The chicken Teriyaki and the beef teriyaki here are so fire. This place is extremely underrated. Also they got some of the best Mac salad ever. Their garlic shrimp is also super fire. read more

Been in a few times before and i remembered enjoying the food. This time we popped in for a midafternoon meal before heading back to San Jose. We ordered on the kiosks but someone was nearby to answer our questions. Lots of yummy plate lunch and side options to satisfy your cravings. I ordered the katsu and a side of Mac salad and my bestie ordered the teriyaki chicken with rice. Lots of space to sit outside and enjoy the ocean breeze. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Chicken Katsu Plate Grilled Beef Teriyaki Plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

It's in progress of getting revamped and still has outdoor seating options. Still gives a tropical beachy vibe for some Hawaiian food. We got the loco moco and chicken katsu plate. Mac salad has less mayo than other places and it's very tasty. Always has friendly staff at the cashier. Limited sparking spaces. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Loco Moco - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Great discovery!! I had their poke tuna, coconut shrimp!! Poke was very well seasoned Great service and casual ambient like Hawaii!!! :) Chicken teriyaki my friend had was nicely seasoned and grilled!! Definitely going back next time!! read more

Aloha Island Grille - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I just had the worst lunch and I don't wanna be that guy and return my food. This place used to be good. I had some of the Kahlúa pork and it has no flavor and is so dry. The macaroni salad had water in it. It was all watered down. I'll definitely not be going back. read more

We've been coming here for years. It is better than L&L. I've tried different things on the menu but the only one that seems substantial enough for me is the loco moco. I always get that and it's very good. I like to order online because you customize your plate. For instance, mine already comes with rice so I get one scoop of mac salad and one of the green salad which has a good dressing. read more

Stumbled upon this shop as we were driving down to Capitola and what a happy accident it was! I wish I lived around this area cause I would surely be here at least once a month. Both the food and the staff were warm and inviting! It's a great, chill spot to grab a beer on tap/ Hawaiian sun and plate lunch that'll satisfy any appetite and transport you back to Hawaii with that yummy authentic taste from the kahlua pork, pork katsu, and mac salad! read more

Aloha Island Grille - 2 Choice Combination Plates - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I've been here a year before, and I loved it, so I went back. They were doing some renovation, so the back room was closed off. I ordered a manapua, 3 spam musubis, chicken katsu plate and kalbi plate. The food was just meh. The manapua tasted good, but it could use more filling. And a little small for the price ($5+). The spam musubis were just spam straight out of the can on plain rice wrapped with seaweed. The spam was not fried and barely had any sauce on it. The rice is definitely not sushi rice. For $4.50 each, definitely steep and not worth it. The kalbi plate was also a miss. Yes, the portions were good, but that's the only good thing I could say about it. The kalbi marinade was soy sauce heavy, and just did not taste that good. The mac salad was bland. The only thing that was good was the chicken katsu. It was nice and crunchy. They have a menu on the wall, but most of the things I asked for were not on it. I only know they had it from Yelp. I had to ask her for them. She said they are available just not on the wall menu. Is it so hard to add them to the wall menu that's written in chalk? The last time I was here, the vibe was totally Hawaiian hole-in-the-wall place, which I loved. I understand that the staff is mostly Hispanic, so they were blasting (really loud) Hispanic music. It wasn't island-type music at all. This is a Hawaiian joint. Play island music. It just lost the Aloha-vibe. Good thing I was taking everything to go. Will probably not go back here, and will try the other Hawaiian places in Santa Cruz next time I am in the area. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Kalbi plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

the food is always incredible & the staff is super friendly!! long time customer & i've ordered most menu items by now -- never any complaints :) it's a small spot loved by locals, and the food speaks for itself. 10/10 recommend!! i apologize for not having better photos -- i truthfully always dig in & completely forget to take a pic today i ordered takeout w my boyfriend and kiddo, we called ahead of time to check about an allergy, and Naia answered & was so helpful!! she was very confident in her answers, but still double checked with someone else before guaranteeing no cross contamination. very empathetic & sweet to us both on the phone and in person! working in customer service myself, it's always such a treat being somewhere with great service!! I think Naia has helped us here before & she's always great! as a note to the staff -- thank you for always providing great food & service!! read more

Aloha Island Grille - exterior - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Another for the search for affordable eats in the area! Easy to find corner location- if it is early, there is parking around the corner of the property. We called in for our go to "chicken teriyaki" plates with Mac salad and spam musubi. Cant go wrong! Price point affordability met the aloha vibes - no images ! Sorry we are it too fast! read more

The pork and shrimp were too salty and the place is dirty and runner down. There are tarps outside all bunched up and cop webs everywhere and they should be putting up umbrellas on the sunny porch eating area but it's all open and in direct sun.also playbislanf Hawaiian type music not marche. read more

When in need of good Hawaiian food but far from the islands, this place fills the void. We have tried just about everything on the menu. Our favourite is the Chicken Katsu, Mac Salad, Kalua Pork Plate or Sandwich is so yummy, large portions enough to share. Plenty of tables, Parking can be a bit challenging when busy. Staff has always been very friendly. Nothing special about the decor, could be a bit cleaner but not bad enough to deduct a star. read more

Good food, service was great, we had teriyaki chicken and beef, and a beer and wine. We will be back

I haven't been here in a few years, and honestly, I was very disappointed today. I ordered the Kalua pig and cabbage. While the meat was good, when a dish is listed as this one was, I expected a lot more cabbage. All I got was a little bit of raw cabbage sprinkled on top, like a garnish. Also, traditionally the cabbage is cooked. Unless I get desperate for Hawaiian food, I won't return. read more

Aloha Island Grille - This is what I got. Kalua pig with a garnish of raw cabbage. - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

The first thing I noticed when I walked in is the smell. It smelled of cleaning chemicals but with stinky water. When we arrived and throughout our meal, we were the only ones there. The cashier was very friendly and patient while I navigated the menu. I ordered the kalua pork and cabbage. Most things here are probably pre-cooked and heated up to serve. Our meal came out pretty quickly. I was very disappointed because there was maybe 3% cabbage and the rest was very salty pork. I usually like a minimum of 30% cabbage mixed with my pork. The rice looked old, but it was actually soft and moist. The green salad was way overdressed. I did steal a couple of pieces of my husband's teriyaki steak which was good. It was tender and well-seasoned. He said the teriyaki chicken was dried out. The prices would be reasonable if the food was decent, but it really wasn't worth it. They have a few parking spaces, and since we were the only ones there, it was no problem getting a space. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

$5 for a side of Mac salad and they gave me a container half full. The equivalent of a 1/4 cup. Rip off. I used to love coming here for lunch and going to the cove to eat my food. Next time, I'll go to the Starbucks on the corner. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I'm here to be honest and be friendly as possible, this place had great service , especially a young gentleman as the cashier. I've noticed that cutting my grilled chicken it was tough. And thru further inspection near the end of my meal it had gotten even harder to cut through. I had shined my flash onto the meat and noticed it was uncooked. Cooked chicken should not be shiny and slimy. But the gentleman was very kind and offered a refund as soon as possible. But nonetheless we should not be serving raw chicken. read more

walked in and noticed 2 employees talking to each other outside. Stared at us while we walked in, no greeting whatsoever. Walked in and there's no one in the counter, so we placed our order on the self ordering screen. Proceeded to wait for 5 minutes and no movement. Nothing from the staff and the kitchen. (You can see the kitchen crew from where you order). I had to go back outside to ask the same workers chit chatting if they were working on our food and if the ticket got sent to the kitchen.. they said yup! They got it... then we proceeded to watch them talk for a few more then went back in to tell the cook to start the order.... Exactly why I went outside to ask if anyone started it cuz it seemed like no one was working there... anyways, bad first impression. Won't be going back cuz of the staffs lack of customer service skills. Never felt so unwanted as a paying customer lol... not to mention them cussing and talking trash in Spanish thinking we can't understand them lol terrible read more

Super friendly service from the young lady at the counter and great kalbi and chicken katsu. I have to knock one star off for the cleanliness of the space, while eating outside at the patio we were bothered by flies of different sizes. And one star off for the POG that doesn't taste anything like guava orange or passion fruit- it tasted like melted 7-11 slushy just artificial color and sweetener- blah. Would consider to be back for the food as a to-go order. read more

Called in an order at 8 said it would be ready in 10 mins went to pick it up at 8:30 and they were closed. Online hours say open til 9:00 pm. Cook looked irritated watching me attempting to open the door. Not coming back. read more

The food was hot and delicious. The atmosphere was perfect for my family of 5 with 2 young children and the service was above and beyond. there was just one young woman working the register, taking order, running food and cleaning tables. Des all of her duties she was anttent and really sweet. read more

Sat outside and ordered Ahi Poke, Spam musubi, Chicken Katsu plate and Kal-bi Rib plate (sub mac with salad). Ahi Poke is very well marinated and served with optional topping of macadamia nuts. Delicious, recommend eating with rice. Spam musubi tastes marinaded and is what it should be! Kal-bi ribs were my favorite! Great charred flavor and marinated properly. AWESOME! Subbed mac salad with greens salad which is fine. The sweet vinaigrette dressing and the contents were a bit lackluster. If the rice was of better quality/texture, it would really set this dish off! Chicken Katsu was also great! Crispy and the sauce was tasty. Friend said the Mac salad was below average. Big portions and yummy proteins! I just moved into the neighborhood and will be back. Excited to try their pineapple burger if I can ever resist the Kal-bi ribs :) Ps. Sitting out front was a nice experience except for the loud intersection and some flies. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Chicken Katsu Plate and Kal - bi Ribs - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Wonderful to have dogs on the patio and it's shaded at lunchtime. The grilled prawns were cooked fine except the black residue on the grill transferred to the prawns. Could taste burnt stuff from other food cooked on that grill. read more

Chicken katsu is over cooked and "gravy" is brown water. I think I'm just going to go to L&L and see if they can do better. read more

Stopped here for dinner and was happy with our food. It's a nice spot and they have a little patio if you want to eat outside after ordering at the counter. Chicken katsu - nice and crispy. The sauce was really interesting. Much more tangy and sweet, less savory than most katsu sauces I've had before. Chicken teriyaki - delicious teriyaki sauce and nicely grilled chicken thighs Mac salad - the noodles and creaminess were ideal for me. I wish it was seasoned more heavily, but the teriyaki was pretty salty so maybe it's meant as a foil for that Rice - this had the most room for improvement. You can see from some of the photos that it can get pretty gummy and the grains all smush together read more

See all

I was looking at a review of only eight hours ago or so and don't understand the difference. We went there about 730 tonight and got coconut prawns, teriyaki chicken, Chinese chicken salad. The girl at the counter was very friendly and the service was great - not much waiting at all. We took the food home and we were delighted with the taste and the quality of the food- way too much for us to eat tonight, so we're saving leftovers. I would recommend this place to eat. read more

I will give 2.5 stars for this place. The service was quick and server was friendly. The location was easy to find but parking sucks. There were indoor and outdoor seating. Ambiance was relaxing and casual. However the most disappointing was the food. The macaroni salad so bland. Literally no salt or sugar no flavor but the mayo with it. The rice was dry. The short ribs were so thin and crispy (dry). The chicken katsu breading looked appetizing until you realize the how thin the meat is which also made this hard to swallow. It is dry without drenching the dipping sauce on it. The loco moco was ok. The only thing that saved this dish was the sauce over it. Not sure if it was a bad day or what but should have probably stopped by L&L instead. I was very disappointed since they had positive reviews. The amount was more generous than expected but if it doesn't taste good, not worth it. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Loco moco - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

COVID-19 Review: I did not expect to find good Hawaiian food in Santa Cruz! My partner and I love Hawaiian food and decided to order some take out while we were in town. We both ordered the Kalua Pig and Cabbage plate. I didn't expect too much since the only other occasions I have had Kalua Pig were at chains, and they weren't too good. But that day I was really craving it so I chanced it. It was a good choice! The kalua pig was flavorful and tender and satisfied my craving. There were some fattier pieces of pork mixed in that added some nice texture and additional flavor. The mac salad was creamy and a bit tangy and was a good contrast to the pork. The portion was pretty generous as well, I definitely had enough of the pork leftover for a second meal. The restaurant has it's own parking lot and seems to be handling the SIP well. They offer both take out and delivery. I wish there was a location like this back in the Bay Area. Support local and check this place out! read more

Visiting the area and needed to find a spot for lunch. This place seemed cheap and simple. I ordered the chicken teriyaki plate, but it was very dry and hard to eat. I wish it came with a sauce. The chicken katsu plate came with plenty of sauce so we ended up sharing. The rice was on the softer mushier side. The mac was fine. Service was quick and the food came out fast. They upped the prices, so check out my photo for the latest. Apparently this spot is better than other places nearby, which is why it gets a higher rating. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Plate & Chicken Katsu Plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

I was really disappointed with this place. With 4 star reviews on yelp, it looked promising. I ordered to-go chicken katsu and they skimped me on the food. I paid for the "big plate" and they gave me either the regular size or smaller because it was definitely not $9 worth of food. It also looked like they threw everything in the box. I was supposed to get two scoops of rice and one scoop of Mac salad, along with a bigger portion of katsu. The chicken katsu and mac are ok. The sauce that comes with the katsu tastes like a really sour barbecue sauce and it was really off putting. I also ordered the BBQ chicken and beef combination plate, which definitely takes the cake for the worst. Both meats are super dry, and the BBQ chicken was so burnt and dry and pretty much inedible. Just not what you would expect from a Hawaiian BBQ place. The flavor is not there. You could probably make something that tastes better using ingredients from Safeway. Would recommend going to Pono instead. read more

Aloha Island Grille - super messy, skimped me on both entrée and sides - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Stopped here before driving home. Perfect place to eat after a day at the beach. They were quick to get our food. The teriyaki salmon special was delicious and everyone loved the loco moco. The sauce on it is amazing read more

Aloha Island Grille - Teriyaki salmon - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

This is our local Go To spot all the time, and is a true "808 hole in da wall!" Have been coming here for years and really love this place (except for the parking). The parking is really tricky here--you can park on street in a few locations, but just beware of potential tow risks. Across the street are some businesses that you may be able to park at if you buy something there, then walk over. Staff are always super friendly, and the food is always fresh and really good. They have one of the best chicken teri plate lunches that I have ever come across--and as my family goes back 6 generations from Hawaii--I have eaten ALOT of chicken teri...the proof of their "808" legitimacy is the mac salad--this is not L&L mayonnaise style mac salad, but a true mac salad that you find all over Hawaii on plate lunches. Their spam musubi is also legit--not like the skimpy ones you find in ABC shops sometimes--rice on both sides of the spam is done right here! Also their mahi mahi plate lunch is really good. Of course they serve Pog in a juice machine or Sun Tropic cans. But their ahi poke is da bestest--broke da mout. They add bits of crushed mac nuts with seaweed bits--makes me always miss Hilo. Come support this local 808 spot! read more

Aloha Island Grille - Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Plate combo with a side of Tuna Poki remains da best on the mainland! Broke da mout - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Really cool Hawaiian spot in SC, locally owned and operated. The vibe and setting is just like it would be on the islands. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, with a parking lot (albeit small, but better than no parking). I ordered the Kalua pork and my SO had the kalbi ribs. The kalbi ribs was better than the kalua pork. Kalbi ribs were full of flavor and tender, while the kalua pork was a bit under seasoned and too much liquid, perhaps it would of tasted better if it was a bit strained before hitting the plate. I had to use sriracha for some extra flavor. I don't like mac salad, so I opted for double rice, they are really nice and will sub upon request. They have a dog friendly patio which is great, while today was over casted and cloudy, I can see this place being filled with doggos on a sunny day. read more

Aloha Island Grille - Kalbi ribs and kalua pork - Hawaiian Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all