Helena's Hawaiian Food

If you could only have one meal in Oahu, make it at Helena's. Words simply cannot capture how comforting and delicious their food is, especially the luau chicken and short ribs--they're legendary. I'm salivating just writing this review! Do yourself a favor and make sure this place is on your must-try list.

First of all, the ambiance of this restaurant is quite nice, and the staff are very friendly and welcoming.If this place were in Southern California, I'd probably give it 2 stars because, for my wife and me, the flavors weren't particularly impressive. The Kalua pork was mostly just salty without much depth of flavor, and the texture wasn't as tender as we had hoped. The short rib tasted pretty ordinary, and I'm not sure why it's considered a signature dish. The Fried Butterfish Collar, however, was quite decent.That being said, considering that everything we had in Hawaii this time was rather underwhelming, and factoring in the warm hospitality of the staff, I'm giving this place 3 stars.

Parking- Really hard to come by. Service- Great staff, courteous and welcoming. Wait times can be long. Ambiance- casual Food- For us, it is overhyped. The beef short ribs were good but not the best we have had, and not good enough to say we would want more 3.5/5. The kalua pork was good but also not amazing, 3/5. The lomi salmon, omg, it was 95% tomatoes and 5% salmon. It lacked any flavor whatsoever 0/5. The tripe curry tasted like tripe thrown in canned Chef Boyardee sauce, 0/5. The coconut jello dessert was simple and good. The portions literally come out in small side bowls/sauce bowls. Smallest portions I have ever seen in my life. I am not exaggerating. It is overpriced and overhyped, and underwhelming. This is just our opinion. We were highly disappointed. Obviously many people love this spot, but it's a never again for us.

Authentic Hawaiian food! We tried new things here and it was great to try a variety of authentic Hawaiian food. Everything was tasty and interesting Warning: Portions are small and prices can be expensive. Expect to need to order more than what you think if you want to be full

Took me years to finally make it here since I was a loyal Ono's Hawaiian food diner. But once they sold, it wasn't the same so I ventured to the famous Helena's.The biggest downside is the parking, of which is almost impossible to get. It's also mostly a to-go place with not much seating. I usually order online because the wait can get long.The food is very good, but not the best Hawaiian I've ever had. It satisfies the urge and is about as authentic as it gets.

TLDR:One of the most well known spots on the island serving up traditional Hawaiian dishes. Certain dishes were definitely more of an acquired taste so even though we didn't like everything, we're glad we tried it at least once. Ultimately, I probably wouldn't call this a must-try and wouldn't tell anyone to go out of their way to dine here, but if you're in the area and want traditional Hawaiian food, there's no better place to go!-----FOOD:You can order popular sets of items to sample or order a la carte. I think the portion is the same regardless. We did a la carte since we didn't want everything offered in the sets. Everything we ordered could easily be shared among 3 people.1. Fried Butter Fish (5/5): Fish was fried really well and had a satisfying crisp when you bit it. Great flavor and lots of meat. Apparently they don't always have this / they run out of it, so if they have it, I highly recommend you order it!2. Pork Laulau (4/5): Similar to a Chinese zhong zi, only here the taro leaves that wrap the pork are edible, there's no glutinous rice here, and the pork here seems to be a lot leaner. I still prefer the flavor of a good zhong zi at the end of the day, but I suspect this is a lot healthier! 3. Short Ribs (3/5): We were so excited for these ribs because everyone seems to rave about them! Unfortunately we found the meat to be extremely tough and hard to bite off the bone. There also wasn't a great flavor to help make up for the toughness. I wouldn't order this again. 4. Luau Squid (2.5/5): Not for us. I think this is where the acquired taste comes in. Think of it like a stew of mostly blended greens with a squid chunk every few spoonfuls. Every table also gets a plate of haupia for dessert and some raw onions with pink salt, which apparently tasted quite good from the brave souls at our table who tried it. The haupia was great. ------SERVICE:* Really great service! This is a no frills kind of place but the employees were all very kind and walked us through the menu and what each item was. * Scan a QR code to see the menu online and then order through your server. At the end, pay at the cash register.------ ENVIRONMENT:* Small parking lot outside with limited spots.* Inside there are several tables and food comes out quick so tables should move relatively fast* No frills place * If you're staying near Waikiki and do a day trip to Pearl Harbor, this will be on your way back

(+) Short Ribs (pipikaula style)(+) Long Rice chicken soupHelena's serves traditional, local food since 1946. There is plenty of seats for dining in but most people, as mentioned in the reviews, choose take out. Food: Their short ribs are amazing! Very tender and they have a smokey flavor to them. No sauce or marinate is added, which says even more about the quality of these ribs. I would recommend the large size for about 3-4 people. I enjoyed the long rice chicken, which tasted like a chicken noodle soup. Very comforting. For dessert, we chose the haupia, which is a coconut jelly. Not very sweet but enjoyable Service: As always, Hawaiian culture is very kind and generous. Everyone was helpful. As soon as I arrived to pick up my food, the food was prepared and I only waited about 5 minutes for them to finish. There was no long which was helpful! Overall, I would recommend Helena's. The food is traditional and very good. Make sure you check if the restaurant is open before heading over. They are closed Sunday, Saturday and Monday.

Love the thick juicy spare ribs here! It's overpriced for the portion you get but worth a try. The service here is fast and the staff is very friendly. The beef stew and chicken long rice are just as good. The food here is all very flavorful. Just fyi, if you see the haupia and the raw onion plated together, they are not meant to be eaten together. The raw onion goes with the spare ribs and the haupia is meant for dessert.

Loved this joint! While visiting Oahu, we had to get some authentic Hawaiian food and Helena's absolutely delivered. We didn't have to wait long, only about 10-15 on the waitlist for 4 of us to sit. When we sat down, we were pretty overwhelmed with the menu. Our waitress saw that on our faces and took care of us by ordering our meal for us. The food did not disappoint. There was a lot of flavor in a very hearty meal. Perfect place to stop by for a meal with family or friends!

Deep fried butter fish collar with beef stew gave winners also shottrib pipikaula gos good together thats a great combo no forget the onion and salt on the side