The Grindz at 1601

Spam Musubi from The Grindz Café in Hermosa Beach. Spam Musubi is an interesting dish and I’ve heard rave reviews about the dish. I can see why people love the flavor and texture combination. The Grindz has great reviews but this dish has fallen off. It had almost no Spam, too much rice, and the sauce was not flavorful. If your worried about cost, the #1 thing you should never skimp on is cheap processed pork in a can. Spam is dirt cheap, plus the star of this dish. I could barely tell it was their. We had tried The Grindz a few years back and enjoyed it. This time was piss poor. The Bacon and Brown Rice was all rice. The breakfast burrito was all rice and the Spam Musubi was lacking Spam. It’s a very difficult time for restaurants in LA due to the minimum wage increase but only the smart will survive. Not the cheapskates! Give me quality, proper quantity and charge me accordingly. As long as you do that I don’t mind paying for what I get. But if you skimp, trick, and deceive the consumer you deserve to go the way of the Dodo Bird.

Wanted to love this place because I’ve seen so many business come and go at this location, but portions were small and I didn’t feel satisfied. On the positive side, the food tasted authentic and the décor of the place was nice.

The best Hawaiian food by far. I have been coming here since it opened and always have great food. Gary is the best

This place is really a bakery coffee shop with excellent morning meal croissant snacks in addition to muffins and other candy. I needed theegg and ham, and cheeses croissant sandwich. It had been delicious and affordable as well as the flavor introduced me returning to easy breakfasts.

Generous amount of poke and white rice — bowl for $ 9. Will be back!

Bang Bang! Shots fired.
Not particularly pretentious and off the beaten path from the hustle and bustle of Pier Ave. Quality food is the premium and this place does not skimp. From the select deli meat’s and cheeses (Boar’s Head), full barista coffee bar, daily pastries, Hawaiian juice bar and protein shakes. Wake Up People!
My first visit was purely an expedition of discovery… I found FLAVOR. The Grindz is a tucked in the nook and cranny but I will let that sink in. Health consciously prepared Hawiian Grindz with an unbelievable Richter scale magnitude.
I tried the Bento Box…
*Bacon Fried Rice
*Kahlua Pork
*Spam Musubi
* Teriyaki Chicken
Generous portions and a moderately priced. The food is made with love and speaks to the soul. I close my eyes and imagine Kahlua pork wrapped in banana leaves buried in an earthly BBQ pit. Slow cooked overnight to perfection that is so tender and moist.
Today, I saw a Unicorn! The Breakfast Burrito is da’Bomb! omg… for starters its as big as a Venti cup and must weigh ½lb or more. Wrapped in a tortilla I found a marriage that is made in heaven! Eggs, Kahlua Pork and Bacon Fried Rice.
Don’t ruin this with Tapatio… or Hot Sauce. RESPECT.
Cross my heart this Burrito deserves new found respect. The Flavors scream of time where life is simple and I wear flip flops all day long. It’s a deserted island of tropical FLAVOR that will take your breath away!

My husband was searching on Unilocal on Christmas Eve, and happened to find Grindz. They are hidden in the Hermosa Pavillion, a place I pass every day.
My husband ordered the bacon fried rice burrito, which had just the right amount of tasty kalua pork in it. I was overwhelmed by the variety of choices (all day breakfast, Hawaiian, sandwiches /​wraps and salads), so I went with Gary’s (the owner) recommendation. trip tip on a ciabatta roll. It was perfect with a delicious garlic aoli, provolone cheese, tomatoes and pepperoncini peppers. The accompanying side salad was fresh with a tasty balsamic dressing.
We had a chance to look at some of the other meals that were being served… good sized portions and happy diners.
Happy to say we have found ourself a new place to eat.

I ordered from The Grindz again but the exact poke I ordered last time was half the size and even though I payed for 2 gatorades I only received one. Racking it up to a fluke and will try one more time…

burrito. good. loaded.
breakfast sandwich (with croissant and bacon). good and comforting
poke. eh
spam musubi. eh!!!
probably won’t come back.

OK– I am now a true believer after my second visit. As a long time South Bay resident (35+ years) I have tried many local places searching for quality and affordable «fusion» Asian and diverse American take-​out food. GRINDZ is my current great discovery!
The Breakfast Burrito (shredded Kalua pork, bacon fried rice, scramble eggs) is too large for just one person/​meal. The Loco Moco is authentic and also too large for one sitting. In addition, their meats are Boar’s Head quality cuts.
A must try and I don’t write many reviews,
Joe C.

Came here after working at out the 24 hour fitness next door after wanting to try this place for a while. I got the acai smoothie and it was really good. It had a really nice refreshing flavor as opposed to other acai smoothies I’ve had that have protein mixed in. The flavors are very limited here but I would definitely come back for this one.
I would also like to try the food and shaved ice here one day. The service here was also excellent. The guy working was super friendly.

Directions:
A bit confusing finding Grindz, but well worth it! (Sign says «Turmeric» still)
Started with iced coffee:
Nice and strong
OJ:
Squeezes it fresh himself!
Breakfast burrito:
The most well constructed breakfast burrito I’ve seen. Egg wrapped around the whole tortilla, and pork on both sides. Extra 10 points for that! Bacon fried rice is a total win, and the pork has a great flavor. Toss some of that Noh Hawaiian hit sauce on that.
Loco Moco:
Exactly what I want from a Hawaiian Hamburg patty.
Summary:
Excellent breakfast, brunch, lunch find. Portions are big — come hungry!

Grindz is located in the same building as 24 Hour Fitness. The structure parking is free – go up to the 6^th floor and walk all the way to the front doors (facing the street), and you’ll see Grindz to your right. (I stood and looked around for a full 30 seconds before noticing the business sign.)
Immediately, I was pleased to find that they serve breakfast all day – because we all know that every restaurant should – but that non-​breakfast items are also available. I asked for the most popular items, and selected the breakfast burrito, though I was enticed by the sound of the freshly made sauce and marinated meats for other items. I was promised that the burrito would be good, and indeed it was! It was also big – not in length, but in width – because it was stuffed with so much fried rice and pork (but I don’t mind). It was quite the savory breakfast (more like that, plus lunch and maybe dinner), and filling, too – I was able to eat only half and saved the other half for the next day’s breakfast, which was still good.
I also got a large iced coffee, which was just okay. The sugar/​creamer/​napkin bar was extremely organized, though. I was rather impressed by that.
Service was great. It seemed that the owner was familiar with many of the customers and greeted them by name, and had nice conversations with them in between others’ orders. I know this because I had planted myself in there for a couple of hours – which leads me to commend their free wifi. Granted, I was probably the only customer connected to the wifi, but it worked really well, and the corner in which I sat was a nice little place to set up to do work.
Only tiny complaint – though it doesn’t take away any stars – is that the guy who took my order forgot to do my 10% Unilocal check-​in discount. But oh well.

Made a quick stop before attending a concert at Saint Rocke, which is less than a mile away. This spot is located in an indoor center that houses office spaces and businesses such as 24 Hour Fitness and Glen Ivy Day Spa. Park in the structure on 16^th and take the escalator to the restaurant. It’s a pretty small establishment, but quaint at the same time. Really great customer service and pretty darn good food…
We ordered the Junior Grindz Burrito, which was pretty big in size for being a smaller version of their Breakfast Burrito. Inside the burrito was egg, bacon fried rice and kahlua pork. For me, I couldn’t really taste the bacon but it was still delicious nonetheless. Hopefully next time, the bacon will stand out more…
We also ordered the bento box. For me, this $ 10 meal would be perfect on any day. This bento box consisted of kahlua pork, bacon fried rice, teriyaki chicken and two small sized spam musubis. Not your traditional bento box that consists of rice, salad, meat and an orange or something. Bonus points for having all hearty items as bento box items!
My fiancé and I enjoyed the food and customer service. We’ll definitely be back to try their other menu items when we are in the South Bay

My fiancée found this spot. Based on Unilocal reviews we decided to give this place shot. Follow gps in to the parking structure and park on the 3^rd floor. That’s where grindz is located. Inside the mall.
Small shop. About a 15 capacity eatery.
Jr grindz burrito-​$ 6.75
Bacon fried rice, kalua pork and scrambled egg wrapped in a warm tortilla.
* the burrito was actually decently sized for a jr burrito. The rice, kalua and scrambled egg all complimented each other. It was like a long lost comfort food having it all in one bite continuously. Really delicious. The bacon was drowned in the flavor of all the other ingredients. Maybe a little bit more bacon would have done the trick. — all in all. This was worth it hands down. Yum.
Bento box-​$ 10.00
A smaller portion of our hawaiian faves: bacon fried rice, kalua pork, chicken teriyaki and spam musubi.
* not a sharing item if you’re hungry.(good for kids to share). You get ½ musubi. cut in half. A good amount of Teri chicken. Bacon fried rice and kalua.
**see pic
Service was good. Food came out quickly. The owner or worker came out to check on us which was nice.
I would definately come back a get a burrito. Yum.

Some things I like and others I don’t. Hence, the 3 stars.
Things I like:
Breakfast Burrito
Breakfast Sandwhich
Staff
Mac n cheese
Things I don’t like:
Poke
Prices
No sides with meals

— Locale Destination —
* Breakfast burrito is served all day long!
* Unilocal check-​in offer — 10% off on all the food!
* Friendly service always
* Parking is free in the building (behind the shop), you can’t park in front of the Pavilion. But I park at the big shopping plaza across street and walk.
— Gluttony Expedition —
Poke plate: Yum! Yummy poke with good portion, yummy cabbage salad with light dressing, potato salad and rice for $ 11 minus 10% off for Unilocal check in! I Poke bowl is $ 9 (rice only, no side dish). Poke here had only green onions and onions, no avocado.
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
This place doesn’t disappoint me.
Good Hawaiian food — especially for this area.
I didn’t know the owner used to be the co-​owner of «Loft» — they make a good kalua pork, though everything else was meh. I wanna try their loco moco next time!

I read in another Unilocaler’s review that the owner used to be co-​owner of the loft, and I can taste it. Hubby loves the breakfast buffet at the loft, so this place is awesome. Cute little café in the 24hr plaza
Bacon fried rice– big portion, tasty. I added some soy sauce because I like my food a little saltier, but I still liked it and I’d get it again
Breakfast burrito– it had an egg, bacon fried rice, kalua pork. Hubby is not even a fan of kalua pork and he really enjoyed it
The owner told me they deliver for $ 15 minimum, so we can’t wait to use them! This place is super easy to get to and good for a quick bite to eat

Came here for Hawaiian food, specifically poke for my husband. Unfortunately, it was a miss as the poke was quite salty. He’s born and bred in Hawaii so it was disappointing. I got a salad which had tasty dressing.
The staff are really nice and always check up on you so I can’t say I hate it but definitely not coming back for poke.

I liked the Grindz breakfast burrito better than most burritos simply because it was different than most breakfast burritos. Sometimes you want Kalua pork instead of sausage or bacon fried rice instead of egg and rice!
My problem was that the burrito was really, really dry — and really, really white. I felt like there wasn’t much balance. Most of the burrito consisted of rice, with a little bit of pork running down the side like a bowling lane bumper. There was no sauce (aside from Tapatio on the side) to hold the ingredients together or add extra spice. However, I liked how the egg was smoothed like like a pancake and wrapped around the inner edge of the tortilla like a second wrap.
Though I got the Junior size, it took me two meals to finish!