Seed Restaurant in Kaimuki has been around for a couple of years, but we’ve just “discovered” it after moving into town from Kaaawa.

You have to work a bit to find the entrance, in a dark hallway off Kaimuki’s municipal parking lot. It faces 11th Avenue, but you enter from the parking lot side, and you pass a couple of other food spots before finding it. Watch for the Himalaya Cafe signs, and Seed is right downstairs.

Seed doesn’t fall in the “fast food” category. It’s a little pricey, with most lunch fare hovering just over the $10 mark. But the food is good, prepared well, and well presented.

And there’s more. Social justice. Seed creates employment for survivors of our urban illnesses.

Here’s their own statement:

OUR FOOD IS LOCALLY SOURCED WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
Some even comes from our urban garden on the premises. We use chemical-free produce and responsibly managed animal sources. Daily recipes might vary depending on what’s available from island farmers.

OUR MEALS ARE ALWAYS HEALTHY.
We won’t serve it if it isn’t true to the body. Our plates are proportioned and balanced for optimum health.

OUR BUSINESS IS AN EXPRESSION OF JUSTICE.
Seed is staffed by survivors of homelessness, human trafficking, domestic abuse and other unique challenges. We create flexible jobs in community with the help of volunteer employees. Justice works.

ENJOY THE FOOD. JOIN THE MISSION.

We’ve only been there for lunch, but Seed is open for dinner as well. It’s BYOB, so you’ll save a bit there.

Here’s a link to the Seed menu.

Here are a few photos: A not-very-good look at the interior, and the items we ordered for lunch today (Meda’s very healthy-looking chicken/vegetable wrap and pasta salad, and my slightly naughty burger that comes with a generous green salad).