This review is just based on the Spam masubi I ordered. I got 3 to go. I was happy to know that they actually make them fresh, as I thought they were going to be pre-made. The rice and spam was hot and fresh. At $2 a pop, they are reasonably priced. They were delicious! read more

This place will kill your craving for some Hawaiian food, but there are better options out there. We had the spam musubi and spicy short rib plate. Musubi was decent...too much rice for me. Macaroni salad was good and the spicy short ribs were aight. I'd be down to try more from there because it's local spot, but nothing more than one of those craving killer spots. read more

Great Hawaiian bbq! Way better than L&L! Local family owned business too. Been going here for years!

Horrible experience, the owner is super rude and I felt like he was very aggressive with his demeanor and the way he looked at me. I felt very uncomfortable, I will never return read more

LOVE IPO! They serve generous portions and everything on the menu is delicious! A gem in Poway! read more

I don't get why you would hate on this place. Poway has no good Korean-Hawaiian food to grub on, and this place fills the void. It may not be the best Hawaiian food I've ever had but it definitely does more than satisfy! I ordered the chicken combo plate which is chicken katsu and bbq chicken all up in one plate. This is basic basic stuff that L&L always screws up. At Ipo BBQ, the chicken was nice and moist and cooked perfectly. Not to mention the portions were HUGE and the macaroni salad was pretty damn good too. As someone who lives in Poway, I'd definitely hit this spot up again and again. Good stuff. read more

This place was ok. The owners are really friendly which gets them at least two stars. First time I came here I got beef ramen and although it was tasty, I kept feeling that it just came from a noodle packet and I could've done the same thing myself w/ 10 minutes of effort. That always puts a damper on the deliciousness of an item if you could easily cook up the same thing! I guess I shouldn't have expected so much though since the prices are cheap. The second time I came here, I got a mini sized kahlua pork with rice. It's kind of the metric I use to measure all hawaiian restaurants, as its a pretty signature dish in hawaiian cuisine. But sadly, the best part of my meal was the macaroni salad. I usually like anything and everything pork, but this managed to be extremely tough, and stringy. The shop itself is clean and well lit but with just edible food, I'm passing on this place the next time I'm in Poway area. read more

My husband and I went to this plaza to eat at "Pho Joy" which, to our surprise, has been closed down. I guess it was a blessing in disguise cause as we were leaving the area, we drove by Ipo BBQ and decdided to try it out. They had a huge menu hung up on the window which is nice since you can see what they offer before you actually go in. Their menu had a variety of options, lots of combo plates and sides. Like the other reviews said, this place is definitely comparable to L&L's. But they offered BOBA here which was a major plus! And not just the typical milk/thai tea but they had about 10 flavors to choose from. We went on a Friday evening and it wasn't busy at all. The lady working at the register was very friendly. The ambience of the restaurant is nothing special but nice for what it is. It's very clean, open, and welcoming. They added some decor to go with the "Hawaiian" theme. There was also a huge plasma TV for some added dining entertainment. The food came out quick, 5 minutes tops! I got the chicken katus plate which was just as good at L&L's. It came with a side of macaroni salad which was so so good! I might have to order extra of it the next time we go back. My husband got the ramen, he said the broth itself was delicious but the noodles could use more flavor. Regardless, he liked it and finished it to the last drop. I also got a milk tea with boba and it was yummy! Fast service and delicious food at reasonable prices plus BOBA... my husband and I will definitely be regulars here! Well, only on my "cheat days" of course. Haha read more

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Been wanting to try this place for a while, so today was the day it happened. The looks of the place no biggie but very happy with the food and the price was good for the amount of food you get. I ordered the Special BBQ Combo and it was plenty for two. The short ribs very nice and tasty wanted more, the chicken perfect lots of it and all gone, the beef not bad but the other items blow it away. The rice yep rice. The only down fall was the macaroni salad, lots of mayonnaise and not seasoned. I will try again but wish they would get their act together on the macaroni! read more

Ipo has the standard selection of Haiwaiian BBQ menu items: BBQ beef and chicken, katsu, galbi, spam musubis. Most of the plates come in regular and mini size at ~$8 and ~$6 respectively. The chicken combo comes with half BBQ chicken and half chicken katsu. The BBQ chicken tasted similar to L&L but was a tad on the salty side and the katsu was pretty average. The food was just the right amount for me. However, extremely hungry eaters will probably need to order someone else on the side. read more

The meals my friends had were much better than mine. I ordered Ramen with spicy pork. I ended up with Top Ramen and about forty cents worth of pork that I could have made at home for about $1.50 instead of $9. The dishes with spicy pork and pulled pork looked and tasted good. Portions were average. Mitsubi was very good. read more

This is a friendly, family run neighborhood business cooking up delicious Hawaiian style food served in enormous portions. This is one of those finds you relish and return to often. I fed my family of 4 for $30 and we walked out stuffed to the gills. The food was hot and the ingredients were fresh. This is a two thumbs up recommendation. read more

Good food. But came in to order and stood at the counter for 5-10 mins. No one was around to help or take my order. Finally a guy came walking inside that I had seen smoking when I was parking outside the restaurant. He took my order and then went in back to prepare my order. No offense but smoking isn't my thing nor should customers have to wait while employees are doing such. read more

Did two separate orders on two separate occasions via their on line take out. Everything was so good and everything I requested was in the bag nicely tied with my name on it. Mahalo. The spicy pork is my favorite with Korean chili paste!!! read more

Decided to give this hole-in-the-wall place a try and it was just ok. The short ribs were tasty. The noodle soup was too. Was just not blown away. Was also looking forward to the spam musubi I ordered but sadly, this was disappointing. There was too much rice in it, and it was also a little tough (the way rice gets when it is old stuff). Boo. :( There were no other customers in the restaurant when we got there. After our food was delivered, the lady behind the counter disappeared to the kitchens (hello?). She also forgot to make the chocolate drink for one of our kids, in spite of the fact that they were not busy. Again, boo. :( Don't like giving 2 stars but they have to improve on food quality and customer service. read more

Ipo BBQ - BBQ Beef and Spam Musubi - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Not Hawaiian bbq at all wow place opens at 1030 at apparently they are sold out of fried rice at 330 joke of a place.

The bathroom is terrible like it's never been cleaned. I found myself wondering if the employees used it. If so then they have poor hygiene which makes me uncomfortable. Especially during these times. Cleanliness is paramount. Because of covid but also I'm newly pregnant. I was scared to turn the sink back off after I cleaned my hands. read more

A nice little mom and pop place for good Hawaiian food. Small, comfy, quiet, very friendly and kind service. Love it! read more

Ipo BBQ - Spam masubi, thai tea, chicken bbq plate-mini - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Love the gyoza, garlic shrimp, and that spicy pork Ramen. A little expensive though not unreasonable, but the food you get is very yummy, especially if you are getting it to go. I can't comment much on if they live to their description, as I haven't been to too many restaurants with the same style. It's a great spot to jump in, but I think the BBQ style here leaves something to desire. The Pacific Islander fare is excellent though. read more

Food is gooood. Friendly staff and choice of food is nice. The chicken rice bowl is very good and as is the Bulgogi beef bowl. Good flavor!! Coming back again for sure. read more

Ipo BBQ - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

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This place is like the girl in elementary school that had buck teeth and pimples but hey - she'd make out with you. You don't have much of a choice for Hawaiian food in Poway so you take what you can get. I had the garlic shrimp which was really tasty - just a little too much breading. Dunno if next time they'll make it with grilled shrimp instead of fried? Bulgogi bowl was a little salty. Spam musubi was average. read more

This in our rotation for weekly takeout. Always good. Always consistent. Kailua pork excellent. The combo plate is the place to start. Can sub vegetables instead of rice. read more

"Meh. I've experienced better." I ordered the macaroni salad and spam masubi. My friend ordered the fried shrimp. Both were just OK. Taste was kind of bland and did not impress me at all. I must have ordered the wrong thing cause everyone else seems to like it. Debating if I should give this place another try. Hmmmm..... read more

AMAZING! The BBQ beef and pork is ALWAYS tender, full of flavor and just plain DELICIOUS. Bites of their sticky rice always and macaroni make each meal so authentic. I also highly suggest their Ramen soups, under $6.00 w/ choice of pork or beef?! YES PLEASE. So reasonably priced and a well rounded menu with options for any appetite to enjoy. Thank you Ipo for bringing an awesome option of flavor to Poway and surrounding areas! read more

The only Hawaiian restaurant in Poway! Never got food catered here but I might look into that in the future! I have had the Ka hula pork and the chicken Katsu. Owners are great! read more

Patrick said it best,,,, this place really took it compared to the other "well known" Hawaiian BBQ. With all due respect I think * and * has great food,, but Ipo really stepped it up. The menu seems very identical, but the quality and flavor is superb. I've lived up the street for about a year now and my only regret is that I didn't go sooner,, I move to East County this week,,,,,,, it's bitter sweet. I HIGHLY recommend this place. This message has been approved by Nelson read more

Just started working here in Poway & was really happy when I found out there was a Hawaiian place near by ! I made a phone order & came during my lunch break to see that the place was empty lol. 2 employees were sitting in the front but didn't bother to greet me... Whatever I guess lol. My order was placed in a bag that said "Angie's Fashion & Plus" 0.o Thought that was kind of weird. Anyways, I ordered 1 Beef bugolgi bowl & 1 Spam Musubi. The beef bugolgi bowl was just okay to me, not juicy enough. The broccoli & carrots that were included did not seem steamed all the way so it was kind of hard to eat. The spam Musubi was also okay, I feel that the spam was too thin. Overall, I feel that this place was just really basic & it wasn't so authentic. Nothing too special. Maybe I'll give it another chance. Ehh. read more

Ipo BBQ - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Great place with tasty food in generous portions. I'm never still hungry (

Since moving to Poway, Ipo BBQ has become my local go-to spot for a bite to eat. They serve up pretty much all the common lunch plates you'll find at L&L's so in an effort to find what they had to offer that was different, I ordered the garlic fried chicken. It's kinda similar to the Korean chicken at Zippy's in Hawaii, minus the sauce and an extra boost of garlic. A few pieces came out a little overlooked and rubbery but that didn't stop me from grindin' down the whole box! On another visit, I got the kalua pork, which came out pretty much as you would expect: juicy and tender, plus a spicy chicken musubi which was freshly prepared and had the perfect amount of kick. I'll have to try the BBQ dishes next time...that just gives me another excuse to go back! read more

Food was decent. Disappointed in the "lumpia," which were more like thick egg rolls. Me and hubby were on the road, ordered food to go, they did not provide any eating utensils... so that was an inconvenience. I ordered Mahi Mahi plate, and only got one slice of lemon which wasn't enough for my three pieces of fish. It was empty on a Friday afternoon, however, food took awhile to get. I read one review about a language barrier... I agree... Overall not a bad place, just a little underwhelming... read more

My parents seem to move their bbq ribs & pineapple chicken. My dad brought my kids & I in to try them out for dinner. We ordered chicken katsu, mahi-mahi, bbq beef ramen w/ kimchi on the side, spam musubi, and boba drinks. The dishes were okay. The katsu & mahi were breaded well but cooked a bit long so the edges were almost burnt & difficult to chew. Otherwise flavor was on point. I must agree with my folks, the bbq ribs were tasty & the best of the whole dinner. Ramen was a bit salty with the added bbq but without the meat, the noodles were perfect. As for the drinks, its best to drink it as soon as you get it. The drinks seems to be mixed with flavored powder not fresh fruits so once the ice begins to melt, the powder begins to settle in the bottom of the drink. Sadly, I would stick to other boba shop that serves fresh fruits instead. Overall, this visit was worth the visit. The food is a bit overpriced but they give large portions of the main items. I would stick with the food rather than the drinks. Take note business is open 10:30-8:30 but they have to close the doors 2:30- 4:30. read more

Ipo BBQ - spam musubi $1.99 each - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Vermin infestation stay away, I'm not coming back here anymore, I was never impressed my friends and I stopped by today and we saw the closure sign by the health department this is very disgusting read more

Ipo BBQ - Hawaiian Near Me - Poway, California

Had lunch here, food was not good at all. Fried rice was soggy and oily with very little flavor, the vegies had a funky taste to them. Fried chicken was marginal, a ton of food on both plates but would take half as much food for better quality. Not able to recommend. read more

I can honestly say this place has chicken fried rice comparable of that to Bennihanas. I will recommend this to everyone everytime I drive by! The food is very fresh as well. Worth a try. Also the same lady is always working and she is very polite. read more

Not impressed. I live nearby and decided to try it out. Saturday night at 6:30pm...the place is dead. I ordered the short ribs. Don't be fooled. These are not ribs in any sense that I'm familiar with. They cut sideways, across three bones. Each "rib" is probably 15 sheets of paper thick. The meat was not tender, but a little tough. I also got the side of macaroni salad. I'm guessing it was store bought. I almost never get on Yelp for any kind of review, but I couldn't let this pass. If you're still uncertain, I encourage you to try it out, but plan to be disappointed. read more

Tried placing an order today over the phone for the first time in a while but the gentleman who answered the phone was extremely rude. I've never been spoken to like that when I was just trying to place a phone order. For this reason I am leaving a review for others to see. The gentleman said it was busy and asked how many orders when I said 1 as we are one order and then proceeded to add items to the order, he started to get flustered as I added a second entree and an appetizer. In hindsight, I think he meant to say how many items but the phrasing was off. He got flustered and literally didn't want our business and was very agitated. My family and I had been going there for a while and the food was alright. Nothing special but worth going to in a pinch. The service was typically slow and I found it odd that the woman behind the counter asked customers to load their condiments for them as opposed to walking a few paces and setting the sauces out themselves. Due to the rudeness of the staff I can't recommend going here. I get it we all have bad days but two items and an appetizer is hardly a large order at 5 PM. There's better food and definitely better people out there wanting your business. Definitely a sour experience for my family and I and one I wouldn't wish on anyone else. read more

I love this place! I've been a musubi craze for the past few weeks and have ordered spam musubi, chicken bbq musubi and spicy chicken musubi and they never disappoint! It's always very fresh, hot, moist and tasty! (Hmm.. that sounded wierd..) ;) I've ordered these items and the mixed barbecue combo plate and am never disappointed. The mixed barbecue plate is always very tasty, fresh and delicious. I like this place much better than the other well-known hawaiian bbq place. Plus it's a family-owned business, who are always very friendly and gracious, and I love to pay it forward to folks like this. If you're craving hawaiian, GO! You will not be disappointed. read more

Getting my car serviced so came for lunch. Counter help was indifferent. They really did not care that I was there. Had to ask for fork etc at which time they point me back to the counter. My bulgogi was tough and chewy and the seaweed on my musubi was so tough I could not bite through it. A man that was there asked for a refill on his soda and they told him he had to pay again. He had just spent $35.00 and walked out pissed. Won't be back for sure!! Food SUCKED read more

There isn't an L&L in the area so I stopped by here. Similar in terms of what they serve. Although, the meat and the macaroni salad tasted a bit bland here. Forgot what the pricing was here, but I'm sure it was similar as well. read more

Had lunch yesterday here. $9 for beef instant ramen and my Mom has a stomach ache now. I had the pineapple chicken, 3 pieces of vegetables. 0! read more