Barbeque Kai in Waianae does a $5 cheeseburger that's an absolute steal. Mine came out hot, and clearly freshly made. The burger was really good for what it is, and the value is hard to ignore Nothing about it felt extra special, though. If I'm being picky, the meat was a bit overcooked, and the buns were a bit dry. Those are small details, but they matter when you're judging the "best burger on island" claim a friend had made One practical note: this place is cash only. We showed up without cash and had to improvise. A customer let us Venmo him so he could hand us cash, which saved the trip. Thanks, Harry!!!! read more

Very poor service, lady is rude every time. Don't expect to ask questions without pissing the older Korean aunty off then she'll just hang up on you. read more

This is a unique cash-only business. Seafood platter had a couple shrimp, one scallop and two larger pieces of fish that were fried; accoutrements were rice and macaroni. It was nearby and didn't feel like driving. I would try again and go for some BBQ next time to see how it tastes. Friendly service. read more

Barbecue Kai - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

Big, delicious portions. Fries cooked perfectly. Gravy for the fries and rice is delicious. Several food choices. Only four stars because they forgot the mahi mahi on one of our plates. It's just a joke in the wall spot with three tables outside, but there's a park with picnic tables and the beach a stone's throw away. There are lots of flies and pigeons at the park, but you may see a wild chicken and her chicks like we did! read more

I love the food, prices and the service. The only place where I've ordered crispy fries, got it, jumped in my truck to head to Kapolei & it was STILL burning my mouth in Hono Kai Hale. I'm not mad @ all about it. love those krispy buggas. i sit in my truck to wait. Only took me ONE time for an Unko coming in hot where all of a sudden i got a 20vertical jump. (not really) but it felt like that! (wish yall took card, i'd go in the red for you) lmao No it's just more convenient for me if yah did. read more

BBQ hamburger steak with fries! Made to order so very small wait time. Few tables outside but also close by to the beach!

More 3.5 stars in my book but we haven't been here long enough to try other locations so it will get the 4 stars for now. The bill for our family of 7 and 8 plates was $94 and change. The rice portions are plentiful for all the plates. My family isn't a Mac salad fan so we substituted for an extra scoop of rice for the meals. The spare ribs were tender, slightly chewy but pretty good. The show stoppers were the Katsu curry and the black bean chicken. Flavors were delicious. I'll definitely order them both again. The noodles are a never again order item. They tasted burned and there was no flavor. My mother in law had the shrimp plate and she said it was delicious. The combo of the spare ribs and chicken were good. The chicken is not fatty, chicken thighs are not usually my fav but they do a. Good job with them here. We also ordered the Loco Moco small plate and it was pretty good but not the best I've had on the island. The service was nothing to right home about but they are pretty quick. I did try to call to order ahead and no one answered. There are a few outdoor tables but there is not inside seating or restrooms. read more

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Best bbq burger and katsu burger on the island! Very nice staff and delicious food. We randomly stopped at this local spot while exploring the west side, and were thoroughly impressed. Super affordable and might be the best food we've had yet. Mahalo! read more

On a recent trip to hawaii...had an airbnb away from waikiki....close to the beach and less people. On my way to the beach, stumbled upon this local joint. Hawaii bbq and it finest. Huge portions and tasty dishes. All local. Talked to a few locals and they sing praises for this place. The locomo is apparently homemade. Wish i knew before i ordered. Anyhow, had the BBQ chicken large size - ( came with 3 huge pieces) and the Hawaiian ribs of course. Came with scoops of rice and macaroni...authentic hawaiian. Lol. 1 meal can feed 2...if you went with the small Order, you get 1 big piece Of chicken instead of 3. Lol. I like how the meat is not drenched in sauce Or teriyaki syrup. Its marinaded just right and grilled to perfection. So filling and delicious. Will be back for sure when in Hawaii. Service was quick and easy and with a smile. Fyi..,take out option only! :) Cheers! Happy eating! read more

Barbecue Kai - the front of the restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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Cash only. Food is always good and their prices are reasonable! In my opinion.... Best hamburger steak on the island! read more

Being our last night on Oahu, having stayed a week at the Hawaiian Princess, we decided to get a local style combo plate. Barbecue Kai did not disappoint. We ordered the mix combo plate with a serving of chicken katsu a la cart. HUGE servings! Extremely delicious, friendly service. The Chicken Katsu was the best I have ever had and I have been munching on Katsu since 1994! I would say the only thing I would recommend improving is their macaroni salad was a bit overcooked. Other than that it was one of the best combo lunch plates I have ever had. Seriously. I am so full right now I can hardly write this review. Mahalo Barbecue Kai! read more

Barbecue Kai - Mixed Combo with side of Chicken Katsu. Huge portions!! - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

This a late post, but I had to share some of my fav spots on the Island. Its been a min since I've been back visiting the west sai. Barbecue Kai was always our go to for good food at an affordable price. Breakfast plate back in the days were like $5 eggs, rice and portugese sausage, cant beat that?! This time around ordered, BBQ mix plate that came with BBQ chicken, teriyaki, Bbq short ribs, rice and mac salad $15, mochiko chicken, rice and mac salad $11. The service was fast and friendly! As for the the ambiance, its outdoor seating with a window were you order food. Outdoor seating, dog friendly read more

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The garlic shrimp and the chili cheese fries were really good. The mac salad was over cooked, very soggy and tasted plain. The bbq mix was alright could have been better. Lady who cashed us out small kine had attitude. Sticking with Nanakuli L&L next time. read more

The food is always good! But, they're Cash only! Their hamburger steak, shrimp fried rice and bbq chicken is our fav!

Always the best food. Taste wise, price, and selection. Been around for yearsss and one of the only places I go to for plate lunches in Waianae. Heads up though, it's cash only. read more

Cash only. We love the plate lunch. This is place to fill up before the beach. Also they have French fries

Greasyas all hell! Check the inside bottom of your to go container. And the oil is not changed too often.Ive been a customer since 2016,at that point they said they are out of to go menus.they must have ordered them from Mars,cause they still don't have them in 2025. Money is way better spent down the street at #1 Chinese food. read more

The loco moco was good and plentiful as well as the Bbq chicken. I forgot to take a picture of it. The mochiko was not so good, it was like bits and pieces like tiny pieces. read more

Barbecue Kai - Loco moco - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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This is the bomb old school drive inn food! I finally ate here yesterday and had their bbq cheeseburger. It was the best bbq burger I've had in my life. Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little. But was it absolutely amazing? Yes! This place is a must!! read more

Was getting bored down the central side for dinner choices so decided to shoot the cruise! Made our stop at waianae as we went down memory lane to where we lived for quite some time. Decided to stop and get some grub which took me back to my first meal in Waianae during our move in day lol Chop steak is normally enjoyed but for some strange reason it lacked a bit of flavor. The plate is ginormous though for the price but could have used some salt and dash of sweetness to it. The hamburger steak was good. Not the best but not the worst. But enjoyed for the cheap price. Just throw on a dash of tobasco, BOOM, winnahz! Lady serving us wasn't that polite. She gave us the "EN DEN" look. Not cool read more

Barbecue Kai - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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Shirts service hangs rhe phone up . Hair im my food Terrible. I would give it a stars if I could.. took over 20 min for food read more

Dirty and terrible food! Service was good and friendly but I just don't understand how these reviews get up there. Zero flavors it taste like nothing and not cooked all the way. Don't listen to these reviews stay away read more

Good foods very very tasty varieties, especially Chinese food stirfry they're all good

Check the price menu before buying. Barbeque Kai over charged me several times and that is very concerning.

The attendant Crystal was very kind and helpful with my order, and the food was a great deal. I ordered the Michie Chicken, and it came with a lot of chicken! read more

Barbecue Kai - Mochiko Chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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What a gem of a local spot! The lady at the window was so sweet and kind and very helpful in us choosing our plate lunches. She was also kind enough to give us a small little free saimin broth for my son who wanted some soup lol. Pure aloha, I offered to pay for it but she insisted. Wow! Awesome portions, great tasting food, prices are excellent service & exponentially kind and friendly. Also on this side people are so kind, generous & friendly. A guy behind me in line, offered a dollar after I asked my wife for one just because I didn't have changed only had big bills. Shout out to this braddah thanks . People greet you with Aloha, wave & people smile. With that being said there are some homeless, druggys walking around, so be careful and mindful. What great find & a nice little roadside stop. Will definitely come and smash this place again. My mahi-mahi and hamburger steak plate was amazing. The cheeseburger was so bomb I wish I would've bought five more to take on the plane lol Next time in Hawaii definitely going to come Waianae side to smash this spot!!! Thank you again to the lady that helped us thank you for your great restaurant & for all those who help this small local spot. Mahalo and thank you . read more

Barbecue Kai - Smash session in Waianae! Love it - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

We had to come back again. This is the best lunch plate in Hawaii. So much flavor. The Mac salad is the my favorite. read more

Barbecue Kai - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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This local restaurant has amazing food! If you're looking for a good Hawaiian bbq come to this place and enjoy the food! Loved the ribs the most. Food gets ready fast but make sure you have you're having cash with you because they accept cash only. read more

Barbecue Kai - Mixed BBQ plate - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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This was good. Customer service is whatever....i got the garlic shrimp but the shrimp was over done to where the skin stuck to the meat. My steak was bland. And Mac salad was over done as well. The BBQ mix was good. I would get that. I hate to say this but I think Ono Hawaiian tastes bit better and I'm from California. I was expecting something great read more

I LOVE BBQ KAI. It is reliable, yummy, and customer service is awesome. For $10, a large combo plate can feed two people dinner. My go-to is the black bean chicken, it is 5* in my book! I highly recommend trying anything and asking for recommendations. The fried noodle special came with beef chow mein, rice, and Mac salad for $9.50. Heaven! After a Long Beach day, this place is quick and easy for take out. I'd say all of Makaha probably eats here at least once a week. Don't forget fried rice with bbq chicken if you just need one easy dependable dish! read more

I ordered a mini shrimp curry no rice no mac and when I got home I ended up getting a mini fried shrimp no mac no rice. Mama going to tell me I told her mini fried shrimp. NO, if she wasn't too busy talking story with the other customer she would've got my order correct. I call her to tell her the mix up and say I'll come tomorrow she replies with yeah whatever and hangs up. Very bad customer service and she is usually nice. read more

Barbecue Kai - Mini fried shrimp when I asked for a mini shrimp curry . - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

Love the food! Fast and friendly service. Great place to take the family. The Place is well maintained and has easy parking. The hamburger curry and Chicken Katsu was DELICIOUS! I would recommend this place to anyone.l read more

Aloha, First off would like to say love that this family owned business is try operating. As local who lives on the North shore we wanted to try something different other then have fast food. When I first looked at the menu so many options to choose from. My boyfriend from the west side and was giving suggestions on what's good. He got himself a chicken katsu, while I got myself a chili dog plate. When we placed our order we just called our order in. Aunty on the phone was nice. Told us would be 10-15mins. I'm not sure if they still do cash only. Luckily we had cash on us. The atmosphere here is like your local eating spot after good day of work or chilling with the ohana. You'll see individuals standing in line to order from sitting around eating the delicious food as well waiting in vehicles for their order to be ready. I highly recommend coming with a appetite. The portion size is definitely poly size. Thanks aunty. However, the chili dog was amazing as well. You can tell they make it from scratch. So much flavor. The chicken katsu was cooked to perfection. If your still reading this, I definitely recommend checking this spot out. Will be making the drive from Kahuku to west side more often read more

They deserve negative stars! Poor customer service for years long customers. The owner yelled at my mom on the phone for something that didnt happen and today when we ordered again. they got our order wrong THEN when I called to complain (started off nice) the counter girl dare say "we can refund your order and we'll refuse your service" REALLY?? You're ok with customers spending money there until YOU are wrong and get called out for it. Trust your food aint that great and your service is less than. read more

They have variety of food here. It's affordable and simple which I like. The workers here are friendly. The seating is outside and it can get busy during lunch hour. We had to wait about 10-15min for our foods, but other than that, can't beat the price ratio to food. I got the black bean chicken. read more

Barbecue Kai - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

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This place was recommended to us by our tour guide. Its a no frills, order at the window type of restaurant with a couple of outdoor tables. A very unassuming place for us tourists ! We ordered the bbq mixed plate that came with bbq ckn, short ribs, & thinly sliced bbq beef. The bbq ckn was juicy with a nice char & the short ribs were well seasoned. We also got a lil cheeseburger which tasted very homemade like someone your mom would make for lunch. Everything was super affordable. If you're looking for a delicious budget friendly meal that will support a family owned business, come check this place out ! read more

Barbecue Kai - Bbq mixed plate - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

This place was mentioned in a conversation so had to venture out to try it...its pretty much an old freestanding drive in type building. They are located right before Pokai bay (popular beach and picnic spot for tourist and locals) The menu was kind of like a L&L ( typical concession stand platelunch place). I can only comment on their bbq burger and fries because thats all I tried. Staff wasnt friendly just there to get the job done but all good. Bbq burger was ok not good or bad bun was soft burger wasnt processed. Fries was crinkle cut and not oily and would have been awesome if they actually put salt on their fries ! Prices was fair not cheap but not expensive either. I can see why they were in business so long its because they are the perfect type of drive inn (average decent food) and their close to the beach (Pokai bay) location. If you are on your way to the beach or at the beach barbeque kai is place close enough to get average food at an average place at a convenient location. read more

Wow! Let me tell you! These are the best BBQ cheeseburgers ever! This restaurant been run by the same family for 32 years and they do amazing amazing work! I can't say enough how much I enjoyed these burgers they were so tasty they had a little bit of onions and then I could taste they made their own homemade barbecue sauce to put on these wonderful tasty burgers and they had just the right amount of cheese and the bread was oh so soft and melted right in your mouth We had the burgers for lunch and then had to come back after a long day at the beach and get more burgers for dinner! we were literally pigging out on these burgers nonstop and I'll definitely come back again soon! If you ever find this hole in the wall restaurant you will be so happy that you read this review and decided to give them a try! We will certainly be back and probably be gaining a few hundred pounds from this wonder piece of heaven on earth. I even had the opportunity to buy two burgers for this nice homeless man who absolutely love them as well! You really can't go wrong and the price is also quite great! read more

Barbecue Kai - Yum. BBQ Cheese Burger - Barbeque Near Me - Waianae, Hawaii

Place was recommended to us by a couple we met at the beach. We walked over and ordered the shrimp fried rice and the barbecue mix and instantly fell in love! The lady working was absolutely amazing and helpful in helping us decide what to order and the view of the mountains tied it together for us! We will DEFINITELY be coming back in the future!!!! read more

One of the best hamburgers around ($3.99.) The patty is handmade and larger than average. Upgrade to a "deluxe" (lettuce tomato and onion) for $.99, you won't regret it. The staff is always friendly and cordial, prices are very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food you receive. read more