Zippy's Restaurant

Honolulu $ ****
I know, I know. It's a bit pointless to write about Zippy's; every Hawaii resident has eaten here and has formed their own opinions of this statewide chain. However, recently Zippy's has held a special place in my heart, and so I think it deserves to be on my blog.
Zippy's serves "local" food, whatever that is. From saimin to chili to teriyaki chicken, the menu reflects the diversity of our state. The quality of the food itself is nothing special. What I really appreciate about Zippy's is not its food but its convenience. In almost every neighborhood, you will find a Zippy's. At 2 am, when you are still out and about, you can always depend on Zippy's to satisfy your late night cravings. Unlike other late-night places in other cities, e.g., Montage, Hot Cake House, Zippy's is always dependable (not to mention not sketchy!). Clean, friendly, and cheap - what else could you want?

Zippy's Restaurants
Various locations
Open 24 hours

Montage Restaurant

Portland $$ ****
Fun, loud restaurant with good food and even better prices. I've been here twice, the first time for their famous butter cakes alone, the second time for actual dinner. Depending on when you come and how large your party is, you will probably have to wait (they don't take reservations). As soon as you enter, you can tell this is one of those places that help keep Portland weird. The waiters wear dressed-down white tuxes, the music is loud, the walls are red, and there's definitely a religious theme going on with their artwork. Well, religious with a twist. My favorite painting is the huge Last Supper painting covering one wall. The space ship in the background should give you a sense of the restaurant's atmosphere.

The best deal would have to be the steak: $16.75 for a juicy steak, garlic mashed potatoes, carrots, and a small caesar salad. If you're lucky, you'll have leftovers, with which your waiter will create an aluminum foil sculpture for you to take home - mine was a swan!
Besides the aluminum foil sculpture, you also want to take home leftovers because you want to save room for the butter cake. Words cannot describe this butter cake. Some people like the soft, weightless center the most, others like the more textured edges. Regardless of which section of the cake you'd prefer, you will fall in love with this cake. Another great thing about this place is that it's open late (for Portland)!

Montage Restaurant (Southeast)
301 SE Morrison Street
Portland, OR 97214
Lunch: Tue-Fri 11:30am-2pm
Dinner: Sun-Thu 6pm-2am, Fri-Sat 6pm-4am
~$20 for flatiron steak, garlic potatoes, vegetables, cornbread, salad, butter cake

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant

Portland $$ ***

Definitely the least sketchy place still open in Portland when you're hungry at midnight. It's a lively place, even late at night, with bright walls, Mexican pop music, and friendly service. The portions are huge.

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant (Southeast)
4534 SE McLoughlin Blvd
Portland, OR 97202

Poleng Lounge

San Francisco $$$ *****
I have never seen so many young Filipinos in one restaurant at one time. This is definitely where most of the Asian population of USF hangs out at night. The most interesting Filipino menu I've ever seen, offering courses such as: Sizzling Sisig (Pork medley with coconut vinegar, onions, peppers, and fresh calamansi), Bo Luc Lac "Shaking Beef" (Tender marinated sirloin stir fried with nuoc mam red onions and peppercress), and Walu Kinilaw (Butterfish cooked in sugarcane
vinegar, lime juice and coconut milk, with thai chiles, toybox tomatoes and cilantro). I would highly recommend the crispy adobo wings, but everything was good and relatively cheap.
Poleng Lounge (Richmond)
1751 Fulton Ave
San Francisco, CA 94117
Daily 4pm-1am