This is the dream -- the hole-in-the-wall restaurant with good prices and amazing food. It's not what you expect in a strip mall. read more

Ohana Q - Entrance to Ohana Q - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

I saw the restaurant and looked it up because I hadn't seen or heard of it and am always on the lookout for a new great spot especially BBQ! But then I read the reviews and now it looks like we missed it and it went downhill after opening. Unfortunately that happens too often in Kona! No great places to eat and if there are there's no parking. Places start out great then folks lose interest. Besides can't find folks to work! Too bad. Hate to see Alii Drive so empty too! read more

The food was okay, not sure why it has such great reviews. The brisket was meh; too much fat for my liking. The sauces didn't stand out in any way; they all pretty much tasted the same. Being on the island, I would have expected something tropical... maybe mango or pineapple habanero? The coleslaw was under-seasoned and watery. The staff didn't stand out in any way other than the cook singing along to the radio (which was, by the way, the highlight of our meal). We were the only customers in the restaurant yet it took about 15 minutes to get our food. Underwhelmed. read more

Ohana Q - Brisket, coleslaw and salad. - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

The baked beans and mac and cheese were at least passable. Tried 3 different meats and all were dry with little to no flavor. Of the 4 sauces, 3 were bad. One was just okay. All that for about 40 bucks for a plate. read more

It's located a in a small strip mall. When we arrived we were greeted and the gal and chef were very friendly. I asked for suggestions and everything we ordered was amazing. Unfortunately we ate it all before I can take a photo of it. We ordered pulled pork sliders, smoked brisket nachos, pulled pork salad w/ a lilikoi dressing that was memorable. We did a carry out order and everything was accurate. It was amazing! I can't wait to go back again! read more

See all

Chris, receipt, proof attached. Was there ordered special pork belly tacos. Food is mediocre at best, paying 18$ for tacos it should wow you. Watch out for a 3.50% inflation fee when ordering from this place read more

Ohana Q - Inflation fee added to bill - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

See all

10/10 the brisket is to die for. Noah is the sweetest. The prices are reasonable. Guava cheesecake.... Need I say more. Make sure you eat here if you are on the big island. read more

Passed this place a couple of times, was in a pissy mood so decided to stop and glad I did. This place is legit. Great BBQ, huge menu and lots of choices. Bonus for serving coke products. Service was friendly and quick and the ambiance in the back patio was peaceful and quiet. Will definitely be returning. read more

Ohana Q - Back patio. - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

See all

Ribs are fantastic. The food and selection is great. Ambiance is nice. Being told to tip 20% for takeaway was too much for us. Yes, he did. . Also the restaurant was closed on a typical open day, according to the sign in the window and website, non-holiday. 14 customers were gathered outside before and 10 minutes after opening. One finally called and said the answering message said they were closed in Christmas. We were there in April. read more

Great food , great service , they own the restaurant /bar so you can take you food two doors down and eat on their bar patio

Great food and speedy service . Found it by accident and very glad we did. Top three places to eat in Kona

Chose this place because it was close to our hotel. We both had the candy pork belly. Excellent, tender, juicy, delicious cubes of pork. I had baked beans and they were superlative. Service was almost instant. Highly recommended! read more

This one is the last places Open! And menu was limited. Thankfully what was left was Cooked to Perfection! Pork Belly, Cole Slaw & Mac n Cheese! Ecstatic we got to partake food was Amazing & the Bartender informative about the area & what to do in Kona!!! They are Worth it get there early & go to the bar next door for Happy Hour 3p-6p the best Skinny Margarita in Hawai'i! read more

Just took my family of four on a quiet night and cannot wait to go back! Brisket nachos to die for. Fresh salad. Humongous baked potato with really delicious smoked turkey and all the toppings. Perfectly crisp and cheesy quesadilla and Mac n cheese. And totally affordable! Great food at great prices w/ a chill back patio. Win!! read more

Outstanding brisket, candy pork, pulled pork. Coleslaw the best ever. Never had less than a great meal. Good people doing a great job. You never leave hungry. read more

One of the big pluses of Ohana Q is location. It's definitely in the heart of town but it's doesn't share its space with a hundred other restaurants. It has a small parking lot but there were plenty of parking spaces available. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Our group of three ordered the brisket nachos, shrimp tacos, and 1/2 pound of untrimmed brisket. Everything was good. The nachos had a great mix of flavors and textures. Shrimp tacos were good sized and there were even grill marks on the tortillas. BBQ is never cheap and prices were reasonable. I'm a big BBQ fan and ordered the brisket a la carte to really appreciate it. The smoke ring was thin and it had a decent bark. The smoke flavor was minimal. I can't tell if my slices came from the same cut of brisket because a few were really tender and pulled apart easily while a few were firmer. All the slices looked like they came from the point. Regardless, I'm just nit-picking, as I enjoyed the brisket and it was good. Lastly, the Carolina sauce was great and had a nice balance of vinegar and sweet. Overall, a worthwhile visit, especially if you crave brisket! read more

Ohana Q - Shrimp tacos - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

See all

I went because the food looked really good and mainly went for the macaroni and cheese. This is just my opinion but the pulled pork was dry until i realized they have bbq sauce to put on it but they don't tell you that you have to find it yourself. Anyways when I asked for the macaroni and cheese because it says you can get rice or macaroni and cheese etc as a side the workers told me they have to type it up as macaroni potato salad whatever that shit was or coleslaw i literally just wanted macaroni and cheese like they had on the menu and posted pictures of. Food just was not good definitely not worth the price or time I wasted read more

Ohana Q - Not for me. - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

Pulled pork and brisket were tender, but flavor was quite poor--almost like boiled meat--no smoke flavor or rub. Tried all three bbq sauces. All three had very similar flavor of tomato sauce. Spicy wasn't spicy. Tangy wasn't tangy. Kids enjoyed the sliders and the Mac & cheese. But you cannot order Mac & cheese as a side--it only comes with the sliders. The best part of the meal was the baked beans. Truly great beans. Ultimately, it was not worth the money we spent. Wouldn't recommend. However, this was one trip. Maybe we caught them on a bad day. Had high expectations. read more

Shave ice so good! This was our last day in the Big island and I thought I wasn't going to have a chance to enjoy a shave ice!! Lo and behold I saw Da Shack by Ohana Q while shopping at the Ali'i Garden Marketplace in Kailua Kona! Then this song "I Like It" by DeBarge came to mind... I've been thinkin' 'bout you, for quite a while You're on my mind every day and every night My every thought is you, your sweetness too Seem so satisfying to me, I must confess it, yeah! Ooh, and I like it! This is your one stop sweet treat shop: shave ice, real fruit smoothies, Italian sodas, ice cream, brownie sundaes and hot/cold coffee drinks, Hubby and I enjoyed our coconut & mango (hubby's) and my strawberry-colada & banana while relaxing underneath a huge umbrella in their outdoor seating. Review #2299 read more

See all

We ordered food to go for 25 people and Ohana Q did not disappoint! Delicious meats (pork ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork) and yummy sides (Mac salad, cole slaw, smoked Mac and cheese) plus rice. Everything was perfectly cooked, fresh and warm, even though I was late picking it up. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough. Prices were reasonable based on other options, (I could not even find another comparable place tbh) we fed 25 with leftovers for about $550 including tip. read more

I had the "brisket nachos" chips, cheese, Texas caviar and topped with aioli. The brisket was cold and seemed like it was leftovers. Other than that, it was tasty . My husband had the pork bowl and he said it was good. The staff was friendly and quick service. read more

See all

Excellent BBQ with great sides. THIS IS MY GO-TO barbecue place for eat in or take out.

You come in, very friendly btw, pick up a menu on the podium, figure out what you want and then come back to the register to order. Place is chill and outside on a covered porch with picnic tables and dim lighting for night. While you wait for food, get yourself some water out of the self serve ice water container, some ketchup if needed, sauces and utensils. Food came pretty quickly. I got the loaded brisket baked potato. It was flavorful with the cheese and pork done well. My family's food however (the shrimp Alfredo, and i can't remember what my husband had) was food. The meats were done well. It was just the rest of the food that some of it wasn't done all the way. Noodles were too al dente. Potato was almost done. Bread on sliders were toasted way too much. Now I liked the serving in the metal to go containers. Keeps things moving. This place could be so much better. There's so much more potential here but until they get the extras that go with the meats right, 2 & 1/2 stars is all it will ever be. And if prices keep going up, take away a star. I did not get a chance to taste the in house sauces cause my dish didn't require any. Place was clean and tables ready. read more

The veggie tacos were fantastic. 100% recommend this place. They had amazing service and the owner was so so kind!

Food is AMAZING. Best proportions, taste, and price my whole vacation in Hawaii. I got the nachos and they were honestly some of the best I've ever had. Staff was great and super kind as well!! 10/10 read more

Ohana Q is a decent sized restaurant that is centrally located in Kona with a modest parking lot. We arrived at opening for lunch. We ordered two plates, a bowl and a kids' meal. This is BBQ - meaning this has been cooking for hours and there is no prep work, except for cutting and spooning. There were only tables for two outside so we went to the outside patio in the rear. No air conditioning, but there were larger tables and ceiling fans. At 20 minutes post-ordering, we were worried. At 25 minutes, we asked for it to be packed to go. We were finally leaving after 28 minutes. I have had BBQ all over the country - you only wait when there are lots of people to serve, because cutting and spooning for those ahead of you. We arrived AT OPENING and were the ONLY PEOPLE there. Of course, they hold you up for the tip up front and impose an undisclosed "inflation fee," so they get theirs and the customer is left holding the bag. The food was tasty, but it was expensive and poorly served. No thanks. read more

See all

The closest thing I've found to Texas style bbq in Hawaii! The brisket is great! Nice and simple like how bbq should be! The smoked mac and cheese is amazing as well! Probably one of the best I've had in any state! Compliments the bbq perfectly! The pastas are also great! I usually opt for the sherry cream mushroom pasta! Amazing! There really is no bad options here! Trust me I've tried almost everything on the menu! Support our local businesses! read more

Ohana Q - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

Ordered the brisket nachos and shrimp tacos for takeout. Food was ready when we went to pick it up. Both dishes were tasty. Shrimp was cooked well and nachos was more than enough (leftovers!). I just wished the nachos had something to contrast all the cheese and meat, like green onions or salsa. read more

Ohana Q - Shrimp tacos and brisket nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

I was born and raisedin Kansas City so I consider myself an authority on great BBQ. This was BY FAR the best bbq brisket i have ever eaten. Even my german girlfriend who is hard to impress absolutely LOVED her food! Fresh chips and dip, yummy homemade potato mac salad, delicious nachos and salad. So awesome!! Great job, we love this restaurant!! read more

Ok so... the meat is mostly ok. The ribs aren't fall off the bone and they also didn't remove the membrane off the back of the ribs so you have this tough inedible sheet that should be removed. The beans are good, but the Mac salad... was super salty and we couldn't decide if it was intended to be potato salad at first with an afterthought of tossing in a few Mac noodles. If the salt was cut back it would have been acceptable, at best. The absolute worst part of the whole dinning experience here was their bbq sauces! I've never had such garbage! It was basically tomato sauce with some pepper. They have three to pick from and honestly... they all sucked beyond imagination! One friend said it tasted like spaghetti sauce and he wasn't far off! They should be embarrassed to even offer that crap to put in their mediocre meats. We joked and said we should have taken it home and added our own sauce. It would have been better. They don't even offer anything like a guava bbq sauce... which would be a better option. Just do yourselves a favor and pick up a slab of ribs already made at Costco down the road! It will be cheaper and SOOOOO much better. They also were not the most welcoming staff and their voicemail is from Christmas. It's a BIG NO for this one! SKIP IT read more

Says closed at 9pm on door and online. Showed up at 7:30pm and they were closed. This is the second time we've tried to come here, very disappointed because it looked good... Don't recommend later in the day unless you wanna be disappointed. read more

We happenstanced on this place, and so glad we did. Everything was so good! Didn't expect to find delicious BBQ on the island but it's here and it's fire. Brisket & pulled pork 5/5 Mac and cheese 5/5 Cajun pasta 5/5 Corn bread muffins 5/5 Baked beans 4/5 Coleslaw 3/5 read more

My wife had the turkey salad which was very good. There was a lot turkey and it was good and moist. I had the beef brisket plate with beans. The beans were good but the brisket not so much. I was given 2 strips, each ~ 1/2 inch thick. The meat wasn't warm. It was very dry and difficult to eat. I ate ~ 1/3 rd of 1 piece. If not for the sauce it wouldn't have had any flavor. Doubtful that we'll go again. read more

Semi outdoor atmosphere is nice. Service is good. Food is good, not great. My brisket tocos were better than my wife's brisket sliders, but hers came with great tasting chips and some yummy salsa. 3.5 stars. read more

Service was nice and fast. The bbq wasn't all that though. Pulled pork was salty and a bit dry, ribs were okay - average but also dry. The slaw was, well, hard to describe but definitely sweet with pineapple. Baked beans were thick. and sweet. Bbq sauces were really disappointing, all very sweet - tasted like the same bbq sauce with cayenne added to made the hot variety, and a dash of vinegar added for the Carolina style. Look, this is not Texas-style bbq, which is fine, just don't bill it as that style. 3 stars because it was ok, not great. My advice, lean into being Hawaiian bbq and work on better sauces and not drying out the meat and it would be much better. read more

Best BBQ in Hawaii! Great service, nice atmosphere, and astonishing food. We loved the pulled pork and pork belly candy! Definitely give it a try if you're in the Kona area! read more

I want to start by saying when it was good it was real good, then bad once, then good again, then bad, then good, now real bad. I don't know if you're training different cooks or what, someone quit? Get them back please, the shit was salty and days old no red smoke ring on the brisket or the pork, dry as hell, the Mac and cheese was a force it was a yellow illusion. Presentation a complete and utter 0 out of zero, you know better so do better. read more

Ohana Q - Pork Mac&Cheese Bowl. - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

Unseasoned, tough brisket and BBQ sauce that tastes like marinara sauce. Their mango slaw had the essence of mango..... you can skip this place. read more

Wandered around market area and found this gem in the parking lot. I was a little skeptical about eating at an American style bbq place in Kona, but I'm so glad I tried it! Got the Brisket Nachos and it was sooo good!! I took a bite before I started my car and found myself eating half in my car lol. The brisket was so soft and tender and everything tasted well with the chips. I would definitely come back here again! P.S. the guy running was so nice. He offered to drop my food off to my car since it was burning hot waiting by the truck. read more

Ohana Q - Brisket Nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Kailua-kona, Hawaii

I'm not quite sure how this place is reviewed so high. I almost was able to give this place 3 stars but couldn't quite do it. The only reason the place gets 2 was because of the meat. I really wanted to like this place since my first choice bbq wasn't available. I really had a hankering for BBQ. $23.99 for a combo plate. Old dried out white rice. Baked beans had so much thyme or some other herb it was uneatable. 3/4 of the two slices of beef I had were fat / lard, very disappointing. Corn bread muffin was pretty good (moist) but not something to write home about. The best thing about the meal was, the meat was very moist and not overly smoky. 5/5 I got a bummed burnt end of pulled pork. The seating was closed which was a bummer. I would not have even gone there if I would have known that, I wanted to sit down and eat. No available bathrooms. It's hard to eat bbq out of a cardboard box with cheap plastic forks and knives. Side note I'm not quite sure what is going on, did none of the places get over covid? It seems like nearly everyone serves there food out of to go boxes with the cheapest silverware possible. At least break down and spring for some silverware you can actually eat food with comfortably... I should have took a picture of the fat on my beef but I had to use my hands to pull the fat off the knife wasn't cutting it, Literally! read more