Oh my sweet geezus. I just found a place that I wish would relocate to the parking lot outside my work building. ASAP. *This means that they deserved an immediate YELP review!* Coworker suggested phone ordering from here today, so we drove there, paid, picked up order which was packed and ready to go, and left. Within 5 minutes! (time is of the essence on lunch break) Anyway, on to the food. I decided on the regular tofu steak plate (regular portion comes with 2 large pieces, mini comes with one) with brown rice, nalo greens. Opted for the lemon caper drizzle which ended up being creamy and more like an aioli. Got a container of their garlic butter on the side ($0.50) and used that too. DELICIOUS. Drooling just thinking about it now. In fact, I could really eat another plate....and I just ate an hour ago. What makes this place awesome: CHOICES. You choose your dish, then sauce or drizzle, brown or white rice, corn or tossed or mac salad. I love a place with options. Second: very reasonable prices. Third: although I resisted temptation this time, the box of baked goods at the counter looked mighty appealing as well. The only con? This place is in the maze of back roads in Kalihi hidden amongst a million warehouses, hardware/supply stores and small auto body shops. I had NO IDEA where I was, I was just along for the ride. And I didn't pay attention as I should have. =( I'll need REALLY GOOD directions and a detailed map to get myself back there to try more of their food!!!!!!!! read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Tofu steak, lemon caper aioli drizzle - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Second time trying this place. I had the guava chicken last time but did not post anything. Today I had the Tofu Steak, all toss greens with creamy garlic drizzles. I also had 2 pieces of sesame chicken on the side. The price for the portion size is fabulous. I love tofu so I had to try it. Cmon, tofu is something u really cannot screw up when cooking it right? Well I loved it. The tofu was perfectly pan fried from top & bottom, lightly seasoned. The toss greens was exactly that...GREEN & fresh. The creamy garlic dressing added a nice flavor to everything. The sesame chicken was a bit tough but had enough flavor. Pongos is a great place to eat with very reasonable prices. read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I've seen the article on frolic Hawaii a while ago about the best plate lunch options and this was one of the place listed. I already knew what I wanted to try which were the baked ahi and spicy guava chicken combo. Unfortunately when I went there around 12, the sesame chicken was the only option available! I decided to give up the guava chicken that day and tried the sesame chicken. Everything was delicious, the baked ahi was moist and not fishy, and sesame chicken had some good flavor, it's just honestly disappointing that I couldn't try the guava chicken. The only downside for me was rice, it was a little bit mushy but it wasn't distasteful. Next visit I will come early in the morning to try their guava chicken!! read more

There were so many things on the menu that I wanted to try. Also, all the sauces and drizzles. I ended up getting a mini grilled tofu plate with the ginger green onion sauce with one piece of guava chicken and one piece of fried chicken with garlic drizzle on the side. Pretty good deal for $7. The tofu was just alright and what you would imagine. It reminded me of Chinese food. The fried chicken with the garlic drizzle was awesome! I think I liked it better than the garlic chicken. :o Although it was good....like another reviewer....its not even in the same league as mitsuken or sugoi garlic chicken. read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Grilled tofu with ginger green onion sauce. Mini with brown rice and mac salad. Only $5! Cheap! - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This little hole in the wall as some people call it, never lets me down when I'm in need of lunch. Guava chicken with baked ahi and a side of mac salad with white rice hot the spot today. read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Combo #1. Baked ahi & Guava Chicken W/ White rice and Mac salad. - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Hole in the wall place by Nimitz, nothing fancy. There is 2 tables outside and parking is street parking but who cares, the food is Ono winnahzzzz. Roast chicken and baked ahi so so tender and flavorful. Call in your order cuz it gets packed, it's in the industrial area so you know all the workers come here. Check out their daily specials, the only thing is they don't have bread pudding daily. read more

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Delicious! The guava chicken is super good and the prices are not bad. They have a pretty good selection and every once in a while they change it up with a new item. Good luck finding street parking during the day, though. read more

My boyfriend stumbled into this place by accident and told me that their food is great! Of course, I had to try this place out myself! This place is definitely a hole-in-the-wall. There's only two picnic tables outside and it was hard to find parking. The lady working was very friendly and took our order in a jiffy. But that's not a bad thing coz I had a limited time considering that I was on my lunch break from work. I opted for the grilled ahi with ginger green onion sauce. I tell ya, it was delish! It was a total orgasm in my mouth! Every bite will make you say "mmmm" :) Within a week, I went back to try out their baked ahi and guava chicken because my friend suggested I order that on my next visit. That, too, was awesome!! It's like mitsuken and Sugoi's chicken but it has its own flavor. Their baked ahi was good too but I loved the guava chicken better! It had a little spice to it and it was flavorful! This spot? My new favorite hole-in-the-wall place! :)) read more

On Friday 11/15/19, my husband purchased lunch at Pongo's Kitchen. He ordered the Roast Chicken. 4-5 hours later he experience food poisoning like symptoms. Vomiting, Diarrhea, abdominal pains. His symptoms lasted the entire weekend. read more

My office decided to try something different from our usual Downtown eateries. Most of us went with the combo #1 - Baked ahi and guava chicken. Despite being in a container for over a half hour, the chicken was still crunchy. The sauce on the chicken had a bit of kick to it but nothing alarming. I could not detect any guava but the sauce is very tasty nonetheless. The baked ahi had a lot of fish in it and both chicken and ahi were served over spinach. It would have been nice if there was more spinach but I'm not complaining. The Mac salad was very good and the brown rice was firm, which is the way I like it. All in all, a very positive experience. I could not give it 5 stars only because it had been a while from preparation to eating but that's certainly not their fault. I'm going back so that I can experience the chicken fresh from the kitchen. read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Combo #1 - baked ahi and guava chicken - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We had Pongo's delivered at our work lunch today. Ordered the mahi mahi and spicy guava chicken since a lot of the reviews were raving about it. Definitely not bad at all the mahi was different than what I have had here meaning the way it was seasoned. I appreciated the switch up and can't complain about the chicken at all. It wasn't super spicy so if you aren't into spicy food I definitely wouldn't shy away from giving it a try. If you prefer your chicken to have a good thick crispy skin with lots of flavor and a good sauce definitely get the guava chicken. I think there pricing is especially affordable if that is a factor for you also. I look forward to trying some other items of the menu in the future. :) read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Absolutely tasty! My husband loves their Somen Salad when they have it. And the spicy guava chicken is so ono. My husband has eaten here quite a bit and has had almost their whole menu. Definitely worth the wait during rush times. read more

This is my go to spot after a morning surf session. Food is great and selections are good.

Best plate lunch on the island , I had an opakapaka plate before with brown rice and garden salad, amazing

Dear Pongo's, Your Guava chicken is AMAZING! Whatever you're doing please keep on doing it. I just discovered your eatery for the first time this month and have been back AT LEAST once a week for your Combo #1. On to the review... If you haven't already read by my expression of love from the above letter, Pongo's Guava chicken will make your taste buds happy. Zippy's Korean? NAHH. Garlic Chicken? NOPE! None of these compare to the glazed Guava crispy goodness of Pongo's chicken. Their baked salmon is okay, sometimes it's too oily and the last thing I want to eat. They add spinach on the bottom of their plate to soak up the oil but the spinach does nothing but wither. Phone ordering: Please pay attention because Pongo's has two numbers, one leads to the specials of the day and the other gets you a person for your order. Their specials change daily so get those special plates while you can. Also, if you have multiple orders and you plan to pay them separately make sure you let them know. Parking: SUCKS. If you're lucky, there's 3 openings for street parking right in front of the shop. If you completely out of luck then I'd suggest you jump out and have the driver circle two times while you grab the food. read more

There's only street parking at Pongo's, and it's extremely limited and hard to find. But, for the cheap plate lunch options and delicious food, it's worth checking out. The girl behind the register wasn't super friendly--granted, I came soon after they opened during the week--but at least she gave me some recommendations. Other than the famous guava chicken, I wasn't sure what to order from Pongo's, since it was my first visit. The plate lunches aren't super huge here, but the prices are reasonable -- everything is under $10 and there are a good amount of combo plates you can choose from. Though I still prefer Alicia's, in terms of plate lunch places in Kalihi, I wouldn't mind revisiting Pongo's to try some of their other menu items. On this particular visit, I ordered take-out and my food was ready in a few minutes. Here's what I got: "Combo 1: Baked Ahi and Chicken": This entrée came highly recommended as one of Pongo's best sellers, and it was the dish I had my eye on anyway, so I didn't waste another minute before ordering it. I was given the choice between the three chickens--sesame, guava and fried--but I went with guava because I wanted to try the sweeter glaze. The plate comes with a scoop of rice (white or brown) and a side green salad. You don't get a drizzle option with this particular combo (some of the plates include your choice of drizzle), but I paid extra to try one anyway. I didn't regret it. I loved the baked ahi; the outer layer was garlicky but didn't have too much mayo. And, that guava chicken was absolutely amazing. The chicken was perfectly crispy--it reminded me almost of mochiko chicken--and the guava sauce was subtly sweet; it almost reminded me of orange chicken. I would order this combo again in a heartbeat. You can't beat the prices at Pongo's. "Chocolate Chip Rice Crispy Cookies": These cookies--along with Cornflake cookies--are available close to the register; one bag costs $5. The chocolate chip rice crispy cookies intrigued me, but I know I prefer sweet, chewy, soft cookies ... not crunchy cookies ... and from the look of these cookies, there was no doubt in my mind that they were crunchy. But, if crunchy cookies are your thing, I'm sure these (or the cornflake version) would be right up your alley. "Sesame Chicken": I was debating between the sesame chicken and the guava chicken for my entrée, and I still do want to try the sesame chicken one day. I enjoyed the guava, but I wonder if there's a plate lunch option where you can get half and half. I'll have to ask during my next visit. But, if not, I'll gladly order a regular sesame chicken plate lunch one day just so I can try that other chicken. "Warmed Spinach Salad": If I were feeling healthy, I would want to order this salad. I love spinach, and I bet this salad comes with one of the drizzles or dressings that Pongo's is known for. read more

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This is one of my regular places to grind. Prices are reasonable and it's close to work. This place has come a long way since they first opened up. It was an okazu style where the food was up front. Now it's all prepared in the back. My go to plate here has got to be the sticky guava chicken. The glazed on guava has a nice sweetness to it. I would much prefer it a little on the burnt side. It brings out a lot more flavor. Another favorite is the spicy Ahi bowl. It's not a regular on the menu but when they do have it I would suggest you try it out. There's no need to add anything to it Just dig in. Eat it asap because the heat from the rice will start to cook the Ahi and make it turn color. You won't know if they have it unless you walk in and see it on the menu. If I'm feeling old school I'll go for the hamburger curry with corn and brown rice. This is more of a comfort food to me because it reminds me of when I was younger. Splash some tabasco on this and it brings this plate alive no matter how simple it looks. Don't forget to sample the chocolate chip rice krispie cookies on the counter or the butter mochi. It's all impulse but you won't regret it. Customer service is always friendly. Sometimes the line is out the door so it's better to call ahead so what you want won't run out. Parking will be a problem because there's next to no parking except for a few spaces out front. Your lucky if you get one! read more

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Sticky guava chichen ........This is a must try, perfectly fried boneless chicken, that is dunked in a sauce that is out of this world, it makes this piece of chicken just sparkle and glow, but its not until you sink your teeth in it that you get that, outer krispy, inner soft and tender feeling, and you have your fingers and lip's covered with that wonderful sticky guava flavor ....Its finger lick'n delicious........Their mac salad is delicious, and you can get white or brown rice with your order.....oh man so goood... The location of this restaurant is the only thing I can see wrong with this place, its a very busy industrial area, and parking is very limited....So if you don't mind and you have the time, make a few laps around the block......The food is really worth it.... Service was great, always smiling and attentive.....I had to wait a few minutes for my plate, but it was well worth it...... It's been a while since I visited this place, when I worked at foremost dairies this was a regular lunch spot for us, always smiling faces and still the same great taste..... The menu here is pretty big, before they had everything open in the front so you could see your choice's, but its no longer set up that way, which is a good thing, then again if its your first time here, you wont know what to order...Which I think makes more work for the guy behind the counter, having to describe the different selections......For me just reading the different plate lunch's on the menu made my mouth water......Baked Ahi is a close second for me, its delicious ..... As far as returning to Pongo's Kitchen......If I didn't live so far away, I would be there every day.......Check em out ..........Aloha read more

If you're ever hungry and want to find someplace new to eat, just go to Yelp and search for "Food" and organize by rating. Then skim through the first couple places and pick one. This simple method hasn't failed me yet and led me to Pongo's. I ordered the baked ahi guava chicken combo with a tossed salad and corn. No extra charge for nixing the rice. Woohoo! This plate was just as good as it looked in the photo on the website and on the menu. The ahi reminded me of the dynamite salmon from Mamaya with a little mayo mixed with a touch of hot sauce and topped with some crab meat. Yummm. The guava chicken had more kick to it than I thought, but still was very tasty. Tasted like Korean chicken with a touch of the red sweet sour sauce that people use to dip spring rolls in. The prices here are great, the food is delicious, and they take credit cards without charging tax. Winner winner, chicken dinner! read more

3.5 stars because Pongo's is kind of expensive for plate lunch now. Pongo's is a build-it-yourself kind of plate lunch place. It's like ordering a shaved ice at Aoki's or Matsumoto's. You tell them what size plate you want (reg. or mini), then choose your protein--they have lots of fish, like opakapaka, mahi, ahi and salmon, and pork, shrimp, steak, short ribs (thin slices, like kalbi), and tofu--and then you tell them what kind of rice, salad, and sauce you want. They have various sauces, drizzles, and flavored butters. Last time, I had the short ribs with the spicy shoyu vinegar onion sauce and my friend Doug had opakapaka with lemon caper drizzle. It was okay. You can't really screw up kalbi-style shortribs and opakapaka. The sauce on my shortribs was more like a Guam-style finadeni sauce than a ponzu, which surprised me because not too many people make finadeni. I've actually had the shortribs several times here and I would give Pongo's another star if they were a little meatier and less dry and gristly. I wish they used higher quality shortribs, especially for $8 for a few slices. Pongo's has good, straightforward food, but it's not "broke da mouth". read more

Stopped by today for lunch. Dammit, they were closed. Took me forever to find it. I must've eaten here a dozen times but for some reason, I always think it's on Kalihi street or on the upper part of Dilingham. I guess that's what Navigation is for. Decided to write up a review anyhow. I do like their Top Sirloin steak plate drizzled with garlic aioli. Guava chicken is delish and so is their fresh catch of the day. Prices are extremely reasonable. I think all the plates are under 6 bucks and the mini plates are good portions for under 4 bucks. They give you a choice of mac salad or mesculan greens which is a good option, also great if you're health conscious. A definite must try. Don't go on a Monday, closed. And YES parking is non-existant. Better to have someone run in and out while you wait in the car. Couple tables outside if you can muster up the one parking stall on the street. Definitely do Take-out! read more

wow , what a great find ! found this little hole in the wall place after watching it being featured on cheap eats. never thought i'll finally find delicious and cheap fish here. ordered the grilled ahi steak with ginger green onion sauce ( 8$ ) and grilled opakapaka with garlic shoyu sauce ( 8$ ) it come with a generous scoop of either brown or white rice and either corn, mac salad or toss salad. the ahi was a little dry for my taste but the sauce that came with it made it still yummy. the highlight was the opakapaka !!! sooooo yummy ! moist , flavorful and really generous portion for 8 $ !!! even my husband , who hardly eats fish , craved it again the next day . look this place up on facebook. you can see almost all the dishes in pictures there ! read more

Pongos is a 4 minute walk from my house and a good sign to dine is a line outside.My first time there I was being rushed by the cashier to order so she could take the next customers order.It was my first time here so I wanted to get something good .I ordered the mini Teri beef plate.Its a good choice because it is basic staple of every menu, hard to screw it up. When I ate it at home the Teri-beef was flavorless and chewy.I had to really chomp awhile to eat it.I decided it was too much work and only ate half.The rice an Mac salad was okay.First impressions means a lot to me and I didn't give Pongos a second chance.I still see lines outside of Pongos ,they must know something that I don't know. read more

I haven't been that excited about food lately. I haven't tasted anything new that would even prompt me to write a review... Until now! Came across this little gem while I was in the area. I ordered a mini grilled salmon with their spicy butter sauce. Of course I had to try their guava chicken and was thrilled to find out that I could order pieces of it ala carte so I ordered two pieces with my mini plate. You can choose from white or brown rice and toss or Mac salad. I got it with brown rice and mac salad. Yeah yeah, why get all healthy with brown rice when I'm just gonna order Mac salad? Blah blah but I gotta test out the Mac salad if I'm trying the place for the first time and I'm so glad I did! It was yummerz! Parking sucks but service was friendly and awesome! Oh, you would think its cash only but they accept credit cards! read more

Ordered a small pan of spicy guava chicken. The chicken was a hit with everyone and the chicken was all eaten within 15 minutes. This is the first time I ate anything from this business and I must say, I will be coming back weekly, if possible. I want to try the baked ahi next time I get lunch. read more

I only found out about this place because I bought something from someone who worked here. I bought a small plate lunch of Guava Chicken and it was delicious. Will come back to try the seafood. read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

One of the best plate lunch places there is. The main thing that sets Pongo's apart from the rest is they offer healthy and delicious grilled fresh fish lunches at reasonable prices. Beats the greasy fried plate lunches by miles! Even if fish isn't your thing, the different styles of chicken (sesame, guava, fried, roasted) are all awesome. The beef curry is great, so is the Baked Ahi. Can you tell I eat there a lot? LOL! Like others have said, get there before 12 or a lot of stuff will be gone already. It's worth the effort! read more

Ordered over the phone and told cashier I'd be there soon. Waited 10 minutes at the counter while the cashier serviced other customers. All I had to do was pay. If I had ordered upon arrival, food would have arrived at the same time as neither hamburger curry nor guava chicken were special order items. What's the point of calling in orders if not to save time? After all that, not even a thank you. He just turned away like he had better things to do. The hamburger curry was SALTY and literally had a knife in it (inside the curry). Definitely not worth the price. Service was terrible (attitude especially). t only takes one bad experience to lose a customer...forever. read more

I've patronized this business for 4-5 years. They're a simple no frills take out restaurant. They have a dedicated line that has their daily specials. You can also fax your orders in too. I prefer faxing, majority of the time when I call their short/rude on the phone. My go to food is the guava chicken and sesame chicken. read more

This is a great little hole in the wall fish-specializing plate lunch place. If you're in the mood for something fishy or some really great chicken (sesame, guava, roasted, etc) this is your place. Depending on who's working the grill that day, the fish MAY come out a little overdone, nonetheless, with the addition of house butters, sauces, and drizzles, the flavor is always on point. My favorite thing here is the warm spinach salad. It comes with a salmon steak, tofu steak, and garlic chips. Try it!! read more

HOTTEST NEW LUNCH FIND! Pongo's is superb lunch fare and I didn't even mean to eat here. My office buddy turned me onto Pongo's website because he said their jingle was stuck in his head but I couldn't concentrate on the song all that much because I was too busy being inappropriate over the food porn Pongo's dished out on the internet. After picking my jaw back up from the floor, my coworker and I decided to try this place out. Best decision all week! Granted, Pongo's is smack dab in the middle of Kalihi's industrial area, so it is extremely hard to find parking without looking like you're doing something illegal to the side. But with a quick call-in order and my coworker acting like a bodyguard for my car, it really wasn't all that bad and the food is totally worth the 30 seconds of headaches trying to find a decent spot. Before I get into the food, though, let me back track a bit: Pongos huge selling point is its drizzles. What's a drizzle? Best way to describe is an added "kick" to the meal. I ordered a mini salmon plate with a spicy butter drizzle while my coworker ordered the mahi mahi with lemon caper drizzle. This stuff was chock full of holy grail goodness. I ate ridiculously fresh fish for six bucks! Not bad. I got a chance to snag a bite of my coworker's mahi mahi and I gotta say that the lemon caper drizzle is amazing. If you're in the Kalihi area, you gotta try this place out. It's the quintessential hole in the wall that doesn't leave a hole in your wallet. read more

www.pongoskitchen.com Fantastic hole in the wall plate lunch place in the heart of Kalihi that's a little different from typical mochiko chicken plates you find everywhere else. Parking is always a battle in Kalihi M-F so I venture there on Saturdays. What makes this place shine are the drizzles, sauces and seasoned butters. It first starts with deciding what type of plate lunch you want. They have everything from hamburger steak and beef stew to their three types of fried chicken (sesame, guava and regular), grilled fish (ahi, mahi, salmon, opakapaka), baked ahi (mayo lovers dream), short ribs or pasta. If you decide to get the fish or chicken then you have 4 choices of sauces (ginger green onion, teriyaki, spicy shoyu, spicy black bean) or 2 butters (spicy or garlic butter) and 7 drizzles (garlic, greamy mild wasabi, lemon caper, EVOG, shoyu wasabi, ranch or Hawaiian salsa) My favorite combinations are the grilled ahi steak with ginger green onion or the sesame chicken with garlic drizzle or the mahi with the lemon caper drizzle. read more

Love the food here! If I could have it my way I would order the baked ahi with beef stew, w/ white rice and Mac! However, eating healthy is what the other half demands, so luckily Pongo's serve awesome fish dishes w/ brown rice and toss salad! They have multiple fish options w/ multiple sauce options.. I personally ask them for their recommendations which is always spot on! If they could stay open a lil' while longer and stop running out of stuff throughout the day, I would have gave them 5 stars!!! Still, super ONO! read more

Found a worm in my salad. Not good. Wash your salad next time please. Got grossed out and threw food away If you don't believe me look at photos and see the video I posted read more

Don't eat here(munch, munch, munch). It's horrible (slobber, slobber, slobber)! This place sucks (burp)..... (I write this as I demolish my Pongo's Kitchen opakapaka plate!) Ok I can't lie! It's hella good here. I went 3 weeks in a row because I just couldn't get enough. It's my crack!!! I tried fish (opakapaka), sandwich, kalbi, steak, tofu- and all tasted so good! I gotta go back more and try everything at least once! The choices you get at this place is grrrreat! First you chose mini or regular. For plate lunch options you get beef, chicken, and fish/seafood. After that you get a choice of toss, mac, or corn for your side. THEN, you get to choose your rice: white or brown. The best option you get at this place is the DRIZZLE! They're drizzling baby go 'head baby, They're drizzling baby go 'head baby!! Personally my fav is the garlic drizzle. What ever drizzle you chose its kind of like gravy, it makes everything taste grrrreat! Side notes: 1. things sell out. One time I went for steak they were out. So I asked for kalbi- out. So I ended up getting tofu (pleasant surprise..)! 2. I LOVE that the mini's are actually mini sizes and also at mini prices (like $4.70-$5.75)! 3. Service is ok but eh the food make up for it! 4. no more parking read more

Their baked ahi and guava chicken is ono! We'll get lunch from here now then when I'm at work to change things up. Never disappointed in the food, price is fair and the quality of food is on point. Only thing that sucks is the parking is pretty much non existent, it's all street parking so you need at least 2 people to get the food or be super lucky to find a parking space anywhere near. read more

Needed a quick lunch so I used yelp. Found this hole in the wall spot. If not for yelp I would of pass this place up. It's small but clean. The cashier n cook were very friendly. The baked ahi & roasted chix were sold out. So I didnt get to try it. I got the mini salmon with spicy garlic sauce, brown rice n mac & fried chicken with garlic sauce for my hub. SO GoOD!!! Best brown rice ive had in a long time! I was stuffed but I felt healthy. Even the fried chix was crunchy without all the grease. I am totally going back to try more items from the menu! read more

Pongo's Kitchen - Mini salmon, brown rice & mac salad. Delicious! - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Tried the loco Moco with hamburger curry bowl and pickled onions. Delicious and just the right proportion of brown rice to and vegetables and hamburger in the curry. The reason why I ordered this was because I went there late in the day and they were sold out of almost everything on the menu(even their delicious cookies were all sold out). read more

Think lil hole in the walls are great? You need to stop by Pongo's. Located in industrial Kalihi just a block mauka from Nimitz Hwy. Drive slow or you'll miss the green Pongo's sign. They offer more than your typical plate lunch fare. Great variety, not just various chicken dishes, but various fish, chicken, or beef dishes. Great choices: sesame chicken, guava chicken, opakapaka, salmon, & mahimahi. You can customize your lunch, so if you want to go healthy stick with the brown rice, nalo greens and hold the drizzle. If you did a serious cardio workout and want to cheat a little, go with the white rice, mac salad and the drizzle. Recommend you call your order in advance since there is really no parking and no seating. Prices are very reasonable and portions are generous, so bust out the pillow after you scarf this thing down cuz you will need it. read more

Another great take-out establishment which can be found hidden among industrial businesses in Kalihi is Pongo's Kitchen but be aware that this place is very small and can be easily missed. Street parking is scarce and difficult to find especially on weekdays. There is no indoor seating as there are only two wooden benches right out front and do make note during lunch this place gets very busy. I was impressed with their menu as they offer many choices of fresh fish including baked ahi, ahi steak, mahimahi, salmon, shrimp and opakapaka. Other items on the menu include pork medallions, short ribs, teriyaki beef, steak and chicken prepared in several different ways. Or you may want to consider ordering their daily specials or perhaps a combo plate. Hours: Monday to Friday 9 am - 2 pm and Saturday 10 am - 2 pm Keep in mind of the 5-step process before ordering. 1. Regular or mini plate 2. Your entree choice 3. White or brown rice 4. Your choice of salad - corn, macaroni salad or toss salad 5. Your choice of drizzle, sauce or seasoned butter (if it applies to your entree) Ordered the baked ahi with brown rice and toss salad and must say it was fantastic. Their baked ahi is by far the best. Perfectly cooked and seasoned very well. I highly recommend this place as you will not be disappointed. read more