I was craving some Hawaiian for a while and saw this restaurant when passing through this town while in Arizona. Decided to give it a try, and it was not so bad. Comparing to other places, it doesn't hit the spot as well; however it definitely fulfilled my cravings. Ordered a three meat combo, which comes with three different meats from their selection of five with a side of rice and macaroni salad. I got the chicken katsu, bulgogi beef, and Kalua pork. Mixed reviews with the different meats. The chicken katsu was fine, although it felt a little bit dry. The bulgogi beef for whatever reason was kind of a miss; the portion I received was pretty burnt and dry, sometimes I felt like I was just eating charcoal really rather than actual beef. However I really loved the Kalua pork, it was nice, tender, and flavorful. The house teriyaki sauce also complimented the meats pretty well. For the price you pay, I would say it's definitely worth it; the amount of food itself is more than enough for one meal (could even stretch it to 2 meals for those with smaller appetites). Overall, it's good for what you get out here in a more remote town. However, don't have super high expectations when you plan on getting Hawaiian food out here, otherwise you may feel disappointed. Service was really great, they prepared the food pretty quickly within 5-10 minutes of my order. I got take out, however there is plenty seating if you wanted to dine in. read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - 3-meat (chicken katsu, bulgogi beef, kalua pork) - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

Decent Hawaiian food in Thatcher - dined here with a colleague this evening. I ordered the chicken katsu plate and a Kalia-Lia (orange, guava, strawberry, mango, pineapple) smoothie. The chicken katsu was crispy and was served with rice and macaroni salad. The smoothie was filling and delicious. My colleague enjoyed his fish and chips ($8.99) and sweet tea ($1.85). They have a drive-through and are quite popular among the younger high school and college crowd. Parking was adequate. Total bill was about $30 before tax and the 3% credit card processing fee. Happy to return. read more

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The food was satisfactory with very good flavor. However, the fries were somewhat greasy, and the portion size of the battered fish with fries was disappointingly small (I had only eaten one fry before taking the photo). read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

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One of our top places to eat at when in Thatcher. The food is always good, good options and good portions. This is one of the top 2 places I bring people when they visit from out of town! read more

Local Hawaiian plate lunch place in Thatcher? Surprisingly decent but not great if you compare it to what I great up eating. Menu was limited and food took a little while but not a big deal. This said, it was a nice place and friendly service. Prices were reasonable. read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Chicken katsu and kalua pork combo. - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

Kainoa's always hits! The place is always so busy, so wait times can be a little long, but totally worth the wait! The chicken aloha salad is delicious. Greens are super fresh, the dressing is light and not overpowering, and the chicken is perfectly marinated. The salad is accompanied with expertly cooked white rice!! read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

Small cold portion. Teriyaki sauce was like a cup of jello. Not worth the $17 dollar bill

First time and food was ONO... break da mouth ...well worth the drive out to Stafford Az...I will be back again and recommend all my poly people come out and try read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Food is ono... - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

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I ordered a smoothie which took about 15-20 minutes. The front staff was looking a little confused like they didn't know what to do. They seemed a little unorganized. Not sure if I'll be doing that again. read more

I went here all the time in college and it was so much fun to take a bite down memory lane. The service was efficient and friendly, and the place is nice and tidy. The chicken katsu was cooked to PERFECTION and it makes me want to move back here so I can eat it all the time. the mac salad was great too, though I remember it being just a tiny bit more flavorful. No complaints though, I left very happy! read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Chicken katsu plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

Food is amazing and smoothies are top tier. It's my go to restaurant when I am in Thatcher. The store has a great theme and is clean inside, although service can sometimes be slow whether they are busy or not. My favorite is the chicken katsu and Malia Mango smoothie. read more

Nice and refreshing. Something different. Their menu looked great and I had a hard time deciding what to get. I settled for the combo plate with a little of all the different types of meat. All of them were good. Place was packed, but the food came out quick. I want to go back and try more. read more

The food was great. The meats taste flame grilled and smoked. Service was a little slow and of the 3 booths, 2 were dirty. The 3rd actually had paper on the seat. The other thing that lowered the score was my wife found a metal clip in her rice. It looked like it was for some sort of holding bracket. read more

Wow. The staff person taking orders was incredibly rude, and the food was bad. Fatty chicken, and the dishes were 90% shredded cabbage. I threw away my food. read more

Somewhat surprising in the middle of AZ in Thatcher there is a Hawaiian food restaurant. Located on US-70 very good location. Unusual on Sundays alot of the restaurants in Thatcher/Safford were close and even on Friday/Saturday they close early so when visiting definitely do some research on where you will eat ahead of time. The food here was great. We got a couple combos, see photos. The chicken katsu was very lightly breaded so that was great. Their sauce was different from normal katsu sauce but very tasty. The bulgogi was lean and good as well. Kalua pig was decent. Mac salad was pretty good for the mainland which is not easy to find or replicate. Their website does not seem to post the complete menu so I posted 3 photos of the current 2022 menu. Very good option for lunch/dinner in the area. read more

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It was ok. Sorry, comparing to other Hawaiian BBQ joints. I had the Katsu, chicken was dry and the Mac salad was ok. My daughter did like the teriyaki chicken though. read more

First time visit. We drive past sometimes and see there are a lot of people in the drive thru so we saw that as a good sign. It must be pretty good. We let the order taker know that it was our first time visiting so was the teriyaki chicken any good. She replied she didn't know. Then we asked what else is popular which she said the two meat platter. We asked was the pork good. Again, she wasn't sure. We ended up risking it on both. The chicken itself is very good and so is the rice. However, it was so salty with how much sauce they put on it. Next time we will ask for the sauce on the side. Overall, a decent visit. read more

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These chicken katsu tasted like a chicken nugget and the chicken katsu sauce was not the right color and consistency and tasted a lot like vinegar, The kalua pig had a really strong unpleasant smoke taste and tasted of salt. At least the plain white rice was good and the music in the background was nice. read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - main dish - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

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Some of the food is really good at times, unfortunately the food quality is very inconsistent. They regularly send food out that should never be handed to a customer--burned chicken, hard hotdog buns, breaded chicken with mostly breading. They are really slow too. They will say your food will be ready in 20-30 mins and not have your food ready for an hour. If they would step it up in the food quality department and get consistent, they could be a great little restaurant. read more

During a recent travel, we had to find a unique little spot that we hoped had great eats and distinction. Welcome to Kainoa's. We didn't catch them during a busy timeline but pleasantly, the counter staff were very gracious in their greetings and welcoming upon entering. The facility smelled sanitary and the decor and overall establishment was positive and upbeat. Ordered, sat down and the food came out in about 5 minutes. Excellent tasting meal, quantified by price and came with a military/Veteran discount. What was unique was I didn't ask for one but my attire and haircut likely gave me away. When I was politely asked if I was in the Service and I stated yes, their comment was gracious and complimentary to those in Uniform. Incredible, gracious attitude and a warm reception to an outstanding and brief experience. Recommend: Yes read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Kainoa's! - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

THATCHER, AZ! Where ya at?? At Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill apparently. This place is a nice spot in a town where you wouldn't think there's much variety aside from roadside diners and everyday fast food. I was amazed by the number of selections on their menu from hot dogs to wraps to salads that were mixed with a little island flare. Of course there were hawaiian bbq items like chicken and kalua pork. How do they keep so many items in a little place like this? They even have a drive thru! Ordered the wipeout and it should be renamed the "prego platter"... I felt like I was eating for two! There was quite a bit of food needless to say. Definitely not a complaint, but if I were to critique, the macaroni salad could have used a little more seasoning and also expected the bulgogi to be more on the sweet side like traditional Korean bulgogi. read more

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This place is a classic in Thatcher and I came here a lot while in college. The ambiance is very casual. Stopped in for a quick bite and as always everyone is very friendly. The salads are my favorite but you can't go wrong with the wraps. read more

On a work trip to the Safford area we wanted to grab a quick lunch before heading back to The East Valley. I'd heard good things about this Hawaiian place, and I have to say...everything I heard was correct!!! Hubby had the SPAM dinner, the official meat of Hawaii! I had the Beef Bulgogi...OMG!! Delicious! Their "salad" is great, and I'm very fussy about Mac salad. A bit of soy sauce over the rice and we had a wonderful lunch at a very reasonable price. The place is clean with a cute Hawaiian vibe. It's about a 2 and a half hour drive there for us but hubby thought it might be a good place to drive back to just for lunch! I'm looking forward to another work assignment in the area. There will be no question of where we'll grab a bite to eat before the drive back home. read more

This was my first time visiting this cute little restaurant in Safford. I ordered the bulgogi beef plate. The meat was really good with the rice, and the macaroni salad was okay I just wish i added a little bit of salt. The music was very fitting and chill. And the service was fairly fast. read more

Their food is great but they are SO inefficient. Every time I order to go... literally every time... I wait on hold for 10-15 minutes. Then wait 30-35 minutes for food that they said would only take about 15 minutes! Their number system is laughable. They need to let people drive up and order when they get there. They're not busy enough to be this slow. read more

Love the atmosphere and vibe this place has. I came here a lot in college and wish they would adopt one in Phoenix! read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Me drinking a Blair Town smoothie - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

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I'll update my review. I've been back a few more times when we've got back to the area. I still think that most of their meat is too salty for my taste. However, their bbq pork sandwiches are really good, especially when you add the Hawaiian cole slaw. The sticky rice is good but their macaroni salad is bland. My favorite item is their selection of smoothies. I've tried three different types and they are all excellent and reasonably priced. The staff is young (college students?) but always friendly and polite. The restaurant is very clean and has a nice atmosphere. Fun Hawaii decor with Hawaii music playing in the background. There aren't a lot of great restaurant selections in the area and the community is fortunate to have this one. read more

We are from out of town and came here to eat. There was a mix up and misunderstanding about our order. I attempted to get clarity from an employee and it was not going as planned. A young man named Mason Who is an employee had fantastic communication skills and was able to help. Very much appreciate him and his great customer service. read more

I was a bit disappointed with this place. I went for the Fish & Chips, but I think I was served a microwaved dinner. It just left me flat. They have lots to look forward to, but I think it will be awhile before I go back. read more

Great food and service! Definitely would recommend to anyone coming to visit Thatcher! Good smoothies!

Typical experience: call in my food at 11, they quote me 11:15, I show up at 11:15, wait 20+ minutes in the drive through. If they could just get food out in a timely manner I'd go there way more read more

For a quick bite to eat on the road this place gets it done. The teriyaki bowl that I got was quite delicious and had plenty of chicken on it. I did get a sandwich too..chicken sandwich but I forget the name. This was decent at best. It had an interesting flavor that I can not put my finger on even when looking at what was on the sandwich. read more

What a great place to grab a unique meal with your family. Food is great and always fresh. Service is excellent and the new remodel is on point! read more

Got the Misoy chicken. Very disappointed, Portion size was extremely small but undercooked and was slightly raw. Macaroni Salad had no flavor to it . Over all very bland food.. Don't think i'll be going there anytime soon. read more

I ordered Katsu Chicken and Bulgogi Beef with Aloha Alani, my girl friend ordered Katsu Chicken and Kalua Pork with Parker Rip-Curl, we both approve it. She attended college few years here, definitely count as local people, if she like it, it can't be wrong. The decoration inside is cute, lamps and surfing board looks nice. So in sum, we give 5stars. read more

Kainoa's Hawaiian Grill - Hawaiian Near Me - Thatcher, Arizona

It was my first time so I asked the girl at the counter what was good. She pretty much named everything in the menu so that didn't really narrow things down. I ended up going with the Combo meal that came with two meats, two sides and a fountain drink. I'm not going to get the menu names right so I'll just call them what they were. The pulled pork and the teriyaki chicken were both really good. They came with a side of barbecue sauce. For the sides I got the slaw and brown rice. Despite not liking mayo, the slaw was actually pretty good. The mayo was light and it added good texture when combined with the proteins. The brown rice wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything special. I don't know when I'll be back in the area. It I'll probably make this a stop next time I'm around. read more

It's Mo Betta. There's so many good things to say about The food here, the ambience, the surfboards everywhere are amazing. The staff is really friendly and the atmosphere is really fun. Come down get your spam, a traditional Hawaiian treat, fish tacos, all kinds of wonderfully delicious food. read more

Pretty overpriced for a "Hawaiian" place that is fully ran by Caucasians. So I would 10/10 not recommend unless you wanted to pay for food that you can literally make yourself. read more

Great food and quick service in thatcher. I like that I can order online too. Nice facility

Awful customer service. Online order estimated times are almost always inaccurate. Every time I go, I get there when my order is supposed to be ready and they make me pull around. It's usually an additional 20 minutes wait time, which is really not cool when there's a fussy baby who hates the car. The girl at the window tonight had an ATTITUDE. I keep giving them chances, but I'm done. Also, the owner claims they have gluten free friendly options, but he means the tortillas they use for wraps. Apparently he doesn't know their sauces have gluten in them ‍ read more