New Liliha Bakery Location Opens

I work at Dole Cannery in Iwilei, and while it's only a few blocks west of downtown Honolulu, it's a comparative wasteland when it comes to food options. One can live on Costco hotdogs and pizza for only so long. Fortunately, a celebrated local eatery has finally opened its second location on Nimitz Highway, in the old Sam Choy's space across from City Mill.

Liliha Bakery has been a Kalihi institution since 1950. Peter Kim bought it in 2008 with plans to expand statewide. And while that expansion has been a long time coming -- this Iwilei location has been in the works since October 2013, with the opening delayed from May -- there's little doubt Liliha Bakery and its signature coco puffs will easily satisfy an even larger audience.

The space, located at 580 North Nimitz Highway, is familiar to people who'd dined at Sam Choy's during its 15-year tenancy. It's been given several modern updates, with dark wood furniture and spot lighting, giving it a much more moody feel than its much older sister on Kuakini Street, less than two miles away. In addition to ample bakery space, there's restaurant table and counter seating, and the kitchen remains open and within view of customers.

Check out more photos of the new Liliha Bakery location on Flickr, Google+ or Facebook.