Great modern take on Filipino food! Presentation was great and the flavors were very nostalgic and elevated. We got the spicy calamansi fried chicken bowl, lechon sisig bowl and ube churros and enjoyed every dish. Can't wait to go back and try other items on their menu. read more

Minasa - Spicy calamansi fried chicken bowl and lechon sisig bowl - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

The restaurant that brought me back to doing Yelp reviews! Summary: The food is awesome and the hype is real! Lechon Fries: 10/10 First, let me clarify for my Filipino food purists out there - the lechon here is the lechon kawali variety, not the one roasted over an open charcoal fire. That said, the flavor was on point and at par with the best homecooked or restaurant lechon kawali in the Philippines. For context, I have eaten lechon kawali all over the Philippines and also in NY, Washington D.C., Florida, and California. I admit that I was initially skeptical whether lechon would work with fries, even if there was a drizzle of a Mang Tomas-like sauce over the whole thing. But I'm happy to say I loved the flavor combination! Minasa's chef has the skill and palate to make this dish work, and I commend him for it! In addition, the serving was pretty generous! My hubby and I shared one serving, and we could not finish the whole dish. Of course, we were also trying to leave room for the ube churros. Ube Churros: 10/10 I am not a big fan of churros - at least not the greasy variety like the ones they sell at theme parks. Again I was very pleasantly surprised - the churros at Minasa were not at all greasy. Each piece had the perfect crunchy exterior and slighly chewy interior with a Boston-creme-like filling. Half the length of the churros was topped with an ube sauce and, and ube powder was sprinkled all over. The end effect was a delicious dessert that just had the right amount of sweetness. Fried Chicken Rice Bowl with Calamansi Glaze: 9.5/10 I loved the sweet-and-salty flavor of the chicken glaze that had just the right calamansi tang. It was very delicious with the fried rice. Overall this was actually my favorite dish from Minasa, and something I would definitely want to go back for. I took out a half-point though because the pickled unripe papaya that was part of the dish was a little too sour for my taste. I think they were going for something similar to atchara, but the atchara I'm used to actually has a bit of sweetness to cut/balance the sour flavor. On a side note, this dish also had a generous serving. I had it for dinner and had a few chicken pieces left over that I ate the next day. Overall the flavors of the food we ordered at Minasa were amazing and worth taking the trip out to Waipahu! Quick note on the location: The restaurant itself is super cute, cool, clean, and inviting. However, there are only a few tables and it can get full inside pretty quickly. We decided to take our food to go so we can enjoy it more leisurely. Also, the restaurant is located in a strip mall that has a few other restaurants and shares a parking lot with an Arby's and a Jack in the Box, as well as a few food trucks (at least when we went there). So if you go there around lunchtime, just be aware that you may have to spend a few minutes looking for an open parking spot. This is what happened to us, but for me the delicious, flavorful food made it truly worth all the effort! read more

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Located in Waipahu next to Arby's Restaurant is small but has a good vibe Food is always on point I like the clalmansi chicken fried rice bowl and the ube churros read more

Amazing! So happy they opened a store front. We went right they opened at noon and let me tell you there was already a line. At this point they only have been open for less than a month. Our food was ready within 15 minutes. Cons: is the limited hours they are open Pros: the food is still amazing read more

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This place is so good. We got here Saturday morning when they opened and 2 tables were taken already and another party in line. I can totally see why because the food was delicious! I had their lechon bowl and added an egg and my friend asked for a longonisa bowl (it wasn't on the menu but we saw it on their ig page) they were able to make it and it was so good. Both bowls were delicious and flavorful and so visually appealing! All the flavors complimented eachother so well! The garlic rice and the veggies and sauce....heavenly! When we were leaving a guy thanked us by the door whom I'm thinking might be the owner, a nice ending to a delicious meal! read more

Minasa - Longonisa bowl (not on the menu when we went but they made it for us!) - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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The food was da bomb! We went there on a whim looking for a place it eat and yelp rated Minasa high so off we went. We had the Sampler with the calamansi fried chicken and lechon fries with ube churos on the side and an order of fried chicken bao buns..1 bite i was hooked! The owner came out talk to a few people asked about the food told him it was excellent. A few days later we went back and i ordered the chefs special and it wasnt disappointing! I was empressed because the owner came out again and remembered talking us. I would highly recommend Minasa to everybody! read more

Minasa - Chefs Special - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Finally made it down to Minasa. Tried the Fish Katsu and Calamansi Fried Chicken, with an Eggplant Tartar Sauce. Terrific is not enough to describe this combo. The Calamansi Chicken was really a Big Hit! I also tried their Salted Duck Egg Fried Rice. I couldn't stop eating it. Coupled with the saltiness of the Egg. A must try! The Fish Katsu with Eggplant Tartar was Ono too! Got the Ube Churro and Shanghai lumpia both unreal goodness. Will go back to try theirs other unique Dishes! read more

Staff and food was great! Absolutely delicious, you can tell everything was freshly cooked.

Foods are awesome! Chef Special is onolicious. First time I tried while back and it's something you want to keep going back for. If you love Kalamansi...yum yum yum! The restaurants ambiance is very appealing. It's gives you that homie vibes. Service is top notch!!! Owner Chef Mark and team are just lovely, great customer service and treats you like a family. It's something wonderful that no other restaurant will make you feel. Definitely be coming back again read more

Minasa - Kalamansi Fried Chicken. Our kids to go too. A real treat - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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It was a great experience having lunch here yesterday. Mainly because of learning about the chef/owner's passion and mission for his restaurant! He really wants to contribute to the Waipahu community by providing work opportunities for Waipahu High students, while ensuring their personal and professional growth. As a former educator who was deeply involved in clinical externships and apprenticeships, this hit a homerun! Now for the review...of course the wait staff were friendly and courteous, but wow the food was so flavorful!!! Chef Maleko Lagmay said his menu honors his upbringing. Flavors are definitely Filipino-influenced, but the Chef creatively updates them and yet they feel homemade. The presentation of his dishes also reflect his Fine Dining background. We had the Sisig with Chicken and the tamarind shrimp rice bowl for our entrees. Portions were pretty generous, I took more than half of mine home, so my husband could try it. (He loved it as well). We even got to try the Shanghai lumpia and the yummy ube churros for dessert. Even though we live in East Oahu, it will be worth a trip to get more of these ono dishes!!! We'll definitely be back!!! read more

Minasa - Shanghai lumpia - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

M I N A S A A hidden gem in Waipahu. We got invited to try this new place and it did not disappoint. It was very impressive! The food is really good, very flavorful. Fil food with a twist..so good! The staff are very friendly and attentive. Service is excellent. Chef makes an effort to greet all customers and thank them for patronizing. Great ambiance, very clean. Price is reasonable. Will definitely come back! read more

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The service was great, the food was f'n good and the vibes are great. If you try nothing else... the lechon fries are sooo bomb. The skin is so crunchy and the meat is tender and juicy. Honorable mention to the kare-kare... the meat was so soft and tender. Definitely would come back! read more

Minasa - Kamayan sampler - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Coming to Ohau 2-3 times a year, Minasa highly recommended from several friends. This place makes some delicious dishes. My favorite was the Tamarind shrimp, Longanisa Bao Bun and Lechon over rice. So if you looking for best Filipino Fusion food, this is the spot, worth the drive from Honolulu. read more

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Staff was very friendly and helpful. Very tasty food with good portion size. Worth the short drive from waikiki where we stayed.

Ordered: Salted egg fried rice Calamansi drink Salted egg fried rice - 4/10 Rice was too mushy and had no flavor. The toppings and salted egg was great, just the main ingredient of the dish lacked flavor and texture. I don't know if the rice was just off today, but yeah. Calamansi drink - 10/10 read more

Great food and amazing owner. Nice little spot if you are looking for Filipino food. Generous portions well worth the price. read more

Minasa - Lechon Fries - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Nicely decorated storefront with a small comfortable seating area. Art work for sale on display. Service was great. Cashier was friendly and all employees were nice. The first time I was here the chef/co-owner took the time to speak to me and share with me the basis for the dishes they offer. The second time here he remembered me and greeted me warmly as I entered. The food is absolutely great. The first time I had the Fried Chicken Rice Bowl and today I had the Omelette Rice Bowl with chicken and shrimp. Both dishes were delicious. Perfectly prepared, seasoned and presented. The ingredients were fresh and tasty. Lucky to have this jewel so close by. I will be a regular. Check it out. You won't be disappointed. read more

Reasonable prices for what you get. The bowls super delicious with garlic bacon fried rice. Food nice and hot. Ube churros hit the sweet spot. Ube banana lumpia was ono. Recommend this place, different vibe, dark and artistic. Will go back again to try other dishes. read more

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Been hearing a lot of good things about this place so had to try it for myself. Being tucked away in a little corner of Waipahu, Minasa greets ya with a pleasing aesthetic. The staff was welcoming and friendly. Got takeout and tried the lechon fries and ube churros. The lechon fries were boooooooomb. Such a hefty portion packed with more than just crinkle cut fries. And a depth of flavor too. My husband isn't a huge fan of lechon and even he was sold on this. We were so full off the fries alone. The ube churros were yummy. The flavor was well balanced and not too over bearing with the ube flavor. The sauce was lightly drizzled and not as covered like advertised so that was a bummer as it really complimented the churro. Personally, it's a big chunk of change considering other churros you can get at the happiest place on earth so I don't know that I'd get these again but the hype is real and I'm glad we tried them. read more

This place is a hidden gem, my second time coming here. The first time I got the lechon fries and that is what made me come back because it was so good. I got the Calamansi spicy fried chicken and it is a 1000/10 it's so good.. when I tell you, run and don't walk, definitely go. It is worth it read more

Minasa - Calamansi fried chicken - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Every adventurous foodie need to try this place. How do I describe this? Filipino food elevated? Fusion? Chefs creations are an amazing play on this Filipino comfort foods we've come to love. Simple menu, great service form the entire staff! What a hidden gem on Oahu! read more

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super cute decor and nice workers and the ube churros were scrumptious with the filling but not worth a $28 fries and churros combo read more

Minasa - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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Food was so good! And the staff was generous and nice. Definitely gonna come back and try all the dishes. read more

Minasa - Lechon bowl, Steak And Egg bowl, adobo wings. - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Minasa is a hidden gem in Waipahu! It's a modern take on Filipino food. The chef has a great talent for balancing flavors and textures in his dishes! They have limited lunch hours in their brick and mortar location, so call or check their IG page. They do pop up in weekend end markets as well. Check em out! They're worth the effort and the drive! read more

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Went here with two of my girls because we heard it just opened up. Parking can be a little hard depending when you go because it's in Tropicana Square where there are other businesses. We went for lunch. We went right when they opened so we were lucky to not stand in the line that long. We did dine in. We got their bottled and canned drinks. I got the steak plate while my friends got the chicken one. We both liked what we got. It did come with pickled vegetable which was a nice touch. The steak came with a sauce. We also shared the ube churros. They were kind to let us try their singang dip with chips. It was good and we would definitely go back to try it again! Friendly service and overall the place is spacious but not too much seating. Can't wait to go back and try different things. read more

We heard this place was banging!! Came to check it out, 1st people in the door! Owner greeted us, hella nice!!! Ordered our food, came out so fast!!! And the food was emaculate!!! Let me tell you.. we got the kamayan sampler, shanghai lumpia and the no soup shrimp sinigang! Bruhhhh! My good friend is Filipino and is so hard to please lmao! But even she was raving about Minasa!!! We also got to have a great conversation with the owner Chef Maleko.. super awesome, humble dude! We also got a dope back story on how Minasa came to be. Overall amazing experience, and the restaurantsounds decor is so nice! They have lots of local art! It's amazing! Oh and wait the ube churros were the best everrrr!!! Better then disneyland lol!!!! Yall gotta go!! read more

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the food is like un-aliving and going to filipino fusion HEAVEN!!! not a single bad dish there and if i could i would eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner for the rest of my life. THIER SISIG IS LIKE NO OTHER! yummmmmm read more

Drove out from the East side to Waipahu to get some Filipino food to celebrate Filipino Food Week. Usually we go to Elena's for our Filipino food craving but decided to try something new. Almost thought we went to the wrong place but found the shop all the way at the end. Husband ordered at the counter and did takeout. He said the people were nice and friendly which is always a plus. From the photos the shop looked cute and clean. Food came out pretty quick too which is great when you're bordering on hangry. We ordered a pretty small amount of food for us standard only because we knew we had a heavy dinner planned later. We got the lechon fries, fried chicken rice bowl with calamansi glaze, the longganisa bao bun, and the ube churros. Let me start by saying all the dishes were good and we overall enjoyed it. I think I was in the mood for more vinegary goodness which I was missing. The lechon fries were good, not quite as crispy as I wanted given we requested extra crispy but it wasn't a big deal. The pork was tasty I would have loved more crispy skin but that's just me. The chicken rice bowl had a glaze that was too sweet for my liking but the chicken was plentiful and was moist. The sleeper dish was the longganissa bao bun! I wanted the lumpia but couldn't get 6 and they didn't have a smaller order and I'm glad we went with the bao instead. It was well balanced and super delicious with layers of flavor and nice textures. Ube churros are delicious! Super crispy, loaded with purple sugar coating, and I liked the drizzle which reminded me of an ube cheesecake flavor. Maybe would return to try other dishes because the food is good but I think the vinegar vibes need to be ramped up for my personal taste anyway. I like the idea of the upscale and creative spin on some of the traditional Filipino flavors. Prices seemed fair too. Worth checking this place out! read more

Minasa - Lechon fries, fried chicken bowl with calamansi glaze, longganisa bao bun, and ube churros - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Don't come here if you are starving. Small portions for outrageous prices. How fancy can you make Filipino food when Elena's is next door? I'd rather go eat at Elena's and get my money's worth. I had the ube churros, 3 small pieces for $13, it was ok, not worth $4.33 a piece, its like a Costco churro then cut in 3 pieces.....lechon fries $17....bruh not worth it, full lechon kawali plate next door at Elena's, much cheaper and worth it. I mean, if the portions were reasonable, then maybe but not. I'm just being honest. Won't be back. Gave them two stars for friendliness and cleanliness. read more

We got the kamayan platter and the taste was very delightful and as a Filipino myself I got a little skeptical about lechon fries but they got the flavors of lechon perfectly. Calamansi crunchy chicken was so good. Lastly the ube churros was the perfect dessert it wasn't too sweet and they also got the ube flavor right. Definitely coming back here. read more

Minasa - Kamayan platter - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

One of the best Filipino restaurants on the island. I love the lechon with rice. It was the perfect balance of savory and flavors to make you jump up and down. Highly recommend it even though the cost is higher than other restaurants. read more

Filipino inspired dishes that are tasty and delicious. I bet this place will need a bigger seating area as it's popularity grows. read more

Minasa - Steak rice bowl with Calamansi Dip - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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I ordered the chicken bowl and it was amazing! The flavors were great. I especially enjoyed the pickled veggies that are included in the bowl. The portion sizes of the bowl are awesome! I had lots of leftovers which were much enjoyed. I also got their famous fries which were loaded with toppings which were very tasty. Finally, I got the ube churros which I would not get again. They were expensive for how much they give you and I was not a huge fan of their flavor/ texture. Other than the churros, I loved their food! Super tasty for sure read more

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The chef and people who works there are very humble and kind. Thats a great environment to be in while eating. The food are always on point. The taste, presentation and creativity are perfect. The price is reasonable for a high class experience. I started supporting them when they were at pop ups/market. I am happy that they opened up their own store front restaurant so that I could be able to get it any time I want. Ube churros and lechon kawali fries is a must try! Yum! read more

This place was recommended by my nephew. I ordered the Lechon bowl. OMG! It comes with a large portion of roast pork, rice and salad. If you're in Waipahu you must try Minasa. Great food! Excellent service. Sorry but I am probably not doing the dish any justice. I took the picture at the beach. read more

Minasa - Lechon Bowl - Filipino Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Small place but clean and the ambiance is amazing! Food selection is not big but all tastes great. Price is a bit higher but quality is very good. Friendly service great staffs read more

Minasa is an awesome place for fusion Filipino food! Everything on the menu was delightful and delicious, and Chef Maleko was so nice and generous to our family friend visiting from Georgia. So honored to have a conversation with him and his fellow chef from Nepal. Chef Maleko is such a humble person who likes to give back to the youth and to the community. Go and eat! read more

Food was great! Surpassed our expectations. Will be returning and telling everyone about this place. Mahalo to the uncle who gave us the free Halo Halo read more

I enjoyed the adobo fried chicken wings. The lechon fried rice plate was ok but overrated as it is their most popular item. I enjoyed the ube fries, but for $10 I expected more than 8 fries. Overall interesting place and service was fast and friendly, but definitely one and done. read more

Everything we tried was delicious. Had the chicken bowl, the bao and a side of veggies and garlic rice.