Great unique Hawaiian Food, worth high quality = high price, some rules about staying outside for…read moreTogo orders. "Large" pipikaula $28- but worth it because of the juicy, tough, perfect salt without too salty, comes in small container (in photo) in the kitchen you can see the cured meat dangling above the stovetop. Lomi lomi salmon- very refreshing, not fishy, good balance of onion with fresh tomato, and salmon. Chicken long rice- simple, thick noodles long "short" rice, with very mild chicken broth flavor and green onions small pieces of chicken.

Wanted to enjoy this place but was unfortunately disappointed. Service was good though and the food…read morecame out fast. Parking is pretty tight but not impossible. Ambiance could be better as well. We ordered menu C as well as laulau. My favorite out of the menu was the short ribs. Very tender and flavorful. I thought the kalua pig was a bit too salty though and I didn't really enjoy the lomi salmon. I didn't really like the laulau either. It was sort of bitter. I wouldn't come back.

My local friend suggested that we meet here for lunch claiming "da bes" Hawaiian food. They don't…read moretake reservations so there's often a wait. We put our names on the list and there were a handful of parties before us. Fortunately, we only waited about 20 minutes to get seated on a Saturday. The place is like a spacious diner with a bar counter, booths and lots of tables. Look for the beautiful, long bench table that's carved from a tree. Our server, Jason, greeted us with a warm smile and took our drink and food orders. We got a few items that we don't usually see at Hawaiian restaurants back home. Hawaiian Moco: opted for the lau lau as suggested with lomi salmon and macaroni salad. For $24.99, it was huge, succulent, flavorful and worth the price point! Smoked Moco: the Kiawe-smoked meat was tender, sautéed with bell peppers and onions and topped with a yummy smoked aioli and local egg. The mini for $16.99 was the perfect portion for me. Fish Tacos: the fish was fresh, cooked perfectly on taro tortillas with chili aioli, avocado mousse, shredded lettuce and lomi salmon. The fries were thick and crispy too. Squid Lū'au Combo: with lomi salmon and poi, sweet potato and haupia (a coconut dessert) the squid was cooked in a starchy broth. It was like nothing I've had before. Not too salty but not strong in flavor either. This was my friend's choice and she loves it. We enjoyed everything we had and were so stuffed! They validate parking for the structure.

We came in a party of 9 and they accommodated us. Service was awesome- Jun-jun took care of us…read more We even brought an outside cake for my mom's birthday and they served it to us. Thank you. The food however, was disappointing. I had the lau lau combo. The lau lau was very dry. The leaves were dry, the pork was dry. There was not even a little fat in it. There were two of us that ordered it and same for both of us. My mom ordered the ribs, sherated it was tough and chewy. The ones that ordered the squid Lia were quite satisfied. I should've ordered the squid Lia combo instead. Not sure if I'd be back here though. But in all fairness, service was great!

I really love Rainbow Drive-In, such an Iconic Spot since 1961, I remember during my daughter's…read morecollege day, when she is back for visit and before she leaves, this spot was one of her special request. Of course when she is back to visit every year, she still request to stop at Rainbow! Her favorites is the breakfast plates, mixed plate especially BBQ beef and boneless chicken with gravy & for me I LOVE the boneless chicken, gravy all over but I need mines on the side along with the mac salad and a slushie float. I used to work at the district office and we were housed at Hawaii School for Deaf & Blind, so close to Rainbow, when I would visit once a month, a treat to myself, such comfort food! I sure miss those Rainbow Drive-In days with my daughter and for my lunch break! Lets talk about the breakfast fried rice special, lately I've been stopping here every weekend to pick up a plate of fried rice ( available til sold out) & from experience-they do sell out, the fried rice plate is only $9.95. This is the best fried rice ever, my opinion and always enough for me and hubby! The fried rice comes Portuguese sausage, chopped veggies ( celery & onions) and flavored nicely with choice of 2 eggs that covers the rice completely. I always get soft scrambled. I love the finishing touches of the green onions. yums! The rice is perfect hits every time & rice is not watery. Chef's kiss to the staff who made this fried rice. The line and parking lot can get crazy but the staff works hard to get the line moving fast, * there's a separate window for phone and on-line orders. I am so glad I live close by to this Gem. My go to for breakfast and plate lunches!! I think it is time for a boneless chicken plate lunch fix. I also like the lunch box that your plates comes in, paper plate and in a box, nostalgic & better than the flimsy paper take out boxes!

Oh Rainbows, what happened to your food? I know it's been a while, so I understand the increase in…read moreprices. I like that some of the old specials are now permanently on the menu (even though they still sell out). But the quality needs to remain. I always order a mix plate and egg salad sandwich. Even if I order 10 plates, those 2 items will always be in my order. So I can confidently say that I'm sad that they are not the same as before. My recent mix plate (with gravy for nearly $17) had just one tiny fish and the chicken was pink inside! Also needs little more gravy. The egg salad sandwich (for nearly $7) had dry and thick bread. I admit, most times the bread is dry and I always question why I keep ordering it. I always wonder if I'm the only one to order since it seems like the bread dries out before being used. But now it seems like the bread is homemade and handcut (different thickness). On the plus side, the egg salad was tastier than I remember! We also ordered tater tots and chili, which were both great! Did the parking stalls get more narrow? Just kidding, I know they were always rather small.

We were surprised to see Side Street Inn closed on Kapahulu, and then immediately excited that they…read morere-opened in Waikiki! Local kine grindz in tourist town! I called to make reservations after work at 5:30 PM and the host was great, she let me know that parking is free for 2-hours at the Bank of Hawaii building with validation, and that they are still working on their liquor license so its BYOB with a $10 corkage fee per person drinking in the party. From the street front, its kind of hard to tell where the restaurant is. I didn't notice the sign until standing literally right in front of it. (on Beachwalk, makai of Hard Rock) When you enter, theres a sign to meet the host upstairs. We asked to sit on the patio because it was such a nice evening. At the time, there were lots of available table. But once the sun went down it became pretty lively in the main dining room. Pila was our sever, he was fantastic! Give him a raise! Between the 4 of us, we ordered 2 mains, the OG fried rice that you can never go without, and a salad because we are so well balanced. OMG SO MUCH FOOD! We did end up needing take out boxes for the rice and chicken. Honestly, I probably could have finished it off if i wasn't drinking, because it was DELCIOUS AF *drool*. Pro tip: ask for extra garlic sauce to go with the chicken. Ugh, I'm craving more kalbi as I write this review. 10/10 recommend our exact order, server and seating.

house fried rice - so good with great texture Kim chee -…read moregood pork chops - ok huge portions here - 2 dishes will feed about 3-4 people

We enjoyed our stop at the Waiahole Poi Factory on our round island trip with an out of town…read morefriend. Heard that this is the place for warm kulolo with haupia ice cream. I've never had kulolo before and it was a warm fudge-like sweet treat made from taro. the sweet lady of waiahole was topped off with yummy haupia ice cream! What a delight on our journey. We also tried the 4oz poi which was served cold and was more gelatinous than I am used to poi being. Great find and worth the stop if you're in the area. They also serve Hawaiian food plates which we didn't order. Large parking lot, tables to enjoy your food at, a bathroom, and a small souvenir shop.

Traditional Hawaiian comfort food, but not quite a standout for us…read more We originally planned to eat at Helena's Hawaiian Food, but it was closed for the July 4th week, so we ended up at Waiahole Poi Factory to try traditional Hawaiian dishes. We ordered the Kanaka Nui ("The Works"), which came with laulau, kalua pig, chicken long rice, squid luau, poi, lomi salmon, and haupia. It was a great way to sample a variety of local staples. The chicken long rice was comforting, and the squid luau had a rich, creamy coconut flavor. Unfortunately, the kalua pig was dry and overcooked, and the meal overall didn't leave a lasting impression. We also tried their famous desserts. The Sweet Lady of Waiahole, featuring warm house-made kulolo (dense taro, coconut pudding dessert) topped with haupia ice cream and Tahitian Sweet Lady with warm banana poʻe (Tahitian-style sweet mashed banana and coconut pudding) paired with haupia (coconut milk) ice cream. Both were interesting, but the desserts were just OK for me. They reminded me of a more muted, less sugary version of bananas foster. The haupia ice cream was the only good part of the dessert, though I wished the flavors had a little more punch. Service and cultural experience: Everyone was incredibly sweet and welcoming, with that lovely Hawaiian hospitality. What I especially appreciate is that Waiahole Poi Factory is preserving and sharing Hawaiian traditions rather than simply serving food. Their dedication to kalo (taro) and traditional poi-making, including steaming and hand-pounding taro, helps keep an important part of Hawaiian food culture alive. Fresh hand-pounded poi is traditionally made on Wednesdays and Sundays, around 10:30 AM, so it's worth checking ahead if you'd like to witness this tradition firsthand. One thing to consider is the location. The shop is a detour from popular tourist areas like Waikiki, so it's best visited while exploring Oahu's Windward Coast or driving toward the North Shore rather than making a separate trip just for lunch. Overall, I'm glad we tried it for the chance to sample traditional Hawaiian cuisine, but between the mixed food experience and the detour required, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit again. If you're already exploring the area, it's worth considering; otherwise, I'd prioritize it only if trying traditional Hawaiian dishes is high on your list.

Everything about Kehau's Kitchen is AMAZING! The service, the food, and the family atmosphere. It…read moreis always so welcoming when I come here! The Lau Lau Combo is my absolute FAVORITE!!!! Gloria at the front definitely makes you feel like your with family!

My husband and I went here based on a friends recommendation and it didn't disappoint. He said he…read morehad the best barbecue ribs and chicken he's ever had!

This is my go-to whenever I'm in Hawaii! There's multiple different locations throughout but this…read morespecific one is usually close to our hotel. No seats at this establishment. It's a grab and go type place. There's normally always a line but it moves quickly. We usually would go at least twice during our trip. One time to grab breakfast or snacks for the beach and we would always grab a bunch before flying home. It would last us a few days even after coming home to Cali. There are many different type of selections but my fave is the classic teriyaki spam musubi. You cannot go wrong! I also really enjoy the spicy cod roe rice ball. They also sell some cute bags and other spam related items. Definitely worth checking out when on the island!

Wow wow wow! We visited this little hole in the wall place twice while on vacation. Strictly take…read moreout... The selection is massive and they're a well oiled machine. Fast service...but not rushed. Everything is handmade...you can sort of sneak a peek in the back from the register. After trying this place, we're all obsessed with musubi! Try it out. You won't be disappointed!

A bit too saucy for my liking, but still fresh good quality fish…read more They charge extra for rice and side seaweed Not lots of parking if you come during lunch hours

Parking is pretty tight, and the service wasn't very kind. The food overall was okay. The best…read morething I ordered was the pastele fries. They had so much flavor from the brisket, sauce, and toppings. The fish didn't taste very fresh, although we did come near closing. The fried chicken was also disappointing. It didn't really taste like fried chicken and reminded me more of pork rinds because of the texture and flavor.

Absolutely Everything is amazing, the people, how quick the food came out, and the flavor of each…read moremeat and dish was perfect. And the price is well worth it! My family and I were literally fighting over who gets the last bite of the last guava bar

We found this place by accident when we were in Oahu during spring break. We had a little while…read morebefore our Airbnb was ready, and we were starving. This happened to be on the way to our destination. All of us got the smoked pork plate, with rice and mac salad. Yummy!! It's one of their most popular dishes/plates, and I can taste why. Service was quick and friendly. Seating was great too, as you could look out over the street, ask the windows are open to let in the nice breeze. It was hard to find at first (based on our map), but found that the entrance is at the back of the building, and it's located on the second floor. Definitely recommend this place if you're near Waikiki

Da Ono is a great local spot for Hawaiian (and Korean!) food…read more The shop itself is small and unassuming, with only a few tables. It's located next to Overlord Chicken in Kapahulu; Parking is so difficult to find in this neighborhood. I had low expectations going into it, as it was dead empty when we went for dinner, and because of their AI-generated menu.... However, they nailed all the things we ordered: Poke, Kalbi, Pork Laulau, and Chicken Long Rice. Perhaps not the best ___ on the island, but they were all decent.

Good local Hawaiian food restaurant. Street parking only. Small restaurant I believe it was Ono…read moreHawaii on Kapahulu before. Now it is named the Da Ono Hawaiian Foods. Either the owner or the manager seemed like a one man show. He was the server, bus boy, and chef. Husband got the pipikalua short ribs/he enjoyed. Sisters got the pork lau lau which came with sweet potato, rice or poi, lomi lomi salmon (more onion and tomato than salmon). i got the chicken lau lau, again stuffed with chicken, not enough taro leaves. The Haupia was smoky, so either burnt or something- inedible! Only six tables in the entire restaurant. The gentleman that was serving us I believe was also the bus boy, cook, server and cashier! Place is a hole in the wall with missing ceiling tiles and exposed panels above our table (gross!!). Sis loves this dive so we keep coming back!