The place is not the best, but very accommodating and straightforward. Easy to order the catering menu and nice people

I ordered at the counter for takeout. I got fried rice and noodles with a choice of three entrees. The food was reasonably priced and we got a lot. I had leftovers for another meal. My husband ordered Kalua pig and cabbage ( a bit salty). There was a line when we got there. The counter help worked quickly and food came out very quick. read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Mochiko chicken, spicy squid, roast pork, fried rice, fried noodles - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Great service! Forgot they had a hot bar which had a bunch of options. I ordered the chicken katsu pan which was packed and delicious! read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Menu - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Landed in Kona drove to Hilo when the day turned to night looking for some grindz and L&L did the trick. Had the Moco Loco and a Gravy Beef plate to go to eat back at our Vrbo. Both were delicious. Prices very reasonable with friendly service. Mahalo. read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Chicken katsu very thin and over fried. I would not recommend this location. I did not feel well after eating here. Let's just put it that way. read more

Coming back from Hawaii after a perfect vacation made my fam and I crave Hawaiian food something awful! We missed the mac salad, the rice, saisan noodle, the POG! I was leery about this L&L from some of the reviews, but as a veteran yelper I know to read between the lines. I knew where it was, but when I drove up it looked closed! Tip: drive INTO the shopping center, enter on the side facing the park lot, not the street. A large aquarium will greet you. It made me want to rescue whatever was living in it. Order at the cluttered counter, and in a few minutes, your food is ready. I have to say the kitchen made delicious, fresh food. Chicken Katsu with curry sauce over rice, mixed bbq plate, saisan noodles, fried crispy won-tons, and the uniqitous mac salad- they are all here. So comforting, filling, simple food freshly prepared. The kitchen clearly cares about the food they put out. This is a solid L&L! read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Combo L&L and Chinese Fast food! Super nice service, local joint in downtown Hilo. I like it. - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Delicious eggplant and chicken and green beans and chicken, although it they both could have used more chicken. My son liked the orange chicken though there was more breading than chicken. And the chicken katsu was as delicious as ever. All were very generous portions. read more

Came here 5 minutes before closing and they were nice to still serve us a BBQ plate. Easy chill place to get your Hawaiian fix. read more

I just went to the L&L Hawaiian barbecue tonight for Chicken Katsu plate. The service was good but I had to wait outside due to the smell in the restaurant. The food looked good and when I got home I tried eating the katsu. After a few pieces I immediately started throwing up all the food. obviously something was old or recooked. Be careful read more

We came here on vacation for a sampling of local favorites despite the mixed Yelp ratings and are so glad. Mostly wanted to try the Lau Lau which was tender and juicy, mochiko chicken from the pre made foods- admittedly was not super hot but so so flavorful we weren't bothered, everything else was hot and fresh. Kalua pork and cabbage was very flavorful and smokey, katsu was crisp and plentiful. Portions were generous, best food quantity and quality for an affordable price point (~35) we've had all trip! The employees must have changed since the other reviewers left negative comments about the service, we experienced friendly service and even overhead the front of house make sure the cooks got another customers egg preference right they really cared about getting people what they ordered AND in a timely fashion as they noted to cooks if customers were actively waiting for something to be made to ensure they had a speedy service. The staff was all joking with each other and seemed to like working together. Ambiance was very local, plenty of folks were ordering takeout, some were dining in- give this place a chance despite the Yelp rating which doesn't seem fitting for the current management and quality! read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Small mochiko chicken, Hawaiian Plate (Lau Lau & Kalua Pork), curry Chicken Katsu, side curry sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

We love l&l!!! Consistency isn't always there, but that's what you get for fast food, still a great place and friendly service.

Located downtown Hilo, has its own parking, but you can also easily find street parking around there. It was fairly busy while we were there and a lot of locals come to grab lunch. The lady working at the register was super nice and pleasant to talk to. We ordered a chick katsu bowl and a seafood platter combo, the food was ready quickly and tasted good as expected. You can sit and eat at the tables there or take the food to go. There are no bathrooms for customers though. There menu is so busy with so many options so if you're new it might take you a moment to figure out what to get. There is premade options that you can select from or order something else from the menu. This location has more options and better prices compared to the one at the mall near Walmart. read more

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Great service! The workers were very kind and helpful. Great servings for the price Food was pretty good as well! Nothing out of this world, but great for what we paid. read more

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Updated review....... The Chinese food steam table is very affordable and plentiful. This is the most affordable place to buy a meal. Granted not everything on the menu is good but I shall give a few recommendations. So listen carefully. For the steam table, the beef broccoli is pretty decent if the broccoli is green and freshly cooked. The char siu is ok and they give a lot. All of the other choices are not very good. The hidden secret to this l & l is the ny steak plate. It's a weird steak because it's chopped up and flavored. It comes with rice and Mac salad but don't take the salad. It's very bad. Choose something else. But the real reason why I recommend the ny steak plate is the price. Just like the Chinese steam table, you can't beat the price in Hilo. That's why it attracts many homeless customers. It's a little dirty but it's not too bad if your food is hot or you can nuke it to kill any germs. lol read more

My go to! Good food at decent prices. Big portions, friendly people. Try the garlic chicken, it's delicious!!!

Chicken katzu was not only overcooked and dry but was spoiled and smelled. I cannot believe they got away with serving spoiled chicken. The portions were way more small especially the sides. I used to love getting extra of the mac salad now it's not worth it. A scoop yeah right. read more

I like their friendly and accurate service @ their kinoole establishment , also knowing I can order MINI plates instead of full for a reasonable price . Love their chicken katsu & shrimp burger ! read more

Customer Service was horrible! The small lady in the front was rude and had a very big attitude. All because after we ordered, I asked if someone could wipe the table and the high chair as it was sticky and dirty, like the table only gets cleaned once a day and the hair chair felt like it didn't get cleaned at all. So after I asked about wiping the table, she threw a rag down in front of me and all I asked was "oh, I'm wiping the tables and high chair?" and she said "yeah, or you can take your food to go" with her head bobbing attitude. I then I said "I was just asking..." then she replied "well you can take a refund and leave, with that attitude you shouldn't be coming back" Talk about flabbergasted, I took my refund and my kids and left. It just was uncalled for. It could've been dealt differently. But I guess because I wasn't wearing nice work clothes or looked presentable she could've cared less. Because her attitude with others (looked like people dressed up and presentable) was much different than her attitude with me. Sorry, I'm exhausted and just wanted to feed my kids and get on with my day! read more

Great restaurant loved it different menu more options in the seafood but yes I speak is we're here on the big island love your restaurant you have them in Sacramento you have them in San Diego but your seafood is awesome read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Pepper shrimp white rice, pork , calamari - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Not bad all considering your options for actual local food on the big island and don't be trying to hunt any down on the Kilo side. That good local food like that one would find on Oahu or the California in Vegas I got the BBQ chicken, keeping it simple, thinking they can't possibly mess that up. And they managed not to lol I was thankful b/c the 2 star collective review on here had us worried. The mac salad was acceptable. Not the best but would do. The rice was decent as well. Could've been a tad stickier but all in all they went well with the chicken. The wife got chicken katsu. We thought she offers a mini but dang did she pack the chicken into the container. I believe we did end up paying extra for the sauce that one would think came with the order but whatever. The chicken was perfectly fried and breaded. It was super Krispy and tasty... read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Mini bbq chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Super stand offish place. You place your order then go stand outside. Reeked of unfriendliness. Mediocre food. If I didn't know better I would think all L&L's were not good, but I know that is not true. Maybe we just caught them on an off day. read more

Went here on Sunday the day after New Year's day when most places are still closed in Hilo. Wanted to get a bite to eat while washing my clothes at Tykes. Don't really feel the love in the food here. Food was oily and greasy like they haven't changed the oil in the fryer for a long time. When I arrived, a homeless man was walking out. Definitely a candidate for an episode of Restaurant Impossible. read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Mini Chicken Cutlet - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Everything was a little salty. Very similar flavors so nothing stood out, except the spam masubi which was entirely wrapped in seaweed which I enjoyed. We had the mix plate, beef ramen, and crab wrap (crab rangoons). read more

Got the double cheeseburger deluxe Combo, first no onions, lettuce and tomatoes. Shrimp curry, didn't even look like shrimp Curry. What a disappointment! They tried to scam me and charge me $39 an additional $10 over actual cost. NEVER going back to this L&L again read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The worst plate lunch I've ever had! The garlic shrimp was more like shrimp tempura on a bed of cabbage & bits of fried garlic sprinkled on top of it. Where's the butter? So dry. The chicken katsu tasted like it was day old & re-deep-fried. Not crispy. Even the rice taste old & Diet Pepsi was flat! Junk. The L&L in Vegas was 1000x better than this place. $14 (includes tip) wasted. read more

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Lots of hateration on here, but the bad reviews are mostly for large orders not being ready and customers needing to wait a while for their food to be cooked. Just wanted to give some love to the regular orders that most people get every day. I'd love to say that this L&L has amazing food and great service, but in reality it is completely average, which is why it gets a solid three stars. No frills, nothing special, but you do get a good plate lunch for a decent price. I've been here several times, and I've never been disappointed with the food. I took my buddy visiting from New York here a few days ago, and he devoured the BBQ mixed plate in less than 10 minutes - not because the portion was small (it was huge!), but because the food was good, and he was really hungry. There are signs around that say, "No public restrooms," but the people behind the counter can give you a key for the bathroom if you're a customer. Small parking lot, but lots of parking on Kinoole. Review #92 for 2017. read more

This location looks pretty drab from the outside. The building is kind of old and looks like it hasn't been maintained in a while. It's also in a not-so-great part of Hilo (maybe that's why it's drab?). But I like this place. It goes above the typical L&L menu (which I like just fine) - they have a Chinese-food assortment that you can make a quick and instant plate out of; they also have some other Asian dishes that you don't typically see at an L&L, and all are a hit with my kids. The staff was friendly with me and kind to my kids. It looked like a two-person endeavor (husband/wife team, maybe?), which probably contributes to their problem areas: 1. It's slow: we were waiting for a REALLY long time....(again, with kids, so that's hard) 2. It can be cleaner: some flies were buzzing, some of the tables had food on them (like, not trays; actual bits of food) If they hired someone else to bus, clean and prep, they'd do a lot better (and maybe screen doors? a fresh paint job? just a thought) read more

Literally just got home with my food a few minutes ago. In the parking lot after getting it we said "should we check to make sure everything is there?" but we figured that since we eat at l&l all the time and never have had issues, it would be fine. Wish we checked it then. We got a regular plate and a mini. Mine was the mini plate and I got my entree, rice, and Mac salad. My husband got the regular plate and he got his entree and 2 scoops of rice but no Mac salad. He's not the kind of person to go back for something like this, but it is quite disappointing to pay $3 extra and not get part of what you paid for. As a side note, we shared my Mac salad and it had absolutely no flavor, tasted like pure mayo and noodles with no salt or anything. read more

I reviewed this place about four years ago saying you should beware ordering platters, and four years later I stand by that. Ordered a two tray order about two hours in advance and they still made us wait for it to come out. The front two servers had no idea what was going on about 90% of the time and I'm sure they didn't actually work on our order until we got there. Once of the worst service of any place I've ever been to. All facets of the business from cashiers to cooks to I'm gonna guess management are incompetent. How this place is still in business stumps me. read more

Most disgusting food ever. More like Hawaiian dog food. I will never eat at any Hawaiian barbecue. Food is ghetto as hell. I was trying a new place and failed horribly. read more

Stopped into L&L Hawaiian BBQ in Hilo, Hawaii for lunch with my mom and uncles, excited for what my uncle had proclaimed to be a great place for local food. Was it completely amazing!? Unfortunately it was not. The restaurant is located at the end of one street, with a fairly busy cross street that creates an adventure for entering and exiting the limited parking lot. The building must have contained a fast food restaurant sometime in history, as the tables and booths are typical of older fast food chain restaurants with plastic swivel chairs bolted to the floor, and basic hard booth seating. The ambiance is definitely bright with lots of orange and yellow color, however it didn't have a very clean feeling. There were also no public restrooms, which meant no ability to wash my hands before eating. This is a counter service restaurant with a large menu full of options as well as a variety of prepared foods in a steam table. Envision Panda Express, lower your expectations...lower...keep going, and you can imagine L&L Hawaiian BBQ in Hilo. I opted to create my own plate by choosing two items from the steam table, some type of super saucy small pork ribs, and the BBQ beef, with rice and macaroni salad as my sides. The pork and beef had both probably been on the steam table for too long and became tough and stringy. The sauce on the pork ribs was really tasty! Sweet, tangy and dripping in sauce, with noticeable bits of pineapple. But the pork ribs themselves were so full of grizzle they were difficult to eat. Every bite seemed to contain something I had to pull out of my mouth, which was gross. The beef was slowly becoming beef jerky from being on the table. In other news, the macaroni salad was good! Other items ordered were from the menu, cooked fresh, and included the kalua pork, the chicken katsu, and loco moco. The chicken katsu was more breading than chicken, which was disappointing, but the kalua pork was great, and the loco moco was an enormous portion. In hindsight, when I looked up the restaurants address, and saw the YELP reviews, I should have known what to expect. L&L Hawaiian BBQ has many locations, and while this location was not their shining star, I would definitely return to try another location. Surprisingly there is a location here in Colorado, and the reviews are great, so I'll try it someday. But whenever in Hilo, explore your other options. read more

Poor customer service. When we walked in, the cashier made us feel unwelcome and that it was a chore to be there. We walked right out. We will never go back to that location. Hire better workers read more

This L&L has a horrible bathroom, but the curry is much much better than the one's on the mainland. That being said the BBQ short-ribs themselves were probably just average given that the meat quality was good and they somehow were a bit dry. I think my husband got the better deal with the curry plate which was really fresh and quality for the $$$ There is also a pedestrian Chinese place as part of the restaurant as well which we didn't have any of because we live in Fremont where there are tons of really good Chinese places so that didn't appeal to us at all. read more

We ordered the mix plate with beef stew, teri meat and hamburger patty, Mac salad and rice. The rice was under the food and looked like equivalent to one scoop, there was no sauce for beef stew so the meat was dry, one very small piece of carrot was crunchy and a very small piece of potato. The Mac salad had no taste at all. The 1 piece of teri meat was good though. Usually 2 of us can share 1 plate with leftover because the other L & L locations give a lot. Very disappointing at this location! We'll still go to their other locations though. read more

Usually, my family buys food from here almost every Sunday. However, this past Sunday we ordered a lot of food & we didn't get to eat all of it. So today I went to warm up some leftovers then I find a metal wire in their chicken & string beans. Which was mostly all beans mind you. How disturbing! Hair I can see getting into food, but a metal wire!!! We're did that even come from. Makes me not wanna buy from here anymore! read more

Great food, cheap price, and short wait. Great hole in the wall to get food fast and worth your time. They're cheese burgers were really good and were filling. If your looking for a quick stop to eat something good and filling for a decent price, this is the place. read more

Avoid this place at all costs! The food will make you want to sleep! We fell into a ditch 30 minutes after eating here! NEVER COME HERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO CRASH YOUR CAR! read more

Don't bother. It's VERY dirty inside, I was visiting Hilo for an hour or so, so I'm not sure if all of the restaurants are like this one, the drink lids pop right off if you don't grab them from the bottom. The food is extremely oily and will make you regret your stay there when you go to the bathroom. Would not recommend... read more

Wow the portions are huge compared to other L & L locations I've been to. Very pleasant help, clean and wide variety on the menu. I had the mixed plate more than enough for two people. Plate lunch style read more

I love the convenience and the huge servings and my favorite is the French fries. I can just eat that alone