Sweet Home Cafe is a Taiwanese hot pot style eatery located in downtown Honolulu near the University of Hawaii. We have heard much hype from Yelp and local newspapers and decided to see for ourselves if this place lived up to its reputation.  Hot pot consists of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table.

We have also heard that Sweet Home Cafe can get packed so we went early to get seated quickly.

At the door there is a sign in sheet and we were instructed by the host that there is a strict 90 minute time limit once you are seated. We could live with that since our daughter usually can't sit in one spot for too long after she eats. At around 5 pm on a Saturday we waited for about 10 minutes to be seated.

The inside the Sweet Home Cafe resembles a small home and we could tell instantly why there is always a wait- this place is tiny. 

There is wide array of different flavored broths to choose from. We choose the spicy seafood for us and the regular chicken for our daughter.

In addition to the fresh vegetables, diners can choose Sweet Home Cafe's homemade sauces. We tried the cold ginger sauce and spicy garlic. Muy deliciouso! that's Hawaiian  for delicious in case you didn't know.

Diners can choose which fresh vegetables they wish to add to their broth from the refrigerator. The staff brings our your choice of thinly shaved beef, chicken, pork, or lamb. We picked up some shitake mushrooms, butternut squash, and sweet potato leafy greens.

Each plate is color coded and a set price.

Fish ball and Tripe. A Taiwanese favorite.

A panoramic sweep of the restaurant.

At the end of the meal the staff brings out a free Taiwanese shave ice desert. They added some fresh tropical fruit, tapioca, and chewy mochi to polish of a delicious meal.

Ours came out loaded with tapioca, passion fruit, and coffee mochi. Words cant describe how Delicious this concoction was. They could open a business and just sell these alone and be quite successful.

My wife also known as the "Taiwanese boss" said this place was ok, but she is very critical of Taiwanese food outside of her homeland. My daughter and I  thought it was great and the staff did a great job going out of their way to make sure we were content. At one point my daughter dropped her cup of water on the floor and the waiter still kept a positive attitude. Had to knock off a pineapple though because this place is too small. They should buy out another restaurant in the center they are at and expand to feed the willing masses.

if you are in the mood to try something new or ethnic and don't mind a little wait, Sweet Home Cafe is where its at.