After Ward Centre Closed, Where Did Kakaako Businesses Go?
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
By the last day of August, Ward Centre had been reduced to twisted metal beams and rubble. That was two months after the last tenants moved out on June 30. The center opened in 1982 and served Kakaako for more than four decades. For many people who live nearby, it was where ramen, bagels, a dog groom and a workout class could all fit into the same Saturday.
That Saturday still exists, but it has spread out. The tenants that stayed in Kakaako mostly moved a few blocks. New openings at SALT have taken over the hours the old center never covered. And the free, scheduled parts of the week, from music and fitness classes to the holiday events, now happen on the lawn at Victoria Ward Park Mauka.
According to Aloha State Daily's July report, three tenants moved within Ward Village itself. A fourth found a new spot a few streets mauka. Here's where each one is now:
On a map, the move is short. Kamitoku went from one end of Auahi Street to the other. The dog spa and the studio now share an address on Ward Avenue. Tali's is the farthest move, and it's still a short walk up from Auahi.
Mian & Bao belongs on this list too, but with a caveat. In July, Honolulu Magazine reported it would merge with its sister restaurant, Chengdu Taste, at 808 Center, 808 Sheridan St., #209, in Kakaako. We couldn't find any report since then confirming the merger is complete, so check before going there for dinner.
Other regulars are now a drive away. Aliʻi Coffee closed its Ward Centre and downtown shops and opened at Ala Moana Center, on the ground floor where Honolulu Bistro used to be. Chong Qing Hot Pot's Waikiki location at 1778 Ala Moana Blvd. is still open. Crazy Shirts reopened at Waikele Premium Outlets. Jewelry Plus planned an August reopening at 700 Bishop St. downtown. Kids City Adventure is still running its Kapolei location.
Several more were still unsettled the last time anyone reported on them. As of Honolulu Magazine's July 8 roundup:
We found no August or September report giving a new address for Try Coffee, BoxJelly or Blume Ruhm.
Ward Centre was mostly a lunch and dinner place. The openings around SALT and on nearby streets since spring cover a wider stretch of the day. Here they are in order, from morning to night.
Cino, at 987 Queen St., started weekend brunch on Saturday, Sept. 19. It runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a keiki menu. Tali's also covers the morning, and its Waimanu Street shop puts bagels within walking distance again.
Westman Cafe, at 1000 Auahi St. in Koula, opened in March as a brunch spot. It has since added weekday dinner from 4 to 9 p.m., by reservation only. At SALT, Ethiopian Love is back as a pop-up several days a week beside Bevy Bar, at 675 Auahi St. #130. The restaurant said it started there in the spring.
Pub Maniwa Kakuuchi opened at the end of July inside Up Roll CafĂ© KakaÊ»ako, at 665 Halekauwila St. It's a Japanese sake pub with izakaya small plates. Its announcement lists Thursday through Saturday in one place and Thursday through Sunday in another, so confirm the hours before you go. Mosa! opened its third shop at SALT on Sept. 18, at 685 Auahi St. #118. It's open 8 a.m. to midnight every day, which makes it one of the few places in the neighborhood serving both early and late.
SALT's own calendar adds two weekly regulars: live music at Highway Inn on Thursdays from 5:30 p.m., and Ladies Night at vein at Kakaʻako on Tuesdays with 50% off. Chubbies Burgers is next. It's under construction on Auahi Street between Insomnia and Pioneer Saloon, according to Pacific Business News in early September. Its website says it's opening at SALT but doesn't give a date.
The biggest change may be where the free, scheduled gatherings now happen. Victoria Ward Park Mauka held its grand opening on Feb. 18. Ward Village says the combined park covers 3.5 acres, with a playground, seating and public art, and is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. This fall, the park and South Shore Market across the way carry most of the recurring events:
Oct. 3 is a full day for the neighborhood. The Kakaako Farmers Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon at 919 Ala Moana Blvd. First Saturday fills the South Shore Market courtyard. And the Keep It Aloha Card Show brings more than 50 trading-card vendors and family activities to SALT that weekend, Oct. 3 and 4.
If you bring a dog to the park, know the rule announced when it reopened in February. Dogs aren't allowed on the landscaped lawn or in the seating, art and play areas, but they can use designated paths and other permitted areas. With the groomer now on Ward Avenue, a dog walk and a grooming appointment fit easily into the same morning.
Hawaii News Now reports that the plan for the Ward Centre site calls for two condo towers, Melia Ward Village and ʻIlima Ward Village, with 369 homes in total. The plan also includes 20,000 square feet of retail and a new one-acre public park. Doug Johnstone, president of Howard Hughes Communities' Hawaiʻi region, described the next phase this way:
"As plans move forward for redevelopment on the site, we look forward to announcing details about the next phase, which will deliver additional retail, open space and a new public park, as well as hundreds of new homes."
No completion date has been published. Hawaii News Now said in late August that it had asked the developer for an update and hadn't heard back. Until that work is finished, the new park will be a plan. Victoria Ward Park Mauka is the lawn that carries Kakaako's Thursday workouts, Friday music and the Oct. 24 pumpkin patch.
If you live a few blocks from the old Ward Centre site and want to talk through what all this change means for your own building or street, Drew Read is glad to have that conversation. Let's Connect.
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