One of the best options for Filipino food in the area!…read more The classics always hit and never fail to impress! The lechon omlette is always my go to and always way too much to finish in one sitting! Overall an amazing place to come for lunch...just don't plan on doing anything due to a food coma!

HIGHS: 1. a serving person brings your order to your table, unlike most no tip needed places with…read morecounters for ordering & picking up. i felt compelled to leave a (small) tip -- which is OK. 2. location is great -- a short walk from Skyline's transit station. LOWS: 1. don't order chicken adobo: no sauce, no peppercorns, not tasty, some very dark areas in my chicken pieces. no veggie at all. best chicken adobo -- very tasty! -- on island is at Loco Moco in Koko Marina Hawaii Kai where the cooks & staff are Chinese folks! 2. ugh! big wall in dining room is an ad/wordage touting Elena's "greatness" -- in yo' face! color of this wall is NOT cheerful -- ugh! but maybe the color is nice to Elena's supportive clientele

I am so happy I came here for lunch. The prime rib was top tier paired with the garlic mashed…read morepotatoes and a side salad. The 8 oz portion was huge. My friend ordered the pork adobo with side rice and she loved it! I also had the banana lumpia with ube ice cream as an appetizer. It was crispy, sweet, and worth every bite! Nicely presented too! Thanks Tiano's and team. I will definitely be back.

Went by today (Saturday) at 1230 (90 min after opening) and wanted Sisig, they were already out! 90…read moremin after opening!!! Very disappointed.... Everything else ordered was broke da mouth. But I needed a Sisig fix. They were not busy. They said they had "just run out" but if the three other tables there no one else had Sisig on the table.

My wife and I were on an adventure out to Waikele and decided to stop by Waipahu for lunch. How I…read morefound this place, I'm not sure. It might've been the search for fried chicken to which Minasa didn't disappoint. We arrived just after opening and happened to get the last open table - after ordering, of course. The restaurant is clean and well put together with darker accents. Our food came out relatively quick - having the chef's special and ube churros. The kalbi sauce soaking into the rice was the perfect balance of flavors. Same for the calamansi fried chicken. Lechon, I must say was also a fine example of how seriously the chefs take their selection of ingredients - as I looked closer, it had the classic 5 layers (shown in my photo). Usually, this is the prime factor in the perfect roast pork - providing juicy layers of pork meat. Overall, this has been the best (new) meal we've had in a LONG time. It was so delicious, I could only wish there was a way to share this place with a larger collection of diners because frankly, if you haven't tried this place, I honestly think you're missing out on the definition of culinary art. Each dish carefully crafted with the goal of providing the best experience to all the patrons. I seriously seriously hope you all have a chance to visit. If we're ever back on this side of the island, we won't hesitate to stop by.

We first heard of Minasa while we were with friends who says it was a modern twist on filipino food…read morewe know and love. They talked it up and hyped it up so my wife and I decided to try it out last October for our anniversary. We showed up and they were closed for an event. Since then we've tried to eat here multiple times with it being booked or not open. It's been elusive. Last weekend was the weekend we finally were able to eat here being in Waipahu and the wait finally ended! We ordered the chef's special, salted egg fried rice, ube churros, and banana lumpia sundae. The dishes were colorful and vibrant. Everything tasted good but we were looking for that twist that was hyped up to us and there was nothing unfamiliar to our taste buds. Though we left full and enjoyed our meal, the "new" flavors didn't stand out. Overall we were quite underwhelmed especially with all the hype that was given to us over their food. Maybe I ordered the wrong things? Not sure but we'll likely give this a second shot when we're in Waipahu again at the right time.

Thelma's Filipino Restaurant -- Pure, Real, Home‑Cooked Vibes…read moreAs authentic as it gets -- fresh Filipino cooking straight from Nana and all the indai working hard in the kitchen. They never miss. Every plate tastes like it came from someone's home. Big thanks to Omi and Ang for the good company. We smashed all the favorites: Pancit noodles, Pork Guisantes, Sari Sari soup for cold days and the legendary Thelma Special -- the true star of the night (iykyk). Flavor, comfort, and heart in every bite. Always a solid choice when you want real Filipino food done right. Marie

Picked up lunch for my Co workers on a Friday around 11:30. It wasn't busy & had others picking up…read moreorders. They have disclaimers posted about consuming raw food, refund policy, and take out being your responsibility after it leaves the restaurant (must've explained that too many times - but hey they covered themselves)! Also a notice of 3% surcharge if paying with a credit card. Payment was easy (used debit) & staff was friendly. It looks like a comfy place to relax & get down on Filipino grindz. We got pork adobo (tender & flavorful), pancit mix (too lemony & lil mushy that day), Thelma's special (too salty, they wished I got regular lechon), Shanghai lumpia (ok) & adobo fried rice (good but small portion). The prices are reasonable but not as big portions as I thought would be.

I usually go to the Pearl City location and have not been disappointed. This restaurant is very…read moreclean and spacious. Looks like there is a party room, too. I love Filipino food and often I'm looked at as are you sure you're in the right place? I did not get that here. Even when I had to ask what one of the desserts was. I got a clear explanation. It was a little bit of a wait, but I guess that means the food is fresh! And, yes, it is delicious, too!!!

Awesome price for portions given. Food is made to order, so it's not just sitting in a warmer all…read moreday

My go to Filipino food in Ewa beach. Staff friendly. Area and Place well kept enough.read more

They should communicate better what they have available as far as desserts and how to take payments…read moreover the phone. Not question the customer "Are you sure you want to pay over the phone?". I went to their store to pay for some desserts, only to find out it wasn't available. I drove down there for nothing. I am Filipino American, I speak Ilocano. I do not speak & have limited understanding of Tagalog. Unfortunately, I didnt understand what she was telling me over the phone. I wish I understood, then I wouldn't have driven to the store to pay for a product that is not available.

@fortunefoodfinds: "FRIED my best to only take a few bites! Picked up Turon, Taro Cascaron (or…read moreCarioca as I like to refer to it), n' an Ilocos Empanada from LITTLE MANILA MARKET in Ewa Beach. When you grow up with these desserts or start craving the popular orange Filipino street food, the comfort it brings just puts you in a good mood!" SERVICE: friendly INTERIOR: tiny but mighty with lots of Filipino snacks, sauces, sweets, etc. Organized n' well stocked. EXTERIOR: located at Ho'opili WAIT TIME: none PARKING: street OVERALL COMMENTS: wanted to check out what products n' hot food they had available. Visited on a Saturday, which was good bc I learned that they only offered hot food on the weekends per the lady who was working. I really wanted an Ilocos empanada so I was glad to see that they had it the day I went. I ended up air-frying it when I got home. It was still good even after the egg got double cooked. Had yummy flavor n' I liked that the vinegar it came with had a nice lil' kick of heat. The taro carioca was my favorite. Sweet crackly exterior, chewy inside similar to like mochi, n' you could taste the taro. I like my turon made with a long wrapper; get more crunchy sections from the ends, so this was the kine of turon I like. Also it has a caramelized outside adding extra flavored sweetness n' crunchiness. It's great knowing there is a Filipino market that carries a wide variety of products n' serves hot food too!

Past Little Manila Market many times... My daughter shared with me that they serve Filipino hot…read moredishes and desserts. This is one of my favorite foods, SO of course I had to go check it out for myself. Unfortunately, at the time I went there it wasn't available, and was told it wouldn't be available until about 10:30 am. So, I browsed around Little Manila Market... It's a small market and the name says what exactly you'll find here. I seen there was Puto; A steamed rice cake slightly sweet & topped with cheese for $7 for a pack of 6. I purchased a container, Let me say it was very delicious! I opened it up in my car on my way to work and couldn't stop eating it. If I could have I would have eaten all of it before reaching Waikele. I wanted to share some with my husband so I shared 2 with him. I'll be back for more! Hot foods are available: Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays. Location: Ho'opili next to Haus Of Puas. Parking: Street Parking. Seating: Outdoor, tables with umbrellas. Looking forward to trying their Filipino hot dishes & picking up a container or two of Puto. One for me and one for the husband.

This place was amazing! Everything was melt in your mouth good Hawaiian cuisine. It's a must try!read more

@fortunefoodfinds: "MOUTH-watering! A 2 meat combo plate: "spicy" garlic furikake chicken + tender…read moren' juicy braised beef shortribs served with rice n' a side of egg macaroni salad along with chili peppah watah for dipping from BROKE DA MOUTH GRINDZ in Kapolei. When on da west side, this place can't be denied!" SERVICE: fully staffed n' accommodating, asked if the garlic furikake chicken could be half spicy (so my son could eat the chicken too) n' at first they said that would be a 3 item plate but then understood that I wasn't asking for more chicken n' were able to do in addition to the braised beef shortribs INTERIOR: good amount of seating, merch available for sale EXTERIOR: have shaded table seating WAIT TIME: ordered right away, 20 mins for food to come out PARKING: free lot in front with plenty of spaces OVERALL COMMENTS: A 2 meat combo plate can easily feed two people. The spicy garlic furikake chicken is crispy, saucy, n' brings the heat. Give a good amount of pieces. The braised shortribs are so juicy, tender, n' flavorful...a must order. To add even more flavor, the chili peppah watah makes everything next level with a slight kick n' tang. The egg Mac salad is a nice balance to the whole meal. If you're looking for somewhere to eat in Kapolei, this is it!