A food hall kiosk is expanding its reach. Ono Hawaiian Plates, from chef Warren Seta and his business/life partner Jess Kelley, is opening a sit-down and takeout location within United Noodles by summer's end.
Ono launched in 2019 as part of the North Loop Galley food hall, and, with Wrecktangle Pizza, remains one of its two original vendors. Ono's menu focuses on Hawaiian plate lunches — a protein with sides like mac salad and white rice. Seta, a veteran of fine dining establishments in Las Vegas, is behind Hawaiian-inspired dishes such as Spam Musubi, Luau Bowl and Ahi Poke Bowls.
For its second location, inside the 40-year-old United Noodles (2015 E. 24th St., Mpls.), Ono will have room for 40 diners at picnic tables surrounded by murals reflecting Honolulu street scenes. The grocery store also offers an upgrade to the Galley's 200-square-foot kitchen, allowing Seta to experiment with more Hawaiian specialties.
And that's not all. Ono will have an additional presence in St. Paul by fall, when it launches a grab-and-go counter in the deli at Lunds & Byerlys in St. Paul's Highland Park.
Ono's North Loop Galley location, at 729 Washington Av. N., Mpls., will remain open.
"We're thrilled to be able to level up and have more room to work, to create, and to introduce ourselves, our food, and the culture we love to new people," Seta said. "We use our culinary experience to create the simple food we grew up with, done well."
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