Waikiki Market has gone quiet for a few weeks, as crews rip into its kitchen and the floors around it. The store closed to customers on Wednesday and is expected to stay dark until mid-March, putting its prepared-food counters and in-house restaurant ʻOlili on pause and trimming grab-and-go and dine-in options for both locals and visitors.
According to Waikiki Market's website, the store is closed for construction from Feb. 18 to Mar. 16. The brief notice apologizes for the disruption and nudges shoppers toward other nearby grocery options while the work is underway.
As reported by Pacific Business News, Waikiki Market is operated by Food Pantry, Ltd., which also runs ʻOlili Waikīkī and Piko Kitchen + Bar. The outlet notes that most of the market’s roughly 50 employees were offered positions at other Food Pantry locations during the renovation, and that the Līlia Waikīkī grocery space will remain closed through mid-March for floor work and waterproofing.
Background: A Return Of A Neighborhood Grocery
Waikiki Market opened in January 2023 inside the Līlia Waikīkī development, bringing a full-service grocery back to central Waikīkī after the original Food Pantry closed in 2019. The concept folded in two eateries — Piko Kitchen + Bar at street level and ʻOlili inside the market — and was intended to serve both residents and visitors, as described by Honolulu Magazine.
Where Shoppers Can Go While It’s Closed
While Waikiki Market is offline, shoppers still have options nearby, including Target Waikīkī, Duke’s Lane Market and several neighborhood mini-markets clustered around Kūhiō and Kalākaua avenues. Guides to Waikīkī grocery choices outline those and other stores, along with parking details and hours to help plan a run while the main market is shut, according to Waikiki Beach Stays.
The market’s site lists Feb. 18 to Mar. 16 as the closure window and provides a customer phone number (808-923-2022) for updates. Shoppers should check the store's website before heading over. For more details, see Waikiki Market's website.
