Aloha Island BBQ

I’ve tried this place previously probably 3 years ago, and preferred this over L&L Hawaiian BBQ, but after today I might have to change that decision.
Service was just okay, nothing exceptional, but who would expect that from a place like this right? I ordered over the phone for take out and the lady wasn’t too nice answering, but leveled out as our conversation ended. I did my best to contain my disappointment in her tone, as it really wouldn’t do me any good…
So aside from all lets get down to the food…
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As you can tell from my pictures, the spam in the masubi was scarce, might as well have just called it rice masbubi (but the rice was super dry and crumbly…), that was a bust and the chicken entrée didn’t make up for it either. I had 3 pieces, all really dry like they’ve been sitting in a hot pan for hours. I’ve worked at a lot of restaurants so I know they only taste like that if its been AWHILEEEEEE… like hours.
Did I mention they didn’t add any kind of sauce or even ask if I’d like any with my meal. So I made my own teriyaki sauce at home which helped my meal a bit. (Mirin, Sake, Soy Sauce, Sugar, and Garlic) boil for about 6 – 7 minutes.
Overall I will not be going back, nor recommend to others. Safer bet heading over to L&L.

Boy o boy. What can I say! Like I said in my previous review I’ve been coming to alhoa for many years but this time that I went in (couple weeks ago) I was amazed on how expensive it has gotten. I ended up spending almost 15 or 16 dollars when It was normally 13 bucks at the most. I could understand them raising prices the first time. But I noticed that the quantity of food wasn’t their anymore. This last time they jacked up the prices again (2 bucks on the bbq mix plate) the quality and quantity was not their anymore. The macaroni salad was super yellow and it tasted like it was spoiled and had been sitting out way too long. I couldn’t even finish it. The meat… lol what meat? Nonono! I aways get a side of SPAM Musubi. My hair is thicker than the spam itself. Lol all rice. They should call it rice musubi instead. I’m not a fan anymore. Hopefully they change.

The portions were a good size for the price, and the quality was very good.

if you did not see the old lady inside then Run for you life!
Everything is BAD. wish the old pap and old lady coming back soon

I had the BBQ chicken. Not very appealing at all. Flavor was blah and the rice was undercooked. I love the flavor of Hawaiian chicken but this was not the crave I was after. People not friendly here either. If you are looking for fast food, that’s about it.

Not L&L at all. And add the horrible customer service… Don’t know if I want to recommend anything here.
Chicken katsu– I was very surprised at how good it tasted! Enough panko breadcrumbs to give it the crunchiness. Enough meat to not make the pieces all breadcrumbs. Not too salty. (L&L always makes their katsus salty!). Lots of pieces that’ll make you full before you can finish every last bite.
Macaroni salad– not very good color to it. Why is it so yellow? It’s also a bit tangy, which makes me wonder if it’s been sitting out and now it’s spoiled.
Loco moco– eggs overcooked. Patties cooked from frozen. Undercooked. You can still see the dimples in the meat that companies make so they can flash freeze the meat for selling in stacks. Gravy brown sauce was good. Not too salty.
Customer service– horrible! Cashier was an older lady. Seemed crabby and upset that I came into the store to buy food from her. I must’ve interrupted her day. And a boyfriend & girlfriend behind the counter chit-​chatting. Only to look up when food was ready to go. No one acknowledges you. No one cares. So don’t expect anything except maybe decent chicken katsu. (FYI– lots of other reviews say the same about the workers).

Great food, good portions, friendly staff and a decent price… that Katsu chicken is fire…

Shrank their portions and raises their prices, this place has gone downhill. The macaroni tastes weird… kinda like mustard. Katsu is bland and tinier than ever. They have a completely new staff too. I don’t know if they changed owners but it’s not the same anymore.
Aloha used to have great food and good portions but now they are comparable to L&L.

It would have been five stars if it was the original aloha, but i went in today and everything was different. The katsu was over cooked, macaroni salad was changed and tastes terrible and they jacked up the prices. I am highly unsatisfied and will not be going again. Too pricey and does not taste right.

I tried this place with some coworkers for lunch and, as it was my first time trying Hawaiian food, went with the chicken katsu mini plate per the recommendation of my coworker.
It was very good! I’m normally not much of a macaroni salad person but I did enjoy theirs– I think it had kind of a honey mustard twang, it was yummy.
The katsu chicken and sauce was very flavorful, although some pieces were a tad more chewy than others. The rice was good although not as flavorful as I’m use to. But for an appetizing, well-​sized meal all for less than $ 6 I’m very pleased and would like to try this place again.

Not happy. It’s been years since I’ve been here and the food is not the same. Disappointing!

I LOVE this place!
I’ve been going here since high school and I can’t believe I haven’t written a review yet. The restaurant is family owned; however, I haven’t seen the cute older Korean couple in a while. They always remembered me (:
Aloha BBQ is one of my top food take-​out places. They’re very good and professional on phone pick-​up orders, which I usually prefer. The food is made quick, deliciously, and with TLC (tender, love, and care).
Honestly, the mini size gets me full easily. I recommend it for girls, but if you wanna grub or take some to go for later, I’d recommend the large order.
Their food is great! I usually go for either the BBQ chicken, the short ribs, the chicken katsu, or the seafood platter. Their spam musubis are amazing! For my big family parties, I buy a whole tray of them. My family and friends love them and I always recommend them this place.
I highlyyy recommend Aloha BBQ over any local Hawaiian BBQ places, especially because of the delicious food and prices!

Food isn’t fresh at all. Macaroni salad (usually my favorite part) tastes disgusting. It’s not too bad for the price otherwise. Taste isn’t there. Doesn’t seem like Hawaiian BBQ, more like a sort of general Asian-​fied version of all the root recipes that birthed Hawaiian BBQ. Note: IT TASTES WEIRD.
However, the service is exceptionally bad too, with disinterested, slow, and crabby service.

— Locale Destination —
It’s on N Lemon Ave and La Puente Rd in Walnut.
It’s in a shopping center, right next to «Boba V Café» (not so good tea nor crêpe ;().
You can’t see it from Lemon Ave side — it’s on La Puente Rd. This shopping mall got weird formations for the buildings. If you found a sushi place, you went wrong. Just go to La Puente Rd — you’ll see what I meant.
Ambiance: Simple, very outdated, pop & mom shop.
Service: Very minimal. Run by Koreans — you see a lot of Korean owners at «Hawaiian» chain restaurants like «Maui» or «L&L», so nothing new.
Parking: Plenty.
— Gluttony Expedition —
Spam Musubi: They put gelatin sweet sauce and spam in the Musubi (rice ball in Japanese). Kinda cool.
Hawaiian BBQ chicken: Mini size was big for me. So I guess the price is on a little cheaper side than other Hawaiian chains. The chicken was a bit overcooked, not so much «Hawaiian» flavor… It was kinda bland.
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
I kinda liked the spam musubi last time I came here, so I went back to experience this place fully. Nothing impressive. It’s better than going to fast food places like McDonald’s since the price isn’t expensive. $ 5 mini size makes you full — unless you were a big eater. For me (at least), it was a big portion. However, it doesn’t mean much.
It’s ok if you can’t find «L&L» around here. I saw «L&L» in the big shopping mall, across from «24 hour fitness, next to «TenRen» (boba tea shop). However, I wouldn’t go all the way to this average food.
Walnut isn’t a destination for good food. Bunch of chain places — that’s what you see.
Non stop disappointment in this area…

Cheap, delicious and not too busy always makes for a solid restaurant. The large portions at a cheap price is an added bonus!
I dropped in the Friday before the 4^th of July (I.e July 3^rd) and there was a steady flow of customers — about half were picking up call-​in orders and the other half ordered at the counter for take-​away. Seating was plenty available although the dining area is fairly small.
Small Moco Loco ($ 6): Not the best but nothing short of good. The gravy, egg and hamburger patties were all well made. The macaroni salad could have a slightly thicker consistency but now I’m just getting nit picky.
Spam Musubi ($ 2): In short — it wasn’t all that great. The gelatin type sauce was a a first but it keeps things from getting too messy. The spam to rice ratio was also slightly heavy on the rice side but to each, his own.
Parking wasn’t a problem and the place was very easy to find. Next time, I’m going to opt for the large plate and probably order some noodles in place of the Musubi.

I have been going to this place for as long as they have been open. I’ve noticed a change in service and portion over the last year. The girl that works the register is incredibly rude. She’s always on her phone, acts annoyed to have customers, and rolls her eyes at anything that is requested. I get it, you would rather be anywhere else then your family’s restaurant but there is no need to be a jerk to customers. It is really a shame because the food is good and I prefer it over L&L.
Today I ordered the combo meal and there was only about an ounce of beef teriyaki. I called to see if they made a mistake and the girl at the register answered, she rudely told me that they «weigh» the meat yet magically she’s not a cook and doesn’t know the weight. When I asked her to ask the cook, she said he doesn’t speak English. Hmmm isn’t that convenient.
They offered a refund but that doesn’t help my hunger situation. Plus I usually split it into 2 meals, so much for that.
The sizing didn’t bother me as much as her sh**ty attitude did. Hopefully they get rid of her soon.

So I’ve been coming back here every Friday afternoon for my lunch break from work and my new current favorite is the Spam Loco Moco. Now, before, I used to always order the Chicken Katsu and BBQ Chicken. Those two were my go-​to choices whenever I stopped by this spot but then I started trying out their Loco Moco, which is good for what it is but takes too long to cook. So then I switched over to the Spam Loco Moco and this one takes less time to cook so you can get in and get out of there faster, if you like taking your orders to go.
A couple of things to note. The guy cook that used to be there is no longer there. Instead, the female owner now serves as the cook and cashier. She brought on her brother and his wife to help out so those are the new faces there. But the wife is there more often than the guy as far as I can tell. But I can’t say for sure since I’m never there during the week except Friday afternoons.
I forgot to mention in previous reviews that this place has about 7 tables total, which could accommodate a maximum of 22~ or so folks at the same time. It’s good for small groups. There isn’t any AC inside as far as I know. I may be wrong about that but it’s something that I’ve noticed so it can get pretty hot inside.
They accept credit cards: Visa and Mastercard and there is a small credit card fee of 75 cents if your order is $ 5 or below. I would recommend just ordering the regular size of anything as opposed to the mini to avoid that charge, if anything. I don’t think they accept any other credit cards besides those two so bear that in mind.
All in all, food is decent, big portions, and even though the prices were raised by 50 cents about two years ago, it’s still a pretty good deal. Come here for your Hawaiian food fix. It really hits the spot!

I lived close by for the past 6 months and we decided to final try it. Honestly this is the best Hawaiian bbq ive tasted. Way better than ONO. Less greasy and portions are awesome. Definitely will be returning!

LOVE THIS PLACE! I really like that its a mom & pop type of place! It’s super close to my house, good prices, fast service, delicious food! What else could you ask for? I love how their mini chicken katsu is like the L&L regular size except not as expensive. It really is the most reasonably priced place! Been coming here since they opened in my high school days! :)

Okay, so I came back and tried their loco moco couple times and I actually liked it very much!
I actually never had loco moco before the first time here and since then, I’ve tried it at a couple other places and I gotta say Aloha Island BBQ totally blows them out of the water! The gravy has just the right consistency and flavor while the eggs are perfectly cooked, and the hamburger patty was actually quite juicy!
I’ll be coming by when I’m in the area and craving loco moco. The big size easily feeds two people!