L & L Hawaiian Barbecue

Disappointed! Had early morning potluck in Aiea. Someone was bringing kalua pig. I figured perfect, a medium pan lau lau would work, especially with L&L right down the road. Checked out their catering menu online…22 laulau for $ 60. Called to order, and they acted like they never heard of the online menu price. The guy I spoke with was arguing with me telling me the price was 15 laulau for $ 60. I confirmed I had their location and all. Decided to recheck the menu I was looking at. Yup, I was right. Called back, got a lady. Same damn thing this time claiming she doesn’t know about the menu I was taking about. Then tells me she’s busy can’t talk to me, if I like order, come in because they have the menu. WTF? I frequent L&L a lot, not this location, though, but this was by far the worst experience I’ve ever had with them. NO STAR RATING BASED ON THEIR LACK OF INTEGRITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

4 stars based on the taste of my food, shrimp fried rice, seasoned with extra garlic, YUM. Not a five star review just because I had called in my order for takeout about 1−2pm on a weekday, it was a 15 minute commute, and I waited maybe another 15.
–Side note on wait time: my phone order was a little complicated because what I wanted was 2 plates of shrimp fried rice with garlic Seasoning and some other sides, but what she thought i was saying was fried rice on the side and a plate of regular garlic shrimp. We had to go over the order a few times to confirm, then when i got there we actually reconfirmed and the order was put in.
I really didn’t mind waiting because I knew the order was just put in and as I sat waiting, the phone was ringing continuously for many people putting in their lunch orders so i could understand, but the only thing was i was on lunch break and had limited time before getting back to work :)
Parking is a little difficult since the shopping center is busy, but theres lots of table seating space inside :) loved it!

A friend and I ended up here for dinner one Tuesday night because Young’s Kalbee was closed … and so was M ‘n M BBQ. WHAT. How ironic it was that both places were closed on that particular day of the week, especially when I wanted katsu …
Since this L&L was just in the plaza across the street, located next to Jamba Juice, we drove over, were able to find parking and enjoyed a meal. I don’t think I’ve ever been to this L&L in my life to eat, just because I always end up going to the one in Mapunapuna (my favorite location).
There’s lots to choose from on the menu, and there are even some items that I didn’t notice before. It didn’t take too long for my friend and me to receive our food. I liked how this location was relatively clean and well lit … and though my food tasted good during dinner, I had a horrible stomachache when I got home. I ate my leftovers the next day and had another bad stomachache immediately after that so … not sure if something happened to my katsu before it got served … but this was the first time I got sick after eating from L&L.
Everything tasted standard, though, and my katsu didn’t disappoint. Here’s what my friend and I ordered:
«Chicken Katsu Plate»: This reigns as my favorite dish from L&L, and it comprises a crispy, breaded chicken fillet that’s deep fried and served with the eatery’s famous katsu sauce. It comes with two scoops of rice and your choice of salad. I went with mac salad (I like L&L’s version) and I didn’t eat much of my rice … I wanted this dish just for the katsu. When I was living on the mainland, a trip to L&L just for the katsu was always in order whenever I visited the island. I love the tender, moist chicken that has enough flavor on it own … more times than not, I actually don’t even use that katsu sauce. I used a little during this trip, but the katsu sauce from L&L is more liquidy than most, and I prefer sauces that are thicker and rich. The sauce was good, but I didn’t end up using all of it. You definitely get your money’s worth; I only ate half my katsu and saved the other half for another entire meal! The mac salad was creamy and delicious; not too much mayo for my liking.
«Garlic Shrimp»: I never knew L&L served healthier plates, so I was surprised when my friend got this option. It included a sufficient amount of garlic shrimp that was served with one scoop of brown rice and fresh, tossed greens. She got her choice of dressing (Ranch). My friend said the shrimp were flavorful and sufficiently garlicky, and she really enjoyed her salad. Seeing all those tossed greens made me feel slightly guilty about all the fried food I was eating, but it’s not like I eat L&L every single day.
«Loco Moco»: This entrée features savory homemade hamburger patties over rice covered in brown gravy and topped with eggs. I never had the L&L «Loco Moco» before, but I can’t wait to try it one day, since I actually really do like loco moco. I just hope the gravy is delicious — the gravy is what can make or break a loco moco! If this version has onions, I will just order mine without.
«Fried Mahi Mahi»: If I ever deviated from my chicken katsu norm, this is an entrée I would order. It features a fish fillet that’s fried to a golden brown and served with tartar sauce. I love mahi, so I’m sure I would be pleased with this entrée. Plus, it always has a light and flaky taste, so I can’t wait to try this one day.

Finding hair in your food. That single event all on its own could merit a one star rating. But wait, there’s more. The lady at the counter stood there with a blank expression as we looked over the menu, trying to figure out what we wanted to order. We felt rushed, even though she didn’t say anything. Maybe we felt that way because of the constant tapping of her pen on the counter, I don’t know.
I walked up to her to let her know what we wanted. I was going to order a total of three plates, but she was in such a rush, I was given my total before I could even say the third. We eventually ordered two regular plates, one mini.
What we actually got was three regular plates. And hair that was stuck in the coating of the chicken katsu.
I knew there was a reason I avoided this place. I don’t know what made me become so daring.

The guy at the register just stared at us while we were trying to decide what to eat. No worries tho, food was still Ono. My fav because they’re rude, they just a friendlier staff. (:

It’s an L&L just like all the others. Actually not my favorite location because the customer service is lagging a bit, but it’s the closest to my house. Good food fast pretty cheap so can’t complain. If you live in aiea and have a hankering for some L&L this is the place.

Stopped by here for quick bite after the gym because we didn’t have any food at home. Lol. It’s very convenient for anyone living in the Aiea area.
No complaints. I got grilled ahi and BBQ chicken plate and my bf got the mochiko chicken with burger steak. The mochiko chicken was good but tastes just like something me and my mom used to make. Food was average. I thought it was funny that it was our first time to eat here after years of being in the area. They do have pretty big servings! I was starving and still couldn’t finish my food. My boyfriend also had to take home his leftovers (or maybe he wanted to save it for lunch the next day… I never know haha). Took a few minutes to get our food but not too long that you’re like wtf happened to my order?
Huge menu. Would love to try something different next time.

My boyfriend and I come here weekly. One of the ladies knows our order before we even get to the cashier. We love their Orange Chicken and Beef & Broccoli with Fried Rice plate. It’s the only thing we’ve ever bought from here. For $ 11 it’s a big plate and most of the time the two of us can’t finish it. I would have given this place 5 stars based on all our experiences, but one sat with us wrong.
We decided to sit in for once (thankfully). Half way through our plate, we noticed a piece of cloth in the beef & broccoli. I noticed it earlier, but thought it was a piece of vegetable. After a close look, it was definitely a piece of cloth that was soaked in the beef & broccoli mixture. My boyfriend brought it to the cashier’s attention, who didn’t believe us, which completely pissed me off. But, I tend to let my temper get the better of me, so I let my boyfriend handle the situation. In the end, they made us a brand new plate and we took it to go. My stomach was not feeling it at that moment. As unfortunate as it was, we still go back and order that plate, but we make sure to check before we eat. We believe it was an honest mistake, but hopefully it doesn’t happen any more!

Not as good as other locations. The garlic Mahi was really oily and the garlic was kinda raw still yet. They also charge you .50 cents more if you pay with credit card under 10 bucks! How’s that, they make their own tax charge!!! Had the bbq chicken before and that was pretty good — the only reason I give two stars, otherwise I give them only one.

No complaints here except the tossed green salad looked like burger toppings that included my huge dislike, raw onions. I thought it was a joke but didn’t want to risk a repeat & now order «all rice».

Came here for their breakfast menu, my husband had the local omelet. OMG… I must say they aren’t cheap about putting in the goods. The omelet was loaded with Portuguese sausage, potato and mushrooms.
The restaurant is clean, and the service was quick.

I came here because the place wasn’t that busy. The food is so-​so. Just like any other L&Ls.

I’ve been to many L&L’s before and this is by far, the worst. I’ve been here twice and have no plans on returning to this location. I came for the Kalua Pig. It was so salty that I had to throw it out. The second time, I decided to give them another chance. I got the Loco Moco. Rice, good. Mac salad, ok. I had a patty that looked as though it had just been frozen and had that «fake taste» to it. Yuck. The egg was very small. The worse part was the gravy. It completely filled the entire plate that I had to ask the lady in front if she had my order wrong. i had to dig for the patty. It wasn’t good at all. Definitely don’t recommend this location. Very disappointed considering the location is perfect.

Good food, and plenty of it. I ordered mini plates, and got the food in the regular-​size styrofoam containers. I had to ask the lady at the counter if these were indeed mini plates. She said yes. Other L&Ls that I’ve eaten at use the smaller styrofoam containers for the mini plates… not this one. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Food is okay, but good location. Many times the Mac salad is just turning sour.

Well… what’s there to say about this place, not much actually. I visited a few weeks ago, but felt compelled to say something. The only thing this place may… and I repeat, may be good for is cheap eats… and you get what you pay for! I had the bowl of teriyaki beef with rice (didn’t want anything too large). Let’s just say they slapped together every piece a gristle they could find and put it in a bowl.
This is not my first bad experience with L&L. Had one about a year ago, which is why it took me so long to go back (I think that meal may have been a chicken katsu… or so they call it)
Needless to say my next visit may be in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse, as you can’t be too picky during a disaster.

For some odd reason this L&L sux compared to the one on mapunapuna…

So this has got to be one of my most frequent L&Ls because it is in my hometown of A-​Town. This place has a great atmosphere and look. All of their menus and marketing material looks good when you go inside so it is easy to choose what to order. It is clearly visible. There are a ton of selections and specials. Compared to the old school L&L, it is not so ghetto anymore has the company clearly serves as one of the top pioneering plate lunch places in Hawaii. Customer service is pretty good. Parking is pretty good too because it is located in the Aiea Shopping Center and there is some 20min. parking stalls right in front. There’s also a conveniently located Jamba Juice and Starbucks next door. There have been various times when I ordered a mini, I got a regular size plate lunch instead! Sweet deal!
Unilocal 365 Challenge #03/​365

This is a good place to try inexpensive Hawaiian food. Try the BBQ dishes, loco moco, saimin, etc. Good parking.

I used to come here so long ago it was only called «L»!
Nah… jus joking, but really… I used to come here quite some time ago, when it used to be around the corner, where Starbucks, is at now. I dunno if it went thru different owners since then… but it did go thru some renovations… at the old place… and the new.
Consistant… that’s how one could discribe it. The food’s always consistant. I’m not saying the grub’s not tasty or anything like that, I’m saying you can kind remember what it tasted like from your last visit, I dunno maybe it’s jus me. Not really a wow kinda feel, more of… if you’re” jonesing” for a fill-​me-​up at all cost, for a reasonable price kinda deal… than hea-​ya go. It’s the kinda hole in the wall joint that’ll give you your monies worth… for sure.
Is it jus me, or are Chinese women not friendly… they hardly never smile, They take everything way too seriously, constant frown… Can I help you… Thank you… G’by!
Oh well, I got my grinds, thank you too, I’ll be on my way.
The Tsunami Saturday, I picked up my mom from Kaneohe, as she lives kinda near the shore, and brought her over for her safety.
I picked up «mini’ chicken katsu’s for all of us… and when mom opened hers, she was amazed, she couldn’t believe we had the smaller of the plates. Ya jus gotta love the crispy, golden brown pieces, all chopped and ready for inhalation. A nice kinda
spicey-ish…tarty-ish (I wonder… maybe it’s jus Ketchup and vinegar?) dipping sause on the side. One generous scoop rice, and one not-bad…scoop Mac salad (not the best, but jus not bad)
Mom, was impressed, and happy to be safe, and… very full, she couldn’t finish her plate. nor could we, but my little Ihilani (grandaughter) helped us. She’s another one, but that’s for later.
So gotta say… plenty food for the price, cute, clean hole in the wall kinda place; just don’t expect to get a life story from the counter person, let alone a smile.