Updating after new owner, food is alot better and service is good. Would come back to try locomoco

This place continues to disappoint. Our first choice in this plaza closed early so we settled on this Hawaiian BBQ joint in the same plaza. It's been a few years since my last visit and i decided it was time to see how things have improved. The lady working the counter was friendly enough (+1 star here) but that alone can't make up for such poorly cooked food that was barely edible. We ordered the following: 1 x Special BBQ plate combo: barely any meat on the kalbi. The marinade tasted decent but should have been allowed to sit longer to soak up the flavors better. I often marinade my own Korean BBQ so I could tell this was not marinaded long enough. Same taste with the chicken. The bulgogi was probably the best meat of the three presented in this plate but it was a meager portion. 1 x Seafood Combo: this was just a sad and overcooked meal. The mahi mahi was dry like cardboard and void of any moisture. One of my three crispy shrimp was so tough that I couldn't even bite through it and eventually gave up. 2 x musubi: the flavors were there but where's the spam?! The slices of spam were so thin that they were overpowered by the taste of the rice and sauce. Desperate times will not call for me to return here. I want to support small business but I have to admit that even the greasy food and long wait times at my local L&L, with comparable pricing, would make for a more satisfying meal than this. read more

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Lots of places to eat in Poway.  Looks like Ipo Bbq is the only independent Hawaiian restaurant.  I tried the beef short ribs.  Regular size order came with 3 ribs and 3 scoops of rice.  Rice was moist and had a mild flavor.  Ribs were tender and nicely marinated.  The quality of meat is higher than L & L which I found chewy but I prefer the flavor of Island Style Cafe's version. https://www.hungryones.com/2021/05/island-style-cafe-3/ I also tried the lychee slush.  Ice had bigger chunks than I prefer.  Sweet lychee flavor was kinda like lychee but different from eating fresh lychee. So far Ipo Bbq has my favorite Hawaiian food in Poway. read more

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Stopped by with some friends and ordered take out. Overall, I enjoyed the food. But felt it was slightly more expensive and less fulfilling than some other spots. I ordered the BBQ short rib plate and a spam masubi. I enjoyed the spam masubi, definitely one of the better ones I've had. Service was okay, did wait a little long for the food but you can tell it's a family run business, so to me, it's okay. Seating is okay, kind of your standard, small restaurant type setup. Overall, good experience, would recommend giving it a try. read more

I had high hopes for this place. I ordered a beef teriyaki bowl and two chicken lumpia. The bowl was just ok with very little vegetables. I took it home and added more broccoli. The lumpia was over cooked and extremely oily. I ate one and threw the other away. Sorry. I won't be going back. read more

Ipo BBQ - Chicken lumpia. Overcooked and too oily. - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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Ipo BBQ is amazing!! The portion sizes are GIANT so you are getting a big bang for your buck. The chef is so kind and will make sure that you are satisfied with your order. I got the #1 Special BBQ combo, the meat is sooo tender, soft and the taste is just perfect. The macaroni salad is also super tasty and the rice is cooked to perfection. I could not ask for more. The eating area is clean, bright and just comfortable. Definitely coming back for more!! read more

Ipo BBQ - Special BBQ Plate Combo - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Good food! Good serving! Affordable price! My favorite is the beef bbq! I just wish that beef will be a bit nore tender pls. I love the place!! read more

Out of a whim, me and my boyfriend went here and ordered special bbq plate and seafood plate. When you see the floor sticky like the real deal one person wide alley chinese restaurant old school style you see on hollywood, dont trust it. That didnt stop us as we just decided to take out something and eat. Special Bbq combo looks good on menu but nowhere near the picture. It is short called short ribs because it is short of a meat and all bones. beef was the most decent of all and the chicken is just there to exist and pretend to fill you up but the taste is blah. As for the seafood plate, that was the nastiest mahi mahi cardboard meat id ever tasted. I thought that the crispy shrimp would save it, i was so wrong that even the shell is in it. imagine a half of a whole shrimp pounded hair thin!! And they serve you asian size rice. That was right because you would loose your appetite. So we were saving the "best for last", the one we thought could save jt all ; the spam musubi. That spam is as thick as a hardbound cover! or maybe realistically 3piece cardstock. they wrap the spam good so you wont see how thin they are until you bite your disappointment. Never going back. Id rather L&L than this! read more

It's been about three years since I've eaten here and it tastes just as good. Located next to Winchell's with plenty of parking. I phoned in the order during lunch and it was ready when I got there. There was no barricades or separation inside. I was able to walk straight up to the counter where my food was already set aside. I paid with a credit card and she printed the receipt for me to sign and then left to the back. I signed, grabbed my food and left. The food was exceptional for fast Korean food. The bulgogi bowl was tasty and the Special Bbq Combo comes with bbq chicken, bulgogi, and short ribs. It comes with two ice cream scoop of rice and one scoop of Mac salad. This plate is worth it to sample all the meats and two scoop of rice is actually a lot. The spam musubi was a little more rice than I'm used to but it's still delicious. read more

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This business should be ashamed of themselves for even serving this food to the customer. First time here and won't be back! Burned lumpia that looks like a burned egg roll and paid premium price for the short ribs that are as thin as 2 chopsticks is put together and one of them being burned. BBQ chicken dry and bland. Beef burned. The entire experience is a terrible one. I took back the food and asked for my refund, after driving over 30 min to get back to this place the cashier tells me since I ate some of the food she can't refund me what I paid and has to refund me a portion of what I paid. THIS PLACE IS A JOKE! Don't EAT HERE. read more

Ipo BBQ - You call these short ribs? Where is the meat??? And it's burned - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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Idk how this place stays open....oh wait I do..the prices! Being born and raised in Hawai'i, I felt like I had to try this place....one and done. The man working the counter was VERY nice, the music was perfect (playing the radio station from Hawai'i), and the photos look like authentic "PLATE LUNCHES"...but that's about it... Ordered 2 plate lunches: 1 BBQ MIX PLATES $15.99-VERY dry meat, the beef looked like scraps trimmed from random meats, looked NOTHING LIKE TERI BEEF, the bbq chicken was SO dry you HAD to pour the teriyaki sauce on it, "ribs"...were exactly that...ribs w/ almost next to no meat-rice was rice..average..the mac salad...don't bother to eat it, not worth the calories, SO NOT A LOCAL MAC SALAD! 1 CHIX COMBO-$13.99-Bbq Chix VERY DRY-just like the other plate, you HAD to pour the teri sauce on it to get flavor- CHIX KATSU--Absolutely the WORST KATSU EVER..took 2 bites and threw the rest out! I'm sad to be writing this review as the man working was VERY nice, but nice doesn't replace the $35 I paid for food that was very poor. Don't think we will ever be back =( read more

Ipo BBQ - CHIX MIX PLATE---DRY BBQ CHIX AND BURN KATSU - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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This restaurant is open and putting out some amazing food. I got the spicy pork combo, comes with rice and macaroni salad. The spice was just right, not too hot, not too mild. I will definitely come back when I have more time to sit down and eat but I got it to go this time. read more

Ok. Looks ghetto as hell. But the food makes up for it 100%. The musubi was good. The food had enough char. The food portions were heavy. The meat was moist. Flavorful. Just happy. Thats it. The flavors were happy. Jus dancing together. You have flavors that dance together?? I will be back. Honestly, give the place a shot. Do. Not. Judge. A. Book. By. It's. Cover. Solid place. I will see you again. read more

Ipo BBQ - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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I called for a pick up order and was shocked to get in to find out two entrees and an extra side was over 50 bucks guess that's my fault for not checking but usually a restaurant tells you your total after ordering, they didn't, plus the food quality is not worthy of that cost regardless, so I won't be returning. Plus I only got two pieces of short rib in my order which is super skimpy and it has an almost rotten taste to it. Edit: oh and there is a sharp shard of bone in the chicken katsu. Nice. read more

This hands down is my favorite spot in Poway, I visit at least once a week, my kids ask for it almost every night. Definitely give the food a try... read more

The more I go out to eat, the more I notice that if an establishment ran by a single person isn't prideful enough to at least clean the front (floors, walls, chairs, etc.) then their kitchen is likely equally dirty. Customer service is poor. Didn't say hello or thank you for coming in or even give me eye contact. "Ready" was the only word--I heard. Didn't even seem like he wanted me there and I was the only one inside. Food looked okay but after reading the health score violations after I got home, decided not to risk it. read more

I was a bit scared to eat here after reading the poor reviews. However it was convenient so I decided to take a chance. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I was pleasantly surprised. The BBQ beef bowl is completely fine. I received a reasonable portion of beef, 4-6oz over more rice than I can eat. The amount of vegetables was a bit scant and I'd ask for extra next time. The ride is fresh and soft. The meat is tender and flavorful without being over sweet. Service was a bit rude but I was taking out. Prices are more than they should be but not so much I'd balk. About $10 for the bowl. read more

Great place if you want some Hawaiian bbq! However, there are better places than this place unfortunately. Service here isn't the best, I asked the lady if she recommends the spicy chicken or the spicy pork is better, and she just says one is pork abs one is chicken. Like seriously, that's the worst answer. The cashier was friendly and all, but I just felt rushed. I love how this place has many more options to choose from. I got the spicy chicken plate and it was pretty good. This place barely puts any rice or macaroni salad so I did t like that. The worst thing about this place, is how much more expensive this place is compared to other better Hawaiian restaurants. I would come here again if it's the last resort and I'm in the area, I just think there are better places to enjoy Hawaiian food than this place. read more

Thank you for being open during COVID madness! Good value. The way to do it is to order the full or combo plates and share with two people. Best thing was my BBQ chicken- moist and flavorful boneless thighs. Kids liked their Spam Musubi. Wife's Kalua Pork was good. Huge portion with the full plate. Mac Salad was good. White rice was...good (better be!) Son complained about his Crispy Shrimp. Too much over-cooked breading. My (fried crispy) Mahi wasn't much better. Didn't try the Garlic Shrimp, but if it's breaded as well, that's a "no" from us. read more

I've ordered the Reg bbq short ribs which was almost $20 and there was barely 3 pieces of meat in there.! Also as soon as I entered the restaurant the person who took my order told me the wait time is about 40 min and made it seem like he doesn't want me to order due to being super busy but after I placed the order he said it'll be ready in 15 min...! read more

Ipo BBQ - BBQ Short Ribs Plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

YAY!! I've been really disappointed with other Hawaiian food joints in town lately and we recently found this gem as a win! I was craving a good spam musubi and they do a nice job! Chicken Katsu is also solid and my partner was happy with his Kalua Pork and cabbage. My only gripe is that I wish they had a chicken cutlet with a gravy, but currently only katsu sauce is available as a topping. It also looks like their hours might be incorrect on yelp or sporadic? I ordered on a Sunday via the app, and then went to go pick up only to find them closed! Partly my fault for driving over there before my order was accepted and confirmed (shoulda looked at the Grubhub status first so I own that) It happens, but if the business owner is seeing this review an hours update might be in order. read more

Came in on a Friday night before going to the AMC Poway movie theater down the street. The restaurant was busy with customers coming and going. Husband ordered the special #1 which comes with three meats, mac salad and rice. I ordered the chicken katsu mini size which was a great portion for me. Everything was Felicia l delicious, but I'd say the Katsu was the best! Juicy meats with the perfect bread crumb exterior. We shared a spam musubi which was tasty but fell apart with each bite and had a lot of extra rice. You can add extra sauces to the side of your dish or just drizzle it right on: katsu, teriyaki and a spicy sauce. All had their own unique taste and I loved dipping the meats into all of them. I do agree with other reviews that Ipo BBQ is more expensive than L&L's but nonetheless, it offers great Hawaiian flavors. read more

Ipo BBQ - Chicken Katsu Mini Size - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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I'm sorry i was going to give them two stars because they seemed nice but i wasted my money here. I got macaroni salad which i had to add mayonnaise and salt to and lumpia which is a 1 and mine is a 10. Skip this place. There's a real Hawaiian food place somewhere down the block. read more

Ipo BBQ - burnt AF. don't bother. They can't figure out how to cook something on their own menu. - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Like somebody else on the reviews I had an extra charge on my statemen for $6. Food was expensive and a bit bland, if you do eat here pay with cash or the owner will help himself to your money. read more

IPO BBQ is up there with the best Hawaiian style plate lunches in San Diego! Friendly family run business in Poway that knows how to cook awesome marinaded BBQ Chicken. They have the usual plate lunch items like short ribs , grilled beef, spicy pork. And of course you gotta get the Mac Salad! They also stock POG and other flavor Hawaiian drink cans in the cooler. Add a couple Spam Musubi and it's a complete meal. When you feel the need for some island style grinds get in here! read more

I hadn't been there in years. I remember it being good food and good service. Not anymore! The guy working there was incredibly rude.

3.5 stars Saw this Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch place on the corner of my eye while driving by and pulled in. Clean tables in side, It's run by a Korean family so i was excited because i love korean food and some things are similar to Hawaiian BBQ, just different variations of a teriyaki sauce. I got the Chicken Combo ($9.25), Chicken Katsu, and BBQ chicken with mac salad, and rice. I thought the katsu was good, the breading had a nice crunch but i wished it was thicker and meatier. They pound out the chicken thinner to speed the cooking time. I really liked the BBQ chicken, it was very tender and flavorful better than L&L for sure, it had that korean flare to it maybe it was sesame seeds? I also liked the mac salad, it's strange how something so seemingly simple to make can vary so much from place to place, this one did not disappoint. I also like that they had katsu sauce as well as a spicy Kochujang based sauce on the counter, i used both on my chicken, yummy. I also liked that when i ordered it to eat there it came on a non disposable plate and not a styrofoam take out box and i could use metal utensils and not a disposable plastic fork and knife, Hurray for being green. I liked the food here and I'd definitely come back to try some other things on the menu, Fried garlic chicken, spicy chicken, spicy short ribs, fried rice. I also liked their way of saying, bathroom is for paying customers only, the sign says, "No Pay, No Poop, No Pee." http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ipo-bbq-poway?userid=0DnQxBz82tU--KsevUFCTw#QLIn8v6NqSVUWO7w8FiN3A LOL read more

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My wife ended up grabbing dinner from here earlier in the week. The most of the food was good but one of the meats was extremely dry. I'm glad my wife decided to get extra sauces so it helped make the meat edible. We had a seafood plate and a meat plate. Both came with two scoops of rice and macaroni salad, which is standard like other BBQ places. The amount of food combined was more than two people can eat. So they definitely have generous servings. I ended up having left overs for the following day. The deep fried garlic shrimp was tasty but had so much batter. The fried fish was good especially with the additional tartar sauce. The grilled chicken was perfect. The Korean style BBQ was dry but still flavorful. Having finally tried this place, I'll probably return again but not anytime soon. If you're looking for a good meal that's reasonably priced, Ipo is the place for you. They're a small mom and pop restaurant in Poway. Drop in and support them. read more

Ipo BBQ - Seafood plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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Had the garlic shrimp and spam musubi which were great! Good service and decent prices. Definitely a solid Hawaiian plate type place which is great because there's not a lot places like this in the area. The garlic shrimp was really tasty! The musubi was really good, my sons ate them up. Would definitely go back. read more

What a rip off. I understand the price of goods is going up but this is ridiculous. I paid $13 for this?! It's absurd. Plus, it had a weird after taste. I'm never going back. read more

Ipo BBQ - Garlic Chicken plate for $13. That's ridiculous. - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Hawaiian plate lunch in Poway. I ordered the seafood combo. Shrimp, Mahi Mahi, and Korean BBQ ribs. You also get a side of rice and mac salad. The preparation was simple and well-executed. The shrimp was by far my favorite and if Ipo BBQ ever got the notion to make a po' boy I'd be sold! The Korean BBQ was also flavorful. read more

Ipo BBQ - seafood combo - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Really good food! And not too bad on the wallet. I ordered BBQ beef and gyoza which came to a total of $9.46. The bbq beef was amazing! Tender and chewy just how korean bbq beef should taste like and they even had extra side dishes (rice and macaroni). I wasn't a fan of the mayo-macaroni side dish, but the rice was SO good. It was definitely top-notch soft and crunchy jasmine rice. You might be skeptical of this place at first due to its calm demeanor and lack of customers, but DEFINITELY give this place a try. It's really good and they have AMAZING customer service. Plus, the gyoza is steaming hot when you get them! And OH-SO-incredibly-good. Now, that's FRESH! :) read more

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Small Hawaiian bbq in a strip mall. Foods not bad. Had some bbq chicken and seafood. Chickens moist and flavors good. Wait staff was good, we got our food in a short while. However, my girlfriend can cook most of the food at home and it tastes better home made. It also isn't as strong, flavorwise, as other Hawaiian places I've eaten. Also, they have an odd selection at the soda fountian.and i wasn't really digging it. All that and two combos and a drink came out to over $30 for two people. And we didn't take anything home. So it's not bad. But it's not great in comparison to other restuarants and home cooking. And at the prices they're charging, i have no incentive to go back. read more

Ipo BBQ - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

So I am kind of torn about this place. I love Japanese food and I love Hawaiian food. I saw this place on yelp and decided that I would give it a try for lunch. There is little I like more than some macaroni salad white rice and chicken katsu. First, the prices. They are a little bit higher than what I would expect. I think I got out of there for a little over $12. They should probably be around maybe 10 bucks. The one thing that is causing me to remove stars is the portion sizes. They seemed to be a little bit smaller than I expected one scoop of macaroni salad and two scoops of rice and a thin chicken cutlet is all you really get. I must be honest I was a little hungry as I left the restaurant. But the food tasted good not great. The restaurant could use so updates. It looks a little outdated and potentially not clean. The owners could spend a little and make the place a little nicer and cleaner. I think restaurants in Poway need to be clean and updated to fit in read more

Ipo BBQ - Chicken combo - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

The kalbi ribs are good, but I can understand why some folks would say they are too fatty. Great flavor and grilled to perfection! The macaroni salad is kind of weak. It tastes like a lot of full fat mayo. I guess some people dig this though. My favorite is the spicy pork. This has some great garlic flavor, that tastes better the next day for lunch or dinner left overs. I like to dip this with their spicy and tonkatsu sauce for sweet and spicy extra flavor. This is a cute, family owned place, definitely stop by sometime! read more

Ipo BBQ - Spicy Pork (Regular size) - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Love this mom and pop shop. The food is delicious and the portions are good. We have been doing call in orders for pickup, they are always ready in the time they estimate and very friendly! Love the chicken katsu, and spam musubi! read more

I came here for an early dinner. The place was clean. Menu and food items are listed above the cash register. They take Visa cards but you must order over $10 to not get charged a fee. Anyway, I ordered the number one which consisted of two scoops of rice, Mac salad, bulgogi, chicken and Kobe beef, two whole pieces. This was served on a large plate. It was a lot of food. The meats were flavorful and delicious. The Mac salad was cold and tasted great. They have Pepsi fountain drinks but I got a fruit punch. They also serve drinks by the cans if you choose to drink out of a can. The food was really good although it was hot inside. No air conditioning on a hot day. My daughter was uncomfortable. They have a single restroom in the back for customers only. There was a television screen inside where you can watch. I would definitely come back when it cools off. It's located in Poway in a shopping center. I highly recommend if you like meats! So good. They even sell boba drinks. read more

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The parking is shared with other business. Parking spaces are normal size. This business is right next door to Winchells Donut house. This is in the plaza with Chase and North Park Produce. There are plenty of driveways to enter and exit. The ones off Pomerado road are somewhat steep. I would recommend the ones off Poway Road. There's only inside seating. They have a TV in the dining area and usually have some Hawaiian music playing in the background. They have a fountain drink machine and an area for utensils/sauces. Once you enter you get that Hawaiian vibe that's typical around here. They do have restrooms and it's clearly stated that it's for customers only. I prefer this place over L&Ls any day. It's a family owned place. The food just taste better here. The portion size to cost is good. You'll get more food for the price compared to other Hawaiian spots in the area. I usually get the special BBQ combo. The price is fair and it's similar to L&L, just a dollar or two more depending on what you get. I would recommend this place to my family and friends. If I'm craving Hawaiian food this will be one of the first ones places I would recommend and choose. read more

I've been here quite a few times when I'm in the area but really it's just because there isn't an L&L bbq in the area. The food is pretty good but the portions are much smaller than L&L and the prices are higher. Double negative and also minus two stars for a 3 Star experience. read more

First of all, place was decent the music and the tv station isn't appropriate for family, let's just say it was in a station where the were covering a guys naked man parts. The music wasn't much better. We were the only ones in the restaurant so I'm not sure why he didn't change the channel but he didn't. Just saying you might want to leave kids at home. Secondly, the place was ok not dirty but trash area could have been cleaner. Food was good we had the BBQ chicken combo the was almost $13 you get the Korean ribs,chicken and beef plus two scoops of rice and Mac salad. We also had the teriyaki chicken bowl my son said it was good plenty of chicken, I had the Mahi Mahi plate with the garlic shrimp, I wouldn't get this again only because it is fried and when I say fried I mean fried to death. The shrimp were over cooked as well but they do put tons of garlic in it which was good, a little less fried and it would have been better. Lastly, we would come back to have the BBQ plate. Maybe they could work on the fried stuff. read more

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