Colin Nishida

The Path

Colin Nishida trained at Farrington High School.

The Work Today

The cooking associated with Nishida is most clearly seen through three dishes. Signature Garlic Chicken is crunchy chicken dipped in a garlic sauce, a direct construction of texture first, then sauce. Side Street’s Signature Fried Rice brings together char-siu, Portuguese sausage, bacon, peas, carrots, and green onions, giving the dish its weight through cured meats, vegetables, and the grain itself. Side Street’s Famous Pork Chops complete the picture: seasoned, pan-fried, and taken to a golden brown. Across those plates, the pattern is steady—food with enough familiarity to feel local and enough care to carry the “gourmet spin” that defined his style.

Signature

Colin's signature dishes include Signature Garlic Chicken, Signature Fried Rice, Famous Pork Chops, and Da Works Fried Rice.

In Their Words “Build a local bar with good food, good service. A safe bar where women and men could come in. Not a hostess bar, not really a man’s bar, not really a women’s bar.”

Acclaim

No award is needed to understand why these dishes became the markers of Nishida’s name. The recognition sits in the specificity: garlic chicken identified as a signature, fried rice identified by its named mix of char-siu, Portuguese sausage, bacon, peas, carrots, and green onions, and pork chops known for seasoning and a pan-fried golden finish. His place in Honolulu cooking rests on that combination of role and craft: founder and chef from 1992 to 2018, owner of the Da Strip location from 2010 to 2018, and the cook behind family-portion local comfort food that stayed close to the ingredients on the plate.