The Dumb Coq

Finally got around to trying this new signless spot near Smith and Kings.
I have to admit its very good.
So far we’ve tried the Giant Cobb Salad (big enough for 3 – 4 ppl), Amazing French Onion Soup and Pork Sliders.
Service was good.

Second review: Well, my friend and i tried again at an earlier time. Ordered the delicious cobb salad and to die for dumb coq burger. While this time the food did come faster (52 minutes) compared to my first visit, the wait is still atrocious.
Thank goodness the burger and salad are so delicious.
By noon, the place was smokin’ and the wait staff were scrambling. Two groups of 2 and 3 were seated ordered their drinks and left since no one took their order. At least they got their iced teas for free.
So going early didn’t pay off today, will try later to see if it makes a difference.
First review: Went to lunch w/​2 of my friends. Got there before noon and waited 57 minutes for our food. The wait was just too long! The food was really good, but not an hour wait good.
Ordered the dumb coq burger, chicken saltinboca and cobb salad.
Definitely recommend the cobb salad and burger as they were delicious. But the chicken saltinboca was a disappointment. The chicken was dry and the flavor of the sandwich as a whole was pure disappointment.
Either go early or go late so you’re not caught up in the lunch hour.

Very simple menu. Actually makes it easy. They have like three sandwiches on their menu. Along with three appetizers. So basically the only time when you say you ordered the entire menu, it’s absolutely 100% fact. And with all the items you can’t go wrong. The sandwiches were delicious with pretty crispy fries.
The food is good but basic. But the main treat is the name of the restaurant. Cause honestly is just fun to say «Hey, you feel like some (dumb) coq tonight?»

Only thing you need to know:
Best Cobb Salad in the area!
But if you’d like to know more. We found street parking a block down (walk with people, otherwise doesn’t feel safe, as in thinking about the homeless couple yelling at each other on the way to my car)
Cool ambience, it could totally be a place if you want a regular spot to hang with friends/​coworkers after work!
Bartender was very nice, great service and it pains me to say this because of his awesome personality but drinks… need some working on.

I came here for a quick dinner and ate at the bar, seems to be the way to go when traveling alone for business.
I had the mussels appetizer for dinner, which was a good choice for me, because I like mussels. I recommend eating it by putting the french fries aside and then dipping them in the broth, which is delicious. To be honest, it’s good as a meal
For drinks, I had their kiwi drink (can’t remember the name) at the top of the menu and I enjoyed it.
The bartender was very nice through the meal.
So, definitely recommend this place.

I had lunch with two coworkers in 11.24.15. One of them had lunch here few weeks ago and enjoyed their chicken Saltimbocca sandwich.
Upon arrival, we we’re allowed to sit anywhere we preferred & selected the banquette area. The dining area is nice & bright with a lot of natural light from the large windows. We were given menus and were informed that they ran out of mussels and fries, so I was a little bummed out as I really wanted to try since it’s one of my favorite French bistro items. I ordered the Coq Madame and my co workers both ordered the Coq burger. The burgers arrived & were huge, came with bacon bits & generous slices of avocado on the side, with crispy shoestring fries. My Coq Madame arrived (open faced, tartine style) with a side of crispy shoestring fries. It was perfectly prepared with egg atop the ham and bechamel sauce over crispy bread. Yum.
Our meals were pretty generous & we were still full into the afternoon. They have a small menu but added items since their initial opening. Looking forward to trying their mussels & fries soon. If they add light dessert items, that would be great too.
Table service is prompt & friendly. I’ll be back for drinks after work too as they have a full bar & specialty drinks.
12.23.15 — The two previous times that I visited, they didn’t have the mussels but they had them today so I ordered them. The mussels were very fresh and white wine broth was tasty.

I really wanted to like this place, but the service was not good. A friend & I went shortly after it opened. Understandably, they did not have everything ready to go yet and were still in transition, but I was still disappointed.
The food was not bad, but was well — unforgettable. We shared the sliders, the coq monssieur sandwich and the tacos. It was okay, but nothing spectacular. I also ordered a specialty drink which was pretty good.
My problem was the unprofessional service. I can understand new staff in training and the new business transition, but our waitress was too much. It was not busy, but she made us wait a while before taking our order. Then, after we were served our food, she basically forgot about us. At this point, we were still okay, but then we noticed that she had taken a seat at one of the tables to chat with her friends. We were left waiting because she was hanging out with her friends.
With just okay food, the service just did not cut it. Unfortunately, I’ve heard that the service hasn’t improved much since my visit. Sad to hear.

I tried out this «new» place recently for lunch with coworkers on a Friday afternoon and it was good to see they have made some updates since their soft opening a couple months ago.
First off, the space is nice with an industrial feel; exposed brick wall, exposed ceiling, high top tables with a row of bench and counter seating… it gives it a nice feel. All those exposed, hard surfaces in a big room does make things a bit loud in there though. They also added some cool artwork to the walls which is an improvement since my first time visiting.
The service is friendly but not overly spectacular. I do have to say the wait was a bit long for our order to come though but that gave us some time to converse. Just be careful if you’re on a tight lunch hour.
But the wait was worth it. I ordered the Coq Monsieur with fries and it hit the spot. The cheesy bread was very tasty and the warm ham in the middle was perfect. The shoestring fries were also good, never soggy and not over-​fried. I definitely didn’t want the meal to end yet when I took my last bite.
I remember having tried the clams with fries on top the last time I had visited and at the time, I had asked for bread to sop up the soup. I noticed this dish now comes with bread now, so that’s a nice improvement.
I’m definitely going to return in the near future and am excited to try the french onion soup.
FYI, the bathroom is through the door in the back which leads to a hallway (shared space). The bathroom door doesn’t have a lock on the inside but it’s locked on the outside, so don’t close the door behind you when you’re done or else the next person won’t be able to use it.

How do you say «no» when your friend suggests you meet up for lunch at a place called The Dumb Coq?
The name (which supposedly has a story behind it) may be what drew me in, but the Dumb Coq Burger is what will bring me back. The patty, made with local beef, is large, well-​seasoned and extremely juicy with a char that renders ketchup completely unnecessary. And then they top it with applewood smoked bacon chunks, gruyère and sliced avocado, because that’s how they roll. And you can add an egg for $ 1.50. (Advice: Get the egg.) I fork-​and-​knifed it open-​faced, which worked out very nicely, because then I had the grilled top bun all to itself in all its carb-​y glory. Yum.
The burger also comes with a big pile of fries, but don’t waste your appetite on these: The burger alone will fill you up, and the thin potato sticks are just average. You can use a few to wipe up any stray egg yolk or beef «drool» that ends up on your plate.
To be honest, none of the other entrees really cried out to me from the menu, but my friend’s seared short rib steak did look mighty fine when it arrived at our table. So that may be something to try if I ever get tired of the burger, but that’s a big if.
Service is good. Our waitress was really nice, but she and the bartender were the only ones working the front of the house today, so that got a little hectic once the lunch crowd started pouring in. Still, she was able to maintain her sense of humor and do her job well while she handled the requests of dozens of customers, so everything worked out fine.
The only bummer here is, as with any downtown establishment, parking. Metered street parking is in short supply, so your best bet is one of the municipal lots, and those can fill up pretty quickly. Still, some downtown establishments are worth the trouble, and I’m glad to add this to that list. I’ll definitely be back!

Mainly reviewing for the food and service. Went here for lunch for coworkers. We all got a different things so we could try each others’ food. Not a lot stuck out though, not bad but not really memorable.
Likes: I enjoyed the pork belly sliders. Most of the other things we tried tasted fine.
Dislikes: The restaurant had about 3 other tables with customers and wasn’t particularly busy, but the service was pretty inattentive. Had to flag down a server to get water refilled and we had to go up to the bar to pay because it was taking a little too long waiting at the table (and I had a meeting). The french onion soup that day had a little too much thyme for my tastes.
Spending about $ 15 – 20 per person for lunch, there are better places in downtown Honolulu for both food quality and service. I’d come back to try other things though, as they’re relatively new and things can change.

What’s the best thing about eating? Eating with fellow YEEPS! We like to try as many items as possible, share and know the hot and new places and sometimes with a cool name like here.
Diana, Nadine, Daniel and I had awesome laughs over some creative drinks and good food.
The place has the hipster downtown vibe. Small menu about 9 items to select from. 2 appetizers, 4 items for soups and salad and 3 items for entrée. All are between $ 9-​$ 14. My favorite was between the mussels that has a light floored broth that allows the natural flavor of the mussel to stand out. The coq Monsieur is a must– the Gruyère cheese makes it just the right amount of creamy.
Amazing company+good food+yummy drinks
I’ll be back to try other items, I hope that they add more items to the menu.

I was skeptical the first time I walked by the dumb coq. DUMB COQ. Say that a couple times in public in hopes of being overheard out of context. It’s an interesting name and I kind of hesitated to try it because of the silly name. Silly me, this place is awesome possum! Everything about it!
Let’s first start with the drinks, because let’s be honest, who really cares about anything else if the drinks are strong, yummy and pretty darn cheap? Jk, but really, dumb coq is my favorite place to go for drinks. I’ve been here every week for the past few weeks and have two favorites. The first is the kiwi capriosca; muddled kiwi with alcohol, served up with a boba straw. NEED I SAY MORE??! The second is the purple haze. Lemony raspberry deliciousness that tricks you into thinking you’re just drinking juice. Dangerous!
The food: great. I’m in love with the shoe string fries, I think the mussels are a steal and hopelessly look forward to trying their burger special (for some reason, I only end up coming for drinks…). The rest of heir very limited menu looks very appealing and I’ll definitely have to come back for a burger or a salad. Yum yum! I recently tried the French onion soup and thought it was a little too salty, but I liked the toast and melty cheese that topped it:)
The space is relatively large, but it can get quite loud as people get more drunk. The bathroom situation is also a little weird because it is shared with the rest of the building and because it is one restroom for both men and women.
The service is great! The waitresses recognize my friends and the bartender has very good taste in shoes (complimenting Nicole K’s suede booties) lol. Definitely worth a try!

We needed to grab a quick dinner on a Friday evening before seeing Margaret Cho in concert, I had seen the Unilocal reviews for the Dumb Coq so we took the opportunity to try out this new spot. Interesting, I don’t think there was any noticeable signage out front, without Unilocal I would not have even known about this place.
Food: We went with the Coq Monsieur sandwich and the taco platter (with tofu) along with a Manhattan Cocktail and a glass of wine. The sandwich was excellent, cheese all melty on the inside and bonus cheese on the outside of the bread as well. Taco was decent. dressing had a nice kick to it. The drinks were okay. and the wine selection was limited. No dark beers at the time we were there. server said they were still new and filling out their selection.
Service: Good service, the place was about half full so not super busy. Food an drinks came quickly, friendly service, no complaints.
Atmosphere: Cool space in the middle of downtown, I’m liking all of the new spaces opening up. It was a little loud in there as sounds really bounce off the floor and walls.
Value: Okay value, not super cheap, not outrageously expensive. Cocktails were a bit on the pricier side. Food portions were generous based on our order.
Overall: Limited selection of wines and beer but I’d definitely come back after they’ve had a chance to settle in.

When Maka checked in at this place, I laughed out loud (like you) because of the name! She was First to Review, and I paid attention.
When Diana L. asked me for dining suggestions, the Dumb Coq was at the top of my list. Diana said she wanted to meet my lunch buddy and me and asked if Rosalynn could join us?! Of course! The more the merrier and the more dishes that we can try!
Located on the left side of King Street as you face Waikiki, this restaurant has no permanent signage. We had to figure it out from the papers taped to the inside of the window.
Our server, Jennifer, was outstanding! She really took good care of us… that’s why I asked for her name.
The interior had a tavern-​like vibe. There was a lot of black and brick colors around us. I was impressed with the charging ports and the purse hooks for customer convenience. That’s so thoughtful!
The food was great! We enjoyed the Steak tacos, the Cobb Salad, the Coq Monsieur sandwich, the Pork Belly Sliders, and the steamed Mussels which was the special for the day. Those mussels were so ono… plump and tasty! That sandwich was as good as all of the reviews say! Yum! Too bad the Pork Belly Sliders weren’t as expected. The Cole slaw in them kinda threw it off… like a confusion. The tacos and the Cobb Salad hit the spot!
We even had a round of drinks. The Jolly Bear, Purple Haze, and Cadillac Margarita were fun and refreshing!
I sure would return and have some of the other menu items! If you need help finding the place, just ask and I’ll join you !!

Trying to arrive at a restaurant before lunch buddy is tough and not to mention trying to post a review before her is equally as tough! She’s quick like a ninja but hopefully this review will post before she has a chance to post hers. I should be working but this is more important! Guess we’re both competitive lol
This restaurant is located on King Street between Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown. There isn’t a sign and you can easily miss it. Once you find it, you walk into a room with modern décor. Bar is to your right and black tables in the middle and left of the restaurant. I really liked the paintings/​pictures on the wall, particularly the pig one in the middle. It is a nice open concept.
I had the honor to dine with Diana L, Rosalynn E and lunch buddy here for the first time. Our server was Jennifer and she was great. She was patient with us as we ordered and knew the daily specials like the back of her hand. We ordered the Mussels and Frites (Daily Special), Lil’ Tacos w/​Steak, Coq Monsieur, Pork Belly Sliders and Cobb Salad. It was paired with the Cadillac Margarita, Jolly Bear and Purple Haze.
General consensus on best dish was the Mussels and Frites. The mussels were plump and flavorful. Fries were fried perfectly and the bread was a great sponge for the sauce. I thought the Coq Monsieur was very good as well. My least favorite was the Pork Belly Sliders. The Pork Belly was great on the sweet roll but the coleslaw didn’t go very well with the dish IMO. It added texture but the flavors sort of clashed.
Great new find in the area and the drinks were just what we all needed on a Friday afternoon. We will be back!

What do Unilocalers do best? We eat. And we love to eat. The sun, moon, and stars aligned today for an epic lunch event for me: lunch with fellow Unilocalers Daniel C, Nadine L, and Rosalynn E!
The Dumb Coq, I’m assuming is relatively new, does not have any signage outside of the establishment. Follow your GPS, it will take you there. Or invite me out to lunch, I will lead you there ;)
First off, the always important question: where is parking? Well, if you’re lucky enough to find street parking, it’s your lucky day! Well, after 6pm. During the day, don’t forget to feed your meter! Otherwise, park in the municipal lot in the same building as the Dumb Coq — entrance on Bethel Street on your left, across from Walmart. It’s pretty cheap. Max $ 3.00 after 5pm. Otherwise, I think it is $ 0.75 per half hour, which is still good. Word of caution — huge cars won’t make it in. Parking is tight and the stalls are tight. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Alright, now the good stuff. Food was fantastic. Their special for our lunch: steamed mussels and that was delicious! Probably my favorite of the lunch hour. We decided on family style so we could try a little bit of everything.
Pork belly sliders — they were good, but I could do without the slaw inside the sandwich.
Lil Tacos — YUM. This was quite delicious. Huge fan. You get 3 lil’ tacos in one order and your choice of beef, chicken, or tofu.
Cobb Salad — This order was HUGE. And when I say huge… I MEAN HUGE. I guarantee you won’t finish this order alone. Chicken, tomatoes, bacon, avocados, hard-​boiled egg, bleu cheese… with bleu cheese dressing on the side. It was actually quite good.
Coq Monsieur — Everyone’s talking about this for a reason. I love sourdough bread — and to top it off with gruyère cheese and slap some ham in there — match made in heaven.
Our server, Jennifer, was so welcoming and very attentive. 5 stars for her! Of course we all ordered drinks, too. It is 5 o’clock somewhere, right? Their drinks were quite tasty as well. I would definitely come back here to try out the rest of their menu and drinks. My belly is happy.
Enjoy!

Ever since I saw the feature about The Dumb Coq on the Frolic Hawaii website, I’ve been wanting to go … specifically to try that renowned «Coq Monsieur.»
Two friends and I went for an early dinner around 5 p.m. on a Monday. I was surprised by how empty the restaurant was … besides one person seated at the bar, we were the only ones in the eatery. By the time we left around 6:30 p.m., though, a few more couples were coming through the doors.
It’s a good thing my two friends got there before me; otherwise, I would have walked straight past the eatery. Currently, The Dumb Coq has no sign, which could make it hard to miss.
Loved the friendly, helpful staff here and the modern ambience. The girl who was our server was particularly helpful. Apparently, they used to serve waffle fries here and switched to regular fries, but those waffle fries will soon be making a return! But, when I asked our server about the fries, she said they could give me some with my entrée (the waffle fries just take longer to cook than regular fries). Everyone who knows me knows that I love waffle fries/​tater tots more than regular fries, so I was really grateful!
Except for my friend’s steak being slightly overcooked, everything we had for dinner was a blast. Be sure you ask the staff what the specials of the day are (they’ll probably be quick to tell you); if that burger’s ever featured again, I’m going to try it. But here’s what we got:
«Coq Monsieur»: This was basically a glorified grilled cheese sandwich. If you love cheese, you’re sure to love this conCOQtion. It features ham, gruyère cheese, Dijon and béchamel on sliced sourdough. The ham was sliced thinly and I loved the medley of cheeses. I could taste the slight bite from the Dijon, and the melted, gooey béchamel added the perfect touch. I relished every crunchy bite from this sandwich; the bread was also toasted perfectly (not too hard but delectably crunchy). But truly, those waffle fries are the perfect sidekick to this sandwich. The entrée doesn’t come with a plethora of fries, but the fries are sufficiently large. They tasted fresh and were well seasoned; definitely going to make sure to ask for these every time I get this entrée.
«Burger of the Day»: This burger was a featured special during the time of our visit, but our server said that it was eventually going to be added to the menu. It featured sliced avocado and crispy bacon bits, and it came with a choice of fries or salad. I think my friend was leaning toward the fries, but our server actually recommended the salad because they had a «dope dressing.» My friend said he actually did really enjoy the dressing, and the salad came with a good amount of it. I had a bite of his burger and it was really good. I definitely wouldn’t mind ordering this if it was ever featured again.
«Mussels and Frites»: This was a featured shareable appetizer, and since my friend likes the mussels at Livestock Tavern, he wanted to try the ones here (it was one of the specials of the day). The plate came with a generous portion of mussels. Because I was so focused on eating my sandwich, I didn’t really try the mussels, but I did have some of the skinny-​cut frites, which were tasty. I also liked how the wine sauce (at least, I think it was a wine sauce) was savory and great for dipping the accompanying frites and bread in.
«Steak and Potatoes»: My friend felt like getting this steak and frites, which featured an 8-​oz. seared short rib served alongside thick-​cut fries. The owner later came out and apologized, saying that he was training some new cooks and the steak (which my friend ordered medium rare) was overcooked. He offered my friend a new one – really nice of him – but my friend said it was okay. The thick-​cut fries were on point, though, and they were seasoned well.

After passing The Dumb Coq several times, the funny name and stellar reviews on Unilocal finally piqued our interest and Krysten I. and I decided to give them a try. Although we were not entirely enthused with the limited and unassuming menu at first, we were happily surprised when we found everything we ordered to be absolutely AMAZING! Krysten I. ordered the Special of the Night, Mussels in White Wine Sauce with Fries, and I ordered the Beef Lil’ Tacos.
The Lil’ Tacos are close to the authentic street tacos I loved while going to school in LA. With small diced morsels of steak, chopped onion, cilantro, and a housemade salsa, the simple ingredients together pack a punch of flavor! I was literally licking my fingers as I finished them off. I hope The Dumb Coq decides to make the Lil’ Tacos appetizer into a Big Tacos main dish someday!
In addition to the Lil’ Tacos, I ate some (okay, most of) Krysten I.‘s french fries. While not a huge fan of shoestring fries, I was amazed at how much I loved The Dumb Coq’s version. Not too crispy, not too potato-​y, not too salty, but not too bland — These french fries were juuuuusssttt riiiiiggghhhttt. Even more amazing, The Dumb Coq’s french fries could stand completely on their own without the need of ketchup or other condiments to add flavor! Can I order just a HUGE bowl of these fries next time!
If The Dumb Coq’s amazing food wasn’t enough to keep us coming back for more, then their drinks certainly would be! I ordered the Cadillac Margarita (a perfect accompaniment to the Lil’ Tacos) while Krysten I. ordered the Unilocal-​recommended Kiwi Capriosca. I wasn’t expecting much from my margarita, but boy was I wrong! It was AWESOME! And it had me feeling more than awesome just halfway through my drink! I’m not sure how The Dumb Coq does it, but they have managed to pack generous servings of alcohol into their cocktails without sacrificing flavor or watering it down with syrup and juice. More like The Amazingly Intelligent and Skillful Coq, amirite? (That was a terrible joke, I’m sorry.)
With great food, great drinks, and great service, you can bet we’ll be back soon!

The Dumb Coq, how do you not want to check this place out? Haha. This venue is located in Chinatown, right before walmart. This isn’t a large venue, just the right amount of room. They have an okay selection of alcohol and the menu is on the smaller side compared to other eaters in the area.
The Grub.
[[ LIL’ TACOS $ 7 ]]
Great starter dish to kick off your meal. This dish comes with three small tacos and your choice of beef, tofu or chicken for the filler. However you cant get one of each, boo!
[[COQ MONSIEUR $ 13 ]]
WOW! This baby is filled with ham, gruyère cheese, dijon, bechamel on sliced sourdough. Since we were all sharing dishes we asked the server if they could cut the sandwich into three pieces. I’m so happy they did, this was such a heavy and filling sandwich! I couldn’t image eating the entire thing on my own.
[[ COBB SALAD $ 13 ]]
DUUUUDE. This was huge! This salad was loaded with diced chicken, tomato, bacon, avocado, hard boiled egg, and blue cheese. This is great for sharing!

I headed over here after my bootcamp class. It was around 7:30pm. The place was not packed, but I noticed it was very clean. I walked over to the bar and took a seat. I heard that it had recently opened up a couple months ago. I love checking out new bars/​lounges/​restaurants. I went on Unilocal to check out the reviews and pictures, and the coq Monsieur caught my eye.
As I sat on the chair the bartender greeted me. I asked for the menu so that I could order takeout. I had an idea on what I was going to order, but hey it might change if I see something else. It was a relatively short menu, and I ordered the chicken tacos and coq Monsieur. Within 10 minutes a man brought out my food and I happily exited.
The coq Monsieur was delicious. When I took my first bite I heard that beautiful crunch. The Gruyère cheese and béchamel melted on top was money! Thick slices of ham sandwiched between sourdough bread was salty, buttery, and addicting. The fries needed no ketchup as they were perfectly thin and crispy with the right amount of potato.
The tacos was a good starter. They were small with diced pieces of chicken, cilantro, parsley, onion, salsa, and cabbage. I had no complaints. I was very satisfied.
Overall everything was excellent. I’ll be back to have a few drinks and try their other offerings!