The Most Flavorful Hawaiian in San Jose

Tuna Kahuna

★★★★★ 4.6 (713) • $$

"Tuna Kahuna is my favorite lunch spot in Burlingame. The owners truly care and are often in the kitchen themselves. Fresh fish, excellent sauces and marinades, and a wide variety of toppings. Their signature bowls are the way to go, as each is thoughtfully composed with ingredients that complement each other. Their new ginger scallion bowl is my current fave. The salmon lover bowl another go-to. Casual ambiance with indoor and outdoor seating. I have yet to try their special weekend meals, which is a more elevated dining experience. Another bonus: they have a rewards program which is earns you discounts over time. I'll be back!"

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."

Poke Paradise

★★★★☆ 4.4 (539) • $$

"I stopped by Poke Paradise while my car was being serviced and really enjoyed my meal! The store is small but the standard Chipotle-style experience where you make your way down the line of options. I went on a Saturday around lunchtime and there were only a couple of other people there.Everything seemed fresh and tasty! I took my order to go. There was plenty of parking since it's in a shared parking lot. Next time my car is being serviced, I'll be back!"

Hawaiian Drive Inn

★★★★☆ 4.2 (486) • $

"Fast and casual food to go, no dine in but the portions are BIG, and the price point you cant argue with it, always gotta get the chicken katsu with double mac salad and an order of spam musubi and chicken katsu musubi ! And they got the cheapest double cheeseburger in town! Its a Plain jane cheeseburger, so simple yet delicious!"

Hana Hawaiian Barbeque

★★★★☆ 4.3 (453) • $$

"Surprised I haven't reviewed this spot yet. Been here a handful of times now and the food is good, service is fast and quantity quality ratio is really good. Staff is friendly when ordering over the phone or in person. At busy times best to call ahead but today decided to come in around 7pm and they got my 3 orders ready in under 10 mins. Sometimes when busy they will tell you 20 mins. Pretty standard seating for a Hawaiian spot. Like a fast casual spot from the 90's and it's still the same as the 90's. One of the better more consistent spots for Hawaiian in the peninsula."

Hawaiian Drive Inn

★★★★☆ 4.2 (302) • $

"Oh my goodness this place has a special place in my heart that started when I moved in down the street and decided to take my baby for a walk over 12 years ago and have never stopped coming here since!!!!It's a hole in the wall that you can't take everyone lol Complaining types! LolIt's dirty it's it's grimy.But it hits every time My order teriyaki steak plate extra well doneAnd the cheeseburger I gave it a nickname Nasty burger!!! It makes sense once you take a bit It's greasy gooey and full of flavor mayo and cheese only with frys"

Hawi Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 4 (282) • $

"We got the family deal tonight , Fish, BBQ beef chicken, rice and Mac salad. Everything was so good ! Found our favorite Hawaiian BBQ restaurant! The BBQ Beef was made perfect , just how we like it ! Highly recommend this restaurant!"

Spoonfish Poke

★★★★☆ 3.9 (280) • $$

"My favorite go-to for when I'm craving poke for lunch. A short walk from my work, Spoonfish Poke uses fresh ingredients and their poke bowls never disappoint. I always order a medium "build your own poke bowl." Friendly and helpful staff who are happy to answer any questions if it's your first time ordering (I'm a regular). Limited seating inside, but there are tables and chairs outside. Great place to have a poke bowl and people watch as it's located on the Paseo de San Antonio in Downtown San Jose by SJSU."

Tiki Pete

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (399) • $$

"Great place to go out and have a drink with your friends. Good vibes , good drinks , good crowd.Prices are pretty pricey but I guess it makes sense due to how popular this location is.Would have gave them a 5 star but one small event that happened to me got me upset.My man bought me and my friends flowers and we had them on the table after we purchased 350$ plus worth of bottles service and then obviously kept buying more and more drinks. Then we all decided to go dance on the dance floor and some of us went outside to get some air . We went back to the table not even 10-15 mins after to find that they sold our table to someone else even tho they knew we were still there. Then they threw away all our flowers $100 plus worth.Like I get you guys are trying to make money and want to sell bottle service but that was rude to give away our table to make a quick buck. So over all if I would have never experienced that I would have gave them a 5 star. But that experience gave them a 3 star."

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"

Hawaiian Drive Inn

★★★★☆ 3.6 (217) • $

"Chicken katsu sandwich, spam musubi & steamed broccoli. This place had 4.3 stars on Google and I was in the neighborhood so I decided to stop. Very polite owners & food was delicious. Definitely recommend :-)"

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."

Mahalo Hawaii BBQ & Chinese Food

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (233) • $

"Great Hawaiian flavors and addictive macaroni salad. When I am craving Hawaiian bbq, I drive straight to Mahalo and pass several restaurants on the way there. The staff is extremely friendly and get excited when I order.Mahalo staff has a passion for Hawaiian food and it shows in the flavors they serve."

Unco Frank’s

★★★★★ 4.5 (109) • $$

"Everything, you must try everything! Nestled within a wine bar is Unco Frank's, a fresh, modern take on Hawaiian food. And boy, everything single dish had me saying "Oh my god!" If you want a taste of all their classics, get the Pupu Platter -- it's perfect to share with two people. The coconut shrimp is hot, crispy and tender! The Mac salad has a peppery kick! All in all, a solid place for a quick bite and a glass of wine/beer. The service was stellar as well -- friendly and fast. I definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a casual place with solid bites and drinks."

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."

Taste China & Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.5 (162) • $

"Opening day!The place is a remodel of the old bagel and hawaiian bbq place. The interior looks clean and the couple cooking in the back seems like they are working hard. The server guy was inattentive though. A customer walked in and he was talking to the cook and the customer left after waiting for a while.Seats are limited to 3 tables.They accept apple pay.Food is good for what it is. Nothing outstanding, but not terrible."

Aloha BBQ

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (193) • $

"3.5 starsI got the chicken katsu mini and spam musubi trio. I'm not giving it 4 stars because the katsu sauce was runny or watered down, which changes the taste and experience a bit."

Hawaiian Drive Inn

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (173) • $

"I have been getting short ribs for the holidays party. It's been a hit. Their spam musabi is also everyone favorite. I also tried their chicken katsu which was great! I am always hoping for left over so we can bring them home for later. :)"

Poke'd Out Fish Bar

★★★★★ 4.5 (93) • $$

"Poked out has been my go to spot to get poke this year. Staff is always friendly and I like how generous the fish portions are. It's pretty quick to grab a bowl since there's usually only a short line. The only thing that would call out is that sometimes their rice isn't consistent and can be quite mushy. I also hope they start an online order form instead of having to go through uber eats."

Best Hawaiian BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (94) • $$

"If you're hungry and craving some seriously good food, this is the spot! I stopped by and was immediately greeted by the super friendly guy at the front. The place was spotless, which is always a good sign.I ordered the half BBQ chicken and katsu, and wow flavor overload. The chicken was tender, juicy, and packed with that smoky BBQ goodness, while the katsu had the perfect crispy crunch. And let me tell you, the portions are no joke enough to easily feed two (or three if you're willing to share).The prices were totally reasonable, so my wallet was just as happy as my stomach. Oh, and plenty of parking outside, which is always a win."

William BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.2 (93) • $$

"Nice small restaurant with two tables in side and one out. Food and portions are great! The owners running the place are extremely nice and attentive, definitely a new favorite Hawaiian Plate spot!"

Hapa Musubi

★★★★☆ 4.4 (84)

"I can't eat spam so I ordered the Kalua pork plate. Comes with one standard musubi, which I swapped out with colleague for a chicken katsu version. I didn't care for it, but I will like to try the CA roll version next time. The kalua pork was moist but not greasy and not drenched in sauce. Comes with rice and cabbage to make a full meal with various flavor profiles. Right priced, and easy."

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (156) • $$

"I tried the healthy garlic talapia plate with brown rice and salad. The ingredients tasted fresh and flavorful with the right amount of salt. The dressing was sweet and tangy. The fish was cooked perfectly and I liked the salad dressing was packed on the side. The portion was generous.The water tasted and smelled unfiltered. The entire restaurant appeared outdated and dingy. The atmosphere reeked of Pine-Sol. Parking is shared with other businesses and can get busy on the weekends.My food came out quickly and I had to clarify that I wanted the healthy plate since there is a white rice and macaroni salad option that is made. I think the cashier should help clarify the difference as it was my first time ordering."

Miss Subi

★★★★☆ 3.9 (59)

"I am still thinking about the tofu+sweet potato Musubi I had yesterday! It was so delicious! I had heard about this truck before but wasn't sure where to find them. Happened to stumble upon them yesterday at that place at the Presidio that has a bunch of food trucks on the weekend. Would absolutely be a regular here."

SH Hawaiian Barbecue & Donuts

★★★★☆ 3.9 (40)

"Amazing BBQ. Their chicken cutlet and bbq chicken are amazing, and the portion sizes are insanely generous. The mac salad is not too heavy, but still hits the spot. Do not forget to pick up donuts as well! Super fresh and delicious, and they make for the perfect dessert afterwards!"

HI City

★★★★☆ 3.6 (43)

"Saw this new spot pop up on my yelp feet and decide to try out since I love Hawaiian food. When trying Hawaiian for the first time I always go with the loco moco and musubi. Also grabbed a poke bowl to try out. Since we are all still in Shelter in Place I ordered via mobile via their website from my car. Very easy to place an order and was done in the 10-15 minutes that was stated on the site. Gave me enough time to pick up a few items I needed at the ranch. The loco moco was pretty good. Gravy was a little congealed since it had to travel back home but they gave a good portion of meat and was spiced well. Mac salad was decent and egg was cooked just right. Bag tipped over in my car but lid held everything in so no biggie. Good take on the Hawaiian classic. Also ordered a Poke bow with 2 scoops. Pretty easy to select toppings via the website. Here's what we got.Build Your Own Poke Bowl - 2 Scoops of PokeVariation: RegularPoke Base: Sushi Rice,Mix GreensBase Toppings: Cucumbers,Garlic Crab MixChoice 1: Salmon FurikakeChoice 2: Sweet Miso SalmonToppings: Corn,Green Onions,Masago,Lomi Lomi Tomatoes,Fried Onions,FurikakeSauce: House Calamansi Ponzu To be honest both types of poke tasted similar. But maybe due to them being mixed together with the sauce. Overall solid poke bowl as well. I also got a couple of the chicken spam musubi. Solid for HI food as well. If in the mood for hawaiian takeout, this was a good choice, would be back if nearby or need to shop inside 99 and have my food ready to go before heading home.TLDR; Solid spot for HI (hawaiian) grub in the mid peninsula."

Big Daddy's Hawaiian BBQ

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (24)

"Quality is good, had a bit of spicy zing. Ghost kitchen/doordash place with minimal interior/parking. You order ahead and then check in at a kiosk and the food appears on a locker."

Big Daddy's Hawaiian BBQ

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (5)

"Not a big fan of the quality of Daddy's BBQ. You get so much rice than meat portion for the so-called large plate. Might have just been bad rushed order."

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"

Noelani's Island Grill

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Loved the chicken teriyaki bowl with brown rice! I am very particular about teriyaki sauce - if it doesn't taste like my mom's - then I'm not having it. So, the sauce was milder than my mom's (not quite as salty/sweet), but I was okay with that because it was absolutely delicious and exactly the right consistency to me (Noelani's knows how to do chicken teriyaki the way I like it!) - excellent dipping sauce - the marinade was also spot on - oh and the chicken was cooked perfectly I might add. Super flavorful, moist and succulent - YUM! The furikake sprinkled on the rice was an epic surprise (I love furikake) and added an additional layer of flavor, I would definitely order it again. The waitstaff were super nice and awesome! We also ordered the ice cream Oreo cookie crust pie - also YUM!!!"

Palm House

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"If you are looking for a good happy hour in the Marina, Palm House is a good spot to check out.We had some friends visiting from out of town, and we were looking for happy hour spot that was dog friendly, and palm house fit the bill after checking out their HH menu. They run HH Monday-Friday from 4-6PM. The best deal is their famous punch bowls, normally close to $70, it's 50% off during happy hour. While they lean to the sweet side, it's big enough to share with 2-3 people. The HH food was good but a little bit salty, especially their tuna poke taquitos. Good but too salty. They've got a bunch of food items though on their HH menu for under $9. Back to the dog friendly portion, I've never seen a restaurant that welcomes our pups. The staff was so kind providing them water and treats, and they even offer puppy cocktails and food on their menu. Overall,Definitely a spot worth checking out for HH"