Two of Windward Mall's longest-running restaurants close at the end of this month. Maruki Tei's family says the counter is closing as they retire. It traces its story to 1958, when Edith Oshima opened the first version of the restaurant. KHON2 reported that Big City Diner's Windward Mall location stays open until the 31st, after 11 years at the mall.
The two closings happen to bracket two community dates at the mall: a free October storytelling day that raises money for Heʻeia's fishpond stewards, and a December parade whose theme is food. This year the newest places to eat at the mall are multi-location concepts, and two departures with deep Windward roots are leaving. The Kāneʻohe ties that hold steady at Windward Mall now come mostly from its calendar.
A Counter Older Than the Mall It Sits In
Maruki Tei's history runs longer than the building it ended up in. A 2008 MidWeek column reported that the family had served at Windward Mall since the mall opened. Before that, Edith Oshima ran a deli and shave-ice shop, and earlier still she fed Marines at her Kāneʻohe restaurant near where the Jack in the Box stands today. That puts the restaurant's start before the mall existed, at a time when Kāneʻohe's lunch trade had a lot to do with the base across the bay.
The family's own farewell, posted on the Maruki Tei website, puts it plainly:
"Over the decades, Maruki Tei grew and eventually found its home at Windward Mall, where so many of you have become like family, sharing meals and everyday moments with us."
The note also invites people back: "We'd love to see you one more time before we close. Come by, enjoy an old favorite." KITV covered the closing as a retirement decision and traced the business back to Edith Oshima in 1958.
If you're deciding what to order on a last visit, Tripadvisor reviewers have called out the old-style cone sushi and maki. One review mentions mochiko chicken, vegetable tempura and nishime, and another praises the chicken katsu. Those are diners' favorites, not an official menu. The family's notice says only "the end of October" and doesn't give an exact final day, so the safest plan is to go early in the week.
Eleven Years, and a Cost Sheet
Big City Diner's departure comes from a different place. In the KHON2 report, Big City Diner restaurant president Lane Muraoka pointed to how money moves around the islands:
"Tourism is down, the dollars come in, and it doesn't circulate throughout a community. When you add that with insurance, health insurance, general liability insurance, minimum wage increases, utility increases, it just compounds one upon another."
The same story quoted Hawaii Restaurant Association president and CEO Sheryl Matsuoka, who said diners around the state may see self-ordering kiosks, shorter hours, or specials during off-peak times as restaurants adjust to higher costs. KHON2 also reported that some Windward Mall staff will move to the company's other locations.
The menu itself stays on the Windward side. Pacific Business News reported that Big City Diner continues at three other Oʻahu locations. On the Windward side, the company's locations page lists a Kailua Town Center restaurant at 108 Hekili Street. The company site still shows Windward Mall in its lineup, so trust the October 31 date over the website for now.
What Changed Hands This Year
The two closings mean more set against what opened at the mall in 2026. Both newcomers belong to larger operations, and the comparison below shows how the dining roster has shifted over the year.
| Restaurant | Change at Windward Mall | When | Connection to Kāneʻohe |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Birria | Opened as a franchise | Late February 2026, grand opening event April 10 | Newcomer |
| Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya | Opened its seventh Hawaiʻi location | Reported open by May 22, 2026 | Newcomer |
| Maruki Tei | Closing for family retirement | End of October 2026 | Roots go back to 1958 and Edith Oshima's earlier Kāneʻohe restaurant |
| Big City Diner | Closing this location | October 31, 2026 | 11 years at the mall, continues in Kailua |
KHON2's Living808 segment described where Tanaka Ramen sits and what's on the menu. The restaurant is on the second level near Ninja Sushi and HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union, with indoor and outdoor seating for about 70 guests. It's the only Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya location with yakitori. The skewers are chicken thigh, chicken thigh with green onion, chicken meatball and chicken kawa. This location also added seafood dishes, including a Poke Don with house-made poke sauce, an Unagi Don, Grilled Hamachi Kama and a Three-Choice Hand Roll Set.
Aloha State Daily reported that La Birria's Windward Mall franchise opened in late February and held its grand opening event on April 10.
Some counters at the mall do carry Windward roots, and they aren't new. Waiāhole Poi Factory's mall location dates to its planned October 2023 expansion, which Honolulu Magazine covered at the time. The mall's dining directory also still lists Leonard's Bakery, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Hawaii Pot Shabu Shabu House, Noods Ramen Bar, Bull Kogi, Chinatown Express and Lunar Tea, among others. That directory still shows both Maruki-Tei and Big City Diner, so it hasn't caught up with this month's news either. Neither space has an announced replacement. The mall's general directory lists a Cinnabon Swirl as "Coming Soon" in unit e07, with no opening date.
From the Last Plates to the Parade, on a Calendar
The goodbyes and the mall's community dates overlap, so here they are in order:
- From now through the end of October. Maruki Tei is open through "the end of October." No specific final day has been published.
- Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 2nd Annual Nā Moʻolelo Hawaiʻi cultural celebration takes over Center Court.
- Saturday, October 31. This is Big City Diner's last day at Windward Mall.
- November. Windward Mall's holiday page says to check back in November for holiday events.
- Saturday, December 5. The 62nd Kāneʻohe Christmas Parade runs from Windward Mall to Castle High School.
Saturday the 24th falls in the middle of the farewell week. A family heading to Center Court can stop for one more Maruki Tei plate on the same trip.
Saturday the 24th Brings Heʻeia to Center Court
The 2nd Annual Nā Moʻolelo Hawaiʻi celebration is free and family-friendly. It raises money for Paepae o Heʻeia and Koʻolau ʻĀina Aloha, and Matson and Elks Lodge 616 join Windward Mall as primary sponsors. According to the event page, the day focuses on storytelling as a way to carry knowledge, values and lessons between generations and connect them to the places they call home. It includes storytelling presentations, cultural activities and hands-on experiences for all ages.
Two practical details: mask decorating kits are sold through the event's Eventbrite page, and the mall has posted a sign-up form for anyone who wants to tell a story. Few events bring a Heʻeia stewardship group to the mall's main floor, and this one comes in the same month the mall loses a counter whose story starts more than six decades ago.
December's Parade Runs on Food
The Kāneʻohe Christmas Parade starts at Windward Mall again this year, and its organizers picked a theme that suits the month the mall is having. The parade's site describes the 2026 theme as "all about the foods we love during the holiday season and year ʻround." The 62nd parade runs Saturday, December 5, from Windward Mall to Castle High School. Organizers are looking for participants, volunteers and spectators, and the 2026 parade T-shirt is on sale now.
Windward Mall's own parade listing still shows last year's date, so use the organizer's page for the December 5 date and for how to join. After October, neither Maruki Tei nor Big City Diner will be serving at the mall when the parade sets off from there.
At Golden Pineapple Group, we pay attention to changes like these because they shape everyday life in Kāneʻohe: where the Saturday plate lunch comes from, which counter the parade passes, which nonprofit fills Center Court. If you're curious how the Windward side's businesses and gathering places are shifting near your home, Golden Pineapple Group is glad to talk story. Let's Connect.
