4 Followers
Go To Grindz - Oahu
Things I like on island. List keeps growing as I eat at more places!
31 Places
-
Karlo’s 5-star review: I was pleasantly surprised one day doing a package drop off near by that this was opening very close to home. I ran into the manager while they were working on the restaurant. At the time, he said it would open June 25 or 26th. I told him I'd be there! I have been checking in person every day for their opening since and today is the day! It's a grab and go place unlike the Pearl City location with booths to sit and eat in. I ordered a mini ontama beef bowl and mini ontama teriyaki bowl. The only way to eat these bowls is to wash them down with two melon sodas! Like usual, the bowls are generous even for minis filled with meat and rice. I have no complaints. That was worth the week wait and check physically! In the end, I'm satisfied and happy that they were able to expand this business. They are worth supporting and have always been as good as they are today. This is not just another beef bowl but a beef bowl that takes me back to my vacation in Japan with their restaurant atmosphere and the taste of their food. -
Karlo’s 4-star review: Wife and I came here yesterday as I've been eyeballing that loco moco burrito for a while. Also had the smoked marlin dip and the hoisin chicken which we saved for later. Wife ordered as many beef kawali as possible. Beef kawali was good as usual. I really was hoping for more vinegar on the side but still the best thing on the menu. The hoisin chicken had a great char flavor to it. Definitely enjoy the flavors to this chicken. The loco moco burrito was also good. I was wondering how this will be pulled off and it could be messier in my book. Too light on the gravy. I also like my loco moco with a sunny or overeasy egg. I was missing that. Definitely missing was massive amounts of gravy. How to rework this is to make an option for a wet burrito or gravy on the side as a dip or pour over. Put the sunny egg on top and pour the gravy. We have ourselves a great burrito! Also I'd go with a garlic rice or fried rice over the spanish rice, but it works. The smoked marlin dip was a bit of a letdown. It's served with fried pita chips. I kept dipping looking for the smoked part but couldn't find it. Liquid smoke will only help this dip out for the smoked flavor we were looking for. Once again, we thought overall, the food was good. I still think it has the potential to be great. The food for me was telling me that, and the menu itself as unique as it is is telling me that also. Just some minor changes to the recipes and an honest change to some menu items that might not be selling too well. Maybe after a review of what they offer, they can focus on mastering some of these recipes. We'll definitely still be coming back because we like the food and service! -
Karlo’s 5-star review: We came here last night on short notice and reserved a party of 8. There was a larger party than ours so I was thankful they found space for us as we are sending off family leaving island for good tomorrow. We were seated fairly quickly. The menu was all katsu things with some skewer sticks. We eventually bought 2 of the 10 piece assorted sticks, and pork loin curry. This menu is personally a big hit to me as I constantly switched my order at least 10 times before actually ordering. They did one thing well and that was making katsu! The curry was one of the best I've had on island. The skewers were also super delicious. My favorite was the soft shelled crab though there were plenty other flavors that were also good. Been wanting to come here for years and now I know why. I need to come here more as we had a good time and really enjoyed our food!
-
-
Karlo’s 5-star review: We learned from the first time we came here to order before coming. Otherwise, you're in for a lengthy wait. We ordered two create your own pastas. The first was ube noodles, Alfredo sauce, and shrimp. The second was ulu noodles, coconut cream, and brisket with pineapple bbq sauce. We also walked away with ube cheesecake this time. Hard to resist the desserts when there's so many delicious desserts in front of you. The restaurant was busy as usual. Aunty Millie was at the counter as usual, handling the dinner rush well in her glowing saint like aura. Still the best customer service in the state. In a few minutes we walked away with our food. Both were just as good. The coconut cream and bbq sauce blend was unique and worked. It was so good I had to try very hard not to eat it all in one go as portions are big. The shrimp was also good. Very creamy as well in their Alfredo and maybe less sweetness than the brisket noodles. The cheesecake was also good. Good ube and dessert overall. We'll definitely be back the next time we're around Kaneohe. There's always more combinations to try. -
Karlo’s 5-star review: When it comes to Mexican restaurants and Hawaii, I tend to be disappointed most of the time. I always believed one place would have great proteins, but the tortilla they offered was only flour, or they would offer great tortillas both flour and corn, but their protein selection would be small and scared of seasoning. They could never put the two together. Then there's also the question of how fresh something is and whether it's possibly just microwaved, canned, or powdered. I've been so disappointed I started making corn tortillas in my backyard from scratch! When this Yelp event showed up to try them out in Waimalu Shopping Center, I was already thinking that I hope this isn't another disappointment. I've had great Mexican food in my time living in San Diego several years ago. I just recently came off a two week vacation in Mexico in December, so my bar was very high. Everything in Mexico was so good, I hadn't had the heart to eat Mexican with the exception of me making it from scratch at home so as not to ruin the memory of the flavors I had. The restaurant order window was outside to the left of Vons Chicken and built into the Palama Market. There was seating in the middle of the market itself, though somewhat limited. The verdict is an astounding pass! They have saved the name of all Hawaii based mexican restaurants, but they also brought me back to Mexico in my first bite! We had the pineapple tamale, birria taco, chicken mole taco, machaca torta, and the horchata. The first win was the price. Other restaurants, we'd be walking away near the $100 mark based on what we ordered. This was nowhere even close to that! In the first bite of the pineapple tamale, I already knew that this thing was fresh. It's something you wanted your second and third bite and just had to find the will to stop eating it to taste the other food I ordered. The birria and chicken mole street tacos were just the right size for street tacos and had a lot of flavor in them. The machaca torta was bigger than expected and deserved a picture by itself. The horchata I kept studying. Marhen was speaking to us, who I assume is the owner, and I asked if it was powdered horchata because I was 50/50. The white is more murky of traditional horchata. When it's powdered, it tends to look like what she gave us. It looked powdered but tasted home made, so I was 50/50. She fixed me and said that it was made this morning using several different milks! Points won for not using powder or making a traditional horchata! I get finding the right balance. My bbq marinades have between 10 to 15 sauces and seasonings! I was the right kind of full after eating. I greeted the restaurant before leaving and told them my friends who are Mexican are coming by later today to give their Mexican stamp of approval! As for me, I'll definitely be back again as they are now on my radar for great food on Oahu! -
-
-
-
Karlo’s 2-star review: Its always hit or miss with your service. Unfortunately the last time I went here was pre covid and that day was a hit. Tried to call in your wing Wednesday deal today 3 times and no answer within 10 minutes. Had 2 other people call in after i did and still no answer. A family member decided to walk there today and the wait was slow with them only in line. So 20 wings and 3 pizzas were ordered. Family member reported back that the order was wrong for the wings when she was already yelling back every time the employee said i cant hear you or huh. The wings were corrected however the 1 hour wait to get the order done was not exactly expected especially if they were the only ones in line. Do better and answer your phone when customers call. I'll wait another few months before eating here again. Maybe you'll be a hit that time in terms of customer service. Food is always good though so there's your positive. -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Karlo’s 5-star review: Great plate lunches and friendly people. The wait for food is toxic exploring the market this restaurant was within. I say toxic in a good way as I end up buying a bunch of snacks and musubis I didn't plan on buying Will come again if I'm near by on that part of the island! -
-
Karlo’s 5-star review: Forgot to review a few weeks ago when we went. They were open, plate lunches so good we came back a second time the same day (once before Kualoa Ranch and then after). We got the triple plate combo, chicken plate, smoked meat plate. I have nothing bad to say. Just wished there was more of that irresistible bbq sauce on our plates. Ended buying two bottles that goes well with many things if you're always hungry like me. The workers were quick and made our food well. Food pairs well with the Kane juice place a couple stalls away. Will be back for more again. -
-
-
-
-
Karlo’s 4-star review: First saw this when we went to Iam Tongi's homecoming concert. At first glance I thought poke with a cool sign. Not much to look at here. Everyone does poke so we passed on it. The next day a couple friends who went asked if we ate here. I said no and they pretty much told my I made a big mistake. So if I ever came by Kahuku, I'd eat here. A couple weeks ago was that day. I was still not convinced that this poke was good so I ordered as a skeptic and ordered a half pound as we ordered from a couple other places around here. I did this as an appetizer to our plate lunches and drinks. I underestimated them big time and I'm happy thatbI was wrong. The poke I had was pretty unique and far better than most places I've been to including a couple in Kona I really liked. They got something different and a half pound of poke put me on notice. Next time I'm in the area, these guys will be the star of the show and maybe they get that one extra star from me that day. -
Karlo’s 5-star review: We were here a couple weeks ago. We're rarely in Kahuku but when we're in the area pretending to be vacationers at Kualoa Ranch, we make a stop at the food trucks. I've always seen this place and usually it's closed. Not this day and they did not disappoint. We actually went here twice once before and a second time after. This juice was so naturally sweet that it left a big impression on me. We ordered several drinks and they allowed me to add li hing powder to drinks that is usually served with a different menu item. Everything we ordered was good but the calamansi with li hing in a mason jar is a drink I will never forget. This should be offered as a regular item. It was equal parts sweet and sour. I could not stop drinking this thing and was sad I ran out. We'll most certainly be back for more when we are out here again! -
-
Karlo’s 5-star review: Went here a few weeks ago. Just forgot to review. We had the Green dragon roll, spicy ahi bento, calamari, and the melon and mango? (Orange can) soda. We eat here plenty times before and think they're the best Ninja Sushi location on island. Aunty is always accomodating to us and that's the biggest reason we come back outside of liking their food. They are set up for take out mostly since the lockdowns. They still have tables and chairs for dine in if you prefer. We like dining in when we are here. We'll be back again when we get the craving for sushi. This place is like comfort food to us now! -
Karlo’s 4-star review: So I'm a regular here and come by often. Not once have I tried a burger here since everyone does burgers. Today was that day. Like any day we are here, the restaurant is filled with customers. Behind the counter were a bunch of unfamiliar faces working as we normally come by in the afternoon and evening times. We ordered a li hing lemonade, a small jar of pepper water to restock the one we have at home, beef bone luau, animal style burger med rare with twisty fries side, and the special dessert which was half rocky road and half kona ice cream with an oreo crumb topping and cinnamon toast crunch bed. The lemonade, fries, beef luau, and dessert all came out great. Just had a bad burger for 3 reasons: two burned buns and a well done patty. Remember, I asked for medium rare. I had a really strong charred flavor which I do like milder. I had to use the animal sauce and a lot of pepper water to tame it down. Thankfully, the house pepper water literally goes with everything savory. Also wondered if the egg was supposed to be cooked through. A sunny or overeasy egg with some yolk bursting adds an element of surprise and flavor to burgers for me. Today I was a little disappointed because I've been saying for a while I want to try the burgers. Everything else was still good just today was off with the burger. I'll definitely order another burger when Robin is working. Maybe it'll be cooked medium rare and not well done. What's the use of asking how you want it cooked when it's cooked one way? -
About
Discover
Languages
Countries
Copyright © 2004–2024 Yelp Inc. Yelp, 
, 
and related marks are registered trademarks of Yelp.