Try a pleasant lunch at Dean & Deluca
Hip, new market and cafe offers fresh baked goods, a coffee bar, and new dishes.
Dean & Deluca opened its first Hawaii-based market and cafe in Waikiki at The Ritz-Carlton Residences on Sept. 15.
Dean & Deluca is a chain gourmet marketplace with a variety of assorted fine foods, fresh breads, pastries, and a coffee bar. On the second floor, for those 21 and over, it has a wine bar.
It was originally opened in the SoHo neighborhood in New York on Oct. 6, 1988. It has since grown and this new location makes 11 total in the United States and 51 locations worldwide, including locations in Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the Middle East, and Thailand.
A sleek clean atmosphere awaits the arrival of each customer, which is a huge contrast to the busy streets of Waikiki. Customers will see the bakery and the coffee bar on one side and the gourmet market on the other.
The staff is extremely helpful and friendly. If you aren’t sure what is good or if they can accommodate your dietary needs, they are more than willing to assist you. For instance if dairy is an issue, they offer soy milk and almond milk alternatives.
Through large glass displays, customers can select and sample the various foods such as the wild rice and mushrooms, the broccolini with garlic, and the egg and avocado sandwich. Food is ordered by the pound, so if you are really hungry, you can order more, and if you aren’t, you can order less.
The price is affordable as the food and beverages are à la carte and can range anywhere from $9 to $25, depending on how much you order. If you want more than a pound, the price may be higher.
The spicy octopus poke is a must try. It tastes light and fresh and doesn’t leave the aftertaste of fish in your mouth. It has just the right amount of sauce to enjoy the flavor but doesn’t leave the poke drenched. I’m always on the hunt for good poke and this did not disappoint.
If poke or seafood is not for you, it has other options that are just as equally delicious. For the sweet tooth, the macarons are delectable. They’re sweet, but light, and didn’t make me feel like taking a nap afterward. Desserts can be heavy and often leave you feeling sick, but these only left me wanting more.
There is an assortment of beverages in the market and cafe, for something to grab-on-the-go, there are exotically flavored sodas. For a boost to keep you going throughout the day, the coffee bar is the perfect place to try. As a student and a student-worker, I find that the need for coffee is a must. The iced chai tea latte with almond milk was the perfect combination of coffee to give me that boost but also still sweet so that I wasn’t left with a bitter aftertaste. Most coffee shops either don’t accommodate milk alternatives or charge extra for the alternative, so I loved that I was able to order a drink without having to worry about the extra costs.
In the middle of the market and cafe, Dean & Deluca displayed its own brand of products. These range anywhere from candies, food, sauces, and beverages. All perfectly packaged and displayed on tall shiny silver shelves.
Dean & Deluca is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The market and cafe is take-out, so there is no need for reservations. There is bike parking available but since it is located in the Ritz-Carlton Residences, valet parking is recommended and convenient. If you crave something new and fresh, Dean & Deluca is the place to go.
Dean & Deluca
2112 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815