THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
2301 KALAKAUA AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI 96815
808-924-5001
HOURS: Monday thru Thursday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Sunday 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
I usually avoid The Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki because there is always a line and I am not a big fan of big mainland restaurant chains. As we walked down the famed Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki one weekend day my Daughter said that she wanted to try the place. I questioned her choice and asked if we could eat elsewhere. She said "c'mon Dad - I want Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert". Now that sounded good to me and was enough to get me in the place. We approached the front entrance just past noon and I said to my daughter that the wait will be at least thirty minutes. We were quickly greeted by the hostess who grabbed two menus and seated us within a minute of entering. I was amazed. When you enter from the bright sunlight of Waikiki the place seems dark. It is a maze of tables going in every direction. Feels like eating at one of those huge theme restaurants at Disneyland with all of the employees wearing matching uniforms. The employees are well trained and service is good. The one thing that I do not like is that they have row after row of tables for two that are lined up with about 18" of space between the tables. This means you can have two couples on each side of you and it feels like you are sitting at their table. Every word from the table on each side can be heard and every bite of food you take can be watched by total strangers. I hate this. My back was to the isle so I really never saw our waitress. The space is too tight for her to come to the side of the table so she stands behind you. All I caught were arms coming over my shoulder to pour water and deliver food. I honestly never got a good full image look at our waitress. After our drink order was taken we were brought some really good breads. Fresh and served with butter. You need this little appetizer of bread because it may take awhile to go over the 20 page menu. The menu here is a book and it is filled with advertising which really sucks. I don't want to go out and pay top dollar for a meal and have print ads in my face. Rolling through a 20 page menu gives you lots of selections. From breakfast to pasta, fish and steak they have it all - and then some. My Daughter did not spend much time looking over every page. She saw Fettuccini Alfredo and made her choice. I saw a Pizza and Salad Combo on the Lunch Menu and went for that. The Lunch Pizza and Salad ($13.95) includes a small Pizza and Salad. I upgraded to a Caesar Salad for $1 more bringing my lunch to $14.95. The Caesar Salad was large but very bland. The dressing and Parmesan Cheese were flavorless. I ordered a Hawaiian Pizza with Canadian Bacon, Red Onion and Pineapple. You could taste the Canadian Bacon but the Red Onion and Pineapple were like they were not on the pizza. The Pineapple pieces were tiny and kind of mushed. Not much flavor in this pizza. I stopped eating it. The lunch portion of the Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken ($16.95) seemed to please my daughter. The kitchen made a mistake and they gave her the full menu portion at the lunch portion price. This was a huge plate of carbs covered in cheese with large pieces of white meat chicken. I tasted it and it was good. My Daughter mowed the dish and got about half of it down before she threw in the towel. The highlight of our meal was the Cheesecake. We ordered the Oreo Dream Extreme ($8.50). This was the bomb! So good. Chocolate Cake, Cheesecake, Rich Chocolate Frosting and Oreo Cookie Crust. Worth the trip to Disneyland for this creation. Lunch for two with one slice of Cheesecake and tip was just over $60. While I like the place, this is just too much for lunch and I don't think I will be going back anytime soon unless I want a piece of Cheesecake only.
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THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
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| THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY ON KALAKAUA AVENUE IN WAIKIKI |
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| ENTRANCE TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY WHERE THERE IS USUALLY A LONG LINE |
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| LOVE THE RAGS TO RICHES STORY OF CHEESECAKE FACTORY |
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| PIZZAS AND LUNCH SPECIALS |
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| WE WENT FOR THE LUNCH SPECIALS |
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| GREAT TASTING BREADS SERVED WITH MEAL |
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| CAESAR SALAD |
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| HAWAIIAN PIZZA |
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| FETTUCCINI ALFREDO WITH CHICKEN |
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| YOU GOTTA TRY THE CHEESECAKE |
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| WE ORDERED THE OREO DREAM EXTREME CHEESECAKE |
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| MORE SWEETS |
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| OREO DREAM EXTREME CHEESECAKE |
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| 20 PAGE PLUS MENU INCLUDES ADVERTISING |
Here is our trick for surviving The Cheesecake Factory - which we do not have in Australia but we always visit when we travel to Oahu -
ReplyDeleteFor lunch - order the Crab Wontons from the appetizer menu to share, plus either the roadside sliders or the Southern fried chicken sliders, depending on how many of you there are. There are usually 3-4 of us.
Then, cheesecake dessert!
For dinner - arrive sometime between 5-6pm to get an early table. Share a serve of crab wontons (we really love those, obviously!) and order a small pasta each. Get your cheesecake to go and walk back to the HHV by which time fingers crossed you will be able to fit the cheesecake in. If not, drop the cheesecake in the fridge and keep walking to Ala Moana, do some shopping until it closes, then return to your room for your cheesecake. :)