\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
N<\/span>ot long after chef Jon Matsubara debuted a lobster roll at Feast<\/a><\/strong> in M\u0101noa, the ensuing social media frenzy created lunchtime lines that snaked around the corner. Businessmen, police officers, office workers and retirees came from as far as Wai\u2018anae and Mililani.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018\u014dpala guys in our neighborhood, they jumped out of the garbage truck and said, \u2018Oh, we ordered online,\u2019\u201d says Matsubara, who trained at Alan Wong\u2019s and New York\u2019s Jean-Georges and Tabla. \u201cWe said you guys are 15 minutes early. They\u2019re like, \u2018No worry, we\u2019re gonna go around the block, pick up rubbish.\u2019 So that\u2019s what they did, then they came back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Get this lobster roll at the new Hawaiian Style Seafood in Waik\u012bk\u012b on Kal\u0101kaua Avenue. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n That was in 2020, when pandemic restrictions had cut business by 70%. Long story short: The lobster roll didn\u2019t just save Feast, it became its signature item\u2014and the catalyst for the 6-year-old restaurant\u2019s first expansion. Seeing tourists\u2019 unabated appetites for the lobster rolls he billed as \u201cHawaiian-style\u201d at the KCC Farmers Market, Matsubara in mid-September opened Hawaiian Style Seafood Co. in Waik\u012bk\u012b.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t faze him that Wicked Maine Lobster<\/strong> and Royal Lobster<\/strong>, the island\u2019s two dedicated lobster roll specialists, are less than a block away. Both sell traditional lobster rolls with melted butter, and Wicked Maine, a micro chain from California, also sells another with bacon and avocado.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Matsubara\u2019s lemony, butter-drenched Maine lobster meat mixed with bonito-and-soy umami mayo and fresh dill on King\u2019s Hawaiian sweet rolls hammers home the Hawaiian part of his theme. He also has on the menu a seafood omakase of Kaua\u2018i shrimp, Kualoa oysters, Kona abalone, kampachi and aku; and Kaua\u2018i garlic shrimp cocktail with chicharrones.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a healthy competition. There\u2019s always room for another good version of seafood, especially if it\u2019s showcasing local farmers and fishermen,\u201d Matsubara says. \u201cLobster might disappear\u2014no problem. We\u2019re still surrounded by fish, ogo, Kaua\u2018i shrimp. There\u2019s so much abundance of pristine local ingredients, and we have an opportunity to cook it up local style.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hawaiian Style Seafood Co., Waik\u012bk\u012b Shopping Plaza, 2250 Kal\u0101kaua Ave., Waik\u012bk\u012b, @hawaiianstyleseafood<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Mari Taketa\u00a0<\/strong>is the dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine and editor of Frolic Hawai\u2018i.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Hn2510](\"https:\/\/www.honolulumagazine.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/u\/t\/hn2510-ay-hawn-style-seafood-co-lobster-roll-4305.jpg\")
<\/p>\n