Alicia's Market

If you are anything like me, you like to have more than just chips and dip on game day (especially the Super Bowl). Just in time for March Madness, I decided to check out a lead on a market dishing out everything that I need for the big game all in one stop.

Alicia's Market looks just like your ordinary family-run neighborhood market from the outside but stepping inside you will find that it is much more -- like Alice in Wonderland, but you are in awe with the food and not talking rabbits. Located along Mokauea Street near Nimitz and Sand Island, I again set out on another long (Hawaii standards) drive for good food. A drive I will gladly take for the food at Alicia's Market.

"What constitutes bowl game food," you may ask? Being a huge football and food fan I find that the food should be on par with the game itself. This of course means all measures of local delicacies that include (but are not limited to) Char-siu, roast pork, boiled peanuts, soy beans (edamame for you non-local types), at least three types of poke (may also include sashimi), and last but not least, a giant pot of rice (and maybe a barrel of zippy's chili). Alicia's Market has all of this (minus the Zippy's chili) and much more (beer)!

One thing I suggest with places that sell roast meats here in Hawaii is that you get there early. You want your roast meats as fresh out of the kitchen as possible. The same goes for your raw fish. You want your poke and sashimi as fresh as possible. Sometimes this isn't possible if the place you are going to doesn't bring in fresh fish daily. Again, getting your fish early is your best bet. Of course the food is always better the day of the big game as places like Alicia's market need to stock up on fresh product to meet demand.

As always, I'm usually in the mood for roast pork and that day was no exception. Last Super Bowl I had the fortunate opportunity to try a few pieces of roast pork from Alicia's Market. The roast pork was very good but when I visited the place in person this past weekend the roast pork wasn't up to standards. By the time I got home I found the roast pork soaking in a puddle of oil (20 minute drive) and not as good as I had remembered it to be. None the less it was still tasty. The char-siu was much better than the roast pork and was not sitting in oil when I opened it up.

Being the type that likes to try anything at least once, I had the opportunity to try turkey tails. It was cut up sort of like how the Chinese cut up roast duck (ask for it whole). Although turkey tails are mostly fat, they are extremely flavorful and will be on my list for my next Super Bowl party.

In addition to all of this, Alicia's market also provides roast duck, chicken, and PIG!!! Yes, twice a week (from what I heard) Alicia's market roasts pigs (lechon) and will gladly provide their expert roasting services to you for a fair price if you call ahead.

After ordering all of my roast meats, I felt like a kid in a candy store. But it would just get better as I stepped a few feet to my right to the poke counter.

During the last Super Bowl I also had a chance to try Alicia's Market's masago ahi poke. I have to admit that this was some of the freshest poke that I had ever eaten. Just as the roast pork on game day was better, so was the poke. I guess you just can't beat food on game day. However I would still rank the poke as superb even though it wasn't as great this time around.

The poke counter at Alicia's Market is amazing. "Bountiful" might be the right word. If you had ever been to a Foodland poke counter, this was larger and the quality of seafood much better. What more can you ask for? How about wasabi masago ahi poke? For those of you that might prefer the regular masago ahi poke over the wasabi version, there is only a hint of wasabi and it accents the poke perfectly. But for those of you who prefer the pure taste of raw fish over poke, the sashimi at Alicia's Market is excellent as well. Alicia's Market sells pre-sliced sashimi plates (the small ones are the perfect size for a lunch or dinner).

After ordering a 1/4 pound of pretty much everything at the roast meats and poke counters, I passed by the beer section (I was too preoccupied with the food to think about beer) and passed by the front counter (you pay for the roast meats and poke in back) when I noticed one of my favorite game day snacks sitting on the counter. Boiled peanuts anyone?

Growing up I've always been a big fan of boiled peanuts. However, it seems these days there aren't as many places that still make quality boiled peanuts (I can only name a few off the top of my head) so I was pleased to find that Alicia's Market also sells boiled peanuts. I picked up a two-pound bag as well as a container of soy beans (edamame) soaking in some liquid before I headed out the door and back home. After a long meal with a few friends we popped in a movie and eventually took out the peanuts and soy beans. The peanuts (although a bit over cooked) were excellent due to the cooking liquid (probably some of the best I've had) and the marinated soy beans were great as well (marinated in a garlic-poke sauce).

In conclusion, Alicia's Market is the place to go if you are looking for that "one stop shop" for your game day food needs. Just make sure you order ahead if you have a big order and be sure to come early regardless. Trust me, it will be worth it and you will be well pleased.

Alicia's Market
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)

Service: 4
Food Quality: 3.75 (better on game days)
Monetary Value: 2.75
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.5

267 Mokauea St.
Honolulu, HI 96819
808-841-1921