As part of our recent vacation to Hawai'i, we stopped by Helena's Hawaiian Food to get a taste of…read moretraditional, authentic Hawaiian cuisine. Parking was scarce, but we managed to find a spot nearby in the neighborhood. It was a Saturday around lunchtime, and we were able to be seated immediately. We didn't really know what we were doing with the menu, so our server ordered whatever she thought we would like. She did a great job. We got the Pipikaula short ribs, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, poi, mac salad, and fried butterfish collar.  Everything was so good! My favorite two items were the short ribs and the butterfish collar. The short ribs were so meaty with a nice firm texture and had a yummy sweet marinade. The fried butterfish collar was crispy and dripping with buttery goodness.  Trying poi for the first time was such an interesting experience as well. I had always wondered what it tasted like. I had always thought it was going to be like a sweet taro paste dessert, but it's actually more like a starch and serves the same role as rice! Its neutral flavor allows you to pair it with your proteins. It adds a bit of texture and helps you feel full. I was really grateful for finally getting to try it and loved learning something new! I had a great time at Helena's. The food was delicious, and I got to learn more about traditional Hawaiian cuisine. I totally recommend it. Great vibes.

Best place for authentic Hawaiian food for sure. Great service, even if they get tired of repeating…read morethemselves and could write it out, I really appreciate them explaining to newcomers every time what to eat and how to eat it to get that authentic experience. We went with what's recommended for first timers - laulau pork, you eat the leaves everything and it's filling and delicious - short ribs, some might say it's overcooked but I think it's just a different way of cooking and eating it, the pieces were thick and high quality, comes with 4 - Loki salmon, it's cured and this reminds me of ceviche or pico de gallo and salmon, it was flavorful, juicy and refreshing - comes with onions and salt to add to the complexity of the flavors - we ate it with poi, which they use as the starch to replace the rice. It's made of taro, I say give it a try for that unique and authentic experience - coconut jelly was yummy They accept cash and card Limited parking in the front, come in right before 5:30 on a weekday to beat the crowd Small family business vibes The experience lives up to the hype!

Eating here hit the spot and completely fulfilled my Hawaiian bbq needs with the plantation mixed…read moreplate. The plantation plate had grilled chicken, short ribs, fish, rice and Mac salad. The Mac salad was just simple no frills Mac and potato just the way my mom used to make!! It felt a little pricey, but I was so beyond happy with my food! Be prepared It gets BUSY at lunch time on the weekend- in both the restaurant AND the center! I would also say that if you are visiting Hawaii for the first time and are looking to try some Hawaiian food, this is a GREAT stop!!!!! And easy to navigate to from Waikiki!

Fantastic. So good. The loco moco was a flavor bomb. The fish tacos were pretty damn good,…read moreexcellent really, with a perfect amount of sauce. The salad dressing on the side salad was like nothing I've ever had. I wanted to lick the bowl clean. This is a local hangout with a great vibe.

We heard about the Rainbow Drive In from a tour guide and decided to stop in to give it a try…read more When we arrived there was a crowd but the lines truly did move very quickly and there is a great amount of seating. The amazing lady at the counter was kind and so remarkably quick with her duties. She rang up everything and delivered the food with lightning speed. We split a Boneless Chicken plate and it was plenty for two people. The chicken was tender and well seasoned and the Mac Salad and Rice complimented it well. We did get the gravy on the side. :) In reading the reviews I see a lot of differing opinions. Take this amazing spot for what it is. Good food at a good value in a good spot. Get in here and enjoy!

Really want to like it as it's our first stop for the trip, but the Mix Plate with Gravy we got…read morejust didn't suit my liking. It came with 2 scoops of rice, your choice of mac salad or coleslaw, BBQ beef, boneless chicken and fried mahi mahi. The decent one on the plate was prolly the beef but the chicken and fish were bit bland. The gravy sauce also seemed lumpy. The portion was filling but I might not be a fan of the taste. The outdoor dining space also had weird smell occasionally. Appreciate the servers though who were all attentive and moving super quickly.

OMG! This was a dining experience! So, the restaurant was closing so my friend said we should eat…read morethere! I didn't know that the servings were group sized!! I found so many things that looked great on the menu, to include fried gizzards, boneless Kal Bi ribs, fully loaded fried rice, Mac salad and other stuff I can't recall! So the TWO of us ordered way too much! We tried to eat as much as we could and ended up taking the rest home! Everything we ordered was delicious, so we knew we were going to eat good leftovers! The restaurant was a great place to go with a group to eat and watch sports! Our Waitress (I have to remember to get names) was a track star, she was running to and from several tables of groups to deliver food! I will go again if they reopen!

If you're visiting Hawaii with a big group, 100% recommend taking them here…read more We initially were a party of 16, and showed up without a reservation at 6pm on a Saturday. The staff was super nice about it and was able to accommodate us, with only a small request that we be out by 8pm since there was another big party with a reservation coming in. Absolutely reasonable. They sat us right away at three large tables, which gave us plenty of space for food and didn't force us to sit super close together. Menus, waters, plates, napkins, and forks were all brought out immediately, and our waiter was quick to take our order. We started with the prix fixe menu for 8-10 guests and were going to add other items à la carte, but a handful of our group accidentally went to the other Side Street location (make sure your group is all on the same page), so what we ordered ended up being more than enough. We left stuffed and with 5 boxes of food still. Edamame was nice and steamy, and large enough to easily pop the beans out with your mouth. Wish there was a bit more salt though. The farmer's salad had everything going on from citrusy to salty to crispy. Avocado had a little bit of oxidation but the capers, dressing and potato curls provided plenty of reasons to overlook it. The fried rice came in a hefty portion, with sizable pieces of bacon and sausage. The chicken I didn't realize was boneless based on the shape of the deep fry, but it was nice to freely bite into it without worrying about hitting anything with my teeth. Probably a bit too much on fried bits but still good. Pork chops had a better meat to crisp ratio in my opinion, as well as juiciness. They even came with ketchup on the side, which I love as a pairing but don't see much of at restaurants. My favorite meat item was definitely the sizzling boneless kalbi. The presentation on the sizzling plate with a side of kimchi was spectacular, and the meat was full of flavor. We also ordered yakisoba, which wasn't part of the prix fixe. Tasted good but nothing past standard expectations. We let the waiter know we had a 30th birthday at the table, and they brought a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream with a candle, and did a decent job getting the whole room to participate in the singing. It could also be the type of crowd this place attracts, since it seemed that everyone was so friendly and approachable. Thanks to the quick and consistent service, we were out in a little over an hour with no complaints.

No idea why but my wife was absolutely set on trying out Poi while we are here visiting. Everyone…read morewe asked Reccommended the Waiahole Poi Factory and I would certainly agree with them! We pulled up and were greeted by the cashier who was friendly and answered lol of our questions. We decided on a combo of Kalua Pig and Laulau along with Poi. First off, turns out that I do not care for Poi! This restaurant cooks it well and it is absolutely not their fault but what a boring food! The Pork was outstanding and the Taro Leaves on the Laulau were outstanding. We also had the Ho'io Salad which was a great addition with outstanding flavor. We finished with the dessert Sweet Lady of Waiahole which was super tasty and not to be missed. There is decent parking and several picnic tables outside. I thought the entire experience was super fun, you just may want to swap your Poi for Rice. :)

Finally got to try this place after visiting the island so many times! My husband and I shared a…read morelunch plate with the beef stew and kalua pork, and everything was so flavorful and satisfying. We also tried their famous "Sweet Lady of Waiahole," which definitely lived up to the hype--so delicious. There's convenient parking available, plus seating if you want to stay and enjoy your meal. Really glad we stopped by!

THE BEST KALUA AND POKE NACHOS, super friendly staff. Family owned and operated…read more I will always come here to get food Speedy service as well!

This place was so good! The man Carlos was there doing such an amazing job of making sure that we…read morefelt welcome and that we had everything that we needed! The food was super super good and we got a spicy Poké bowl and then we got rice with chicken and it was amazing! I will definitely come back! And they had the most amazing banana bread there.

Having that high rating with over 1500 reviews was certainly intriguing. We're lucky we stayed…read moresuper close and bumped into this Musubi cafe. It's busy since relatively early in the day but ordering process was seamless and they got the order pretty quick. Your number would be called when everything's ready. Their menu was rich that you had tons to pick from. Price was decent for the size as well. Our picks were the salmon ikura and spam shrimp avocado. Both were so good and our highlight would certainly be how they nailed the sauce.

Such a cute cafe! It's very affordable and mainly eat grab and go musubis for snack or breakfast…read more There's plenty of musubi types and they all range from $3-6. My favorites are the avocado/eel-egg and inari (bean curd)-egg Musubi. The teriyaki and black pepper musubis are also delicious. I love that it's made to order so everything you get is fresh and hot! I recommend going in evening because it's less busy. I tried coming back the next morning and the line was out the door. They have a cute speaker system to call out your order number lol. Everyone is so friendly here. I wished I visited this place a lot sooner! It was conveniently located from my hotel and the beach, ~10 min walk.

Decided to come here because LPGA Michelle Wie West rated Fresh Catch #1 for their poke so thought…read moreI'd give this spot a try while I was here on vacation. The poke was sooo good! There were plenty of options to choose from, but my best friend and I end up getting the: - Kamakazi Ahi - Garlic Ahi - Wasabi Ahi The staff here are so kind and so helpful. This was definitely worth the visit. Can't wait to come back and try more of their other options.

I ORDERED THE FISH AND CHIPS AND A POKE BOWL (Limu Ahi)…read more The cod for the fish and chips was fried well but the Mac salad and the fries were both too salty for me. I don't think the poke was fresh (in my opinion). I did a uberEats delivery so I don't know if that had anything to do with that. Next time I'll get it at the store to see if the fish is fresher if I get it directly from counter.

I loved it here. Truly a hole in the wall. Parking is really tough so street parking is usually…read moregonna be the norm unless you get lucky in their tiny shared parking lot. The guava bar was delicious and flavorful and just crumbles in your mouth! Definitely one of the better guava bars I've tried. Love how crumbly it is. The salmon belly was delicious OMFG. It looks so simple and straightforward but that sht is so flavorful. It is crispy and yet soft on the inside. The salmon belly is cut into bite-sized pieces so I didn't have to worry about using a knife to cut it. I usually try salmon belly where it is usually seasoned lightly to bring out the natural flavor of the salmon, but Guava Smoked's salmon belly is just grilled in a way that makes the salmon sweet/crispy and still get traces of the salmon taste as well. It's definitely not your traditional Japanese-style way of cooking salmon belly but really just their own. I'd go back and get this again. Another thing too. I'd get this with beer. This would hit very hard with alcohol but because I don't drink I need a kombucha. The grilled salmon belly would go perfect with it. Cheers! Uncle was very helpful and kind when serving and if you dine-in he brings it to your table.

TL;DR The spicy pork…read moreis good. ----- I had Guava Smoked on my radar for quite a while, so when I found myself nearby and craving a protein-packed plate lunch, I decided to drop in. There is a dedicated parking lot behind the restaurant that is shared with the other businesses in the same building. When I walked into the restaurant at about 1pm on a Wednesday, I was surprised to find it almost empty. It's a pretty large space, so the lack of patrons was rather glaring. There was one person sitting at the counter facing the kitchen and one employee working. This was my very first visit to Guava Smoked so I asked the person at the counter what he recommends. He said the two most popular meats are the kalbi and the spicy pork. "Perfect!" I thought, because those were the two options I was eyeing. Unfortunately, they were out of kalbi that day. Bummer... Nothing else on the menu caught my eye, so I ordered a smoked spicy pork plate to go. The spicy pork was good. Did it blow my mind? I wouldn't say it did. But it was satisfying enough. Honestly, I really wish they had kalbi available when I went. Hopefully next time I stop in they will.

3.5 stars We wanted…read moreto try authentic Hawaiian food and came across this spot. The owner was very friendly and took the time to recommend dishes for us, including the laulau and lechon kawali. We also ordered the BBQ short ribs. Overall, it was a good experience trying Hawaiian food, but it's just not really our type of cuisine. The laulau was quite dry, and the preparation felt more like meat that had been boiled or cooked in liquid, which isn't something I usually enjoy. The lechon kawali had a crispy pork belly texture, topped with something similar to a salsa, but it didn't suit our taste either. Unfortunately, the cabbage served with it also had some black spots, which was off-putting. The BBQ short ribs were the highlight of the meal and the dish we enjoyed the most. We appreciate the experience and the hospitality, but the flavors just didn't quite match our personal preferences.

1. The hours posted on Yelp was incorrect. They open from 12:00 pm…read more A group of us ordered food the night before for pickup at 12:30pm, on Thursday. Then someone wanted to change from rice to poi. I tried many times and no one answered. Their voice mailbox was full. We e ended going there to make the change. He gentleman looked like he was working be himself. We bads to wait almost a half hour for him to finish the order. 2. Price - the prices were higher than expected. All the plates were $26.00 and up. 3. Food - The poi was very tasty and fresh, although a bit watery. The lau lau had a lot of lean pork filling, not a lot of leaves. The long rice didn't have much chicken and was a bit watery too. We enjoyed the sweet potato. There was also lomi salmon, haupia onion and chili pepper water. 4. As mentioned before there isn't much parking. The restaurant wasn't busy when we got there. Overall the food and service was OK. The price was a bit high.