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    Kitchen Aloha

    4.2 (106 reviews)
    ModeratePoke, Japanese, Hawaiian
    Open 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Order Kitchen Aloha Takeout or Delivery

    Kitchen Aloha Photos

    Business Info

    KITCHEN ALOHA ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Kitchen Aloha

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    Reviews With Photos

    Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl
    Jude D.

    Came here for a 12 dollar poke bowl lunch special. It was a great deal for a good amount of food. I loved that adding avocado wasn't an additional charge as long as you included it in the five veggies.

    LocoMoco
    Kevin C.

    Kitchen Aloha is pretty close to my apartment, so I stopped by in the afternoon to finally satisfy a loco moco craving I'd been having all week. This spot is family owned, and while they do have a few tables inside, most of the dining area is currently blocked off. It seems like they focus more on takeout, which worked out fine for me. Ordering was easy through their self-service kiosk, and my food was ready fairly quickly. I went with the loco moco. It was just okay for me--not bad, but probably not something I'd come back for. The portion size was decent for the price, and it came with rice, one beef patty, half a hot dog, and a couple slices of seasoned spam, all topped with a light teriyaki-style glaze. The spam was actually really tasty and seasoned well, which made me think their spam musubis are probably worth trying. The egg on top was cooked all the way through, and I wish there was an option to customize it to over easy or sunny side up. The gravy on the side didn't have much flavor, so I ended up skipping it, but the rice underneath was cooked nicely and not dry. While waiting, I noticed a lot of people ordering poke bowls and daily specials, which might be what they're more known for. The staff were super friendly and welcoming, which added to the overall positive experience. I'd come back to try something else next time, probably one of the specials or a musubi. Good spot for quick Hawaiian comfort food, especially if you live nearby.

    Organic green salad with sesame dressing. Cold green tea.
    Tomohisa W.

    I love when a tonkatsu place can fry the pork up with a crispy panko coating although it would be great if the pork cuts were a little thicker but at these prices and this location it's understandable. The flavors are on point and very familiar and would like to try the bbq options next time. It is a little sad to think of Philz where I used to look out the same window at the feet walking by but good to see another business in its place and to have a Japanese influenced place around this area. I'm still getting used to the touch panel so made a mistake and had to start all over but because it was before noon, there was no line to worry about. Thanks for the food and gochisousama deshita.

    Bento with unagi and avocado roll with pork ribs. Great prices!
    Aaron Z.

    This Hawaiian Japanese spot really hit it out of the park for me. I like Japanese food, but honestly it can be expensive and a little fussy. Silly me. I should have checked out Kitchen Aloha sooner. It's a great place for a hearty lunch at a good price. There's not much ambiance tbh, though it's cute and clean. You can technically eat there I think? Basically you walk up, order and pay through a digital kiosk, and someone calls you to pick up your food from a counter. Maybe that's how they keep costs low. I got a highly customizable bento that included brown rice (no extra charge), an unagi and avocado roll, meaty pork baby back ribs on steamed veggies, a small salad, and a cup of miso soup for about $15. All delicious. This is a hard deal to beat for a substantial hot meal.

    Thai Tea Drink
    Milani L.

    Kitchen Aloha is perfect for a grab-and-go lunch when you're craving something quick but delicious. I got the crunchy musubi and Thai tea--both were straight gas The musubi had the best crispy texture and flavor, and the Thai tea was icy, sweet, and exactly what I needed to top it off. Service is pretty minimal--just order and dip--and there's not much in the way of ambiance, but it totally works for a casual lunch run. Not mad at it at all. Definitely coming back to try more

    Jem T.

    I pass by frequently and finally decided to give this place a try. It's a hole in the wall with a self-service tablet, visible menus, and limited seating. There was a special on the spicy ahi poke so I figured that's a great choice for a quick snack. It was deceitful and disappointing! The portion I ordered was a large and the only thing large about it was the container. For $2 more I could've ordered a poke bowl. I won't be going back based on this experience. The special was not a special, just false advertising.

    Ahi-Tuna Bowl
    David C.

    This place is perfectly fine for a quick meal. Nothing I'd go out of my way for it. Their Poké bowls are OK don't get the salmon roll bowl get the Aji tuna bowl. They also have lots of spam musubi variations that are OK as well.

    Menu
    Crystal H.

    Cute hole in the wall spot for some Japanese, Hawaiian, and Asian fusion dishes. I intern nearby and am so lucky to have stumbled upon this place. I got the spicy tuna bowl today, and it was delicious and packed full with spicy ground tuna, rice, side salad with a yummy dressing, and a variety other toppings that I can't quite remember exactly but you can spot in a picture I included of the dish. I definitely am looking forward to trying their special seafood poke bowl for only $12.50. Honestly, any spot that has seafood and is below $20 is a steal for me, so if this is also right up your alley you know what to do and immediately give this place a try! You can also dine in as the spot is on the smaller side but the seating is cozy and the workers were kind and took their time in crafting a great meal!

    inside view
    Darwin P.

    an enjoyable, small spot in san francisco, i decided to give Kitchen Aloha a try since i was in the mood for chicken teriyaki. you can find street parking by the restaurant; the ambiance was nice and slow for a Thursday night. the staff was nice, and they also recommended their spam musubi. it was a great Hawaiian / SF fusion experience! chicken teriyaki plate (7.9/10) nicely assorted plate, with spectacular flavor to the chicken, a good traditional cali roll, and veggies. brown rice was too bland for my taste spam musubi (9.3/10) amazing musubi, well made and generous with portion

    Thien H.

    4.5 rounded up. I like the spam musubi offerings and the handrolls. The pork tonkatsu is a bit greasy but I enjoy the mac salad. For some reason, the sushi doesn't sing as much to me. I tried one of the soups and it was crazy affordable, but now the price has jumped up a few dollars.

    Robert T.

    My coworker and I ate here yesterday for lunch together for the very first time. I agreed to come here because he had highly recommended it. I was surprised at how small and cozy it was in this restaurant. The server was very friendly and helpful when helping me in what to order. The pot of very hot tea was very nice. Although the size of the Beef Patty LocoMoco that I ordered was smaller than I expected, it was still satisfying, but the beef patty was a little over cooked. The macaroni salad was very soft and moist and the eggs were well prepared. My coworker enjoyed the Bento Box he ordered and we both liked the order of Fried Soft Shell Crab that we shared. If I come back here, I really want to try one of their Poke Bowls.

    Chicken Teriyaki bowl, chirashi bowl, unagi avo hand roll
    Chris W.

    Ordered delivery via Uber Eats and enjoyed our meal: - Chicken teriyaki bowl (3.5/5): Not overly saucy which I like, chicken pieces were tasty not too dry, rice was decent. Wish it came with more veges - only 1 piece of small broccoli and two small slices of carrots. Overall smaller portion. See pic attached. - Chirashi bowl (3.5/5): Advertised as 10 pieces but only came with 8 pieces of fish (2x salmon, 2x tuna, 2x hamachi and 2x another white fish). Lettuce and everything else was ok, nothing mind blowing but wasn't terrible. Fish was ok quality, some of the white fish didn't taste great. - Unagi avo hand roll (5/5): Amazing, good portion of eel, would definitely get again. Next time I'd be inclined to just order a bunch of different hand rolls at $4-5 each.

    Receipt- was overcharged
    Cory D.

    Small shop close to Tenderloin. Food was okay. Hard for me to enjoy. Long wait and I was overcharged for their food. $2.5 isn't the end of the world but I wouldn't have ordered that dish if I knew. Tried to use ordering kiosk but wouldn't work. I think I will give them another chance, we all have off days.

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Some of the best poke ive had. also the musubi is great! prices are good. dont waste ur time anywhere else.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Affordable and yummy! Typically quick with orders/delivery. Sometimes the seafood doesn't taste as fresh but most times it is great!

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    3 years ago

    I love coming to Aloha. The food is tasty and consistent. Service is always great, and it's my little getaway from work.

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    5 years ago

    Good portions, friendly and efficient service. Hit the spot! Will definitely be going back

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Spam musubi is bomb. So nice having a small Hawaiian restaurant in this location. Also enjoy the fried salmon roll and udon.

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    Page 3 of 3

    Ask the Community - Kitchen Aloha

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    Unco Frank’s

    4.4(131 reviews)
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    was thrown off at first since the inside was a bar, but high treason serves unco frank's food…read morealongside their bar drinks. came on a saturday around 7pm and it was pretty busy when we came in, so our large party of 9 was seated along the wall bar seats. our group was doing a food crawl down clement, so we didn't want to order too much. we ordered 2 pupu platters, a mac salad, fried rice, and 3 drinks. after we ordered, a high treason staff member came up to our group to give some of us menus; they say we didn't order enough food and that they wanted more on our tab. this made me and others in my party feel very uncomfortable, and it made me feel that we weren't welcome/took up too much space. someone from my party was honest with them by giving them context on our food crawl plans, but it still felt awkward after. this left a really negative impression of both the establishment and my thoughts on the food. auntie rob's fried rice (5/10): ginger was very overpowering and sauce was too salty for me. not my fave mac salad (3/10): VERY mayo and pepper heavy. i prefer a slight sweetness, little pepper, and less mayo-overly dominant mac salad pupu platter: da works fries (5/10): sirscha aioli is just spicy enough for me (a subtle kick). fries weren't crispy enough for me. kimchi cut through the heaviness of the spam and aioli which was nice. kalua pig sliders (6/10): pulled pork was better than i thought; normally i don't like smoked meats but this was subtly enough but still balanced out the slaw/aioli well. mochiko chicken (4/10): thick breading and chicken was not the juciest. bit too dry for my liking. i would not come back again. the interaction we had was so uncomfortable and didn't sit right with me, and the food was mediocre. i was mainly disappointed by the service (and the food by association) which is unfortunate as i love supporting aapi-owned businesses.

    Just a word of warning. This is actually a bar but their kitchen goes by a different name - so…read moreUnco Franks is their kitchen but it's not a Hawaiian sit down restaurant. Very confusing from the outside since it's a bar but you can order from the menu. They have various dishes like Mochiko Chicken, Kalbi and spam fries but I ordered the fried rice which has yummy seaweed sunny side eggs on top of spam fried rice. It's not bad though there seems to be somewhat uneven concentration of spicy stuff on one side of the egg. I wouldn't expect to have concentrated spots of spice in my Hawaiian fried rice (which usually ain't spicy at all). Very filling for sure.

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    Little Aloha - Shaved Ice

    Little Aloha

    4.3(134 reviews)
    4.2 miParkside
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    Tried this spot because of the good reviews. But if you have been to Hawaii, I can't recommend this…read morespot because the flavors did not remind me of Hawaii at all. Also, nothing is served with mac salad... The prices are pretty decent for SF. Maybe that's why this place is popular. They are takeout only and have one bench outside for you to eat at if it's free. Tried the garlic shrimp, the moco loco (idk why they swap the words), and the furikake chicken. Also had a spam musubi (when I ordered online for pick up, I couldn't add egg which is usually an option according to the Toast website). The garlic shrimp was missing a flavor that Hawaii has in their garlic shrimp. The color was very red but it was not spicy. They do have an option to make it spicy though. It was bland to me compared to what I'm used to when I visit Hawaii. The moco loco gravy was good, but the beef patty tasted dry and overcooked. They did have a runny egg too but it was oddly underneath the patties, so we broke the eggs while trying to split the beef amongst 3 people. The furikake chicken is probably better if you eat it right away since it's lightly breaded. We took it home so by the time we ate it, it was soggy. The sauce it is cooked in is a little sweet and wasn't too bad. The soggy chicken ruined the texture for me though. Each dish was served with a little bit of cabbage which I liked to get a little greens in the meals. The spam musubi didn't taste like it had any sauce, and they used so much furikake underneath the spam, that it made it taste fishy. Would not recommend. I can't comment on the service much since I ordered online for pickup. The guy who handed me my food after asking my name was nice and polite though. The only reason I'd come back is to try to the shave ice. The group in front of me got 3 for their kids, and it looked tasty. I would not come back for the food, but at least the prices aren't bad for SF standards.

    A solid place for take out. Small menu, but they have a lot of Hawaiian classics. I got half orders…read moreof the shrimp + sausage, moco loco, and furikake chicken. It was pretty filling for two people. They give a lot of rice. Wish there was more protein. Everything was good though. Seems like they have lunch specials during the week for high schoolers at Lincoln. Would come back to try the shaved ice.

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    Little Aloha - No inside seating. Take out only. Started eating the shave ice while waiting for the hurricane shrimp. Yumm!

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    No inside seating. Take out only. Started eating the shave ice while waiting for the hurricane shrimp. Yumm!

    Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant

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    So bummed to hear Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant is closing due to the sale of their building. I've…read morereally come to appreciate how it's become an easy spot for chill weekend brunch in Japantown (when there isn't a game on). The other plus is that the folks working here are absolutely lovely and sweet. Even on busy night like wing Wednesday, they never fail to bring both efficiency and a smile. Speaking of wings, the house Pa'ina flavor was really tasty. Even un-sauced, they were tasty. You will be missed Pa'ina!

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    Hawaiian Drive Inn - Lemon pepper mini plate

    Hawaiian Drive Inn

    4.2(525 reviews)
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    We noticed that there are various Hawaiian Drive Inn locations across the Bay Area and decided to…read moredo a not so scientific approach to figure out which one is the best. We started off with what we call the OG location, closest to where we grew up, the Excelsior Hawaiian Drive Inn. We called in our order ahead of time because it was around lunchtime and there's always a long line. When we got there about eight minutes later, we paid (it's cash only), and we're on our way in less than two minutes. For fairness, we will be comparing the musubi and chicken katsu rice plate to compare. This location's food is made to order so it is still burning hot when we get it. They musubi was the perfect ratio of fluffy rice that stayed in one block to a 1cm thick slab of katsu. The oil that was used to fry the chicken was clear and clean. The sauce is the cherry on top of the perfect combo of carb and protein. The chicken katsu in the rice plate is the same melt in your mouth cuts of chicken in a crispy light batter. You get a large helping of rice and a macaroni salad that's light on mayo and complements the plate well. They come with a sauce that's not too salty or oily. This Hawaiian Drive Inn, in my opinion, is the best one in the Bay.

    Good solid Hawaiian style bbq and plate lunches at a good price…read more Overall: 3.9/5 Everything was tasty and at a good price. I got the bbq chicken mini plate which was a good amount of food for 1 person without leftovers. Also tried a spam musubi which was excellent, with a good spam to rice ratio. It was also 2.55 which is a good price for the city. Tried the teriyaki steak and short ribs also, which had good flavor but was a little tough. Mac salad was standard, nothing special.

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    Kitchen Aloha - poke - Updated September 2026

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