TV Restaurants

What Happened to Dean's Drive Inn After Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 19 Kaneohe, Hawaii

Current status

Closed

As of October 2026, Dean's Drive Inn has closed — confirmed via staradvertiser.com, June 28, 2022.

What the source shows: The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and KITV both reported the owners' announcement that rising costs were forcing the restaurant to close after 16 years. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Dean's Drive Inn during the 'Island Flavor' episode, aired 2014-05-23, featuring the restaurant's ginger soy ono, ahi cakes topped with Greek chili aioli, and broiled teriyaki beef. The family-owned drive-in opened in July 2006 on William Henry Road in Kaneohe, Hawaii, building a following for what it called casual gourmet island plates, and later won a Honolulu Star-Advertiser 'Ilima award. According to KITV, the owners announced in June 2022 that rising food and supply costs were forcing Dean's Drive Inn to close, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on 2022-06-28 that the restaurant would serve its last plates on July 10, 2022. A Yelp listing for the restaurant still marked it permanently closed in an August 2026 update, more than four years after the announced closing date.

The episode Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 19

Episode 10
Aired
Title: Island Flavor · What was featured: ginger soy ono and ahi cakes with chili aioli
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 19 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 19: 30 of 61 still open · 5 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 15 Season 19 episodes →

Nearest open restaurants By distance from 45-270 William Henry Road

All 96 TV restaurants in Hawaii →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 4 references

  1. staradvertiser.com https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/06/28/photo-gallery/deans-drive-inn-in-kaneohe-to-close-after-16-years/
  2. kitv.com https://www.kitv.com/news/business/deans-drive-inn-a-kaneohe-staple-announces-closure-citing-rising-costs/article_9d40a9ba-f19c-11ec-a71d-f377e234aacf.html
  3. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/deans-drive-inn-kaneohe-2
  4. flavortownusa.com https://www.flavortownusa.com/locations/734/deans-drive-inn
See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

Tell us →

Share

Record ddd-0685 · checked by Cal Marchetti.