First time here and Brandon at the front immediately set the tone for the whole experience. He was welcoming, knowledgeable, and confidently guided me toward what he felt were the must-try items -- and he absolutely nailed it. I went with the teriyaki ribs, which came out tender, flavorful, and perfectly glazed with that balance of sweet and savory you hope for but don't always get. On his recommendation, I upgraded to the kimchi fried rice, and that was the real game changer. The depth of flavor, the slight heat from the kimchi, and the overall richness elevated the entire meal. It wasn't just a side -- it was a centerpiece. Service was attentive without being overbearing, and the food came out on point. You can tell they take pride in what they're serving. I'm all the way here from Texas for training, and this spot left such an impression that it's already on my list to return before I leave -- and again anytime I'm back in town. Highly recommend if you appreciate great flavor, solid recommendations, and a spot that delivers on the experience. read more

Dalu Hawaiian BBQ - Hawaiian Near Me - San Clemente, California

If the quality of the food could just match that of the exterior walls it would be great. The screen showed a continuous 4 minute loop which seemed to be an AI generated mix of Jamaica, Hawaii and Bali - but was really none of them - it repeated so often that I was ready to scream. Food was overly salty and the Mac Salad was dry.... Then the entire establishment locked their doors and literally closed down so that staff could get a 30 minute+ break!! If I were the owner I'd be worried- As a first time=last time customer I can only hope that the O'Side & El Cajon locations are better managed, monitored and operated. read more

This place is a hidden gem! The food quality is great, service is good, and good-vibes environment. Support your local small businesses and try something off the beaten track! Everything on the menu tastes delicious! read more

How does this place only have 47 reviews?! Like if you haven't made your way over here.. please stop reading this and make your way over there. Thomas, one of the managers was literally thee kindest to our family, we were there close to when they opened so fortunate enough to have the place to ourselves before the lunch rush came. I love love that they have a binder with pictures of the food and a drive through?! There's plenty of seating inside and out so no excuse to not enjoy your meal but easy for a grab and go to the beach too. We loved how colorful the decor was and it really felt like home away from home. We love Hawaiian food so much so when we saw a video on IG saying they sell whole fish here I was like where?! It was incredibly tasty, crispy and with some lemon and soy/gArlic flavored rice it just hit the spot. My kids devoured the chicken katsu and pineapple burger, portions were HUGE, we had plenty leftover to munch on later. We can't wait to return and see what other items we can try. Thank you for making us feel so welcomed read more

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Absolutely delicious food! The beef and chicken katsu are the best! Same with the macaroni. I always order online or do drive through. The staff is fast and kind. I also recently tried their poke and kimchi and they were delicious. read more

Never have I ever had pineapple chicken. Now, thanks to dalu, I crave it everyday now. Some good hawaiian is just what you need after many hours on the beach. Filling, sweet, and protein packed. The workers are great. Super nice and efficient. Super quick counter service with a nice patio. The macaroni salad is superb, but once again, get the pineapple chicken!!!!! Sweet, crunchy, tangy, umami. So delicious read more

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A cute little spot with drive thru. Quick to take my order through I wasn't paying attention and accidentally added a large tip onto my order and the worker was very concerned that I didn't mean to. I said it was fine and he let me have 2 water bottles complementary. The food came out pretty fast and it was delicious. Well seasoned and cooked not too salty and not too many overly chewy parts. Our friend got a burger but it came out with cheese which she is allergic to. She tried to wipe it off but we ended up going back up to the register and apologizing that we had to have it remade and the worker said it was his fault for not mentioning it had cheese. They quickly remade it which was much appreciated. Would be down to try other items!! read more

Dalu Hawaiian BBQ - Teriyaki Beef Bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - San Clemente, California

Was looking for a new spot to try that was close to my campsite and I always remember seeing Dalu Hawaiian BBQ popup. I stopped by on a late Saturday afternoon. The parking lot is very small, and they have a drive-through which I did not expect. I went in and ordered bulgogi fries, kimchi fried rice and a cheeseburger. While I waited, I noticed they have a small outdoor seating area. Service was okay and my food was ready quickly. The bulgogi fries were okay. Nothing too creative about them, just a lot of meat and fries with some sauce on top. The fries were a bit overcooked; I tried a few that were untouched by the meat or sauce. The kimchi flavor from the rice definitely slaps you in the face. It was a bit overwhelming for me personally, but if you absolutely love kimchi then this dish might be for you. The cheeseburger was pretty basic but tasty. The taste reminded me of a Jollibee burger, and I love Jollibee burgers. The thing that was a bit off-putting for me was the fact that this place strikes me as a fast-food place, but the pos system is one of those that asks if you would like to tip. On top of that, a service charge is added as well. Overall, the food was all right, but prices are a bit high. If I were to come back, I might have to give one of the mix plates a shot. read more

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Ordered my regular chicken katsu plate in the drive thru come home to open the box and it's completely hard and burnt. Super inedible. Tried to call the manager but apparently they never call anyone back so read more

Dalu Hawaiian BBQ - Chicken katsu plate - Hawaiian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Love their musubi!!! And love that you can drive through for them. The perfect snack!!

Awesome experience. Fun times. The workers were great. Food was awesome. Made me feel special. Come get this food. read more

Dalu Hawaiian BBQ - Amazing food. Awesome chicken. Delightful Malasadas. Terrific experience. Shout out Alejandro and Anna for the amazing review. - Hawaiian Near Me - San Clemente, California

My boyfriend and I came here for dinner tonight and after 5 minutes of eating he felt sick. DO NOT COME HERE! We ordered the Korean fried chicken, which contains peanuts--but NOWHERE on the menu was this disclosed. My boyfriend has a peanut allergy, and eating here was SO dangerous. Out of both anger and frustration, I called the restaurant and they confirmed the dish does contain peanuts and acknowledged the lack of proper labeling. This level of negligence is completely unacceptable and EXTREMELY dangerous. This restaurant's disregard for allergen labeling puts lives at risk. As for the food itself--nothing impressive about it. I had the tuna wrap, which was a mediocre 5/10, and the Korean fried chicken was maybe a 5.5/10. Overall, disappointing meal that resulted in a life threatening situation. I would advise everyone to stay away from this restaurant. read more

My wife and I Katie order here at least two or three times a month we get it DoorDash and the food is always hot fresh and amazing and if you call in and ask for stuff, the people there are just so accommodating love this place. It's a definitely must try. read more

Really good food. We stopped late one night coming back home from LA. Great spot right off the freeway glad we stopped to try it out. Would definitely return. read more

This place is Fire! Plates are definitely filling and flavorful. Thomas was super friendly and informative but our lunch, 1000 times better than the lunch we had in Encinitas yesterday.. Keep it up Dalu! Even better than that one chain hands down read more

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Our go to spot for Hawaiian food or any food in general. Staff is always nice and food is always good 11/10

Always super good, love the pineapple chicken! The workers are always friendly and willing to answer any questions

First time here! I loved the food very much because it was delicious, there was good service, the people were nice, the ambiance was great, and there was good music. read more

Dalu Hawaiian BBQ - Outside. - Hawaiian Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Good ambiance they play great music! They're nice enough to bring your food to you and come around and pick up plates. Got the teriyaki chicken plate, kalula pork, the best aloha mix, and a side of spam masubi and lumpia. The plates come with a good amount of food definitely worth the money. read more

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So. Much. Yummy. Food. Perfect post-surf, pre-nap stop!! I wanted to give 4.5 stars but since I can't, I rounded up. 5 stars for the staff 4 stars for the food. read more

My fiancé and I live right down the street and figured we stop in to have a quick lunch. Let me tell you, I am so glad we did! I was blown away on how fresh the food tasted and the employees were friendly and acknowledgeable on the menu. Tommy (long blonde hair) went over and beyond to make us at home/welcoming. Definitely will be back ASAP, so much better than L&L! PS: the portions are enough for leftovers/two days! read more

This place is awesome! Great customer service and good food. I personally found their beef (ribs and teriyaki beef) a little too sweet for me. But the teriyaki and katsu chicken are solid. So glad this place opened only 5 minutes from my house. Love that they have a drive thru too! read more

We were stranded in gridlock traffic but praise God we found Dalu's! Brandon at the register was so kind and gave us the best food recommendations! The food was so delicious and comforting, but most of all the malasadas were UNREAL!!! So warm and chocolatey and cinnamony! Hats off the chefs Jose and Juan!!! The environment was cozy and welcoming and we had an amazing dinner experience :) 10/10 would recommend! read more

Stopped here on our way to Coronado. So glad we did. It's right off the freeway and one of the best quick service hawaiian food ive had on the mainland. Bomb. read more

Service was great. Food was good. I had the pineapple fried chicken it was so tasty. With rice and macaroni salad. Also ordered the Katsu Mix. It was the perfect mix of meat, when we got it the meat was a bit cold but it was still really good. The restaurant was small, but we went at a good time no too busy and very clean. read more

This place has gotta be a money‑laundering operation. I'm always craving Hawaiian food because I'm from the area, but every time I see that place I'm like, no way--I'm not paying $25 for a basic plate. Half the time it's overly salty. There's no way people are actually coming here and spending close to $30 for a meal. It's crazy. I never see anybody there, so my suspicion is it's a money‑laundering operation. It's gotta be--there's no way it isn't. read more

Fantastic spin on traditional Hawaiian dishes. Friendly service, clean and well maintained environment, family friendly service.

food is not bad by any means, a little expensive but they normally do doordash deals that make it extremely reasonable

Fantastic post surf Hawaiian food with massive portions and plenty of options. Katsu and bbq beef is amazing. Mac salad

fire char greatness, YUM YUM teri chix moist with good flavor, they fire char but then flat top with sauce, yum. i dont know how they get the ribs sooooo tender???? mac on point, i was there right when it opened and the rice was already cooked perfect nice n sticky. HOWEVER avoid the fried rice was a joke, just rice with teri and a pinch of onions, i wrote they today with the correct 808 recipe adding sesame oil n seeds peas, carrots more onion and BACON baby ! kine kine la dat. read more

Nothing special and nothing to write home about. Only decent thing was the Kalua pork. Lau lau poor quality...stick with L and J...we won't be back. read more

The best Kalua Pork I think I've ever had! I've have had Kalua in Hawaii at both Luaus and plate lunch restaurants and I don't think those were any better. The mac salad is authentic and the white rice is good too. We had Chicken Katsu and it was cooked perfectly. Finally one plate can feed 3 adults easy with a little bit left! We made breakfast the next morning with rice, pork and Mac salad. I highly recommend Daly Hawaiian BBQ. 10-star! read more

Just had a horrible experience ordered salmon bowl and they confused it with a other order turns out they don't have salmon and I asked for a refund after I drove home and was declined a refund they offered to make me a order but I had already drove home and they told me I couldn't get a refund rlly rude because I was very clear about the salmon also tried the food since I was gonna go back there and it was not great overall one of my worst experiences and am in shock they didn't refund me after that never going telling everyone in town it's sucks read more

Dalu Hawaiian BBQ - The food I didn't order - Hawaiian Near Me - San Clemente, California

Lowkey so good. Way better than expected, hope it sticks around because I know it's not super known yet

This is hands down the best Hawaiian food I've had in a long time! The food was absolutely delicious, and the place was spotless inside. I've seen some complaints about the prices, but honestly, if you're in San Clemente, it's understandable, and some people just need to chill out. If the cost isn't your thing, there are other options out there Karen. Regardless, I'll definitely be back whenever I'm craving some amazing Hawaiian food! read more

Eat with caution!!! My whole family's stomach was sick all evening after eating this for a late lunch today. Two of us had both the pineapple chicken and two of us had the teriyaki steak and we are all having upset stomachs. The steak was fatty and gross, the chicken tasted good but was coated in so much excess of crap. Immediately 15 min after eating up to 4 hours later we are all sorry we tried this place. We will stick to Nalu's from now on!! read more

The pineapple fried chicken. Smelled like heaven.The sauce, seasoning and dressing was excellent. Unfortunately the chicken was dry, hard and inedible. I salvaged the meal with the pineapples and dressing and rice and Mac. I will try something else next. Pineapple fried chicken? No no read more

Finally went to the new Hawaiian place in South San Clemente, DALU Hawaiian BBQ. Since we had lived in Hawai'i for many years, we're pretty picky about Hawai'i food. The Mac salad was so good, not overly dripping with mayo. The rice was sticky and the Teri sauce was really good. The Loco Moco gravy and beef patty were like what we're used to. If you like Hawai'ian food that legit, this is the place. read more

Great tasting food, good size portions and friendly customer service. Tommy is unreal, now eating there at least twice per week. Stoked to have "real" Hawaiian food in town! read more

Luis is the best. Get his aloha plate. Tommy also pays attention to the detail of sauces. 10/10 would recommend.