We go out of our way to eat here when we're in the area. Great friendly service, huge portions for…read moregood prices and most importantly AMAZING food that tastes just like the islands. Lives up to all the hype. It's casual inside and you'll often see active duty military eating here - consider buying them lunch to thank them. We will be back over and over again!

I had really high hopes for Da Local Boy. I've been excited to try this place for a long time given…read moreall the high reviews but unfortunately, it was pretty disappointing. We ordered the Aloha Plate and chicken lumpia. The lumpia was soggy, super tiny and just wasn't good. The Aloha Plate was also much too sweet for my taste, and the meat felt pretty standard--similar to what I'd expect from a typical Korean BBQ meal. I usually love mac salad, so i was especially looking forward to that, but unfortunately, it was pretty underwhelming as well. The most disappointing was the service. Service was incredibly slow and not attentive at all.

We had a free night in the Chicago area and found this ridiculously AWESOME tiki bar, Kahala Koa…read moreTiki Bar. The selection of drinks is downright encyclopedic, and the drinks were outstanding. In addition, we ordered a plate of bacon-covered water chestnuts, and they were so effing delicious!! I mean, they were a serious revelation!! So we ordered another plate. The atmosphere is amazing. The family that owns this wonderful tiki bars has put some serious work into adorning the place with amazing tiki decor. And this has to have taken YEARS to do. The outside of the building does not say, "Hey!! I'm an awesome tiki bars!!" But step inside and you are transported to tiki land extraordinaire. And then there is the staff there. They are so friendly, attentive, and helpful, and just very authentic and genuine. I CANNOT WAIT to return to Kahala Koa Tiki Bar the next time I'm in the Chicago area. The place totally rocks!!

This was a spur-of-the-moment choice but ended up being very fun for drinks and dinner!…read more I LOVE tiki bars and my husband noticed this one in the area near where we happened to be on Google maps, so off we went! We had about a 15 minute wait for a table but it gave us time to peruse the menu in the car. They offer many classic tiki cocktails, a page full of seasonal drinks, a page of "Designated Driver" mocktails (nice to have an option for something other than just a Shirley Temple!), Polynesian appetizers and entrees, and then Lola's Pizza. For drinks, I got the seasonal Gingerbread Painkiller and my husband got a Green Flash mocktail. (Pro tip on the seasonal drinks: check the regular cocktail menu to see how many skull and crossbones are listed under the regular version of your drink, if applicable, to see if it's a super strong one!) Mine was creamy and spicy but quite powerful. Props to our waitress, Makayla, who checked if anyone at the table was epileptic, because normally the "flash" part of my husband's drink is a strobing LED ice cube; I actually am photosensitive, so it came in the drink in non-strobe mode and just glowed an alien green. She said this was the first time it had actually paid off to ask, but I'm glad she did! The food was tasty: I ordered rumaki, an old-school appetizer of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts that you don't see very often these days, and he got loaded fries. We also got a small Lola's Pizza, which was very good, with a crisp but also chewy crust. The atmosphere here is pure tiki, with a fountain, swag lamps, bamboo, and Hawaiian-influenced Christmas music playing for the season. Lots of big groups here; everyone seemed to be having as good a time as we were! What a laid-back gem in Arlington Heights! We'll be back. Mahalo!

Experience: For me door dashing is the better experience. I drove here and found that it's part of…read morea digital kitchen where you select a brand/restaurant from a kiosk and wait until a code appears on your phone to unlock the designated locker door to retrieve the take out. Service was fast with no human interaction. Which made me second guess the tip I included at the kiosk. Ambience: a small lobby like setting with square lockers on the wall. Two kiosks at one wall. And three smaller ones on the opposite side used to scan QT codes to check on orders. Food: The largest portions I've had from a Hawaiian take out since moving to Chicago two years ago. Very impressive! The rice was slightly on the dry side. Although I loved the large portion of the mac salad, there's way too much mayonnaise. Both Huli Huli and Honolulu chicken dishes were similar in taste. The base marinate seems to taste like the two teriyaki sauces that are packed. Both dishes are presented as cubed shapes. I imagine it makes it easier for production. Conclusion: I do recommend Hawaiian Bros if you are looking for large portions and sweet/savory flavors leaning towards teriyaki. Since I live just minutes away, I'll order again when I'm really craving for comfort food from home (Kauai).

Was really looking forward to this place and because there was a BOGO deal, I though it would be a…read morenice time to try. So, I ordered all 5 of the chicken variants, and they all tasted the same. I was hoping for a sweet-island-pineapple inspired taste, but it was not. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I expected. Secondly, they should state that rice is included under the chicken entree. I did get a side of rice along with the macaroni salad which was totally bland! I just don't get the correlation of what was written and how the food actually tasted. I may give them another try but again, not impressed. The concept is great, but I was underwhelmed with the reality!

We dropped in for a quick dinner. This place is super busy. They make your food to order which is…read moregreat. It's a serve yourself kinda place. They mainly do pick up business. It's inside a bowling Alley. The folks are really friendly and nice. The food is decent. The burger's are 5 oz. and made fresh. You get a nice brioche bun with fresh lettuce and tomatoes and cheese. The drink options aren't huge. It's not a place you linger or have a conversation. The onion rings are nice and crispy but for me I don't like the huge batter centric rings. I like a light batter with crunch so you can taste the onion. The fires are just okay. Most were a bit soggy for me.

I'm crazy disappointed this place is leaving classic. The food, the people, the simplicity of this…read moreplace is beyond amazing. I really hope they find a place soon to carry this business. It's funny I come near Woodstock, and I always make that joke "Boba burger?" anytime I'm in the area with my buddies The other day one of the owners kids was playing near the register and you know its moments like that where they're just happy and such great people with great hospitality to there customers. I've reviewed this place once before: Tokyo dog, Lechon burger, large fries, and triple berry smoothie is my go-to. I seriously don't exaggerate you need to come by before they close. I hope they find a place quickly because you know I sure will always come back.

My partner and I are not strangers to Hawaiian food, which means we walked into Aloha Eats in…read moreChicago with actual expectations and not just curiosity. Those expectations were met, exceeded, and then handed back to us with a side of macaroni salad. We split the Pork Katsu Loco combination plate, which arrived looking like something the Jedi Council would have commissioned for a victory feast. The egg on top was scrambled but folded with enough care that it looked intentional and beautiful, draped over the pork katsu like it had always belonged there. The accompanying gravy was the kind that makes everything around it better, the rising tide theory of plate lunch confirmed. Every spoonful we built with rice, pork katsu, and macaroni salad together was its own complete moment. Ono does not even begin to cover it. The portions were enormous, the kind of plate that makes you recalibrate your lunch ambitions halfway through. Our son ordered the loco moco, which at this point is his standard field test at every Hawaiian spot we visit. A reliable benchmark, consistently deployed. Aloha Eats passed without hesitation. We also picked up chicken katsu musubi for each of us, took them home for later, and they held up just as well, which is a logistical victory worth noting. The vibe inside felt authentically Hawaiian without overdoing it, the kind of atmosphere that sets the right tone without requiring tiki torches and a ukulele soundtrack. Julie was our cashier and also brought out our food, handling both roles with the kind of warmth that makes a place feel like more than a transaction. Her smile genuinely lit up the room, which is not a phrase I use lightly or often. Five stars. Aloha Eats is the real deal and worth every parsec of the trip to Chicago.

I am Filipino-Hawaiian so I was so excited to finally try Aloha Eats and it did not disappoint! The…read morestaff was so incredibly kind and helpful, to start. There are only a few tables but late night on a Friday we were able to snag one. This is definitely a casual spot -- I enjoyed the charm and the nostalgic island decor. It was acceptably clean, I think the staff was a little overwhelmed which is totally understandable but the water needed a refill, trash needed to be emptied, and tables could've used a quick sweep and wipe down. The food was so good! It was nostalgic, just like the island food I grew up on. I was especially ecstatic to see they had POG drink, something that's not as easy to find on the mainland. My chicken katsu was cooked perfectly and the sauce was really good -- I don't always like katsu sauce on the mainland but this one was perfect. Overall I loved the food and was so happy to try it!

We recently stopped in to Nomu on our first night of a family vacation, and had a lovely supper!…read more The restaurant was conveniently located in Glenview, and had plenty of parking outside, even though we were there during primetime on a Saturday night! The dining room is really pretty, and well-appointed! We were seated right away by friendly staff. Looking around, this appeared to be a very family-friendly establishment, as that was, by far, the most prominent type of connoisseur in the house on this evening! Our waitress was wonderful, and helped us with some recommendations upon us letting her know it was our first visit! She checked in with us frequently, and made sure drinks were always refilled promptly! We had a bunch of different items, and all were very good! We tried sushi rolls, beef noodles, and ramen. I'd have to say that the beef noodles probably were the best item for me! Prices were just about as you'd expect: not too high, but not super cheap either...but wholly justified by the great food and lovely service and experience! Food = 4/5 Facility = 4/5 Service = 4/5 Ambiance = 4/5 Value = 3/5

Absolutely loved the food that we ordered! At first I wasn't sure what I'd be walking into but we…read morewere very satisfied and happy with the quality. The garlic ramen was flavorful with rich pork broth, the chashu was perfect balanced with fat and meat portion. The katsu was my favorite with their special sauce. The service was fast, friendly, loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. Highly recommended!

A little piece of Polynesia in DesPlaines Hawaiian decor…read moreand music. Food portions are ample but my Kailua pork was dry and a little bland I enjoyed the hibiscus mocktail and service was friendly.

It was a Friday Night, so it was busy but we were able to walk right in for the bar…read more We tried a couple of the drinks on the menu and they were all amazing! Glad I was finally able to knock this off my bucket list of places to try!

My kids, especially my 15 year old daughter, are big fans of Poke Bros so we usually end up here…read morefor lunch when we're in the area for one of their tennis classes. It's clean, fast, healthy and has lots of different options so all 5 members of my family tend to be happy eating here. It's also never very crowded so there's no problem finding a table and getting in a quick lunch. I tend to switch up my order each time, but usually get light rice, a bunch of veggies and a protein (shrimp on this last visit). It's very filling and tasty. There's a few poke bowl options nearby that we've tried but this one tends to be our favorite.

I have always had a good experience going to Poke Bros. It's a really convenient location. You…read moredrive into the strip mall and may need to walk a little bit, but you can always find parking. I have been hear many times but usually just for carry out. I usually order online via the website and the bowls are always waiting for me by the time booked in the orders. I also usually 'customize' the pre-made bowls (always ask to exclude onions) and they always follow the online comment request. The restaurant itself always looks clean and it's nice and quiet, although I'm always in a rush - I never get a chance to really sit down and eat here. I think the portions are a good sized, they give a lot of good options, the fish has always been fresh. Definitely a good healthy option.

just about the most generous fish portions in poke i've ever seen (and the thickest, fattiest…read moresalmon cuts)... and their macaroni salad is my favorite!!! the virgin lychee frozen daiquiri was great, not too sweet huge menu, but the server was very sweet in helping us navigate everything. and did i mention the interior... just made me so happy sitting in such a beautifully built and decorated place!!

Oh u know I'd be back soon. Thanks mucho to owners Betty and Duane! Had to order usuals cuz so dang…read moregood: crispy hot egg rolls, perfect spam musubi & steamed fish. New to us is the oh so yummy japchae! Bro & I enjoyed our "appetizer cocktails ": lychee martini and lemon vodka thingy. Our lovely waitresses always make our dining extra special. Thank you ladies!

Always on the hunt for healthy, quick meals that are also Celiac-friendly, we were thrilled to…read morediscover Pono Ono Poke - where 99% of the menu is gluten free. But even if you aren't GF, don't worry - you won't notice. Fresh ingredients, quick and healthy, this is a hit on all levels. We loved the relaxed atmosphere, just brimming with plants. It's a step away from the nearby campus. What's not to love? So give this place some love - it'll become one of your favorite spots.

Food tasted fresh! Ordered 2 orders to go and boy was it tasty!!! So tasty I was unable to get a…read morepicture of my delicious meal. Ahi tuna was best part of meal. Loads of delicious flavors. Cheers!~