lunch is the Turkey Wrap. I love the wrap because it’s BIG and the fries taste super good. The wrap comes with (obviously) roast turkey, cheddar cheese, avocado, salsa, clover sprouts, lettuce and tomato.
As for the prices, I think it’s reasonably priced. I mean eating lunch is always hard for college students since we are always balling on budgets. I know when it comes to lunch I try to buy something big so I can eat half of it and be satisfied and then save the other half for my break at work.
One great thing is if you attend HPU and show them your student ID at the register you will receive a 10% discount. =)

Their breakfast was very good and reasonably priced. Got the Mrs. the fried rice with eggs, bacon, and Portuguese sausage. Lots of food for $ 8 or so. The fried rice wasn’t bad but wasn’t actually good either. Tastier than plain rice but nothing I’d feel the desire to try again.
My omelet, on the other hand, was really really good. Spinach, mushrooms, cheese, and just the right amount of garlic folded inside eggs that were actually cooked well done as I ordered it.
Soft drinks are refillable, once, for dine-​in patrons. Was worried such a sign indicates a reluctance to refill but no sign of fuss or grief when I refilled my large.
Service was okay, you order at the counter and seat yourself if you’re dining in. The food is brought to you when it’s ready.

This place gave me an icky feeling. My food was OK, & good thing I got bottled water because my co-​worker said her cup of water tasted weird. The women working there were nice though.

Environment: ¹⁄₅
Employees: ²⁄₅
Food: ¹⁄₅
Cost: ⁵⁄₅
Parking: ¹⁄₅
Total: ¹⁰⁄₂₅
This is another restaurant I am NEVER EVER coming back to.
Synopsis: After waking up from my drunken stupor, it was imperative to get food. Ka’imi was too lazy to walk to good Phở, so we had to go to some place close by, within «walking» distance from Executive Centre. I cringed at our choices, and I was hoping that he would cringe enough as well to agree that we need to leave to some place better. We were sorely mistaken. Dreamer’s Café is a false advertisements as it entices something magical. Quite the contrary. The employees didn’t offer any smile or, «How are you,» but «Who is next in line?» What the hell? The food was mediocre and I am unsure if my dish was supposed to be hot or cold because there were hot spots. Did you guys microwave the meat? I guess you get what you paid for, because it came out to be less than 10 bucks. :/​. It is Chinatown, there is no parking…
Environment: As the name suggets, it is a magical place. NOT! The floors have a yellow, outdated color. Even the walls seem dirty as if a thick layer of yellow tar from cigarettes stuck to the wall. Yikes. Where the pastries were, I was concerned with the length of time it was there due to the fact only half of the showcase was filled. Old? I am not sure, and don’t want to find out. If you look at the tables, some of them have screws, while others just have napkins on the ground to keep the table from swaying while eating. I tittered at this, and then thought of all the bacteria that must be collecting within the napkins. I cringed! Just imagine the kitchen? YYIIIKKESSS!
Employees: Mediocre at best. No smile, no «Hi.» However, when the food is ready they bring it to your table and the lady asked if I wanted a drink with my food. That was good. Mmm. but still, I would not necessarily come here for the service. :/​
Food: I had this dish with sliced cucumbers, meat, and bean sprouts. It was good… as a cold dish, but there were hot spots in the meat? What the hell? I had no idea what was going on, but I was concerned about food borne illness thereafter. Of course, I found I didn’t get sick. Phew! But um… hot dishes need to be hot, cold dishes need to be cold. That is all I have to say. ¹⁄₅
Ka’imi had the ramen which was okay. Nothing too special with the soup base. Mediocre. Although, I didn’t have the complete dish, so I cannot rate this.
Cost: In terms of you get what you paid for… I guess I should be happy it is not some side truck from the slums of Peru. It was under 10 bucks, and I know where there are places where you can get an awesome ⁵⁄₅ food for the same pricing.
Parking: It is Chinatown. Yikes on the parking on that. Plus, to be honest, I would not find parking to even come here. Hop on to the next restaurant.

Wow, i’m kind of surprised by some of the ratings here.
My coworkers and I headed up Fort Street for some lunch. One suggested Dreamers as a place to eat. I didn’t get a good feeling from it but he wanted to «eat in» so I didn’t have a choice to grab from somewhere else.
Standing in line, I saw a barely touched portion of kalua pig and cabbage plate sitting unattended. My guess is that it was so bad the person just left without finishing.
I ordered the Zha Jiang Mein. While it was ok, the topping was so overwhelming and salty that even after mixing it with the noodles, it was just too much. It was only $ 3.99, which made me feel better though.
My coworker had a $ 7+ mini lasagna. Not only was it mini but she said it wasn’t great and left it unfinished (came with a small salad).
My other coworker had kiawe chicken. It looked pretty plain and he agreed that it was pretty plain.
Service wasn’t great. I asked for water when I ordered. None came so I asked when they brought me food and it never came still. She also was a little abrupt about it.
I don’t think i’d ever return.

Met a old coworker in downtown last week for lunch and after walking under the hot heat we decided to come eat here.
How it works is you order before you sit and the waitress brings the food to you, but you need to get your own drink in the refrigerator right next to the condiments. They had daily specials, to a huge wide range of a menu, and they even had plates made on the counter for how some of their dish looks like. I ordered the kiawe steak with rice and mac salad and my friend ordered the lasagna at first then minutes after seating they told her they ran out of the lasagna so she reordered the fried chicken with the meat sauce spaghetti.
The kiawe steak did not taste like kiawe steak first of all and they used sirloin for their steak! YUK! I guess being that it was only $ 6 it was expected to not be a decent good rib eye steak but I did not care for it at all because they steak was so oily and tough to chew on and it had no flavor. I love steak and this was not a lovable steak which I did not even finish! To be honest the only thing I liked was my drink and mac salad… how sad! So, seeing how disgusted I was with my food my friend gave me a piece of her thigh fried chicken which was alright, still moist and eatable but it not have any taste to it. She did say she liked the spaghetti and ate it all up! From the look of the spaghetti it did look appetizing and it was filled with meat sauce (something most restaurants don’t do).
If you like fast service with «what you get, is what you pay for» kinda meals then this is the place to go! One thing I did like was the glass tables, Hawaii brand can drinks and the friendly staff!

Get the kimchi fried rice! I was originally going to give Dreamer’s 4 stars, but I guess one good thing about being 40 reviews behind on Unilocal is that I’ve had a couple weeks of procrastination to realize that I REALLY CRAVE THE KIMCHI FRIED RICE HERE!!!
Found this place on Unilocal on a Sunday morning because it was one of the only places open in Downtown where I live on a weekend, and especially in the morning. I ordered a Hawaiian bread french toast and my friend ordered the kimchi fried rice. But after I finished my french toast (which was good too), let’s just say I ate something like half of his huge tray of kimchi fried rice.
I’m really picky about kimchi fried rice, and I’m one of few people that actually doesn’t like the kimchi fried rice at Side Street Inn. I understand there’s 2 types of kimchi fried rice … a more Hawaiian version and the original Korean verison. I guess I’m not a huge fan of the Hawaiian version, and I think Dreamer’s is more of the Korean style, which is why I liked it.
The other offerings at Dreamer’s looked really good too… I remember standing at the window looking at the menu for the longest time, trying to decide. I love breakfast/​brunch foods! Definitely coming here again and highly recommend it to others. =)

I strolled in one morning in search for something different than my normal breakfast I usually get and was looking at the specials and the Chicken and Waffles caught my eyes… that sounded good! Oh and for a price of $ 2.24!!! I was sold.
I ordered it and the Chicken was not bad good for breakfast not oily and not salty too so perfect for breakfast. The waffles though I wished were either sweeter or something as it was a bit tasteless, oh well nothing a load of syrup can’t cure…
Prices other than the specials are a bit more than some other places on the mall but like Michelle L. said it is teeming with Police Officers in the morning but it is well lit and clean looking.
I’d probably come back again to try some of the other breakfast specials unless I end up on the Most Wanted list :-)

The only thing I’m dreaming about here is what’s on the menu! Dreamers
is on Fort Street and brings in a lot of student and work professionals. Its mostly an older crowd that eats in the sitting area-​which is spacious.
The service takes about 7 – 10 minutes for your meal to be ready on an
average day. The food hits the spot but seems to be a little bit pricier than the other venues along Fort Street Mall, though not by a whole lot. Its always hot or cold when it needs to be.
Their seasoned fries are SO good and their chicken wraps are also good, but not the tastiest. The spreads or dressing that come with some of the wraps make the wrap soggy too quick or make the sandwich drippy and not as enjoyable, so eat it fast! Their spam, eggs and rice are always warm and delicious. Who in Hawai’i could turn down a disgustingly good sodium packed breakfast meal like SE&R??? And they serve it all day too! (Unlike Fort Street Café)
They also got new chair which are a lot nicer looking so bring in your
newspaper or laptop, grab a chair and make an afternoon out of it. This place is perfect for long lunch breaks if you need a good breakfast or lunch fixin’! They’re usually open til about 5 or 6ish. Card and cash accepted here with dine-​in or take-​out available.

Can’t believe it has taken me this long to eat here. Dreamer’s, although not the cheapest in downtown, makes a large variety of breakfast dishes to accommodate everyone.
With that said, this review is solely based on their breakfast menu. I ordered their eggs benedict with hash browns. The poached eggs were on the smaller side, but overall it was alright (hash browns were kind of soggy).
For those following me, I am ALWAYS a sucker for kim chee fried rice. If I see it on the menu, I am ordering it guarantee. For roughly $ 7, you get a plate lunch size amount of kim chee fried rice with 2 eggs cooked to your liking, it was very filling.
Although the food here is not spectacular, it is not bad either. Breakfast in downtown is rather sparse, so I am a fan of Dreamer’s.