I was in the area driving to Whitmore VIllage to rescue a baby bird, and looked for a nearby place…read moreto pick up food, and my husband told me Merlinda's Kitchen is only a few blocks aways away from where I was to pick up the bird. As I looked for it on google maps, it's a hole in the wall on the main road, right behind the gas pumps. Although it looked barren and sketchy, inside was a local lady taking orders. After I selected and paid for my food, a line of local construction men started. That's when you know the place is pretty good. Although the place looks run down, they sell your basic Filipino hot foods. Since I didn't get to read the reviews on yelp, I didn't get the roast pork, and I got the 3 choice plate lunch (Laing, pigs feet soup and bitter melon) and a container of the pinakbet. The Laing (taro leaves with coconut and pork) was a little spicy, but really good, better than some other restaurants. The rest of the food was average, and the prices were very reasonable. Noodles to replace rice in the plate lunch is a dollar extra. Service is slow because only one person cashiering and preparing the orders, but that is how it is in the countryside mom and pop stores, so no be in a rush when ordering here. She was very courteous. If I'm in the area again, I'd buy from here again. I don't think there was anywhere to sit, but mostly everyone bought to take out anyway.

Aunty always busy chopping the lechon! But, be patient cause the line long sometimes. Otherwise,…read morethe chocolate meat is the bomb and the pork adobo. Wish they open up the tables again but it's ok just buy all and take them home with some cascaron!

Okay, my Filipino heart was so happy with this visit. At first, it's easy to judge the place…read morebecause the building doesn't look very clean from the outside, but once I went in, the food prep area looked sterile, well-maintained, and honestly delicious. The staff was also very kind and welcoming. I was so happy to see all of my childhood favorite desserts and food options. I ended up ordering chicken empanadas, banana turon, halo-halo, kare-kare, tocino, steamed rice, and pancit all the good stuff and everything was delicious. I'll definitely be back again.

Service should be better!!!! Not ignoring a customer like myself waiting to be served. Bruh…read moreWTH?!?!?!?!?! Maybe because I'm not a man? The bradduh came after me and got served. I already getting pissed WTH!?!?!?!?!?!

I love this place, the food, the pies, and the Aloha spirit. If I lived here on the island, I would…read moreeat here everyday. "Till we eat again"

Known for their delicious pies in Wahiawa. If hubs didn't get a custard pie yesterday elsewhere…read moreI'd definitely take home their chocolate pie today. If you like fast simple comforting food you might like what they offer here. We both had the fried rice special which comes with an egg prepared to your choice of style and a hot dog split in half lengthwise, no substitutions. If I could get two strips of crispy bacon or Portuguese sausage instead I'd rate them 5 stars. The rice reminded me of how my mom's fried rice tasted and a little bit like Likelike from yesteryear. You order at the counter then wait at your table. They don't give you a number on a stand but deliver it to you in a jiffy. As we were leaving I saw a slew of items that you could order like baked spaghetti and more. Also at the outside window there is a menu of other items along with their pies. When I went up to get a piece of foil to cover my left overs I saw this guy with cooked scrambled eggs in a silver container in bulk scooping it into someone's order. No wonder your plate comes out fast. Bus your own table when you are done.

We love the food! We have been ordering from them for a few years and some of the events were: my…read moreBaby Shower, my Daughter's First Birthday, her Baptismal and recently for her Second Birthday. We've only ordered pans, and the first two times we ordered we reached a minimum of $1k so they delivered their food to our party venue. The last two, we didn't meet the minimum requirement, so we went to pick up our food. The pans were always packed neatly. The portions are great. The only thing is when we ordered the garlic chicken, it is really big portion so if you're serving it for a small kids, bring scissors so you can cut them into smaller pieces. Other than that, everything tastes so good. I usually email them when I make my orders and they get back to me in a timely manner. We look forward to ordering from you folks again.

The food was absolutely delicious, and every guest enjoyed it. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and…read morebeautifully prepared. We're so grateful for the wonderful service and the yummy dishes that made our wedding day even more special.

I used to frequent Elena's in Waipahu weekly but haven't been there in a couple years because I…read moreretired and no longer frequent the Waipahu area. So after a walk in the Mililani Tech Park area I purchased a 2 choice lunch plate from Elena's Filipino Express food truck. The 2 choices were pork adobo and pork guisantes and it came with a lot of food and a lot of rice, very heavy lunch container. The plate brought back memories of lunching inside of the restaurant. The food was good, not great, but you get a lot of food for under $10. I think the food tastes better in their sit down restaurant because the food is fresher and hotter. I gave Elena's 4 stars because they were the best deal in the row of food trucks parked by Spectrum Hawaii. If you are really hungry this is the place for you.

My dad took me here for lunch after early morning errand running…read more We got there a little after 10:00 on a Thursday, and although they weren't technically open yet, the worker quickly set up and took our order in a matter of about 5 mins. The food was prepared already so it didn't take long to get our food after ordering. Filipino food is not usually what I crave to eat, unless off course it's the Filipino food that my friends' moms make with love ! But taking my bias into consideration, I'd say that the food here was pretty good! I got the Pancit and adobo fried rice omelette combo, and my dad got the Pancit and pork adobo combo. The Pancit was ok. I wish there were the long green beans in them. The pork adobo was the star of this show though! In my fried rice omelette it defiantly provided lots of flavor and made the fried rice delicious! My dad also made a comment that his pork adobo entree "had good flavor." Overall, I'd say worth checking out if you're in the area when they're around!

Crispy Grindz in Haleʻiwa has quickly become a spot I recommend, mainly because of their pao de…read morequeijo. They make them in a unique way, pressing the dough on a waffle iron so the outside comes out crispy and crunchy while the inside stays chewy. The four-pack is the way to go--plenty for one person and shareable for two, but I wouldn't try splitting it beyond that because you'll definitely want more than one for yourself. I've also tried the coxinha and the ham and cheese pastel, which were good, though not as much of a standout as the pao de queijo. Everything is served very fresh, so fresh in fact that I burned my mouth on the pastel because of the steam pocket inside, so it's worth letting things cool a little before biting in. Seating is all outdoors at picnic tables with umbrellas, and while there's usually space available, you might need to share a table if it's busy. There's no cooling, so it can get hot during the day even with the shade. Parking is on the street out front. I've never had trouble finding a spot, but pulling in and out can be tricky if there's traffic going by. Overall I'd give Crispy Grindz 4 stars. The pao de queijo alone makes it worth stopping for, while the other items I tried were good but not the best I've had. I haven't tried the bowls or other menu items, so I can't comment on those, but if you're in the area the pao de queijo is something I definitely recommend.

Short and sweet, SCAMMERS!…read more 1. They use rotting acai and fruits for their smoothies. The smoothies are brown, not purple and taste rancid. 2. They scam customers using cashless payment. Selected 18 percent tip (lowest suggested amount) but total charge included a 47 percent tip. 3. They cheat customers when they give a refund. Originally charged $23.68 but only refunded $16.10. Cheating people, because Haleiwa is a tourist spot is outrageous. AVOID.

I gave Zippy's another chance today. I was unfortunately hospitalized again after my tongue…read morestitches opened twice in one night. I'm on a liquid diet and I really enjoy the Saimin broth from Zippy's. I tried ordering the Keiki version and I love the way they packed it today: the noodles in a separate bowl and the broth by itself. Just the way I like it. It was in the similar to go container like last time but now we're aware that it can possible spill so we were more careful this time and treated it like liquid gold. I was pleasantly surprised to have received a Zippy's token which made me feel like a kid again. It's so special that I'm keeping it as a memory. Maybe one day, I'll cash it in for one of the toys from the machine. Thank you Zippy's for being open at a time that is fair for us workers who get out of work late and would like a nice substantial meal and not fast food all the time. You are a neighborhood staple and gem!

Time stamp on the receipt 8:40 pm, didn't get food til about 9:15. You would think this is the…read moreworst part..... First bite of chili and rice, got something chewy in the bite. Spit it out, yay a piece of clear plastic wrap. Unbelievable! I understand places get busy, had 5-6 people waiting when I ordered so I didn't think it was that busy Worst experience at a zippy's restaurant ever....

Fried noodle special! Great price and ono!…read more2pcs fried chicken with chow fun on da side...never dissatisfied! We took it to go after a little grocery shopping.

I was grabbing something in the store this morning and got pulled into their food area. I suddenly…read moregot hungry so I ordered a Kalua pig loco moco. I asked for the gravy separate because I knew I wasn't going to eat the whole thing, but I got it with the gravy inside the plate. Bummers. They also didn't ask me how I wanted my egg which I thought was weird. I don't particularly like runny eggs on my loco moco, but that's what I got. (Yeah, I know I'm weird for that). The redeeming quality about it though, was that it was probably the BEST Kalua Pig Loco Moco I have ever had. I'd get it again, I don't even care about the service at this point lol. Other than that, the tables were all really clean and it's a cute place to go to eat or grab something poke.

I ordered 200 bentos for a Celebration of Life. The bentos were excellent and Joyce went above and…read morebeyond in describing choices The food was plentiful and delicious. The vegetarian option with tofu was a hit. They delivered on a Sunday after houts and on schedule from Wahiawa to the Waikiki Shell for $7

The bentos are delicious and the prices are very competitive with other places. It's also…read moreconvenient for people that live close by. The only thing is that they close too early for me to get there after work.

I came here the other day. I ordered chicken. Empanada. It was okay. I ordered shanghai lumpia,…read morevegetable pork lumpia, 2 banana lumpia. The wrapper they used tasted stale or old. It wasn't the normal tasty crispy wrapper. I couldn't eat another bite. I also ordered the pansit (thicker noodles) with chicken adobo. My husband was not please at all. He didn't want to eat another bite of the chicken adobo or noodles. All in all, it was not tasty. So we tossed the whole thing. I hope they upgrade their lumpia wrapper and maybe change the cook. I'm going to give them 3 stars bc I believe in giving them a chance to improve. The people were nice and kind.

Pandesal, you need to try the pandesal!…read more Wait for pandesal is 10 minutes, there is a sign posted. Gladly wait because it is baked upon ordering. You will receive it super hot! Pandesal is bread, no filling. But their version is so soft. I usually request for butter. Get more than one, wish I did.