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    Big Island Hawaiian BBQ

    4.0 (207 reviews)
    ModerateBarbeque, Hawaiian
    Closed 11:30 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Big Island Hawaiian BBQ Takeout or Delivery

    Big Island Hawaiian BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    BIG ISLAND HAWAIIAN BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Big Island Hawaiian BBQ

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    Make It Mini
    Cindy C.

    I was craving Hawaiian BBQ and decided to grab takeout from here. I like that they offer a "mini meal" option, but I was a little disappointed with the portions. I ordered the Pick 2 plate for my husband expecting it to be packed (like Ono Hawaiian BBQ usually does), but it wasn't nearly as full. The "make it mini" was $11.99, and they charge an extra $2 just to have all mac salad, which felt a bit pricey. The BBQ chicken itself was pretty plain and dry, I ended up having to drench it in the teriyaki sauce on the side for flavor. The mac salad was solid, and the cabbage was a nice palate cleanser, but overall the meal fell flat. I wish the chicken had more flavor and was juicier because that's what really makes Hawaiian BBQ hit. Unfortunately, it just wasn't there for me, so I wouldn't come back.

    Hawaiian BBQ Chkn BBQ Beef Kalbi short ribs
    Chef Will G.

    My honey had a client in El Dorado Hills and picked up some food on the way back. I wanted baby backs but she found this place. We go to Hawaii frequently and have eaten at various luaus and local restaurants so I believe I have a good palate for this cuisine. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken BBQ Beef Kalbi Short Ribs Meat tender and full of flavor the short ribs are amazing. Mac Salad In general this dish is normally a mayo bomb anywhere in Hawaii. Here it is perfect. Rice Good. Kalua Pork It is ok. If ever in the area would like to try Loco Moco and Katsu Moco. For anyone reading this review the short ribs are a must!!!

    BBQ chicken mini plate
    Claire M.

    Fresh, tasty and quick! The Mini plate is the perfect amount for lunch. I ordered it with BBQ chicken. The chicken was tender and had great flavor. I put some hot sauce and teriyaki on my rice which kicked it up. Great bargain for the price! I'll be back

    Kiara S.

    The kalbi ribs here are so yummy and their mac salad is incredibly delicious! I always judge Hawaiian BBQ by the macaroni salad and Big Island delivered. We also ordered a mixed plate with chicken katsu, BBQ chicken, and BBQ beef. I'd say my favorites out of the four meats are kalbi and chicken katsu. They upcharge on plates if you order the kalbi ribs, but they are worth it! The meat is seasoned very well and it was so tender. We immediately dug in. Service is prompt and friendly. Our plates took a little longer to come out which tells me the meats are cooked to order, so I do not mind the extra wait! Definitely a great spot. I will be returning soon. Perhaps for a Musubi Monday, when they offer 50% off on musubi!

    Pineapple whip
    Mel J.

    Since our first visit, we've been coming back for more. The portion has improved greatly, esp. the meat portion was bigger. Our favorite is the chicken katsu & kalua pork. The chicken katsu was perfectly cooked: crispy coating with tender meat. The kalua pork was tender and tasted delicious. The chicken teriyaki has sweet flavor and tender meat. The fried fish had crispy coating and well seasoned.

    I had this combo plate with Kalua roast pork and BBQ chicken.  Great portions and tastes reminds me if back home on Oahu.
    Larry A.

    Food was great & service was spot on. Menu had a great selection of good food found locally from my home state if Hawaii

    Amy O.

    So so good. I mean soooo good! My son is obsessed with the Spam Musubi. Every thing I have had is tasty and delicious. We even used this restaurant to cater a team party and all the parents and kids were happy! Definitely get the dole whip. Chicken Katsu is crunchy and delicious. On our last visit, they had a sign saying they were adding burgers. I'm sure they will be delicious too. Customer service 10/10

    BBQ Beef/Chicken, Mac salad and 2 scoops of rice
    Michelle M.

    First visit for take-out , did not have much time to look over the menu just picked up a mix plate lunch bbq chicken/beef it was served with a scoop of mac salad and 2 scoops of rice nice portions. Service was great! will have to go back to check out other items on the menu. lots of parking , nice dinning room inside , available for delivery too Menu looks great! they do have loco moco , hawaiian sun drinks and Dole soft serve pineapple or strawberry. Mahalo!

    Went with the Hawaiian BBQ combo plate
    Haytham G.

    Delicious food , I have been craving for a spot with really good Mac as well. Service is great as well as the vibes and music . I would highly recommend this spot as the owners are extremely polite . Clean place as well which is very improtant !

    2 Plate BBQ Chicken and Kalua Pork 1 Mac 2 rice

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    3 months ago

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    Big Island H.

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    3 years ago

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    7 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 months ago

    Pretty good Hawaiian cuisine. A bit of a drive from Rancho, wish it was closer. Would likely go back again sometime

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Food and service was great. I ordered the barbecue chicken and katsu. The portions and price were very good.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Food was done fast and very yummy. Good portions for the price. I'll be back when I'm in the neighborhood

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    Have eaten here a couple times for lunch when in Folsom. Friendly cashiers each time, place is clean, and food is good!

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Big Island Hawaiian BBQ

    Do they have a catering menu?

    Yes they do! If you go to the cashier they have a sheet of paper that you can look over. You can order regular trays or large trays. Prices are indicated per item:)

    Does the Mac have any dairy: milk or sour cream?

    Yes, as per Google, "What is Hawaiian macaroni salad made of? This recipe only uses a handful of ingredients you are sure to have on hand: macaroni, mayonnaise, milk, apple… 

    View All 3 Questions

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    Buckhorn BBQ + Grill - SMOKED RIB TIPS | 13.5

    Buckhorn BBQ + Grill

    3.4(435 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    I really like this Buckhorn Grill located in the Palladio shopping mall. The spacious interior is…read moreclean and well kept, and the employees went above and beyond with their customer service, We were seated at a booth near the TVs so that was a plus - My boyfriend appreciates the sports bar feel of this place so we can enjoy a meal and he doesn't miss his games. The food lives up to their standards, high quality, fresh and delicious. They fry with organic Fera fruit oil, not seed oils, consciously sourced from Zero Acre Farms. We love their tri-tip sandwiches. All Buck sandwiches are made with 4, 6 or 8 oz. of Certified Angus Beef® Char-Roasted Tri Tip. Served on a perfectly toasted roll, there are several sandwich options to choose from. I favorite would be the Roadhouse Buck, topped with clean-fried Roadhouse Onions, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, and Red Ranch Sauce on a Toasted Roll. There are a plethora of tasty sides from Cesar salads, Mac n cheese, roasted veggies, jalapeño corn bread. I like the sweet potato fries and Mac n cheese.

    Not running back for a second visit. Customer service was,…read morenot memorable. Meat was not seasoned well and the ratio of meat versus veggies was off; not a good ratio (too much veggies, not enough meat). The lettuce pieces had many that had brown corners, so unable to eat. The dressing was just all right, didn't have much flavor. There wasn't much of a climax opportunity during this boring lunch. Again, nothing to write home about.

    Photos
    Buckhorn BBQ + Grill - Inside.

    Inside.

    Buckhorn BBQ + Grill - Burnt Ends!

    Burnt Ends!

    Buckhorn BBQ + Grill - Store front.

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    Store front.

    Poppy’s Bar & Que - Brisket sandwich.

    Poppy’s Bar & Que

    4.0(56 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    The structure: This neighborhood little sports bar is great! They have fun games for everyone…read moreincluding kids, lots of TVs and a big bar area. The FOOD: Not great at all...hardly even good. I don't think I have ever been to an establishment where everything that we ordered was pretty bad. We ordered chicken wings... half of the order was barbecue the other half was parmesan and herb. They were dry and the flavor was lacking in both. I also ordered their fried pickles. I didn't know it was possible to mess those up until the basket of yummy,flavorful pickles came and were completely wet and soggy with breading coming off of it. What a disappointment. My husband ordered the brisket sandwich with their cheesy potatoes. The waitress described it as like a fully loaded potato.That sounds yummy, only it wasn't. It was presented as partially mashed potatoes with chunks in it and the cheesy flavor was almost like the flavor from a packet of mac and cheese sauce. The sandwich was a flavorless tasting shredded barbecue. We asked for barbecue sauce to put on the sandwich and it tasted like somebody put vinegar and sugar in that sauce. I ordered the chopped BBQ sourdough bread sandwich and there's no way that was sourdough that I was eating but instead tasted like bread that was toasted. That was probably the best thing I ate was just the bread because the meat was as I described before no flavor and very disappointing. I also ordered fries and thought at least I can eat these but I was wrong. Even their frozen fries were lacking in flavor. We also both ordered iced tea and asked for yes, artificial sweetener and we were informed that they don't carry any. Just regular sugar. That was a first for me! Never ever been to any restaurant or eating establishment that didn't carry a variety of sugar for people who drink iced tea. It's unfortunate that everything my husband and I ordered was really bad. It almost was comical except that we paid $80 for that inedible food. The Service: Our server, Ana was awesome!! She was the only one taking care of everybody and she did it flawlessly. When we asked for extra sauce, she delivered it quickly. She was good about checking on all the customers even though there were only 4 of us in total. A family of 5 left 10 minutes after we arrived and 2 people sat at the bar 15 minutes after we ordered. She had a great attitude and smiled a lot. She said she was new to the job but her actions made it look as though she were a veteran. OVERALL: The service was great and the establishment itself is a great neighborhood sports bar hang out but the food was really really bad. It wouldn't have been a terrible thing if just one or maybe two items we ordered weren't that great but the fact that every single thing including the tea was bad, is the reason that we will not visit this place again. By the way, it took me a couple of weeks to write this, because I aim to see the good in everything. I do not like to receive negativity or give it. It was difficult to be that honest especially when other people in the reviews really liked the food. Good for them! I do hope that this place will have enough customers to stay open for a long time. I wish them the best of luck.

    Shoutout to Folsom, CA. Poppy's Bar & Que…read more Before walking on the Johnny Cash Trail, we decided to try out Poppy's Bar & Que on East Natoma Street across the street from the community center. We saw the smoker in the front of the building. I do luv me some good ole BBQ. So off we went. We ordered a double down plate $26: two 7oz protein choices with cole slaw on brioche and an 8 oz side choice. Brisket and pulled pork were our protein choices with and potato salad. We bought another side, macaroni salad. We requested that the pulled pork be placed on the side and additional sauce. I dislike being that customer with persnickety preferences. But we were, and they didn't blink an eye. Super accommodating. The pulled pork had a deep smoky flavor. Tender shredded pieces. Mmm. The sauce was served on the side. That too was delicious. Hubs had the brisket and wolfed that down before I could swipe a piece. Darn. The potato salad was tasty. Slightly tangy, which I really liked. The place is family owned and operated. It's a sports bar and family friendly bbq joint. Giving off family friendly vibes. But hey, a bar and family friendly? Yes. They both co-exist harmoniously. Talking about sports. The TVs of course are tuned onto sports. All of the screens are strategically placed throughout. They even have framed signed football jerseys from USC Trojans, Denver Broncos, and 49ers to name a few. Pretty neat.

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    Poppy’s Bar & Que - I'm merrier

    I'm merrier

    Poppy’s Bar & Que - Nachos and 1/4lb meat tray ribs brisket and pulled pork with mac salad and pit beans

    Nachos and 1/4lb meat tray ribs brisket and pulled pork with mac salad and pit beans

    Poppy’s Bar & Que - Interior

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    Interior

    Kabayan - Lechon Kawali Barkada

    Kabayan

    4.5(70 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    A true bang-for-your-buck kind of spot. I kept seeing people walk out with tray orders for takeout,…read moreand now I know why. They've got both quality and quantity. The pancit was a hitter, especially with the pork skewers and lechón. For around $30, you can get a tray that easily feeds 3-4 people. That's hard to beat. This is more of a wish than a complaint: if they ever did longaniza with garlic rice, or tocino as a breakfast option one day a week, I'd be first in line. There just aren't enough Filipino food spots around here. If you've never had Filipino food before, let me make it easy: First order: BBQ meat with rice and lumpia. Fifth order: Upgrade to adobo or sinigang. Tenth order: Get the halo-halo. You're in now. Friendly people, good portions, and real comfort food. Definitely worth checking out.

    En route to South Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area, Kabayan in Folsom had some great reviews for their…read moreFilipino food. Because I wasn't that hungry, I asked if I could just order lechon (pork belly) by itself, but you have to order the Lechon Kawali Barkada platter for $30 so that's what I did. After a 15 minute wait, a half tray of pancit, lechon, chicken skewers, and lumpia rolls with sauces was set before me. While the menu says the platter serves 2-3 people, it's more like 4. Because the lechon and lumpia are served on top of the pancit, both were not as crispy as I would have liked, but everything tasted good. In addition to hot food, Kabayan also sells Filipino packaged snacks and canned food. For thirsty people, there's a water dispenser and cups. Kabayan is owned and operated by a husband and wife team and their menu changes daily.

    Photos
    Kabayan - Interior

    Interior

    Kabayan - Pork BBQ was tender & excellent - made exactly like my Dad's recipe !

    Pork BBQ was tender & excellent - made exactly like my Dad's recipe !

    Kabayan - Halo-halo

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    Halo-halo

    Iron Horse Tavern - Fried Pickles & Onions

    Iron Horse Tavern

    3.9(592 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    We came in for a casual date night and had a great time! Prime time (6 on a Friday) the wait was…read moreonly about 15-20 minutes with plenty of room at the bar. There was plenty of seating on the shady patio, but it was really hot outside, so we opted to wait for a table inside. We had a drink and watched the NBA finals on the TVs (there was no sound so it wasn't noisy). I tried the Mustang Sally cocktail and it was well balanced and delicious! We were seated for dinner pretty quickly. The only problem I had was deciding what to order. The luau shrimp salad? Meatball sub? I finally decided on the lobster mac and cheese. While the portion wasn't large, it was delicious! Creamy and mild with fresh lobster (not fishy) and garlicy breadcrumbs. My husband got the ribeye and was thin but large with great seasoning and veggies. I'm not a big steak fan but I really liked it. We ended up grabbing some beignets to go for the kids, which were really tasty and came with 3 dipping sauces (our favorite was the Berry, although we ended up eating most of them without sauce). The atmosphere was upscale, but very casual, quiet and fun. We saw families with young children, couples on dates, and friends enjoying a meal together. It was the perfect vibe that we were looking for, comfortable, but classy. And the food was high-quality and tasty. We will definitely be back!

    My wife and I visited yesterday to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, the experience…read moregot off to a disappointing start. Upon entering, the hostess with the brown curly hair was noticeably rude and unwelcoming, which isn't the first impression you'd hope for when celebrating a special occasion. The food, however, was outstanding and was definitely the highlight of the evening. Every dish we ordered was well-prepared and delicious. Service was a mixed experience. While our server was polite, the service was quite slow throughout the meal, despite the restaurant being fairly empty at the time. Overall, the excellent food helped make up for some of the service issues, but the rude greeting and slow service took away from what should have been a memorable anniversary dinner. I hope management addresses these concerns, as the kitchen is clearly doing a great job.

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    The Melt

    The Melt

    4.6(684 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$
    Kitchen open late
    Outdoor seating

    Went back a few more times, and thought to amend my first review…read more The place is on the smaller side, but when the giant door is open, it does feel more spacious, similar to the downtown Capitol Garage for those who are familiar with that restaurant. Customer service is still great, very nice and approachable. And food is top-notch for the price. Only issue was the egg over hard again, which was significantly better the 2nd time, but still had a little runny yolk. My wife likes her eggs borderline burnt, to the point its almost rubbery. Basically the consistency of an egg McMuffin egg from McDonald's... something Gordon Ramsey would throw a fit over :)

    Very disappointed after reading some of the reviews. Went to this location right after it opened…read more Service was good while ordering. First impressions after ordering, dirty, bathrooms were dirty, pieces toilet paper scattered on the floor, water spots all over the mirror. A table when I exited the bathroom had bird poop on it. We opted to sit outside, tables dirty, umbrellas filthy, we chose the least dirty table to sit at. Now to the food. I had the classic burger, looked ok when it arrived but it was not special at all, in fact if I had to vote, it would be the worst burger in town. It was spongy, texture was weird and it had no flavor (salt is your friend guys). I ate about half of it and could eat no more. I actually felt sick after eating it. There are better options near by, I would skip this place.

    Photos
    The Melt
    The Melt
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    Big Island Hawaiian BBQ - bbq - Updated September 2026

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