Discovering the Island's Best Manapua: Our Top 5 Picks Revealed!

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EpicureanRd. - Where to go, What to eat

Күн бұрын

Are you ready for a taste of Hawaii's best manapuas? These delicious treats are a fusion of Chinese and Hawaiian culture and a must-try for any foodie visiting Oahu. In this video, we explore the island and reveal our top five favorite manapuas.
A manapua is a uniquely Hawaiian treat. Children eat them all the time as after school snacks, and they continue to love and crave them as they become adults. They are, without a doubt, one of the most popular Hawaiian snacks, and a must-try for visitors to the islands. There are many places that sell manapuas in the islands, and in this video, we try to show you some of the best ones on Oahu. From classic char siu pork to creative flavors like coconut curry chicken, get ready to discover the best manapuas on Oahu!
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Music: Luke Bergs - No More Worries
Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
Video Link: • Luke Bergs - No More W...

Пікірлер: 101

@maxfit68906 2 жыл бұрын

Char Hung Sut was the BEST Manapua shop on Oahu hands down. Unfortunately they closed down during the pandemic after being open for over 40+ years.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I agree. though it was a contest between Char Hung Sut and Libby's for awhile. A few years ago, we went there with some of my mainland friends, and I introduced them to all kinds of local dim sum. We went at 6:30 in the morning, so that they had not run out of anything, and watched the ladies making all the dumplings and other goodies. We were still on mainland time when we went, so it wasn't too early for us. I do miss those days.

@maxfit68906 2 жыл бұрын

Yup! Libby’s on Kalihi St my home town. I believe they closed down in 2014 or 2015? All the iconic eateries we grew up with are slowly going away. Very unfortunate. Thank goodness I have the memories.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@@maxfit68906 I know. To this day I miss the Crispy Gau Gee and Char Siu from Kelly's Coffee Shop. My mom used to teach Headstart at Kaumakapili Church just up the road in Palama in the 1960s when we first moved to Hawaii, and they brought her Libby's Manapua. We were hooked after that!

@shakkazbra4984 2 жыл бұрын

Meat to bun ratio is what I look for in a good manapua.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@@shakkazbra4984 I agree. Too much meat, or too much bun, makes the experience less pleasurable.

@dagrindzguy4250 2 жыл бұрын

Royal Kitchen for the win! I love it. Chun Wa Kam is tasty too and convenient.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Royal Kitchen is very good. A little sweeter than the others, but I introduced my whole family to it when I came back home in the 1990s.

@lonelypigeon7562 2 жыл бұрын

CWK is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.....I bought a few after Libbys closed.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@@lonelypigeon7562 Yeah, but when you gotta have a manapua... :-)

@keithfreitas2983 2 жыл бұрын

I like Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory. The original is up the street from Libby's and now they have expanded all over Oahu so it is easier to get. Whenever I'm home that's where I go. Where I live in Southern CA I go to Hong Kong Bakery in Torrance and Tita Celia down the street for Fillipino food.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I agree. Their manapuas are actually quite good (and well-balanced), and they are now everywhere.

@stavana4875 2 жыл бұрын

Agree

@OrientalExotics 4 ай бұрын

Aiea manapua shop my favorite. The fried chicken also ono grinds

@OrientalExotics 4 ай бұрын

Aloha Steve and Young. New subscriber ✨️🥂🍾

@steveandyoung 4 ай бұрын

@@OrientalExotics Aloha! We love new subscribers! (as well as our old ones 😀)

@bigedhaaheo 2 күн бұрын

My favorite "Baked Manapua" is from Royal Kitchen!

@steveandyoung Күн бұрын

Great minds think alike! Royal Kitchen's baked manapua is definitely a crowd-pleaser.

@piperlani 2 жыл бұрын

Great review 👍🏼🤙🏼

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Like all island boys, I love Manapuas, and wanted to do them justice.

@jaycehezekia441 2 жыл бұрын

thanks for for the info!

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Just hoping to provide folks with good, valuable information here.

@hawnjoe925 Жыл бұрын

Liked and subscribed 👍love them manapua 🌺🤙🌺

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@ahuatct6900 Жыл бұрын

Char hung sut! Legends!

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

Gone, but not forgotten.

@Screwdriver346 Жыл бұрын

You are very informative. Idk how you got on my feed but I will be watching from Houston

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

Aloha to Houston from California! I have not been to Houston since I was 14, and spent a wondrous evening at Astroworld!

@gtrs4ever 2 жыл бұрын

Use to pick 2 dozen, for work, bake manapua from Island Factory manapua in kalihi. OMG your making me hungry😂. Unfortunately we now live in Washington state, only available Chinese frozen. 🤨

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Never tried them. Is this the one off Gulick Ave.? We'll try them next trip.

@shoichi8474 2 жыл бұрын

RIP Libby's

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

😰

@happypanda6518 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the vid, I was looking for a replacement since char hung sut closed

@score2high 2 жыл бұрын

Just came across your video today. Great job on it. I agree that Sing Cheong Yuan has the best manapua now. As for the best baked manapu, sorry I thought Kwong On in Kaimuki was better than Royal Kitchen. They've been close for 14 years now. The Star-Bulletin had a story about them closing way back in 2007. No char siu bao can compare with manapuas from Hawaii. Some are close, but not the same.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I wish I had known about it when it was around. I love manapua. I do agree with you that no char siu bao can compete. But when you're living on the mainland and you just need it, at least a char siu bao can kind of help with the craving.

@score2high 2 жыл бұрын

@@steveandyoung We used to have a really good Chinese bakery in Pittsburg, CA that made the char siu bao filling similar to the Hawaii style, but unfortunately they sold the business. Now we have to drive all the way to Sacramento for some decent one. A majority of the SF and Oakland Chinatown char siu bao have an overly sweet and pasty filling. Yes, I'm a Hawaii manapua snob!

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@@score2high Agreed. I went to school for 3 years in San Francisco, and never found a Char Siu Bao that even came close to a good manapua.

@score2high 2 жыл бұрын

@@steveandyoung You know what got me when i first saw the mainland style steamed char siu bao? The top of the bun broken open. My first thought was, "What is wrong with this thing?" Then I bit into it. "What da heck this ting?"

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@Marvin Miyashiro Yeah, I know, it's a poor substitute.😀

@lauriannshell9907 2 жыл бұрын

Lived in Kailua before I was 4 years old. My first memories are there. I have never forgotten pulling over to a truck on the roadside and sharing a big manapua. Strong taste memory that has lasted over four decades. I've never found one on the mainland that even comes close. Did Aiea or Sing Cheong Yuan have less fat? Thank you for your video.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I had my first manapua from the crackseed department of Family Fair, the store that later became Gibson's. Began a lifetime love affair at that point. I would say that both Aiea Manapua and Sing Cheong Yuan were a good balance between fat and meat in the filling.

@Ape4Apes 2 жыл бұрын

When I lived in Honolulu in the late 70s to early 80s, my favorite place for manapua was the counter outside the Holiday Mart (on Ke’eaumoku?). One steamed char sui manapua and two sui mai was a nice lunch. Now I’m hungry.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I used to like those. Also the ones at Patti's Chinese Kitchen (in Ala Moana -- the one in Pearlridge was not as good).

@rla26368 2 жыл бұрын

Was this the place near tripler in an industrial park? Late ‘80’s early ‘90’s. I remember going to one that was a walk-up window and getting some amazing Manapua there.

@helenrogers6854 2 жыл бұрын

I lived across the street from Holiday Mart and my goto was their manapua and roast pork!

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

@@rla26368 I never tried any near Tripler. The ones I tried at Holiday Mart were at the one near Ala Moana.

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

@@helenrogers6854 I remember the Holiday Mart manapuas. Takes me back to my childhood. BTW, we watched them walking on the moon at the TV section in that Holiday Mart.

@brettm3431 2 жыл бұрын

i like the filling to bun ratio of the ones you are showing -they could be 70/30 bun to filling but look like 80/20 filling to bun

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, having a good balance of filling to bun is quite important. The cheap spots give you mostly bread to cut costs, but they're just not as good.

@trevororr5494 2 жыл бұрын

Libby’s is the best. Was just wishing they did not close.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I always thought it was a tie between Libby's and Char Hung Sut. But that one small shop in Waimalu Shopping Center (wish I could remember its name) that closed in the 1980s arguably beat both of them!

@BraddahBruce 2 жыл бұрын

Chun Wah Kam and Honolulu Kitchen is owned by brothers. Both started at Chun Wah Kam till one brother left and started Honolulu Kitchen.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I didn't know that. But both are good! Thanks for the information!

@teeteeone Жыл бұрын

I grew up in Salt Lake. There's was Dan the Manapua Man and another one. But Dan was all the kids fave

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

I grew up in Aiea, at the top of the hill on Aiea Hts. The manapua man never made it up there, but after school. we always went to Kanda's and got really good manapuas. Also, in Waimalu Shopping Center, there used to be this old man with a dim sum shop, and he made the best dim sum (including manapuas).

@bhonjiyo5885 2 жыл бұрын

Since you like steamed manapua, the best "deal" in town would be Time Supermarket in Kam Shopping Center. Yes I know, you probably never been there or heard of it. Buy 5 manapua, get 1 free, plus the price is better than anyone out there. And the manapua is great.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I've been there and I;ve heard of it. In fact, I used to have a good friend who lived a few blocks away, at the end of Gulick Ave. I just never really felt that the Times Manapuas had a lot of flavor. But they are certainly well priced.

@bhonjiyo5885 2 жыл бұрын

@@steveandyoung Regarding Char Hung Sut, I think there is more to the story besides the pandemic, the rumor is a family conflict or something. I hope they can resolve those issues, they had the best manapua in the state.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@@bhonjiyo5885 Agreed. I did not know that.

@RogueCorps 2 жыл бұрын

The correct answer is Oakland Chinatown. ;) or Ginger and Garlic is pretty good stuff.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I've never heard about Oakland Chinatown. I've seen Charles Trinh rave about Ginger & Garlic, though.

@raiderfrankdatank 2 жыл бұрын

No more good ones already. I mean, maybe chun wa kam, but since libbys and char hung sut closed, i dont eat manapua already

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I do agree that none of these are as good as Libby's and Char Hung Sut were. In fact, there was a small shop in Waimalu Shopping Center in the early 80s that made the best I've ever tasted. But I could never permanently give up manapua. I guess it's like sex. Even a not so great manapua is better than no manapua. 😉

@raymondperez2972 2 ай бұрын

In the 60’s the Manapua man used to walk in my area of Kaimuki where I lived as a child with two large cans on either side of his shoulders hang down with a long maybe bamboo pole mounted on the back of his shoulders an elderly man maybe Chinese yelling out loudly, Manapua, Pepeau, half moon, maybe even rice cake. We would come out and buy what he was selling and buy it 3 Manapua for 25 cents 6 for 50 cents. Were you around in when the Manapua man was still walking the Kaimuki neighborhoods selling these delicious food, and I know this man worked very hard to sell these foods for the day. So if it was only up to the 50’s only, well that’s very wrong. I know for a fact I live it in those days, and I’m telling it from those days. Even my grade school classmates who were my neighbors in Kaimuki will remember that. FACT! Aloha ke akua.

@steveandyoung 2 ай бұрын

I lived in downtown Honolulu in the early 60's, so there was no manapua man there. Used to get my manapua from the crack seed shop at Family Fair and (I think) Long's. In the late 60's, we moved to Aiea, and there was no manapua man there at that time. Used to get my manapua from Kanda's Store. But what a pleasure to be living on the island in the 1960s! BTW, the Manapua man was the original food delivery service on foot! Who needs apps when you have a man with a bamboo pole?

@sammatsusaka823 2 жыл бұрын

Never tried Aiea Manapua, always gone to Chun Wah Kam.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Both are good. I've been going to both for years. But this is the first time I tried Sing Chong Yuan, and was very pleased with that one.

@JustMe-js8vc 2 жыл бұрын

Food truck manapua are the best

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

ALL manapua are the best! 😀

@sammatsusaka823 2 жыл бұрын

Yesterday I bought Sin's Manapua (Not bad IMO) some fat. Baked Manapua $2.35 (?) Steamed $2.45 I think I'll stick with Chun Wah Kam. $2.55 Baked Manapua

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Never tried Sin's. Where is that? Personally, too much fat in the filling can turn me off. They need a good balance, and I want to feel the texture of the meat when I bite into it. Also, the softness and sweetness of the bun are key.

@UniqueStranger Жыл бұрын

you don't have to rip the manapua open to determine what type it is. They usually mark the top of the bun with a dot, 2 dots, 3 dots, hash mark....depending on what type of filling is inside.

@steveandyoung Жыл бұрын

Of course, that assumes you know their system for marking the dots. Unfortunately, I don't (since I usually get the ones with Char Siu inside mostly)

@marymagness7467 14 күн бұрын

I personally prefer the steamed manapua

@steveandyoung 13 күн бұрын

I do, as well.

@Waynes-xt9gr 2 ай бұрын

You filming this nearby the kokohead shooting range????? I can hear them gunshots!

@steveandyoung 2 ай бұрын

Yes, we did the intro on the Koko Head Trail which is near the shooting range.

@stavana4875 2 жыл бұрын

I prefer Chun Wah Kam overall. Tried Sing Cheong Yuan manapua earlier this year for 1st time after watching a review, nope i'd rather have Chun Wah Kam. Tried Royal Kitchen, Char Hun Sut, & Aiea's manapuas nope.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I guess it's a matter of personal taste. I certainly would not say no to any of them, and Chun Wah Kam is certainly very, very good. It's most convenient and closest to my house in Hawaii, so I usually get it at least once whenever I'm back on the island.

@raiderfrankdatank 2 жыл бұрын

Char hung sut closed wasnt cuz the pandemic. I would still buy it there when they were opened. I think ifs cuz no 1 wanted to continue the business and they had a a family dispute

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

I didn't know that. I had been looking to go back there, but when the pandemic shutdown was over, no more Char Hung Sut. Oh, well. Royal Kitchen is still the best baked manapua, though. A little sweet, but it hits all the cravings.

@cheehee808_ 2 жыл бұрын

Since libby's closed, my fave is char hun sut. Chun wah Kam is fine, but a little to doughy/bready for my taste. Prefer that light chewy libby's style bun Edit: damn, didn't realize char hun set closed down also. RIP, anyone have any suggestions for anywhere comparable to either of those places?

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Sing Cheong Yuan in Chinatown was about the closest I found so far. But I'm always willing to try new places. . .

@raiderfrankdatank 2 жыл бұрын

Not a fan of aiea manapua, once its cold, no good. Buggah dry. Gotta get em early in the am. Honolulu Kitchen is not either sorry. I do however, get the fried manapua with the Raiders painted on them for games. Check it out, they can draw anything on the manapua.

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

Honolulu Kitchen is more of a novelty. I still prefer steamed over all, and baked second. It's such a bummer. The concept of fried manapua really excited me, but it did not come through in the execution.

@raiderfrankdatank 2 жыл бұрын

@@steveandyoung Yeah I was not satisfied, I just like the fact that they could draw images on them for parties

@steveandyoung 2 жыл бұрын

@Raider FrankDaTank Maybe next time, you can get them to draw, "I want a decent manapua, not this!"

@raiderfrankdatank 2 жыл бұрын

@@steveandyoung lol