Sam's Kitchen
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This has to be one of the best bang for your buck meals EVER. Tofu was delicious, perfect for meatless Monday and this was the best late night find. It's outside next to a hotel pool and super cute at night. Service was speedy and food was most affordable yet since eating in Waikīkī. Highly recommend!
Hawaiian garlic shrimp is a iconic local dish, not technically traditional Hawaiian food, featuring shell-on shrimp tossed in a pungent garlic-butter sauce, heavily popularized by North Shore, Oahu food trucks since the mid-1970s. With the recent flood happening at the end of March, and our trip being in early April, going to North Shore wasn't advised. While we have some great Hawaiian garlic shrimp spots in Arizona, we had to at least try to get some garlic shrimp while on Oahu. We gave this place a try just because we were already in the building. It wasn't a choice we made prior because honestly, I would have suggested trying a more well-known spot like two miles away, haha! We shared a $14 Shrimp with Original Garlic sauce on it and made it a combo with rice, a scoop of potato mac salad, and regular salad, $14 + $6. Sam's Kitchen was okay. I would have loved to have the shell-on but this place does not offer shell-on shrimp. Still, they make a decent garlic shrimp.
This is a little hidden and off the beaten path but man was it worth it. I was craving a Hawaiian bbq lunch and they delivered the goods. Not shown are the garlic fries that I devoured on my walk back to my resort. The mac salad is a potato mac, my favorite. Bright fresh and big portions. I was full the rest of the day! They also offer a order ahead and pick up option.
A must stop when coming to Hawaii! The bartender makes a great Mai Tai and the spicy shrimp is my favorite. There's a little bit of a wait but that's to be expected with good food. Such a hidden gem! Definitely in my top 3 of food spots in Waikiki.
I've been told this place is really good and I was so excited to try it! I ordered the garlic steak plate with add on garlic shrimp, and a guava iced tea (not pictured) Price was about $35-$40. But I was excited so I thought it would be worth the price STEAK: the best thing about the steak was it was very tender! The garlic was good for a few bites but some of the pieces were so salty it literally burned my throat SHRIMP: nothing to write about this.. just salty, and no where near as good as Giovanni's Weirdly, the best part of the meal was the guava iced tea lol Idk if I came on an off night, but it was super disappointing :( I might give it a try once more though to see if my bad experience was a fluke
Dave is the Bartender/Manager here. Excellent service! Super friendly quick on the pour, and eager to please! They just started opening up for lunch time about a month ago - something they haven't done before, and people have been attending! Sheva (Seven) - was my bartender today - very friendly super engaging and always quick to entertain with fun trivia facts! Beer prices are fairly priced, see the pics I posted to see everything. No price gauging on wine AT ALL!! (Other places charge $15 for a chardonnay, and vary the prices of the wine depending on the type; now granted if they going higher end and longer age in a barrel I can understand - but for a bottle cali wine you can get @ Target for the same brand at $15 - ya know there are some mark ups!) Anyhoooo.... Let's talk the food: belly so happy taking leftovers home! Alright so Step 1: Choice of protein: fish, beef, chicken, tofu, vegetables. I asked for half chicken & half vegetable combo (they were EXTREMELY accomodating on that request)!!!!! Step 2: Pick yer sauce! They have 5 main sauces, pic enclosed. I went with the Spicy Teri Garlic! (trust me foodies it fiiiiiire! Step 3/Final Step: Choose da sides (again on the menu pic) I went for the combo - salad, rice, and potato/mac salad! Now for specialty drinks: Their Bloody Harry (a unique Bloody Mary) is completely worth it! Uses a unique homemade infused vodka that hands down you will NOT find anywhere else on island! Glass is rimmed with salt AND peppercorns, again another unique feature to this beverage! There is also a new beverage called Wonka Lada, which looks very much like something you'd see out of Willy Wonka's factory and/or if you really geeking out making comparisons to Monster's Inc! And others have compared it to something out of Warcraft, I can't say anyone is wrong! Smoothy style especially for those needing a nice cold fix! Li ing mui on the rim. Gives all the piña colada vibes with a strong hit of ube! This is one of those that hits you afterward!!!! Great vibe there are tables all around and even a small hot tub/pool area to give more to the atmosphere look! So don't complain if plastic cups are used because hotel has a no glass policy around the pool. This establishment has been here since last November. And don't think yer gonna get bored sitting here! Bar top is really solid hard wood!! There are all sorts of decor that each time you come here it almost a game of find this item! Tribal masks from Africa, Traditional tiki faces, bonsai trees, Hula instruments, saddles, tapa style roofing, beware the lobsters running amuck! Hmmm maybe a promotion needs to be done where what item is new hiding amongst all the decor for a special prize or something? And yes for you folks who are die hard sports fans - there are 2 televisions - everything comes from streaming services - so treat them nicely with yer tips and maybe they can get more power to more of what u wanna see! (hint hint hint) Overall this place is a huuuge 100/10! So bring tyler gang here! Oh in case u asked the bar is inside the Bamboo resort (fun fact this building been here for 100 years!)! And don't worry super close to the bus lines so for those who need an extra lift yer covered! (unless you ubered or lyfted or drove, rode yer own bike/scooter/skateboard or did yer own two feet here! Yes your mouths and eyes are watering to get over here! So easy way to know yer in the right spot is to see the vintage Yellow Woody sitting out front! Just please don't climb in it for photo ops - that would really make everyone sad. Yes Yelpers I "will be back"! Enjoy and help support these local folks running the place!
Well we didn't know what to expect at first but lemme tell you. This food was so delicious, fast, great service. I got the spicy teriyaki tofu salad plate and that was so good. My husband got spicy ahi with a half order of matsuri style shrimp with rice and Mr. loved it. This place upheld and exceeded its standards. The ambiance was very relaxed.
Sam's is tucked away in the back, but has enough decor near the street to find it. The first time I went, was a bit off hours afternoon time frame. I walked to the back and there was no one there, I was unsure of what to do, so I went to the bar and asked if it was Sam's. Sure enough the bartender gave me a menu and I ordered to go. Note that the menu is a little confusing. You need to order things as a plate to get the rice, salad, and potato/mac salad, or else I guess its considered a la carte? I enjoyed it so much that I went twice and seriously considered going a third time in the span of a few days. They are also open late! They do have plenty of seating there but I opted to eat back at my hotel. Online ordering is not available for this location, despite what te menu says. On the first visit, the potato salad was such a sad small scoop, the second time I went, I asked for an additional a la carte side of it for 2.50 and the scoop I got with the plate was also much bigger this time. (See pictures) Overall, really enjoyed the food and would definitely return.
We really enjoyed our lunch here. The seating area was so relaxing and quiet. Food was great and service was kind and attentive. I would absolutely return.
Quaint place and if you blink, you'd miss it. It's a bar situated at the hotel pool. It's a very divey feel but the bartender was super cool while we made a pit stop for drinks and a shrimp plate. I'd come here again.
I came here for garlic shrimp after finding this place on someone's blog. The entrance was quite hard to find--at first, I thought it was just a food truck. When they asked if I was dining in or taking out and I said dining in, they guided us inside to a stylish open-terrace space surrounding a pool. While we were there, we found out from the staff that a famous Japanese idol group had actually filmed a music video here. Apparently, fans used to visit for that reason, but when we came, although there were other customers, nobody seemed to be there specifically for that spot. There were two of us, and since it was around 5 PM and not crowded, we were seated at the big table used in that MV. As for the garlic shrimp--I ordered the spicy version because I love spicy food, but that was a huge mistake. It was so incredibly hot that my mouth was burning, and I couldn't really taste the actual garlic shrimp flavor. I tried my friend's regular one, and it was truly delicious--actually better than at other places I've tried. I definitely recommend going with the regular! I'm not sure about the takeout prices, but dining in with drinks came to about $26 per person. Service depends on the staff, but overall, the atmosphere was great and we left very satisfied.
Finally tried the new location at Bamboo Hotel. Sad to say the orig flavors of my beloved Sam's Kitchen is now gone. The garlic shrimp was drowned with too much butter, the previous version was more dry with better seasoning & popped in the mouth. The garlic steak was good but again no longer the same. The potato salad was descent, but the previous legendary version is also no more. New location is at the back of Bamboo Hotel next to the pool, ambiance was nice. But i miss the orig Sam's Kitchen at the alley
I saw all the great reviews and took my son for lunch. The steak was very chewy and no good. The shrimp had good flavoring, but it was oily and soggy. We had to throw it away after a couple of bites. Luckily this was a food hall and we found him good ramen at Baikohken.
1 year ago
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Sam M.
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2 years ago
3 years ago
this review is only for the garlic shrimps - while the Giovanni truck ones are still my favorite.... Sam's is a close second! Needless to say that I didn't have to fight for my food with gazillions of flies... and I didn't have to peel them shrimps!!! :) great customer service as well - will go back and try other items on the menu when I am in town again! read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
2 years ago
The menu is short and sweet. It made ordering a lot easier! The food quality was good, and the price is more than fair. The ambiance is perfect for a chill meal, with a relaxed vibe that made it easy to unwind. It's tucked away behind a hotel, so it's a bit of a hidden gem. They have a yellow van parked from of the hotel. Definitely a place I'd return to for both the food and the laid-back atmosphere! read more
3 years ago
I found this place on Yelp, and based on the many glowing reviews, we were excited to grab dinner here on our first night in Waikiki. I wanted to love this place, but unfortunately it was just meh. The cashier was not friendly at all. It felt like we were bothering her by placing an order. No greeting or "thank you" or anything. We ordered garlic steak and chicken, both came with rice. The serving sizes were surprisingly small (looks way bigger in the photos) for the amount we paid, but of course, it is waikiki. The rice to meat ratio was also way off. The chicken was nice and crispy, and the garlic flavoring on the steak was good, but like another Yelper mentioned, the steak wasn't of high quality. We left still hungry. read more
2 years ago
Original Garlic Sauce steak plate $27 for all plus a can of sprite. Looks nothing like the pictures asked for medium rare and it's med well. Steak is super rubbery I'm tossing what's left here in the picture. Waste money. I'm not someone who typically yelps but this was legit the worst steak plate I ever had read more
1 year ago
The shrimp are flavorful, not that spicy, and de-shelled. It's a delicious meal with a side salad, macaroni salad, and a bed of rice. You have the option of sitting inside or outside. After you order at their window, they'll bring your food to you to eat. read more
4 years ago
Tucked away from the Main Street where all the restaurants and shops are. You order with the cashier at the window and pay. Take out available and there's also a few tables if you would like to sit down and eat. Original garlic shrimp plate - nice and garlicky ! Flavor is a tad bland for me but the shrimp was perfectly cooked. It comes with a bed of rice, macaroni and potato salad and also side salad. 4/5 Tuna poke - it's not what I imagined authentic poke to be....the color was a bit off and I wasn't a huge fan of the vinaigrette they used to mix the fish. 3/5 read more
The poke is the best thing here. It's legitimately pretty good but it's not what is the most hyped item. They make a big deal about the garlic shrimp here. It's all over their advertisement and decorations. It's a bit weird to pin a restaurant's identity to their secret spice mix and then serve shrimp that is underseasoned. I was expecting this thing to be absolutely crusted in garlic and other seasonings, but it was actually for the most part white in color. They could use 50% more "secret seasonings" and it would probably taste pretty good at that point but my serving looked and tasted fairly bland. The price is fairly high for a food truck style experience, crossing $20 easily with add ons. The flavor of the poke is very competitive with the other dedicated poke places around this neighborhood. In some comparisons it's actually better, and the late night hours make it a really nice option to have. But if their garlic shrimp is their flagship product, I'm not sold on it at the moment. read more
2 years ago
Solid fast food spot. We wanted a quick lunch and didn't mind a short walk. This place was perfect. Not an "occasion " meal or even a semi-casual dinner, but a great lunch spot or a no-frills dinner-in-a-carton. We liked our meals but the food didn't live up to the photos on the wall or the ones online. Still great flavor and value (for Waikiki). read more
2 years ago
This is definitely a hidden gem in Waikiki! The ambience was beautiful. The food was delicious! My server advised of his recommendations & was very nice and friendly. Would definitely recommend. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
The service here is so friendly and above and beyond. A man (perhaps the owner) came out several times to check on us and give us extra utensils or anything we needed because my toddler dropped or broke hers. We tried their garlic jumbo shrimps with salad and rice and also a side order of chicken teriyaki. Chicken Teriyaki: Chicken was hard, dry, and very saucy. It was actually too salty for us. Garlic Shrimp: huge fresh shrimps! They were garlicky but a bit bland. The shrimps were well good and had good textures. Overall, the shrimp was better than the chicken because the chicken was overcooked. Closer to 3.5, but I rounded up for exceptional service. read more
2 years ago
The three of us were able to eat $62 (pre-tip) with an appetizer! Ask for Kai, he is awesome and super knowledgeable and friendly. read more
I've been dying to try shrimp in Waikiki. I couldn't find a shrimp truck so I stopped by Sam's based on the 4 star reviews. I ordered the spicy garlic because of one of the reviews I read. The shrimp is lightly fried without any batter and the meat so fresh. The spicy had a great kick after a couple of bites. I ordered shrimp only and was $14, came with 8 shrimp. Delicious! read more
3 years ago
Came here for a quick bite to eat as my sis arrived late in HI. They were one of the few spots that were open so we came here to get our grub on. We ordered a shrimp plate to share and a sandwhich from next door to share. We actually finished up everything minus the rice from the plate. I believe we got the garlic shrimp plate. They took a bit of time for the food to be ready but it was delish. Staff is very friendly and they have plenty of outdoor seating available. Love the fact that they are so close to the big strip in Honolulu. read more
Went here twice: 1st was when I came here 5years ago and 2nd was with my wife 3years later. First experience was good but the second one was just okay. But both visit did a great job in terms of customer service. I don't have my photo on my first visit but it was a steak and I vividly remember how I enjoyed my meal. Second visit was a poke lunch plate. It was good but not the best. They lack of some spices which I think made my poke seems so incomplete. That feeling when the poke is good but something is missing. Anyhow, I still enjoy it but the food is on the mediocre side. I will still give this eatery another try but not sooner. Their price is just steep (Waikiki baby) and I can get a better meal in a much lower price. See yah later... read more
So glad we visited this place I definitely enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant, the cashier was super sweet to us and the food was more than amazing! The steak was perfectly cooked , shrimp was plumped and juicy and chicken was just right all packed with so much flavor, I also loved how they have a few extra different options of sauce. We can't wait to be back! read more
I was craving garlic shrimp and looked at yelp for help! With no car to go far to search, we found this place. 8 big juicy shrimps smothered in garlicky butter goodness on top warm rice for $21! I gobbled them all up. The Mac salad was creamy with big chunks of potato, and the spinach salad had a nice vinaigrette dressing on top. The only thing that sucks which I saw a lot complain was how dirty the tables were. But honestly I saw one person at the cashier and she was also trying to clean while nobody was there. So maybe they just need more employees? But nevertheless shrimp was on point, can't wait to come back to try the other items. read more
Really wanted to try some good garlic shrimp while here on vacation. Googled "best shrimp near me" and found Sam's Kitchen among the top rated. It was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel, so worth it. The shrimp were large, beautifully cooked and the original garlic sauce was delicious. Got rice, mixed greens and mac potato salad for an extra $6 (da plate), so worth it. read more
I wish I could give a better review. The quality definitely went down here and I'm disappointed the chicken was different from previous experiences and it's not the same as the advertised picture. I've come here so many times and it used to be so good! The chicken used to be white meat and now it's chicken thigh covered in breading. The salad was just spinach and the potato mac salad was overwhelmingly covered in mayo. I would say the food went from VERY GOOD to mediocre. read more
10 months ago
3 years ago
Worst experience I've ever had at in Waikiki. The person taking orders was not good. I asked if you can do a plate with half chicken half steak. She said I can only do a full steak + half a chicken so I decided to get 2 plates (1 chicken and 1 steak). She somehow thought I wanted 2 chicken bowls. After getting my order corrected. I asked for salad for the steak and I didn't even get a full serving of salad on the side and no rice. There was no line to order and the food was a 15-minute wait, which isn't too bad until you see what you actually get for ~$40. I travel to eat and been to Oahu multiple times. This will be the 1st and last time I ever go here. You're better off going to McDonald's. This is a disgrace to food on the island. 2.8/5 stars on flavor 0.0/5 stars on value 1.0/5 stars on service read more
Simple place with a simple menu. First choose your protein, second choose your sauce, third choose your side, lastly you can choose your extra protein ( if wanted/ optional. We ordered medium well for our New York Strip, but we got well done. The Pineapple Teri Chicken size was big, but the sauce had no pineapple taste and the sauce had a no flavor at all! Overall, the Crispy Fries was crispy and tasty. The Garlic Shrimp had the best garlicky flavors. The Ahi had a great shoyu taste with fresh green onions and texture. Note: Please check your orders before you go. Food waste = Money waste :( Recommend: Maybe read more
5 years ago
Ordered the plate which comes with your choice of protein, 2 scoops of rice, mac salad and regular salad. I chose spicy shrimp and the total came out to be $18.85. A steep price which is why this is 4/5 instead of 5/5 stars. The shrimp was VERY GOOD. Perfectly cooked and really well seasoned with a good kick. Mac salad could have been chilled more and was overall just mediocre but the shrimp was soooo good. Definitely worth coming here. Customer service was good too. read more
I saw someone post about Sam's Kitchen right before our trip to Oahu so I bookmarked it right away. I was glad that I did because it ended up being just a few blocks away from our hotel. They have several different flavor options for their shrimp plate, I wanted them all! If they ever come up with a sampler option, I'd definitely be first in line. We narrowed it down to teri garlic flavor - the description says it's a combo of their two most popular flavor. You can pick a side and I didn't realize we could pick two separate ones until our plate arrived with two scoops of potato mac. The potato mac was okay, but would've preferred a mac salad or at least some fries as my other side. Our food was ready within 5 minutes. We were the only customers because we came at an off time in the afternoon, but that was fine with us! The shrimp was so tasty and flavorful, and it was a generous portion of 1/2 lb jumbo shrimp. I love that they have tons of seating here, right in front of the window to order and even more in the back under a shaded canopy! Some shops in these side street don't have seating let alone that much seating so it was a nice break out of the sun. We had a few garlic shrimp plates during our stay on the island and I would say this was probably my favorite one. Unique flavors and really convenient location in Waikiki with plenty of seating! It's also close enough to the beach that if you want to do takeout, it'll still be nice and hot when you get to the sand. read more
We were looking for exactly this vibe. Casual locally owned outdoor seating and good Hawaiian music as background music. Food is so good and simple. We got the jumbo shrimp ($14) with original garlic sauce on a plate (rice, Mac salad and salad $4). 5 stars. Every bite was awesome Also got the steak $18 with teriyaki garlic combo sauce with just rice. So yummy as well. 5 stars. Vegan egg rolls was just okay. Nothing special. Overall sitting here in 75 degree weather at 8pm at night is quite heavenly. Outdoor seating is also nice and clean and simple. Highly recommend. read more
2 years ago
I've always thought there's no way you can mess up garlic shrimp. How hard can it be? Welp, instead of eating garlic at Sam's Kitchen, I'm eating my words instead. My boyfriend and I ordered the shrimp plate (comes with 1/2 pound shrimp, rice and mac salad) with an extra order of shrimp in the plate. Half of the shrimp was supposed to be their original garlic sauce and the other half teri-garlic. WHERE IS THE GARLIC?! The pure disappointment when I opened up the box and saw that there was no rice and mac salad. Even worse - the shrimp didn't even taste garlicky, especially the shrimp that was supposed to be with their original garlic sauce. The teri-garlic sauce was good, but I was still searching for that garlic. The service was good when we had to get our orders corrected, but at the end, I don't think it was worth it. Unfortunately our order was not the only one that got mixed up and the other couple we went with also agreed there was garlic missing in the garlic sauce. read more
First night I arrived to Waikiki I noticed it was very touristy. I was hungry and wanted something more authentic and not Cheesecake Factory or Burger King. I looked around the area and off to a side street was Sam's Kitchen. It was a small hole in the wall that I almost missed if it wasn't for the multiple food pictures of Pokè. It almost reminded me of a stall in a Japan. This was the one I thought. Their menu wasn't huge, it consisted of 6 different food items, ranging from pokè to garlic shrimp. You choose your meats then your bowl. I had to go with Pokè for my first meal here but wanted to try the crispy tofu as well. I didn't get a drink but they gave us a sample of the guava juice and its great. I would definitely get the juice next time. The pokè were big chunks and tasted so much better than something I would get in NYC! The crispy tofu was so crunchy as well. This meal was full of flavor. I was extremely satisfied for my first meal in Hawaii. read more
More info about Sam's Kitchen
2425 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
Waikiki
Directions
(808) 444-3636
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https://sams-royal-kitchen.square.site
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Ask the Community - Sam's Kitchen
Is this place truly open till 1am everday? I am getting back home late next week (11pm) and want to confirm I can grab something here!
Sam's Kitchen is a great place to grab delicious garlic shrimp. Walking distance from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The hours of operations change based on local GOV restrictions but they do update the website and Yelp information often. However during…
How is the parking situation around the area? Can someone please recommend where to park? Also, is it walkable from the Hyatt Regency? Thanks so much!
Parking definitely isn't great as it's located in the touristy area, highly recommend Uber and the bus as we didn't see any parking nearby here
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