Happy Days’ stench limited to back entrance, sniff test finds—no odor on Waiʻalae Ave frontage

The rot is real but contained: as of Halloween, the stench from the collapsed Happy Days restaurant in Kaimukī is noticeable only at its back entrance and 11th Avenue side, while neighboring restaurants on Waiʻalae Avenue report no detectable odor, according to a sniff test conducted Oct. 31.

HONOLULU Magazine visited the block on Oct. 31 to test reports that the smell of rotting food left behind after the roof collapse was driving away customers. It has been a couple months since the roof gave way at Happy Days, and the ensuing reports of the stench had already hurt nearby businesses. Seven restaurants share this stretch of Waiʻalae Avenue—Maguro-Ya, Lotus Café, Kim Chee II, To Thai For Restaurant, Magoo’s Pizza, Honolulu Burger Co. and Nana Ai Katsu—and the magazine’s sniff test covered two of them, beginning at the collapsed site.

The physical scene at Happy Days tells part of the story. The front entrance on Waiʻalae Avenue is fenced off, and the sidewalk next to the building is closed, so pedestrians have no reason to walk over there anyway. At that front entrance, there is no smell at all. But the back entrance facing the parking lot is another matter entirely. On Halloween, it definitely smells like rot. The magazine also visited the area three days earlier after it had rained, and the stench was way stronger and danker then—so strong it could be smelled from the parking lot itself. The fenced-off side of the building facing 11th Avenue is pretty stinky too, though a big dumpster sits there, making it difficult to isolate how much of the odor comes from the restaurant versus the trash.

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At next-door Maguro-Ya, located at 3565 Waiʻalae Ave., the sniff test reveals no detectable odor whatsoever. Tables slowly fill on a Saturday at lunch, suggesting the midday crowd is returning despite the collapse next door. The maguro zukushi teishoku, priced at $32, features maguro prepared raw, grilled and deep-fried alongside a nice selection of side dishes. Sumiko Obara, who operates the 26-year-old establishment alongside her husband, sushi chef Goro, says the period following Happy Days’ roof collapse marked the slowest stretch since COVID. Business has been getting better, but she remains worried for the future. She appreciates her patrons—several of whom have tipped generously to keep the restaurant afloat—and hopes even more will visit. Because Maguro-Ya has its own walls separate from Happy Days, any possible sale of the Happy Days building and the renovations that might follow should leave the Obaras’ restaurant unaffected.

Farther up the block at Kim Chee II, the air smells completely normal, with no trace of the rot reported elsewhere on the property. The meat jun plate, at $20.50, brings two full cutlets plus another half as well as rice and vegetables—easily enough for two people to share. The beef is so tender that it explains why people say this is the best meat jun on Oʻahu. Nick Chun, third-generation co-owner of Kim Chee II, says the first two weeks after the Happy Days collapse were slow, especially the weekends, but business has gotten better recently as word spreads that the smell is not affecting this part of the block.

The sniff test proved that odors from Happy Days are limited to that restaurant’s back entrance and the 11th Avenue side. For the six other restaurants along the main Waiʻalae Avenue frontage, the air remains clear, the sidewalks remain open, and the doors remain open for business. These restaurants need the community’s support to fully recover from the lost weeks.