Overview
Makaha Chop Suey is a long-running Chinese-American takeout spot on Farrington Highway in Waianae, serving the Waiʻanae Coast rather than a visitor corridor. The Google record shows it as operational at 84-1170 Farrington Hwy # A4, Waianae, HI 96792, with daily hours of 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM and a phone number of (808) 695-5800. The place appears to be a neighborhood staple more than a destination restaurant, which can matter to travelers looking for straightforward, local-style comfort food on the west side of Oʻahu. (restaurantguru.com)
For a traveler, the main value here is practical: it is a West Oʻahu chop suey shop with a menu built around roast meats, Chinese-American plate lunch staples, and takeout-friendly portions. The review pattern suggests a place people seek out when they want familiar local Chinese food without driving far, but it also draws mixed opinions on food freshness, value, and the dining environment. (restaurantji.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Makaha Chop Suey sits in the Chinese-American chop suey lane rather than formal regional Chinese cooking. The most consistently mentioned items are roast pork, char siu, duck, chicken chop suey, fried rice, rice cakes, and salt-and-pepper or hot-and-sour-style dishes. The overall picture is of a casual, quantity-oriented menu that leans on roasted meats and takeout staples rather than a narrow chef-driven concept. (restaurantji.com)
- Overall menu style: casual Chinese-American takeout with roast meats, noodle and rice dishes, soups, and plate-style combinations. (restaurantji.com)
- Notable dishes/spots: roast pork, char siu, crispy roast pork, duck, chicken chop suey, rice cakes, hot sour soup, salt pepper shrimp, oyster chicken cake noodle, sweet and sour spare ribs, fried rice. These are all supported by either review excerpts or aggregated review/menu references. (makaha-chop-suey.com-place.com)
- Spend expectations: sources describe prices as “fair,” “decent,” and in the roughly $10–$20 per person range. That points to an inexpensive-to-moderate neighborhood meal rather than a splurge. (restaurantguru.com)
- Dietary usefulness/limits: there is some vegetarian-option labeling on Restaurant Guru, but the core reputation is meat-heavy, especially roast pork, duck, and chicken dishes. Travelers looking for vegetarian or lighter options should expect limited emphasis rather than a broad plant-forward menu. This is an inference from the menu pattern, not a hard claim of lack of options. (restaurantguru.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This looks like a practical strip-mall or shopping-center stop rather than an ambience-led dining room. The strongest evidence points to takeout being central, with limited emphasis on reservations or a polished sit-down experience. That makes it a better fit for a quick local meal than for a long, scenic lunch. (restaurantji.com)
- Service model and seating: takeout is explicitly noted; Restaurant Guru also lists outdoor seating, no booking, parking, TV, and wheelchair access. That suggests a casual, low-friction setup. (restaurantguru.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: review-language is not especially flattering; one source calls the atmosphere “dull,” and Restaurantji gives atmosphere a lower score than food/service. This is a recurring signal that the room is utilitarian rather than memorable. (restaurantguru.com)
- Practical features: daily hours, parking, and takeout are the clearest visitor-friendly features. No delivery or booking is listed by Restaurant Guru. (restaurantguru.com)
- Best fit: a quick, no-fuss meal for someone already on the Waiʻanae side and wanting familiar Chinese takeout or roasted meats. (restaurantji.com)
- Weaker fit: travelers seeking a polished dining room, destination-worthy ambiance, or a highly curated menu experience. The evidence leans casual and functional, not atmospheric. (restaurantguru.com)
History & Background
I did not find a strong ownership or founder story in the sources reviewed. The available evidence mainly places Makaha Chop Suey as a local west-side Chinese restaurant with a neighborhood following, rather than a concept with a widely documented origin story or expansion history. (restaurantji.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Common praise centers on the roast meats and the comfort-food appeal: roast pork, char siu, duck, chicken chop suey, and rice cakes come up repeatedly. Several review snippets describe the staff as friendly or gracious, and the restaurant is often framed as a dependable local choice when someone wants Chinese food on the west side. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
The negatives are real but mixed. The strongest recurring complaints concern inconsistent food freshness, with one recent review saying food seemed old or cold, and broader complaints about service or hygiene appearing in some user comments. Value and atmosphere also get pushback: the place is described as a little expensive by some, and the room itself is not presented as especially appealing. These are not universal complaints, but they are supported often enough to treat them as credible cautions rather than isolated noise. (restaurantguru.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours: Google lists daily hours of 11:00 AM–9:00 PM. That makes it a lunch-to-dinner option rather than an early breakfast stop. (restaurantguru.com)
- Reservations: no booking is indicated; plan on walk-in or takeout. (restaurantguru.com)
- Ordering style: takeout appears to be the core use case, so this is a good place to order ahead only if you confirm current phone-in practices directly. (restaurantji.com)
- Best bets on the menu: roast pork, char siu, duck, and chicken chop suey are the most consistently supported choices. (restaurantji.com)
- Budget: expect a modest, casual spend, likely around the low teens per person for a standard meal. (restaurantguru.com)
- Watch for inconsistency: some reviews praise the food and service, while others complain about freshness and quality. If you are very particular about meat texture or food being served hot, that mixed pattern is worth noting. (restaurantguru.com)
Verification Notes
- Officially identified as Makaha Chop Suey at 84-1170 Farrington Hwy # A4, Waianae, HI 96792, phone (808) 695-5800. Google Places currently lists it as OPERATIONAL. (restaurantguru.com)
- No official website was found in the materials reviewed; the candidate website field is blank, and one crawled page that looks website-like explicitly says it is not the official website. (makaha-chop-suey.com-place.com)
- No major identity conflict found, though some secondary sources use “Mākaha” in the title while the address is in Waianae; that appears to be area naming rather than a different business. (restaurantguru.com)
Sources
- Google Places details for Makaha Chop Suey —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=12676988224020048785— retrieved 2026-04-02. Best source for canonical identity, operational status, address, phone, rating, and hours. - Restaurantji listing for Makaha Chop Suey —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/waianae/makaha-chop-suey-time-availabl3-/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for takeout/cash framing, customer favorites, and review distribution. - Restaurant Guru listing for Makaha Chop Suey —
https://restaurantguru.com/Makaha-Chop-Suey-Wai%CA%BBanae— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for menu-pattern confirmation, price range, service model, and atmosphere signals. - Community-crawled listing for Makaha Chop Suey —
https://makaha-chop-suey.com-place.com/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful as a secondary signal for recurring praise/complaints and specialty mentions; not an official site. - USA Restaurants directory listing for Makaha Chop Suey —
https://usarestaurants.info/explore/united-states/hawaii/honolulu-county/waianae/makaha-chop-suey-808-695-5800.htm— retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful mainly for corroborating location and photo presence, with limited editorial value.
