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    Makai Island

    3.9 (50 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 7:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Makai Island Photos

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    MAKAI ISLAND ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Makai Island

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    Ube Pancake
    Helen P.

    We came in after walking around IKEA for three hours and we were so hungry and Makai was the perfect place for us to get food! The food was so yummy and they gave us so much. I ordered the hurricane chicken and my sister ordered the mix plate with chicken. The chicken was perfectly moist, the rice and Mac salad were very good. Highly recommend both those plates. We also got a mango refresher and the ube pancake. The mango refresher was just what we needed after a long day at IKEA and there were real mango chunks in it! The ube pancake is huge but not too sweet. We had to take that one home because we were too full from the food. The staff were all amazing and very kind to us. We were sat outside and they had no problem getting our food to us. The ambiance was also great they were playing chill music the whole time. We were sat outside so many the experience is different inside but we were so focused on the food no one was really talking lol Anyway I would take the drive down here again just for the food it was so good. If you live in the area you are very lucky. Highly recommend!

    Christian-Immanuel C.

    Located in Renton with plenty of parking in the complex. The past few times I've came, the line has been out the door so expect a good wait time for your food. There are a few spots for indoor seating and a few spots for outdoor as well but have only gotten lucky once with available sitting with how busy they usually are. Staff is super friendly and they have a Tres Leches display for dessert. Highly suggest doing the Ube, it is sooooo good! The portions are great; it was really filling and you could taste the marinade used on the meat. Beef short ribs were tender but a bit fatty, the pork ribs were cooked nicely, and the chicken was flavorful but a bit on the dryer side. The sauce helps complement the dish and brings another layer of flavor to the dish. Lumpia was nice and crispy while still maintaining a flavorful filling. The drinks were good, but definitely suggest ordering it and asking them to cut it with water because it's definitely on the sweeter side. Overall a really good experience and someplace I've visited more than once and will continue to come eat at.

    Loco moco
    Kathy N.

    Overall thought this place was ok but not standout to me. Cream in ube pancakes was good, but it almost looks like a bowl of soup lol. Pancakes themselves were okay, but I think the ones from West Hill Deli are better. Comes with 2 pancakes. IMO not worth it to add the macadamia nuts for $1.50. Loco moco was ok. Mango refresher was also not particularly special as it sort of just tasted like mango juice mixed with a bit of coconut milk. Service was nice. I liked that their water dispenser was a brita filter. Ambiance was very casual, played Hawaiian music

    Lechon crunch bowl
    Lilly O.

    It's more like a 2.5 rating for me. The lechon crunch bowl was good enough and the spam musubis were ok as well, the seaweed would just keep sticking to our lips/ teeth. Lol. The loco moco was pretty bad, I wouldn't suggest anyone get it. It was very tough and difficult to cut through! The calamansi juice didn't taste like calamansi at all, not even a little bit. It tasted more like a jelly syrup, like from a gulaman, if that makes sense. Service was ok. The overall interior vibe felt fresh and lively. The restrooms were kinda dirty. I didn't expect that from a place the just opened. I haven't tried their ube pancakes though so might come back for that!

    ube sweet cream coffee and mango refresher
    Annie C.

    I have finally got to try this place after several attempts getting in. We came on a weekend for lunch and there was already a line out the door. No surprise, this restaurant just opened last month. Menu wasn't too extensive and there were pictures, which is a huge plus. The inside of the restaurant was small, with a few tables on one side of the restaurant. We were able to snag a table after waiting for a party to finish. Here are some dishes we've ordered: For drinks we got the ube sweet cream coffee and mango refresher. Coffee wasn't strong but you can taste the ube cream in the coffee. It's more of a dessert rather than a coffee. The main highlight was the mango refresher, which they make in house. One of the best drinks we've had. Definitely a must order! 808 Hawaiian plate: This dish had fried shrimp, spam, lumpia, rice, mac salad and side salad. We got the beef ribs for additional cost. This plate served in a big portion that is easily shareable. Love that the meats were smoked and juicy like you're in a Hawaiian bbq restaurant. They give you this green chimichurri sauce to dip it in. Will order this again. Garlic noodles with shrimp: We thought this dish was delicious! The garlic flavor was strong and goes so well with the noodles. Shrimp was plump and marinated well. I like how this dish wasn't drenched in sauce, which I like. Hurricane chicken: This was one of my favorite dishes especially with the creamy sauce drizzled over the fried chicken. Each plate came with rice, mac salad and side salad. I actually enjoyed the mac salad despite having peas in it. Overall, the food was spot-on! Very similar to Hawaiian bbq food that you get from Hawaii. I do wish there were more seatings inside but takeouts seem to be an option for now to avoid fighting for tables. I will for sure come back to try their other dishes.

    Coco mango
    Samantha O.

    Tldr: the best islander food in the area! And the desserts are also so good! Ambiance: just enough seating. There's parking here but sometimes it could be busy. Service: really friendly and helpful. I asked for extra sauce coz it was so good, and the I got the whole lore about how the had to adjust the spice lol. Food: I had hurricane chicken and inihaw chicken so far. I think hurricane is slightly my favorite, just depends on my mood. Looks like most things come with Mac salad, and a green salad and some dressing. My only qualm Is that the scoops of rice are tiny. But I usually never finish my protein, and take the rest home wheretheres more rice. I'd rathe have more chicken anyway. The ube trees leches is bomb too, it was like 8.99? And it's pretty sizable so I shared it. I also got the coco mango another day, for the same price as the ube tres leches tho (8.99), Ill probably pass next time. Evrrything else seems reasonably priced. Really excited they ar win the neighborhood!

    Garlic shrimp, mango refresher, Inihaw (BBQ ribs)
    Anne Marie A.

    Same owners of Enseamada Cafe in Everett which I previously reviewed, became one of my favorite restaurants and I'm so glad they owned a location down south. Previously aloha grill in Renton, Makai has moved in. When we went, it was a weekday and the line was all the way to the back. Very busy but line moved fast, we were able to get our food in about 25 minutes. Their card reader was broken which contributed to the wait, but they were busting out food quick- less than 5 minutes after we ordered. Seating is very limited! The garlic shrimp was very flavorful and came with big pieces of shrimp, - their green sauce is amazing. The mango refresher was a hit for us, and the portion they give is big. They have various Filipino desserts which we loved and can't wait to come back and try the halo halo when they start offering it. Love everything about this place, a perfect twist on Filipino-Hawaiian food!

    Cute mural inside
    Wendy K.

    Came a little before this past Friday. They close 3-4 to prepare for the dinner rush. There was a line already forming. People were patient, the staff was kind and guided us to line up in a way that didn't block the entrance. Their card reader was down so they had to manually input card numbers but they were quick and friendly. We ordered the garlic noodles and garlic shrimp and the Hawaiian fried rice and beef ribs to go. I had heard from a friend about the noodles and reading peoples reviews decided to go with the beef ribs. The food came out fast for how busy they were. The ribs were tender with a sweet sauce. The garlic shrimp come shell on which I liked. Portions I thought were generous. I can see why people have been waiting to go Enseamada is way north so I never had a chance to go but all my north-end friends aren't fans so it's nice to have this in the Renton. Also can we talk about their green sauce that came with the ribs? Love it!! Definitely will be back hopefully to dine in one day. Space is bright, welcoming and full of island vibes from the music to decor.

    Kat B.

    Best first impression ever--especially for a brand-new spot! Our food came out so fast, and we were seriously impressed with the portions and the value. But let's talk about those beef ribs... WOW. Fall-off-the-bone, flavorful, and absolutely something I'll be coming back for. We ordered the ube pancakes, garlic shrimp, loco moco, and a mango cream shake--and not a single thing disappointed. Everything was packed with flavor. That said, the garlic noodles with beef ribs? Hands down my favorite. Chef's kiss. There were a few small service kinks (totally expected since they just opened), but nothing that took away from the experience. You can tell they're going to smooth it all out in no time. They've got that island music playing, the vibes are on point, and every employee we met was super nice and welcoming. Already counting down the days until we can go back and try everything else on the menu!

    Ube pancake wd sauce

    I'd rate this place 3.6 for now, but definitely will come back to try the other items as I am highly interested. We ordered the 808 combo which came with beef rib, pork rib, chicken thigh, fried shrimp, spam, macaroni salad, salad, lumpia and rice. The beef rib came out very juicy and tender which was my fave, the pork rib was on the dryer side, the chicken was very very dry that we didn't eat it, the shrimp was surprisingly very tasty it had a corn flavor to it, the spam is just simple and plain, mac salad was ok, on the other hand the salad that came with that green dressing was delicious!, the lumpia was ok but it was a good addition to the meal for some crunch. I guess it just sucked that 2 main proteins were so dry. I was surprised that the ube pancakes were tasty, definitely more so on the dessert side so eating this as an entrée would definitely be a sugar overload, overall I love the cream sauce they put over it and I like the texture of the Ube pancakes, it was kind of bouncy/fluffy but dense like a flour/mochi/tapioca combination (texture wise). I would highly recommend this but definitely share this with a friend or so. I would come back again for sure! Definitely want to try their garlic shrimp next and maybe a different dessert and or drinks. The vibe in there is chill, and I like it.

    Loco moco, ube pancake, hurricane chicken and ube tres leches

    Sampled a bunch of different items and can't rave enough about each of them. All of them were super flavorful and comforting. My 10yo son (who doesn't usually comment on food) said it felt like his tastebuds were dancing lol. Can't wait to go back and try more!

    808 Plate (junk mac salad)
    Malia M.

    PEAS. There are peas in the mac salad. After the plate got dropped off at the table and I saw the peas in the watery mac salad, I knew the bar was about to be very low. If you're looking for hawaiian kine local food, you're better off going to L&L. The mac salad had no onion flavor whatsoever, they're using some weird mayo and not best foods mayo, it's watery and HAS PEAS IN IT. Maybe they bought it in the haole section at safeway but it's not local kine mac. Got the 808 plate and the only thing decent was the ribs and the lumpia. Everything else was bland and odd. The lychee refresher has nothing refreshing about it. Tastes like they put 4 cups of sugar in one drink. I had high hopes but I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, especially with L&L right down the street.

    Alex N.

    Overall, great place to get Hawaiian food in the Renton area. They have a large selection of yummy items that range from drinks to food. We got the 808, but Ube pancakes, the mango sago smoothie. Overall, I would give it a straight, four out of five, presentation was nice, the chicken was a tad dry and not as juicy as I would like, wish there was more sauce. The big pancake texture was good! The mango flavor could be more fresh. Overall, great time, I'll come back.

    Coco Mango Creamshake

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    Huge portion and the price was decent. It was busy inside but we were able to grab some outdoor seating area. It is near Ikea.

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    Ask the Community - Makai Island

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    Saimin Says

    Saimin Says

    4.5
    (161 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    I'll definitely be back-- the food here is really good, and it's great to have this spot available…read morein Renton. The oxtail was incredibly tender, falling right off the bone, and the broth was so comforting and heart-warming. The place has limited seating, but there's plenty of parking right in front. Service was very friendly, and they offer a wide variety of options. Highly recommend.

    It's been a really really really long time since I been back here and I regret not coming here more…read moreoften. It's a small place with a couple of seatings (not big) and feels a little cramped. You order at the counter and pay and food will come out. They are located in a isolated area so you probably need to look for it and know about it. There's two businesses here, but same owner. Saimin is Hawaiian food whole mas pika is fusion. We ordered: Oxtail saimin: good flavor, oxtail was tender, broth was light yet flavorful. I like that it comes with a few veggies. Fiesta plate: 2 protein (brisket and pork belly) with rice, Mac salad, and pickle veggies --- this would have been really good if the brisket was not so tough. It was like jerky style and too tough, especially when it's cut really thick like that. Flavor was good though. My favorite thing was the rice. It was a red rice and soft and flavorful. Pork belly was crispy. Portions was good for the price. People are really nice. Definitely a place to go if you want homey food

    Photos
    Largest seating area
    Largest seating area
    Garlic Chicken
    Garlic Chicken
    Más Pika! Plate: pork luau, beef chop suey, tuna ota, teriyaki chicken, BBQ turkey tail, taro, rice ($25). Hurricane Fries ($6.95).

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    Más Pika! Plate: pork luau, beef chop suey, tuna ota, teriyaki chicken, BBQ turkey tail, taro, rice ($25). Hurricane Fries ($6.95).
    Yummy Kitchen

    Yummy Kitchen

    4.5
    (275 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    Yummy Kitchen is an easy spot to recommend. I had the spicy pork which had great spice and flavor…read more My son had the Korean fried chicken and he said that the wings were very delicious. The cost of the food was more than fair for what we received. Also, the customer service was great. The gentleman assisting us was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back for more.

    My daughter and I were staying in the neighborhood hotel and decided to give the place a try…read moreespecially it's highly rated on yelp. My daughter ordered their Chicken Katsu plate and mine was the Kalua Pig plate. My daughter enjoyed the katsu and it was such generous portion. However I didn't enjoy my kalua pork. It had an amazing smokey aroma but the taste was nothing but just salt. The side dishes were very tasty however. At first, I was trying my best to eat it with rice but the salt in the end really got to me. Especially I have high BP, so I decided to let the lady behind the counter know. It was very nice of her to remake it but it was still very salty. By then, I didn't want to eat it anymore. She offered to remake it for the third time as the chef was feeling bad about it. I told her, it's OK. My mouth only tasted salt and I had chucked down so much water including the free drinks she offered. I was already full. My daughter tasted it and said it was OK and told me she would eat my kalua pork and I could have her leftover half of chicken katsu. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. It will be our dinner if we can't find a restaurant open.

    Photos
    Menu and ordering station
    Menu and ordering station
    Meat Jun plate.
    Meat Jun plate.
    Nice clean interior.

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    Nice clean interior.
    Kauai Family Restaurant

    Kauai Family Restaurant

    4.4
    (754 reviews)
    8.7 mi
    $$

    This was one of two places I wanted to take my bestie to for some great food I've had during the…read morepeaks of the pandemic. Thankfully dine-in is back open again, so we got here on a Saturday morning around 11:20am to indoor seating that was nearly full and a small line that was forming at the front counter. Walls have a bunch of photo frames, and overall place felt very homely. They have a ton of Hawaiian style plates and even burgers and some seafood, though we and most others got the former to eat. I ordered their chicken and pork combo Hawaiian style plate, and my bestie got their chicken katsu Hawaiian style plate. Portions are huge for both plates and both also came with macaroni salad. They give you sooooo much meat no matter what you get. To go in slightly more detail: - Chicken and pork combo: both meats were flavored very well, and a little sweet too though pretty salty without using the rice as a palette cleanser. Chicken had more depth in its flavor; the pork's flavor was a little too much for my liking, and was slightly harder to chew. Both meats had some sauce hat went onto the rice itself. This didn't detract from my overall experience here, though. - Chicken katsu: we both agreed this was our favorite after exchanging pieces of each other's dish. The katsu is crispy and crunchy, and the chicken itself retained a lot of its juiciness. Katsu sauce on the side is honestly optional since the meat itself is already salty enough. This place does share extremely limited parking with Cakes of Paradise next door, so get here early or be prepared to drive around the area to find some. Just get here, it's a place you can't pass up when you hit up Georgetown!

    Kauai Family Restaurant is a true mom-and-pop spot with no-frills décor, big flavors, and a loyal…read morefollowing that proves how good the food is. Parking is scarce, so plan ahead and be patient. We came on a Wednesday and happened to score a parking spot right in front of the bakery. Once you arrive, get in line immediately--there will be one. The woman taking our order was incredibly peppy and friendly, even while juggling everything: taking in-person orders, answering phones, serving customers, and bagging food. Seriously impressive. All the seats were filled, so we ordered everything to-go. We got the famous crispy ginger chicken, spam musubi, and chicken long rice. I was hoping for oxtail soup and asked about it--she explained they only offer it on certain days and recommended calling early in the morning to check, then getting there quickly because it sells out fast. Can't wait to come back and try it. Back at the hotel, we feasted. The crispy ginger chicken is famous for a reason--so flavorful, perfectly crispy, and somehow even better the next day. The chicken long rice was packed with noodles directly in the soup (not separately) so the broth had mostly soaked into the noodles, but it was still deeply flavorful and comforting. The spam musubi leans on the sweeter side, which is great if that's your thing. Overall, this place is all about heart, hustle, and seriously satisfying Hawaiian comfort food. Come early, expect a line, plan for parking--and you'll be rewarded.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Fried Chicken
    Fried Chicken
    Inside the restaurant.

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    Inside the restaurant.

    Makai Island - bbq - Updated June 2026

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