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3- Parking/Entrance/1st visit service/bathroom 5-THE FOOD!!! The food is phenomenal and it's really designed well for a diner. The parking can be ATROCIOUS. Holy Hunger Games. The bathroom location bothers me and its cleanliness needs attending to on a regular basis. My sit down experience was just ok. It can get crowded by the door and my server wasn't that attentive. It took a while to even put my order in. I'm talking 10 minutes before my server even came to my table to order drinks. The food comes pretty fast and everything I've tried has been packed with flavor. That is the saving grace that has me coming back. I typically do take out due to my initial dine in experience. I typically order: -The Mix Plate: Shoyu Chicken, Kalua Pork, Spam Fried Rice, Garlic Fried Noodles -Ube Haupia Pie -Lychee Lemonade
Visited for brunch and loved the lunch plate! The mac salad was a standout for me, along with the kalua pork and KFC. The ube espresso martini was a great pick-me-up. The staff were attentive, friendly, and helpful. An Orlando gem if you're in the area!
Food and service was great! Huge portions with great flavor. Got the poke and garlic noodles which were phenomenal Down side-- No changing tables 3% kitchen service fee seems odd High chair seat belts broken Broken faucet in women's bathroom with tap on the handle with opposite direction if hot/cold
This is definitely the best Hawaiian food around! Went for our first time today & we absolutely loved it. The staff were wonderful & friendly, they were great to chat with & have great recommendations. The space was warm & cozy, but the food & drinks were definitely the highlights. Everything we had was a 10/10 & we cannot wait to go again.
This was such a random find. I'm so glad that I found this place. The food taste so fresh and flavorful. I would give the service a 10 out of 10 because it didn't take long to prepare my order. I hope to come back and dine in because the ambience looks so elegant, especially for a diner.
I love Hawaiian cuisine, and this place was spot on from the spam musubi to the kalua pork! The staff were incredibly nice, and since it's a diner service was incredibly quick. It was super packed when we came in for dinner on a Friday night, but the bar area had all open seating so we sat there. We started off with our cocktails and some spam musubi. The regular spam musubi is delicious, but the fried spam musubi is out of this world! The Hō'āhi Rita was deliciously spicy and perfect for my fiancé's taste. The Koa & Kane was a very spirit forward rum drink that was right up my alley! I honestly would try every cocktail if I could. Another beverage I got was the POG juice with vodka added for $12. It was dangerously good. My fiancé and I both order a Mix Plate with varying options (pick 2 proteins and 2 sides). Collectively, we tried the kalua pork, shoyu chicken, shoyu ahi, and spicy ahi proteins with mac salad and spam fried rice. The spam fried rice and the shoyu chicken was our fav combo! The chicken was so soft and deliciously marinated. The ahi tuna tasted like any other ahi tuna you would get at any nearby poke spot, but the chicken and pork were out fantastic! I would have the kalua pork in their sandwich next time instead of as a protein in their mix plate. I absolutely do want to come back here! They have brunch on Sundays, but this menu has a couple all day breakfast items so you could really have brunch whenever. There is no happy hour here (yet) unfortunately.
Another fantastic experience at Moa Kai! We came in for a work lunch and had a wonderful experience! The restaurant is beautiful. I love how the music sets the vibe but isn't too loud. The menu is fantastic. I got the garlic shrimp with rice and fries. The shrimp were so hot and fresh. They were perfectly fried! The garlic sauce was so rich and flavorful. We enjoyed the smoked meat platter, kalua pork, musubi, and chicken as well. We also loved the haupia pie and lychee lemonade. Service was attentive and kind. All the food came out so fast. This is the best spot!
Service was great but they don't disclose the automatic 3% "kitchen appreciation" surcharge to your meal. That's new. Felt like we were cheated. Also $3 for extra gravy was an extreme up-charge given it already comes with the meal. Food was delicious but the hidden charge was malicious.
Went to Moa Kai while visiting Orlando for the weekend and it was absolutely amazing! The food was so flavorful and we tried a ton of things on the menu, everything was surprisingly delicious. The ambiance is so fun and makes you feel like you are in the tropics and the wait staff and managers were all great. You can tell that they care about attention to detail in everything they do. Absolutely wonderful!
Expect to walk into a packed restaurant, but I implore you to wait for a table or grab a seat at the bar because the food is hands down excellent! From the pictures alone, I knew it would be good, but my expectations were blown! The flavor and portions are max! We did decide to sit up the bar because we were really hungry and the place was definitely packed and remained so well beyond lunchtime. The servers were present and friendly and helped us navigate some of our options. We shared a smoked meat plate as an appetizer and that was actually the highlight. My favorite dish! So much so, that I would most likely make that my entree next time. For entrees we ordered shoyu chicken and kalbi ribs. Both were solid. The ribs especially. I loved whatever marinade mixture they soaked in. A nice touch of sweetness! And the Mac salad was creamy and delicious. The portion blew me away! One plate is generous enough for sharing! An absolute must visit and dare I say, a hidden gem of the Orlando food scene. Very unique too because there aren't an abundance of Hawaiian BBQs around. The interior definitely had a fun diner meets Hawaii vibe. Adding this to my regular rotation and list of spots to bring out of town guests!
Moa Kai Diner is such a gem! My friend and I had heard so much about this place and we absolutely loved it! The inside is a diner feel with the Hawaiian touch. The service was so nice and helpful for it being our first time there. We both got the POG juice which was so fresh. We also got the mixed plates I got the pork and shoyu chicken and she got the pork and Korean chicken. Everything was incredible the pork was flavorful and the chicken was tender and delightful. We cannot wait to come back and try more!
I really love Moa Kai, and I still come here pretty regularly. But I will say they do charge a "restaurant appreciation tip" that they don't really mention unless you're paying attention to your itemized bill (we even asked our server about it and she said they didn't charge any tip prior to us paying). It's fine to charge these things but I would rather you be transparent about it. The last few times we've been here we've had the same server, she's not the friendliest or most attentive but I guess we're here for the food and drinks.
We finally made it to Moa Kai and were thrilled that it lived up to the hype! It's definitely busy so it can get a little loud but the service is super quick and servers are very helpful. The garlic shrimp is very good but my only feedback is that it could use a little extra sauce. I did ask for extra that we were charged for when the bill arrived. Noodles are also excellent - highly recommend as a side! Fair warning that portions are on the larger side, which is awesome. Highly recommend the ube cocktail, which they can also make as a mocktail that's delicious!
11 months ago
My husband and I had been seeing multiple stellar Yelp reviews for Moa Kai, so when we were in Orlando and looking for a place to have brunch, choosing Mai Kai was a no brainer. I loved the kitschy Hawaiian decor that was interwoven throughout the typical diner set up! Lots of color and mini hula dancing dashboard ornament on each table. Our server was friendly and remained pleasant and attentive as the restaurant filled to capacity by noon. There were so many tasty options on the menu , so we opted to start out with the pu pu platter appetizer so that we could try a little bit of some of their dishes. My husband ate most of it (as I only really eat chicken as far as meat goes) and loved everything he tried. I ate the chicken skewer and really liked the sauce that was used. For our entrees, I ordered the garlic noodles (which came with chicken) and my husband ordered the beef ribs with a side of rice and a chicken skewer. The portions were generous and we both couldn't finish our meal, but both dishes were delicious! We will definitely come back! read more
10 months ago
What a great restaurant! I saw this restaurant mentioned several times on social media and so glad I gave it a try. My coworkers and I met here for lunch on a weekday. The restaurant offers a cute and quaint vibe. The diner atmosphere is apparent with a nice modern touch to it. The service was great! Everyone was very attentive and helpful when going over the menu. I ordered the lunch mix plate where you choose 2 meats. I chose the Korean chicken and the kalua pork. The plate also came with white rice and Mac salad. It was alot of food for $16! I really enjoyed everything. The Korean chicken was out of this world good. The pork was juicy and flavorful. The rice was seasoned well and the Mac salad was yummy and added a nice chilled element. While visiting I tried the fried spam musubi appetizer. It was pleasantly great. I like the saltiness level to it. I cannot wait to come back and try more from the menu! read more
Really missed that Hawaiian diner food that I thought you can only really get in Hawaii. But man this was so close it hit that craving spot I needed. Service was great the place was busy and everyone loved their dishes. Why would I give them 5 stars then... the "I'll come back" factor was high for me, I look forward to my next visit again and wish them great success. I would love to see them make a fridge case full of different kinds of Poke that includes different flavors of tuna poke and tako poke! read more
I heard great reviews about this restaurant and I wanted to give this place a shot. I was seated immediately after arriving on a Saturday evening. I ordered the lychee drink (13 dollars), which was sweet and very strong. It had me do the hula! For my entree, I took the suggested grilled shoyu chicken (15 dollars). It was tender and flavored nicely. The included mac salad had the right amount and seasoning and had al dente macaroni. I took the kimchi instead of rice for the other side. The cabbage was a bit soggy, but still very enjoyable as it had the right amount of sourness. The entree was very nice and filling. For dessert, I had to try the ube huapia pie (6 dollars), which was light and wonderful. The coconut and ube was flavored perfectly. Just a wonderful end. The service was quick and friendly. If it wasn't for the strong drink, I would have been in an out within an hour. However, they are very nice to let my stay until I get more sober. The atmosphere is small and casual. It definitely looks like a diner with lots of stools. However, there are some tables to enjoy as well. The bathrooms are clean, and the music will give you the island vibes. Parking is easy as they have some in the restaurant. For a diner, this is absolutely amazing! It's nicely Hawaiian themed, and the food and drinks will make you feel in Hawaii. It's definitely a great deal, and a place I will visit again for great Hawaiian food! Let's play with Lilo and Stitch and enjoy a Hawaiian roller coaster ride at this great restaurant! Mahalo! Overall: A read more
Great Hawaiian food, fun diner aesthetic, and snappy service make Moa Kai a welcome addition to the Orlando food scene. We came for lunch on a weekend and were promptly sat at a table. They also have a good bit of bar-style seating that I believe is first come first serve as well as an actual small cocktail bar area in the back. I ordered the garlic butter shrimp with rice and macaroni salad. Everything was delicious and the portion was so generous that I took half home for lunch the next day. I got the lychee lemonade which was great but a little sweet for my personal taste. Looking forward to coming back and trying one of their cocktails one evening. Highly recommend checking this place out, if you're looking for a hearty serving of Hawaiian food, this is the spot! read more
Went to check out Moa Kai for dinner and see what the buzz was all about! We went on a Friday so it was definitely jam packed but there was plenty of parking. They had a waitlist for those wanting a table but also had first come first served on the bar areas. We opted to sit at the bar so we can eat quickly instead of waiting. It was a little bit confusing as waiters were going around taking orders and we didn't get our waters until 10 minutes after. Another waiter approached us to get our actual orders. We opted for their appetizer tray that has their various appetizers (fried wontons, grilled chicken skewer, and dumplings). My partner got the moco loco plate and I got the mixed platter with poke and grill chicken. We all shared their POG juice (as must try for sure!) Flavors of the food were fantastic and good portion sizes. I definitely had enough leftovers to have lunch the following day! I can't vouch for if this cuts close to authentic Hawaiian flavors in the islands but it definitely took me there! Only wish was that the waiters would communicate and also write down the orders as we ended up with duplicates for some items or wrong items but it was quickly rectified. Will definitely come back! read more
Our server brought out our food right away. So thumbs up to the back and front of the house for the quick service. The rice was cooked to the softness of my choice, mac salad tasted similar to what I'm used to, Korean friend chicken had a crispy batter and tender meat, spicy ahi was more salty and not really spicy but still satisfying. Nicer casual ambiance towards the bar area. Overall good experience. Fyi there is a kitchen appreciation fee which I think was fair since our orders came out within a few minutes and to our standard. Price was reasonable so I hope people still tip accordingly. read more
We stopped in for lunch at Moa Kai last weekend. It's in the old Mongolorian spot and they did a great job with maximizing seating in a small space. We were seated in a booth and the sun was blaring in. The windows are tinted but it was still pretty warm in those seats with the sun hitting us. They might need to get some shades or something so guests aren't baking while they eat. Service was great, everyone was super friendly and attentive. Everyone was chipping in to help eachother, we interacted with probably 5 or 6 different staff members during our meal. We ordered the Lychee Lemonade, it was refreshing! Sweet but not too sweet! I got the two plate with the kalua pork and the Shoyu Chicken. My SO got the same plate but with Kalua Pork and Korean Chicken with upgraded sides; petal fries and garlic noodles. The plates without upgrades were $16 which was a great price for the portion we got. We both had leftovers, enough for a full meal the next day. Everything was delicious but the star of the show was the crispy Korean Chicken, it was SO good. I was a little jealous of my fiancees plate bc I wanted more! He got the petal fries, we weren't sure what they were but it turned out they were just regular french fries. We shared the ube pie slice, it was light and just the right finishing touch for our meal! We were very happy with our experience, the price, service and the food were all top notch! We'll definitely be back! read more
Was pretty acceptable. Space was clean with simple interior including vibing music and comforting yet spaced out seating. Drinks were quite simple with no major "out of the ordinary" aspect. The food was pretty good as well, but it didn't necessarily surprise me in such limits where I was in awe of coming back. read more
When I tell you I literally yelped out loud when I heard what was taking the place of the Monolorian (RIP), I am not kidding! We love Hawaiian food and often have a difficult time finding it around Central Florida. So this Orlando native ran here as soon as they opened and we were very impressed! It's important to remember that this is a diner; its comfort food at its best. It was completely packed when we got there, and waited about 15 minutes for a spot to open up at the bar. Once we were seated our server and bartender took excellent car of us. I ordered the Kalua Pork & Cabbage, which has slow cooked pork with Hawalian salt wrapped in banana leaves, on top of steamed cabbage. Instead of the default side of 2 scoops of white rice and mac salad, I opted for the spam fried rice (YES), and Edamame. My husband ordered the Kalua BBQ Pork...which was a Toasted brioche, kalua pork, pickled red onions, topped with housemade guava bbq sauce. WOW. We couldn't gobble this up fast enough. (insert several crying emojis.) For dessert we opted for something we haven't had before: Ube Haupia Pie...which was Layered ube & haupia filling in a macadamia nut crust. It was very good and not too sweet or rich. We also took a banana bread home because why not? I can't wait to bring more people back here and try their brunch. What an amazing addition to the Downtown/50 area. Welcome, Moa Kai! Go check them out ASAP and support local read more
Food was good. Service was good. Nothing spectacular as just as good of food comes from scrappy looking food trucks. No complaints just not memorable. No need for it to be a full service restaurant would be much better off as a "fast" casual or a bit less fancy feel. Ordered two two-meat plates. Kalua pork was good. Poke was small but fish was delicate in the best of ways. Fried chicken was better than expected but nothing to come back for. Shoyu chicken was what to expect Spam fried rice is worth the up charge. Really was missing out on some classic huli huli chicken read more
Moa Kai Hawaiian Diner joined the Mills 50 district around September 2025, bringing classic diner vibes paired with intentional, authentic Hawaiian flavors. The name translates to chicken (moa) and ocean (kai). Parking is available in a private lot shared with a barber shop and a yoga studio next door. Upon entering, you can choose between bar seating or tables and booths. It's the kind of place where you linger over your meal with relaxed shoulders, while Hawaiian music drifts softly overhead. FOOD: 1. Mix Plate: This comes with white rice and mac salad, though you can swap the sides if you'd like. For the mix plate, you can choose two protein options from shoyu chicken, kalua pork, Korean fried chicken, fried fish, shoyu ahi, or spicy ahi. Shoyu Chicken (4/5): Shoyu-marinated and grilled to perfection, topped with teriyaki and scallions. This was full of flavor and satisfying. I preferred it slightly more than the pork. Kalua Pork (4/5): Slow-cooked pork seasoned with Hawaiian salt and wrapped in banana leaves, served over steamed cabbage. Pulled pork can sometimes be dry, but this was moist. The steamed cabbage paired well with the pork. 2. Ube Haupia Pie (5/5): A dessert bar made with a sweet potato filling, topped with a layer of haupia and a graham cracker crust. I loved the tiny flakes of coconut on top, as it tied all the flavors together perfectly. It wasn't overly sweet, which I appreciated. The service was good throughout the meal. My water glass never reached the bottom, the food came out quickly, and the ube pie was brought out at the end as expected. Would I return? Yes, definitely to try more items on the menu. read more
10 months ago
Mahalo Nui Lo for bringing an authentic Hawaiian food experience to Orlando! Finally a place that brings back memories of Hawaii in every bite. My soul, and Tummy, are both excited after our dinner here! The vibe in here was very Hawaiian dinner. Calm but also busy as this place is pretty popular. The food was spectacular! Everything we tried was delicious. We were really sad that we didn't get to try the banana bread as they ran out, but that just means we get to return. read more
The food was outstanding! And staff was so friendly and informative. Everything is beautifully presented and seemingly authentic. The atmosphere of the restaurant was lovely, they played Hawaiian music, it was very well kept overall a wonderful experience. My noodles were cooked to perfection! We tried both the fried and regular version of spam musubi and both were amazing My partner had the mahi sandwich and commented on what a generous, large piece of fish they had done . For sure, we will return and it was so fun to try some Hawaiian fare. read more
This place is a little bit hot inside due to all the glass windows but decorated very cute. Service was Super nice. They are small on the inside so all the servers help each other. Good choice for lunch. Chicken, pork, rice, bowls I had the 2 lunch combo so I could try the pork and the crunchy chicken. Both were delicious read more
1 year ago
Cute spot, great service. I had never tried Hawaiian cuisine before so I was excited. The ribs were tasty, so was the Korean fried chicken, those were the highlights for me. To me the macaroni salad and garlic noodles were just okay. They have a cute bar inside and offer cocktails. If you're a fan of Hawaiian food I'd definitely recommend coming here. read more
Nailed it! I do not eat fast food, nor do I go to diners but this is going to be like an L&L and Dennys mixed together but elevated 10 fold! Go go go! My husband ( who is Hawaiian) fully approves. The cocktails, awesome. The meat plates and local style choices awesome! I would recommend adding egg and maybe carrot to the spam fried rice and maybe grilled a bit longer. And perhaps furikake!!!! Also maybe add Butter mochi!!!!!!!!!! and giandui!!!! We will be back, if not regulars! Currently only open until 10pm so, sorry late night partiers!!!! read more
10 months ago
So glad this place is here! It just adds to the options in the Mills area. Overall the food is fantastic and for the money value and portions, it is amazing! Granted the place is smaller so it's great for single diners or party of 2. Anything more than that then there could be a wait. We did see parties of 3+ and it definitely caused a "back up" in the sitting area and it even spilled outside. Experience: Came here on a Friday early evening around 5ish and it was already busy. For drinks I ordered the Moa Mule and it was delish! The tiki mug the drink came in was super cute and heavy! It was a nice mug to drink out of! The food was amazing!! The only critique I have is that the meat filling in the Pork Hash was dry and chewy. The flavor and seasoning of every was great! I would definitely come back. read more
Love a good Hawaiian restaurant! We took a trip to explore Mia Kai for lunch on a Saturday. This is a seated diner style restaurant. Right when we walked in we were greeted, even though there is no dedicated host. We were promptly seated. The servers came to us quickly and were very helpful with recommendations and answers. Hubby ordered a mix 2 plate with the pork and chicken. The pork was delicious. I ordered the pick 2 with the fried mahi and the ahi tuna. Everything was very good. I would definitely come back, and would probably try the pork or one of the other dishes. Both fish items were good, they just weren't blow-your-mind good. I nearly drooled when I tried the pork. The serving size is very large. The entrees come with 2 scoops of white rice and 1 giant scoop of macaroni salad. read more
4 months ago
The food is amazing! I had the KFT and the flavor was great. The meal consist of tofu, rice, and mac salad. I accompanied this with a Kai Mai Tai that matched my meal perfectly. The service is absolutely splendid and was a delight to interact with. Our server was knowledgeable and made great suggestions for my family. Ambiance is inviting and feels like a great place to gather with friends and family any day! I highly recommend this Diner to anyone looking for something new and exciting to experience. Aloha! read more
I love Hawaiian food and I've been really excited to check out this new spot. We stopped into Moa Kai for a quick dinner earlier this week and we really enjoyed our experience. We arrived just after 5:30 to beat the evening rush which was perfect timing. We had our 1-year-old with us and we got seated right away with a high chair. They have a fun tropical diner vibe with a bar and an open kitchen. I decided to try the mix plate and you get to choose 2 proteins. I went with the kalua pork and spicy ahi. It's also served with 2 scoops of rice & mac salad, but I subbed that out for some edamame. The pork is served with cabbage and has really good flavor. The ahi poke was so good and super fresh. My husband got a musubi and the loco moco (10 oz prime beef patty, 2 eggs & brown gravy with sautéed onions) which he really enjoyed. We also ordered the Hawaiian breakfast plate for my son which comes with 2 slices of Spam, 2 slices of Portuguese sausage & 2 eggs. They were kind enough to scramble up the eggs for us. This was his first time trying spam and he absolutely LOVED IT. We really appreciated the quick service from the staff & the kitchen. We were in and out in under an hour which is ideal these days when you have a cranky toddler and bedtime quickly approaching. We left with plenty of leftovers for the next day. I'm excited to go back and try their cocktails & desserts! read more
Moa Kai is a small diner with a big bar! What a fun place with dashboard hula dancers on every table. The Kalua pork and cabbage is amazing. My friend and I both chose the lunch plates that are served all day. With the mix plate you can pick two proteins and it came with a choice of two sides. The entree choices are Shoyu chicken, kalua pork, Korean chicken, fried fish, shoyu ahi, spicy ahi. In this case the fish was Tilapia. We tried the shoyu chicken, kalua pork with cabbage and the fried fish. The pork and cabbage tastes like it is home made and is comfort on a plate. The fried tilapia was hot and crispy but covered in too much aioli sauce for me. The shoyu chicken was not as flavorful as we hoped. There are lots of side choices but most meals are served with the white rice which is sprinkled with furikake seasoning. The macaroni and wakeme salads are both good versions of traditional salads. I paid an up-charge and got a side of spam fried rice. This was a flavorful rice dish with a few pieces of spam. All the drinks I saw coming from the bar looked tempting and fancy. The idea is you can come for the drinks as much as the food. This is a small restaurant with three booths and two top tables that can be pushed together for 4. There are seats at the bar. As with the previous tenant, the kitchen is open but they now have a glass panel that separates the cook line from the seating. The staff is very attentive and it seems like they worked as a team. I was not sure who was our actual server. I selected a 4 star rating because I think the chicken shoyu chicken could have more flavor and we had a few hiccups in service with the sides. I can't wait to return and get a huge portion of the kalua pork and cabbage. read more
Second time in Moa Kai! Ordered the 2choice (Korean chicken and spicy ahi). Food is great and price is good! I got the platter for only $16! The Korean friend chicken was well seasoned and is very flavorful The rice consistency is amazing and very well pairs with the dishes Spicy ahi was ok. Fish was not too fresh. read more
Anytime I find a Hawaiian restaurant, I am there! So I looked forward to this opening. I knew I'd love the garlic shrimp and it sure was tasty. I got the shelled one, bc it actually had so much taste and I could taste the flavor off of the shell as well. They were a pretty good size shrimp and about 10. My husband got the mixed plate with shoyu chicken and Korean chicken. The Korean chicken was much better. It is breaded and tastier. What we unfortunately agreed upon not loving as much were the Hawaiian mac salad and the garlic noodles. We love these two items so we are probably a bit pickier or just know what we like. They were just a bit dry. The Mac salad didn't really seem creamy and the garlic noodles were lacking and dry. They had the garlic flavor but I've def had better. I did love the POG juice. This was a must - passion fruit orange and guava. We had the fried Musubi appetizer also which was pretty good. The sauce they have is a sriracha aioli type of sauce. I didn't love that. It does have a kick. It was on the side. They add a kitchen surcharge on your bill automatically of 3 percent. They said it was for the kitchen... so keep that in mind because they show you on the hand held machine your bill. Server came to take our order and pay our bill. Did not check if we needed anything. That was it. Ambiance was ok with tropical wall paper and the diner feel as well as tiny Hawaiian hula dolls on the table. read more
1 year ago
Definitely recommend the musubi. It's so good and the lychee lemonade was epic. Don't listen to the people that otherwise - it's great! Also, if you have children in the food comes so quickly and that's coming from my 10-year-old daughter. I enjoyed the garlic noodles. We will be back!! read more
Busy as heck at lunch but we snagged a parking spot and two seats at the bar. Yes. Bar. The have a liquor license so you can get a cocktail with your meal. Ordered some apps for my meal. Streamed buns stuffed with pork. Char Sui Manapua. And teriyaki skewers. Both were very good and enough to serve as my lunch. Son ordered the pick two plate and it was a good value. Pork was good as was the fish. Not a fan of fried fish but it was well done. Mac salad was authentic Hawaiian and the fries portion was huge. We will be back. Their poke bowl offering looked to be more like Hawaiian style than the mainland version that is really a salad. I have to give it a try. read more
This was a very cute restaurant to visit, the ambiance is the first thing that stood out to me. It is a nice diner with Hawaiian theming, every table had a little hula girl decoration which I thought was a cute touch. The service was overall good. Granted it was the first week when I went, they did a splendid job managing the amount of people there. Overall I liked most of my food, I got the tofu place. The tofu was amazing, however the noodles I got tasted a bit plain. The mac salad was decent as well. I would definitely give it another go just to see if there's been improvements since this was the first opening weekend. read more
Stopped by on a whim en route to another restaurant. I wanted chicken katsu but also, they only had Korean chicken. Also tasty mind you but I would love to see chicken katsu there too since it is very Hawaiian. I tried the ube cheesecake. Delicate and a little on the sweet side for me but the textures were a wonderful meld of the coconut jelly on the top with a smooth but light ube layer and the crunchy crust on the bottom. Not the best that I've had but definitely worth a try. The service was great! Friendly and efficient. It was not overly busy. Seating was for parties of 2-4 maybe 5 at the most. I would most definitely come back to try a few more dishes! Ambience is causal but definitely a great place for a laid back date or friends meetup. Small families could also enjoy this establishment too. The decor is more retro and very mid century modern with an island twist. Stop in! read more
1 year ago
DEFINITION: LOCO MOCO: THE ULTIMATE HAWAIIAN COMFORT FOOD It goes without saying that would be my contribution to Wikipedia for this iconic Hawaiian staple. And if Moa Kai continues to serve platters of Loco Moco of this quality there surely would need to be a Wikipedia link to the restaurant's website. But as always I'm getting ahead of myself. I had been dreaming of a Loco Moco meal for the last few days once I was informed of the restaurant's soft opening. I went yesterday...,no luck...doors were still shuttered. I came today...August 20, 2025, called first...and when I was told they were open for lunch I was there in a flash. As I entered the establishment, I noticed bar, booth and table seating. I settled at a table and my server, Noah, entered my order of Loco Moco in his handheld POS terminal...no need to review the menu, I knew what I wanted. And even though I was told on the phone meals may come out of the kitchen at a slow pace due to the soft opening, my platter came out within a decent period of time. And what a vision of beauty, a Housemade Prime Beef Patty served with a fried egg and a brown gravy sauce with mushrooms and onions. Along with a double side of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad to accompany my meal, I was in my culinary "happy place". Tasty, delicious, and oh so good! And I couldn't end my visit without ordering their Ube Haupia Pie. Ube and Haupia filling in a Macadamia Nut Crust...just those list of ingredients and I was YES! Moa Kai Hawaiian Diner...Welcome to the Orlando Community! read more
23 days ago
This was a nice new spot currently in soft opening to have dinner at. We enjoyed the garlic fried noodles with Shoyu Chicken (which were PHENOMENAL) and the Grilled Tri Tip Kabobs, which also were good. I love how they have this nice seasoning on top of the rice. My two items of feedback would be 1) the AC situation. It was pretty warm in the restaurant, and being in Florida, AC is a must. 2) The Kabobs we're supposed to come with grilled pineapple, which was missed when the plate was first presented to me. I did mention this to our waiter who did go back to the kitchen and let them know about the grilled pineapple missing. However, when I got my " grilled pineapple", it was just hot with very light grill marks, and didn't have the same juiciness or char that I tend to enjoy when I get grilled pineapple. Besides these two missteps which I completely understand because they are in soft opening and are still learning things, this place is actually a really good restaurant and I wish nothing but the best for them. I look forward to visiting again after they have their grand opening. read more
1 year ago
Was excited to see this place open up. Came on a Thursday evening around 6pm and it was packed, which is hopefully a good sign that this will place have staying power. We ordered the spam musubi, loco moco and the mix plate pick 2 (Kalua pork and Korean chicken). Span musubi is was savory and the rice was on point. The other two dishes were solid. The value here is outstanding, the portions are huge and the prices are super reasonable for what you get. read more
Omg THE UBE PIE was so delicious! Definitely my favorite item that I tried this night. I loved the overall aesthetic of the place. I like how it felt cozy but also chic at the same time. The menu had great options, and I would definitely want to return to try something that I didn't get that first time. The cocktails were also very delicious. I ordered the Hoku Poni which contained Ube and rum. read more
So I just happened to pass by this place on my way to Costco. The place was packed. I was only craving the Mac Salad so that was all I ordered for takeout. It was $3 ish for a scoop of the mac salad. So inside it does feel like a diner with the bar stool seating and of course they had table seating. Apparently the owner of Poke Hana is the same owner as this restaurant. So the wait time for the mac salad was about 5 mins or so. It 2 small bowl containers with a lid. The server asked me if I wanted a bag for my takeout order. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Who hands over takeout orders without a bag? SMH The taste: I was not impressed with the mac salad. I ordered this particular side to taste the authenticity of how they make it. All I tasted was the hints of pineapple - Specks of carrots were there but the pasta was overcooked, That some pcs were broken. It was missing that "umami" aloha taste imo. I grew up in hawaii so my expectations were kind of high. I would not order this again just for the taste. The Kalbi plate was in the $24 ish I think, They also offered loco moco plates amongst other plates. Spam musubi is $5 which is OVERPRICED. The fried version is more $. I am not sure how I feel about the prices of this place the competition is Aloha Hawaiian Kitchen on Semoran. The Mac salad there is slightly better imo. The prices there is cheaper as well with Kalbi BBQ. POG juice is offered by cup I thinks its $5-6 a glass. I might give this place another try - We will see. read more
1 year ago
Food: delicious fast and fresh. The flavors were balanced! Love their hot mustard and chili water Service: friendly and efficient Ambiance: modern diner vibes read more
Moa Kai Hawaiian Diner recently opened from the same owner as Poke Hana. It's a small space but we were able to get a booth. There's also seating at the bar and the counter if all the booths and tables are full. I was there for two things - Spam Musubi and a Plate Lunch, both things I loved when I visited Hawaii. We all considered getting the Pu Pu Platter since it sounded good but since I was getting the Spam Musubi as an appetizer, we decided not to. The Spam Musubi was great! A fried slice of Spam, placed on top of a bed of sushi rice and covered in nori (seaweed). My parents liked it too! My parents ordered a Poke Bowl, the Kalbi Ribs plate lunch, and a couple of POG juices (passionfruit, orange and guava juice). I ordered the Mix Plate and chose Kahlua Pork and Grilled Shoyu Chicken, as well as the Lychee Lemonade. The food came out pretty quickly. Both of the meats in my plate lunch were juicy and flavorful. I really couldn't decide which one was better. And the traditional scoops of rice and Mac salad really added to the meal. In fact, it was so much food that I took home half. And, the lychee lemonade was delicious. The sweetness of the lychee worked really well with the tartness of the lemon. My parents both really enjoyed their meals as well and we surprised that the POG juice was fresh squeezed. We saw some desserts go by to other tables so we decided to get dessert even though we were full. I got the Ube Haupia pie which is purple yam topped with coconut pie. So yummy! I will definitely get this again. My parents had the Malasadas (fried filled donuts) and chose lilikoi (passionfruit) and guava fillings. They were fine but everyone said the pie was better. read more
7 months ago
Went here wuth my family and have to say their portion sizes were great and the food tasted amazing! The pork was flavorful and smoky and I honestly still think about the mac salad to this day. I also had some ube haupia pie for dessert and it was lightly sweet with a flaky crust. I started recommending it to my friends as a go to spot, that's how good it was. Would definitely go here again! read more
More info about Moa Kai Hawaiian Diner
Ask the Community - Moa Kai Hawaiian Diner
What time are they open on Sundays?
Sunday 10:30 AM–3 PM (Google says) Website says Sun: Brunch Only so it might be different.
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Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
4 reviews that are not currently recommended
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