Laie is a beautiful little town, sporting lush greenery, pristine beaches, and a sprawling mountain backdrop. The only thing it's missing is sit down restaurant options, unless McDonalds by the Marriott is your jam. Pounders fills this void, and it fills it completely. Pounders adorns the front of the Polynesian Cultural Center's Hukilau Marketplace, well manicured, clean, and open for take-out and dine-in. I'll be honest, the location and aesthetic screamed tourist trap at first, and really worried me - until my SO asked me mid meal when we were coming back! Entree prices fall between 15-30 dollars, which a whole bunch of reasonable 15-20 options. I actually had a really hard time choosing what to try. We started with the Fresh Poke appetizer ($15) - a scoop of fresh ahi, mixed with a rock salt and a sweet sauce, accompanied by sea asparagus and onion slices on a bed of rice. Holy moly - the fish was melt in your mouth delicious. The portion was a bit small for the price and the rice had some hard bits, like when you scoop the bottom of the rice pot, but the quality of the poke made up for it. I settled on the Holy Cow Pizza ($16) - chicken, bacon, and battered fries topped with ranch and bbq sauce on a pizza. Total diet suicide, totally delicious. While stuffing my fat face, I often thought that I should have tried something else on the menu, thoughts that were quickly vanquished by another sweet, savory bite. Finally, the star of the show was the Garlic Shrimp corn chowder in a taro breadbowl ($16). The taro breadbowl was soft and sweet, almost like Punalu'u sweet bread. Corn chowder was overflowing and topped with succulent garlic shrimp, perfectly cooked and garnished with parsley. The chowder was rich, garlicky, and addictive. Even when we were uncomfortably full, it was hard to stop eating. A few more details - We chose to dine outside since the weather was nice, which would have been perfect save for an excessively loud oscillating fan. It may be quieter inside in a booth. Our server was polite, attentive, and helpful. The phone operator noted that 7pm is their busy time, so try to stop in at 6-630. Overall, great experience with good food at a reasonable price in a beautiful location. We would have returned if they were open on Sundays. read more

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We dined here 2 nights during our stay in the North Shore area. First experience was terrific. Hostess, server and other staff were friendly, attentive and made us feel very welcomed and valued. We ordered the ribeye and it was a good cut of meat and cooked perfectly. Shout out to Shania!!! We wanted to try other dishes so we came back a second time and had a completely different experience. Server was busy chatting with the table next to us (personal friends?) service was non existent. I ordered the seared ahi salad. The ahi was again quality cut but it came with Korean kalbi sauce on it which didn't go with the ahi or the salad dressing at all. That ahi was so good but they entées to rethink the sauce. A wasabi based sauce would have been much better. read more

We were moseying around at the Polynesian Cultural Center, when all of a sudden there was a universal desire for a snack. We planned to just share a couple of appetizers, but for the price of some of them, it made more sense to get a full meal (or we were just being greedy). Our waitress was very friendly, and provided us with great feedback on some of the menu options. Final answer: Hukilau sandwich (mahi sandwich), one as is (fried), and the other grilled please. And yes, we will also take the fries. Side salad, rice, and ulu (breadfruit) mash are offered as alternate sides. Man, oh man was that mahi sandwich righteous! It was served on a brioche bun with arugula, a mango papaya salsa and cilantro lili'koi aioli. With those flavors combined, it is nothing but a party in your mouth! And the fries deserve much respect, seasoned and cooked to perfection! Having dessert would have been pure gluttony, so we passed, but everything did sound delicious, from cheesecakes to guava rolls. Aunty Emily's Polynesian Bakery is in-house, so everything came straight from there. So, if you find yourself moseying through the front entry area of the Polynesian Cultural Center and find the hungry monster on your back, give Pounders a shot. read more

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Ashely was incredible. We had the garlic shrimp and the pulled pork absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.

Service was fast staff was polite and friendly. We had the pork and the Alfredo an and the free ice cream was delicious. read more

We had no idea this was a mormon owned restaurant ( no alcohol or beer ) . After we figured this out we tried to order a ginger ale also a negative)- up next we tried to order a pizza, also a no go. We settled on some items all were ok. Nothing great. Lastly we ordered a Oreo cookie and macadamia nut. My macadamia nut was great but instead of a Oreo cookie we received a s'mores. We didn't send it back and somewhat enjoyed it. read more

The service was very good, the food was great, and the whole restaurant was very clean and nice. The Crunchy cookies are very good too :)

Great customer service and right next to our hotel also had great shopping...however the food was not good at all....also note we did arrive only thing our group of 7 liked was the fettuccine Alfredo and bacon burger. The Korean fried chicken was one of the worst dishes the chicken was extremely dry and the cucumber salad was disgusting. The Chinese chicken salad was maybe a 6/10 however since they were out of chicken... we had to get shrimp and it was fried and was really gross. The pasta bolognese was mid just had zero flavor. The veggie pizza had way too much cheese very thick and looked like they just threw a salad on there. Overall the waiters and service were great and kind but if you're looking for a good dinner, not the place. read more

nice restaurant, good staff, enjoyed our server from Hindi who's always checking on us and asking how our food was. Prices are reasonable! Big servings on their pupus, good for sharing 3-4 people. They have indoor/outdoor seating. 10% off your bill once you check in at yelp. I'll come back for the taro chips for sure. read more

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Not even worth a star only good thing was the host that had led us to our table. Service was horrible server brought out food but no fork had to ask I had asked for water 4 times still no water and I had finished my meal servers name was Mason my first and last time eating there. Horrible service worst ever read more

Unfortunately, this place must of changed ownership or something. Everything changed... the food now taste like cafeteria food, the menu is quite different now, the place was dirty and the service was sub-par... staff were friendly but the server had zero clue about the menu, were were brought the wrong food and although the place was not full, we waited over 30 minutes while staff walked back and forth looking frantic. The fish nuggets are NOT Mahi Mahi! They were some kind of fresh water white fish. The pizza was horrible... frozen pizza from the supermarket is better. The ulu mash used to be good... but this time it was extra oily. So disappointing because this place used to be good. I do not recommend unless you want to waste your money and offend your palate. The best part was the cookies up front... but that was a separate entity. read more

Second time I went there and menu changed. This place isn't the same They had really good papaya salad dish but it's not there anymore! The burgers they do not make medium rare and only well done. The samoa cheesecake used to be my favorite but it taste much different than last time read more

Yuck!! This place is like a Dennys. Service was slow too. And the added chicken for salads is like rubber tofu and cold. A table for 12 and no one liked anything. The shrimp tacos were ok and kids pizza. But I do not recommend eating here at all. We loved the food truck, Titas we ate at lunch. Hamburger steak was amazing and spicy shrimp. read more

This was the absolute worst experience we have had in Oahu so far. We started hearing about this place before we even started our trip. Once here in Oahu we kept hearing good things and decided to make that our evening meal. We didn't make reservations beforehand but the hostess said we could get a table in 10-15 minutes. This took almost 30 (28 to be exact). Is this the end of the world? No. But don't tell me 10 and its gonna be 30. The service was good except we were seated outside and a band was playing in the gazebo outside in the plaza. We couldn't hear each other or the waiter trying to explain the meal options. I ordered the Loco Moco, another in our party ordered the shrimp fried rice, and the third wedge salad with chicken added. Every single one of these meals was AWFUL!!! The chicken added to the salad was fatty, and full of gristle. The other meals were WAY too salty. To the point you would think it was a joke, or the top came off the salt shaker and they just served it anyway. Whoever was salting the food must have at least tripled the salt contents. The food was inedible as a result. When the waiter came and asked if we all needed a box everyone spontaneously started laughing. There was no way we were taking that food anywhere but the garage bin. At the prices that are being charged I expect a heck of a lot better. I hate leaving bad reviews but this place on this day earned it. Awful. Stay away and find somewhere else. I've had meals a third of the price that were 10 times better in Oahu. read more

Although we are Kamaāina this is the first for my wife and I. We went for lunch on a Saturday. Parking was not a problem. The restaurant is inviting and clean. Started with the ahi poke nachos. Like that it's on potato tasting chips. Fish was fresh and plate delicious. I ordered the braised short ribs. Meat so soft and tasty. The Ulu mash was delish as well as the bok choy. Wife had the guava short ribs. Also soft and tasty. What captivated the entire experience was the excellent customer service. Our waitress Mia was pleasant, great smile and tended to us often. Will definitely return. read more

Pounders Restaurant - Ahi poke nachos - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Didn't expect much from here since it was pretty much a tourist spot. Ordered the surf and turf bowl (sirloin steak and garlic shrimp) and it tasted so good! The sauce on the steak and shrimp was on point. The waitress was so friendly too and even gave us pointers on local beaches to visit! read more

Pounders Restaurant - Surf & Turf Bowl - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

The food was good. The fries were excellent. I was able to order off the kids meal being an adult which I appreciate. My hubby got a Swiss Mushroom Burger and it was good. The kids meal filled me which was a smaller cheeseburger. Service was a little slow because we were in the middle of a bus group. Typical ambiance. It was convenient because we were going to the Polynesia Cultural Center. read more

The staff was fantastic!! Outside of that you will find extremely overpriced pizza, salads and burgers!! There's nothing here you can't find in the lower 48. It's no wonder why the locals don't go here. I was talking to a neighbor next-door to where we were staying who has been living here for 30 years and said he's never been here once, never planned on it. If I have been traveling by myself I would not have gone here either. But since I had the family I was out voted.FML. read more

Good burgers, good fries and excellent service. Had the grahamburger and the classic burger. Both were excellent and cooked perfectly. The Korean fried chicken was delicious, crispy and had a delicious sweet and spicy glaze. read more

Pounders Restaurant - Korean Fried Chicken - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Updating my review from 4 stars down to 3 after eating here this week. I soooo want to love this place! The location is awesome, the hours are great, the menu looks reasonably exciting and the decor/atmosphere is awesome. And that is about where the goodness ends. The best way I can describe this is that this place reminds me of a crummy restaurant in a theme park. You wait longer than you should to get a table and then once you get a table, the service is slow and inconsistent. The food is priced higher than it should be for what you get and you can't wait to leave to do something else... Anything else. We had some friends in town and so decided to give this place another try. Between us, we ordered a number of different dishes from the menu... Hawaiian fried rice served in a pineapple, their signature burger, the shrimp pizza, calamari, kids meals, the Hawaiian mango pizza, wedge salads, Taro rolls. I think you could say that we got a good cross-section of the menu covered. I'm sad to say that not one person was even reasonably impressed with their meal. First off, their Taro rolls have been on my "must eat on the north shore" list. I'm going to have to take them off because the last few times I've gotten them, they have been stale and crusty when they are supposed to be fresh and soft. Also ordering them from the takeout area is an ordeal. It is supposed to be grab and go and her friends ended up waiting 10 minutes to get five rolls in a to go container. The Hawaiian fried rice portion was super small with only a couple of chunks of pineapple in spite of the fact that it was served in a pineapple shell. All of the pizzas were somewhat bland in spite of how they looked. The burger looked beautiful but tasted like unseasoned hamburger meat. Calamari was OK but that's fairly hard to screw up. Service was super disappointing especially given that they were not that busy (as the PCC night show had started). Will I try this place again? Not for a long time / until I see something change or hear from others about positive changes. I would recommend going to Elephant Thai (just around the corner) or Guadalajara instead. read more

Jerry Seinfield said it best. You see, you know how to *take* the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them. Made a reservation for 22 people from five different states and they canceled two days before... and yes we submitted the pre order well in advance of 48 hours.... Very unprofessional read more

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The service was prompt right after opening at 11:00. It is pricey but, really the ONLY nice restaurant on this side of the island. The poke nachos were delicious! We also had pizza and a chopped salad and Samoan cheesecake - so yummy, not cloyingly sweet! Save room for dessert! read more

Pounders Restaurant - Poke Nachos - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

Best bbq chicken pizza I have ever had and my husband said the burger and fries were the best we have had in Oahu.. only think that would have topped this is if we had seen Graham Elliott... service was top notch from Amanda ... definitely recommend read more

Pounders Restaurant - Bacon cheeseburger - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Coming out for a game at Kahuku! Dine at Pounders Restaurant and get Manager's Special 25% discount.

Every time I go to PCC I have to eat here. It is hands down such a laid back and delicious vibe and the waitstaff are always so pleasant.

The prompt service and food quality was excellent for our tour group. Highly recommended.

Casual, tourist dining Pounders offers a variety of options with something for everyone in the family. Pizza, burgers, and finer fare are all available here. Moderately priced and pretty tasty. read more

Big portions, Huge burgers, fat fries. Yum! We did take out. Ordered: Fish and chips -love the batter, fish melts in ur mouth goes perfect with fat fries. Kalua pig sandwich-it looks like a footlong, daughter said it was delicious but huge.she ate half & are the rest for dinner. Pounders burger: didn't realize how big it was. My 11yo son was speechless. Soo good, and he also ate the other half for dinner Ahi Katsu- daughter said it was delicious, the sauce was good. Hawaiian burger: juicy, delicious and huge. Even I couldn't finish this...ate the rest for dinner We also had the bread pudding which was rich, very good when warmed up. A bit sweet could eat all of it, luckily we all shared this. read more

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Large portions, good flavors. Burger & Mac Nut Mahi Mahi with double veggies. Brigham was an excellent server. Flavored lemonade needed more syrup. And we wished they still sold pastries to go. read more

Pounders Restaurant - Mac nut & pesto Mahi Mahi fish. - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Pounders was suggested by our tour guide, so I am not sure if I would have decided just by looking at the menu. This restaurant in the Polynesian Cultural Center is good food. The sautéed shrimp was tasty but not piping hot. Since I was with a group, our food was prepared quickly. The POG juice was good. Passion, Orange, Guava juices. I would visit again. read more

Pounders Restaurant - POG juice - Pizza Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Delicious food w great service! The ulu mash is a must try! They have some gluten free options as well!

Mediocre at best. Ordered the surf and turf and meat was overcooked and the poke was very tough. Also ordered the chicken strips for my daughter and I could not cut through 2 of the 3 strips (though they did comp that for us). My wife had the mango pizza and it was Olive Garden quality at best. Nothing about it tasted like it was from an imported Italian oven as described. Probably the worst meal we've had the entire week. It did not appear super busy and took a a little over 30 min to get our meal. Service was not the greatest and full of excuses. read more

Fantastic!!! Food, Service and restaurant ambience. We were in our first tour with AKA. :)

I was part of the tour the food and service were excellent. The staff was friendly and quick. Ashley did a great job.

I was excited to try the food under new celebrity chef. I came twice. First time ordered the poke plate. Such a disappointment....Taro chip was soggy, avocado was not fresh tasting and the poke was meh...the former poke plate with rice or greens was so much better. Go back to old recipe please. Since I am across the street, I came back. 2nd time, I ordered seared mahi salad. The mahi was good...not fresh though. Salad dressing and teriyaki sauce much too sweet for my taste. I ordered upside down pineapple cake that was pretty to look at, but is not upside down pineapple cake! A piece of dehydrated pineapple that ospretty...but does not taste good. No pineapple on top of the cake, and tastes of chemical pineapple flavor. Prices went up, quality went down. I will no longer recommend Pounders, nor will I be back. That makes me sad. read more

Food was pretty good. Service was fast. Server was attentive and sweet. Would eat here again.

We heard that they got a new chef and wanted to try out the menu. The signature dish is the oxtail stew which was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. There just wasnt the depth of flavor that you would expect. What they need to do is have the kitchen staff go to Aiea Bowling Alley and try their food so they know what their competition is putting out at half the cost. The namesake burger was really good, but for the prices I was expecting a little bit more complexity and sophistication. read more

This place was pretty good. I didn't have high hopes when we saw the place just because it's a super touristy area and sometimes those places have crap food since they don't anticipate anyone ever coming back(imho). But this place was a pretty good experience. I had asked to sit next to a plug since my phone was almost dead and our rental car didn't have a way to charge it and they were very accommodating & seated us right next to a plug. That was a huge bonus since we didn't know where we were or where we were going next! So thanks for that! Our food was good and they gave you great portions. We even ended up taking some food home with us. Nice, clean, peaceful environment. Would eat here again! read more

If you're in the area and looking for a sit-down, air conditioned restaurant with waiter service, this is your place. They have a great kid's menu - the build your own pizza is a popular choice for the littles. Notably absent from the kid's menu are chicken fingers/nuggets, which you'll usually find on a kid's menu. The best thing we ate here are the mahi mahi nuggets - they were so moist and crispy. And nowadays, it's hard to find mahi mahi at restaurants! As far as dessert goes, we tried a cupcake and lilikoi roll - both were dry and stale. You might be better off trying the guava cheesecake which has a longer shelf life. The servers here are very friendly and eager to please. read more

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Delicious food, great service from Shania, and atmosphere. This place was not overly crowded, the outdoor seating was nice, our server was super sweet, and the food was amazing! We had the Orrecchiette Pasta appetizer that was so good, the bri burger, which was also yummy! (Only suggestion is to add some acidity like balsamic or something), and the Boneless Kalbi Beef (Ah-mazing & tender with delicious mashed potatoes). read more