The best Hawaiian food in Costa Mesa hands down. I would recommend going with anything under the Ai Pono Originals section on the menu or any combo plate so you can get more than one protein option. Don't just stick with one protein. There was plenty of seating inside and out but I also went in the middle of the afternoon. I'm sure seating may be difficult during rush hour here. Don't be discouraged if you see a long line, the service is fast. Expect to spend $15-$20ish a plate. The only things I didn't like were the sides when bought separately. I got a side of mac salad and there was barely any. I got more in the actual plate. If I had to get a side again, it would probably be a musubi since there's no way they can skimp out on that. read more

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This place. All day, every day. If you have never had Hawaiian street food, or haven't had good Hawaiian street food, you haven't eaten at 'Ai Pono Cafe, and you should be. I only began eating Hawaiian street food and flavors about 10 years ago, and even in Honolulu, the North Shore or in Hilo, I have never had such amazing Hawaiian fare. The lace is true to the Hawaiian feel with posters and stickers and great Hawaiian decor everywhere. And even on the busiest days I have been there I have never waited longer than 10 minutes. I meant to review them leaving now my last trip here, but never got to it, but what I can say is the apriete of fresh fish, Korean short ribs, katsu ahi, shout ahi poke, Mac salad, Kim chee , nothing disappoints. So much flavor, so fresh, so perfect. Grab some spam masubi or shrimp lolli for a snack, or da roots plate or da mento f*ckin bento for a full meal and treat yourself to the islands. ALEAYS worth the stop! read more

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LOVE but prepare for that food coma. It's HEAVY, as Hawaiian food should be. The shrimp and crazy chicken was excellent. We ended up catering them for a birthday party and everyone loved them too. Their short ribs are standard, can find anywhere else, but besides that no complaints here! read more

Store hours on Yelp need to be updated but they are open Friday evenings from 6-9. I called to make sure as I saw on their website citing they were open. Place was busy but we didn't wait long after ordering. We got 2 roots plates and 1 plate of crack chicken. Also mango lemonade was SOOO good! Not overly sweet. Mango cheesecake was beautiful and I loved the flavor combo of purée and li hing! Everything was full of flavor and great variety of things. Wish the poke was a little more generous because it's so good! Love the homage to Hawa'ii and history provided on the walls. Definitely want to come back and try other options! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Roots plate and "Crack" Chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The food here is so good! My kids really love this place - the ambiance is warm and authentic as if you're in Hawaii. We love that we can bring our goldendoodle too. Everything here is good but we like the Roots. Poke, Hawaiian macaroni salad, Kalbi, swordfish/any fish are all stand outs. The portions are generous and the service is friendly. read more

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Came in with my girlfriend for dinner on a Sunday night. Ordered at the counter and paid for the food. Grabbed a table and our drinks and food were brought to us by staff. Food was tasty. The only thing that missed for me was that the poke had way too much sauce for my taste. It tasted good and fresh but the ahi tuna was overpowered by the sauce keeping the flavor from coming through. The chicken was fried well, not over cooked. The sauce was tasty with some bite but not too hot for my girlfriend's mouth. The shrimp lollipops were good but the dipping sauce was a show stopper imo. Hawaiian theme throughout wit surf boards and island motif decorating the interior. Prices were reasonable and the portion sizes were good for meals. We will be back read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Chicken with rice, poke, and macaroni salad - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This has been on my list since forever! We were leaving Fashion Island and was getting hungry and decided to drop by on a Sunday afternoon! Plenty of seating inside and outside. They have picnic style tables that's divided with sauces so sharing table is pretty normal here. They also have a wall lined table so those were huge seating. Follow the marked signs to order inside. It was our first time so we asked what's good and she recommended the original plates. We decided to get Da Spicy plate that had 2 styles of fried chicken (guava chili pepper so flavorful and crispy Korean chicken- not horribly dry) and Da Roots that had ahi katsu shoyu tuna and Korean short ribs. Both were really good and came with macaroni salad and poke! Honestly it's what you crave for the day to mix and match which protein you want with the 2 sides of poke and macaroni salad. Lots of food. Delicious flavor. Will come back again! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da Spicy Plate and Da Roots plate. YUM - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Second time here and it hits just the same! I loved the ahi poke from my last visit so I tried the Makai Plate with the shoyu and spicy poke. The shoyu poke was gingery while the spicy poke had a decent kick, and the sauce was to die for. The garlic shrimp was also a hit from the Stockton Slap plate, juicy and zingy. It was universally agreed that the Korean Short Ribs were top tier- sweet and salty and full of saucy goodness. Though the line was long, it went quickly, and we got our meals within 10 minutes of ordering. read more

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We actually came by for lunch to try their chili crisp chicken, which had possibly some of the crispiest skin I've ever had, but I was also craving some of their spicy ahi poke. Is this some of the most flavorful Hawaiian I've had in awhile? Yes. Are you going to be paying for it? Yes. Still worth a try, but maybe not a "get it everyday" type stop read more

My favorite place to eat in Orange County, PERIOD. Hawaiian street food at its best known for its hearty and flavorful grub! : Da Spicy Plate: Guava Chili Pepper Chicken, Korean Fried Chicken and Spicy Ahi Poke read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Solid Hawaiian spots that I def recommend trying at least once. I've def seen the line here get pretty long before so I would keep that in mind. The parking lot for this spot is usually pretty packed too but it's decently big so it's not too much of a hassle. I shared some stuff with two other friends and we were all super full and had leftovers Ahi poke nachos (spicy and shoyu sauce aka chef's way): 4/5 I think this might have been a special for the day or something so I'm not sure if they have it every day. I liked the wonton chips and they definitely give a good amount of fish. We didn't realize at first because a lot of it was at the very bottom but I think it was very much worth the price. Didn't realize there was something with wasabi in this though so that caught us off guard Da zombies plate: 4/5 the galbi was super soft and good. After that, I think my next favorite meat was the pork belly then the chicken. This came with very very tiny portions of sides and normal sized sauce. Overall liked it but would prob try something else next time Macaroni salad: 3/5 it was ok but I didn't personally like how much black pepper was in it Spam musubi: 4/5 pretty standard I liked it Note: if you're looking for poke, they only have ahi here and no salmon read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Macaroni Salad, da zombies plate, ahi poke nachos - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great variety plate style Hawaiian Foods. Service is fast and friendly. Decent amount of seating inside and even some outside. Great for outdoor dining on a nice day. Galbi was a little salty and tough. I did enjoy the shoyu poke. Katsu also seemed a little dry. Wish they had sriracha. read more

Ordered online because the wait was 45 min at around 1pm on a Friday afternoon Parking lot is shared with Target and other businesses. Was a little busy but found spots in the back rows Not a ton of seating inside and it was stuffy with no AC. But they offer 4 tables outside which was nicer with a breeze Was able to share 2 plates with 2 people total and had some leftovers Rice was a bit mooshy The guava chicken came with Mac salad and Cole slaw. Cole slaw was more like a pickled slaw. The flavoring for the guava chicken didn't have much guava flavor to it at all. And the chicken was dry The original plate came with teeny tiny banchans-kimchi, cucumber salad and Mac salad. Generous portions of meat on this plate! I was wanting to like this place more but the flavoring of the meats were a little off I give it a 3.5 stars I would want to come back to try their poke read more

Ai Pono Cafe - 8 Pieces Guava Chili Pepper Fried Chicken and Korean plate original - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Dis place was onolicious and not your typical Hawaiian plate lunch menu. Da Ahi Katsu was freakin unreal and worth every penny. Definately gonna be back soon! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - In CW order....Da "Stockton" Slap, Ahi Katsu, "Crackhead" chicken. All broke da mouth good cuz! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Service was good the girl working greeted me right away . The menu was limited due to no poke which was fine I was looking for a plate lunch with teri beef/chicken so I ordered the teri plate. The beef slice i got on the plate was super thin so that was a bummer. Chicken lacked flavor honestly and the pork was dry maybe i have to order something else. This plate did not hit. The mac was the star of the show good flavor and texture. The teri sauce was on the bottom of the rice I would of preferred it over everything overall just okay. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I came here after seeing it advertised on Instagram and was excited to give it a try, but it ended up being pretty disappointing. When I walked in, there were several employees standing around the takeout area talking to each other, and I had to wait before anyone acknowledged me or took my order. It didn't feel very welcoming. I ordered the chicken katsu plate. The chicken had good flavor, but it was overcooked. The rice was dry, and the macaroni salad and small side salad were nothing special. The mac salad was such a small portion that I barely got a taste of it. While I was waiting, I noticed my order sitting on the counter for a few minutes while the employees continued chatting. I finally had to ask, "Is that my order?" They replied, "Oh yes," and handed it to me. It just felt like customer service wasn't a priority. I think this place has potential because the chicken itself was tasty. I would suggest focusing more on customer service, making sure food doesn't sit before it's served, and improving the quality of the sides and rice. Those small changes could make a big difference. Unfortunately, based on this visit, I don't think I'll be back. read more

Ai Pono Cafe has some of the best hawaiian food I've tried and it's definitely worth the hype! We stopped by on a Saturday evening and the place was packed, but we only waited about 5-10 minutes for our food to be ready. The girl working the register was super kind and patient, taking the time to explain certain items on the menu. We ended up ordering two combo plates and two dishes to share. Right off the bat, we noticed that the portion sizes were huge and amazing for the price. Da Spicy Plate: 5/5 We had ordered two Da Spicy Plates and added thai chili garlic shrimp to one of them. It came with the guava chili pepper chicken and crispy korean chicken as well as sides of mac salad, spicy ahi poke, and rice. The star of the show was the guava chili pepper chicken, which was so tender, and each bite was sweet and tangy with a hint of spice. As for the korean chicken, it was crispy, flavorful, juicy, and a delight in every bite. The sides also elevate the plate to the next level! The mac salad was so creamy yet still packed with lots of flavor, and the spicy poke was marinated to perfection with a great umami and buttery taste. Muay Thai Chili Garlic Shrimp: 5/5 The muay thai chili shrimp was super crispy in every bite and was tossed in a delicious tangy chili sauce that gave the shrimp a burst of flavor. Garlicky, bright, and spicy, this is the perfect unique take on hawaiian garlic shrimp. Spam Musubi: 3/5 The spam musubi wasn't anything special. While the rice to spam ratio was decent, the spam didn't have enough sauce/glaze and therefore made it a little dry. Poke Nachos: 4/5 With the recent poke nachos hype, we had to try Ai Pono's version. The dish consisted of beef tallow fried wonton crisps with fresh shoyu and spicy ahi poke on top, as well as generous drizzles of sweet soy and wasabi garlic aioli. While it was delicious overall and the sauces elevated the flavor, I had hoped for the wonton chips to be fried to a more golden brown. The chips were a little thin, so it broke more easily and wasn't as crispy as I had expected. It also felt as if the dish were missing something, as there weren't other toppings other than the poke and scatter of masago and green onions. Ai Pono Cafe is a definite must-try if you're looking for some mouthwatering hawaiian street food in the OC area. The staff are very friendly and the space has a welcoming yet lively atmosphere. I would highly recommend ordering their combo plates, as you really get to try a little bit of everything from the flavorful proteins to the fresh poke. Each dish truly brings a delicious and modern yet authentic take to hawaiian food. read more

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Stopped by for lunch the other day, it was towards the end of lunch hour and dang were they still packed. Good to see. Great interior with good traditional Hawaiian photos and decor. Open kitchen to watch them make the food. Boy are they hustling getting that oh so delicious food out. Tried the Da Costa Mesa Crackhead Combo. What a name ha! Crackhead chicken, Korean beef short rib, musubi and mac salad. Everything about it was delicious, good crispy saucy chicken, well cooked beef with a slight perfect char. Delicious musubi . I got so full eating that plate but I couldn't stop it was so good. I'd for sure get this combo again. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da Costa Mesa crackhead combo - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Super fresh and legit dishes, but a bit thrown off by some of the flavors and service. Tl;dr everything is way too sweet Poke - super good and fresh hawaiian style Garlic shrimp - authentic but needed more garlic, predominant notes are sweet Mac salad - literally the sugariest mac salad I've had in my life Rice - also got weird sugar notes here not sure if it was sweetened or this was from the insanely sweet mac salad The korean chicken masubi also tasted bomb but it needed sauce. I went to grab a sauce bottle only to be told "no you need to pay for this at the counter" kind of weird standoffish service overall for an empty restaurant at 4pm read more

The food was good and flavorful and portions were big. Price matched the quality. The service wasn't good unfortunately and blonde girl seemed bothered to be there. Place was cute and clean. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Vibe-10 Food-AMAZING Service-Wonderful Jureena was so charming and full of Aloha. She made some great recommendations and let me tell you everything we ate was so full of flavor and absolutely delicious. The Culinary Gangster for sure lives up to his name. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da Chef's Plate-that mahi mahi!!! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This review honestly pains me to write because I was born and raised in Hawai'i and now live in Orange County. Good local grinds is already hard enough to find over here, so I was really hoping iPono was going deliver. Unfortunately, for me, this wasn't it. First, I gotta give credit where credit is due. The décor was nice. They had plenty little touches that reminded me of home, especially the safety check stickers all over. That one made me smile because it felt familiar and brought back memories. But the food really fell short, and not even on complicated stuff. I'm talking about the basics. First, the rice was dry. Come on now. Rice is one of the first things every Hawai'i kid learns how to make. I'm not even sure they using the right kind rice. At least get Hinode or something because the rice is the foundation of the whole plate lunch. Second, the portions were small, especially for the price. I know everything expensive now, but back home, even when plate lunch costs plenty, at least they give you one generous portion. Even the musubi was small. Honestly, you can get one bigger musubi from 7-Eleven. Third, the flavors were too heavy. Too much garlic, too much sauce, just too much going on. It tasted more like what one tourist-trap plate lunch place in Waikīkī would serve than real local food. If you put this next to the grinds you can get back home, no can compete. I really do want this place to succeed, and I hope they take this as constructive criticism. But right now, I would rather go L&L because at least they get laulau. If you really like make one local-style restaurant, then get more actual local food like laulau, shoyu chicken, malasadas, and the kind food people from Hawai'i actually grew up eating. I understand we stay on the mainland and maybe they gotta cater to mainland tastes. But the name of the restaurant is iPono, and they selling the idea of authentic Hawai'i food. So the food gotta live up to that. Unfortunately, the food was not pono at all. I might give them one more chance because I really like see them do well. But man, for one place claiming real local grinds, they can do way better. read more

Really great spot in Costa Mesa with a relaxed Hawaiian vibe. I got the Crack Head Chicken and it was super flavorful, juicy, and perfectly seasoned with just the right kick. My husband had the garlic noodles and they were rich, buttery, and packed with garlic--so good. Portions were solid, everything came out fresh, and the staff was friendly even when it got busy. Definitely a great place for comforting Hawaiian-style food. We'll be coming back to try more! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Crackhead Chicken and Garlic Noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Ordered take out, even when it's cold, it's amazing! Love this place. Highly recommend this place for the best Hawaiian style food. Very very casual spot but this is the best place for your local Hawaiian food. read more

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The service was so terrible that I couldn't even enjoy my meal. There's no ac in there so I don't recommend dining in either. I waited in a long line and placed my take out order and the girl never read it back to me which if they don't I highly recommend you ask that they read it back to you because of this experience. The missed 2 items from my order and when I said hey I'm missing my 2 mitsubis the expo girl told me oh she must not have heard you which was crazy because when I ordered I said 1 mitsubi she said okay then I said actually 2 please and then she said okay so it sounded to me like she got it. Anyways, I'm missing my 2 items and I had waited 25 minutes (I counted) for my order so I asked the expo girl if I could just go to the front to pay for those 2 and she said no I'd have to wait in the long 15 min line then wait longer for the food to come out. Those were for my kid so I had to cook for him when I got home which was the whole point of getting take out was to not cook for the night. I couldn't enjoy my food and by the time I was able to eat because now I had to cook for my kid of course my food was cold. My husband wasn't a fan of his food he got the korean chicken mitsubi and spicy poke bowl. I liked the taste of my food that was the only plus but the whole time I was thinking about how awful the whole experience was. Never coming back. Also, tried one more time after this and to avoid the whole service and waiting portion I online ordered through Doordash. Everything was there that we ordered but again the quality and taste just isn't how I remember it being. I used to come here a lot last summer. Also the chili guava chicken was missing the sauce it was literally just plain fried chicken. So really actually never coming back! I really tried to give it one more chance. read more

Wow, I am highly impressed with everything this business is. I know I have never been in this cute little shopping plaza before because I have never been in the Target at this plaza. Anyways, back to the food at Ai Pono Cafe: I chose the Hawaiian Short Rib plate and it was the BEST Short Ribs I have ever had!!! The actual restaurant had all the necessities. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Best of both worlds! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Delicious!! Guava Chili Chicken was delicious and not overly spicy. Place fills up quickly with customers. Even cops came to dine here, so obviously the food is yummy. I would definitely recommend coming here. read more

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My favorite Hawaiian spot in the OC I love Hawaiian barbecue, but this place just hits different their sauce the tenderness of the meat the portions as well as my favorite. Their Mac salad is super super incredible. It was crowded today when we went around Saturday at 1 PM, but we got our food within 1015 minutes and it was really nice to still be able to sit there and enjoy it and not feel overwhelmed or rushed out highly recommend this place. Everything smells so good when you walk in and every dish you get here cannot go wrong special shout out to their guava cheesecake read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The food is good about half the time......theirs no consistency. The chicken dish today was so over cooked half of it went in the trash. Also, their online estimated ready time is usually way off also. read more

Rounded down from a 3.5 - I had high expectations based on the ratings and overall, I found this place to be just fine. Definitely loved the vibe of the place and it's a popular spot as it was pretty busy during lunch on a weekday, despite being tucked away in a shopping plaza. Super friendly service and the gal recommended the crack chicken, which we ordered. Also had a combo plate of katsu ahi, kalbi and poke. Compared to other Hawaiian food joints, the portion sizes were on the smaller side. Food was fine - the crack chicken didn't make me feel like I needed another hit of it. read more

After coming back from Hawaii a few weeks ago, we were craving some good Hawaiian food. This place is very authentic tasting and it was very delicious. Service is quick and easy. We are looking forward to coming back! Very good! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Fresh Ahi Poke Bowl (Shoyu) and Portuguese Sausage Masubi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Ai Pono Cafe is a casual Hawaiian restaurant that offers a fusion of Asian items with Hawaiian cuisine. Ordering is done at the front and then one's number is called out. Da Korean Zombie - $25 - This came with Korean short ribs, Korean chicken, meat jun, rice, kimchee and mac bean sprouts. The short ribs were marinated in a teriyaki sauce and were juicy and tender. The fried chicken was actually boneless chicken thighs and not bad. The meat jun consisted of thin beef strips fried in a egg flour batter. The beef was a little tough and this dish was completely tasteless. Overall, the food was just ok, and I had to use some siracha to help salvage the dishes. I did feel that pricing was on the high side, given that this is a casual restaurant. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da Korean Zombie $25 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The "crackhead" chicken is a must order! The crunchy, sweet and coconuty chicken, it's worth the hype. Was not in love with the garlic mahi, being a bit dry and not a fan of the mahi dipped in egg. And the restaurant- what great vibes! I was seriously transported back to the islands with the music and decor, love it. Can't wait to go back! read more

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This is, hands down, the best Hawaiian food in Orange County! We've been going to Ai Pono since they were a pop-up at The Hood Kitchen and every meal seems to be better than the last. The flavor profiles are so complex and everything is absolutely delicious. My go to is "Da Spicy Plate" and I add some Thai Garlic Shrimp on the side. The customer service is always super kind and polite and there's a reasonable amount of seating on the inside. I highly recommend checking this place out but be careful... you will get addicted and make random weekday drives to eat here! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I felt it was ok. Decent Hawaiian grub. A little pricey. Got the chicken katsu, Korean short ribs and the Mahi Mahi. The Katsu was ok. Solid Katsu sauce. Mac salad decent. The slaw was a little bland. Same with the short ribs and Mahi Mahi - pretty good. Canned drinks. Made to order, so a bit of a wait. No prob there. Place your order at the counter and the food will be delivered to your table. Inside and outside seating. Good variety on menu. Again, a little pricey, but the food is decent. Nothing spectacular. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Chicken Katsu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I always see this place when I go to the lagree studio next door and it has been on my list to try for months; somehow it's always closed when I want to try it (they open at 11, and are closed on Mondays) but I was finally able to swing by for lunch. I ordered the Chef's Plate which had blackened mahi mahi, ahi poke and teri beef. The beef was pretty salty but came with rice which balanced it out. The mahi mahi had a really good flavor, and the ahi poke was my favorite. Only thing I was not a fan of was the mac salad - it was a little bland to me. The decor inside this place is also very cute, it looks like a place you would find in Hawaii. It was pretty crowded when we came, on a weekend afternoon but they have some limited eating outside as well. Will definitely be coming back! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Happened to be in the neighborhood and had to stop by to check out this spot (my Instagram feed has been full of the Exit 8 Bodega ads). Lots of colorful signage to get you to the cash register to order your food plus a big menu to choose from. Today I thought I'd try "Da Chef's Plate" and I'm so glad I did. Every item had its own unique flavor and nothing was over seasoned. The Ahi, bbq, and mac salad were excellent! Not a single item was too greasy, too seasoned, too anything - just the right amount to get the flavor of each separate dish. This is definitely not your typical fast food cafeteria style spot! There is definitely time and care put into the seasoning and flavors of the items I tried. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating. The picnic style tables lend to the laid back vibe :) plus the super cute picnic table condiments holders were a nice touch. Hope to come back next time to try their desserts! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Server's station - it's a bit of a tight squeeze, but they make it work :) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Owner is a complete jerk. Food was cold asked if I could new plate and he flipped out. I saw they had been shut down for COCKROACHES not surprised but I feel disgusted I even ate there. Avoid avoid avoid read more

Little disappointed with two items Fried Chicken was very dry and not spicy as menu points out Mac Salad very dry and dark color I would go back Galbi ribs Ono Fried fish and seared Ahi where good read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Fried chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

For me Hawaiian food typically only tastes good in Hawaii, but Ai Pono changes the game! It's more on the fusion side but the flavor is all there. I enjoy their guava chicken, katsu, short ribs and poke. Their combo plates are a good value to try everything they offer. I usually order ahead online since it's pretty busy on the weekends. There's a few tables if you decide to dine in. read more