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    Pono Pacific Kitchen

    4.6 (309 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 8:30 PM

    Pono Pacific Kitchen Photos

    PONO PACIFIC KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Intimate

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    Recommended Reviews - Pono Pacific Kitchen

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    Butterfish with forbidden rice & bok choy
    Tiff B.

    Found this place randomly on Yelp after visiting the Dinosaur Caves Park. It was such a good decision. I had the butterfish and my husband got the scallops with corn risotto. My 1 year old liked the butterfish so much he ate almost my whole plate so I had to order another! My 6 year old enjoyed the chicken tenders & fries. The service was so great. Shoutout to Lydia! She gave us great information on the drinks & entrees. She also checked on us periodically and was very personable. We had such a great meal. The restaurant itself is also very cutely decorated. If we are back in the area, I would definitely go back!

    Golden Hour
    Elaine Y.

    Pono was the first of our SLO weekend reservations and it was SO GOOD! We started by sharing the brussel sprouts which were deep fried then tossed with a sweetened fish sauce and adorned with pomelo segments. The flavor pairings on this plate were so good! While we felt like the fish sauce dressing was still a tad too salty, the mint and pomelo were excellent foils and the bites where you get all of it together were just heavenly! For mains, I opted for the scallops massachussett while boyfriend got the swordfish. The scallops were dreeeeeamy. They were perfectly seared and the purple yam puree underneath only accentuated the sweetness and the freshness of the scallops. No exaggeration, this was one of the best scallop dishes I've ever had! Boyfriend's swordfish was much more meaty but he also really enjoyed his dish. For drinks, I got the golden hour cocktail which featured passion fruit liqueur and other citrusy notes. It had the perfect beach vibes and I enjoyed it. Boyfriend tried a cab from the central coast. It's notably sweeter than our Napa varieties but it was still quite good. I'd definitely welcome a return whenever we're back in town for a visit!

    Alex H.

    We have visited Pono Pacific Kitchen a few times and the food is always delicious! This last visit, we decided to sit on their outdoor patio, which has heaters and is perfect to catch the sunset. They are also very dog friendly which is always a plus. They have a wide variety of delicious appetizers, and we ended up ordering the calamari and crab cakes. For entrees, my husband ordered the sea bass and I ordered the filet mignon which were both absolutely delicious. Keep in mind that this place is quite pricey but the food is fresh and high quality. The service is always super friendly and helpful, and we cannot wait to come back again soon.

    She-crab soup. Perfect.

    My husband and I visited SLO when we were looking for a new home. We sampled a variety of restaurants in the county and Pono was far and away our favorite. The she-crab soup is divine and my husband still talks about the butterfish. Every bite of food we had was elevated and you can taste that a skilled chef is behind the dishes. Highly recommend.

    Butter Fish
    Susan S.

    Really cute restaurant low key and casual excellent service! Known for their sweet succulent Butter Fish-we recommend highly. Excellent wine/beer menu. Bright happy experience,

    White Sea Bass
    Angela C.

    Crabcakes appetizer was delicious! Exactly what I was expecting with a light creamy mustard sauce. All of the fish were cooked perfectly. You can't go wrong. That being said, I preferred my Misoyaki Butterfish over my mother-in-law's White Seabass even though both were absolutely excellent!! My husband's Mahi Mahi was NOT dry nor too firm. The mahi-mahi was also paired with an exquisite peanut vinaigrette. My least favorite dish of the evening was the Seafood Salad with Louie dressing. Bear in mind, there was actually nothing wrong with this dish. It's just that the seafood salad was very common place compared to the rest of the exquisite tasting fish entrees and crab cake appetizer. We also had a friendly, knowledgeable waiter.

    Chocolate mouse with coffee ice cream
    Puni A.

    An amazing happy hour and cocktails. Thank you Sarah C for our cocktails. You are a true artist!

    Dylan Mixologist!
    Tony S.

    LOVED IT! Our first visit. Ambiance is refined and yet casual. We liked the brightness of the room, and the fact it wasn't too noisy even after it filled up. We sat at the bar and so glad we did. Dylan, the bartender knew his stuff! (They make their own Pono Gin) and Dylan's two gin cocktails were well-balanced and tasty. Service was great! Food was OUTSTANDING! The Japanese Hamachi was a tender fish and delicate with a complex sauce. In fact, all the sauces were like that. The Scallops + Risotto was delish with lots of sophisticated, nuanced flavors. The star of the show was the local Butterfish with Miso glaze. OMG! It was delicious. This miso had a nicely caramelized top and yet the fish was perfectly cooked, and just melted in our mouths! We ate every bite, but saved room for the dessert: Chocolate Mousse w/ coffee ice cream. Great depth of chocolate with added texture of crisp cookie on the bottom. Overall YUM! We will definitely come again. No wonder why they were just awarded best restaurant in GB! Highly recommended

    Seared Ahi
    Nancy T.

    My husband and I go to Pono every now and then. They have a new menu, plus full bar offering their own Gin and Vodka. I was so glad to see most of the tables full. The owner always says hi to us, she is very friendly. Our server was Sarah and she was training someone. They both were great and our water glasses were kept full. We always get the bread, toasted, and butter. So good and if you are drinking, helps suck up the liqueur (Ha). I had two Gin and Tonics, quite good and reasonable $11 each. I tried the halibut, my favorite fish, with macadamia nuts, black rice and snow peas. Just wish I could get just a little more of the snow peas. My husband had the Ahi Tuna, baby carrots and very thing fries. Great meal and wasn't too loud. Talked to the couple next to us who were celebrating their 33rd year anniversary.

    Butterfish
    Sheryl S.

    Ambiance is nice. Nice spacing between tables. Chef and team does an excellent presentation. Flavors are delicious. Treat yourself!

    Crab soup
    Elena J.

    A fun little spot for dinner. We initially came for the butterfish but they ran out by the time we got there so definitely book an earlier dinner if that's what you're wanting to eat! We opted for some appetizers instead. Out of everything we ordered, the crab soup was SUPERB. The flavor of the soup had so much depth, lots of crab meat and it was definitely the highlight of the dinner. Service was so attentive and helpful. I'm definitely coming back for the butterfish!

    Short Rib
    Till W.

    Come on a good day, example: Father's Day, like today and celebrate a special occasion here is so worth it! They were accommodating towards a family member who has allergies and food intolerances and it made the experience much more memorable. I got the usual butterfish. My spouse and older son got the scallops and my little one got the chicken tenders and fries (off menu for kids). We shared the crab cakes and fried calamari and 2 desserts. All were delicious! I like how there was a clear sign to not park on the West side of the parking area for the shopping plaza for Pono. Parking is always easy here, anyway. We'll come back again.

    Mushroom gnocchi
    Sarah U.

    Returned a year later and still incredible. The mahi mahi is out of this world!!! Perfect crispy edges mixed with the peanut sauce, be still my heart. Service is prompt and very friendly and the interior is chic and comfortable.

    Mac nut crusted mahi

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    What a gem!!! My husband and I dropped in to celebrate our 24th anniversary and loved the food, staff and ambiance.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    First time was great food, service and ambiance. Second visit was just ok across all three attributes.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great seafood creative delicious! Clean friendly gluten free options healthy. Definitely coming back

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    2 years ago

    Happy hour was good and staff was helpful. Pricey but good. Would go again. Scallops yummy

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    We appreciate your thoughtful review Marc!

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    3 years ago

    Food delicious, service amazing wish they still did there scallops and rack of lamb but it's ok the other options were amazing

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    Page 5 of 8

    Ask the Community - Pono Pacific Kitchen

    Where does one park? On Grand?

    There is street parking available on Grand Ave, as well as, any available Beach Place parking spot and the public parking lot behind the Grand Junction building parking lot. Please do not park in the Grand Junction/Grover Station Grill parking lot… 

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    4.1(732 reviews)
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    We came to SeaVenture Restaurant to celebrate a Cal Poly graduate, and it couldn't have been a more…read moreperfect place for such a special occasion. The location is absolutely stunning, right along the beach with spectacular ocean views. We were lucky enough to catch the sunset during dinner, which made the entire experience even more memorable. Our server was amazing! I wish I could remember his name because he truly made our night. He had such a great personality, was friendly, attentive, answered all of our questions, and made us feel completely comfortable from start to finish. His drink recommendations were spot on, too! The food came out hot, and every dish at the table was delicious. The standout was definitely the fried chicken. The crispy coating was unreal--perfectly crunchy on the outside while staying juicy and flavorful on the inside. It was easily the star of the meal. Between the incredible service, beautiful beachfront setting, gorgeous sunset, and delicious food, this was the perfect place to celebrate such a big milestone. We'd absolutely come back the next time we're in Pismo Beach.

    We went to SeaVenture Restaurant to celebrate our niece's graduation from Cal Poly, and we had a…read morelovely experience. I use Yelp regularly when deciding where to eat and what dishes I'd like to try, so I was surprised to see that many of the photos listed for SeaVenture were quite old (some 8-12 years old). I'm happy to share some more recent photos of the menu items we enjoyed. We were seated in a large room that looked like it was designed for bigger parties and gatherings. The staff was very friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. Our waiter, Chris, went above and beyond by turning on both big-screen TVs: one showing the World Cup and the other showing the Spurs and Knicks basketball game, which definitely made the guys in our party happy! Everyone enjoyed their food, the SeaVenture dish didn't come out to the table hot, the sauce was warm. The restaurant has a beautiful ocean view; unfortunately, the weather was overcast the weekend we visited, so we didn't get the full experience of the view. We would definitely come back again and look forward to trying more from the menu!

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    Pono Pacific Kitchen - seafood - Updated September 2026

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