This is a top notch plate lunch spot with excellent value. So far I've tried the hamburger steak and the boneless kalbi/dynamite ahi katsu combo. The hamburger steak is great! Tender flavorful homemade patties with a nice char on the outside. Gravy is really good too and the portion is good. The dynamite ahi katsu was amazing. Nice thick pieces, crispy coating, and loaded up with savory sriracha mayo and unagi sauces. Some ahi katsus at other places fall short due to a lack of sauce so I really appreciate the amount of sauce they put. The boneless kalbi was ok. Good char and flavor with a teriyaki sauce. The thicker pieces were a little on the tough side but the thinner pieces were good. The Mac salad was really good. They add in garlic that makes it really stand out. The rice was slightly dry. It seems like a minor thing but in my mind having perfect rice is what sets places apart. The prices for all the plates are very reasonable and there's a ton of options. They also have fresh poke, which I haven't gotten around to trying yet but I hear it's very good. read more

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Was surprised by the location because it's a little off the beaten path, but this place is a total vibe! I got the mini chicken katsu plate for lunch. Honestly, great value! And more than enough for me. The chicken was tender and perfectly crunchy. I didn't love the horseradish bbq sauce, but it was alright. Mac salad was a little better than average. Rice was just ok. I'd like to come back and try some other items. The poke looked good. Place was super lowkey and chill. Service was fast and friendly. Parking is limited and this mostly seems like a takeout shop, but there are a couple seats inside at the bar and two outdoor tables on the sidewalk. It's not a very busy street, so I chose to eat outside and it was pleasant. There was a letter inside from the original owner talking about the history and the transition to the current owners in 2023. Original owners seem cool. Today was my first time, but it seems like the new owners are carrying on the legacy alright. Like to support good local businesses like this and will be back! read more

North Shore Grinds - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Just did a take out order, 2 pulehu steak medium rare with shrimp scampi and a baby back ribs. Two out of three were great! Note, when ordering steak to go you need to check the steak prior to leaving the pick up to confirm it is cooked how you requested. I am a steak lover, and steak lovers are particular about how their steak is cooked, commonly medium rare- rare plus. One of my plates was well done, even charred a bit. I tried calling back for about half an hour and the phone seem to be off the hook because they were busy. Luckily, I live nearby and went back in person. The cook and server tried to give me pushback at first saying it was medium rare when they put it in the box and that closing the box made it cook more. I said the other steak was perfect and continued to have them look at the well done steak in question. They ended up redoing my order. One of mine is we need to check our take out orders prior to leaving any establishment. I'm thankful they redid my order though it seemed reluctant. read more

North Shore Grinds - Well done, slightly charred - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I haven't posted in a while but have gone back to North Shore Grinds new owners. Food is still very delicious read more

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Not the same anymore. Was great when Wayne owned it and the current cooks were NOT THERE. They probably wont be in business much longer. We need a Chinese or Mexican place !!!! Or Thai. read more

Make sure to look out for daily specials. Simple and comfort food is all you need. Fresh fish for poke, friendly staff, and food is on point! read more

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The chicken katsu was delicious which a friend had bought for us to share. Great serving size as a couple of bentos fed 5 people.

Northshore grinds has been Kaimuki staple for over a decade. Under new ownership since 2023 the restaurant has kept many of their signature dishes, such as chicken Katsu and hamburger steak. Recently, I had their hamburger deluxe and oh boy it did not disappoint thick homemade hamburger patties with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. It was delicious. The new owner was so friendly and the restaurant is clean and bright. He also makes a very amazing cucumber kimchi. If you ever get the chance, that is something to take home with you. Parking can be a little tricky specially on 10th Ave. my recommendation would be to go off hours. In between lunch and dinner around 2 PM is perfect. read more

Change in ownership has been a change in quality it seems. I want to support this local establishment but have been disappointed the last couple times we have gone. They were out of the calamari which has always been one of their specialities and said they thought it might be back in a week. The Teri steak seems to have changed too. The sauce isn't as good as it was about 6 months ago. On a plus side, the staff are always nice and positive. read more

The food was so good! We got the furikake mahi plate and the boneless kalbi/dynamite ahi katsu plate. Seasoned really well! Cashier was very friendly and helpful. Nice and fresh inside. read more

Haven't been here since pre COVID. Lazy Saturday with no time constraints and our aimless driving took us to Kaimuki. Learned since the last time we were here it was bought out, new owners kept the same cook so food was as I remembered. Friendly service and food came out quickly. I ordered the Ahi Dynamite, 3 generous pieces of fresh Ahi fried crisp but yet tender and juicy, rice and Mac salad, you can opt for brown rice and tossed salad. My husband got the Grilled Mahi with Lemon Pepper Cream Sauce. We also ordered a 1/4 lb. of their spicy ahi poke. Everything was fresh and delicious. Bummer they no longer have indoor seating, but they do have 2 tables outside on the sidewalk. Made a mental note to come on a cool day and the day we visited it was overcast with nice breezes. To add to the ambiance the coffee shop next door was blasting Europa by Santana and as we're finishing up the coffee shop owner came out to with a tray of desserts to top off our meal. Street Parking. read more

We got a couple of sandwiches and the fried fish with rice and macaroni salad. Food tasted good overall, the fish was crispy and the sandwiches tasty. The sandwiches are a better deal though I think, for the fish it didn't feel like we got enough for the price. Folks working there are pretty cool some of the are/were fishermen and had some good conversations while waiting. When we went there they were doing some changes to the restaurant and only had the option for take out so we drove to the waterfront park and had the food there. read more

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Neighborhood GEM!!! Highly recommend anything on their menu. It's a cute quaint place and great service. Only downside is no private parking lot, only street parking. But worth it, it's that good. read more

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Go to neighborhood spot for Hawaiian food & classic local plates. Don't keep it a secret! We need to keep these down home neighborhood businesses going. read more

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We were looking for a place to get one last plate lunch on our way from Hawaii Kai to the airport. Having read the reviews we wisely called our order in ahead and then went to the restaurant. We ordered: - Chicken katsu - 4/5 (chicken katsu itself was good, the katsu sauce just tasted more like cocktail sauce than tonkatsu sauce, one of the kids really liked it, the other thought it was too different) - Chili and hot dog - 5/5 excellent chili and rice, plus I think they add two grilled hot dogs - Kalua pig and chicken long rice - 5/5 it's been so long since I found good chicken long rice, it was really very good, as was the kalua pig, I just wanted more of the chicken long rice and would have given up the scoop of mac salad (3/5) We arrived right at 11am when they opened so they weren't quite ready for us to want to be seated. They brought out two small tables and a few chairs - which they placed on the sidewalk, so just know that this is more of a takeout place than a sit down and eat kind of place. read more

After a full day of snorkeling and hiking with family and friends, we were super hungry and were lucky enough to find this spot on Yelp on the way back to Honolulu. We got there about 30 minutes before closing and their menu had so many options we were all a bit undecided. The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating even though it was the end of their day. They gave us the full rundown of the menu and everything sounded so good that we all got different items. I got the Chicken Katsu and Pork Char Siu combo and both hit the spot...so ono. My wife and son shared the Teriyaki chicken plate...loved it. Our friends got the Teriyaki Beef, Shoyu Poke, and Furikake Crusted Mahi...they also loved it all. The 5 year old even said that it was "the best food ever!"... How do you top that? The staff was so nice that they even brought both tables some complimentary Hawaiian Poke. If I could give more than 5 stars I would. read more

North Shore Grinds - Char Siu Pork and Chicken Katsu Combo Plate with steamed rice and tossed salad - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food is good and priced well. Often when we call, no one answers. Not sure if too busy or if they're closed. They should have a message so we know whether to call back or not read more

North Shore Grinds definitely delivers North Shore portions! This is a hefty plate lunch place. In other words... it's not for the weak! After reading all the good reviews on the furikake opakapaka, I decided on that. I called my order in and it was ready in 20 min. They're located in a residential area in Kaimuki off of Waialae Ave and 10th Street. Parking is hard to find, as the residents seem to take up all the street parking. I ended up parking illegally in front of a fire hydrant. Don't tell on me! This is a total hole-in-the-wall that you could easily pass by without noticing it. Sometimes these are the best places, sometimes not. As mentioned, I ordered the furikake opakapaka and it came with 3 pieces, a heap of rice and mac salad. There was sauce on the bottom of the fish and I was glad that they didn't drizzle it all over the fish because that would've been too much! The fish itself was good but I wish it wasn't fried. I thought the furikake would be sprinkled on top of the fish. I was not expecting it to be fried. Not my cup of tea. The mac salad was good, though. Service was pretty non-existent. The girl at the cashier didn't even say hello or thank you. She bordered on unfriendly. They have a few tables inside if you choose to eat there. I'd return again just to try the pulehu rubs. For me, that'll determine if this place is legit and maybe I'll increase the rating. For now, I'll leave this review with 3 stars. read more

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How did I end up in Palolo Valley? On top of that, Kaimuki isn't my neighborhood. The guy that repairs luggages for the airlines, also personal luggages lives and works out of his house in Palolo Valley. Was recommended to try this place out. Decided to call in my order for pick up from here. Ordered their Chicken Katsu, and Herb Crusted Mahi Mahi Plates. My order was ready in 20 minutes, that's way faster than doing Uber Eats or Door Dash! I would say the Chicken Katsu was really good! Mahi Mahi was alright but could use more seasoning to disguise the fishiness. Place really got 4 stars from me, but since it's a low key, casual, hole in a wall, I give it a half star more. Really this place gets a 4 to 4.5 stars only because it's good and the amount they give is enough for dinner without wanting dessert. Street parking only. If you can't find parking and if you fill up gas at Aloha Petroleum, just leave your car there and walk on over. read more

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I realized there are so many places I haven't tried since I was born in Hawaii, and this is one of the places I have missed all my life. Now that I'm retired, I have the time to venture to different restaurants and places with other retired friends on the weekday so it's not so busy and no wait as well as lots of parking. Located on 11th Avenue of Kaimuki, this hole in the wall is a must go to. Although this place is very small and the building is outdated, the local food here is awesome! Seared Ahi with Cilantro Pesto - 5 stars. OMG, the ahi is so fresh, and the pesto dressing that goes with it looks basic, but it is the bomb. With a light sweetness to it, for $16.95, this plate is well worth buying. They also give a lot. Chicken Katsu - 4 stars - the chicken Katsu is crispy, fresh with more meat than batter, and no old oily taste like your other take out restaurants. This is one of the best katsus I've tasted, however, the katsu sauce tasted more like shrimp cocktail sauce. If they had a more traditional ketchup or bbq type katsu sauce, it would be a 5 star, though, the katsu is so good that I could eat it by itself without the sauce. Service - 4 stars - really local and hole in the wall, so you just order at their door inside the restaurant. They have only 2 tables if you want to eat in. Luckily it wasn't so busy on the day we went and was able to grab a table. Funny I noticed that they have a sign stating "please pay before consuming beverage". I wonder what all that is about. Parking - I was lucky to find street parking right in front of the restaurant, but I heard it can get crowded and you have to find parking elsewhere down the stret. read more

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I love this place. I get the ahi with pesto sauce. Mouth watering just thinking about it! It is a locals kind of place. Limited street parking. You think you are going into a residential neighborhood and there is a small strip mall there. Service is always friendly and efficient. I look forward to my next visit. Ono! read more

The food is good but they're super stingy. I ordered the Braddah Special (katsu and poke) and the amount of food they give for the price is honestly not worth it. Idk what kind of braddah they trynna feed with those portions. They could've gave more katsu, but what got me was the manini scoop of poke. The scoop of Mac salad was bigger than the scoop of poke. In my opinion they had about 2 good sized portions of spicy ahi poke left, but the girl scooped the tiniest portion and put it in my plate. To make things worse, she took out some of the poke in that scoop and left it in the tray. It looked like a sample. I was so turned off that I won't be going back again. Definitely not worth $22. Better off going to Broke Da Mouth in Kapolei. Their poke is ono and they give big portions for the amount you pay. read more

Thanks for the great food to feed the team! I'll always be back to get more when I'm on this side! read more

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Large juicy cuts of chicken Katsu, I was a fan. Pretty good Mac. only thing I didn't like was the horseradish sauce it came with

Very delicious chicken long rice! very great very delicious. Employees very nice with quick service.

Hole-in-the-wall eatery on Tenth Ave. I've heard of this place but have never tried the food until about two years ago. Initial visit, I believe I had the Pulehu Boneless Ribs Special...quite good. Second time, tried no. 20: Teri Burger & Chicken Katsu plate. Very good...both sauces provided were what pushed it from good to very good. So on this occasion, I requested no.15 Chicken Katsu. Very good again. Menu prices are excellent; it was $11.45 for the Katsu and they gave a lot...I could not finish all of the plate. Street parking in the residential area of Palolo, about three blocks off Waialae Ave. Mirage Art & Coffee is one shop over. No dine in. Take CC. And they have a loyalty rewards card. read more

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Same exact ish menu plus poke. If you liked Nsg before you might like it better now. Poke tastes good, way better than Foodland, comparable to Tamuras and fc. Oh and they honor the stamp card so what are you waiting for? read more

North Shore Grinds - Dynamite ahi - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food was decent and I'd eat there again. The service was decent as well, food took a little time to come out but everything was freshly made. The dining tables are outside on the sidewalk and a bit high. I guess my experience would've been better had I not come with expectations because of the rave reviews I was given ahead of time. Also, please have shorter tables or taller chairs available. Thanks. read more

Great grinds in Palolo Valley. Just off of Kaimuki is the sister neighborhood of Palolo, mauka of Kaimuki. Palolo is the home to many pocket business, commercial zoned properties. Back in the day the commercial zoning was used primarily for mom n pop grocery stores that were scattered along the way from Palolo Ave to 10th avenue. Sort of the 7-11 of the past. There are also a smattering of eating places mostly on the 10th Ave/ Koko head side. One of the staid/established Kau Kau places is North Shore Grinds. A long time fixture in the area, a great place to get some local plate lunch offerings. Favorites for us include their Lau lau/ chicken long rice or kalua pork/ chicken long rice Hawaiian style plates or their hamburger steak plates. They have a real variety of offerings but given these pandemic times, the offerings are not as varied. Still, what is offered is good. Wayne, the owner and cook is a nice guy, and if you get a chance to talk to him, you get get the scoop why they are called North Shore Grinds. North Shore Grinds made it though the pandemic. Support local business and buy some great grinds. A winning combination. read more

I was surprised to find out that one of our regular neighborhood food places was under new ownership but happy that the previous owner retired and is hopefully enjoying life. First, happy to see that the previous menu was kept and new items added. Everything from the old menu tasted the same (huge plus) and the new menu items (e.g., Brandon's Special, Maunalani, smoked meat, etc.) are wonderful additions. The poke was okay as the flavoring was a bit too weak for me. From the time the new owners took over I gave them 4.5 stars. Now, six months plus later, it seems like there was some tweaking done to the recipes of the original menu. The ono recipe for the salad dressing changed. Now it tastes like shoyu and something else. This is a huge disappointment for me as this was one place where the salad dressing tasted like a homemade one served at family parties. Also, noticed a change in the horseradish katsu sauce - not as thick and the flavor a bit different. Love to support local but not if the original recipes continue to be tweaked and not for the better (imo). read more

I haven't been to this hole-in-the-wall place in years; but @northshoregrinds (in Kaimuki) still turns out awesome plate lunches! My two favorites are their Beef Teriyaki (sweet Teri sauce, charcoal flavor; similar to Dean's Drive In's) & their Chicken Katsu (where the BBQ sauce mixed w/horseradish) is the bomb! Make sure they don't forget to give you this sauce. Parking - street parking in front of the place & in the neighborhood. read more

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I'm still exploring the foods of our neighborhood, and stumbled across this delicious spot. We ordered take out. Staff was very friendly. We ordered: ++ Boneless Kalbi - When I first opened the box, it looked so saucy. I was afraid it might be too salty or something. I was wrong! It was perfectly seasoned and delicious. ++ Mini Chicken Katsu - Chicken was fried to perfection. Rice was great and mac salad was on point. Will definitely return to try other items. Yelp 2022 Challenge: 07/40 read more

Under new ownership so had to check out the place to try their poke counter. We got the spicy ahi, shoyu ahi and cucumber kim chee. Very yummy and at reasonable prices. Will definitely be back again! read more

North Shore Grinds - Sample of their poke counter offerings. Cucumber Kim Chee, spicy ahi and shoyu ahi. All very good! All fresh! - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Their pulehu ribs & shrimp scampi plate was delicious. I am very picky with my shrimp and this was cooked and seasoned perfectly. My boyfriend had the furikake salmon and enjoyed it. I don't like salmon and I liked it. They gave 3 generous sized furikake salmon patties, my boyfriend couldn't even finish. Their mac salad was delicious. The only thing wasn't so good was their shoyu poke. It didn't have any taste, needed more salt or shoyu or something. The texture of the fish was great, not stringy. If the poke was good, I would have given 5 stars. We highly recommend and will be back. I grew up in Kaimuki and never knew about this place until last week. read more

***Open for take out*** Doing our part to support local small businesses during the pandemic. You may place a phone order for same day pick up. Many great choices. We love the opakapaka, katsu & pork chops. Note: They are closed on Sunday. read more

Haven't been here for long time. Big menu. Street parking. Ask for stamp card. Pretty big portions. Order at inside counter. Few tables and chairs if dining there. Help yourself to utensils and napkins. Hours M-F 1030am-8pm. Sat 11am-8pm. Closed Sunday. Friendly service/staff. Ordered for take out: Herb crusted mahi with lemon cream sauce $12.85 Furikake opakapaka $12.95 Furikake salmon $12.95 Choice of white or brown rice Choice of tossed salad or macaroni salad (No extra charge) Highly recommend. Located on 10th Avenue. Near laundromat and Azama fish market. read more

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Get the opakapaka. Just do it. This tiny gem on 10th Ave consist of usually 2 staffs on deck. Everyone from kiddos to kupuna come around to grab a platelunch. And it's made to order! The food is fresh and delicious! read more

Came here on a recommendation, They have a well selection of menus and great food. They also have a small section of poke. They are known for their chicken katsu which is really good. The staff there is really great and friendly. The wait for food doesn't take long. They also do catering and have mini lunch plates and they take phone orders as well as on line. Come check this place out! It's a hole in a wall place on 10th avenue. read more

North shore grinds used to be a gem in Palolo, since newbs took over is no longer the case. I ordered the crusted mahi mahi with lemon butter sauce, got my plate and off i went to work, only to find there was no sauce, just the dried out fish Which made it basically inedible (since im a sauce lover and thats why i ordered this), i called and let them know, also i was about to go on a boat for work so no other food was available. They said they would take care of it next time and took my name and number. Returned yesterday and ordered the same thing which they almost forgot the sauce again, and offered half price, so basically got an inedible meal and the fix was to offer half off next one Been eating here for over 20 years but this is the last time- also had a mistake with teriyaki steak that i ordered with teri sauce all over the rice and mac- no sauce on either but at least it was still edible, although for me, being the sauce lover i am, was the equivalent of ordering a spam musubi and them forgetting the spam- edible but not enjoyable nor what i ordered... my advice if eating there, make sure order is correct before leaving to save yourself grief later. Hope they can return to the level of service they had prior when Juni was there- as for me, ill look elsewhere for my plate lunch fix read more

Wanted something away from all the tourist spots and authentic. Found this gem! The owner & his family were so friendly. The food was sooo delicious and the portions are huge. I highly recommend this place to anyone wanting authentic, traditional Hawaiian food. read more