Hawaiian restaurant Island Plate Lunch announced plans to open a second location late October closer to midtown with an expanded menu, Hawaiian soft serve ice cream, and a Hawaiian and Asian bakery.
“Being a pastry chef, I kind of miss it,” said Renee Eder, owner and chef at Island Plate Lunch. “I wanted to get back into pastries, and Tucson doesn’t have anything like that where you can get Asian or Hawaiian desserts. This is my chance to do it.”
Eder, a formally-trained pastry chef and Hawaii native, opened Island Plate Lunch in December 2016. While the restaurant offered baked goods on special, production was limited.
The new location, officially named Island Plate Lunch & Bakery, will take over the vacant 3,600-square-foot space at 3695 N. Campbell Ave. The space will feature 72 seats and a small patio.
“I was hoping to be closer to the U of A,” Eder said. “And it’s more central. I have customers that come from Bisbee to Green Valley, so I wanted something a little closer with ample parking.”
The expanded menu will include the return of former menu favorites such as sweet-sour spareribs, meat jun, and shoyu chicken. Additionally, the restaurant is adding a poke station with more fish options.
A self-serve pastry display case will show off 18 pastries, while a refrigerated display case will show off cakes and more. The bakery will also serve Hawaii’s famous Samurai Hawaiian Frost soft serve.
Island Plate Lunch & Bakery Pastry Highlights
- Malasada – like a beignet, served warm
- Poi doughnuts – doughnuts filled with fermented pounded taro
- Japanese polo buns – sweet bread (popular in Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan)
- Hawaiian dobash cake – chocolate sponge cake
- Haupia cake – sponge cake with coconut pudding
- Chantilly cake – like a German chocolate cake without coconut but with the addition of macadamia nuts.
Tentative operating hours will be 6 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Keep up with Island Plate Lunch on Facebook.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
