This place has some of the best BBQ I have ever tasted. Service was quick, food came quickly, and I love the atmosphere. Feels like something you would find in Hawaii. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Spam musubi, Sam's plate, and chicken and veggies bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

Love this place and the Anaheim location! Staff are so friendly. Place is nice and clean. We always get the Kahuna plate! It's so good! For the price is so worth it and they give you huge portions. Can't wait to go back! read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Kahuna plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

FOOD-! I ordered #1 beef ribs(Sam's plate)~$18 It came with 5 ribs, 2 scoops of rice, and picked macoroni salad as side. I tried the other location in Anaheim but so far in terms of meat grilling this place was better at a very busy time compared to going to the other location at a not so busy time. As long as you start eating right away you can enjoy the meat that is sweet savory and fall off the bone. As they are grilling they continue to put the flavorful sauce from a squirt bottle as they are cooking so when you eat- it is pretty flavorful and still juicy and not dry. Don't expect all the ribs to have a lot of meat some will be a bit more bone than meat. Definitely worth a try if you have not tried Hawaiian style bbq - and this one is great :-) some parts of the meat can be extremely charred so eat around it - not something you'd want to eat everyday if you have high cholesterol :-) the rice was meh at this time and macoroni salad is not something to die for but if you've had macoroni salad before it's pretty much that taste but on the creamy/ mayo side. THINGS to Consider/Service! I came at the perfect timing that a guy ordered 15 meals for himself and family and the wait became horrendous :-/ The employees definitely did their best with the rush of the situation during 12pm to 1245pm but it definitely put some frowns on people that were waiting- 45 minutes is a long time but again some guy ordered like 15 orders of food and just raised the wait time. Again not a place to come to during a busy lunch time and if you see a person ordering 10 plus orders it may not be the wait for you- The employees are nice - just a bit stressed with the huge order in this specific situation -But again definitely worth a first try especially with ribs Ambiance! The interior of the place definitely has island feel to the place- chairs are steel- not cushioned- tables are wood, there are plants, tiki totem-ish statues on the sides of the restaurant - there is a tv playing music (I'm assuming) artists from the Hawaiian island Again definitely worth a try :-) read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - The menu as of 04/30/2025- Worth a try! Just be understanding during rush lunch hour :-) - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

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First time here and next time I'm in the area I'm fire sure coming back. I got the kalua pork and cabbage plate which comes with Mac salad and rice. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

Service is so sweet and caring, excellent customer service for dine-in customers. Best short ribs in Orange County and I adore the Potato/Mac Salad. They impress time and time again. read more

I have been here twice and the first time was just as bad. I came back to see if the first time was a one off. I had the chicken and steak plate and the food was dry and cold, in addition to the steak being overcooked. If you're craving Hawaiian I recommend you go out of your way to find an ono or l&l. read more

Will definitely be back. Service was fast. Great food. Big serving. Casual place. Wish they will offer some wet wipes since the women restroom was out of order. Not crazy about the sides, but the meat made it all worth it btw, fullerton location that I went to is in a plaza with lots of parking. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Top - Beef ribs with 2 scoops of rice, macaroni salad Bottom - beef short ribs (kalbi) with rice, salad and macaroni salad - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

Honestly the best Hawaiian bbq in the area. My favorite is the bbq rib combo. Delicious.

Best beef ribs between the Anaheim shop and the Fullerton spot. Also much better seating area than the OG but not sure about the chicken and beef cuts - little over cooked and dry. 3.5 bumped to 4. Them beef ribs are fire read more

Don't go here at 8 pm on a Saturday night even though they close at 9 pm!! The closing cashier was rude and too worried about taking selfies then servicing customers. I would have selected a negative star if it let me ! It must be a family run establishment! Why else would you employee someone as rude as that?? The employees at Mc Donald's are much nicer. I will never take my business there again and I live down the street!! And please take my advice, because iI never write reviews!!! read more

I've given this place too many chances over the years and now I'm for sure never coming back. If you want to know what this place is really supposed to tastes like, go to their original location in Anaheim that OG runs. All their other locations including Vegas have let me down, the only place that doesn't is Anaheim. Like, why on earth do you insist on cutting corners precooking the beef and turning it into unedible beef jerky?!?! Like why!!!! Every time I get the #1 plate anywhere else I always end up throwing away 2-3 bones because they're too burnt, too tough to eat. The meat is borderline cold besides the exterior that's been re-charred basically....... The Anaheim spot can't do you wrong, just don't go to any of their other locations. read more

I think we all grow up eating a plethora of food where we create a standard for certain foods. Various visits to different Italian restaurants mean you get a sense of what good and bad pasta is. Burgers can range from exceptional to "delicious-when-only-drunk". Throughout our lives I believe we all have that type of gauge and eat most food knowing how things should taste. That's what I thought when it came to Hawaiian food. Hawaiian cuisine has always been an early pioneer of fusion cuisine. Borrowed favorites from Japanese cuisine such as katsu or musubi and make it their own. Same with Korean cuisine such as beef short ribs but cooked in their own way. So I thought I knew what to expect when I ate at Matiki's; however, my visit to their restaurant altered my consciousness when it came to what I should be expecting from Hawaiian food. That's how good it is here. Let me state firstly, I've eaten at Matiki's previously at their original location in Anaheim off Beach and Lincoln. This was about 5 years ago and though I remember it being good I couldn't remember distinct flavors. However, after I ate here again I don't think I can go back to accepting adequate Hawaiian food as tolerable. The secret mostly has to do with how they cook their food. Firstly, they don't cook the meat until it is ordered. That means you won't be getting some meat that's dried out from being prepared before you arrived. You can see them cooking your meat on their grill right next to the counter. This leads to the second and most important reason why the food is next level: they cook it on a grill over an open fire. Not on a flat top stove or in a frying pan. That style of cooking for Hawaiian cuisine is typical but here they do it right. This changes the texture and flavor of the meat. The fat from the bones melt into the meat, the seasoning from the marinades are heightened, and the char from the fire gives a crispy, caramelized exclamation to each bite. I specifically go for their beef ribs and I can still remember the taste of it as I write this. Does that mean everything is perfect? No, there are some flaws. The mac salad is not the best thing on their menu even arguably lower than what could be attained at L&L's. The rice is a bit on the drier side at times. But the meat will eclipse everything. It is an example of perfecting one thing that topples everything. Matiki's Island Barbecue shouldn't be considered simply Hawaiian food; it is Polynesian food done exceptionally well by Polynesians in the way they love it. This is now my standard for amazing Polynesian food. Come here with a big appetite and time to finish these giant portions of food made with craft and love. Highly recommend also taking any leftover teriyaki sauce home with you and mix it with your rice. You will not regret it. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - 1. Beef Rib Plate "Sam's Plate" - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

Absolutely love love love Mario island bbq. One of our favorite places to eat Hawaiian food.

Food is wonderful and flavorful ! Ollie is so kind and provides excellent customer service !

I can remember going here in the olden days when the father was cooking on the flat top. He was a very nice kind gentleman that would take the time to talk to customers while cooking their food for them. Since his family has taken over the food quality remains the same. It's takes just as long to get it. Everything they do is fresh from start to finish. Top quality island barbecue. This is where some people may agree or disagree but they keep it to specific mixing potato and macaroni salad together. Remember if having this for lunch call a hour ahead. The wait time is well forth the quality of the food. Very tasty. read more

Watch Your Receipt! Went to Matiki Island Barbecue on Harbor Blvd for a late lunch after a workout, excited to dig into some beef ribs. Ordered the #1 Beef Ribs Sam's Combo with an extra order of beef ribs (which should've been a $3 add-on). Unfortunately, the experience was ruined by the lady at the counter. She had a bad attitude from the start, overcharged me by $1 for the extra ribs, and when I pointed it out, she got irritated and dismissive. Instead of fixing the charge properly, she offered to pull a dollar from the tip jar--very sketchy behavior. When the food arrived, some parts of the beef ribs were still cold. Given the terrible customer service, we didn't even bother complaining and just ate quickly before leaving. This wasn't just a bad day--it seems like a consistent issue across Matiki Island Barbecue locations. If you visit, double-check your receipt and be prepared for poor service. Personally, we won't be coming back. read more

I have been wanting to try Matiki BBQ ever since there was a location in Downey, but then it closed. So we ate at Black Bear Diner in the same parking lot and saw Matiki. Even though I just finished eating breakfast I had to get some bbq even if it's to go. The beef ribs were tender and peeled nicely off the bone. Not a lot of meat on each bone, but we got lot five bones. A great value and even better because it was delicious. Ordered the Pani Popo which is a sweet bread with coconut cream. A nice dessert not too sweet. I am definitely going back for some beef ribs and I will eat it there to get it nice and hot. This location in Fullerton is one of the family owned location and the lovely lady that helped me was sweet and friendly, I felt like I was family. read more

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Matiki surprised me with flavor!!!!! This location in a sense a hidden lil place to come eat some delicious food! It's located in a shopping center and with this being said parking will not be an issue. I came with someone else and when he said "let's go to this place I know you're gonna like it", he sure was not wrong. When we arrived was lunch time and it was not too busy inside but they was plenty of pickups. Everything was clean more like spotless. I used their restroom and wow it was beautifully decorated and very clean. I looked at the menu and everything looked so good, since it was my first time, he suggested a couple options and helped with my decision making lol. Food: We got their number one seller Combo 1 which was the beef ribs with macaroni salad and also the Combo 6 which had teriyaki chicken and beef short ribs with salad. Everything was extremely flavorful and delicious. For dessert, we got Pani Popo which had coconut cream, it was sweet so it was perfect for my sweet tooth : ) Service was definitely a 5 star! The staff was friendly and even put a little show with some fire flames! Highly highly recommend this location! read more

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Ouch... the prices went up tremendously. I loved getting their Sam's Plate last year. At $16.75, it wasn't cheap, but it was tasty and it was an occasional treat. At nearly $20, I draw the line and say nope. Not worth it anymore. That price point is now competing with restaurants such as Cheesecake Factory, Lucille's, etc. Really sad to see it jump up $3. In other words, 18% inflation at the start of 2024. Sad. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - #2 Kalbi Plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

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Ordered through postmates and the quality was horrific! Extra extra fatty and chewy cartilage! No actual meat on the ribs, just all nasty FAT and chewy cartilage and the flavor of OLD meat that's been sitting. Never coming back again smh. read more

If you're on a quest for some bomb-ass Hawaiian food that will transport your taste buds straight to the islands, look no further than Matiki Island BBQ! I recently ordered takeout from this culinary paradise, and let me tell you, it was a life-changing experience. First off, let's talk parking. Plenty of it! I mean, it's almost as if they knew I'd be arriving with a convoy of hungry friends ready to feast like kings and queens. No parking drama here, just pure anticipation for the deliciousness that awaited. Now, onto the star of the show: the short ribs. Oh. My. Lono. I was shocked to find these gems at a Hawaiian spot, but boy, did they take the cake! Juicy, tender, and packed with flavor, they were like a luau in my mouth. I half-expected a hula dancer to pop out of the takeout box and start a celebration right there in my kitchen. Everything else was equally amazing, but those short ribs stole the spotlight. It's like they whispered sweet nothings to my taste buds and left me craving more. I may or may not have attempted to do the hula in my living room afterward. I did. And it wasn't pretty. So, if you're in the mood for a culinary vacation without the airfare, head on over to Matiki Island BBQ. Your taste buds will thank you, and you might just discover your inner hula dancer too. Mahalo, Matiki, for the epic food adventure! P.S. Food was so good I didn't even bother taking a picture or waiting until I got home to eat it sowwie read more

Yes to this deliciousness! I heard that this place is amazing, so we opted to order takeout for our group. We decided to order the beef ribs and short ribs as well as extra mac salad. We placed our order online and when we arrived, the order was ready. This location is located at the end of a strip mall and closer to Black Bear Diner. There is ample free parking. When you enter the restaurant, it is clean and spacious and the aroma of BBQ is in the air. There are several tables inside to dine inside and a clear window where you can actually see the folks BBQing. We picked up our order and was told the sauces and utensils were on a table behind us. When we got to our house, we opened the BBQ take out containers, and was surprised how much food we got. The rice and mac salad are small scoops and the BBQ took up most of the room in the containers. The flavors are amazing. I love fatty ribs/short ribs, and these did not disappoint. These fell off the bones and to mix the sauces was perfection. There was 5 of us and we still had left over! (We ordered 2 beef ribs and 2 short rib entrees.) We loved the food and will definitely order again when we are back in the area. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

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The food is one of the best in town!! Those ribs were delicious. And I love their Mac salad. The place was nice and clean, and very spacious. My biggest complaint was the employee taking our order. She looked like she did not want to be bothered at all and seemed annoyed when taking our orders. Otherwise, I'd be coming back for more! read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

I got the #5 combo which consist of Beef & Chicken and it was super flavorful and huge portions. Everything is grilled over a flame so it has that real bbq taste that everyone likes. Not entirely sure the cut of the beef but it had the perfect meat to fat ratio and I'm not even a big fan of fat but it tasted wonderful. The chicken was tender and moist, the outside of the skin was golden brown due to some secret marinade that taste citrusy and sweet. The dish also comes with two generous scoops of rice and one scoop of delicious macaroni salad which were plentiful considering the heaping amounts of meat they serve. *A side order of one beef rib is only $3 and we had to order it since we saw so many others getting it and it was really good. I've only been to this place once but I have to say it's worth the drive from Whittier and I'd happily make the drive again. If you like really good bbq that's at least $10-15 less than Lucille's BBQ then you have to check this place out. I recommend coming hungry and if you have any room left you have to order the Dole Pineapple float for dessert which is similar to the one you'd get at Disneyland but half the price. This place respectfully holds very high ranking in the Hawaiian BBQ game for a reason and I suggest you check 'em out. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Combo #5. Chicken & Beef Plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

My family loves the BBQ ribs, short ribs & chicken...especially the char they get on the meat. The portions are great as well. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the customer service. Both times we have eaten here, the two female employees at the register were not friendly. Usually when you go to restaurants or stores, the employees welcome you with at least a "hello." Yesterday was the topper...I asked for a small to-go ramekin for some of their Teriyaki sauce (which is available to you at the table). She rudely told me "no, we don't do that." That was extremely disappointing when I had just spent $75+ AND I could see pre-filled ones ready for take-out!! read more

Beef Ribs were amazing !Overall everything was delicious.Olie was so awesome,she was so sweet and hospitable. The vibe inside is low key and chill. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Matiki - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

I called in today to place a to go order the lady put me on hold for ten minutes then hung up on me so I called back and the same lady answered and all she said was hold so I said all I need is to place a Togo order and I've been on hold for ten minutes and got hung up on and she responded "oh well hold " and put me back on hold... the big Hawaiian lady has the worst customer service..... read more

So good! The food was delicious and instantly transported me to Hawaii. Great flavors, great portions, and overall just a really enjoyable experience. Perfect spot when you want something comforting, flavorful, and made with heart. I'll definitely be back! read more

Excellent Island style bbq. We go to Matiki's for the beef ribs, kalbi, grilled beef. Mac salad is as expected. Casual dining, order your food at the counter. Hawaiian vibes ambiance. No wow factor for customer service, but I'm giving five stars for the bbq! Nom nom nom read more

The food here is super bomb, the only downside is they sell out of musubi by 3 so there usually isn't any left by the time I get there. Tried the pani po po and it was so good, my favorite is the chicken and kalbi plate me and my 6 year old share it and still have leftovers. The servings are so hearty, definitely one of my favorite spots and you can smell the bbq within a 2 block radius and that is enough to draw me in. read more

As soon as you step into the parking lot you will be able to smell the BBQ meats. Matiki is always a solid place! I got 'Sam's plate' or the beef rib plate. It comes with 5 beef ribs in total with a choice of mac salad or green salad. The beef ribs were cooked well with not too much but a good amount of char that added a nice flavor. However, the ribs itself had a good amount of fat on each so by the third rib, it was getting heavy and made the last rib not anywhere near as enjoyable as the first two rib . The dole soft serve was such a nice treat would recommend! Mac Salad: 6/10 Beef ribs: 8/10 Dole Soft serve: 9/10 read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

Matiki Island BBQ is so ono! This family owned Hawaiian BBQ spot is the place to go whenever you're in the mood for a plate lunch or even dole whip. This location has plenty of parking and can surprisingly be packed even after prime meal hours. We arrived around 3pm for a late lunch and were immediately welcomed to the smell of meats grilling on the BBQ. Because of that, it didn't take us long to order. We ended up getting: - #1 Beef Rib Plate "Sam's Plate" - #3 Chicken and Beef Plate My beef rib plate came with 4 huge ribs, 2 scoops of rice, and a choice between mac or green salad. The ribs were super tender and flavorful! It was one of the best beef ribs I've had in a long time. I'm personally not a fan of having potatoes in my mac salad, but it wasn't bad. You can't beat their plate lunches and friendly service! And the wait time wasn't too bad. I will be back! read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - #1 Beef Rib Plate "Sam's Plate" - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

A friend of ours had been telling us how good this food was a couple of times and we were able to see for ourselves selves. The chicken and short ribs plate was delicious and we will be back read more

The food is solid here. Like a 9/10. And this location has the best decor. However, it also has the crankiest and grumpiest employee. It's the lady who wears the flower on her hair. She has a permanent scowl on her face, never smiles, and looks absolutely miserable. I just don't understand being in a customer service position like that when you clearly hate your job. read more

Matiki Island BBQ is family owned casual Hawaiian BBQ spot and has four locations (Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Las Vegas). This location I find to be very welcoming. Parking is plentiful in the spacious plaza. The main attraction is the BEEF BBQ RIBS grilled over an open fire. They do Hawaiian BBQ very well and their house teriyaki sauce is great! Quite frankly the food is good here. The meats are smoky, sweet (not cloyingly sweet) and savory. Love The Mac salad is mixed with potatoes; the green salad fresh. Each plate are served with two scoops of rice Mac salad/or fresh greens. *Hot sauce is available upon request.* Back to the BBQ Beef Ribs, while it's the main attraction or top seller, at the same time it's NOT consistently made well; either great or straight up horrible! When the BBQ Beef Ribs are made correctly it's very good! When the attention isn't there it's terrible - I mean char burnt and FATTY not eatable! Due to social media attention the eatery is busy - very busy and staff overwhelmed! Good for them and I wish them much success. Minus one star for inconsistency. Otherwise a good spot for Hawaiian BBQ! read more

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Amazing service Amazing FOOD!! I got the chicken plate and added 4 been ribs So tender So flavorful No Katsu but everything was Will come back for sure!!! read more

Flavors were spot on and all about Hawaiian food. Customer service was excellent and fast. Food presentation was great and plentiful.

I wish I had read Andrew C's review before I made the mistake of stopping in for dinner here last night... As a long time customer of the OG Matiki's & considering the fact that I had come here a few times when this location first opened, I never thought I would leave here disappointed. But after last nights dinner I'll never come to this location again... When we walked in i should have known things were different- it was so smoky inside there was a haze in the entire restaurant. Service was unusually cold and unfriendly. No typical friendly service or fun Poly/Hawaiian music. They were blasting Banda music so loud e we had a hard time hearing each other from across the table... The wait was unusually long, and the food was just not up to par with Anaheim. Portions were definitely smaller than before, kalbi was fatty and dry. Normally a hallmark of Matiki's meats is that they are juicy and flavorful- not here, not today. Even the Mac salad was bland and underwhelming... Just really, really disappointed. So much that my family and I agreed we would never go back to this location, even though it's another 15-20 minutes out to the OG location. Praying that Anaheim hasn't dropped standards to this level. If you haven't been here before, do yourself a favor and drive out to Anaheim instead. And if you have been here before, do yourself a favor and drive out to Anaheim instead. read more

I prefer this location to the anaheim one. The wait is better, the actual restaurant is nicer and more spacious so u can actually eat there. Plenty of parking. Food was great. Beef ribs were delicious. Galbi was done perfectly. Sauce was great. Mac salad has potatoes in it... I kinda wish it was more creamy and sweet but it's okay. Very close to the Fullerton steps. I dig it. read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - Galbi 2. Kalbi Plate (Short Ribs) - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California

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Usually, I really don't like giving one star or I would just let it go but due to so call "Manger" with attitude I felt like I should express it instead of keeping it Yesterday I went there for the first time as a group with my church friend, I want to say VERY VERY DISAPPOIMENT, I ordered #2 short ribs that recommended from my friend as to go Few hr later I get my food, Once I arrived at church getting ready and excited to eat- ONLY to find out they BURNED/BLACK all the meat they gave me I couldn't eat any of them at all because the more I try to at least find meat that I can have, finds out most all was BLACK BURNED! I CALLED THEM RIGHT AWAY, DIDNT PICK IT UP AT FIRST, I wait couple hr and at the end called 6 TIMES because I couldnt go back, no one picked up their phone at all at the end. I checked my friend who ordered exactly the same thing as me, her meat was perfectly fine. So today I went to get a refund or store credit, the girl so called "Manger" refuses. REFUSED TO GIVE BACK WHAT I PAID TO EAT BUT COULDNT CAUSE THEY BURNED COMPLETELY BLACK. VERY HORRIBLE I told her I called she said she couldn't answer cause it was BUSY? I can understand you can't pick up when is busy but I called all night yesterday.. She also said she can't trust me after showing her proof I brought while kept giving me attitude. THIS IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE, NEVER COMING BACK, so called "Manger" VERY VERY HORRIBLE ATTITUDE!! And CUSTOMER SERVICE!! read more

Matiki Island Barbecue - The more I flipped the meat More and more black burned VERY DISAPPOIMENT - Hawaiian Near Me - Fullerton, California