This place is the real deal. My boys and I ordered 6 different plates and every plate was insane. Best poke in OC. Great service, good vibes. Pro tip: You can add shrimp to any plate. FOOF. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Blackened Ahi Special - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Was in the area and decided to try this place out. Friendly staff. Place is a bit small and packed so be ready to wait for a table. Ordered the plate with the guava chili pepper chicken, lau lau and the poke. So bomb! Will definitely be coming here everytime im in the OC. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Guava Chili Pepper Fried Chicken & Lau Lau - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

10/10 closest thing to the island flava. This place is soooooo good! Their katsu is juicy and flavorful! The Mac is out of this world. The spam masubi was good I'm just more of a more spam less rice type of girl but if you love more rice than spam then this is it for you! The owner was working there when we walked in on a Saturday. He wasn't just supervising watching his staff cook, no! He was on the line cooking along side his staff. I can't wait to go back. Also I'm coming from the 626 so me making the drive out there tells you something! Mahalo and see you soon maybe at the Vegas location read more

Very lucky to have discovered Ai Pono. They have an ambiance that transforms you to The Hawaiian roots in an urban styled setting. The real reason to go is the food, so far the Spicy Plate and Da Roots plate have been phenomenal. I wouldn't pick one or the other, it just depends on the meat you're looking for. The service is quick at the counter and the plates are worth the wait! The sauce and marinade is on point and super savory, the poke is super fresh and they also have specials of the day and authentic Hawaiian drinks. Give it a try for authentic Hawaiian comfort! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Bone-in short rib, ahi katsu, shoyu ahi poke, mac salad, rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

When we first entered the restaurant, it feels like we're in Hawaii with the decor and music. It smells Hawaiian food :) We went on a Friday and it was pretty packed. We had to wait for a table. We ordered the guava chicken and loco moco. Service was friendly. I asked what kind of eggs come in the loco moco, cashier was confused, she didn't know. I told her my son can't eat uncooked yolk so I asked to have them in separate container. The food itself is great. The loco moco is good, but the guava is on a sweeter side for me. read more

Pros: FOOD IS DELICIOUS. Very flavorful, chicken is crispy and the ahi poke is fresh. Servers are kind and the ambiance is well thought out. Cons: portions are small and the food is a bit expensive for what you get. There are typically long lines so expect to wait for your food. read more

honestly 5/5 -- my brother and i randomly came across Ai Pono on yelp when deciding what to do for lunch and let me tell you... we were not expecting such incredible flavors!! community style tables, great atmosphere, great playlist going on in the background. Quick and efficient service... seems like their team really has it locked down. So impressed with the food. Crackhead chicken and muay thai shrimp were absolutely killer ... brother had the guava chili pepper chicken, also fantastic, crunch is very similar to a chicharron! Highly recommend !!!! Will definitely be coming back! read more

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Guava chicken was 5/5 Really Good Everything else was okay it wasn't bad flavor wasn't there, though Mac salad was bland Mango drink isn't good, so save your $6 read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da spicy combo - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

As someone from Hawaii, not entirely impressed by this establishment. People are nice and enjoyed the "plate lunch" casual vibes that Hawaii is known for. I went here two separate times and was not impressed with some of the dishes in both flavor and quantity. I feel you are paying a substantial amount for not a lot of food. The poke is mediocre, the ahi katsu is okay but the Mac salad is bland. Just not good for price point in my opinion. read more

THIS WAS AMAZING!!!! I have been wanting to try for some years now but always forget as I'm a creature of habit. Definitely lives up to the hype- so flavorful and the portions are comparable for the price! read more

The food is ono (delicious), service is great, cute aesthetic. Saw chef while I was there so that's kinda cool. My only complaint was that the menus on the tvs constantly change screens so you don't have time to read it before it switches to the next thing. read more

The food was so bomb! It's very much different from all the other Hawaiian food restaurants out there, but I think it's one of the best. The only problem is that it doesn't have that much quantity compared to other Hawaiian food places read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This.place.was.bomb! First timers and my husband and I loved our plates. Friendly service and delicious food. It was busy and Sunday but we had no issues finding somewhere to sit. Will definitely return! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Nothing but delicious food :) Ordered "da spicy "plate online and total came out to be $21.90 The plate comes with two servings of chicken (guava chili and crispy korean ) along with spicy ahi tuna and macaroni salad. The portions are generous for the price. The ahi tuna and guava chili chicken was very flavorful and hit the spot for me. I'll definitely come back again when I'm in the area read more

Flavor of the Short ribs was good, but they barely had any meat on them. Not worth the price because of the lack of meat. I ordered their Korean fried chicken, but they got my order wrong and gave me their guava chili pepper chicken. The sauce on that was underwhelming so didn't much care for it. Not that great of an experience for our first time. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Korean short ribs - Barely any meat, plate full of bones. Price of the plate is disrespectful because of the lack of meat. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

FINALLY made it to Ai Pono last night after a show at the OCC Planetarium! About 8;00 PM on a Friday night & the place was still pretty packed. My wife got the Ahi Bowl and I got the Ahi Katsu. Both were great! Great casual " Shaka" atmosphere. Great staff. Going back often now. Definitely recommend! read more

The food was the best hawaiian fusion food! Service was good. Seating was minimal but adequate. Would go back! read more

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Found myself stuck in the OC today. As an LA native this used to be akin to torture about 6 years ago. Now it means it's time for some good food. This spot is the real deal. Super tasty Hawaiian soul food made fresh and served hot. Here's what I got. Da' Spicy Plate - guava pepper chicken, Korean crispy chicken, spicy ahi poke, and Mac salad. This was a robust plate stuffed to the edges with flavorful food. Each item was flavored to its limit and cooked perfectly. The rice was perfectly cooked too, sticky but not mushy/wet. My favorites were the spicy ahi and the Korean chicken. The poke was different from any others I've had before. It was almost like a bbq poke? Sounds weird but tastes great. I'd eat a whole plate of that alone. The Korean chicken was also really good. A straight forward food on paper but it was elevated greatly by the amount of seasoning and its perfect preparation. The guava chicken was also perfectly fried and audibly crispy. I did feel that it was straddling the line of being nicely seasoned vs salty. Still very tasty. This is a spot that you'll come to hungry and leave happy and full. Definitely will be back. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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visit Hawaii often when I'm craving authentic Hawaiian food. Some places here in LA are a hit or miss but this place..... taste like a local spot on the island. I 1st came across this place on social media; then while at the Kolohe Kai & J Boog concert, once of them recommended Ai' Pomo Cafe and gave them a shoutout on stage... so I saved it on my Yelp bookmark. I finally Made the drive down to Costa Mesa on the weekend and made sure to get there when they opened, so I can avoid the line and traffic back towards Pasadena. Yes. I drove all the way down just to try out the food. when you walk in, you can't help but observe the decor, tattoo style murals and photographs of iconic figures hanging on the wall. What I loved was that the owners actually incorporated the Hawaiian culture as opposed to just having a sign or two that say Aloha lol what I loved even more was the music playing. Not often I hear the green, common kings, j boog, etc... besides my pandora station or on the local radio stations in hawaii. While looking at the menu on the wall, the owner Gene walks towards me and I stopped him to ask to take a photo. Very Cool dude and humbled enough to thank me for coming. When standing in line, the women at the register looked familiar, it was Gene's wife. She was very sweet and when I asked what the Chee Hoo Button does, she told me to press it lol I ended up ordering da "makai" plate. Consisted of (2) pokés, a bed of rice, and topped with a nice size of blackened Mahi Mahi. I did want to try a little of everything, so I loved that there was an option to add the Thai shrimp to any entree for only $3. By the time I received my food. the line was already starting to form. The food came out fast which was great. And It was FINALLY the moment of truth. I'll be honest the spicy poké was good, but the shoyu poke was a lot better. Flavors were on point and the Mahi Mahi was ONO! I even wish there was some type of sauce to top it, but I was not complaining. 10/10 recommend the shrimp.... It was coated and cooked to perfection. Everything was delicious and the portion size was more than enough. I was so in the moment of eating my plate, that I forgot to order a size of Mac salad to go. It's okay, because I'll definitely be back sooner than later with the intentions of trying something else on the menu. Staff was 10/10. Ambience 10/10. Food 10/10. I think what makes this place great is not only the food, but the passion they have for the community and anyone who has eaten their food or even came across a video in their social media. Not many places you will see the owners being hands on with the cooking or working the register because that is an example of a family owned business. I support what they stand for, say and cook. Mahalo Ai' Pono Cafe, I'll be back again. Make sure to support, visit and TIP read more

Ai Pono Cafe - The owner Gene. Aka: The Chef Ai Pono. Aka: the man the myth, the legend - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

saw this place on tiktok and wanted to try their most popular menu items. i got their "da spicy" plate and "1 star" plate which was on today's menu. main protein: - fried chicken thigh was pretty salty - chicken bites were the best thing out of all - korean rib was really salty but flavor was pretty good sides: - poke was really good and fresh - mac salad was nothing special - paid $3 extra for the thai shrimp it was pretty flavorful overall busy and crowded as this place was featured on tiktok a lot of times but in my opinion, the food is a bit salty to my liking. food: 7.5/10 customer service: 7/10 read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

First time to this place and we from da 9th Island, Las Vegas!! Originally from Honolulu! We miss our ono grinds back home and we always looking for food!! Now we visiting family in Cali so stopped by. Food here is alright!! Portion size was disappointing especially for us islanders! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Front - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Basically everything is good here. ONLY one complaint, which I was thinking I wouldn't mention, BUT I've read a few reviews of others and it seems to be a common problem amongst the customers, so I'm down to mention it here also, especially if it makes for a better experience next time and for others.... Let's start with the pros: The Mango Chili Peppa chicken is bomb. It's super crispy (my favorite) and has a great coating and flavor. The teri chicken was flavorful and different than most. Very intense flavor which seems to have been marinated for days. There is so much to read here on the menu, even if you've done your Yelp homework because from what I read, they've changed the menu and no longer offered what I had selected off Yelp. The Lilikoi cheesecake was super tart, in a good way and the Mango topping was sweet, also in a good way. The restaurant is adorable and has a welcoming "Aloha" feel. Great art work all around, that makes you feel "at home". I'd love to come back, but just a suggestion to possibly offer a "build your own" plate lunch. That way, we won't have to read all the various combos... and can just cut to the chase.... The con. Yup, only one. Unfortunately, on the day I was here, (Friday, 4/1/22), there were TWO workers who didn't seem to have the "Aloha spirit"... I'm not from Hawaii, but I surely know what that is and friendly, customer service comes in a pretty close second on my list, next to GREAT FOOD, of course. We were there awhile and I like how the workers change positions. This is a nice added touch, since some can get bored or not especially like one job over the other. Great idea! So, with that said, I was able to witness my thoughts more than just once. The girl at the register when we ordered was NOT friendly at all and seemed annoyed that it was our first time here and didn't know what to order. She ended up suggesting the MOST EXPENSIVE item on the menu. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Well, I went with her recommendation and there's nothing to write home about except for the Mango Chili Peppa chicken. So, after paying $20 for my lunch entree, it was a pretty expensive chicken thigh.... but still glad I tried it. Now I know. So, after awhile, this gal, switched with the gal working in the dining room and her attitude remained the same. Maybe she was just having a bad day. I get it. Everyone does. The gal who was in the dining room when we sat down, seemed to only be friendly to the male customers. Hum. Interesting. When I was standing in line to order, she asked the guys behind me if they had any questions. I said, "I do please, after you're done with them" I'm sure she heard me, but she turned the other way and walked away. SMH. We sat down to enjoy our meal. I brought my own water in a flask that I pretty much carry all over the place, so I just asked for an empty cup. Her response: "We don't have empty cups" Um, okay, but I was standing next to a tray of complimentary cups of water, so I just took one of those, drank the water and I had my empty cup. SMH again. She looked at me drinking the complimentary water and (for some reason said) "Oh you want an empty cup???" I'm like, "Thanks, but NM. I'm okay now" Later, when we ordered dessert, she was the cashier. Once again, her "friendly" smile and attitude are JUST not sincere. Sorry, not sorry to call you out. Try harder, maybe?.. or are you trying too hard? IDK I'm trying to make this review about the food, but the experience might not make me come back. My friend drove over an hour to try you out and we had a great time, but the staff here puts a sour taste in my mouth, after a good meal. I wanted to take some "to-go" food home for my husband, but decided not to cuz I didn't want to go thru that again. read more

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My boyfriend came here in the afternoon and ordered a couple dishes to go. We ordered Da Roots plate and Da Chefs plate. The service was super quick and we didn't wait long for our order. I would say the plates are pretty small for the price but all the food was really good. By the time we got home, the poke got warm but still tasted delicious. We will definitely be back and eat at the restaurant when the plates are still fresh. The inside was decorated really nice! It was super clean and had plenty of seating. They also had mini picnic tables for their condiments on each table which was super cute. read more

I loved everything I tried from here- and I happily said yes to nibbles from my friend's orders. We got it for takeout- I wasn't the one who went and picked it up so unfortunately I can't comment on service or environment. The food though- for my main I got the guava chili pepper fried chicken. The crunch was still perfect during our picnic an hour or so after pick up. The spice was perfect and not overwhelming where I couldn't enjoy the experience. I'd have a hard time not ordering it again next time I return! read more

High quality Hawaiian street food. I got the "Makai Plate" which comes with both types of tuna poke and their mahi mahi filet over a bed of rice. I took a star off because the portions are small for the price. My plate was $18.50 and didn't come with the side of Mac salad or slaw, which most do. I added on a side of Mac salad for an extra $5. As you can see from the picture this was about 3 spoonfuls worth. Very good Mac salad though! Overall these guys have great food it's just slightly overpriced. But I'll for sure come here again. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - $5 side of max salad - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

yummy yummy yummy! definitely a must try in OC! they have inside seating, good service, and options for everyone. a must try if looking for a casual dinner! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Spam Musubi, Chicken Katsu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Came by to try their raved about plate lunches. We had the chicken katsu and their spicy plate. Both plates were tasty and the portions were substantial. I particularly liked the poke and wished there was more of it. It had a very good flavor as did the guava chili pepper chicken. The chicken katsu was moist and plentiful although a little pricey. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Two plate lunches - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I saw a Tiktok about this place and decided to come try it. I was initally attracted to the variety of the plates. I ordered Da Roots plate. It came with an ahi katsu and short ribs, shoyu ahi poke, rice, and mac salad. It wasn't bad but I definitely thought it would be way better. The short ribs 4/10 were a little on the salty side but I think it is from the teriyaki sauce. Since there was so much sauce my rice was also salty. The ahi katsu was okay 6/10. The poke 7/10 was actually really well seasoned but the quality of the fish was mid. Mac salad tasted okay too 6/10. My boyfriend got Da Spicy plate and I personally liked this more but there was an issue with the chicken being a little too salty but otherwise it was pretty good. Both were a 7/10 maybe if there was less sauce on the rice it would be better. The poke 7/10 was also really well seasoned but again, the quality of the fish was just okay. I think with the current price point and quality it is definitely not worth it but with a few adjustments I think it could be great! Just a little less salt in the sauces and perhaps better quality fish and it could really improve! Also the customer service was great! The girls there were very friendly. Seeing the other reviews I hope the owenr can take my comments into account and be open to change because it has the potential to be great! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Left (Da Roots Plate) Right (Da Spicy Plate) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

a non hawaiian selling "hawaiian" food. food is nothing compared to Hawaii food. This is NOT somewhere I would recommend. Food is dry, hard and small thin slice of spam read more

I really enjoyed Ai Pono Cafe, located at a strip plaza next to other restaurants and a target. Parking can be found but narrow. They do close at a certain time of the day but reopen for dinner. When we went on a Saturday afternoon, they were not too busy. We tried the special they had for $21 (poke, fried chicken, pork) with rice and macaroni salad. I also ordered the kalbi short ribs which came with rice and macaroni salad for about $17. They have about 5 or 6 tables so we dined in. The poke was very fresh and very delicious. The fried chicken was seasoned and cooked well. The pork was a little dry and lost all moisture. The kalbi short ribs were tasty but without rice, it was slightly salty. Overall good dishes and would come back to try other items on the menu. read more

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Each time here its been incredibly salty. One time had ordered to go and it was in-edibly salty. Food looks great on instagram. Big menu with a lot of selections. Portions are good sized. Multiple tables inside. Large parking lot. read more

I wanted to like this place from the hype . But..... well Poke was "ok" at that but everything tastes the same either too sweet or sweet ,ordered 4 items with high hopes none of it was good it's very over hyped and made for yes mainlanders that haven't had good Hawaiian grindz,not really Hawaiian food but I get it ,its "street freestyle food" ,and the owner is lost thinking he's some kind of a LA thug lmao ,no aloha and kinda of arrogant when saying it's the best ,went once never again atleast we tried the food to give the benifit of the doubt. read more

Crazy good musubi's that are as authentic as can be from Hawaii. Great chicken, rice, Mac salad & more! Great service and super cool restaurant/location. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Poke flavors are good - recommend Short ribs a tad above average - maybe The chicken is overcooked and over spiced - skip it read more

Ai Pono Cafe - New menu as of 05/20/22 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Went here expecting great things cuz their Instagram posts were fire. Unfortunately, expectation is DEF NOT reality. Expensive and the servings were tinyyyy. Ordered 2 meals from chef specialty and was pleasantly surprised at the small portions. The poke, got both flavors were good but nothing special. The Ahi was okay. Also ordered the hambuggah and that was about the only thing we liked. My 5 yo son liked the spam musubi but thats pretty straightforward. The Portuguese sausage musubi that has a paper thin sliced sausage was okay. Ehh feel like this place is just a hype. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Thinly sliced Portuguese sausage musubi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

We were looking forward to galbi and poke here! You order at the cashier and you get a number for your order. Service was prompt and helpful. There's plenty of seating inside and a couple tables outside. I really liked the vibe of the store, highlighted some amazing Hawaiian stories I would have never heard otherwise. Now let's get to the food! We ordered Da Roots plate and 1/4 pound of poke. Da Roots plate has mac salad, shoyu poke, galbi, and ahi katsu. The mac salad was quite bland, and did not have that tangy and refreshing flavor. Especially with decadent proteins, I would love a stronger taste of mac salad. The shoyu poke was the best on the plate, it was fresh and tasted like sweet soy sauce. The galbi was sadly the absolute worst I've ever had. It is EXTREMELY salty. I'm not sure if it was just our taste buds but we were really struggling to eat it, despite being excited for it the most! We tried putting hot sauce but even the spice couldn't complement the salt. The more we ate the saltier it got, but we don't like to waste food. Last but definitely not the least, the spicy ahi poke was so amazing! Reminded me of Foodland. I would recommend getting this with some rice or the poke bowl. Overall, I would probably come back for the poke. read more

Finally made it back to give it a try. We ordered the spicy plate and roots plate. My husband was born and raised in Hawaii so it was nice to find somewhere with local flavors and served plate lunches. Unfortunately it was a slight miss for us. Everything was definitely flavorful, maybe a it too much. There is a lot of sauce on everything (too much even for him who grew up eating plate lunches). But of all the different things we tried, the Korean and ahi katsu would be our favorite. Everything else was too salty and saucy, even the poke. read more

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Ai Pono is all that and then some! My girlfriends and I spent the day on a duffy boat in Newport Beach and we decided to take Ai Pono along for the ride. This was the absolutely perfect lunch option! Not too heavy, while still being incredibly filling. I placed an order online for pick up for their chicken katsu plate. This plate came with thin strips of fried chicken, coleslaw, and cold mac. The mac was slightly spiced and so incredibly tasty. Looking forward to returning in the future to try other Hawaiian plates! read more

What a great experience! Your typical Hawaiian family feel restaurant. The vibe is cool. I will have to return to get a better idea on the other menu items, but I was genuinely overwhelmed with what to pick, not because the menu is confusing, because everything looks so good! My choice was based on what I was in the mood for, so I went for the chicken. If I were someone looking to see what I want for the first time, pull up the menu on line. I really like the nectar selection too. The restaurant has cool pictures and information about the Hawaiians history and some cool facts. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to come in and see for yourself. The food was well prepared, I've had my chicken a little more tender, but it was flavorful! The staff is very friendly and helpful. Check them out!! read more

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This place is hella good. They create the most flavorful sauces for all their Hawaiian street food items. The portions are large and you get good value for your money. Your tastebuds will be wondering why didn't you try Ai Pono BEFORE! I just came back from Oahu and Maui and this place IMHO is better than all the famous food trucks. Faves: short ribs and garlic shrimp Tip: this place is always busy so order ahead read more