Aloha Island Grill

I’ll preface this review by stating that I know very little, if anything at all, about Hawaiian food. I know only what I’ve seen on cooking and travel shows. That being said, as I tried Aloha Island Grill today, I kind of went in with no expectations as to what the food was supposed to look and taste like. The reviews on this place are mixed so I kind of had my guard up going in.
The restaurant itself is incredibly small. I tried going to the Monroe location but I saw that they had no drive thru and I didn’t want to go into the tiny building so I drive to the Francis location that has a drive thru. The wait was incredibly long. Easily over 20 minutes. Pretty ridiculous but I thought, «Hey, they must be making everything fresh, from scatch, so the food must be really good here!»
I encountered some difficulties while trying to order through the drive thru. The guy seemed to have a hard time understanding me through the speaker, despite the fact that I was enunciating quite clearly. I had noticed that the car in front of me had had the same problem. The employee was nice though.
I decided on the small plate with garlic chicken, white rice, mac salad and added an order of the pea salad. My significant other chose the teriyaki sandwich. We received are food and drove to a nearby parking lot to eat it before it got cold.
My garlic chicken was okay, but not great. There was a lot of gristle in the meat, making portions of it stringy and chewy. The flavor was decent but I didn’t taste any garlic though. Just breaded, deep fried chicken. I dipped it in the hot sauce and the teriyaki sauce that came with our meals and that seemed to help with the overall flavor. I feel like you can get better tasting chicken from Panda Express… The white rice tasted fresh and not dried out so that was a plus. Pea salad was… not so good. All I tasted was the peas. Nothing else. It looked to be smothered in mayo, or some other sauce. But whatever sauce they used was completly lost and overwhelmed by the taste of peas. Maybe they didnt use enough of their sauce? While not disgusting, it’s not something I’d order again. I could go eat a bag of frozen peas and have roughly the same experience. Btw, do they even have peas in Hawaii?! Lol! I only had about 3 bites of it and that was enough. (Oddly, after a few hours in the fridge, the pea salad tasted much better. Perhaps it needs to be served at colder temperature for the flavors to come out). The macaroni salad was what I enjoyed the most. It had a tasty flavor and a good noodle-​to-​mayo ratio. There was some kind of meat in there but im not sure what kind. Ham maybe? The mac salad was the highlight of my meal. My wife hated her teriyaki sandwich. She’s ridiculously picky though when it comes to food so I tried it and I thought it was just ok. It wasnt served hot. It was lukewarm. The Teriyaki had a smokey flavor but other than that it seemed to be just a bland, plain sandwich. Nothing remarkable in my opinion. Needs mayo on the bun or some veggies or something. Bun was good though.
I will say, that for the price you pay, you get quite a large amount of food. When all was said and done, I didn’t even finish half of my meal and I had ordered the small plate. Between the two of us, the grand total only game out to sixteen dollars and some change. Not a bad deal at all.
I really don’t know how to rate this place. I guess since I don’t really have a strong desire to ever return, that’s probably not a good sign though. I’ve read that the inside is quite dirty but I can’t speak to that fact since I’ve only been through the drive thru. I guess if you’re from Hawaii you’d be more inclined to like this place. Maybe the other location is better? I probably won’t be back. If I do ever return it’d just be for the macaroni salad. Maybe try a burger or something. How do you say, «Not that good,» in Hawaiian…

Chicken Katsu normally is one of the best Hawaiian dishes this particular day 3÷6÷16 the chicken Katsu was over cooked and tough more like chicken nuggets rather than chicken cut in long chunks with Panko flour coating, shameful product to give your customer especially if you would like them to come back.

I only ever get one thing here, but it’s absolutely phenomenal. Teriyaki chicken sandwich. They must fill that 5 $ sandwich with a pound of the most tender chicken I’ve ever tasted. Great food on a budget and the workers are always hella friendly.

The building itself is small and doesn’t have much seating, but they serve fast and there’s a drive-​through. The take-​away is there pulled meats are amazing! Yeah, I’ve seen the bland taste reviews and I could see that, but they do that so you can choose your flavor. Just be sure to ask for extra if you like it soaked.

Authentic Hawaiian Plate Lunch! Everything on the menu is amazing, even the Spam! Garlic Chicken and Lava Sauce… HEAVEN. Mac Salad is sinful. Think I’m gonna go there right now for lunch. Now I’m all excited. What a great day this is going to be.

This used to be one of my top go-​to places for a quick and tasty meal. I don’t know what is going on with Aloha these days, but the quality has really tanked! The last two times I’ve gone they have given me the wrong order. I didn’t realize it until I got home. When I called to tell them, they were unapologetic. Not a way to treat a customer that you want to return.
They also have a lot of new employees, which I think is the problem. They are unkind and seem annoyed with everyone who walks in the door.
With that being said, my biggest complaint is the drastic change in portion size. I used to share a big plate with my husband, no problem. Now a big plate is about 40% less chicken and almost completely filled with rice. Ugh.
Well, Aloha, it was fun while it lasted… Unfortunately I can no longer recommend you to anyone…

I love the meats they have but the rice rather brown or white is always soooo mushy… Not big on the sides but the meats all have great flavor

Always delicious! They have options that fit my special diet as well! Sometimes they run a little slow but the food is always hot a good.

I really wanted to like this place because everyone I know raves about it. I’ve had this place probably 4 times and every time has been worse then the last. I’ve tried different things and it’s always nasty. Chicken is greasy and fatty everytime. I’ve had the Hawaiian burger and it wasn’t anything to write home about. It was dry and over priced. The veggies are always under cooked. I’d rather eat at mcdonalds.

I’ve been to this location a few times. First time I went I had to wait forever in the drive thru, but the food made up for the long wait. I got the chicken teriyaki with their pea salad, so yummy! My husband LOVES the macaroni salad. The second time around the drive thru was quick and friendly staff that served us. Last night we had to wait 15 minutes to go through the drive through… and that was even after we gave our order. The guy who took our order was mumbling through to us and we could barely understand him. We eventually left the drive thru before getting our food, because we had somewhere to be and no one was coming to the window to get our drink order or to even acknowledge we were there. Unfortunately this leaves a bad taste in our mouth, no pun intended. This location needs to get a better drive thru system!

I ordered the teriyaki chicken bowl with sticky rice. The portion was very small for the price! I was shocked to see how little you get for the price. Very disappointing. Also, the macaroni salad had way too much mayo. The side dish lacked good flavor too. I wouldn’t eat there again. I did not get a receipt when I charged my order. I called the manager, Errol, who stated you have to ask for the receipt. If you don’t ask for the receipt, you don’t get one. They should post that policy on the window. I have never been to a business or store that didn’t give you a receipt with a credit card charge! Ridiculous! I assumed the worker put the receipt in the bag with my order at the drive thru. The manager said mailing out a receipt is not an option. I would have to come all the way back to the restaurant to get it or have it emailed.

Five stars for the chicken. Fresh, tender, flavorful… ADDICTIVE.
Two stars for the sticky floors.

I had a big plate of teriyaki chicken with macaroni salad. The chicken was really good. I thought the macaroni salad was pretty good too, but it was a bit too much mayo. I was able to split my big plate with my husband and we both had enough to eat. The service was fast and worth the money. I will eat here again.

I am a huge fan of Hawaiian bbq and teriyaki… I’ve had a LOT of it in my lifetime… this was the most disappointing meal ever as far as Hawaiian bbq and or teriyaki. First of all… the meat was absolutely flavorless… it was grilled beef strips. Teriyaki is marinated or grilled with a glaze. You can’t just serve plain meat with two tiny cups of teriyaki sauce on the side and call it teriyaki. Not only was the teriyaki garbage but the rice was mushy crap (which I will show a little compassion regarding since it was almost closing time) but the gentleman I spoke with on the phone was a dick when I called in my order. I understand it was close to closing but when someone reiterates how appreciative they are that you’re still willing to cook and everything, no matter what your issue is, you can atleast put a tone in your voice that doesn’t invoke the suspicion that you’ll spit in the order cause you’re irritated about cooking. I may go back to try the moco loco but will probably go to the Monroe location.
Fyi, it still says «Taco John’s» on the door of the restaurant lol… Jesus!

Had this for a wedding !! Paid over $ 200 for two trays of meat, one rice and a paper plate of Mac salad. Trays were ½ empty! Mac salad was enough for 4 people !! They had no clue we were coming and we waited while a kid threw our food together. Nightmare. Waste of money. Place is ran by a bunch of clueless kids.

Rarely do you find fast food that is so great you actually plan a time to go there instead of stopping by as a last resort because you’re so hungry you’ll eat anything… This place is so good! Huge portions (even the small size), friendly staff, delicious food that even my toddlers gobbled up. The chicken is my favorite!

Always tasty and you get a lot more your money! The inside seating needs short tables for kiddos, but we can overlook that and still give em five stars.

Servers name: Alex
Atmosphere: Casual
Price: $
Service: Great
Parking: Small Private Parking Lot
Other: Indoor & outdoor seating + Drive Thu
What great attitudes! Before that let’s talk about space.
Inside: Beside the Aloha Grill on Monroe — this location can seat about 20 people. There is a public restaurant also. available here. It does have a island décor atmosphere and there is a space between the seating and ordering area.
The location here is usually worked by young college age girls — I have not seen a guy work at this location. (No point intended).
Outside: There are circular picnic — like tables outside that also have a shade umbrella option. You have a wonderful view of… well just the street but that’s irrelevant.
Drive-​Thru: The Drive Thru Service is surprisingly fast. Today I decided to order a 5 piece musubi. Alex took my order — pulled up to the window… when Alex was ready to take my card I said «Actually, I’d also like a teriyaki Chicken half plate with mac». Without hesitating — Alex said — «ok, no problem». — ATTITUDE = PASS!!!
Service: They are great here which adds to the atmosphere.
Here is my only concern: The drive-​thru exit can be a safety concern! Pulling out — the visibility is blocked by the seating area deck wall by the walkway (see pics). One would have to pull out further to see if it’s safe to move into a lane. This becomes uncomfortable since this is a busy street.
Overall impression: I do like this location and the attitudes of the staff. The taste is a little better than the one I get from Monroe St and the space here in and out is convenient.
The final question is — would I come back? … I’m the Duke of this place! OF COURSE! :)
Enjoy :)

This is one of my favorite places for lunch or a quick dinner, this place is very much a mom and pop shop, I have meet and spoken with the owners. Both are born and raised in Spokane.
I like the food here, from the teriyaki chicken to the garlic chicken. They do good burgers too but your really missing out if you get one. The mac salad is the best hands down with a bit of lava sauce on top. The fruit salad is also really good, reminds me of grandma used to make.
Service is good and the staff is quite knowledgeable and can help the first timer find something they’ll like. Portion size is generous and with a coke free style or beer you’ve got options for drinks.
As far as the other reviewers saying that the food is inconsistent or not always good, they should remember that this is a local business not a chain restaurant. The cook preparing the food is not always the same one day to day. Variances in taste and texture should be appreciated as they imply originality and character.

I don’t normally start a review on a negative, but I have to call this out. Their credit system is on an iPad, and whether you pay inside or in the drive thru, a tip option comes up. The no tip button is small and kind of hard to see. I am not above giving tips, but I have never in my life given a tip in a drive thru. Think they need to revamp their system, because that just rubs me the wrong way. And while I am in this mode, I am curious why they still have a Taco John’s etching on their door, considering they have been here for years now.
The food here is pretty good, with one caveat. Don’t get the Chicken Katsu. It is basically overcooked chicken nuggets with sauce on the side. Hard outside, too chewy inside. I love the teriyaki chicken though, and the teriyaki beef is great. Hawaiian mac salad and the fruit salad are great too. Fries are excellent, cooked perfectly and have just a hint of something sweet for taste interest. And prices are pretty good for the ridiculously large portions.
So, if you stay away from the katsu, you should love Aloha Island Grill.