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    KJ's Local Grindz

    3.7 (749 reviews)
    ModerateChicken Shop
    Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    KJ'S LOCAL GRINDZ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - KJ's Local Grindz

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    mochiko chicken and garlic chicken
    Angel H.

    It was my first time here and the food was so good. They are known for their fried chicken. That's what I came to get. I was here about an hour before they closed and they were out. I was bummed, lol. Oh well, next time! We ended up getting two regular plates with two choices($16 each). We got the garlic chicken and stuffed cabbage for one plate. The other plate was garlic chicken and mochiko chicken. It took about 10 minutes for us to get our plates. When we picked up one of the plates, it felt lighter than the other one. We opened it up and the garlic chicken was missing. They only had the mochiko chicken in there. We informed the cashier and she told us it would take another 10 minutes for the garlic chicken. We waited for it and it wasn't a problem. It gave me time to run across the way to Shaka Shaka Tea Express to grab a drink. When we finally got settled down to eat, the food was delicious. I haven't had stuffed cabbage for a long time and it just hit the spot. The garlic chicken were huge pieces and had that sweet garlicky flavor. The plates also came with a side. We got the corn for one and the mac salad for the other. I'm not a mac salad fan, but this one was yummy. They use the long pasta and it also contained tuna. I will be back to try the fried chicken.

    Mikey H.

    I was in Kaneohe to help my parents and on my way back to town, I needed to eat. I remember someone mentioning KJs, and I went to check them out. I really didn't know what to get. A woman who kinda cut in front of me, but only because I was off to the side trying to decide, said whatever I chose would be good. I decided on the chicken katsu. Me: What's the difference between the katsu and the katsu cutlet She: The cutlet has gravy. Sold! I ordered a regular with double mac salad. That was one of the things I remembered. They use spaghetti and there's also tuna. This reminds me of how my dad would make this once in a while. It was all soooooooo ONOOOOO! Though I probably should've asked for extra gravy on the cutlets and rice. I thanked the workers and then one of them said... "All the ones pictured up there are the best sellers.' Me: Then why did you let me order the cutlet? (it's not pictured) I was just kidding! But she said the fried chicken was their most popular, and for good reason. It usually sells out. So I came back for lunch and got a mini friend chicken. Well seasoned and good crispy outside! And again, that spaghetti mac! Staff was friendly! Small dining room with tables but many got food to go. You get great portions for the prices which I appreciate! Looking forward to coming back! Mahalo KJs!

    16.00 for 2 pieces of fried chicken  and 1 piece of katsu. That is chicken jerky.  Beyond cooked, easily 10 minutes over.
    Ikaika A.

    It wasn't a great experience to be honest. I frequently here a lot. First time in item was forgotten in the order which really didn't bother me but what made it worse is not answering the phone. How much sales are missed? Maybe add a 2nd phone since there's 3 workers clustered together. The guy didn't bother to check the plates nor the writing on the plates taken by the bleached hair girl. As for quality goes, it gets a 5 out 10. Half of my chicken isn't edible. If its so busy why wouldn't more chicken be made and the old ones should be thrown away. The shoyu chicken gets a 6 out of 10. Very touch meat. The glaze is nice. Today was an off day. We are still going to patronize this place. I hope they do better next time.

    Carla G.

    After the beach we stopped here since it was recommended by one of the locas,and glad we did. Tucked in a plaza is this small restaurant and they were serving up some good yummy food. Super fast service. Walk up order and we got mini plate for $11,we got fried chicken(came with 2) mac salad and rice. For a mini the portion was big. Chicken was seasoned well and so crispy,mac salad was different came in a form of spaghetti and tasted ok. I'd come back and try other food they have.

    Mini roast pork plate
    Rod U.

    Enjoying the old school grindz. This time, a decades old, family run plate lunch spot that specializes in fried chicken. First, like start one fight. KJ's bone in fried chicken thighs is better than Ray's. Freshly fried, crisp crackling skin, well seasoned, extremely moist inside. The moisture and seasoning all the way through implies brining before being dredged in flour and deep fried. The boneless furikake chicken is as good as everyone says. Not as moist inside but the dip in dark sweet soy makes up for it. The generous dusting of furikake does put the sodium over the top. Get plenty rice and tuna spaghetti salad to tone it down. Leftover chicken makes a great salad topping. Slight miss, the roast pork. Oddly under seasoned, extremely fatty and swimming in a broken gravy. $11 for choke pork, no complaints. Take it home, wash it off, sauté and re-season, squeeze on some ketchup for gravy, pau. Tip: check out their counter for fresh baked banana bread, house made okoshi and other snacks. Inexpensive. A giant fried chicken thigh, hotdog and scoop of rice for $5? Regular, massive, need rubber band to hold it closed, plates, $15. Family owned and run for decades and still going strong. Props.

    Soda fountain
    Mer F.

    Ordered the two-choice mochiko chicken and their infamous fried chicken plate to share with my kid, and everything came out hot and fresh. My friends got the roast pork and garlic chicken plates, and I was able to sample both which were pretty good and flavorful! There are only about three areas of tables that were bunched up together for dining in, but you can separate them if needed so smaller groups can still sit and enjoy their meal. They also have a self-serve soda fountain and a bunch of goodies and homemade snacks for purchase, which was a nice touch. I only noticed afterward that if you pay with cash, you get an additional discount 3% off your bill. That's something good to know for next time!

    Fried chicken plate (5pc!) with tuna mac salad and furikake.
    Jenna S.

    On the way to the beach and was craving fried chicken so decided to swing by KJ's. The line was out the door! Did they blow up on social media or something? Idk, but It took forever to get our food and they ran out of rice right after I ordered (additional 20 min wait for the rice to finish cooking). Got the furikake chicken - flavor is really good but after a couple bites it was too sweet. The spaghetti mac salad really helped balance the flavors. I also got fried chicken - two thighs, the seasoning was tasty and it was fresh. They used to give way more chicken but it was kinda too much, this is a good portion now. Anywho if you love fried chicken it's worth checking out if you are in the area.

    Getting ready to yelp them
    nutterbutter22

    Best furikake chicken ever!! Mochiko chicken is pretty tasty here too. They give generous portioning too. Love this place so much it's where I go when I'm down windward side. This hits the spot on chicken cravings.

    Four beautiful good size  meaty thighs, two scoops  white rice & spaghetti style Mac salad! Da Best fried chicken!
    Gerald P.

    The best Fried chicken. Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. You get four nice thighs , spaghetti mac salad & white rice with your order! So good!!! Thank you Krissy U for your excellent customer service! Love the garlic chicken too!

    Garlic chicken all rice
    Kainani K.

    My husband really wanted to try this place so we stopped by for a late lunch. The staff were really nice and patient with us as we looked through the menu and decided what we wanted to eat. My husband decided to get the garlic chicken with all rice and I ended up getting a cheeseburger with french fries since they were out of mochiko chicken and roast pork; my two choices lol. We didn't have to wait long for our food and everything came out nice and hot. If you love the taste of a sweeter garlicky sauce, you'll love this plate. My husband and I love garlic but the sauce was a little too sweet for our liking. The cheeseburger was okay, and the French fries were nice and crispy but I prefer thick fries.. these were really thin. All in all, this place had great service and pretty good food. I'd consider coming back to try the roast pork or mochiko chicken if I'm in the area.

    Furikake Chicken Plate
    Brennan H.

    Had this KJ's bento for a work event. I heard it's only $5.25. Included a piece of chicken, scoop of rice, and a hot dog. Definitely a good deal! Was really filling. Chicken was crispy and juicy. Hotdog was cooked well. I would get this again as it's great value for the price!

    Garlic chicken plate lunch

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    9 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

    One of my favorite spots in Kaneohe!! Hearty plates, good service, and food is always So good!

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    1 year ago

    Always gotta get the fried chicken !!! I will drive from era to get this special plate lunch.

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Disappointing. Ordered 2 fried chicken plates. Chicken skin was crispy, but the meat was extremely dry. Mac salad ono as usual.

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    3 years ago

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    Page 3 of 19

    Ask the Community - KJ's Local Grindz

    Do you sell half tray of chicken?

    ALOHA! How much is your pan of famous fried chicken? How many pieces are there in a pan and how much is it, please?

    $2.08 a piece w/ tax and pans are sold by the piece

    How much is a pan of furikake chicken?

    $47.12

    View All 7 Questions

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    2.9
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    Delicious glazed moci round donut and a small slice of pumpkin pie no whip cream…read more :( to go. Not much in the display cabinet due to Thanksgiving Holiday? Overall good place for that Hawaiian Kine fast food. Service friendly and the ambiance is simple lay out with plenty of inside seating if you wanna hang out to eat. I got my backed goodies to go. Man! That glazed Moci is really good make this a 3.5 plus Star Visit! Happy Thanksgiving to all those working the Holiday!

    This location parking is okay. I'm glad they have drive thru pick up since I do a lot mobile order…read moreand pick up through the drive thru especially if there's no parking. When I order Keiki meals, maybe one time I got the paper for the token and two times got the toy capsules. All the other times, nothing would be given so it's sad they are not consistent in giving. I do go inside the fast food side at times, if I haven't decided what I wanted. The bakery displays are on the smaller side and by the early evening, most of the good bake goods are sold already. There's a lot tables inside on the fast food area. It brings back memories of my parents and my mom's siblings would meet for breakfast and stay until lunch time. Not too many family restaurants and fast food dining in Kailua. The prices are less on the fast food counter side than the dining in prices at the restaurant with their kitchen fees. You can only get the clubhouse from the restaurant side and you can do a take out, but have to order it from the restaurant's side. We have been dining inside most time and at times it's not as crowded at all when you go during a non busy hour. The air conditioning is actually really cold and you may need to bring a jacket. Recently the air conditioning wasn't working so it was hard to bear. The great waitresses here made me want to dine in more. They are all nice but our favorite is Sue short for Susan. She works 3x a week and she always friendly and remembers your name, & to ask you for your phone number for your zipster rewards! She always updates us on your points or any rewards to use. Excellent service from Sue and she made sure we are happy with our food. One time my clubhouse sandwich had limply bacon and green tomatoes. She made sure the bacon was crispy instead of soft and limply. Another benefit in dining in, is you can order some breakfast items all day. I Don't forget to sign up with their Zipsters reward program. It's worth it. Just make sure you use the points before it expires! You can see in your Zippy's app that not every location cost the same for the same dish. Kailua's prices seem to be less than the town Zippy's.

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    KJ's Local Grindz - chickenshop - Updated July 2026

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