En Fuego Grill

Okazuya in Hawaii is a dying trend. I think all the family-run establishments weren't passed on or younger family members weren't interested in taking over. En Fuego is a great addition to the okazuya world on the west side. Los of choices. Okazuya's not so cheap anymore. 3 "plates" ended up being $40, but was yummy. Especially liked the shoyu chicken and potato hash. Pork adobo not so much.

I'd first like to start this review with a DISCLAIMER: My personal opinion of the Okazuya at En Fuego's is in its fair judgement to OKAZUKA and its unique, cultural style of premade side dishes. These side dishes are usually part of a long list of old school 'Okazuya' kine tingz us Hawaii people like to grind, so don't expect it all to match or even be something you'd choose for breakfast. Most items are entree selections that are served in small portions. Additionally, these little side dishes won't always be hot and fresh out the kitchen, and they're surely not customizable; you just look, point, and pay.With that said....!! I'd give En Fuego Okazuya a solid 4 stars. Let's start with the list of things we tried today:- Fried saimin - Chow fun- Hamburger patty- Hash patty - Fried chicken - Ginger fried rice - Butterfish- Furikake salmon - Mochiko chicken - Gobo - Furikake musubi- Vegetable tempura Aside from the items that looked familiar upon sight, I had to ask what everything was. The young lady working the front was helpful in naming the items as I pointed down the hot line, but name plaques would be so much more efficient. To be honest, it was hard to see a lot of things because the levels were low in the warmers, or the pieces of proteins were sitting in a sauce and they all kinda look alike if you're not an okazu pro. Before entering the place, I gave my wife the heads up that this might be costly... and girrrrrl, I wasn't lying! Lol! Our bill came out to $48 before tax. There was an item on the receipt that I noticed we didn't order, so we had to go back in for a $3.50 refund. No biggie, but ALWAYS check your receipt! Foodie-buddy tip :)Once we got to grinding, we were pleased that most of our picks were pretty tasty. The food was standard to other places we frequent, and the portion was reasonable as well. Salt factor - I'd say some dishes could've used more, while others had too much. Crispy factor for our fried items? This lands at a 4/5, too, and we could tell things would've been so much better if it was hot, but it was still fairly crispy (veg temp, fried chicken, mochiko). All-in-all, this first drop in was a success. 4 stars isn't a knock outta the park, but it's good enough to go back to try other things. My wife and I have already been lovers of En Fuego for about 15 years, but with their adjusted hours of operation, we no longer get to enjoy them for dinner or even a late lunch. I'm happy to see they answer their phones now tho! I know during and right after Covid, calls were directing you to visit their website for ordering and whatnot. Definitely a negative aspect at the time, so that being changed is a huge plus. Enjoy :)

Pork chops weren't cooked properly. Luckily I was at home and heated it up in the microwave. Terrible pork chops. I only had a few bites and threw the rest away. There was no wow factor. Just "eh"

They have really good food, however today was a slight disappointment. The order: Ahi Katsu and Garlic Chicken Combo with 1 scoop brown (mommy/Kenzo), 1 scoop white (daddy), Mac Salad and a Side Garden Salad. The Ahi Katsu was a fat piece, but the interior was a tad overdone and dry. The creamy Asian sauce help add some moistness. They usual star garlic chicken had its typical awesomely sweet and slightly garlic flavor, however the chicken came out cold. There was still crunch, but some chicken a tad hard. Probably cooked way earlier and just been sitting.Which was surprising as it did take a good 10-15 min for food to come out, in which only the ahi katsu being cooked fresh. I am a fan of their Mac, nice and creamy flavor with a touch of pepper. They got rid of the inside seating area since I last came here, however there are a few tables outside. Still a fan of their food and will be back when on this side of island, just not on their game today.

Yoooooooo, if you on the west side and looking for okazuya...this is it. I heard some things about En Fuego like they over priced, it's mid, etc. Naw this place is the plug for all your okazuya needs. They have it all. The musubis, noodles, shoyu hot dog, hash patties. The service is fast even though only got my dude working the counter. The interior is just the food. They got rid of the sit down area due to Covid. It's ok though you can go to a nearby park or the beach to eat. As for me I ate my plate in the car...couldn't wait. Oh here's a game changer...they have this thing called Butterfish Fried Rice...it is sooooo good. They pick out the bones, well atleast I think they do. I didn't run into a single bone while eating and the thing only $3. I could do 3 orders of that and a hash patty and be on my way. This place is great!

The son wanted to practice his driving out in Kapolei to prepare for his driving test so I looked for some places that had gluten free options for me. I was so excited about reading that there were gluten free chicken options here. I wanted to try the garlic chicken and garlic ahi. My husband makes a great mochiko chicken that's gluten free for us at home so garlic chicken it is!It's a take out place with some chairs outside for seating. When I went in, I asked the young man at the counter if their garlic chicken and garlic ahi is gluten free. He said he would go ask for me. He came back with a young female who pointed out the sign in the way left corner that said which items were gluten free. I thanked them and proceeded to order. The guy was very nice and patient. He asked me how I wanted my garlic ahi and I thought okay, seared sounds good. He made sure I understood that the inside wouldn't be cooked all the way through. I asked him how fresh is the fish? He came back with a piece of fish. I don't know that much about fish. I said okay. Son ordered garlic chicken and garlic shrimp. When the food came, I looked at my fish and knew I wouldn't be able to eat it. It was way too raw. I took one bite and it was fishy. Yes, I know that fish are fishy but I'm particular and this kind of fishy meant this fish wasn't as fresh as I thought it to be. My son refused to allow me to ask for them to cook it all the way through so he volunteered to eat it. I was okay with that. My garlic chicken was good! Flavor was good, crunchy and my stomach didn't hurt later so it must have been gluten free. Son had four little pieces of garlic shrimp with his garlic chicken. He wasn't a big fan of the chicken so he gave it to me. The garlic shrimp wasn't very garlicky. More herbish. Still love Jenny's shrimp truck in the North Shore! My son complained about his rice. It seemed like the kind of rice cooked in a pan versus a rice cooker. For the amount of food, I was still hungry. The tossed salad was very fresh and refreshing! But overall food was underwhelming. I wouldn't drive all the way out for the garlic chicken even though they are the only ones I know who make it gluten free.

En Fuego Grill located in the Kapolei Shopping Center across from Koa Pancake House. Lots of free parking in a private parking lot. They've trimmed down from a Take Out / Dine In Restaurant to a Take Out only Restaurant. Staff are friendly and quick. They've recently expanded to serve Okazu-ya in the mornings from 6am. Showcases replaced the front counter displaying a good assortment of Japanese Deli favorites. Lunch and Dinner menu entrees are still the favorites.

Best: Hawaiian plateGarlics friesGarlic ahi (seared) & garlic chicken comboGarlic chicken plateSquid ku

I got a mini hamburger steak today. Home made patty, gravy, onions w rice and mac salad. It was good but I prefer a more of that creamier brown/whiteish mushroom gravy. Still good tho. I also got okazuya in the form of the fish patty and a furikake fish patty. They are not as moist as I am used to but still good. They had some crunch and flavor from the onions inside. I prefer the furikake one of the two because it was a little bit more flavorful than just the regular patty. Will definitely be back for that. Of the times that I go here, you don't wait too long for your food whether there is a line or not. Seems like the seating is outside only so you take your chances and may be sitting in the sun but, IMO this food is perfect for that picnic vibe anyway. Staff is always friendly and ready to answer any questions you may have. I've also tried and really liked the miso butterfish and the shoyu hotdogs from the okazuya on a previous visit.

Well, sadly, I didn't look at any of the other reviews when I came back to this restaurant. Unfortunately, it looks like they did not come back from Covid very well. With the outdoor seating and everything to go, I just wasn't the same for me. Food was average, so looks like this might be my last visit.