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The Polynesian Luau

4.1 (60 reviews)
ModeratePolynesian
Closed 9:30 am - 4:50 pm
Updated 3 months ago

The Polynesian Luau Photos

Business Info

THE POLYNESIAN LUAU ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - The Polynesian Luau

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Sapasui, fasi povi, Turkey tails and fa'i
Monique S.

This is a childhood staple for me, my dad used to take me here. I don't think there's another spot in the city that serves Samoan food. You walk in, it's a counter space to the left that sells accessories, jewelry, keychains etc. all from Samoa. The right side of the store has clothing and ie lavalavas. The food is in the back, cafeteria style serving of course. What they make everyday is half the same as usual and other days it's different. But there's always taro, fa'i (plantains), and sapasui(noodles). I got a regular plate, I opted for all fa'i and no taro. It came with sapasui, fasi povi(corned beef), and Turkey tails. When I tell you the Turkey tails do it every time for me. Slow cooked in gravy with veggies, tender and fall of the bone. Just delicious. The corned beef is a little on the salty side but I just assume it's from cooking in such large batches. The older woman (I call her aunty every time I go in) she's so kind, asks how I'm doing, how my dad and my kids are. It's like walking into your family's place. Always feel welcome. Good and quick customer service.

Fyi Yelp hours are wrong... Updated hours as of May 1st, 2024  You're Welcome!
Gee D.

Was dropping off my car for service up the street and needed to get another tortoise bracelet because my old one broke. I checked on yelp, hours listed that they were open so I decided to take a walk. When I got there they were Closed today(Wed). I was so bummed but I guess I'll come back another day since it's close by. Here's the updated Hours for your reference. I've bought Polynesian print material, pearl braided necklace, tortoise bracelets, earrings, they sell Poly food, kukui nut necklaces, and Poly outfits too! It's an Awesome store and the owner is really nice!! Support Small Businesses!

My 21 dollar plate missing my sausage
Amia P.

First off i been coming here since levi closed born and raised in city . Cant believe they charged me 21 dollars for large plate its always a different server this lady that served me i known her for living in sunnydale projects so why do your people like that . Not asking for anything free but really the owner lady always scoops and hooks my plate up because i come there alot . I cant believe my plate is the way it looks and she didnt even add my sausage . No one was in there and its Friday. Thats bad smh no wonder yall went down to 3 days and is not having buisiness like yall should . Yall should be popping being the only samoan food place around the city . A city full of of polys . Its always a hit or miss but today thought it will be good for lunch im glad didnt have my coworkers pull up this embarrassing. Yeah its not the owner, its always the servers she made sure i had the smallest taro . Never again

The front of the store with some outdoor seating in case you REALLY can't wait to eat your food, lol
Lili M.

I love love love this place. My family and I have gone here for years (I'm surprised this is my first Yelp review about the place). It is located near the Cow Palace and pretty easy to get to from across the Bay Bridge. I legit don't mind driving here from the other side of the bridge for this food. I've had Samoan food elsewhere in the East Bay and it simply does not compare. The food is always fresh and delicious. The staff is nice and sweet, always greeting you as you walk in. The plates are $20 I believe and they come with taro, banana and 3 other items of your choice ranging from sapasui, corned beef, turkey tail, lamb curry, etc. The lamb curry is freaking BOMB and don't forget to get some palusami while you're at it. I think my mom and I have gone here weekly this summer lol but that's because it is SO good. Can't wait to see them again next week!

Corned beef (tasty but very salty) noodles (had ginger in it, yuck)
Terri M.

I was in the area and I came here. It wasn't busy. When the lady opened the food, it didn't look appetizing at all. I got some noodles which weren't good because it had ginger which I cant stand. Odd that ginger would be in noodles like that. The corned beef was very salty but it did have a good flavor to it.

Lamb Curry

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4 months ago

Nice staff. Good home food and beautiful textiles. Ambiance is nice too, will return.

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

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6 months ago

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9 months ago

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9 months ago

Food is always good! Service is good and friendly. Place is clean! Must go for authentic Polynesian food.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Food is always good but I have to say lately the corn beef has been a little tough other than that always delicious

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1 year ago

Took my kids here for the first time and they loved it! Been coming here every since with my parents

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Nice ladies behind the counter. Nice to have ready made Samoan food. Bongos, wahoo, corned beef also for sale.

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Great service, Great Food, the only flawed , they stopped making half moon pineapple pies.....

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

One of the pricey food place. It's best go buy the food and fix it yourself than here.

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

Best Samoan/Polynesian food around. Turkey tails and chop suey are delicious. We come here every time we're in the city.

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Page 1 of 2

Ask the Community - The Polynesian Luau

I’d love to try the dish offerings. Is it like a Panda Express take out where we point to a dish and it’s placed in a to go box or ordered and it’s packaged from the kitchen…

I went before Covid but yes it is done Panda Express style. You pick 3 meat dishes (there might be options for fewer or more entrees) and it comes with standard sides.

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People searched for Polynesian 538 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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Diamond Head General Store

Diamond Head General Store

4.0(464 reviews)
6.1 mi
$$

Musube off the shelf just like Hawaii! Loco moco is a go to…read more Love the frozen section too! Zippys and more! Feels like I was transported to Oahu and the music was nice Hawaiian . All food is served in take out boxes. The guy behind the counter even had a pigeon accent. Will be back to try more Ono Ono food!

Diamond Head General Store is a like a touch of Hawaii in the Bay Area with hawaiian based snacks,…read moredrinks, even frozen Zippy meals available for purchase! They also serve hot food if you're looking for a bite to eat. Interior has some seating inside with a grocery store kind of feeling. No outdoor seating available. Parking is limited to street parking. A few notes: * Not everything in the store is labelled with prices * Hot food was pretty average in my opinion * Price vs value wasn't great in terms of quality of food Onto the hot food: * butter mochi - definitely the best thing we ordered here! Chewy buttery and soft in texture. Don't skip this. * garlic shrimp- this was recommended by the cashier but it was quite lacking in depth of flavor with the primary taste just being garlic. No spice, nothing special to stand out. After a while the sauce gets tiring. Mac salad was prominently peppery but bland in both texture and flavor. * Mochiko chicken - Not bad, crunchy battered chicken. Interior of the chicken was juicy but lacking in that distinct strong sweet savory that mochiko chicken is known for. Again, the mac salad was a letdown. Overall, the food was quite average especially for the price point. I can think of two places in SJ with better Hawaiian food for half the price.

Photos
Diamond Head General Store - Dining room

Dining room

Diamond Head General Store - Crunchy Chili Garlic Chicken

Crunchy Chili Garlic Chicken

Diamond Head General Store - Special: Matcha Strawberry Mochi

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Special: Matcha Strawberry Mochi

Hula Hoops - Sisig Silog

Hula Hoops

4.2(2k reviews)
4.8 mi
$$

Great for brunch! Got lucky to be seated at the bar without a wait or reservations. The kids…read moreenjoyed the bartender mixing different drinks and all the different decorations. The chicken Ube waffle is a must try! Comes with gravy and ube sauces. We also ordered sig sig breakfast, musubi, fries, banana smoothies, and coffee. All on point. One of the best Hawaiian/Filipino food in the bay.

Made an easy reservation online and was even able to update it the day before to add another person…read morewith no issues, which we really appreciated. We had heard such great things about Hula Hoops and were excited to come for Mother's Day brunch. When we arrived Sunday morning, we were seated right away, which was great. However, our party of six was seated with only three food menus and five drink menus. I asked our waitress if we could get additional menus for the rest of the table, and she explained they had run out and were waiting for other guests to finish with theirs. We ended up asking if there was a QR code version we could scan, and she brought one over. I was mostly confused why the QR code wasn't offered immediately, knowing half the table didn't have menus to begin with. It just made the start of the experience feel a little disorganized. That said, there were definitely some positives. The sparkling cider for Mother's Day brunch was a really nice touch, and the Shanghai lumpia was fantastic. I ordered the two-protein silog breakfast with eggs, and while the flavors were good, the single scoop of rice just didn't feel proportionate to the rest of the plate. Any Filipino knows you need a little more rice to balance everything out, so I ended up not finishing my meal because it felt off portion-wise. My son ordered the cheese omelet and said it wasn't his favorite, especially the potatoes. The ube waffles were really yummy though, and my husband enjoyed the sisig tater tots. Overall, I'm glad we finally got to try Hula Hoops after hearing so many good things, but unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the hype for us, and I don't think we'd return.

Photos
Hula Hoops - Ube colada

Ube colada

Hula Hoops - SPAM FRIES (12/2024)

SPAM FRIES (12/2024)

Hula Hoops - Ube Latte

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Ube Latte

TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR - Tonga Rolls

TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR

3.4(3.3k reviews)
5.9 miNob Hill
$$$

Kitschy and expensive, but my wife and I had fun at the Fairmont Hotel's Tonga Room. Strong,…read morefruity tropical drinks, live "yacht rock" music, moody lights, and a light and sound show reminiscent of the Rainforest Cafe, all add up to a great place to start or finish an evening date night. We visited on a Saturday evening in May, not an optimal choice as the place was full of prom dates and wedding parties. Our original table was directly beyond the dance floor so all we could see was various couples swaying to the band. The server was kind enough to move us to a table with a view of the pool and band. The food isn't much to get excited about here, but we were hungry and ordered a couple appetizers. Quite pricey, I mean, it's the Fairmont Hotel, plus there's an additional entertainment fee when the band is playing. But hey, Anthony Bourdain actually liked this place. I agree, it's worth experiencing. PS - This was the second time I've been in the SF Fairmont Hotel. The first was Feb 1988. I was attending a conference with several lady friends, we walked by the hotel and discovered that Lou Rawls was singing in the Venetian Room. My friends finagled the staff into giving us a table at the back for the show. They loved it, but I was young, and bored, and left after a couple songs. I went to a nearby bar, had a couple drinks, and then meandered back to my room, alone. So much for my carefree bachelor days.

I was able to celebrate my birthday here. The vibe and experience is definitely like Hawaii. We did…read morethe poo poo platter as well as two drinks the Golden cup and then we also did a Kahlúa pork plate and it was very filling. Service was pretty good and the ambience definitely felt like I was back home. Definitely would come back here and celebrate my birthday again. Thank you for letting me spend my birthday with you guys.

Photos
TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR - Decorative sculpture.

Decorative sculpture.

TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR - Lomi Lomi Salmon Poke

Lomi Lomi Salmon Poke

TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR - Lava Flow- alcohol free

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Lava Flow- alcohol free

Manuia Polynesian Revue - Manuia Polynesian Revue at the 2018 Nihonmachi Street Fair in Japantown.

Manuia Polynesian Revue

4.8(16 reviews)
3.3 mi

I started my daughter this year (2019) through a referral of one of the moms I knew from my…read moredaughter's daycare. Auntie Camille was super sweet and welcoming. My daughter enjoys the Monday classes. We also started the Saturday classes which I have to get her warmed up to. The instructors are good, they do their best I don't have an outrageous high expectation, its hard enough to be a teacher yet, it's even harder to be a teacher to children because not all kids have a long attention span. Im happy that I found this new dance family for my daughter. We plan to be with them for a long time.

Manuia is family. I started my daughter at Manuia when she was 3 and right before the lockdown. I…read morewas going to pull her out when COVID happened, as when they started virtual classes I thought it was not going to be worth it, but I am so glad I let her stay. It was a perfect extra curricular for her during lockdown and she learned so much virtually. They had virtual showcase and the kids learned the dances just though the screen and to me that was amazing. Teachers Fue and Jackie are very patient to the kids. Now that Manuia has been open in person, they were able to do in person shows lately, one of which was in Chase Center for the Warriors Polynesian Heritage Night. That was a very memorable experience for my daughter. Not only that she's learning different dances, coming out of her shell and is more confident, but Manuia is like a family to us. She's making new friends and the amazing team: Auntie Camille, Uncle Tommy, lovely teachers Fue and Jackie and the rest of the Manuia teachers and drummers are very welcoming and talented in more ways than one.

Trader Vic's - Lettuce Cups

Trader Vic's

3.6(1.3k reviews)
10.8 mi
$$$

First things first, the drinks here are absolutely outstanding. It was great to go to one of the…read morefirst tiki bars in the US and to try so many different cocktails. They're about $16 a cocktail which isn't terrible, but if you are drinking and dining you'll run up a pretty tab. It's also not in a part of the city that you'll be able to take public transit to, so make sure you have a DD or an uber ready. The food was good, but not exquisite. I liked the Maui Wowie shrimp a lot, and would probably try something more novel instead of chicken next time. The artisanal love is definitely poured into the drinks. Overall, this was a fairly expensive date night. The bartenders were lovely, and although the place was full when we got there around 6:30 the crowd thinned out as the night progressed. It's the kind of place you either have to get reservations for or be comfortable waiting.

This place is known for it's mai tai's, but they have lots of other fruity and colorful cocktails…read morehere. I think the main attraction of this place is the location. It sits on the beautiful Emeryville Marina. It's an amazing piece of real estate, right on the water. The service here is decent, but nothing special. Everyone seems to have worked there for quite some time. There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm in the service, but they tolerated my questions. Parking is easy. There's a parking lot right out front.

Photos
Trader Vic's - Well-stocked bar included local rums

Well-stocked bar included local rums

Trader Vic's - Koans Puffer

Koans Puffer

Trader Vic's - Bumbu Hunter

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Bumbu Hunter

Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant - new bar at Pa'ina

Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant

3.9(942 reviews)
5.5 miLower Pacific Heights, Japantown
$$

the food was so good but the service was bad we had gotten our food before our drinks and wait a…read morelong time to get out check just poor service and they allowed dogs and there was a dog on the table just nasty and nobody said anything but the food was good though

Came here for 25¢ Wing Wednesday and got a whole experience out of this. This is a cool place to…read morekick back and chill, watching sports while listening to Hawaiian songs and eating yummy food. We got the Garlic Noodles, Pork Belly Taco, Kalbi Short Ribs, and of course the Wings, as well as the Ube Colada and Lychee-tini. The Garlic Noodles were delicious. Couldn't stop going back for more with the yummy Garlic flavor. If you love Garlic, you will definitely love these Noodles. The Pork Belly Tacos were just okay. It was cooked fine, but the flavor was just okay. The Kalbi Short Ribs were also just okay. They were cooked fine, but really had little to no flavor. Definitely have had better. As for the Wings, we got the Pa'ina, Sriracha Honey,Salt and Pepper, Garlic Cilantro, and Spicy Mango. The Pa'ina has Sweet Chili Glaze, but too us was just spicy and didn't really have much flavor beyond that. In comparison, the Sriracha Honey we thought had more flavor besides its heat. The Salt and Pepper was a disappointment. It didn't have much flavor and was actually the least tasty of all of them. It was moist like the rest of them, but wish that the Skin was crispy like you expect Dry Rub Wings to be instead of being soggy. The Garlic Cilantro was a good combination with the Fish Sauce, Cilantro, Garlic, Serrano, and Lime Juice if you like Cilantro. The Spicy Mango was actually no really spicy and had a good Mango flavor to it, not that artificial Mango flavor you get with some things Plus, the Ube Colada was thankfully not too sweet, and was well balanced in Alcohol to drink ratio instead of barely tasting the Alcohol or the Ube. The Lychee-tini was also well balanced in both the Lychee and Alcohol flavor. Overall, great drinks, service, and food. Definitely would come here again and try more yummy food.

Photos
Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant - Loco Moco

Loco Moco

Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant - Kona Tasting Flights

Kona Tasting Flights

Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant - Island cocktails - Ku'uipo

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Island cocktails - Ku'uipo

Ono Hawaiian BBQ

Ono Hawaiian BBQ

3.3(371 reviews)
3.7 mi
$$

A Taste of Excellence at Ono Restaurant, Colma!…read more Stepping into Ono Restaurant in Colma was a fantastic decision, and I'm thrilled to share my experience! From the moment I walked in, the inviting ambiance set the stage for what turned out to be a truly delightful meal. If you're looking for a spot that consistently delivers, keep reading! My go-to order, the Grilled Chicken Breast, was, as always, absolutely delicious and utterly dependable - it truly never disappoints. Beyond the fantastic food, the service was exceptional. Nicole, who assisted me, was wonderful, adding to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. It's clear that great food paired with attentive service makes all the difference. What truly impressed me was not just the delicious meal, but also the immaculate environment. Junior, the manager, is doing an outstanding job ensuring the place is sparkling clean, which definitely enhances the dining experience. With delicious food, great service, and a spotlessly clean setting, Ono Restaurant comes with my highest recommendation!

The island fire chicken brought me on a trip to the island where volcanoes were raging in an epic…read moregeological display of nature's most powerful forces. It was fire. It was gloriously spicy and awesome to behold. The leafy greens with its tangy, gingery yet light dressing toned down the heat just enough like the trees that that offer a respite from the raging heat. Yep, the meat was super tender and bountiful like a luau. I was invited to join in Ono's festivities, its culture, and its flavors. They were very quick with the prep too, as I was out of there in just a few minutes! The string of orders before me also were completed very quickly. The food and containers were still very hot when I took out the takeout containers.

Photos
Ono Hawaiian BBQ
Ono Hawaiian BBQ
Ono Hawaiian BBQ - Line out the door!

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Line out the door!

The Polynesian Luau - polynesian - Updated May 2026

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