Kalihi Bar-B-Q Drive-Inn

How I ended up in this neck of the woods was all because of a poll for the best chicken katsu. This was touted by many as to having served the best.
I made my way down School Street and found it next to a gas station. It has a dive ambience so if that doesn’t bother you, then it should be all good. A green PASS sign on the door was a plus.
I ordered a regular chicken katsu. I think I had my expectations way up in the clouds because this was disappointing. It didn’t have much flavor. The breading separated from the chicken and the skin was left on so it was extra fatty. I definitely have had better at L&L, and L&L isn’t renown for chicken katsu and depends on which one you go to. The sauce tasted like ketchup and vinegar with added sugar. The serving is generous so if you like quantity over quality, this might be a place you’d like. The mac salad was ok, not a whole lot of flavor. So I guess the best part of my $ 8.32 was the rice! lol Damn, but that is a lot to pay for rice! :O
The cashier was not friendly, kind of expected. I know it’s not top-​notch dining but courtesy goes a long way and doesn’t cost a thing. I support local businesses when I can. I’m just not a fan of this establishment.

last week Wednesday, my boyfriend & I went to our food. he had the steak plate w/​garlic shrimp & my plate is the bbq chicken w/​garlic shrimp. this time around when I tasted the shrimp, it didn’t have so much flavor & taste. I asked my boyfriend if his shrimp had taste & he said it didn’t have. anyways, their portion that they put on the plate is really generous. my plate had 2 big pieces of chicken. overall, this place is a good place to get food.

I asked my dad to get take-​out from here for me since he works in Kalihi. He grabbed take-​out on a Friday evening and brought my delicious katsu plate home. I’ve been on a hunt for the best chicken katsu on the island, and based on the reviews for this local spot, I thought it warranted a try.
I read about this place before deciding to order the katsu. They got rave reviews because of the generous portions, reasonable price and the taste of the katsu itself.
Granted, I came home pretty late the night my dad got take-​out, so the katsu wasn’t super fresh by the time I ate it. But, it was still good.
The chicken itself was tender and succulent, and the breaded exterior was golden brown and crispy. It really did remind me of my favorite katsu from L&L. The exterior wasn’t as dark as some katsus that I’ve had in the past, but it was sufficiently tasty. I could enjoy this katsu without using the sauce, which is a major indication of the flavor of the chicken itself.
The reviews were right, too, in that you get a good amount of chicken. The sides included lots of white rice and mac salad. I liked the creaminess of the mac salad; I normally don’t like mayo, but mac salad tends to be the exception. I probably wouldn’t want to come here at night by myself, but it’s a good option for take-​out.

My family always gets there chicken katsu! Amazing. I love it. Whenever we have parties we order a lot! And everyone loves it. Pretty decent price to. Owner is very nice and friendly! Try this place out. You won’t regret it. I promise.

hands deeeeown one of Kalihis hidden goodies! well they aren’t really hidden you can see them as you drive on the main road lol. However hidden to those that are skeptical or intimidated to drive in the Kalihi area lol! Any how their food is so worth exploring outside of the box! local food at its yummiest! tuna melt to just live for, shrimp fried rice that is plain but packed with sooo much flavor! plus a lot more yummys for everyone’s tummies!

Cant believe I have never check-​in here. This was around my 10−15^th time here. Here for one thing and one thing only — Chicken Katsu. Super Crispy and their Katsu sauce is the Reason i go there, super tangy and delicious. Size wise, the plate is huge, Im a big boy and I have hard time finishing the Reg. plate.

Love this place! This is our go to plate lunch restaurant when we’re craving some Hawaiian/​local foods. The prices are very affordable which is another plus in my book. Not only that, but the food is always yummy with generous proportions. If you’re in the area and want yummy but affordable plate lunches, try this place out!

Affordable. I’d shoot for the chicken katsu. It has a nice crispy crunch yet the meat is juicy and delicious! I’d return just for the chicken katsu. Ono.

All you gotta do is order chicken katsu no rice no salad and cook rice. Bruh u feed everybody

Only recently have started patronizing them after being away from the area for awhile. So far everything I’ve had has been above average and the portion size is generous and the prices reasonable. Don’t have a fav item yet-​still working my way through the menu!

I love KalihiBBQ, they are one of the best plate lunch places in Kalihi. Because we are always going there for my grandma because she likes to eat their beef stew, they know us very well. Outing in the phone order for our order is always the best thing todo. So by the time we get there are food is ready to take home.
They know us very well because I swear we visit them about 5−6x in one month, lol. They are very friendly to their customers, so generous as well. They always know when we are coming because we always order the same thing, mini beef stew all rice
Their double bbq cheeseburger is solo yummy, and with fries. And they live pretty quickly as well, but by hey can be busy at times as well. The parking lot is that big so sometimes it could be hard to find parking. But other than that’d they are awesome !

I think they are one the best bbq shops on Oahu.
They have raised their prices over the years but they still give a very generous amount of food.
They are always willing to make substitutes and to please their customers.
They are incredibly fast also.
I recommend the katsu and the loco moco!

I was putting mustard on my burger but did realize that it was hot mustard for Chinese food and now my burger is ruined and I said it out loud for the workers to hear and the didn’t reimburse me for miss labeling the mustard bottle that it has hot mustard for Chinese on it, very disappointed I come here all the time. Very bad, me being the bigger man I ordered another one cuz I was hungry. Not goin here again. Plus when I was looking at the menu and finally ordered, the owner who was cooking my food says to the cashier girl «why he take so long»? How fucking rude!!!

Great prices an good portions
Ono garlic chicken
Lau Lau very flavorful
Kalua with cabbage just the right amount of smokeless

Be prepared to eat lots and lots of food for a cheap price. 10 bucks goes a long way here. I highly insist on trying the garlic shrimp. It’s a little hard to eat but it’s amazing! The KATSU chicken is good, but had a layer of fat on every piece, which I was not a fan of but still good once you get past that. My boyfriend tried the BBQ mix plate with came with short ribs, BBQ chicken and teriyaki steak which were all good. I loved the Mac salad! Good local spot.

This was my first time here. Even though this place has been here for a while in Kalihi, I never knew about it until passing through School Street looking for a quick bite to eat. It’s located by Freedom Gas Station in the same area. It really is a hole in the wall place for huge portions, reasonable prices and a quick bite to eat.
There were so many food choices to choose from we ended up getting the pork cutlet and kim chee fried rice to take out. Service was pretty quick and efficient. There’s a few tables for customers to dine in as well.
If you’re on a budget, this is one of the places to go to for cheap eats and will definitely fill you up.

I ordered chicken katsu curry and ended up getting chicken katsu with beef stew. Not what I wanted and it was dissappointing. Mac salad was more like mayo salad with noodles but thats pretty typical. I also found a piece of fried shimp shell in the bottom of the plate when I dug to get rice.
Lost my appetite and put it on my list of not to eat again which is a bummer considering its within walking distance from my house.
Boyfriend got the Chicken Katsu and said it was all right but nothing special… said he’d rather go Waikamilo Drive Inn.

I absolutley love Kalihi Bar-​B-​Q. They’re located right next to Freedom Gas Station on Gulick & School St. It’s right up the road from my house so if we ever feel the urge to grab a plate lunch, it’s always our first choice. Annie & her husband are the owners, and they’re really nice.
Not only the convenience is the reason why we always come here, but their portions are SO generous! Sometimes when we order a chicken katsu plate, it’s hard to close with the amount that they give us! Each time we have a pot luck party, this is also another go-​to place cause for a small pan of katsu, they give a whole lot and my relatives eat A LOT.
Their shrimp fried rice are another one of my favorites here. As long as Kalihi Bar-​B-​Q is still in business, I will always be a customer of theirs!

I know there’s a lot of these «L&L» like places out there, but this place is different. Doesn’t look like much on the outside or inside for that matter, but the food is excellent!
Chicken Katsu is my wife’s favorite. Generous portions of chicken and the sauce… the sauce is the best!!! I think the make their own concoction or something lol!
Char Siu Fried rice is good too. Sometimes when we order it you can barely close the plate. Fried rice is enough for 3 of us!
Kalbi is also one of our favorites. Sometimes we’ll get like 5 pieces of the 3-​bone Kalbi. Taste great and definitely beats out some of the other plate lunch places.
Lots of other stuff to try. The biggest plus is the price. CHEAP EATS! Can’t beat that for a quick dinner if you’re lazy too cook. Two plates will feed a family of 4! Be like us, cook rice at home and get the plates no rice hahahaha!!!

I’m going to say what nobody else has the guts to: this is what we call the ‘dirty kitchen’. The food is excellent! The Décor is minus ten.
Now that we’ve got that out-​of-​the-​way… Their food is excellent. The garlic shrimp is so good and so garlicky, that I eat the shrimp shells and all! WHOO! My husband says the barbecue chicken is also good. And that’s a compliment because my husband’s a good cook & hard to please.
If they painted the place and put in new tables it would be world-​class. As it is, it’s just plain wonderful. Go there. Now.