Everything ruled! Highly recommend eating here. The owners/workers are super cool people too.
Ashland H.
Tried calling ahead and it just rang 3 times in a row.. went in and they weren't even that busy and the girl up front was like oh my bad.. pretty much and then I saw the other girl working starting to answer the phone after she talked to her. Asked and paid for extra sauce and ended up having to go back in for said extra sauce.. and again she was like oh my bad.. Sheesh lol
Tiffie P.
This place was so good I bookmarked it! Definitely worth coming back. The choices are island saavy and not a single one of them will disappoint you. After spending a full day playing beach volleyball, this was a perfect refueling spot. Parking in the back is limited, so carpool if you can. Expect a line. Favorites so far: loco moco, coconut shrimp, masubi (of course), kalua pork!
Bianca M.
We keep trying Pono and sometimes it really hits the spot. We like their coconut shrimp plate. However, the food is super inconsistent! Last night the fish and chips was very disappointing...fish had the texture of fried chicken (way over cooked) and my tofu bowl had very soft, jiggly tofu instead of the usual firm tofu. We will be taking a break from Pono, again.
Crystal N.
This restaurant did not accept my order or payment that I placed, where did my order and money go???? Don't order on Yelp!
Nomnom N.
Cute little place. The poke was good, but seemed like a small portion for the price. They have a good beer selection. We would probably visit again.
Jody N.
Really tasty well made dishes :) I got the poke with kimchi bowl and thought it was a delightful combination of two of my favorite things
Angelica R.
Really great poke salad. Everything was very fresh and delicious. Will definitely return to try other dishes.
Lilith G.
A little pricey for the food but overall worth it. We got the teriyaki chicken and chicken katsu and spam musubi. The food was very tasty and was ready quickly
Stefani T.
Food is great. I had barbecue chicken. It was delicious. The service was good too. Give it a try if you like Hawaiian barbecue.
Can I start with Onolicious ! Almost everything we had was delicious and just took it to the next level. Literally felt like I had to just savor each bite. 1. Pono pupu platter: Kalua pork sliders, coconut shrimp, and spam musubi. The flavors of the kalua pork with the island slaw and pineapple bbq sauce was scrumptious. I'm not a fan of coconut shrimp but this was delicious. They do not skimp on the spam in the spam musubi. It's a nice thick slice. 2. Pork Lau Lau plate - So juicy and mouth watering. We were so full but couldn't stop eating it. 3. Pono BBQ combo- I substituted chicken teriyaki for kalua pork. Couldn't finish it but had it for lunch again the next day and it tasted just as good. 4. Keiki- chicken strips (katsu) with fries. I couldn't go without trying the katsu but it was just ok and not a fan of the katsu sauce. They have so many home made goods like macadamia brownies and ginger snap cookies, or chocolate peanut butter cookies. All so delicious. Couldn't leave without buying mango jam and hot sauces
Scott H.
So I rarely write reviews but this experience was so frustrating I just have to vent. I called the restaurant to place a take our order and was asked to hold. I was on hold for over 24 minutes!!!! I figured I somehow got forgotten, so I tried calling several times from a different phone while I was still holding. I finally gave up. I understand they are probably busy and likely short staffed as well. I would have been fine with them simply telling me that they were too busy to even serve a take out order. But leaving someone on hold that long is just unacceptable. The problem with being on hold is that once you feel committed to the call, it's very difficult to give up because you keep thinking just another 30 seconds. In the end, I gave up and took my business elsewhere. To be fair, they have good food, but unfortunately I won't be experiencing it any longer. Update: I appreciate the apology and your grace in handling my frustration. I've updated this review to 3 stars to reflect my neutral feeling over this experience at this point. As I said before, your food is good, so I look forward to giving it another shot.
Annabelle R.
Even though it is located across from a sad deserted-looking strip mall, this Pono Hawaiian Kitchen and Tap is like its own little world once you enter the lot. The restaurant has a great environment, a modern beach-themed look, huge parking lot, and so many seating options inside and outside, including outdoor seating next to the parking lot, as well as along the border of the restaurant, some picnic tables and benches, the setting decorated with plants and greenery. Plenty of beers on tap, and an extensive food menu to choose from. The korean short ribs were definitely sweet, and the classic loco moco had perfect-sized portions of flavorful beef patties (miniature sized, not ginormous like some other hawaiian places), the gravy served on the side instead of drowning the dish is sauce, typical fried eggs, and small scoops of rice and mac salad. Everything was so satisfying, and washed down with a cold glass of Humble Sea beer. Got to enjoy this meal while watching the NBA playoffs, and we were checked on regularly by the bartender to make sure we had everything we needed during our visit. They have 4 TV's total all along the bar, medium to large-sized with good picture quality. The view is awesome if sitting at the bar, and they had a sign that they offer happy hour specials at tip-off for Warriors games, so that's cool. Overall, this is a great restaurant with a laid-back feel and good value, and I recommend it for anyone looking for decent Hawaiian food near the Santa Cruz-Capitola border. No frills needed to have a good time.
Matt K.
Food is above average and prices aren't too bad. Lots of alcohol on tap and it feels like you're temporarily in the islands when having a meal on-site. The margaritas from the tap are interesting... and strong!
Stephanie C.
Spacious fast casual spot with a bar. I tried Mamma Kathy's teri chicken. It came with a generous serving of chicken, rice, mac salad and an itty bitty container of kimchi. I subbed one scoop of rice with steamed veggies. All good with fast and friendly service.
Everything ruled! Highly recommend eating here. The owners/workers are super cool people too.
Tried calling ahead and it just rang 3 times in a row.. went in and they weren't even that busy and the girl up front was like oh my bad.. pretty much and then I saw the other girl working starting to answer the phone after she talked to her. Asked and paid for extra sauce and ended up having to go back in for said extra sauce.. and again she was like oh my bad.. Sheesh lol
This place was so good I bookmarked it! Definitely worth coming back. The choices are island saavy and not a single one of them will disappoint you. After spending a full day playing beach volleyball, this was a perfect refueling spot. Parking in the back is limited, so carpool if you can. Expect a line. Favorites so far: loco moco, coconut shrimp, masubi (of course), kalua pork!
We keep trying Pono and sometimes it really hits the spot. We like their coconut shrimp plate. However, the food is super inconsistent! Last night the fish and chips was very disappointing...fish had the texture of fried chicken (way over cooked) and my tofu bowl had very soft, jiggly tofu instead of the usual firm tofu. We will be taking a break from Pono, again.
This restaurant did not accept my order or payment that I placed, where did my order and money go???? Don't order on Yelp!
Cute little place. The poke was good, but seemed like a small portion for the price. They have a good beer selection. We would probably visit again.
Really tasty well made dishes :) I got the poke with kimchi bowl and thought it was a delightful combination of two of my favorite things
Really great poke salad. Everything was very fresh and delicious. Will definitely return to try other dishes.
A little pricey for the food but overall worth it. We got the teriyaki chicken and chicken katsu and spam musubi. The food was very tasty and was ready quickly
Food is great. I had barbecue chicken. It was delicious. The service was good too. Give it a try if you like Hawaiian barbecue.
Restaurantji Recommends
Can I start with Onolicious ! Almost everything we had was delicious and just took it to the next level. Literally felt like I had to just savor each bite. 1. Pono pupu platter: Kalua pork sliders, coconut shrimp, and spam musubi. The flavors of the kalua pork with the island slaw and pineapple bbq sauce was scrumptious. I'm not a fan of coconut shrimp but this was delicious. They do not skimp on the spam in the spam musubi. It's a nice thick slice. 2. Pork Lau Lau plate - So juicy and mouth watering. We were so full but couldn't stop eating it. 3. Pono BBQ combo- I substituted chicken teriyaki for kalua pork. Couldn't finish it but had it for lunch again the next day and it tasted just as good. 4. Keiki- chicken strips (katsu) with fries. I couldn't go without trying the katsu but it was just ok and not a fan of the katsu sauce. They have so many home made goods like macadamia brownies and ginger snap cookies, or chocolate peanut butter cookies. All so delicious. Couldn't leave without buying mango jam and hot sauces
So I rarely write reviews but this experience was so frustrating I just have to vent. I called the restaurant to place a take our order and was asked to hold. I was on hold for over 24 minutes!!!! I figured I somehow got forgotten, so I tried calling several times from a different phone while I was still holding. I finally gave up. I understand they are probably busy and likely short staffed as well. I would have been fine with them simply telling me that they were too busy to even serve a take out order. But leaving someone on hold that long is just unacceptable. The problem with being on hold is that once you feel committed to the call, it's very difficult to give up because you keep thinking just another 30 seconds. In the end, I gave up and took my business elsewhere. To be fair, they have good food, but unfortunately I won't be experiencing it any longer. Update: I appreciate the apology and your grace in handling my frustration. I've updated this review to 3 stars to reflect my neutral feeling over this experience at this point. As I said before, your food is good, so I look forward to giving it another shot.
Even though it is located across from a sad deserted-looking strip mall, this Pono Hawaiian Kitchen and Tap is like its own little world once you enter the lot. The restaurant has a great environment, a modern beach-themed look, huge parking lot, and so many seating options inside and outside, including outdoor seating next to the parking lot, as well as along the border of the restaurant, some picnic tables and benches, the setting decorated with plants and greenery. Plenty of beers on tap, and an extensive food menu to choose from. The korean short ribs were definitely sweet, and the classic loco moco had perfect-sized portions of flavorful beef patties (miniature sized, not ginormous like some other hawaiian places), the gravy served on the side instead of drowning the dish is sauce, typical fried eggs, and small scoops of rice and mac salad. Everything was so satisfying, and washed down with a cold glass of Humble Sea beer. Got to enjoy this meal while watching the NBA playoffs, and we were checked on regularly by the bartender to make sure we had everything we needed during our visit. They have 4 TV's total all along the bar, medium to large-sized with good picture quality. The view is awesome if sitting at the bar, and they had a sign that they offer happy hour specials at tip-off for Warriors games, so that's cool. Overall, this is a great restaurant with a laid-back feel and good value, and I recommend it for anyone looking for decent Hawaiian food near the Santa Cruz-Capitola border. No frills needed to have a good time.
Food is above average and prices aren't too bad. Lots of alcohol on tap and it feels like you're temporarily in the islands when having a meal on-site. The margaritas from the tap are interesting... and strong!
Spacious fast casual spot with a bar. I tried Mamma Kathy's teri chicken. It came with a generous serving of chicken, rice, mac salad and an itty bitty container of kimchi. I subbed one scoop of rice with steamed veggies. All good with fast and friendly service.