1. Hanai Hawaiian BBQ

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Buffalo, NY

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Hanai Hawaiian BBQ

4.9 (15 reviews)
Closed • Closed

Hanai Hawaiian BBQ Photos

Business Info

HANAI HAWAIIAN BBQ ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Hanai Hawaiian BBQ

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PIPIKAULA BEEF SHORT RIB PLATE
Mak B.

Gave this place a shot and absolutely no regrets! I ordered the pipikaula beef short rib plate, and the flavors were incredible - perfectly balanced with a sweet and spicy kick, complemented really well by the sides. I also love the large portion size! I had to try a side of their house specialty Koju sauce, and it did not disappoint. The owner introduced himself and he was incredibly friendly! Will definitely be coming back!

Ahi Tuna Nachos-
Elizabeth K.

Ahi tuna nachos were absolutely delicious! The service was amazing. When I called to put in the order, they said it would be ready right away. Honestly, some of the best tuna nachos I've ever had, and I've been to Hawaii! And I cannot wait to go back for more.

Spam musubi
Khristina S.

I was so excited to finally make it to Hanai Hawaiian BBQ!! I've been trying to get here since the very first pop-up in June 2025. I ordered 2 spam musubi, one cut in half for my kids to try and one for myself, two teri bowls for my kids, and a Pig & Poke plate for myself. The pork was a little on the dry side, but the poke & slaw was great. The mac salad helped the dryness of the pork. I am so happy to have finally made it here and I can't wait to come back.

Cuurent menu (as of May 16, 2026)

LUNCH Best plate lunch I've had without having to fly home to the Islands! (And I am pretty darn picky about food. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it has to be good, otherwise where's the pleasure?) AMBIANCE Important note: they are in the same building as Buffalo Brewing Company, so don't get confused, you are in the right place. So nice and cool (and clean!) inside, but there are also open windows with seats facing out and a few tables outside. Also important: check their hours when planning to go so you aren't disappointed that you missed out. And you are missing out if you don't go. Though now I am wondering if I will regret sharing this slightly hidden gem - it won't be hidden for long. FOOD Other people already posted pictures of the Pipikaula short rib plate, which is good because I forgot to take a picture before I ate mine. We found out the Big Belly Bento is new to the menu, but it was also a huge hit. We got the unagi sauce and gochujang sauce on the side - so glad we did, because in addition to dipping the pulled pork in the sauces (the way it was meant to be eaten) I stole some of the sauce and dipped some of my short rib bites, and then I ate it with my mac salad and my Asian slaw. The rice vinegar in the sauce went well with the vinegar based slaw. The sauces normally come on the pork and short ribs. Heat warning for those who have low tolerance: it's a slow and delayed heat in the spicy poke and the gochujang sauce, so go easy until you find your sweet spot (and eat a bite of rice or mac salad if you got it wrong). Spam musubi was made to order. Personally I like it cooked a little more, but that's a personal preference. And watching other orders go out? We got food envy watching the big portions of won ton chips for the poke (or pulled pork) nachos even though we were eating our own delicious food. Which also showed how much thought goes into it - won ton chips because tortilla chips got soggy and made the food too salty. SERVICE Can't get any better. I saw the owner check on people eating outside (I'm sorry I didn't get his name!) I'm very happy we went a little later than peak hour so we could chat with him. Any little quibbles were due to supply chain issues, so I am looking forward to coming back and seeing how things progress as those issues get ironed out. Because even with those issues, the food was great. Delicious. Amazing. Unexpectedly fantastic. (Now I need a nap aka kanak attack - incidentally, there's a plate lunch with that name.) We started planning our next trip before we even finished paying our bill. And sent the details to a friend and her son before we even started the drive away. After all, how often do you want every single thing on the menu? Or think everything sounds good? And if you don't go - well, just go. Thank me later. DINNER YES, we went again for dinner, because we wanted to try other stuff (did I mention we wanted everything on the menu?) And they are closed tomorrow. This time one of the college kids joined us. We guessed and got him the Local Boy plate. Then a POG (which he said was really good). The only thing he didn't do was lick the plate. So we got him a piece of guava cheesecake (last one!) and finally managed to satisfy the bottomless appetite that plagues teenage boys. The Loco Moco was good, but classified as a meal for when you are feeling slightly delicate (i.e. hungover). Not going to lie, we overheard people having food envy so we told them what it was, in case they wanted it. I had Auntie's favorite - loved the garlic poke, the chicken not as much. But that's probably because you just can't top the pipikaula short ribs (which sold out!) And POG #2 - I can hear you judging, so I challenge you to try it and NOT want to get another one. Go ahead, it's ok. Someone has already had 2 in one day, so don't feel ashamed, you're only doing as recommended by some crazy person who's really happy for a taste of home. You're very welcome! And...SNACK (does this count as meal 3 from Hanai?) We took home Ahi Poke Nachos, but had the won ton chips packed separately because we knew we weren't going to eat it for several hours (um hello, did you see how much food we ate already?) And I got a 1/4 shoyu poke to go too, because hey, much healthier midnight snack than ice cream or chips. It was a very generous serving, but I would never be upset about that. And usually I hate big pieces of raw onion, but I think these had been soaked or something so it was nice and crunchy, but didn't make me want to cry from onion-y flavor. Little details that add up to lots of pleasurable eating. SO GOOD - we actually didn't mix the poke into the chips, we just loaded individual chips with the poke (he didn't like the shoyu poke, so more for me!) Thank you Hanai-Guy, those name I have learned is David - we can't wait to see you again! Also, you are such a great find that I think I got some "cool" points.

Menu
Ruby S.

This place is amazing! The staff are so friendly and attentive answering any and all questions I have. The food is just delicious I had the spam masubi and both cheesecakes on the menu I will definitely be going back! The ambience is also super cute I loved the artwork on the walls it's a very cozy spot I went an hour before close and there were not a lot of people. Overall 100/10 it's so good!

Short rib plate
Alicia D.

Picked up some to go and have no regrets. Both the pork and rib plate were awesome. Passion fruit glazed cheesecake, excellent! We will definitely go back.

This is an amazing gem to come to Buffalo! I've been craving plate lunch ever since I visited Maui a few years ago and this hits the spot! There are others who try to make "Hawaiian bbq" but this is finally a real taste of the street food. The ribs are insane and the fact I can order a musubi in Buffalo makes this place a new favorite.

Beef short ribs

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4 months ago

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1 month ago

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2 months ago

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8 days ago

The food was super good! I do wish they had more vegetarian options, but if you're not vegetarian, great Hawaiian food!

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7 months ago

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5 months ago

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10 months ago

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10 months ago

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5 months ago

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5 months ago

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6 months ago

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4 months ago

The find was so delicious. I had the short ribs. And will definitely be returning doon!

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9 months ago

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11 months ago

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Ask the Community - Hanai Hawaiian BBQ

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I have been meaning to check this place out for a while, and I finally went to take advantage of…read moretheir great lunch special to get food for me and some friends. We all got different things out the menu and everyone really enjoyed what they had. I got the Orange and General Tso's chicken lunch specials respectively, which came with rice and a Mac salad as well for both. Along with the food, we had some different fruit teas, including passionfruit and mango along with Boba milk tea with Taro. It was a large order so of course it took a few minutes to prepare everything but I think from the time I ordered to the time they handed it to me, it was about 20 minutes. The place isn't very large inside, but there is plenty of room for seating if you wanna dine in or just wait and grab for takeout. Definitely looking forward to my next visit there to try more things from the menu and maybe get a Poké bowl next time.

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