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Vegan
American
Take-out
Vietnamese
A family-owned restaurant that serves a variety of dishes from pasta, burgers and sandwiches to Vietnamese entrees and noodle soups, rice dishes with mock meats. Opened fall-2010. Reported fully vegan August 2021. Open Mon-Tue 10:30am-2:30pm, Mon-Sun 5:00pm-9:00pm, Thu-Sun 10:30am-2:30pm. Hours may vary; call ahead.
129 Reviews
First Review by beve_luna
Mathcore
Points +32
My to go place when i visit Oahu - Edit
The title say it all. Their food is the bomb 💣 just go and enjoy
Read moreGuest
elinorcita
Points +42
Literally eat here weekly - Edit
Simple Joy is my #1 vegan spot on the island. The clay pot is my husband’s favorite dish but it can make you sweat on a warm day! Every appetizer is work trying—even my kids like them all. The Asian dishes are excellent, we have never ordered any of the western dishes because my kids love all the noodles and rice options here. My personal favorite is the lemongrass tofu — it comes with cold kimchi and holy heck you gotta try this: one bite lemongrass tofu and then stuff some kimchi in your mouth, taste it all together. It’s amazing!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-01-19
Pros: Taste, Price, Variety
Guest
Smmay1313
Points +72
Friendly family run and tasty - Edit
We came here on recommendation of Happy Cow and boy are we glad we did! Be sure to order the banana leaf salad and the pumpkin soup. The soy protein they use is amazing. And the staff is friendly and helpful. A wonderful place to eat
Read morePros: Food, Staff, Banana leaf salad
Guest
GoHerOwnWay
Points +1982
Amazing Asian food!! 🍱 - Edit
Such a great restaurant 🔥 so many different options and awesome flavours.
Read moreWe got the tofu stew, the teriyaki kebabs and the lemon grass Hawaiiana. It was so delicious and flavourful I was really impressed.
Only downsides were that the teriyaki kebab didn’t taste like teriyaki but it was still really tasty. The tofu stew was a lot sweeter than I expected but again still delicious. And it’s a little expensive but still would go back for more.
Awesome places. Please stay open 🌟 #Veganuary
Guest
vegetaristan
Points +64
Nice food and drinks! - Edit
Loved the wonton soup! Mapo tofu was a bit spicy but nice! Delicious sugar cane drink.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-12-17
Guest
CarlosR
Points +16
Options - Edit
I understand the other reviews. The menu has a lot of options. But that was a good thing. A friend joined me who isn't vegan, and with a huge selection, it made it easier to explore more delicacies. The food was delicious, and the portions weren't small sizes.
Read moreGuest
RasaFournier
Points +117
So many delicious options - Edit
This is often our go to lunch spot because it has so many different dishes available, from Asian to Italian. They have vegan ice tea, and their banana flower salad is absolutely a must on my list. I often crave it and I've been known to order 2 at once just to get my fill. Their fake fish is some of the best on the island. Their tempura is so good, especially the chunks of mushroom. Their bean curd rolls are unusual and delicious, except that they're rarely available because apparently it's a specialized dish that takes a long time to make, so I'm not sure if they run out quickly or they just don't make it most days.
Read moreUnfortunately, they keep raising their prices a bit too steeply.
Updated from previous review on 2018-11-12
Pros: Extensive menu, Can accommodate large parties
Cons: Expensive
Guest
RasmusHansen
Points +139
Joyfully recommendation - Edit
Great food. Large menu that I would love to try more of.
Read moreDespite the host struggling with English, communication went just fine with finger pointing and smiles. And I even got pointers lessons in how the food traditionally is enjoyed.
Pros: Menu, Service
Guest
YoshiYoshi
Points +85
Best in our Hawaii Trip - Edit
The place was simply decorated but was clean and cool. We ordered Pho, pad Thai and Thai tea. All excellent. We'll definitely come back if we get a chance.
Read morePros: Great food, Reasonable Cost for Hawaii
Guest
KaceyMorgan
Points +68
Incredible Service, Would Try Again - Edit
If we are here long enough, I would go back. Is it the best Asian food I’ve ever had, no. but the staff was incredibly attentive, and the food was good overall. Pad Thai does not taste like pad Thai, but it was good.
Read moreGuest
Kate9791
Points +1449
One of my favorites! - Edit
I swoon for the Banana Flower Salad.
Read more(The rest of the food is phenomenal too.)
Small, understated restaurant, but it’s never been busy when I’m in. Always always been an excellent lunch here!
Pros: Lots of GF, Dedicated parking lot
Cons: Closed once - I call first now.
Guest
KeithTharp
Points +978
One of my favorite spots on Oahu! - Edit
Simple Joy Vegetarian in Honolulu is a gem! It might just be the best vegan food on Oahu, and it's easily one of my favorite vegan restaurants. The Banana Flower salad is a fantastic starter, and I personally love #42 The Spring Roll Noodle and #24 Joy Noodle Soup, though honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The staff is incredibly friendly and the food is not only delicious but also beautifully presented. Thank you, Simple Joy, for being such a delightful vegan restaurant!
Read moreGuest
tardigrade
Points +32
Very nice - Edit
Tons of options. Everyone in the family found something and they all loved their food. Nice portions, too!
Read morePros: Lots of options, Friendly
Guest
marieroberts
Points +1548
It was pretty good - Edit
We had Asian salad, summer rolls, curry noodle and pho soup- everything was fresh and delicious.
Read morePros: All vegan
Cons: Strong bleach smell inside restaurant
Guest
Jessica_Marie
Points +416
Huge menu - Edit
If you're looking for a menu that will have something for everyone (Curry? French fries? Avocado smoothie? Spaghetti with red sauce?) - this is the place. If you're wanting atmosphere or someone a bit more upscale, not so much. I had the Pad Thai and it was boring and greasy. The fresh rolls were good.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-02-03
Pros: Lots of options
Guest
mecarly1
Points +203
Reminds me of Loving Hut - Edit
Menu reminds me of Loving Hut. Plus they have pasta and sandwiches, though I am not sure how they are. However, the food I did try was great. Very extensive menu.
Read moreGuest
Misanthropia
Points +2827
Tasty vegan food and plenty options - Edit
Mostly Asian inspired options, but also some Western/European dishes such as pasta. I had the Seafood pasta, the similarity to actual seafood was a bit creepy but the taste was good. Also the staff is very friendly and forthcoming, he mixed up a part of our order and gave us a dish for free. Definitely one of the best options in Honolulu for vegans
Read moreGuest
TwoRabbits
Points +319
Tasty Asian options - Edit
As an appetizer we got the fried summer rolls - which I would skip next time as portion was small. We got the lemongrass noodle soup and veggie fried rice. We enjoyed both the entrees as they were a nice size and the flavor was there.
Read moreThe menu was very large like close to 100 different items. Can be hard to choose with a menu that large especially since you’re only going to order a dish or two!
Pros: Helpful staff
Cons: Large menu
Guest
spiderho!!
Points +47
Yummmmm! - Edit
Perfect vegan food. The chow fun was great!!
Read morePros: Sauce was good for chow fun.
Guest
Breides
Points +66
Grrat choice! - Edit
The food was delicious for a reasonable price!
Read moreGuest
Catdogtor🐾
Points +496
Seriously adorable💙 - Edit
Super quaint little hole-in-the-wall spot. Menu is extensive and has plenty of variety to please everyone. I had the “Kung Pow Wow,” which was good, and the potstickers which were even better. Definitely worth the stop😄
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-08-23
Guest
InadvertentlyVegan
Points +986
What a great little family restaurant - Edit
This a a simple place, with simple decor but family run, we were had a good time, the old lady serving worked her [censored] off as it was surprisingly busy with just her doing front of house, it think her daughter was in the kitchen.
Read moreIt’s called vegetarian but everything is vegan just think they can’t be bothered to change the name.
Huge menu, so much to choose from
Trying to remember what we had
Pot stickers, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, Lemongrass Tofu, Pad Thai (maybe) we had noodles but not sure it was Pad Thai and Mixed veggies. A few things come with rice so we didn’t need extra
I think we had a Bannana Blossom Salad with lions mane mushrooms maybe, it was great, highly recommend it.
Updated from previous review on 2023-08-19
Pros: Easy street parking, Lovely people, Huge menu of choice
Cons: Slightly seedy part of town but maybe not
Guest
Harmoniclight
Points +44
Amazing crispy thick cut fries !! MMmm smoothie - Edit
Amazing smoothie (berry) and epic large cut thick fries with ketchup and I am a fry aficionado😄friendly service as well !
Read morePros: Crispy nice fries !, Friendly service , Nice smoothies
Guest
doublewire
Points +38
Quaint, homey, huge menu! - Edit
Was amazed at the selection here! Not just Vietnamese food but also Thai, Western, and more. The banh xeo and banh mi were delicious. Nice to eat off real dishes, a bit hard to find at a casual eatery in Hawaii!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-07-06
Guest
kmramki
Points +70
Hole in the wall you'll love - Edit
Simple place, delicious meal
Read morePros: Delicious meal , Great variety, like Soondubu
Guest
AprilJoyce
Points +282
Simply Joyful - Edit
We had a great experience. The owner let me leave my bag while I picked up my friend from the airport on my motorcycle. We came back, ate & they allowed us both to charge our phones. The food was delicious. I had a banana flower salad, and spring rolls. My friend had potstickers and bahn mi. The food was yummy and priced very reasonably.
Read morePros: Service, Price, Food
Guest
Freya812
Points +70
Vegan Loco Moco! - Edit
Very convenient to downtown Honolulu. Was able to try a local favorite Loco Moco. So good! Very extensive menu.
Read moreGuest
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