Moody Food

With a lunchtime menu that is slim and uninspired, it seems like Grumpy’s is spending a little too much time partying.

When you enter Grumpy’s Bar & Grill, across the street from CompUSA in Kakaako, it quickly becomes apparent that the eatery has another life when the sun goes down. Besides the bar, which stands on one side of the room, dining tables are spaced far and wide from each other, covering up what is most likely a dance floor and stage area. The jackets of record albums from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s cover the walls, and lyrics from songs by Sugar Ray and The Doors are scrawled on a couple of steel beams. The music, which switched suddenly from ’80s rock to contemporary Top 40 halfway through our meal, was played a little too loudly for comfortable conversation. Also, the place is a little dark and hot.

My co-workers and I were seated at a table in a corner, which looks like the space that becomes the main stage at night. Our waitress promptly arrived with a menu, which was surprisingly sparse: sandwiches, burgers and salads. Side orders include only French Fries ($2.50), Cole Slaw ($1.00) and a dill pickle ($.50).

I ordered a Crab Salad (Real Crab) ($7.00). Our waitress quickly cautioned that although the salad did contain real crab, it also featured the artificial stuff. That was fine with me. Jacy Youn ordered a Pastrami Sandwich ($5.00), Cathy S. Cruz had a Cheese Burger ($5.25) and Kelli Abe Trifonovitch, a Turkey, Bacon and Cheese Sandwich ($6.00). We had three orders of Fries.

Night and Day: Patrons and staff enjoy Grumpy's lounge-like surroundings.

My salad had a generous scoop of real/fake crab on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. The real/fake crab was tasty, but it probably had a little too much mayo for my tastes. I was unimpressed. Jacy found her sandwich unspectacular, a little chintzy with the pastrami. She said it wasn’t anything to write home about. In fact, she claimed that if she were at home, she probably would have been able to whip up something better. That sentiment seemed to be shared by everyone. Cathy’s burger was dry, and she had to request some ketchup to liven it up. She did like the side of fried flour tortillas, and she thought that the vegetables that came with her burger were fresh. Kelli thought her sandwich was nothing special, but she did appreciate that her iced tea was refilled several times without her asking.

Probably the most popular item on our table was the French Fries, which was generously flavored with seasoning salt. I easily polished off one order. To fully appreciate Grumpy’s, I think you have to visit it at night. Only a couple of months old, the restaurant has become the latest hot spot for live music: ’80s night on Tuesdays, R & B and hip hop on Fridays, and on Sundays John Cruz comes in and jams with friends. At night, the food switches over to pupus with intriguing items like Ahi Katsu, Pulehu Steak and something called Obake Coconut Crusted Shrimp. It sounds like a lot of fun and excitement. However, with a decidedly unexciting and slim menu, there seems to be little reason to go to the restaurant during the daylight hours. Right now it seems that Grumpy’s is spending a little too much time partying.

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