Driving down to Universal City was a harrowing experience when you have your 2 nieces in the back and expecting the worst (fighting, arguing, pulling hair????). But these two angels were great and happy to hear the suggestion of Hawaiian food for dinner. We went straight to Aloha Kids (not even stopping at our hotel before hand). The restaurant is so well decorated to me. I loved being in their space! The patio was their catering pick up (next day was Thanksgiving). It was busy! There was a constant stream of people coming and going. Inside Aloha Kids is smaller and narrow with few places to sit. They have a shelf with merch and I recognized some artists from the Bay Area in there! The person helping us told me they like to support small businesses and they were definitely doing so. Now, on to the most important part: the food. I ordered the Kalbi ribs, my husband ordered the loco moco, and our nieces ordered the chicken teriyaki and a spam musubi to share. The ribs were super tender and so good. I almost didn't want to offer my husband one. But I did and he really enjoyed it. He loved his loco moco so much, he barely spoke a word to me while he was eating. Our niece also really enjoyed their food and polished off their plates (just like us). My husband also ordered a side of their kimchi and it was DELICIOUS. The only thing we noted was the mac salad needed a little something, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. If we're ever back in the area, we're definitely coming back and trying other things on their menu! read more

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I have to say I am extremely disappointed. 76 dollars for 3 plates. SMH. And before I go on, mochiko chicken is the only dish worth eating here. Now let's begin. Walked into a restaurant where you don't get greeted upon entry, the girl walking around just smiles at you with no words. No hello, nothing. Not even an Aloha! I've been to the big island, there's endless praises everywhere. You did not get the vibe here. First time we came here we were wowed by the food. Portions were great at first. Once we got our orders yesterday, I knew our time had come. Cant support places that over charge for no apparent reason. Plain and simple. Chicken thighs are 2-3 dollars a pound, beef is like 8-10 dollars a pound. I use to be in the food industry and to see the portions of food here the second round. Either it shows they are hurting bad, or the chef "was having a bad day?" I just don't believe that. And I can assure you they are not using halal nor organic meats for them to justify portion to pricing. Back to my first remark like I mentioned above, mochiko chicken is the only dish I recommend if someone is coming for their first time. Soft tender chicken bites sprinkled with some nori like seasoning. Rice scoop and the infamous sad Mac salad. The Mac salad needs love. Serious revamping. I make an authentic island style Mac salad time to time. Far better than this recipe. I also ordered the Galbi which I did not appreciate the bait and switch. Since I've ordered it before and this time it was not cut into strips. Last I checked with the numerous photos posted here on yelp. The version we received just wasn't it. Everyone gets a decent portion of meat. Nothing chewy or even with bones. I even said to my mother in law she is going to love this dish. And she hated it. They still had the bones of the sliced short rib on, VERY FATTY, very chewy. Such a let down. And last the Dinosaur ribs. I asked about them and was given a hand comparison to sizing. Not gonna lie this wasn't it either. There was almost no meat. Was the cow taking ozempic? Google Dinosaur Ribs. No seriously Google, Dinosaur ribs. I mean you guys need some help if you think what I got was dinosaur ribs. Definitely gotta 86 this item or give people what they actually deserve. If you're going to serve a dish and call it dinosaur ribs, atleast provide a dinosaur portion of meat on them. I mean poor execution. Flavor was decent, but having to chew the bottom connective tissue was unappealing and far from appetizing. 68 dollars plus an 8 dollar tip was too steep for this lack luster rendition of what Hawaiian food is and should be. read more

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I'll start by saying the service was very good and polite. That is always a big plus. The restaurant was nicely decorated, though the outdoor seating areas needed a bit of a cleaning. The Hawaiian Fried Chicken was awesome. Crisp exterior and juicy insides, like it should be. Slightly salty, but I like salty. I'd definitely come back for this. The poke on the other hand was not great. It was extremely fishy and bland. Poke needs to be fresh to taste good, and this wasn't fresh. Color seemed off and texture seemed a bit tough. Bummer. read more

Aloha Kids - Hawaiian Fried Chicken - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

I was in the area and craving some Hawaiian BBQ. Found this spot and the food was delicious, beats your typical ono Hawaiian by a mile. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mixed veggies was this roasted veggies with some kind of sauce instead of your normal steamed veggies. Super delicious! The portions for the kids was good and definitely had leftovers going home. Service is also super sweet! Good music and patio dining, would return! read more

Aloha Kids - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

I am really happy it's better than I thought! The food is so fresh and the staff are very friendly and kind. I've been to several of the Hawaiian Islands and Aloha Kids is right up there with the best of Island fast food. I think the most important thing is that the food tastes fresh and there is no oily taste to fried foods and a nice crunch in the vegetables. Although we don't have the Hawaiian weather, the location is good enough to hold me over until my trip to the Big Island in December... read more

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Stopped by today to grab lunch with my mom & my daughter after a trip to Descanso Gardens and it was a fabulous choice! I didn't get the girls name that took our order, but for her being busy with orders, she had a fantastic attitude, very friendly and attentive. The food was soooo good, my chicken katsu was so crispy and the rice was cooked to perfection. We all enjoyed our food, we sat outside in the covered patio and had an awesome lunch together.I will definitely be returning here again! read more

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Came in at late lunch hour to try out the new LC restaurant. Service was great and my food also came out very quickly. I ordered the chicken katsu with mac salad and rice, and the portions were very large (it's a lot of meat). The katsu was breaded well, very crunchy and filling. The mac salad was good as well. I liked the sauce that came with the meal, sweet and tangy. The place itself is very well maintained, with outdoor and indoor seating. It used to be a ramen place, and is located next to Panda Express and Honeybird (another great spot). Overall, recommend! LC has been needing a Hawaiian place ! read more

Aloha Kids - Chicken Katsu with Mac Salad and Rice - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

I ordered the Spam Musubi, Garlic Shrimp, Loco Moco, and a 1/4 lb of the Tuna Poke. Here's a breakdown of each: Spam Musubi - Honestly disappointing. This is one of the simplest Hawaiian staples, but the rice was dry and the musubi fell apart after one bite. It lacked marinade and overall flavor. The spam itself was fine, but that's not saying much. Tuna Poke - I paid $6 for about 7-8 small, unseasoned pieces of tuna. No flavor, no seasoning--just plain fish. It felt like a total ripoff. Garlic Shrimp - Too much flour, not enough flavor. The coating overpowered the shrimp and whatever seasoning was there got lost. Loco Moco - The best of the bunch. Still not amazing, but at least the flavors came together decently. Also, please make sure to include utensils in to-go orders. I get that every cost adds up, but cutting this out feels like penny-pinching in the wrong place. read more

Good portion sizes for the price. Clean restaurant. They've got a bar stool seating area inside, single file. Or an outdoor seating in the patio which is mostly patio height furniture with limited dining table height furniture. Service was great. Polite and quick. Food tasted fresh. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Loved that they had vegetarian musubi. Wish they had a vegetarian entree for the plates. read more

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My kids love this place for takeout. The chicken is juicy and flavorful the rice is perfectly cooked. Service is nice. Tables outside are nice to use while waiting for your food. read more

Ordered kalua pork, Galbi, teriyaki chicken and salmon poke. Love all the food. Everything very flavorful. Sides: Kimchi great. Coleslaw ok. Hawaii vege good. Definitely will come back again. read more

First of all, I hate the name. It sounds like a Chuck E. Cheese type restaurant that would have a play structure inside. However, the food is quite good and I would go back. I am a big fan of L &L Hawaiian Barbecue and this restaurant is as good or better. We had the dinosaur ribs, spam, musubi, and chicken katsu. Everything was very good and well seasoned. The dinosaur ribs were very impressive with incredible flavor. The service was a bit off. For a new location, I would have expected more friendly and energetic customer service. Usually new restaurants coach you through the menu and will offer recommendations. read more

A nice addition to La Cañada from the owners of Honeybird next door. Knowing the quality of HB, I knew AK was going to be good! My favorites so far are the garlic salmon poke bowl, the mushroom musubi, and the kahlua pork. The sides of aloha veggies and Mac salad are good companions. This may sound odd, but I think the quality of cooked rice makes or breaks a meal, and AK does a good job on the foundation of a good meal. The interior is bright, airy and inviting. I like the display of Hawaii themed gifts by the entrance. The menu is just large enough, not overwhelming with too many choices. Can't forget to mention a nice selection of drinks to go with your meal. I'm a fan of Moshi sodas now! Looking forward to trying the moco loco next! read more

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I've lived on Oahu for the past 5 years and recently moved back to the area. It's been a while since I've had a real lunch plate and heard about this place from my sister. I was excited to try so I got a bit of everything, Chicken Katsu, Galbi and some poke. L&L is always a classic on the island since they're everywhere, my personal favs are Sugoi, especially for their garlic chicken, and K&K, the little one in Kailua. Like trying to find good Mexican food in Oahu, it's surprisingly a rarity to find good Hawaiian food in LA, not because it doesn't exist, you just gotta go look for it, unlike going to the corner place in Oahu. I was really hoping that Aloha Kids would scratch that itch, but unfortunately, it just didn't. The Gabli had a nice charcoal flavor, but other than that was mostly flavorless and wasn't seasoned all that well. Gabli is traditionally short rib as well, I'm not sure what cut of meat I got, it definitely wasn't short rib. Their marinade might be tops, you wouldn't know though since it just didn't sit long enough. The Chicken Katsu had a nice crisp, but likewise didn't taste like much, the Katsu sauce also just didn't taste like much. My favorite part of a lunch plate is the mac salad, and unfortunately again, just didn't taste like much. I also got the salmon poke which has a very fishy flavor. I know, fish tastes like fish, but if you know you know. This just had an overwhelmingly fishy flavor, and on top of that again, was just under seasoned. The food in Hawaiian lunch plates takes it's roots from Asian cuisines and a huge part of cooking any of these dishes is letting the marinade do it's work before cooking it up. It feels like everything was prepped the morning before they planned to serve. I also saw chef prepping what I assume was some butterfish right before he was about to toss it on the grill. If you've ever made butterfish, you know it takes a while for the miso to soak into the fish. As in toss it into a ton of your miso marinade and leave it in the fridge for at least a day. Overall, it just didn't scratch the itch for me. For the price, it's a decent amount of food. If you're craving a taste of the islands after your trip there, look elsewhere. read more

The Hawaiian fried chicken was good it just needed more sauces rice was good and Mac salad was good as well. The tuna poke was great, you could tell it is fresh and not frozen tuna. Spam musubi was delicious as well. I will be back to try the other dishes. read more

Aloha Kids - Spam musubi, tuna poke, and fried chicken - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

I was looking for a new place to eat for lunch and found this Hawaiian restaurant. Menu was simple. good prices, large portions. I ordered the chicken Katsu, it was tender, thin, crispy with macaroni salad. I will definitely return to try to other stuff. Much recommended read more

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it was my first time try this place out about a week ago and i enjoyed the food and outdoor atmosphere. their seating tables are so nice and relaxing. they have street parking right in front of the building which was nice. when i walked in i was greeted by the cashier at the front. she was really nice. i ordered their teriyaki chicken plate with sticky rice and macaroni salad on the side. i really like their sticky rice with the toppings, it added seasoning and more flavor to the rice which was nice. the macaroni salad was really good. i really enjoyed their teriyaki chicken. the teriyaki sauce tasted really good and the chicken was nicely cooked. most definitely will be coming back again! read more

Aloha Kids - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

I can see this places potential. But my meal was not great. I got a kalua pork plate with mac salad as the side. The pork was good, but was swimming in liquid, which I can forgive. The rice though was hard as a rock. Basically inedible. Most disappointing though was the mac salad was half water, which ive never had happen anywhere. I couldn't even stomach it unfortunately. Im sad that this was my experience, and maybe they were just having an off night, or they have dishes that are better? I want to support businesses like these but the way this meal made my stomach sick,Im sad to say I won't be returning. read more

Always exciting when a new place opens up in The Foothills. Aloha Kids nailed it! Yummy, clean Hawaiian BBQ, that fulfills your craving. The Dinosaur Beef ribs were our favorite, and the Mac salad was delicious! read more

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Very happy with the food. Our family of 4 got chicken Katsu, Kailua Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, garlic miso salmon poke and we got 1 spam musubi to taste. It was all very good. The portions are super decent. Everyone was happy with their food and we would definitely go again. They have Hawaiian Sun drinks too Seating is tight. Not much room inside. There is a nice patio outside but again not a ton of seating. It would be easy enough to take it to go. read more

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Positives: Mac Salad and the Spam Musubi were good. Garlic Ponzu Salmon had good flavor, but fishy. Negatives: OG Poke was spoiled or on it's way to getting there! Tuna had an off taste, it was slimy, color was gray/dull, and unfortunately, I ended up throwing it away. Mochiko Chicken was overcooked and dry. Also, the customer service needs improvement. I don't know if they were understaffed when I went this week, but it was terrible. Won't be returning. read more

Aloha Kids - Ahi Tuna Poke was spoiled... had to toss. - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

What a wonderful place for good food at a reasonable price in the foothills. Aloha Kids sends aloha vibes in all their dishes. We ordered food for our kids and they definitely have a handle on how much a kid can eat without charging an arm and leg. My son ordered the katsu keiki meal, my daughter the teriyaki keiki meal. Both came with mac salad and rice - the mac salad was very tasty! Not overly creamy or over-powering like some mac salads. It was a good enough portion for us to have leftovers for one kid. My husband picked up the order and loved the crisp and clean "lines" of the location, and he said the order came out just a few minutes after the time we were told, so it was nice and fresh! Thanks to the owners and the workers at Aloha Kids - hope you stick around!! read more

Aloha Kids offers more of a Korean Hawaiian fusion style of food rather than traditional Hawaiian food. If you're open to that, I suggest you try Aloha Kids and suggest the beef ribs. read more

I was super excited to try Aloha Kids as there aren't many good Hawaiian options near us and the reviews seemed very good so far. The service was great, and everyone was super nice and the inside of the restaurant is very nice. I unfortunately was very disappointed with my meal. I ordered the galbi plate with Mac salad and a spam musubi. The galbi was boneless which I'm not used to and it didn't taste like galbi, more like steak that has been chopped up and overcooked. The meat was super dry and hard to chew with little flavor from the marinade. The rice was crunchy and overcooked and the mac salad was overall good. The spam musubi was also disappointing with a VERY thin piece of spam and stale rice. For such a high price (I know is normal for galbi) I expected better quality. I normally would rate lower than 3 stars but I know they are a new business and maybe getting into their groove. I will definitely try again with hopefully better outcomes. read more

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Cute little spot with a spacious outdoor dining area and a counter top to eat inside. It was clean and bright. Bonus was they had my favorite artist from Hawaii hanging on their walls, Nick Kuchar. Service was good however when I asked for shoyu she didn't know what it was. I did find packets of "soy sauce" on the counter. So I ordered the mixed plate with Chicken Katsu and Kalbi. I went with the traditional sides of rice and Mac salad. I also ordered Shave Ice. Rice dry. I don't think they use the finger method to cook it. (J/k) Chicken Katsu was dry. Kalbi was more on the bland side. Maybe it was the soy sauce and not shoyu. Shave ice: First off Strawberry is one of the original flavors and I was disappointed that It wasn't on the menu. Luckily they did have it. However, they don't have ice cream let alone azuki beans or condensed milk. Also, they were a little stingy with the syrup (see picture) the syrup never reached the bottom of the container. I will give it another try because I want to try their mochiko chicken. Which brings me to another issue. In Hawaii when you order a mixed plate you get to choose the protein. Here you only have 3 choices. None of which included mochiko chicken. Biggest issue I had was the rice. Too dry! Also, get ice cream for the shave ice. Maybe some Aloha Shoyu! read more

Aloha Kids - Shave ice no ice cream - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

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The poke was okay and the spam musubi but I enjoyed more their crispy pop chicken with rice. I think this place is okay for a simple dine-in with kids. 5/5 because I had fun eating here and the staff are nice plus service is quick. read more

I got the chicken katsu and galbi plate with kimchi and rice. It was amazing! I took a pic after I already stated digging in. The katsu sauce and kimchi is also one of the best I've had. Highly recommend read more

Aloha Kids - Galbi and chicken katsu plate - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

This hit the spot! I was greeted by May who was so warm and welcoming and helped me decide what to get since it was my first time! I had the combo plate and a side of the OG poke and it was so good! So fresh and really felt like I was in Hawaii with the vibe of the place! Definitely will be back! read more

Aloha Kids - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

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4/5 stars given its soft opening and hoping they make some adjustments to make it a 5/5. Teriyaki chicken - too charred, sauce a tad liquidy, portion is good. Katsu - best plate out of the 3, nicely done. Sauce was different that usual, it was a nice surprise. Each bite had lots of chicken compared to some places where it's a lot of crust. Miso cod - portion small, but overall good Masubi - too soggy, least desirable out of everything was ordered Overall not bad first impression considering it's not full open and only 2 employees were working. We ordered 3 plates, 2 masubis ... roughly $66. Looking forward to next time. read more

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Finally a Hawaiian food close by. My kids and I like the food. It's our first time trying it here We ordered dinosaur bone and kahlua pork. I'm always looking for Hawaiian food that's close enough like you are in Hawaii and it didn't disappoint! We coming back for sure! read more

Aloha Kids - Dinosaur bone! We ate parts of it already! - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

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Food isn't the healthiest. Lots of fried meats and heavy carbs. But the fried job was done decently, not overly dried out like most other places. I just wish they had healthier sides. Even the poke doesn't have enough green onion/ seaweed etc mixed in lol looks all dark and one colored. They do have super cute merch in store though! Worth checking out. read more

Okay so we finally got a Hawaiian spot in LC. Came in to a quaint environment with some fun merch on the walls and a quintessential cooler full of Hawaiian drinks. The walls are a bit bare but I suspect this may change in time...or not. Either way it was clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Hawaiian food tends to have a Japanese or Korean bend and this spot seemed to be a little more on the Korean side which makes a lot of sense for this area. So into the food. They had a special for Garlic Shrimp. I got so excited because I haven't been able to find a spot that does this correctly outside of the North Shore. I talked to the chef and he gave me a rundown of what he does and it sounded pretty spot on. Got some musubi as well. They also had galbi, katsu, and other stuff you'd expect on a Hawaiian menu as well as Ahi and Salmon Poké which both looked great! So how was the food? The food was like a 3-3.5. The shrimp was close-ish but not quite there. There is something sweet and it shouldn't be there. Also it's fried but could be slightly crispier. There is a garlic sauce with plenty of garlic up top but this should also be pan fried to just before golden with some crunchy bits. (The sweetness may be from the garlic paste). Also opening up the shell of the shrimp before dredging and frying would be a good idea so it's easier to get at the shrimp and the shell crisps up properly while the garlic is able to work its way between the shell and meat. The rice was rice (good) and the Mac salad my wife loved. I thought it could use slightly more mayo or something. Not bad at all. The musubi was good as to be expected. Overall I think this spot is solid and I'll likely return to try some other things on the menu. As an aside the poke on the menu says "fresh never frozen sushi grade fish" which is a weird one. Usually sushi grade refers to the deep freezing to ensure that there is no harmful parasites but maybe I'm out of the loop here. Anyway it's someplace between 3.5 and 4 and I think they have a ton of potential. Keep it up guys! read more

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Yummy food and friendly service keep us coming back when we're in La Cañada! A tad on the pricey side, but on par for the area... IYKYK.

We went to Aloha Kids after a few friends recommended it. The idea is really cute and my son had a good time. He liked the play area and all the colorful decorations. It is definitely a place made for younger kids, which is nice because you don't have to worry if they get a little loud or restless. The food was fine. My son liked his chicken katsu and the rice, and I thought the spam musubi was okay but nothing special. The portions are good for kids and the prices are about what you would expect for the area. The food came out pretty fast too, which helps when you have hungry kids. The part I did not love was the service. It felt like they were understaffed and we had to ask a couple of times for simple things like napkins and extra sauce. Also, it got really noisy inside, to the point where it was hard to even talk. I understand it is a family place, but it would have been nice if the dining area was a little calmer or better organized. Overall, it is a fun place to bring young kids, especially if you just want an easy meal where no one cares if your child is running around a little. I would not come here for the food alone, but for a quick outing with little ones, it does the job. read more

The food is delicious especially the macaroni salad. The service was good as well. I definitely recommend trying this place out. My favorite is the teriyaki chicken delicious they give out good portions of the meat which is a plus read more

I decided to give Aloha Kids a try. Good size parking in back a long with street parking. I ordered the Teriyaki Chicken &Galbi. That also comes with 2 sides, I got the Mac Salad & Slaw. I have never had a Hawaiian Plate that did not come with Rice. When I got home to eat. There was no rice. The meat had good flavor but for $22, it was a bit high for the portion. read more

This place is just what La Canada needed! Just the right food, great for dinner and party events. With such a great restaurant in Honeybird I can't wait for the menu to get dialed in over the months to come! We had mochiko chicken which was great, the chicken teriyaki and kalbi was super solid. The mac salad was as solid as any good Hawaiian place- Never had mushroom musubi, so will come back to try the katsu. Ignore the retard who comments about plastic bags. Maybe he will choke on it. I'm only interested in the quality and value of the food. A true foodie agenda read more

I always get the galbi here, so delicious! The workers here are so sweet, great service. The place is very cute, good ambience, I'm so sad it's closing! read more

I have been to this restaurant 3 times now. All. 3 times I have ordered a plate lunch with galbi and Mac salad; the food is delicious, but it is 23 dollars for a medium size portion of food with no drink. The reason my review is so low is because this time, i received about 20% meat, and 80% bones. I understand they are ribs, but for 23 dollars I feel like that is ridiculous. read more

Aloha Kids - Galbi - Hawaiian Near Me - La Canada, California

I never leave reviews but felt compelled to this time cause I got sick. Ordered the loco moco and the patty was very pink, practically mooing towards the middle of it. Against my better judgment, instead of asking for it to be cooked more, I ate it cause of my limited time during lunch break and rare beef... people order rare steaks so I'll just power through. I guess they didn't thaw the meat enough or didn't check as the line got busy. Well, as I'm typing on the toilet and feeling nauseous, I have regrets coming here. Never again. read more