Ala Moana Poi Bowl

Picked up a friend from the states and brought her to try Hawaiian food, she's never had Hawaiian food. And it was her first trip to hawaii!We ordered the combo kalua pig and lau lau, she absolutely loved it. The kalia pig was just right and not too salty and had a good smoked flavor. The Lau lau was good, plenty pork, a piece of fish and a lot of leaves. The Mac salad was okay, too much mayo for me. When the mainland guest ate 75% of her plate lunch you know it's ono!Service is quick, everything is pre cooked and in the heaters, they just assemble the plates. Location is great in food court so plenty seating.

Poi Bowl is a solid choice for a quick, satisfying meal in Ala Moana, offering a delicious, locally inspired take on a Hawaiian classic. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.Video Review will be posted on Tik Tok and Instagram soon @FoxyappetiteIn depth review:Poi Bowl in Ala Moana offers a fresh take on classic Hawaiian comfort food. Their Loco Moco features a base of rice and smooth, earthy poi that complements the savory elements of the dish.The hamburger patty is juicy and well-seasoned, with a tender, not overly thick texture. The fried egg is perfectly cooked, with a runny yolk that blends into the gravy. The gravy itself is lighter, letting the other ingredients shine without overwhelming the dish.The portion size is generous but not over the top, and it's reasonably priced for the quality. The dish is balanced, flavorful, and comforting.

I cant give an accurate rating since our fault for ordering poorlyThis was just not it. First I dont even like shredded pork which is what this is. And second we shouldve ordered a second meat have more options fill up that space. Even the cashier asked us "just kalau pig?"Im sure this place is amazing when you order right Ive seen lots of great picsLearn from my mistakes lol

For mall food, this place is better than others I have had. I got the Local boy special with had the poi, kalui pork, Lau Lau, chicken noodle, salad, lomi salmon, and haupia (dessert similar to a custard but in jello form. I liked everything except the lomi salmon - too fishy. The first time I had lomi salmon I thought it had gone bad but this second time, I realize that is how it is. Service was very good. I haven't had poi before and the guy at the counter let me sample a little. It's fermented taro which doesn't sound appetizing but I liked it. There was a lot of seating at the mall food court. So many choices for food. I did think that even though the plate was good, it was expensive, even for mall food.

Located in the first floor food court in Ala Moana SC, there were so many restaurants to choose from, but after seeing the tripe stew and squid luau, I decided to choose Poi Bowl for lunch.Although a little pricier than if you go to the west side (after all, it's in the SC foodcourt), the tripe stew and squid luau were delicious. From the last time I went, the tripe stew wasn't as gamey, and the sauce was liquidy but flavorful. Too bad the lady had a holed ladel, so when I asked for more sauce on the rice or with the tripe, she couldn't scoop it since it just ran through the ladel. The lady next to me made a face, reading, how can you not have stew without the sauce? lol. They give a huge amount of tripe, but it's just tripe, no carrots celery like other places. The squid luau (which they charge a little more than a dollar more) was mixed to perfection - it wasn't as watery as it was previously, and I could taste the sweet coconut flavor in it.2 choice plate lunch comes with mac or garden salad and rice. Service was great and fast since it is in warmers, and they don't charge extra using a credit card.Not too bad among the many other restaurants to choose from in the food court, especially if you're craving for hawaiian.

While Jamie W. and I had our share of plate lunches on our recent trip to Oahu, I have to admit we really didn't eat true Hawaiian food beyond loco moco. After all, who doesn't like hamburger steak with a lot of brown gravy? However, we made note of a couple of local vloggers who claimed this was the go-to place for authentic Hawaiian food.It wasn't in a ramshackle shack in an old Honolulu neighborhood. Nope, it's in the always crazy-busy Makai Market Food Court in the middle of Ala Moana Shopping Center. In fact, this was one of the busier kiosks, so we were feeling pretty confident. I ordered the $18.75 Three-Item Combo Plate which came with rice and macaroni salad. Worked for me.I selected Pork Adobo, Kalua Pig Cabbage, and Chicken Long Rice. All three were tasty with the kalua pig the standout. The long rice was more like glass noodles simmered in chicken broth. I switched out the rice for their Chinese fried rice (photo: https://yelp.to/7hM8L_1-nn). The mac salad was decent enough though more slithery than I preferred (photo: https://yelp.to/4JEmBLCEn7).Jamie ordered almost the same thing but skipped the Chicken Long Rice. He just paid $16.95 for his Two-Item Combo (photo: https://yelp.to/smQpMfeQ93). True to what the vloggers said, our meals tasted more like food that was prepared in somebody's kitchen and less like luau leftovers. Honestly the biggest challenge was finding an open table because this food court is a complete zoo at lunchtime.FOOD - 4 stars...authentically homestyle Hawaiian eatsAMBIANCE - 3 stars...it's the mall...what do you expect?SERVICE - 3.5 stars...they serve it up full and quickTOTAL - 4 stars...eat like a real localRELATED - Exploring Hawaii? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3Kz5ksc

I was so happy that Poi Bowl is still there at Ala Moana Center's Food Court. I used to come here after work when I worked near Kapiolani Blvd over 20 years ago. This is the only Hawaiian restaurant that I know in the convenient location. I had to share the aloha of poi to my mainland friend who have never had Hawaiian food before. I grabbed the perfect opportunity when a group of friends gathering at the food court. The menu was not so easy to read with the time constraint. I ordered the Hibiscus Special combo that included familiar dishes. Entrées were Chicken Long Rice and Laulau. Sides were Poi, Lomi Salmon and Haupia. I forgot to ask for pepper water. But everything tasted fine. My friend must be hungry. He didn't say anything about poi until days later. Hahaha.I will be back for more ono Hawaiian food when I travel to the island again.

Ordered loco moco.It was good.Had 2 good size beef patties.With rice/Mac salad.Inside the Ala Moana (downstairs) food court.

I stopped by the Poi Bowl at Ala Moana Mall and ordered the Trip Stew, which turned out to be great. It tasted exactly how my mom used to make it for me.

Spent $70 here on food for the family, and they couldn't follow order instructions. I called and the workers were extremely unprofessional, sounded confused about their own job.