Reviewing this place after over a year of not going here, but it was great when I used to go. I stopped going after I got sick. Seen a guy there who had a cold and was cooking and I'm pretty sure he's the reason I got sick. I noticed he was sick when I went back to San Bruno mall the following day from when I ordered and had previously premiered from the same man the day before. I'd go all the time since I live close and love walking the mall just for enjoyment. I noticed this dude sneezing out in the open over the grill and wiping his nose with his hand, then proceeding to cook. Tbh, he's the only one I've ever seen this gross. He looked like a bald/short haired, light skinned oriental man, though he could have been something else. Most of the other regular staff does a good job, and I never seen him too often, but the times I did was rare. Probably was just the times I normally visited the mall, which varied depending on day of the week and holiday. Regardless, after ordering here and seeing that disgusting man, I caught a cold shortly after. Was so grossed out after that and it made me stop buying from them. But when the food was good, I love it. Bomb tasting rice bowl you could get for a good price. Staff were always friendly too. And I liked that you could get shrimp tempura for super cheap. Idk how this place is after the pandemic, but I wouldn't be surprised if they end up closing soon. Especially considering their current rating. Hopefully they get new management and turn things around.
Michael F.
My wife went here recently to grab some takeout dinner for us. Apparently the customer service was rude and incompetent. The young man handling the order spoke very little English and had a snotty attitude. He kept ringing up the order at full price despite being corrected and informed of the discount pricing posted. When the manager got involved, he was also useless and spoke no English. The food had no sauce or spices. It was dry and bland. The leftovers were the same or worse. So yeah, we won't be going back. Horrible first impression.
niki l.
Came here for lunch. Ordered the teriyaki chicken and chicken katsu plates. Came here when they first open and it was good. Been wanting to try them again but everytime I see them, they never look happy. The chicken teriyaki came out burnt and lack of taste. The chicken katsu was ok. Their sides of macaroni salad was bland. The lady that took the order did not looked not happy to be there. Maybe she's the owner but she was not friendly whatsoever. A lot of Hawaiian places, they are always happy and welcoming, not her. Would I go there again, probably not.
Steffen Chandler
The place was clean. I love the food and worth to pay for and visit again.
Sandy L.
This is a Hawaiian BBQ take out place located in the food court at Tanforan mall. I came to the food court on a Saturday afternoon around lunch with intentions to pick up Jollibees. However, a lot of food places were closed due to the pandemic. The only options were Subway, Charley's Philly Cheesesteak, Five Guys and this place so thought to give it a try. Poor decision, I shoulda known as there was a swarm of people waiting at Charleys and this place only had 1 person. I got the chicken katsu, mix plate (rib/bbq beef/chicken) and spam musubis. The only decent thing was the musubis. The chicken katsu was so overcooked and dry that if you are not careful the ends will scratch the roof of your mouth. The bbq mix plate was no better. The beef was burned and they try to cover it with chicken which had leftover black charred bits stuck all over it from their cooking surface. The plates were heavy but only because they put so much white rice as filler. Come eat here if you like blackened BBQ. Otherwise, RUUUUN! (Even if you happen to be at the food court in the mall and nothing else is open, go somewhere else).
Manuel R.
Should've read the reviews before coming here but was hungry and everything else was closed, (I originally wanted Chipotle). I ordered the shrimp and chicken - didn't take too long, maybe 10 min, probably because there weren't any other customers, took a bite and pretty much threw away the rest of my food. The chicken tasted nothing like Hawaiian bbq, macaroni salad (usually my fav part) super bland and horrible representation for Hawaiian bbq. Steer far, FAR AWAY from this horribly tasting place. Save yourself $15+.
ashley h.
My spam musubi was cooked on the same surface as my boyfriends barely cooked chicken. Luckily he didn't eat it because it was nasty, but I developed the worst food poisoning ever. Employees didn't care and didn't even wear the masks properly when cooking, but the manager was very sorry and offered a free lunch. Not sure I'd trust it again though.
Shyanne C.
Rude service. They act like they don't like their job. I regret tipping them. There boba is hard asf not even boiled all the way thru. Not only that but the tea was watered down. Never again. Wasted $23.23 dollars. The food was okay...
Spencer Q.
Would I go back: I might defer to another place in the mall though it's limited. Food: BBQ plate - 3/5 - The pro is that it's definitely a big portion but nothing spectacular. The taste of the meat is standard but again it's all about the portion. Service: 3/5 - Standard service for a fast food joint. Ambiance: 2/5 - It's a mall food court so nothing much to say here.
Dahlia N.
I've always liked coming here, mainly because of their spam musubi and boba. But i had a job in my tanforan so I came here to get lunch and I waited nearly 40 minutes for my food. It was pretty ridiculous. It's a great place to go when they're not busy but when they are, it will take you quite long to get your food. Also, some of the staff aren't always friendly so it makes some of the experience of going there unpleasant
Their menu shows my bbq shrimp comes with miso soup. The lady said they are temporarily out of miso. So my order comes with a drink. And asked me which soft drink I like. I usually don't like soft drinks. But since she offered, I told her a small sprite. Then she charged me $2.25 extra. When I asked her, she said, " yes, it comes with soft drink, but you have to pay the drink separately ". Geez. It's been 16 minutes, after writing this yelp review, I am still waiting for my food. BBQ shrimp & fried egg. Never come back this place again.
H R M.
If i could give 0 star I would. So I ordered food for delivery through doordash a couple days ago. I ordered their hawaiian shrimp and beef, chicken katsu, and curly fries. Curly fries was okay nothing can really go wrong with fries. But the bbq shtimp n beef and chicken katsu were horrible. Their side of mac n cheese was way too sweet. It didnt taste good at all and not only that, i got stomachache right after i ate it. I wouldnt order food from here again. It was my first n last time ordering food from here. Dont waste your money here. Get your hawaiian bbq somewhere else.
T. B.
Chef is not friendly at all. BBQ chicken is burnt, dried, has no taste at all. Very little meat and rice. Soup comes with BBQ chicken is horrible and cold. Soup supposed to be hot. I don't suggest anyone eat at this place.
David M.
Don't eat here. Plain and simple. The sign says "Hawaiian," but it's pretty much food-court quality Chinese food, presented to look like Hawaiian food. The food took forever to make and didn't taste good. Typical cut-corners, give the customer the lowest acceptable quality food that they can get away with. To top it off, they had no plastic cutlery or chop sticks put out. I got a worker's attention and he couldn't even understand "fork"," spoon," or "chopsticks." Customer facing workers need to be able to speak at least a little English. It's not my responsibility to speak Mandarin. Just change the sign to say "Hawaiian Chinese Fusion".
Reviewing this place after over a year of not going here, but it was great when I used to go. I stopped going after I got sick. Seen a guy there who had a cold and was cooking and I'm pretty sure he's the reason I got sick. I noticed he was sick when I went back to San Bruno mall the following day from when I ordered and had previously premiered from the same man the day before. I'd go all the time since I live close and love walking the mall just for enjoyment. I noticed this dude sneezing out in the open over the grill and wiping his nose with his hand, then proceeding to cook. Tbh, he's the only one I've ever seen this gross. He looked like a bald/short haired, light skinned oriental man, though he could have been something else. Most of the other regular staff does a good job, and I never seen him too often, but the times I did was rare. Probably was just the times I normally visited the mall, which varied depending on day of the week and holiday. Regardless, after ordering here and seeing that disgusting man, I caught a cold shortly after. Was so grossed out after that and it made me stop buying from them. But when the food was good, I love it. Bomb tasting rice bowl you could get for a good price. Staff were always friendly too. And I liked that you could get shrimp tempura for super cheap. Idk how this place is after the pandemic, but I wouldn't be surprised if they end up closing soon. Especially considering their current rating. Hopefully they get new management and turn things around.
My wife went here recently to grab some takeout dinner for us. Apparently the customer service was rude and incompetent. The young man handling the order spoke very little English and had a snotty attitude. He kept ringing up the order at full price despite being corrected and informed of the discount pricing posted. When the manager got involved, he was also useless and spoke no English. The food had no sauce or spices. It was dry and bland. The leftovers were the same or worse. So yeah, we won't be going back. Horrible first impression.
Came here for lunch. Ordered the teriyaki chicken and chicken katsu plates. Came here when they first open and it was good. Been wanting to try them again but everytime I see them, they never look happy. The chicken teriyaki came out burnt and lack of taste. The chicken katsu was ok. Their sides of macaroni salad was bland. The lady that took the order did not looked not happy to be there. Maybe she's the owner but she was not friendly whatsoever. A lot of Hawaiian places, they are always happy and welcoming, not her. Would I go there again, probably not.
The place was clean. I love the food and worth to pay for and visit again.
This is a Hawaiian BBQ take out place located in the food court at Tanforan mall. I came to the food court on a Saturday afternoon around lunch with intentions to pick up Jollibees. However, a lot of food places were closed due to the pandemic. The only options were Subway, Charley's Philly Cheesesteak, Five Guys and this place so thought to give it a try. Poor decision, I shoulda known as there was a swarm of people waiting at Charleys and this place only had 1 person. I got the chicken katsu, mix plate (rib/bbq beef/chicken) and spam musubis. The only decent thing was the musubis. The chicken katsu was so overcooked and dry that if you are not careful the ends will scratch the roof of your mouth. The bbq mix plate was no better. The beef was burned and they try to cover it with chicken which had leftover black charred bits stuck all over it from their cooking surface. The plates were heavy but only because they put so much white rice as filler. Come eat here if you like blackened BBQ. Otherwise, RUUUUN! (Even if you happen to be at the food court in the mall and nothing else is open, go somewhere else).
Should've read the reviews before coming here but was hungry and everything else was closed, (I originally wanted Chipotle). I ordered the shrimp and chicken - didn't take too long, maybe 10 min, probably because there weren't any other customers, took a bite and pretty much threw away the rest of my food. The chicken tasted nothing like Hawaiian bbq, macaroni salad (usually my fav part) super bland and horrible representation for Hawaiian bbq. Steer far, FAR AWAY from this horribly tasting place. Save yourself $15+.
My spam musubi was cooked on the same surface as my boyfriends barely cooked chicken. Luckily he didn't eat it because it was nasty, but I developed the worst food poisoning ever. Employees didn't care and didn't even wear the masks properly when cooking, but the manager was very sorry and offered a free lunch. Not sure I'd trust it again though.
Rude service. They act like they don't like their job. I regret tipping them. There boba is hard asf not even boiled all the way thru. Not only that but the tea was watered down. Never again. Wasted $23.23 dollars. The food was okay...
Would I go back: I might defer to another place in the mall though it's limited. Food: BBQ plate - 3/5 - The pro is that it's definitely a big portion but nothing spectacular. The taste of the meat is standard but again it's all about the portion. Service: 3/5 - Standard service for a fast food joint. Ambiance: 2/5 - It's a mall food court so nothing much to say here.
I've always liked coming here, mainly because of their spam musubi and boba. But i had a job in my tanforan so I came here to get lunch and I waited nearly 40 minutes for my food. It was pretty ridiculous. It's a great place to go when they're not busy but when they are, it will take you quite long to get your food. Also, some of the staff aren't always friendly so it makes some of the experience of going there unpleasant
Restaurantji Recommends
Location is wrong
Their menu shows my bbq shrimp comes with miso soup. The lady said they are temporarily out of miso. So my order comes with a drink. And asked me which soft drink I like. I usually don't like soft drinks. But since she offered, I told her a small sprite. Then she charged me $2.25 extra. When I asked her, she said, " yes, it comes with soft drink, but you have to pay the drink separately ". Geez. It's been 16 minutes, after writing this yelp review, I am still waiting for my food. BBQ shrimp & fried egg. Never come back this place again.
If i could give 0 star I would. So I ordered food for delivery through doordash a couple days ago. I ordered their hawaiian shrimp and beef, chicken katsu, and curly fries. Curly fries was okay nothing can really go wrong with fries. But the bbq shtimp n beef and chicken katsu were horrible. Their side of mac n cheese was way too sweet. It didnt taste good at all and not only that, i got stomachache right after i ate it. I wouldnt order food from here again. It was my first n last time ordering food from here. Dont waste your money here. Get your hawaiian bbq somewhere else.
Chef is not friendly at all. BBQ chicken is burnt, dried, has no taste at all. Very little meat and rice. Soup comes with BBQ chicken is horrible and cold. Soup supposed to be hot. I don't suggest anyone eat at this place.
Don't eat here. Plain and simple. The sign says "Hawaiian," but it's pretty much food-court quality Chinese food, presented to look like Hawaiian food. The food took forever to make and didn't taste good. Typical cut-corners, give the customer the lowest acceptable quality food that they can get away with. To top it off, they had no plastic cutlery or chop sticks put out. I got a worker's attention and he couldn't even understand "fork"," spoon," or "chopsticks." Customer facing workers need to be able to speak at least a little English. It's not my responsibility to speak Mandarin. Just change the sign to say "Hawaiian Chinese Fusion".