UYE – Happy Hour at Monkeypod Kitchen!

Woohoo first event as an elite!
Once I saw this on the events page, I swear monkeys in pods were following me around, coaxing me to make the drive to ko’olina over the weekend. Friends visiting were instagramming the crap out of this place everyday, the Midweek had an article on their opening… if THAT’S not a sign, I don’t know what is.
and it did not disappoint. I already knew parking can be kind of a pain in this area and made sure to arrive right on time to nab a spot. When I arrived I only saw 2 open stalls, so i can imagine anyone showing up closer to a meal time would struggle. So glad Gary still made it though!
The monkeypod veterans walked me through the menu and pointed me to the delicious dishes, mushroom & truffle oil pizza HELLO HEAVEN. I also fell in love with their pumpkin ravioli! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this place passed the Brandy ravioli test, and it’s not even Italian!
The help was beyond helpful. I’m not sure if that’s because this was a Unilocal event (unofficially) but I wouldn’t have known we didn’t have a reservation because the hostess was holding an empty table for us for a really long time and was very apologetic when she asked if she could seat someone there after an hour of holding it. I would have sworn we had a reservation! I liked that the assistant GM stopped by to talk to us. I learned a lot about the food and their cooking policies (eat local!). The price was right for the food we ordered. I can’t think of anything wrong with this place. I might have sang a different tune if I couldn’t have found parking, but consider this your warning.
Since the event has ended, I’ve been talking nonstop about this place. «Oh yeah they have so many hand crafted beers, you should go!» «did you hear about their ketchup»… blah blah blah msg blah blah blah local ingredients… I think everyone I’ve interacted with in the past 5 days has heard the monkeypod recommendation.
So yeah, you should go, in a nutshell :)

Well, this was my first UYE that I’ve hosted AND been to. And may I say, IT WAS AWESOME!
After discovering this amazing place hiding in Ko’olina. I knew I needed to share this place with the world, or atleast with the rest of Unilocal.
I really don’t know how these places deal with UYE’s. Usually they bring a lot people and we stay for a while. But Monkeypod made us feel really welcome. We even had the assistant general manager come up to us and greet us. He even came back and made sure our food and drinks were okay.
This was a super fun UYE. I feel like I got to meet some of the famous Unilocalers like Russel M and Chuggy Bear. Finally!!! I also got to eat some amazing food and drink some amazing drinks!
All in All this was an awesome UYE. Thanks for coming out to this UYE and making it a success! I’m thinking about doing another West Side UYE next month! Make sure you keep looking for it!

Gary is right about the overall experience at Monkey Pod. We enjoyed everything and really liked the Mushroom Pizza & MP Mai Tai.

Woohoo! Thank you all for coming and helping make my UYE such a success! I really appreciated seeing all of you come out and enjoying happy hour with me and Kate!
I have to say, I really enjoy the food at Monkeypod and they were awesome accommodating our party. I totally didn’t think about calling ahead but we were early and were able to get a section. Holy cow, did not realize how busy it gets on a Saturday! Last happy hour was not as busy. This time there were people waiting outside!
My table ordered a bunch of food — chicken wings, fries, Hamakua wild mushroom pizza, pumpkin patch ravioli, and proletariat pizza. What’s a proletariat pizza you ask? I have no idea! :) haha, just kidding — From the menu: Pepperoni, Sausage, Onion, Green Peppers, Olives, Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce. I still like the Hamakua Mushroom pizza the best… with the truffle oil. Sooo ono. I also ordered an Angry Orchard apple cider. Which was delicious. Just like apple cider. Yeah.
I really want to give this all 5 stars but I feel like it took way too long for our beverages to come. I understand that they may get busy during happy hour but our wait seemed a little too long. Maybe our server was new? Who knows. She was very nice though. That being said, food was brought super promptly.
Anyways. I have yet to try their lunch or dinner but I already have my favorites for happy hour. Not to worry, I will be back.

The freeway actually ended! I never have many opportunities to drive to the end of the H-​1. Like a rainbow, I always assume that you can never get to the very end. I discovered my pot of gold and stole it from a greedy leprechaun, the freeway met its demise, and I found a monkeypod along the way!
For those not in the know, I definitely wasn’t, a monkeypod is a type of tree. It’s a brilliant name for Monkeypod Kitchen considering how beautiful it is. Based in Koolina, it is a good 30 – 40 minute drive from my Makiki hideaway.
I arrived at the party just in time after having to walk a little bit. Parking is tight and you most likely will have to park in the lot across the street a little down the way. It was nice seeing so many familiar faces though, and I got to meet some new ones too!
When it came to ordering, we did things family style. One, because it makes it so easy to try many types of food and two, we’re all sort of family when it comes to Unilocal!Happy hour was in full effect and that led to fun times!
Russ and Karla came prepared doing their homework with what to order. The Monkeypod Mai Tai was the drink to get and it did not disappoint with its amazing lilikoi foam. Two wood-​fire pizzas were ordered along with wood-​roasted chicken wings and truffle oil fries. I must say that while I’m in love with V Lounge’s pizza, I had to cheat a little and try these pizzas. Margherita and Hamakua mushroom pizzas came and they were conquered! I enjoyed the pizzas the best, but I also liked the wings and fries.
I’m always amazed at how patient restaurants are when it comes to UYEs. They’re usually at least 2 hours long, but there are never any complaints, even with a line out the door. Service was fast and friendly and live music was icing on the cake!
Much thanks to Arynn and Kate for throwing this UYE. I really like trying new places and this place is good. Forward march to my next conquest.