When you can't make it to Hawaii but you're craving authentic Hawaiian food, this is the spot to go to. The staff is super friendly and welcoming -- true ohana vibes from the moment you walk in. The portions are generous, the food is delicious, and everything still tastes just as great as I remember. Crazy to say I was last here over 20 years ago, and they're still consistently amazing. Love seeing a place keep the same quality and heart after all these years. read more

Hukilau - Combo Plate - Loco Moco and Fried Pork Chop - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

We came here on a Sunday for lunch and had a great experience. The restaurant is spacious and features a fun tiki bar at the front. The staff was friendly, service was quick, and the food was delicious. We ordered the savory beef patty loco moco plate that comes with macaroni salad and rice (there is an additional charge for fried rice), and it did not disappoint. The patty was incredibly flavorful, and the portion was generous enough to share between two people. I especially enjoyed the gravy--it wasn't overly salty, just perfectly balanced. read more

Hukilau - Beef Patty Loco Moco - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Quiet lunch on a Friday since it was January 2, but greeted immediately and was told we could sit anywhere. Menu, water, and utensils was brought to us immediately and our order was taken in good time. Food came out pretty quick and was displayed well. The loco moco comes with 2 big hamburger patties for lunch, and the Poke Bowl (even though it doesn't look like a lot) is plenty for 1 person. We brought home both our meals since it was hearty. Hawaiian music playing in the background and still has the Island feel when dining. They also do a great job at accommodating large parties in their back room. I've organized an end of season sport party here and they did awesome. They allowed multiple checks for at least 8 different families and the service was great. Calling ahead to give them the number of expected people is best. read more

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Ordered comfort food from Hukilau this evening. Had the teriyaki beef and chicken combo with a side of kimchee and my usual drink, a strawberry lemonade. The food was good and they give you large portions. I liked the chicken more than the beef, but they were both tasty covered in teriyaki sauce. The macaroni salad was the ultimate feel good food and I wish I'd ordered more of it. Even the rice tasted good. The only disappointment was the strawberry lemonade, which was totally watered down. read more

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Stopped by for late lunch on Sunday and it wasn't too busy. The restaurant itself has a large amount of space in the back. Waiters were friendly. I ordered the loco moco with burger patties, and I genuinely think that Hukilau has the best loco moco I've ever tried. Really great seasoning on the patties, which I feel like lots of other places don't do well. Patties were also quite tender. The dish was slathered in gravy and perfect over easy eggs on top, with Mac salad on the side. So good. Really big portion as well. They had a fun list of cocktails on the menu too that I'll have to check out next time. It's a great spot to come with friends, and there's so much to explore in SJ's Japantown after. Would recommend! read more

Hukilau - Loco Moco - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Came back to try again and this time I enjoyed the food this time. Coworker and I opt for the combination platter and we're all happy. See pictures read more

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I had this place saved for a while and finally decided to give it a try. This Hawaiian restaurant definitely has a large selection of Hawaiian food to choose from. Grilled mahi mahi (2/5); This one was definitely on me for choosing to get it grilled instead of fried. It was too dry for me and lacked seasoning. The pasta was great though. Combo plate w/loco moco & garlic chicken (5/5); We got the loco moco topped with chicken katsu. The katsu loco moco was comforting and flavor ful. The garlic chicken definitely blew my mind. It was exploding with garlic flavor that marinates over the crispy chicken. I will be back here for the garlic chicken read more

Hukilau - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Came by for a late dinner and was very satisfied with this comfort food. Tried the garlic popcorn chicken, loco moco katsu chicken, and grilled mahi mahi. My favorite were the garlic popcorn chicken, they were tender and full of flavor. Could have skipped the grilled mahi mahi as it was a bit plain and dry. Would prob recommend going for the fried version, but it was good nonetheless. Staffs were friendly and attentive! read more

Hukilau - Garlic Popcorn Chicken and Loco Moco Katsu Chicken Combo - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Came here for a family dinner and we enjoyed everything we got! The Loco Moco here is hands down my FAVORITE THING. Everything is so perfectly flavored and I couldn't stop myself from eating and eating it! The portions are pretty big here! So be prepared to share or have leftovers! The staff are most definitely friendly and very accommodating. From the outside it looks like a small shop but once you enter you are greeted with a smile and there's plenty of room and a while back area for larger parties. read more

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It has been a while since I have been to Hukilau. This place is still the same great little place it was the last time I was here. My go to is the Loco Moco with the hamburger patties and an upgrade to the fried rice. This is delicious. The food has always been very good. The service is very good and the prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get. read more

Always good service, always a good time. I got the fried saimin and a beer! So ono!! This place can accommodate small or even large friend groups. We always try to stop by when we do beer walk or before going out to DTSJ. read more

I've ordered takeout from Hukilau about three times now, but I still have yet to dine in. Located in Japantown, parking can be a bit tricky, especially during rush hours. I usually call ahead to place my order, and by the time I arrive, the food is ready for pickup. It's super convenient, and since I live only half a mile away & it's a quick six-minute drive, it's become a go-to dinner spot. We always get the garlic chicken, along with one or two entrée plates, which comes with a side of mac salad and rice. I've tried substituting fried rice for an extra charge ($2.50) before, but I didn't find it worth it. However, I really like the mac salad on the side. The chicken katsu is definitely a favorite, while the short ribs, though thick, could use a bit more flavor. Overall, I enjoy the food and will definitely keep ordering from here when I'm too lazy to cook. read more

Hukilau - Garlic Chicken, Grilled Short Ribs & Chicken Katsu entree - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Clam ramen was buttery and very miso-y. Was disappointed in the lack of veggies, was just noodles, clams (HUGE and tough) and green onions for $20. The beef patty loco moco was well received and the sauce was great with the rice, still not enough veggies. We got seated right away and the waiters were really nice. It came out to be $50 after taxes and tip. Inside smelled funky but it was nice seeing all the Hawaiian motifs. read more

Hukilau - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Went during Obon. Took a while to get our order out and even longer to get our food. That being said the food is always hits the spot. A SJ staple. read more

Hukilau - Loco Moco Combo - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Where have I been and why haven't I came here sooner?! Food is delicious. I came here two days in a row once with friends and second time was for pick up. Service was great and quick. Chill vibes and they serve great cocktails. read more

Everything was just alright here. The restaurant itself has kind of a "wet/damp" smell that threw me off. All the food was semi cold, even the chicken and edamame. I liked the spam musubi, and generally love Mac salad but it had a LOT of mayo and filled me up super fast. read more

Hukilau - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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This place is amazing and if you haven't been, you need to get over and check it out ASAP. We went on a mission to try as much as possible, so we ordered a mixed 2 poke appetizer, spam musubis, Hukilau fried rice with egg, Kalua pork cheese quesadilla, and a Combo plate with loco moco and chicken katsu. Everything was great and portions were large. Prices were very reasonable for what we got. With all of that + tax and tip, we got out of there for under $100, and had loads of leftovers - 3 almost full boxes to be exact. While everything was pretty damn good, my personal favorites were the Kalua pork cheese quesadilla (a mind blowing quesadilla experience tbh) and the poke. I'd absolutely get these again, but I'd also get everything else again. Metered street parking is available in the area, I had to circle and park a little further away, but the area is nice and and it was fun to walk by the other shops and restaurants. read more

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3.5 stars, rounded up I came with a couple coworkers on Friday for lunch. We arrived a little before noon and lucked out with street metered parking across the street from the restaurant. This is located in Japantown. I ordered the Poke Dinner with Ahi, Tako, and Salmon ($23) and I enjoyed my meal. Authentic Hawaiian poke. However, my only critique is that it only comes with one scoop of Mac salad and only one scoop of rice.. Other than that, service (I think our server's name was Santo) was friendly and the restaurant was clean. read more

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Wow - this place was phenomenal! I'm not sure if I got lucky on a week night but there were lots of parking options just a quick walk away. This place is fairly small and is mostly no frills. They have a ton of fruity, tiki-style cocktails to choose from. There isn't a ton of seating available but it wasn't busy. I got a poke combo plate with rice, masubi, and Mac salad and it was absolutely phenomenal! It hit the spot and was plenty of food. This place was highly underrated and a great find! read more

Hukilau - Poke dinner - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

The Spicy Salmon Poke Dinner was quite good here. It had a great sauce, and the onions were a nice add. The rice and macaroni salad were a good add. The Spam Musubi was also a nice add. The service was fast and responsive. And the ambiance was appropriately themed. read more

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I stopped by for the first time around lunchtime on a Sunday. It was tough to choose what to order because the menu has so many options. Two of us ended up splitting a spam musubi ($4) and a Hawaiian luau plate ($21). This was actually a lot of food for two people and could probably be easily split between three people. Sometimes the way a restaurant prepares their rice could make or break your dining experience. The rice at Hukilau was cooked perfectly and helped make both the spam musubi and luau plate shine! Each grain was cooked thoroughly but still had a nice chew. The rice soaked up the teriyaki sauce in the musubi and acted as a great accompaniment to the various meats in the luau plate. I enjoyed every part of the luau plate but my favorite was the lomi lomi salmon. It was a simple dish but so refreshing to eat! The mac salad was soft and creamy, the kalua pork was savory and tender, and the pork lau lau was earthy and fatty in the best possible way. The servers were kind and attentive. I could see how this place could have a completely different vibe at night, but for the daytime it is an excellent spot for lunch! read more

Hukilau - Spam musubi - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Hukilau has become a staple in my self-care routine, located just across the street from my curl consultant, it's the perfect reward every time I get my hair done. I visit my stylist every few months, and I never miss the chance to stop by for their poke. As someone who grew up on the Pacific island of Guam, fresh poke feels like home, and Hukilau never disappoints. Whether I'm grabbing lunch before my appointment or dinner afterward, I always make time for a bowl of their beautiful, flavorful poke. It's such a welcome treat in the midst of wash day and curls, and I genuinely look forward to it every time. With its fresh ingredients and island flavors, this spot gives me that little taste of the Pacific I crave right here in San Jose's Japantown. If you're in the area, don't skip it. Your palate (and your soul) will thank you. read more

#taste - 5/5 #portion size - 4/5 #service - n/a #value - 4/5 #recommendation(s) - get the garlic popcorn chicken! Really flavorful and decent portion size. #tip - parking can be limited due to street parking so consider doing takeout. #like - in addition to the popcorn chicken, I also enjoyed the short ribs. The size is good and the meat is tender. #dislike - not a dislike of the food but I felt the portion of the mac salad was small so I wish the entrees would come with bigger servings. #suggestion - the fried rice could be more flavorful read more

One of my favorite places to come! Prices are reasonable & food is ALWAYS so tasteful. My new favorite dish is the garlic chicken. The chicken is so crispy & the garlic sauce is so flavorful. Most places don't have a good Mac salad, but Hukilau's Mac is one that doesn't disappoint. Portion sizes are big & I always leave with leftovers. read more

Hukilau - Combo Plate Beef Teriyaki & Garlic Chicken with fried rice & extra scoop of Mac Salad - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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This place is a hidden gem. We don't often eat in San Jose, but this one you can NOT miss!! They have authentic Hawaiian food. It reminded me of being back in Hawaii. It looks small on the outside, but it's pretty big on the inside. When you enter the first room, it has a typical bar and seating area. They have a bigger room in the back for parties or just additional seating area. When we went, they had a party going on in the front and the back. I think it was a bday party, they were definitely having fun. We decided to place our order to go. We ordered: 1. Hukilau pupu platter - spam musubi, garlic wings, and fried shrimp. The spam musubi was your standard that we all know. Nothing special. Garlic wings were ok, I kinda felt like it had the adobo kind of taste to it. The fried shrimp was tasty and huge. 2. Hukilau ribeye steak (medium)- Cooked perfectly and is well seasoned. It was a thick slice and so juicy. Rice was perfectly cooked, and the mac salad was smacking. 3. Da Hawaiian Luau plate - You can never go wrong with the classic pork lau lau, kalua pork, and an added bonus lomi lomi salmon. The portion was massive but delicious. I had ordered all rice, and we still managed to run out of rice. 4. Loco moco - huge burger patties but were well seasoned. It was moist and flavorful. Next time, I'm going to ask for extra gravy. For that extra smothering comfort food goodness. Iykyk. 5. Hukilau fried rice - very rare, do you go to a Hawaiian restaurant, and they serve fried rice. We had to try, and it was amazing. They had huge chunks of Portuguese sausage and lots of aloha. This could definitely be a meal on its own. 6. Fried Saimin - The noodles were good, but the dish was salty, IMO. I'm not sure if it's from the Portuguese sausage and spam or what. This was one dish I would skip next time. 7. Mac salad - I ordered extra, and it was definitely worth it. 8. " Big Island Candies" Macadamia Nut Brownie Sundae - I was looking forward to this, but I guess with my huge order, it was missed. 9. Hukilau Tea - This is tasty and refreshing, definitely a creeper. You gotta take it easy with this one. 10. Hukilau punch - This was a little sweet for me but good. I like that it was blue. This was a lot of food for two people, but I had to create my little sampler so I know what to get next time and what to avoid. Surprisingly, the food was still amazing the next day. Even the rice is rare. It was still soft and wasn't hard the next day like other places. The drinks were amazing. The people who helped me showed a lot of aloha and made me feel so welcome. Even if they were busy with the party, they took the time to answer my questions. My order was cooked fresh and was ready in no time. I can't wait to come back soon. Hopefully, try the dessert as well... It was hard to double-check my order with the massive heavy-duty bag I was handed and with the crowd... I figured everything was there. read more

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The poke here tastes fresh & the mac salad always hits the spot. Definitely recommend this place if you're craving some good Hawaiian food! read more

Hukilau - Salmon Poke - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

I swear u did a review for them already, but if you're in Jtown, you have to get lunch or dinner here! Their food is delicious and has a refreshing taste and speedy service with the amazing community aspect.... As well as that cool relaxing Aloha vibe! I loved their mahi-mahi sandwich which is fresh and has no MSG in it! Hee. Perfect for me and my annoying food allergies! Hee read more

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This place has gone downhill . Food is more Americanized than authentic Hawaiian style food you can get better Hawaiian food elsewhere. The Spam Masubi is not real SPAM it's the cheap luncheon meat brand not the actual Spam brand which kills the whole game of having authentic Masubi your better of going to mitsuwa market and other authentic Japanese places that serve real Hawaiian style Masubi . The fried rice is overpriced for Hawaiian style Americanized food read more

First impression was nothing special but the food speaks for itself. Interesting layout as most of the seating is in the very back and the front of the restaurant is the bar. Did not expect this place to have a full cocktail menu but they do. We didn't get any drinks but they sounded delicious and had such fun names. I will definitely come back to try! You can judge a Hawaiian place very well based off their Mac salad and I thought it was good but needed a little something. Kalua cabbage had a good ratio of cabbage to pork, not too salty. Garlic chicken was well sauced, good flavor. Katsu chicken was perfectly breaded. Overall satisfied and would return. read more

Hukilau - Combo plate (Kalua Cabbage and Garlic Chicken) - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Stopped by Japantown on Sunday for lunch. Service was quick and portions were large. Casual dining with lots of seating in the back. read more

Hukilau - Loco Moco - burger patties - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Every time we come to Japan town this place is about to close or is closed. We finally got the time right! Service was friendly and fast. There was good options for food. We ordered the two piece musubi which should not be called 2 piece. It was one musubi cut in half. We're got saimin, fried mahi mahi and combo plate with teriyaki beef and sesame chicken. Food came quickly and was nice and hot. My only complaint was that some of the food was heavily salted. Steamed rice helped bring it down a little. read more

Came here again this past weekend & really enjoyed myself. The food was great, service was amazing & they kept the drinks coming. Loved the atmosphere- it's been years since I've been back but it felt nice to come back to a familiar spot after so many years & still enjoy it. We had the poke & garlic chicken, yum! read more

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I used to get food here often in high school but I don't remember it being this bad. Not only is everything crazy expensive but it also tastes bad. It makes me so sad because I was feeling nostalgic. The poke is sooooo overly salted... are they trying to hide something? I usually complain about everything being bland because I love my sodium, but dang, their poke is even too much for me. The loco moco party was dry and unseasoned. And then the egg made me so sad. I expected a runny overeasy egg but I got a cold over medium egg. The sesame chicken in my combo plate was the only thing I actually liked from our meal which cost over $100. The spam musubi has the smallest slice of spam I've ever seen from a Hawaiian spot. It's obvious they don't slice across the long ways of the spam can. They slice a small sliver from the side lol. Cheap and didn't even taste good. The kalua pork fries may have been my least favorite item. I used to always get this back in the day so I was beyond disappointed. The fries were cold and soggy and the meat was dry and stringy. There was no sauce or seasoning. Just cold solidified cheese. Couldn't have done a drizzle of spicy mayo or something? It was so dry it was hard to swallow. So sad that this was my first time visiting in many years and 100% my last time! read more

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Came to check out hukilau because me and my husband were craving some good poke in San Jose. It took some time for them to acknowledge us as we walked in and it felt like we were standing at the counter for 5 minutes until anyone even said anything to us. We ordered to go. Spicy salmon and shoyu ahi poke were both lacking in flavour. The ahi had a slight fishy taste to it but it felt like both poke were not seasoned enough. The spicy salmon was honestly not spicy at all, fish quality wasn't bad but it just felt like everything was lacking. Both the salmon and the ahi came out to 16$ each for what seemed like 1/2 lb. Kahlua pork quesadilla was good! However because of how juicy the meat is it made the tortilla soggy really quickly. Maybe not a good Togo dish. If you specifically want poke, I recommend aloha express across the street which had much better poke. read more

I must say for the food Portion and taste, I give it two thumbs up. Super delicious and grrst value for the price per plate. Service: Our initial waitress was so so as I kept trying to get her attention, unsuccessful but the second person who did help me was very friendly and asked if we needed anything else. read more

Hukilau - Chicken adobo - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

The layout of this restaurant is kinda funky, but the food is anything but! When you walk in, staff is friendly and greets you immediately. We were able to also get seated really quickly in the back room. We ordered the mahi mahi, garlic chicken, and poke appetizer. Everything was really tasty and I'm glad the fish was not overcooked. Staff was also attentive and made sure we always had water on deck. A great place to grab a bite in Japantown! read more

Hukilau - From bottom to top: Keiki Grilled Mahi Mahi, appetizer mixed poke, Garlic Chicken - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Always a pleasure coming to the Huke! We've been coming here for over 20 years now and it never disappoints. It's so much a part of Japantown's community that we make every effort coming here, whether for lunch or taking our friends here for dinner. EVERYTHING here tastes good. My go to dishes include the sesame chicken, the adobo chicken is perfectly cooked where the meat falls off the bone. Their Loco Moco is hearty and from time to time I get the poke bowl with masubi on the side. Perfect place for large parties and the service is fast! read more

Hukilau - Fave dish: the Sesame Chicken - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

First timer here at Hukilau! I originally requested for the shrimp and oyster plate but unfortunately they were out of oysters so i opted for all shrimp... I also requested to get 2 macs and 1 rice instead of the reverse (2 rice 1 mac) because I loveeee mac! The workers here were super accomodating about the dish which was nice. As for the seating, we were a table of 6, sitting in the back of the restaurant. The front of the restaurant looks like a bar area. The drinks do look good from this place but will have to try another time! The shrimp was cooked to perfection. The red sauce that it came with was just okay in my opinion, a little too tangy. Did go well with the shrimp. Overall would like to visit again and get a combo of loco moco and a chicken katsu! Great prices and service. read more

Hukilau - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California

Still good, but wasn't as pleased with the food this time. The Loco moco was good but the adobo chicken was dry. Kalua pork needed cabbage to listen it up too. Shirt rib and chicken katsu were great. Service is always good here; super friendly. read more

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We went to Nikkei Matsuri in SJ, Japantown over the weekend (4/23/23). For lunch, it was my time going to Hukilai and I was very satisfied with the generous portions and awesome service. I have missed good Hawaiian food since I went to Hawaii last year. This did not disappoint and just solid overall because of the freshness and good flavors. Their mai tai is nice and refreshing when it's hot out. The service was awesome too. I had the combo plate with loco moco and chicken katsu. read more

Hukilau - Combo Plate - Loco Moco and Chicken Katsu - Hawaiian Near Me - San Jose, California