‘Ono grinds at Sunshine on Cedar

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

After eating at Sunshine on Cedar, the new bar and restaurant inside the Cedar Street Bridge, the Hawaiian slang ‘ono grinds (meaning “delicious food”) might become a new part of your vocabulary.

Two orders of spam musubi gives you 10 bites for $10. Photo by Ben Olson.

The eatery is located on the second floor of the bridge, about halfway down. It’s a bright dining room with an expansive view that overlooks Sand Creek and the Selkirk Mountains. Vintage Hawaiian music plays overhead while owner Damon Eder greets customers and shares information about the simple menu, which includes a half dozen “snack boards,” along with a selection of beer, wine and canned cocktails.

The Hawaiian ahi poke for $15. Photo by Ben Olson.

The menu includes a charcuterie board, spam musubi, edamame, pineapple salsa and tortilla chips, and Hawaiian ahi poke. 

The spam musubi is a traditional lunch item of Japanese origin that is popular in the islands, featuring a slice of grilled Spam atop a sweet soy seasoning and rice, wrapped in nori. Five pieces come in an order for $5, and two orders would easily fill up a solo diner with an appetite. The edamame soybean pods are served with a spicy sauce with a great umami taste. 

The pineapple salsa that comes with chips is sweet, spicy and fresh. The owner pointed out that he makes it fresh every time, which shows.

Finally, the Hawaiian ahi poke comes almost like a deconstructed poke bowl, with delicious cuts of raw ahi tuna over a bed of shredded cabbage alongside a pillar of sticky rice. The board was light and easy to enjoy with friends, with a freshness that doesn’t leave you feeling weighed down after the meal. We enjoyed dipping the ahi in the edamame sauce for added spice.

Sunshine on Cedar has a few beers available on draft and in cans, as well as canned cocktails. They also offer a dozen wine choices as well as a mimosa with orange, passion fruit and fruit punch.

Damon, who owns the eatery with his wife Jeanette, was born in Nampa but moved to Honolulu when he was 18 and spent 30 years working in Waikiki, where he learned the hospitality business. Jeanette is a Hawaiian of Kanaka Maoli descent from the island of Oahu, who has a lifelong passion for sharing her native food and culture.

With the sunny view outside the dining room, Spam cans holding coasters on the tables and a friendly owner/chef who talked of his love for Hawaiian culture, it almost seemed like the eatery was located in the tropics instead of North Idaho.

The bar and restaurant is open Monday-Tuesday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.