This place was amazing! Everything was melt in your mouth good Hawaiian cuisine. It's a must try!read more

We came here because it came highly recommended by family that travels to this area often. And it…read moredid not disappoint! In fact, we came back the next day! Our favorites were the Braised Beef Shortribs, Pork Belly Fat Abobo, and Garlic Butter Shrimp. They are known for the Garlic Furikake Chicken, which was good, but a little hard to chew at times. The pork adobo rice is amazing, so definitely pay the extra charge for that over white rice. The pickled kimchee cucumbers were also delicious. I wish they sold that in a large jar to take home! They also have lots of ice cream pie desserts that looked delicious, but we decided to forgo that in favor of shave ice somewhere else.

One of the best options for Filipino food in the area!…read more The classics always hit and never fail to impress! The lechon omlette is always my go to and always way too much to finish in one sitting! Overall an amazing place to come for lunch...just don't plan on doing anything due to a food coma!

HIGHS: 1. a serving person brings your order to your table, unlike most no tip needed places with…read morecounters for ordering & picking up. i felt compelled to leave a (small) tip -- which is OK. 2. location is great -- a short walk from Skyline's transit station. LOWS: 1. don't order chicken adobo: no sauce, no peppercorns, not tasty, some very dark areas in my chicken pieces. no veggie at all. best chicken adobo -- very tasty! -- on island is at Loco Moco in Koko Marina Hawaii Kai where the cooks & staff are Chinese folks! 2. ugh! big wall in dining room is an ad/wordage touting Elena's "greatness" -- in yo' face! color of this wall is NOT cheerful -- ugh! but maybe the color is nice to Elena's supportive clientele

I was on my way to Shabuya and ended up finding this food truck along the way as a happy accident…read more As a casual daily helper, I'm always looking at Yelp to help me find my next meal, so naturally I've heard of Laverne's for a while. When I found this food truck, I immediately wanted to stop by and see what the hype was about. I visited about 30 minutes before closing. The only thing they had run out of was the chop steak and one other protein, which wasn't too big of a deal for me. My eye was on the beef stew. Growing up in a Filipino household, I knew this dish as "caldareta." My dad would make this for me all the time. I asked for a bowl to go so I could enjoy it for dinner later. The first bite instantly sent me back to my family's home kitchen, where I would come home from school and find a pot of beef stew waiting for me. What I love about Hawaii is that it has a blend of cultures that I truly appreciate as a foodie, and experiences like this feel like a nostalgia tour. Thank you for this delicious meal. It made me miss my mom and dad a little more than I usually do. Food not only nourishes us, but also brings us back to a moment in time. I thank Laverne's for that.

I always like Laverne's food truck when I was living in Kunia I used to go to the one in Waikele…read morethe food was good so today me and the wife had errands to do so we got coffee and Starbucks and stop at the Kapolei one by Home Depot wasn't busy so wifey go the combo A and I got the B both with rice she got a side of the beef stew, had one guy serving the food my plate had the Kalua pig and Squid luau was ono the only downfall was the rice I guess was the day old rice cause was but other than that food was good

I am so happy I came here for lunch. The prime rib was top tier paired with the garlic mashed…read morepotatoes and a side salad. The 8 oz portion was huge. My friend ordered the pork adobo with side rice and she loved it! I also had the banana lumpia with ube ice cream as an appetizer. It was crispy, sweet, and worth every bite! Nicely presented too! Thanks Tiano's and team. I will definitely be back.

Went by today (Saturday) at 1230 (90 min after opening) and wanted Sisig, they were already out! 90…read moremin after opening!!! Very disappointed.... Everything else ordered was broke da mouth. But I needed a Sisig fix. They were not busy. They said they had "just run out" but if the three other tables there no one else had Sisig on the table.

I usually go to the Pearl City location and have not been disappointed. This restaurant is very…read moreclean and spacious. Looks like there is a party room, too. I love Filipino food and often I'm looked at as are you sure you're in the right place? I did not get that here. Even when I had to ask what one of the desserts was. I got a clear explanation. It was a little bit of a wait, but I guess that means the food is fresh! And, yes, it is delicious, too!!!

Awesome price for portions given. Food is made to order, so it's not just sitting in a warmer all…read moreday

I'll never stop raving about this place…read more Minasa is a restaurant serving a variety of comforting and nostalgic Filipino food -- appetizers, entree, desserts and drinks. The space is cozy and welcoming, with limited amount of seating but ok for holding intimate events. Service is always great, food always comes out fresh and hot, and they always get our orders right. My personal favorites would be: * Kare-Kare (Beef Peanut Stew), which reminds me of my mom's cooking; and * Calamansi fried chicken + noodles, the noodles are very nostalgic for me as it reminds me of my "merienda" (afternoon snack) when I was growing up (in the Philippines). They usually change up their monthly specials (which I always look forward too) so make sure to check out their Instagram page @minasahawaii. Plenty of shared parking space in the shopping complex where it's located (Tropicana Square).

We first heard of Minasa while we were with friends who says it was a modern twist on filipino food…read morewe know and love. They talked it up and hyped it up so my wife and I decided to try it out last October for our anniversary. We showed up and they were closed for an event. Since then we've tried to eat here multiple times with it being booked or not open. It's been elusive. Last weekend was the weekend we finally were able to eat here being in Waipahu and the wait finally ended! We ordered the chef's special, salted egg fried rice, ube churros, and banana lumpia sundae. The dishes were colorful and vibrant. Everything tasted good but we were looking for that twist that was hyped up to us and there was nothing unfamiliar to our taste buds. Though we left full and enjoyed our meal, the "new" flavors didn't stand out. Overall we were quite underwhelmed especially with all the hype that was given to us over their food. Maybe I ordered the wrong things? Not sure but we'll likely give this a second shot when we're in Waipahu again at the right time.

Duck fat fried rice was awesome! Fried chicken was awesome!…read moreWatercress tofu salad was awesome! Service was awesome! Portions are reasonably priced. Ceilings are very high and feel spacious. Side bar and upstairs private area for party. Sports bar feel with televisions. Only thing is not all we're on and the units are too small for the space. Other than that, it's spacious and clean. No pictures this time.

This was our first time and we went for a late lunch. There were very few people there because it…read morewas an off peak time so the service was very quick! The food and drinks were good! Great portions and flavors. We enjoyed the kimchi pancake, duck fat fried rice, chicken wings, and tacos. I had a seen a previous review about it being dirty , the floor definitely had not been swept in a while. But everything else (tables, benches) seemed clean and I watched them spray down used tables. We would come back again!

Thelma's Filipino Restaurant -- Pure, Real, Home‑Cooked Vibes…read moreAs authentic as it gets -- fresh Filipino cooking straight from Nana and all the indai working hard in the kitchen. They never miss. Every plate tastes like it came from someone's home. Big thanks to Omi and Ang for the good company. We smashed all the favorites: Pancit noodles, Pork Guisantes, Sari Sari soup for cold days and the legendary Thelma Special -- the true star of the night (iykyk). Flavor, comfort, and heart in every bite. Always a solid choice when you want real Filipino food done right. Marie

Picked up lunch for my Co workers on a Friday around 11:30. It wasn't busy & had others picking up…read moreorders. They have disclaimers posted about consuming raw food, refund policy, and take out being your responsibility after it leaves the restaurant (must've explained that too many times - but hey they covered themselves)! Also a notice of 3% surcharge if paying with a credit card. Payment was easy (used debit) & staff was friendly. It looks like a comfy place to relax & get down on Filipino grindz. We got pork adobo (tender & flavorful), pancit mix (too lemony & lil mushy that day), Thelma's special (too salty, they wished I got regular lechon), Shanghai lumpia (ok) & adobo fried rice (good but small portion). The prices are reasonable but not as big portions as I thought would be.