On our arrival in Victoria, we decided to go to Island Poke for dinner as we wanted something quick…read moreand easy. Staff were very welcoming and friendly. We built our own and they added lots of extras for us. Highly recommend in downtown Victoria!

Probably the best Poke I've had so far! I built my own bowl and was really happy with how it turned…read moreout. The fish tasted really fresh and I loved the variety of topping options. It was a great value for the price too. Highly recommend!

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE One of the co-owners described it…read morebest: you come here for the experience which embodies the spirit of aloha found in Hawaii. You're not coming here for an authentic food experience (coming from Hawaii, I can certainly attest to that), but they do offer some of the dishes that speak to the spirit of Hawaiian fare and so "mahalo" to Kahuna for honouring the Hawaiian culture and ways in Victoria - thousands of miles away from its inspiration! === 2. FOOD The dishes may not necessarily cater to those from Hawaii (things have been adapted for the mainland - like all other ethnic foods brought to North America) but the creative dish names do provide some reminders of home. Of note, they have a few standard desserts including a lillikoi cheesecake and a haupia pie that they make in-house. Today, I tried the Loco Moco and it's perhaps a healthier (?) but very different interpretation of a typical loco moco one gets in Hawaii. Perhaps it's a local adaptation of the dish (for Hawaiians: note that there is a lot more vegetables on this, much less gravy and portion size, and different macaroni used and no brown/fried rice available) - but overall the dish is tasty. === 3. SERVICE Soft-spoken, well-mannered, it's like the Canadian version of Hawaiian service: caring but without any of the fun sarcasm and localisms one finds in a local Hawaiian joint. I noticed they were attentive to dine-in patrons and everyone wears a brighter-coloured shirt that speaks to the aloha shirts found in Hawaii. === 4. ENVIRONMENT Good, bright, modern, and clean, the Hawaiian motifs are visible throughout be it in colour palette, light fixtures, decorations, and even the t-shirts on sale. While it's not ginormous, you could bring a sizeable party of perhaps up to 12 here. Groups of 4 or less would be best served on a daily basis. Those with wheelchairs and baby strollers would find get in and out easily. Parking appears to just be up to your luck with a street spot or in one of the private paid lots nearby.

it wasn't edible. kauai burger - vegan. House made. was The…read moreparty cooked from frozen? Popped in a plastic bag, and warmed under someone's arm? it was so bad. The green mango slaw was nice. Cleansed the palate. It wasn't fresh. Had old fridge smell. Our dole whip did not arrive. Alas. Unfortunately consistency isn't a priority. Second and last order.

about as good as food gets without being inaccessibly priced…read more i did still pay $28 for the mix platter, but it was enough food to be two meals if i didn't overindulge myself. you can get a single-item entree and still be fat and very happy.

This is the kind of place that always confuses me. It makes me wonder - did they take a trip to…read moreHawaii, eat good food and now decide to go back to their hometown and recreate it. On behalf of all the plate lunch places working hard in the 808 I gotta say this - PLEASE REPRESENT HAWAII BETTER. If you're gonna market it as a "Hawaiian island grill" place, please put in more effort, check out recipes and learn a little bit more. We do not cook this way. The chicken katsu had some kind of weird "crust" on top of it and it was served with two odd-tasting cocktail-like sauces. The butter garlic shrimp had no butter on it and raw garlic sprinkled on top like garnish along with loads of furikake. On the plus side, the eating area was clean. There was lots of parking. Mahalo for that.

If you're wanting local food... specifically meat jun you've found it!…read more My friends got the mochiko chicken and i got the meat jun. Meat jun in Hawaii is different than Korean meat jun and they made it great here. If i was in the area or passing, I'd definitely stop by. They marinated the meat well enough if h that i didn't need to dip it in the sauce. The mochiko chicken though was very salty for me... i am quite sensitive to salt but even my friend said it was salty and they usually like salty things. It is located in the gas station store at the back corner. Service was quick and friendly. They have some local stickers and decorations up which is fun to look at as you

True hole-in-the-wall gem!…read more UNKO's KITCHEN is the definition of a hidden treasure. Authentic Hawaiian food and desserts in the most unexpected spot -- literally inside a Shell gas station in the middle of nowhere! Don't let the location fool you, because this place is the real deal. The food tastes like it came straight from Hawaii -- flavorful, comforting, and made with care. If you're craving real Hawaiian food, this is the spot. Portions are solid, service is fast, and everything is to-go, which makes it perfect for a quick stop. This is one of those places you must try at least once... and then you'll keep coming back. You will not regret stopping by UNKO's KITCHEN

Came in for a quick lunch which offers a 10% off happy hour menu. I ordered the Spicy Mochiko…read moreChicken and this was FIRE!!! Spicy, crispy, sweet, and delicious. What else do you need to know? Came with macaroni salad and rice for a complete meal. Finish it off with a soda and it was bomb!

We had galbi bbq ribs SOOO GOOD the veggies underneath was good too but there was some big cabbage…read morepieces were undercooked a tiny bit, the carrots were scrumptious however. The Mac salad was delicious as well, and pairs really good with the galbi or any meat to take away from the heaviness of the food. Service was quick efficient and nice too! And the washroom was super cute, great place to lay waste!

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE Calling Hawaiian ex-pats and visitors…read more- the ahi poke is decent (better than some of the competition in town) and the service is good - just ask for the bowl to be made the way we make it back in Hawaii :) === 2. FOOD Review based solely on the poke bowls: it's good - the best value seems to be building your own bowl ($14 for a single scoop of poke, $17 for two scoops, etc.) where you get five sides to go with it. So it's not super authentic (I haven't come across any on the continental mainland), and the ahi serving is a little small compared to back home, but the flavour of the fish is good :) Rice: you can't get hapa here, but you can ask for white rice on one half of the bowl and brown rice in the other half. If you're a fan of or just miss the taste of furikake, be sure to ask the server to put the furikake on the rice BEFORE they put anything on it :) Fish: the standards (shoyu / spicy ahi) are good. They have some different flavours (not ever seen at Foodland or otherwise in the 808 :) ) ...but that seems to be normal on the mainland. Some of them (like the salmon) taste alright. Toppings: there are a lot, many of which we don't get back home and they are good I suppose for the uninitiated. You get five of them when building your own bowl - from egg to seaweed, to edamame, and more. === 3. SERVICE Overall, it's good - a fellow named 'T' seems to run this place; he's the best at service and can reveal the origin story of the joint (memorable culinary experiences in Hawaii). The ladies working here are nice, but need closer direction - and sometimes we find they give less fish/toppings that 'T'. Overall - they have all been great. === 4. ENVIRONMENT It's the Hillside Centre food court - so you have a lot of space for groups of any size, with or without baby strollers or wheelchairs to dine in a bright, open, relatively-modern decor. Parking is a breeze too, given the spacious parking lot outside for the mall.

Stopped at the food court for lunch and this looked the most appealing. Initially decided on the 1…read moreprotein poké bowl but changed my mind to get a Hawaiian Plate instead for an additional $3, since I'd get more variety and slightly more food. The person helping me behind the counter was great--patiently explained all the options I had before each part of the meal! You get a choice of different rices or salad, one hot protein, one poké, one side, and unlimited sauces and toppings. Lots of options to choose from, which is nice. I opted for white rice (along with the furikake that was offered), Maui ribs, shoyu salmon poké, and marinated cucumber for my side. I also got offered a choice of drink for an additional $2 only, so I got the Hawaiian iced tea. Food tastes decent--not the best poké or ribs I've ever had, but it's fine. To be honest, this was some of the better mall food court food I've had! The poké portion was a bit smaller than I expected, but the ribs were a larger portion than I expected (3 big long pieces!), so it all evens out. There was a lot of rice, so I ended up having about 1/4 of it left over. The drink was okay--a bit on the sweet side, but I tasted some of the tea. Think it was passion fruit mango flavor. I ate around 1 PM on a weekday, so while the food court was busy, getting a seat was pretty easy. Ambiance here is like any other mall food court. Definitely will come back if I need a quick meal in the mall.

I decided to revisit Hawaiian Sun BBQ because The Homie and his friends had a satisfying meal here…read moreafter a long road trip and hike. I had laulau elsewhere recently, so I was interested in trying their version for comparison. Last laulau ordered here was in 2018! We took 99N all the way to Everett Mall Way to avoid the I-5 commute traffic (4/23/26). We were immediately seated and provided menus & ice water. Pretty much the same interior, no overhead music, and straightforward table service. There were three others dining onsite, but also later overheard phone orders taken followed with brisk takeout pickups. They also have the capacity for catering with product, prices, and serving pan sizes posted on the wall. The Homie ordered the loco moco with overeasy eggs, plus their standard cheeseburger. He was pretty happy with the outcome. Consistent to his previous experience, but also took note of the quality and reasonable cost for the cheeseburger. I opted for the laulau plate which came with the requisite two scoops steamed rice and one scoop mac (Hawaiian style macaroni salad) with a sizeable laulau. I unwrapped the outer ti leaves and cut into the taro leaves (steamed like spinach) to reveal succulent pork and tender butterfish inside. This was great with a little added shoyu. Spot on delicious! The ice water also hit the spot. Perfectly chilled without any aftertaste from a pitcher. None of that tepid water in a stoppered top glass bottle or carafe. Refreshing! Overall satisfying meal at a reasonable price.

This has been a favorite place for many years. The location is in an older strip mall and not…read moreglamorous. But the food here is always good and the service has always been great. The menu is pretty diverse with many selections available. They also have a catering menu available for parties or get together. The pricing is very reasonable for both the retail and catering. One of the favorites is to order Spam Musubi to go and pick up for local sporting events. This is definitely a place to find and try. It might become one of your new places to frequent.

Really yummy smoothies and the owner was extremely nice. We enjoyed our visit and would come back…read moreagain!

Aloha Smoothies is on DoorDash. They have a limited food menu, but a lot of smoothies available…read more For my first time I got Loco Moco, monapua, a pork hash dumpling, and a mango milkshake. I've never had Loco Moco before, but it was delicious. It smelled a little strange, but tasted nothing like it smelled. It seems like a good ingredient ratio. The barbecue pork bun was good, just like others I've had. The pork hash dumpling was good and moist, but not as flavorful as I expected (I've never had one before). I'm sure they're not easy to make, but I would definitely not pay that much for one again ($3 each on DoorDash). The mango milkshake is vanilla with pieces of mango blended in. It wasn't a lot of mango, but was just enough to give it a mild mango flavor. Overall, it was nice, but too expensive to get often on DoorDash, and has a $3.99 delivery fee.