Serving the Finest Filipino Food in Hawai’i for over 40 Years

The Original in Fine Filipino Foods

Food Network’s Triple D Features

Elena’s Lechon Special

Featured by Guy Fieri on Food Network

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Island Flavor Click Here for Dates & Times

A Hero's Welcome

TV special airing on Veteran's Day - November 11th with Actor Gary Sinise, Chefs Robert Irvine & Chef Shane

Original Family Recipes

Often imitated. Never duplicated.

Special Classic Favorites

Traditional favorites have never tasted so good.

Local Style Creations

Favorite traditional recipes with a local twist.

One of a Kind Dishes

Original creations from our family kitchen.

Elena’s Favorites

Pork Adobo Fried Rice Omelette™

Our #1 most popular dish! In 1974, Elena had an actual dream of creating this dish. Her dream detailed step by step how to make this award winning family original. It starts with our flavorful, tender pork adobo, carefully stir-fried with hot steaming rice. Seasoned with Elena's secret ingredients. We then wrap it in a thin egg crepe envelope. The egg envelope keeps the fried rice steaming and moist!

Sari-Sari

Another original dish created by our father, Theo, in 1974. A savory soup with a mixture of local vegetables of long eggplant, long squash, onchoi, tomatoes and onions. Simmered with baby shrimp and crispy pork belly to produce a flavorful broth.

Lechon Special

An Elena's favorite! Crispy pork belly chopped to bite sized pieces, seasoned with fish sauce, Hawaiian salt tossed with tomatoes, onions and green onions.

Triple D

Specifically created for Guy Fieri on the Food Network “Diners Drive-Ins and Dives”. This dish has the best of both worlds, Pork Adobo Fried Rice and Lechon Special.

Shrimp Sarciado

A classic traditional favorite! "Head On-Shell On" tiger shrimp sautéed with garlic, tomatoes and onions. Folded in with scrambled egg and topped off with green onions. Leaving the head and shell on the shrimp give this amazing dish a full flavor that can’t be missed.

Pork Gisantes

Another local favorite also known as “pork and peas”. Slices of tender pork stewed with tomato sauce and green peas. Served over hot steaming rice. Yum!

Fried Pork

One of our featured dishes on the Food Network "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives". Pork chops marinated overnight with shoyu, vinegar, garlic, black pepper and bay leaves. Pan-fried slooooowly so it's tender, but still crispy. Served with vinegar garlic sauce and our homemade pickled onchoi. This sells out every day before dinner, so come early!

Pork Adobo

A staple of Filipino food. Pork adobo are chunks of pork marinated with shoyu, vinegar, garlic, black pepper and bay leaves. Braised for several hours to produce fork tender tasty pork adobo with a gravy like sauce. Enjoy this with some hot steaming rice. Ahhhh.

Squid Guisado

A tasty, full flavored squid dish that has become a local favorite. A whole squid sliced in half, "Guisa" (sautéed) with onions, tomatoes, special seasonings finished off with petchay. A bold and tasty dish!

See Our Full Menu

Full Menu | Party Trays Menu | Refund/Return/Exchange Policy

Location & Hours

Tropicana Square
94-866 Moloalo Street #D4A
Waipahu, Hawaii 96797

(808) 676-8005

ElenasRestaurant@gmail.com

Open Daily
Sunday – Saturday
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Last Dine In: 7:30 p.m.
Last Take Out Order: 7:45 p.m.

We accept Cash, MC/Visa, Discover

Our Story

Serving Hawai’i for over 40 years

Remember 1974?? That was the year of the oil embargo and the gasoline lines, when George Ariyoshi became the first Japanese-American Governor and Richard Nixon resigned his Presidency. During this time, history was also being made in a small kitchen with a counter and six stools in the old Nabarette Café in Waipahu where Elena and Theo Butuyan founded Elena’s Restaurant.

The Butuyan Family immigrated from Dagupan City, Pangasinan, Philippines in 1969 to the island of Oahu. The sugar plantation town of Waipahu, Hawaii is where Elena’s Restaurant opened its doors for business. Elena and Theo expanded Elena’s Restaurant to 3 lunch trucks, where it received additional accolades at food truck rallies and many local events.

As the originator of many popular Filipino dishes such as the Popular Pork Adobo Fried Rice Omelette™ and Sari-Sari, Elena’s continues to create new dishes today inspired by their original family recipes and local homestyle cooking. Over the past 40 years, Elena’s has established itself as the home of the finest Filipino foods in Hawaii.