Food was mediocre but real downer was the signs that said "Fu-kin" in two places. Don't understand the open vulgarity especially with kids around. World continues to devolve into crassness. Hope you'll reconsider this. Thanks. read more

Update: i guess it's my fault for assuming that 1/4 Lb poke was the same across all restaurants- i get bear flag all the time - and it seemed like we got double the amount. Maybe they just use a different scale. Food was good, but paid $9 for side of 1/4 Lb of poke that came with like 5 pieces.. that's robbery. read more

We had the spam Musubi and the rice was mushy overcooked. Ordered the garlic shrimp plate thought it taste like the North Shore garlic shrimp and it was really sweet can we have a side order of sugar on that please. Couldn't taste any garlic and the shrimp. Had the OG beef terribly salty had to drink a ton of water after. Also the rice in the plates were overcooked to. read more

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

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Food is really good although the chicken was a bit dry. They get you your food really quickly and the vibe is amazing. Highly recommend! read more

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

I didn't find the food living up to the hype. I ordered the spicy Korean chicken plate and found it too salty. I'll stick with Da Hawaiian Kitchen. read more

Listen to me please, I'm married to a Hawaiian, I've been traveling to Hawaii and working in Hawaii for over 20 years, and lived in Hawaii for a brief time. This is some of the best Hawaiian street food I've ever tasted, if not the best. It's consistently that good every time I go along with the impeccable service and treatment. It's always top on my list of places to eat. read more

Service was great and friendly. Food came out fast but it is too salty for my taste. Not a fan of blatant cuss word on two signs inside the restaurant. read more

We didn't eat at Ai Pono Cafe but my wife brought home the Da"Side"Chick from there and now it's hands down my favorite Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich read more

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

This place is INSANE!! The food was delicious, music was nice, and vibes were all around fantastic. Their food was so flavorful it was like there was a party in my mouth! And I loved it. Take you kids, bring your wife. I guarantee they will love it read more

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

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came on a friday afternoon and the store was bustling. i had heard such great things about this spot and i had been wanting to try it for a while. the store is small, but there's a lot of seating available. parking can be a little busy, but also a lot of spaces. - "da spicy plate" - 3.2/5 comes with the guava chicken, korean chicken, poke, andwe were excited to try the guava chicken after hearing ppl rave about it, but it was a bit of a let down for us. the chicken was dry and didn't have too much flavor. i couldn't tell the difference between the guava and korean chicken. the amount of rice was a bit small compared to any other hawaiian plate we've gotten in the past. -"da crackhead chicken" - 4/5 this was WAY better than the other plate. much more flavor, juicy, and crispy. the portion was big, but like the other plate, they kinda skimped on rice and salad. -poke 4/5 i ordered a side of spicy poke and it was good. not the best i've ever had, but still fresh and full of flavor. nothing i'd come back for tho. considering the fact that the store was super busy, im assuming a lot of ppl love it here. i hope that they were just having an off day. this is all obvi my own opinion, id recommend u guys try it out urself and prove me wrong!! read more

Muay Thai garlic shrimp plate and a bento B! The shrimp is always my favorite! But the Chicken Katsu in the Bento B was AMAZING!!!! I'm not usually a Mac salad fan, but it's not sloppy dripping yucky, it's actually fresh and light and delicious! Stop wasting your time reading, order! Go! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Muay Thai Garlic Shrimp plate! For the WIN! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Closing at PEAK hours (4-6pm) and reopening at 6 with a 45 minute wait time is absolutely ridiculous. Get it together. The food has been great in the past but this closing for 2 hours is pure BS and backs up orders for the rest of the evening read more

So we drove a hour just to eat here cause their instagram post looked to good. Got the special: Truffle-aki with spicy poke and crab salad-Three words Broke Da Mouth! I love that they had the hapa rice and already have the furukaki on it. The spicy poke was bomb with a perfect amount of green onion. Def will be back, only question is Where is the Aloha Shoyu at? read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Special- Truffle-aki beef with spicy poke and crab salad - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Waited awhile to try this place since it's not that close to me but finally tried it for lunch today. I ordered the famous fried chicken and a side of the Muay Thai shrimp. I have to side with the people who said the chicken was salty. It was SO salty! Like so salty I almost couldn't eat it. I would not order it again. The shrimp was pretty good. The dominant flavor for me was the Thai chili sauce. I would probably order this again if I ever came back. The Mac and slaw sides were average, on the bland side. So the only thing I thought was good today was the shrimp. Maybe if I'm in the area I'd check it out again and try some of their "cleaner" menu items. But overall wasn't super impressed. read more

The best Hawaiian food in orange county by far. Tons of options on the menu and everything is made perfectly. And plate combo is more than enough food. The vibes are great and everyone working there is kind and helpful. One of my all time favorites in OC! Definitely recommend! read more

For all my local Hawaii People, this place was okay. I ordered the Korean zombie plate and I was super disappointed. My food was drowned in sauce, the korean fried chicken was so rubbery and not even fried. Don't even get me started on the meat jun..... ALSO WHATS UP WITH THE PORTION SIZE? I was expecting L&L kine portions but this was so bad for the prices. There was no love in the food and no aloha in the service. There are way better HI restaurants than this. read more

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

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I've really been looking forward to trying this place but I work the same hours of operation. Today I called to order and they said I needed to order online, then they said the online ordering is closed so I would just need to come in. I said that's fine I just thought this way would be easier for everyone because my eta is 6:58. She then asked me what I'm planning on getting. I walked in at 6:59 and they didn't allow me to order. I'm pretty bummed... they didn't need to give me false hope that I could order. I'm very displeased. read more

I just came back from hawaii a week ago and this place feels more hawaiian than Hawaii itself. The food here taste phenomenal. I can tell the owner chef Ai Pono really put his heart and soul into his restaurant and food. The food was amazing. The ambience brings you to hawaii. It's a must try for sure! Come try their fuckin food please! read more

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

Literally the best Hawaiian street food I've ever had! You can't go wrong with anything on the menu! Poke is amazing and I loved the spam masubi read more

Sooooo good! The musubi is fantastic and the Mac salad is perfect!! (I don't like watery Mac salads). Tip for the musubi is to get spicy mayo and furikake seasoning on the side to dip in!! read more

Rude, unfriendly staff and the food was overpriced and bland. The chicken in particular was very overcooked. Just go down the street to Da Hawaiian Kitchen, better food and nicer staff. read more

I've been to many Hawaiian food spots in Orange County, many have impressed me and many have disappointed. But this........this Hawaiian food is on a different level. If you appreciate flavor over quantity go here. Every bite is worth the money. Before you go here you must know, this place is NOT the Hawaiian joints where they pack on the food in a plate that could be shared with 3 people. If you want quantity go to Aloha bbq. Now if you want quality come here. Every bite gave me pleasure and made me forget I spent the $18 for a plate. This is currently my #1 Hawaiian food spot in Orange County. They put love on a plate, and the only bad thing I can say about this place is that they didn't put more on the plate. If you wanna get laid on the first date, bring your date here. read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da spicy plate and Da roots plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

First time coming here and reminded us of Hawaii. Love the vibes here and food was delicious! The spicy chicken plate was amazing. Didn't love the sauces on the poke, would probably ask for it to be more simpler next time. The chickens were both crispy and great flavors. We were hoping to try the lilikoi cheese cake but it was sold out. Definitely want to come back if we feel like Hawaiian food read more

Really was excited to try this place out from it's Instagram page. Drove a ways to this place. I would sum this place up to one phrase, "Too bad you can't eat the pictures." Came to try it out with another foodie friend of mine. Ordered their Side chick, Loco moco "Cole's way" (4 eggs), fish plate, and side of lumpia. Took a bite of the side chick, soooo salty, no crunch and the whole sandwich was mushy the slaw wasn't freshly made. Moved on to the loco moco. The gravy is what makes Moco. It tasted watered down and wasn't seasoned well. The burger was just a burger. My buddy's , fish plate was dry. He did mention the 2 different types of Poke were actually ok, but his blackened, wasn't blackened and was dry. The Lumpia ($10 for4) was the worst. Supposed have pork, chicken, vegetables. Wasn't even browned, tasted no pork and was just slimy vegetables inside. Just bad. REALLY wanted to like this place, but it really doesn't stand up to it's pictures on Instagram. If you can't make these simple items well, why would I think any different of your specials. $47 for that. Auntie Maile's in Torrance is still the king. read more

So glad that finally we have an authentic Hawaiian food in town. I ordered Da Spicy Plate and 1/4 Spicy Ahi Poke. Hands down for the poke, I tried many other places of Poke in SoCal but the Poke here is something else...such a flavor bomb, super fresh...very distinctive in flavor. Next, the plate is big that worth the price. The chicken still remains crispy even it's covered in sauce, just a little too salty for my taste (I suggest to order some more white rice on the side to calm the saltiness down, since the cup of rice in the plate is also covered with sauce). I prefer the guava sauce chicken over Korean's style. All ingredients are fresh, marinated well with distinctive flavors, just a litte salty that brought it down 1 star from my review. Otherwise, I would give 5 stars no doubt! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Da Spicy Plate and a side of 1/4 Spicy Ahi Poke - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The closest to authentic Hawaiian food you'll be if you live in near Newport. My Kapolei-native boyfriend showed me this place and I am obsessed. They offer the "Utu Bang Bang" ($16) which gives a choice of HAPA rice or Noodles, mac salad, and choice of two entrees on the list. I've tried the ahi tuna Katsu, Muay Thai Shrimp, Shoyu Poké, and chicken Katsu. The shrimp is probably favorite to order, they're huge and flavorful. I'm also a big fan of the chicken Katsu because it's very crispy. The poké, according to my bf, is how it's supposed to be made like in Hawaii. I mean it's smooth like butter and the fish is fresh. I mean you can't beat the flavors here. The service is fantastic too. The place has good vibes, good music, and good cooking. read more

Look at the owner's response. What a joke. All you were concerned about was serving your friends. I'll get some Aloha and real food at Da Hawaiian. Rudest place I have ever been. My order was taking a while, and the chef asked what I ordered. When I told him, he said, you don't have to be rude about it. Rude about what?!?! When other people who come after you receive their food before you, of course I'm going to say something. I ended up getting a refund a leaving. No Pono here!!!!! read more

If you want some Hawaiian comfort food that is delicious, come to ai pono cafe! I finally got to try this small owned business since I was around the area of Costa Mesa/newport. It's been on my bookmarked but never got the chance until now. Located in a plaza with other stores, parking can be found easily. Upon arrival, there's a few tables outside and on the inside, longer tables to fit people. The decor on the inside has history of the Hawaiian culture. For the menu, they offer there speciality plates, bowls, and a variety of sides and options. It was actually kind of hard for me to choose. I had to ask the server what she recommended and she said the spicy plate. It came with ahi tuna poke, spicy chicken, pork and rice/ macaroni. Everything was flavorful and not too spicy which was great! I definitely will be back to try other plates since I was also craving kalbi. Highly recommended! read more

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

I was excited to try this place after seeing it all over social media. The place was packed with people waiting before the 6:00 pm opening time. We got the short rib plate, da spice plate and the chicken potstickers. The pot stickers were good. The mac salad was good. The poke was good. The Asian slaw was bland and all the meats were super salty. I know that most Hawaiian food can be salty but this was more than usual. It's a bit far from home so I wouldn't go out of my way to go again. read more

*Takeout Review* A friend of mine suggested this place and I did not oppose. I ordered the chicken katsu plate, which came with mac and cheese, chicken katsu with sauce, and rice. The portion size was large, so large I was unable to finish all of it. Everything tasted great! I do wish I had some more dipping sauce, but that did not take away from the meal. read more

I discovered Ai Pono Cafe when they were still at the Hood Kitchen Space, thanks to a review from Edwin at the now-defunct OC Weekly (RIP!). The location wasn't too far from my office and since my brother had just moved to Hawaii, Hawaii Street food was on my brain. I got the Shoyu poke bowl and it forever put all other poke bowls to shame for me. So when I heard they were opening up their own brick and mortar on 17th, I knew I had to go out and support. With an open kitchen concept and a good amount of seating, Ai Pono Cafe offers Hawaii Street food in all forms - from garlic shrimp to spam musubi to two types of poke (shoyu or spicy) - there's so much great stuff on their menu. I always feel welcome by the Ai Pono team, and the food is always on point. 5 big stars for Ai Pono's new space, their food, and their aloha spirit. I'm glad to have a respite from the usual food spots in the area - I know where I'll be getting lunch more often! read more

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

Chili Pepper Fried Chicken was amazing! Spam Musubi was huge and very good too! Wasn't a fan of the Spicy Ahi Poke though, I think it may have had wasabi in it which some people love just not for me. Everything our table got we loved! read more

Ai Pono Cafe - Chili Pepper Fried Chicken was amazing! Spam Musubi was huge and very good too! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Poke was alright.. prefer a poke bowl style. Im from Hawaii just wanted to try idk if i would wait 45 min again. I'll wait till hype dies down. Check out bowlz or generations also they are also good and no long waits. read more

Wow wow wowwwww Muay thai shrimp. This is the menu item. And I know every time I'm coming back, I. Am. Ordering. This. The sauce is amazing, the flavor, the portion!!! Comes w brown rice and cabbage slaw type salad (also YUM with the light citrusy dressing!) you can eat without the shell I guess but I was raised if it's cooked as such, eat it with! First bite, I knew I was coming back. I was in a rush to get to work, eating a bite at every red light when I had a chance. Ate the plate CLEAN. If I had gone w the spicy poke (my first choice) I would've been a little reluctant to come back. (I got a side of it) BUT as I was eating my only thoughts were I can't waaaait to come back!!! bring my man too bc he loves Hawaiian food!! :) read more

Absolute hammah! Best grindz i eva had on mainland no doubt dat guava chicken cheeeehoooo

I have been a handful of times and and have tried something new every time and every time I am blown away. Today I had the chefs fried garlic noodles with beef and it was delicious. They always give you a huge portion and I try my hardest to eat it all and always leave over stuffed but feeling blissful. The banh mi is my favorite thing but it's usually sold out. If you are lucky enough to see it on the menu, do not hesitate to order it. Of course you also have to order spam masubi to eat while you wait for your food to be prepared. Every meal is 100% worth the price. It's fresh, flavorful, unique and the portions are very generous. I'm still full and already can't wait to go back and try something else. read more

All I can say is this place is AMAZING! The flavors are so delicious and I can't wait to go back. We had a spam musubi as well as a plate that had shrimp, poke and ahi. We also had the mango and guava lemonades and they were so yummy!!! Our new favorite! read more

Drove 40 minutes away to try this spot. Not because Gene is viral on Instagram but because I have friends who really vouched for this place. Plus they have an epic Musubi design shirt collab they did with my one of my favorite tattoo artists Tim Hendricks! So if my friends suggest it, I have to try it! I've never been to Hawaii so I don't know anything about Hawaii street food. We ordered the food to go because the inside seating was jam packed so we ate in the car. And overall I definitely think you gotta eat it right away. The Crackhead Chicken was good! Some little parts were a bit dry but that sauce with rice is crackin! The Ahi Katsu was really good and also and that hot mustard is a nice touch! The guava chicken was spot on! The musubis were good as well. The service was great. If I'm ever heading back in the area I'll have to make a stop again! I don't have any pictures to post of the food as I realized mid way into eating that I forgot to snap a few pics ‍ read more

I can't believe I haven't left a review for this spot. OG Aipono supporter since he did the meal delivery service. I knew the chef was legit. Not only was it healthy, very flavorful. But I'm not here to review his meal Delivery service. Man, there has not been a meal I've ordered here that did not taste great. Just different flavors hit you with the chefs ability to create. My go to plate has been the "da spicy" plate. Recently tried "da seafood plate," man. It was good. Just pull up to the spot and thank me later. Chef is a creative chef and truly is an artist when it comes to his craft. read more

Ordered loco moco it was good! The burger ia a little but burnt on the outside which I really like and thick too! Gravy, egg and rice perfect! Tried the spam musubi and portugese sausage it was good too! We got there earl by like. 11:30 am there is a line already crazy! This place is better than Highway Inn in Oahu haha! read more