The Most Delicious Hawaiian in Oakland

Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (902) • $$

"Review #002 - 2025I haven't written too many reviews lately since I feel like--unless a business really warrants a great review or a really poor review then I'm kind of wasting my time.I used to write reviews because I enjoyed the interaction with other Yelpers; but lately, Yelp just doesn't have that same community feel from when I first started.However, that shouldn't stop me from writing an honest review when a business deserves to be commended on their food/service.My two sisters and I showed up with our 3 daughters on Friday, February 21, around 5 PM.We were greeted and seated immediately.The place was pretty slow since it was still early for dinner so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.Our waitress was very sweet and accommodating. I didn't ask her name, but she's a cute young Asian girl, who always had a smile on her face.We ordered quite a few items to share.My older sister and two nieces each ordered the wagyu burger, which they all said was made to their liking.We had the pa'ina wings which were really tasty.The salt and pepper wings were a little salty for my preference, but the kids seemed to enjoy them.We had an order of regular fries and garlic fries, which we all enjoyed a little too much, considering we're all suppose to be eating "healthy".We ordered the garlic noodz with seafood and that was pretty tasty as well.The garlic butter shrimps were our least favorite because the shrimp had a weird smell, like it was drenched in lighter fluid, but the kitchen tried to make us a new order and it still came out smelling the same so they were kind enough to just remove it from our bill.The poke nachos arrived late, but we still enjoyed it. My sister ended up taking the rest home for her husband.The manager was very sweet! She brought the kids some complimentary pineapple Dole whip as an apology for the shrimp fiasco and sang "happy birthday" to our 16th year old niece.The whole experience was very memorable! We'll try to return should we ever happen to be in the area.Our waitress took some photos for us with their Instagram-worthy wall :)"

Hawaiian Drive Inn

★★★★☆ 4.1 (639) • $$

"This place does get busy so if you are on a time crunch, I suggest you call to place your order beforehand. We came here after Gavin's Vietnamese/Buddhist class was dismissed. It's the temple diagonally across the street from here. I wasn't anticipating the wait because I had a few meetings w/ my team in SG starting at 5PM. Gavin wanted the 2 meat combo: bbq chicken and teriyaki beef and I ordered the loco moco. We also ordered 2 sides of macaroni salad. It was served in one container as opposed to 2 separate side containers. I did not try Gavin's but my loco moco was good, but I would have preferred more gravy. Their macaroni salad was tangy and creamy! Parking sucks. But good comfort food."

Sumo Roll

★★★★☆ 4.4 (381) • $$

"This place is my go-to for sushi near campus! It's a hidden quiet spot that I've passed by and finally got to try. The fish is always incredibly fresh, and the special dinner plates are generous for the price. I've tried a lot of sushi places, and this one blows them all away. Plus, the staff is super friendly and fast. Perfect for a quick lunch or a study break!"

Masa Ramen Bistro

★★★★★ 4.5 (271) • $$

"Ramen - 4.5 stars. Chicken Katsu - 0 stars. Undercooked. Disgusting. Thigh meat. Fatty. Mac salad - 3 stars. Bland. Too mayonnaisy. Ambience - A for effort but 1 star - ceiling was leaking water and cold air was blowing in and the place smelled like asbestos and was freezing. Also bike, ladder visible - lame. Also I don't want to watch cooking shows while I'm eating - why??I gave them a 3 because it is a ramen place and they did a good job with authentic ramen.I'd get the ramen to go and skip the rest."

Hawaiian Grill Express

★★★★☆ 3.8 (365) • $$

"Our golf group stopped in after golf to grab a quick lunch. One of our group members said they have a good Kalbe plate. So we all got the Korean kalbe plate with a Diet Coke. The kalbe plate comes with three large grilled Korean short rib slabs with white rice, macaroni salad, and some blanched veggies all for $17. The short ribs were tender but could have had a little more char. Hawaiian Grill Express is located off of Fallon Rd. In the Target / Lucky's shopping center. No frills, fast food style but has some table and chairs for dining in. Plenty of parking."

Bayside Poke

★★★★☆ 4.1 (278) • $$

"Before heading to check out the new Costco in the area, we stopped at Bayside Poke for lunch. I'm glad we did as we really enjoyed eating here. This is a nice small restaurant with ample seating and two people working the line. We were served immediately and with quite a selection of greens, meats and toppings. I'm not a huge Poke eater, but my bowl was really good. You can tell everything is fresh and high-quality. There are two sizes for bowls; I of course went for the large. In addition to the food being really good, the restaurant being clean, the pricing was excellent. It was about $40 for two bowls, one of which was large and one of which had avocado added (extra charge). That's not bad! I also peeked at the menu and their sushi pricing was very reasonable. I plan on trying the sushi on my next trip to Bayside Poke.Overall, highly recommended."

Wikiwiki Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.6 (320) • $

"A favorite spot for local Hawaiian food. The plates are great serving size and I love ordering food here when I'm feeling like eating my heart out. It's so comforting. Order at the window on the sidewalk. They don't have dine in since covid but don't let it stop you from getting takeout. I love their mixed bbq plate but honestly everything is so good. I even get a scoop of extra mac salad because it's my favorite."

Hawaiian Drive Inn

★★★★☆ 4.3 (196) • $$

"Great food and great price! We moved away from the area but always stop by when we have a craving for Hawaiian food. They even took our catering order on their "closed" day for my FIL's 80th birthday! We love supporting local small business and so should everyone else!"

Hawaiian Grill Express

★★★★☆ 3.8 (242) • $

"YUM YUM YUM!!!!Garlic shrimp here is 10000000/10! I literally love the garlic shrimp here, it is so delicious that I crave it now.The macaroni they have is so delicious, I sub out one of the rice scoops for the macaroni.Such a solid meal to eat and I love it so much!The staff is very friendly and quick to turn a meal from being ordered to in the box ready to go. Plethora of parking in this parking lot and relatively close to the front door"

Go Fish Poke Bar

★★★★☆ 4.1 (181) • $$

"I tried Go Fish Poke Bar the other day and I think it's my new favorite for Poke in the Tri Valley! It is super fresh fish, they give you a good amount of fish in the bowl too unlike some other poke spots in the area. I will definitely be back! I did an order ahead on doordash since I had some doordash credits, when I got there he made the order right in front of me and asked if I wanted any add ons which was nice. I got the spicy salmon bowl it was tasty, very filling I couldn't finish it in one go so I saved the rest for dinner! The store is pretty easy to find in the stoneridge mall and they have the cutest mural inside the store!"

Ramen 101

★★★★☆ 3.9 (180) • $$

"I haven't enjoyed any ramen bowls for about 1.5 years. As I'm under the weather mostly due to these cold winters of dropping temps and atmospheric rivers overhead pouring river drops, I am left with a season full of coughs. So I'm sticking to hot soups, broths and stews as much as possible. My neighbor was kind enough to pick up Tonkotsu Ramen while driving through Milpitas. Although I knew it would take time to reach me, the broth was still warm, but I admit I love hot foods to be enjoyed hot, so I simmered before pouring broth over the black bowl containing perfectly blanched yellow ramen noodles, black mushroom caps, a fish cake, fresh mung/soy bean sprouts, and 2 small and thin pork tonkotsu. (But I don't recall seeing or tasting bamboo shoots) The broth came in a seperate plastic bowl with a tan color and was quite opaque in appearance and viscous to the tongue. In addition, the broth had a super thin layer of fat (oil) floating on the top (which personally I would have wanted more fat bc it adds flavor imho). This order was requested in the medium spice level and it was a perfect "medium spice" as it was more on the milder side of a "medium spice" range.In addition, I had one spam musubi which was not good (Order comes in a pair) It simply had way too much rice for the size of the spam. If the spam was thicker, then maybe they can use a thick layer of rice. It looked out of proportion. In addition, rice was dry tasting and spam appeared and looked dry, that the spam had a curve to it. In todays order, the spam masubi was a fail."

Yummy House

★★★★★ 4.5 (135) • $$

"My new go-to ramen spot in the area. I've been here a few times now and the food never disappoints. Great portion size for the price. Love their fusion of noodles and Hawaiian food. The place is never too crowded, it's nice and clean, and their service is fast. Already recommending my friends here, yum!"

Moana Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (113) • $$

"I came here after walking lake Chabot with my husband on a Sunday afternoon after smelling all the wonderful bbqs at the park. Moana's did not disappoint. I got the moku chicken combo that includes the bbq chicken and katsu chicken while my husband got the Aloha bbq combo which includes the kalbi short rib and bbq chicken combo. The food came out so quickly and super full in the plate we received. The flavors were perfect and not too salty. The server also gave us lots of sauces without even asking. My favorite was the katsu chicken. It was so crispy. The ambiance was clean and bright. There is a parking lot to park as well."

Kyoto Ramen Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (111) • $$

"My Family and I were craving some Hawaiian BBQ and wanted to try something new, so I looked on yelp. After sorting through many restaurants and reviews I found Kyoto Ramen Hawaiian BBQ. Their menu had a WIDE variety. They honestly have a little bit of everything. Ramen, Tempura, Hawaiian, Poke, Seafood, Burgers, Fries and so much more!After taking a deep dive through the menu, we decided on 4 chicken combos. We placed our order over the phone. The gentleman who answered was very nice and repeated our order to make sure it was correct. He informed the order will be ready in 10-15 minutes. When I entered the restaurant there were a couple of tables to eat, which was nice to know for the future. When I went to the counter to pay for our food I was informed they only take card. Which was ok but kind of inconvenient especially since I planned on paying with cash. After a couple minutes my order was ready. After making it home it was time to eat. Let me tell you. It was well worth the wait. The food was absolutely AMAZING! Portion size was good, great value for your money. There were zero complaints on the food. Everything was cooked to perfection and it was delicious. I live 2 towns away and I'll happily make that drive especially when the food is this good."

Ramen 101

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (96) • $$

"I liked the menu selection. They have lumpia, spam musubi, short ribs, ramen, rice bowls. The hardest thing was rehung to decide what i wanted. I saw many people today order the black garlic ramen so I had to try it!I must say it had great flavor, everything inside tasted really good i asked for a mild spice level it wasn't spicy at all probably should have said medium for a better kick. After i was done eating... I got a to go bowl and still had it filled to the top. I also noticed a customer order a mini plate. Those mini plates aren't that mini. You most certainly get a bang for your buck. Now for my lunch break, i think this will be my new spotAlso another thing I really love is the customer service. The lady taking orders was very kind, soft spoken, patient; and as soon as a table left and there were no customers I saw her clean up quickly. Great job !!"

Shaka Shack

★★★★☆ 4.4 (54) • $$

"We enjoyed everything we ordered!!! Spam Masubi, friend rice, Hawaiian roll French toast, loco moco.... There wasn't a single bad item on our table! The menu is on the smaller side, but everything was delicious!"

Honolulu BBQ

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (74) • $$

"I like this place more than other spots around. The prices are very reasonable and the food is fresh. I like getting the bbq chicken bowl and the mixed combos. Portions are perfect too."

Moku Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (36)

"If you're ever in a hurry but craving some Hawaiian food at a reasonable price, head to Moku! I ordered on Snackpass ahead of time but there are also ordering kiosks there. They have always been quick and the curry chicken Katsu and white fish have always been fried to perfection. A mini plate is enough for me so I appreciate how much they put into it - entree, one scoop macaroni, one scoop rice, cabbage and a broccoli. For the white fish, there are two perfectly fried pieces of fish and two packets of tartar sauce. The restaurant itself only has a few tables but since they are quick to process orders, there tend to still be an open table or two. Street parking but a parking complex nearby. I definitely will be back whenever I have a craving!"

Moana Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.3 (32)

"New Hawaiian BBQ spot located in the Seafood City plaza in Vallejo! The prices are all really fair and the portion size is huge. We got the laulau and kalua pork. The pork & taro leaves in the laulau was really tender and flavorful! The kalua pork was a bit on the drier side, I also wish they shredded the cabbage and mixed it throughout the dish rather than giving whole cabbage leaves under the pork. The mac salad was tasty and not too saucy. This spot satisfies my Hawaiian BBQ cravings and I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area!"

Lucky Chef Chen

★★★★☆ 4.1 (33)

"I took the advice of fellow Yelp buddy Elvine and decided to give this unassuming spot a try.HELLLLLLA GOOOOOD!The food was fresh and aplenty! I paid $9 for hella food! I would definitely go back, the food was pretty good for a steam table set up. This place seemed really popular with the locals! Give this place a shot, it won't disappoint!"

Big Daddy’s Hawaiian BBQ

★★★☆☆ 3 (6)

"@ Adeline Food Hall5325 Adeline St Oakland, CA 94608"Big Daddy's Hawaiian BBQ" is a virtual brand and commercial kitchen operating in the Adeline Food Hall in North Oakland. Their menu offers plate meals, sides, desserts, and drinks. As a commercial kitchen (aka "ghost kitchen"), they have no dining room. Everything is either takeout or delivery. On a Saturday, I happen to notice Big Daddy Hawaiian BBQ in San Mateo on Yelp. I did some research and discovered they had a location at the Adeline Food Hall. Doordash was offering a promo to try this new place, so I placed an order. I ordered: the Large Mixed Plate, which included two proteins, a side of rice, and a side of mac salad. The Large Mixed Plate is $19.00. I asked for BBQ Chicken and Fried Chicken. Anything else, you have to pay extra. I also selected Hawaiian BBQ Sauce. How's the food? This food tastes really good. The bbq chicken is moist and easy to eat. The fried chicken is moist and crisp. The rice is fresh and soft. The mac salad doesn't taste pre-made. Very good food. My chicken was served on a bed of rice. So when you pour the sauce over the chicken, it soaks into the rice. However, this food is pricey. The last time I was at Ono Hawaiian BBQ (Oakland) a BBQ Chicken meal cost around $13-14, and the servings were much larger. Big Daddy's Hawaiian BBQ does offer a smaller $15 plate. But they also charge 25 cents for fork/spoon and a napkin. Overall, the food is good, and the Adeline Food Hall has a nice location."

Hukilau

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"#taste - 5/5#portion size - 4/5#service - n/a#value - 4/5#recommendation(s) - get the garlic popcorn chicken! Really flavorful and decent portion size.#tip - parking can be limited due to street parking so consider doing takeout.#like - in addition to the popcorn chicken, I also enjoyed the short ribs. The size is good and the meat is tender.#dislike - not a dislike of the food but I felt the portion of the mac salad was small so I wish the entrees would come with bigger servings. #suggestion - the fried rice could be more flavorful"