Hawaii's Best: Travel Tips and Guides for Your Hawaii Vacation

The Hidden Oahu Gem Where Locals Eat: How bEASTside Kitchen Welcomes Everyone Like Ohana

• Bryan Murphy of Hawaii's Best | Hawaii Travel Tips & Vacation Planning • Episode 145

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Did you know most visitors to Hawaii miss out on authentic food and music experiences on their Hawaii vacation?

For many planning a trip to Hawaii, staying within Waikiki seems convenient, but beyond these tourist spots lies vibrant Hawaiian culture and local businesses across Oahu that embody the true aloha spirit of the Hawaiian Islands.

If you've wondered where locals eat and how to experience genuine hospitality on the Hawaiian Islands, this travel podcast is your essential travel hack when you visit Hawaii.

Learn how venturing just a short drive from tourist areas transforms your Oahu experience from ordinary to extraordinary.

In this episode of Hawaii's Best travel tips series, discover bEASTside Kitchen's inspiring journey from humble tent to beloved local eatery where Hawaiian music legends perform nightly and guests become ohana!

👉In this episode, you will:

  • Discover how bEASTside Kitchen's family recipes became signature dishes
  • Learn why experiencing true Hawaiian hospitality in family-run establishments creates meaningful memories
  • Get actionable tips for exploring beyond Waikiki to find the authentic Hawaii that locals treasure daily

Scroll up ⬆️ and hit play now to unlock the secret to experiencing real Hawaiian aloha through food and music.

📱Connect with bEASTside Kitchen:

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🎧Related episodes:

  • 5 Best Places to Eat on Oahu
  • How to Engage with Hawaiian Culture

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💻Related blog posts:

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🤓Chapters:

  • 1:58 - Our Experience at bEASTside Kitchen
  • 3:20 - Interview: The Story Behind bEASTside Kitchen
  • 7:31 - From Tent to Restaurant
  • 9:36 - Hawaiian hospitality at bEASTside
  • 24:34 - Exploring Oahu Beyond Waikiki
  • 32:04 - Final Thoughts

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🤙Show Aloha

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📲Connect

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This podcast is for travelers looking to plan a trip to Hawaii. Discover travel tips, itineraries, and traveling tips & hacks with guides to help you explore Hawaii. Whether you’re planning a vacation to the Hawaiian islands, dreaming of a Hawaiian getaway, or visiting Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Oahu, or Big Island we’ll help you travel with aloha.

Edge of the Ocean, Stick Figure (w/ permission)

Ukulele and Chill, Coby G (w/ permission)

145_bEASTside Kitchen-final

[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: With so many places and options to eat on Oahu, it can feel overwhelming trying to find great local spots that are away from the chain restaurants in Waikiki. While in this episode, you'll discover Hawaii's best kept secret for experiencing authentic Hawaiian culture and amazing food. That many visitors completely Miss.

[00:00:24] Bryan Murphy: Aloha and welcome to Hawaii's Best. My name is Brian Murphy, and as a husband, data three and certified Hawaii destination expert, it's my joy to help you discover the best of Hawaii Here we often feature local businesses and voices to give you the best travel tips, up to date news and everything you need to plan an unforgettable trip to Hawaii.

[00:00:50] Bryan Murphy: Aloha. And in this episode, you'll discovered a story of a local restaurant that started as a tent during Covid and became one of Oahu's most authentic food spots. Why finding places like this spot might completely change your Hawaii vacation. In what real Hawaiian hospitality looks like beyond the tourist spots.

[00:01:09] Bryan Murphy: Welcome to episode 1 45 of Hawaii's Best, and on the show we love learning from local businesses and voices and helping to travel with aloha. And today I'm thrilled to be talking with James Kiko, owner of Eastside Kitchen on the east side of Ahu, just outside of Waikiki. You'll learn how this family run restaurant captures the true essence of Hawaii through food, music, and community.

[00:01:33] Bryan Murphy: Many people when they visit Waikiki kinda like to stay in their comfort zones and they miss out, unfortunately, on a lot of these spots that feature authentic Hawaiian experiences. And by the end of this episode, you'll learn how venturing out to places like B-Side Kitchen can completely transform your Hawaii trip from a standard vacation to a meaningful cultural experience with memories that truly last a lifetime.

[00:01:58] Bryan Murphy: Recently, my wife and I, Allie, uh, we experienced. This firsthand. We were staying at the Kahala, which is on the east side south shore of Oahu. We were trying to find a spot to eat and there's a mall nearby the Kahala Mall, and we were trying to find a spot to eat and there wasn't anything that really stood out there.

[00:02:17] Bryan Murphy: And Ally went on Yelp. B Side was one of the first spots that we found that were close to the Kahala where we were staying. And you could just tell from the reviews. From the pictures of the restaurant inside and outside and the pictures of the food, there's something special about this place. So we tried it out and our first visit there was a Monday evening.

[00:02:40] Bryan Murphy: The person who waited on this S Shyla, big shout out to s Shyla. Thank you so much for taking care of us and making our first time at B Side. Incredible man. We had the garlic fries. Ali had a drink. I didn't have a drink. I don't know why, because it looked so good. I had a sip of her and it was, it was incredible.

[00:02:56] Bryan Murphy: The food there was just. Amazing. We're like, okay, we gotta come back for, 'cause they do Taco Tuesday, so we gotta come back on Tuesday. And we came back the next day and we got to talking with John, who is the general manager there, and we just got to talk a little bit. And I was like, man, it'd be great to learn more about the story of this spot and to share this with listeners of Hawaii's best.

[00:03:15] Bryan Murphy: So that's what we're doing today and I can't wait to introduce you to the owner of B Side Kitchen. James Kiko from Waiman Oahu. He has over 10 years experience as a bar manager. James took a leap of faith during the Covid pandemic to start what became a simple tent popup to help his grandmother Antoinette overcome isolation.

[00:03:35] Bryan Murphy: During that incredibly tough time, the restaurant quickly gained popularity through word of mouth, five star reviews. And B Side Kitchen features. James's family recipes was transformed into signature dishes like garlic, umami shrimp, and guava barbecue fried chicken. What truly sets B Side Kitchen apart is its authentic Hawaiian experiences offers with live performances from legendary Hawaiian musicians, creating an atmosphere where guests, both locals and visitors, enjoy great food and music together.

[00:04:09] Bryan Murphy: James and the Ohana at B Side has created more than just a restaurant. It's truly a gathering place where staff and guests alike experience true aloha spirit in a welcoming environment that feels like coming to Auntie's house for a backyard party. So let's go ahead and let's talk story with James from B Side Kitchen.

[00:04:37] Bryan Murphy: Kiko, thank you so much for coming on. Hawaii's best today. How are you on this Aloha Friday?

[00:04:43] James Kiko: I'm doing great Maha Nui for having me here this Aloha Friday. It's a beautiful day on Oahu. Took the kids to school, ready to go.

[00:04:51] Bryan Murphy: Well, we're gonna be diving into B Side Kitchen and I wonder if you could just set us up and how it all started and give us a little history on it.

[00:05:01] James Kiko: So B Side Kitchen, and you know, honestly it's a crazy story also. My most favorite memories was how it came about in 2021. Still when a lot of the islands where a lot of the world was still shut down from Covid. My beloved grandmother, who's no longer with us, she was home every day. She's the matriarch of our family.

[00:05:23] Stick Figure - Music: Mm-hmm.

[00:05:23] James Kiko: Everybody would come and see her. She would travel to different islands, seeing all the ohana, and she couldn't for a long time because she was battling breast cancer. Mm-hmm. And just being in her later years, you know, just being extra safe and the travel restrictions. So she kind of fell into a little depression.

[00:05:41] James Kiko: From not seeing everybody and everybody not coming over. So I had a crazy idea, well, not so crazy, but there's a market in wa, our hometown, and they occasionally let people set up a tent and sell food in front of there. So I went to the market and I, I asked them, I'm like, Hey, are you looking for any vendors?

[00:05:59] James Kiko: They're like, yeah, please, you know, take a parking stall. Pop up a tent. Yeah. So I did. I made a like a little menu on what we're gonna sell and I went to her and I told her, I'm like, we're, you know, I told her what we're doing. She's like, what? Why are we doing that? I'm like, to get you out of the house, you know, you need to see people.

[00:06:16] James Kiko: She liked the idea. She was kind of hesitant, but we went out there, we didn't barely set up our tent yet. Everything was sold and everybody knew she was coming out there. So the whole community came out and to see Antonette, that was her name, and she absolutely loved it. And I could see the joy in her face.

[00:06:33] James Kiko: And the market asked us to come back the following day, and we did, sold out again really quickly. You know, she was asking when, when are we gonna do this again? So we went back the following week and you know. We were helping bring business to the market that was there. It was a store called Cultural Connections, where a bunch of native Hawaiians and Polynesians would make, you know, crafts and art, different trinkets and, and put 'em on consignment there.

[00:07:01] James Kiko: So as a whole, we are little small businesses. We came together and all work together and. Beside was kind of the front of that to draw people in. And little by little we were getting more known throughout, not just Wman and Waal's, a very tight knit community, but people that's passing through. And then tourists started coming back to the island slowly and they put us on Yelp and Google and, you know, about 500, five star reviews later.

[00:07:29] James Kiko: We, we were a thing. So

[00:07:31] Bryan Murphy: what was it like transitioning from working under a tent to having a full on restaurant? That must have been quite a change. Yeah,

[00:07:40] James Kiko: it grounded me. I have my career, I've worked a lot in the bar industry and the restaurant industry in Honolulu, and I. It's just a hustle and bustle, you know, dealing with a whole, a lot of different people as far as the staff and just kind of commercial Hawaii and

[00:07:54] Stick Figure - Music: yeah,

[00:07:54] James Kiko: coming into the community where I grew up, where, you know, I used to ride bike and everybody knows everybody and be able to show them that, you know, what I, I did as far as.

[00:08:06] James Kiko: Providing a service of hospitality, like just under a tent. And when people coming up and just bright smile, aloha, how's it going? And like, this is what we got today. And a lot of what I sold there was food that was influenced by my ohana. Like when we have family gatherings, potlucks and everything is just not stuff you'll find in your, you know.

[00:08:28] James Kiko: Kind of chain local takeout places, what Right stuff you're gonna find at your auntie's house, or you'll find on the side of the road, like ELA trucks is, you know, it's a Puerto Rican dish, but is so popular here in Hawaii. You know, my grandmother looked at me when we had to leave the property. I mean, everybody had to.

[00:08:45] James Kiko: She begged me not to let this go and not having a bunch of capital to start anything of our own, get a brick and mortar, you know, my brain started going, I'm like, food truck, like, what do we do? We need a commercial kitchen. There's so many regulations you gotta follow. Just so happened one of my friends own a restaurant and she made me an offer.

[00:09:04] James Kiko: She saw what we built under a popup tent. She gave me a chance and I took over her restaurant, turned it. To what it is today from a hot pot place, and we did it within 10 days. I got the keys 10 days later, I had a liquor license set up everything, and it was kind of the craziest accomplishment I've ever done.

[00:09:26] James Kiko: That's kind of fast for Hawaii. Yeah, to It is crazy. I mean. I mean, I got all my aunties working there, my cousins, and it is literally a family ran business. And the music that we showcase, there is music that you have all your Hawaii legends. We feature a Robbi Klau tonight. We have Welding Koha, and these are some of big names.

[00:09:46] James Kiko: We got newer names like Tavana, which is very popular here. Yeah, UA plays. And it's just music that. I grew up to, that brings back memories, not just for me, but everybody there and that's what we got special. You're coming, you feel like you're coming to auntie's house for a backyard, pa, you know, a backyard party.

[00:10:03] James Kiko: Everybody feels that when they come in it, it's. They don't feel intimidated. And you know, even our kupuna, our elderly, they don't like to go to restaurants these days because it's, it's too much for them. There's too much going on. They feel intimidated. So a lot of our customer base is, I. Your uncles, your aunties, your elderly that come in.

[00:10:25] James Kiko: They're like, we just feel so comfortable here. We feel like we're welcome. We feel like literally part of the family. And you know, for me, what I told my staff when we first opened and aloha goes a long way. I mean, like I told them, I'm like, you know, you're not used to this, but what you can do is share aloha.

[00:10:41] James Kiko: You can make people feel welcome. And that's mostly it, you know? And then everything else will come.

[00:10:47] Bryan Murphy: When we, this is a little story, I think I already shared it with you, but for people listening, we were just trying to find a spot to eat and we've never seen at the Kahala before. We, you know, we were doing some stuff with them, which was fun and cool and it was a great spot, but.

[00:11:02] Bryan Murphy: We're like, okay. Fell a little bit out of her element. It was Yelp. You know, my wife was looking and she's like, this place you could just tell like, this is a spot. So we're like, we tried you guys, I think it was like a Monday or something. Mm-hmm. Can you talk about, you know, just having your ohana there and, but like you feel that as you walk in to a place like yours, like it just felt so welcoming.

[00:11:23] Bryan Murphy: I'm trying to think of who. Who was our S shyla?

[00:11:27] James Kiko: My cousin. S Shyla. Yeah, yeah,

[00:11:29] Bryan Murphy: yeah, yeah. That's right, that's right. I was like, man, it just feels like, okay, this is, it's gonna be good. Like it, you know, we just had water on the table at the time, but like, this is gonna be good. And it was an amazing meal. I, I, I think I might be dancing around it, but like, it feels so.

[00:11:47] Bryan Murphy: Local Hawaii. Mm-hmm. As someone, as a visitor like myself coming in, I felt a little like, okay, is it gonna be okay? Like, you know, people were just like, you know, the record's gonna scratch and people are gonna just like turn their head at you. Like, what are you doing here? I. Right. But I, I want to just get that out there because I want people to know that it's such a welcoming environment places, local Hawaiian spots like yours are just so welcoming and so genuine to serve.

[00:12:14] Bryan Murphy: You know, I felt that my wife and I, we felt that and it was just, I. It was amazing. I was a little bummed because I wanted to talk about music for those listening you can't see behind me, but I, I got guitars. I was a music director in a, you know, in a past life. And so music is, is like in my blood. You guys can go to B side kitchen.com/events and you can see everything going on.

[00:12:34] Bryan Murphy: You guys are stacked with, you know, these legends playing. I'm like, oh my gosh. How did you fill this calendar with these amazing artists?

[00:12:45] James Kiko: We're so lucky. I mean, I have chicken skin right now because every time I think about who plays there and I, I just feel honored. I work in the restaurant and bar industry for a long time.

[00:12:56] James Kiko: I've always handled the music calendar, and I think it was just over the years I've met people and I wanna say it was not to be side where I actually met my idols. Like, you know, who I consider a legend? To have the Hawaiian musicians that we grew up to love and all of that, you know, one person led to another and just the connection and just being the boldness to ask, you know, with social media, you can contact anybody these days.

[00:13:24] James Kiko: And explaining to them who we are, where we came from, and telling them my story, like I mentioned to you, and they wanted to be a part of it. And when they come in. A lot of them become a Kiko. This is my most favorite gig. I may not be the one that pays them the most, but you know, we're not a hotel in Waikiki or anything.

[00:13:45] James Kiko: But the aloha feel, the the love, the, the comfortableness. They get to talk story with the guests and you know, it's not just, it's a mix of locals and tourists and to get a mix of conversation going and. I think that's what they enjoy. Seeing people sing to their original songs and watching everybody sing the song.

[00:14:09] James Kiko: I think that it just builds happiness within everybody. A lot of the musicians at the end of the evening, and you do this at local events and Hawaiian events and sing Hawaii, Aloha as kind of a closing where everybody just comes together at the end, hold hands, and kind of appreciate. Everything around, all of us being there and to wish everybody safe travels home.

[00:14:35] James Kiko: Everybody sings that song and literally everybody in a restaurant gets up at the end of the set, holds hands and sings and becomes one family. I think the musicians to be able to do that, I. Our restaurant because that's who we are. We are Hawaiian. We have aloha. Whether you don't have it in your blood, but you're here respecting the culture and having a great time, we're all one people at that point, and people get blown away.

[00:14:59] James Kiko: They're like, okay, we came to dinner. To listen to music and we're, we're here holding hands with everybody and like, it's just the craziest thing. And what is the best thing for me too, is seeing the staff and family, I'm gonna call them wset ohana, just love what they do and love being there. And like even the ones that are not my blood relatives, like at the end of the night, I've seen multiple.

[00:15:27] James Kiko: Employees just crying, like, because they're just so happy that they're, they're here. If you can feel that way at work, you know that, that, for me is very special. Building B side and having the musicians play there. But most importantly, having my employees, my staff, my Ohana that trusts me and B side to support their, you know.

[00:15:49] James Kiko: It's expensive here in Hawaii. And to rely on B side to support themselves and love their job. And for me, I have the most aloha for them and very thankful that they took a chance on me being like, what are you doing in 10 days? I'm like, I'm opening a restaurant. You know? They're like, we got your back. We, you know, let's do this.

[00:16:11] Bryan Murphy: What's beautiful about that? I mean, food brings people together and really at the core. I feel everyone wants to feel like they belong and feel like they have community. You never know who might be walking in your doors. A visitor. Someone from the island or maybe fresh to the island and just trying to find that community that could only be filled by other people.

[00:16:36] Bryan Murphy: You guys are doing something special. It's more than just the food, it's more than just the music. It's all of the combined, and you just don't see that a lot, and I think that is really special. Real quick, I just wanna pop in here and say, I hope you're enjoying my conversation with Kiko, and I have a simple ask to help you support the podcast.

[00:16:58] Bryan Murphy: Don't worry, I'm not selling you anything. This isn't an ad I. I simply wanna ask you if you have found any value in listening to Hawaii's Best, is to simply follow the podcast on the app that you're currently listening to the show on. So if you're on an Apple podcast, just hit that little follow button in the top right corner.

[00:17:15] Bryan Murphy: Or if you're listening on Spotify, for example, just hit the follow button. That signals to those apps to show this podcast to more people. And that's one of our missions here is to reach more people like you who love Hawaii and are planning the trip to Hawaii and just by helping them bring conversations like these to even more people.

[00:17:38] Bryan Murphy: So thanks for considering to follow the podcast, and now back to my conversation with Kiko as we're gonna dive more into the food at B Side Kitchen. I do wanna talk about the food because that's what I think brings a lot of people into a restaurant. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. You know, so I'd love for you to just, especially for people listening, I mean, I've been there, tasted it, it's amazing.

[00:18:00] Bryan Murphy: There's other dishes I want to try, I can't wait to go back. But for people listening, you give them a paint, 'em a picture of what, what you guys serve up and how you guys source.

[00:18:11] James Kiko: We started with three core items. After the first couple items I served under the tent, I brought in our guava barbecue fried chicken, our AMI shrimp.

[00:18:20] James Kiko: So those two items inspired by my grandfather's recipes and I've, I've changed them a bit and you know, updated it. He's no longer with us. He passed away well over 10 years ago, but he was the cook of our family. Mm-hmm. And nette, she couldn't even scramble eggs to save her life. But you know, she is good at everything else.

[00:18:39] James Kiko: But I had these two items that became my staple, and it's the guava barbecue, fried chicken and garlic oami shrimp. Those two items, what took off that was featured in Yelp and Google Reviews time and time again, and it's, I. Your truck style garlic shrimp, which our family would serve at all our gatherings.

[00:18:59] James Kiko: But in North Shore you have all these shrimp trucks, and shrimp has become a thing in Hawaii that you have to stop and get on the side of the road. So I was like, why don't we cook our family recipe? IIJ the recipe a little bit and mm-hmm. It became so popular. It has a little bit of Asian influence in there, so we call it our garlic umami shrimp.

[00:19:19] James Kiko: I didn't want to be a regular garlic shrimp on the side of the road. Like I said, how everything blends. When my family cooked the garlic shrimp, there was a lot of Asian flavors in there too. So the combination of the buttery garlic and Asian flavors set our shrimp apart from all the other trucks serving shrimp.

[00:19:36] James Kiko: Our crispy guava barbecue fried chicken barbecue sauce in Hawaii is more similar to a teriyaki sauce. On the continent, you have the, your traditional barbecue sauce is more of a pasty, sweet, smoky kind of deal style. Barbecue sauce is a little sweet soy sauce base and miso and everything. Lay it all out there.

[00:19:56] James Kiko: There was a lot of stuff that I, you know, didn't consider as far as food costs and everything like that, because my background is the bar side of the business, but I was a home cook and the places I worked at, you know, like I would always, maybe you should cook it like this, and they're like, well, maybe you should pay attention to your bar.

[00:20:15] James Kiko: You know, like, yeah. It was one of the things, so when I got the opportunity to cook for people, I got to do it my way. Yeah. But. There was so many things that like, I want to do this, I wanna make this. But not realizing how much something costs to make and how to budget and everything. So it was a learning curve.

[00:20:35] James Kiko: And as far as the ingredients we source, I mean not a hundred percent of what we use is local. We try as much as possible because for me as as a local business, local supporting locals is the way to go, but the lifestyle and cost here in Hawaii sometimes. You can't do what you wanna do, but to get as close to it as possible, and I'm being completely honest, is what we can do.

[00:21:00] James Kiko: Some things we have to outsource and it, it's sad that you have to do that, but with cost of just rent and other goods, either do that or you don't. You don't have the opportunity. I wanna team up with local farmers and we have in the past, but. There's only so much space people can grow stuff on here and like smaller businesses that could survive.

[00:21:25] James Kiko: And I wanna source everything from majority wine. Manolo is, you know, it's a old fishing village, but we have everything up Malco towards the mountains and a bunch of farms, but very specific items they have over there. Nalo, greens and all of that. But yeah, we use a lot of local product and a lot of product we bring in.

[00:21:43] James Kiko: But for the most part, our eggs, our chickens and everything are all locally sourced. A lot of our produce and the dessert. So

[00:21:52] Bryan Murphy: outside

[00:21:52] James Kiko: of

[00:21:53] Bryan Murphy: B Psych, what if any, free time do you have and what do you like to do around Oahu?

[00:21:58] James Kiko: Well, what I love to do, I mean, I. Is spend time with the family. And you know what is funny?

[00:22:03] James Kiko: 'cause you mentioned free time. There's not a lot of that for me. Yeah. But if I had the time, what I used to do is beach Of course. I mean that's, you know, it's just, I, I wish I had more time to do more community work. Okay. You know, maybe in my younger years I wasn't thinking of these kinds of things. I mean, I was managing bars, promoting music events, but I'm at a point in my life that I, I wanna go and work in the community, whether it's working on a farm and planting collar leaves that we use to make our lalas or, or squi, and those are all other Hawaiian dishes, but.

[00:22:43] James Kiko: Working in, we call 'em law. I mean, I would love to be able to have time to, just so you know, today I'm gonna go a mocha, we're gonna work in a law and just mm-hmm. Get in tune and just, just really take in where we live. I mean, I drive home every day from work and sometimes people don't notice what they're driving past, like taking in the scenery and, you know, that stretch of road that's, that's going along the coast, going towards.

[00:23:09] James Kiko: Pai Sandy Beach. Mm-hmm. And it's just amazing. I mean, you see them in commercials and everything. I drive that every single day. And still to this day, I, I always remind myself to just take it in and be appreciative and, you know, use that appreciation to help where you can, beach cleanups, working in the law or anything.

[00:23:31] James Kiko: To the schools and you know, next week I'm doing a workforce event where I'm gonna be a guest speaker, encouraging young adults to, you know, find their career path and, you know, just reminding them there's not one right answer. You're gonna figure it out, you know? Yeah. But never quit. Just taking moments like that to be intertwined in the community.

[00:23:52] James Kiko: That's what I would love to do with my free time and when I'm not working, I find myself doing those things. Spending time with my family at the beach. Yeah, that's what it is. Living life.

[00:24:04] Bryan Murphy: You're, you're getting into your Uncle Kiko era. Oh my

[00:24:06] James Kiko: God, yes. I'm at that point where it's like a 20-year-old would be like, UNCs.

[00:24:11] James Kiko: Oh. I was like, whoa, arrow. Are we there yet? Like, you know, if you're 10, I get it. But, but then I do the math. Okay. I'll make me 17 when they're born, I guess. So just, just take it, you know? But yeah, I love it. And my, my Kiki is. In their early teen years. So I got a, okay, 12-year-old, almost 14 and almost 15-year-old.

[00:24:33] Bryan Murphy: Oh yeah. Same man. You're talking about that drive and I was getting lost past Maka poo and, and you know, towards Sandy's and a lot of people head over there, you know, especially people stay in Waikiki. Mm-hmm. Probably like, you know, that, you know, the, the beach, you know, Lon Kai gotta go there, gotta go there.

[00:24:49] Bryan Murphy: But our favorite beach. Is, and I wonder if you can give, give some love to that area. Maybe for someone who hasn't been, who's set on going. Kaiwa town or something and, but talk about Wman a little bit.

[00:25:03] James Kiko: Wman is special. I had the privilege of growing up right in front of the beach, literally 15 steps away from the shoreline in Hawaiian homestead.

[00:25:13] James Kiko: And you know, half of Wman is Hawaiian homestead. And just being able to get out there to the White Sands and. Amazing fishing. And like I said earlier, it's an old fishing village, you know? Mm-hmm. Wlo, the A stretches all the way towards Lio. That's going towards Kahala. So the Hawaii kai area is originally wlo and Oh, okay.

[00:25:36] James Kiko: Yeah. So I mean, is fishing crystal clear? Waters beautiful white sand beaches, and. The difference from Kailan Kai is beautiful. Mm-hmm. But Lon Kai is situated between multimillion dollar properties and not just $2 million properties, talking about 10, $15 million properties and Right. It's like a little stretch on the co near the coast in Kaiwa, and it's very congested there.

[00:25:59] James Kiko: The thing, what I like about Wame, and I'm not saying this to make it more busy here in Wam, but just being completely honest, it is something special. It's quiet, it's serene, and it was rated one of the top beaches in the world a few times. And yeah, it's, you'll find a lot of. Family, like locals there and everything.

[00:26:18] James Kiko: And you know, sometimes, like you said, like when you came to our restaurant, it was, it was, you didn't want to disturb anything. You were kind of hesitant, but you're gonna visit when I visit somewhere, when I'm, that's when I'm a tourist myself. I feel that you're gonna feel that anywhere. But like anything, it's like you go in with respect and with positive intention and you know you can't go wrong.

[00:26:40] James Kiko: And you know, with the wman beaches, yes. Uh, a lot of people feel that it's. Special to them. You know, we grew up here and everything, but saying Aloha has it, and just, you know. Mm-hmm. Just. Going in there, respecting, clean, leaving someplace better than you found it, you know? Mm-hmm. You go to the beach, make sure you take some trash off the beach and just throw 'em in a trash can, even if it's not yours, but you're gonna leave that place better than you found it, you know?

[00:27:05] James Kiko: And mm-hmm. Just those little things. I think people find respect in. It's that type of community. I mean like everywhere there's, there's, you know, your people that you don't wanna be around and everything, but for the most part it's always good vibes over that. Yeah. Yeah. But it's beautiful. I mean, you're right.

[00:27:22] James Kiko: There's Manana Island, or people call it Rabbit Island right in the bay and you kind of, you feel Hawaii. Over there versus the manmade beaches in Waikiki and everything like that. Sure. You know, I love going to Waikiki. Some, our staycations are in Waikiki where we play tourists and my kids love it.

[00:27:39] James Kiko: There's a swimming pool. Yeah. There's a music and it's just an escape from our normal day life. Yeah. That we're used. I can understand that. But real Hawaii is outside of Waikiki. I mean, not saying that like. Anything wrong with the Waikiki area or anything like that because it's fun, it's awesome, and it's, you know, commercialized and you get that waikiki excitement when you're there.

[00:28:02] James Kiko: But traveling, get in your car, take a cruise around the island and put yourself in those uncomfortable places like going to a restaurant that you feel that all the locals are at, but you know, that's where you're gonna find the adventure and find experiences. Be bold. Take risk, treat everything like an adventure.

[00:28:22] James Kiko: I think

[00:28:22] Bryan Murphy: maybe for someone listening, they're like, you go vacation in Waikiki, but on a smaller scale, you know, living in Southern California, sometimes we'll go to Disneyland and we'll see a Disneyland resort for a couple nights and be tourists there, or go to San Diego and be tourist there. So yeah, I can understand.

[00:28:38] Bryan Murphy: Just getting out. And away from normal day to day. Yeah. Grind. But I'm curious just from your perspective, what would be one thing, maybe a couple things, but one thing in particular you would want every visitor to know before visiting Hawaii.

[00:28:55] James Kiko: Just knowing the history of what the Hawaiian people went through the past.

[00:29:02] James Kiko: 200 years and just just know that they're coming into somebody's home, not just a vacation destination. This is where we work, we live, and just understanding living in Hawaii is not easy. The prices to live in your own home has skyrocketed. It tripled in the last 50 years. It's insane. And just to stay and not, we call it getting priced out of paradise.

[00:29:29] James Kiko: It's a struggle. So there's a little stress that people have too, besides just living. You have that anxiety of, am I gonna be able to stay here? I grew up here, generations of my family. I am Hawaiian. Can I stay here? You know, it's, it's a worry and we rely on people to come here and enjoy Hawaii and you know, you know, but we want them to come with respect and, you know, leave home with great memories and a really nice town.

[00:29:56] James Kiko: Yeah. Our economy relies on tourism and we're all people, we go. To Disneyland, you know, we go, we go other places and, but coming in with respect again, I want them just to know that when they come here, respect the place and then Leaf Place is better than you find it.

[00:30:14] Stick Figure - Music: Hmm.

[00:30:14] Bryan Murphy: Kiko, anything else that you would want people who are listening to know?

[00:30:19] Bryan Murphy: Peace side? Anything that would be helpful?

[00:30:22] James Kiko: B side, come check us out. I mean, you know, not just because it's my restaurant and I want us to do well, but come see what I'm proud of. Come see what we built. Come get that authentic experience. And we treat everybody like ohana. And I'm just really proud of it and seeing happy people in there.

[00:30:43] James Kiko: And what we get a lot is visitors leaving and wanting to know the story and honestly seeing like this is the best food we've had. We've been to all these restaurants in Waikiki, all these Michelin star places. They're like, this was our most favorite meal we've ever had here. You know? And if you're coming in the evening, please make a reservations because we have that amazing musicians that we're talking about.

[00:31:08] James Kiko: We fill up pretty much every night. We're at capacity. That's awesome. And we're blessed with that. But come be a part of it. And when coming to play, you know, check out the local scene, go into the hole in the wall, restaurants, take some time and get into the communities and introduce yourself to somebody.

[00:31:27] James Kiko: Ask questions. You know, not everybody's gonna look friendly, but you find a friendly face. Tell 'em aloha. Like, Hey, can I ask you a couple questions? Like, you know, what should we do here? Like, what do you love to do? I think that making a little bit of that a part of your Hawaii vacation would be so beneficial.

[00:31:44] James Kiko: How can people connect with you guys B Side Kitchen? Well, we have our website, B side kitchen.com, Yelp, and Google. Check it out. People are, you know, reviewing what they enjoyed and everything. I mean, please reach out to us, make a reservation. Yeah, come check us out. Appreciate it. All right, brother. Aloha.

[00:32:03] James Kiko: Aloha.

[00:32:04] Bryan Murphy: What an incredible conversation with James. I'm just so grateful that he took the time to share his story with all of us today, and I was reminded again how this special restaurant that started to help out Antoinette has turned into this incredible restaurant and experience. I really liked his perspective on exploring beyond why Kiki.

[00:32:23] Bryan Murphy: I don't think that can be said enough. It's super important to really find real Hawaii, get outside of Waikiki. And as Jamie puts it, put yourself in places where you feel uncomfortable, because that's where true adventure can happen. So if you're planning a trip to Oahu anytime soon, do yourself a favor.

[00:32:40] Bryan Murphy: Probably goes without saying. Add B Side Kitchen to your list of things you gotta check out. You can go to the website@bsidekitchen.com, and if you're going in the evening, as a reminder, make a reservation because things fill up fast. You can see on their Instagram. Just how busy things can get. Thanks again for listening to this episode, Hawaii's Best, and since you made it all the way to the end of this episode.

[00:33:05] Bryan Murphy: Thank you so much. The best way that you can support this podcast is if you're listening on Apple Podcast, hitting the follow button in the top right, or if you're on Spotify hitting the follow button as well. That way you never miss an episode, and it also helps us to be able to grow this podcast to get even more amazing guests like James.

[00:33:25] Bryan Murphy: On the show. So thanks for doing that and following along, and until next time, as always, live with Aloha

[00:33:36] Bryan Murphy: Mala for listening to this episode of Hawaii's. Best to stay up to date on future episodes. Hit follow on your podcast app. Hawaii's Best is a production of Shore break media group with editing by easy podcast solutions and music courtesy of our friends Stick figure.

[00:34:02] Stick Figure - Music: Stop.

[00:34:15] Stick Figure - Music: We.


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Bryan Murphy

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James Kiko

Guest