Pepper Lunch to Open Two More Oahu Locations in Waikiki and Kapahulu This Summer

Japanese teppanyaki chain Pepper Lunch is doubling its Oahu presence with two new locations set to open by August — one on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki and another on Kapahulu Avenue near the freeway on-ramp.

The expansion follows the runaway success of Pepper Lunch’s Ala Moana Center location, which opened in 2024 and quickly became one of the shopping center’s highest-grossing food tenants. Lines regularly stretch 30 minutes or longer during peak hours for the chain’s signature sizzling beef pepper rice and hamburg steaks.

“Hawaii was our best-performing U.S. market from day one,” said Ryan Hariyama, managing director of Pepper Lunch North America. “The local palate just clicks with our flavors — it’s the intersection of Japanese and local-style comfort food.”

The Waikiki location will take over a 2,400-square-foot space on the ground floor of the Waikiki Beach Walk development, seating approximately 65. The Kapahulu spot will be slightly larger at 2,800 square feet in a newly constructed retail building, with a drive-through window — the first for any Pepper Lunch location worldwide.

Menu items at the new locations will include Hawaii-exclusive dishes not available at mainland outposts, including a loco moco pepper rice and a spam and egg teppan plate developed specifically for the local market.

Both locations will be company-owned rather than franchised, and Pepper Lunch expects to hire approximately 50 workers across the two restaurants. Hariyama said the company is also evaluating sites on Maui for a potential 2027 opening.