Had Pupukea Grindz on our list of places to try for over a year and finally went the other day to grab a couple plate lunches. Went with the ahi katsu and Korean garlic chicken. Took about 15 mins to get our orders. Plates were hefty, and the food was soooooo delicious. The katsu and chicken were lightly fried, neither were greasy at all. Mac salad was good. Greens were fresh and the dressing was tasty. Such great food and worth the price! read more

Pupukea Grindz - Ahi katsu - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

See all

I work in Waipahu and just happen to discover this eating place Not disappointed at all. I ordered the garlic chicken plate with potato/Mac salad and a side order of pastele stew. There is seating however, I took mine to go. The food was delicious but I forgot to take some pictures. I must have been very hungry. read more

See all

This is the 3rd time we tried to eat here, only to find it was closed again! No notice on the website, unbelievable. Never again!

Never knew about this place until I walked past one day on my way to the liquor store. Fishing gear caught my eye as I passed. Two days later and I'm kicking myself for not eating here in the past!!!! Pastele stew was unreal! Inhaled my plate in 5 minutes. Will definitely be back to get some fishing stuff and try their garlic chicken. YOU MISSING OUT! read more

Pupukea Grindz - PASTELE STEW - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Delicious plate lunch and other offerings at Pupukea Grindz! Stopped by for lunch on a weekday, and it wasn't busy at all. I wanted their turkey chili, but unfortunately, they were sold out. I ordered the hummus wrap instead which was super fresh and tasty with nice local veggies. Hubby had a plate lunch with shoyu chicken, Ono katsu, cone, and Maki sushi and chow fun. My son had a side of chow fun, and the portions were generous! Ample dine in space. They have AC, but it was a little war. The food came out fresh and pretty quickly. We will be back to try more! read more

Pupukea Grindz - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

See all

Delicious food. Great prices. Definitely will be back! I've been wanting to try Pupukea Grindz for so long now, but since they have limited hours, I always find myself checking them out when they're already closed (funny, not funny). Lucky for me, it's summer time and I'm off (for a while lol) so I took the kids on a spontaneous run for some grindz. Yesterday, we ordered the Ahi Katsu plate with tossed salad, and 2 Korean Garlic Chicken plates with mac. The food was spot on - fresh and flavorful. I absolutely enjoyed my ahi katsu and having the option of FRESH GREENS! The dressing tasted like a basic Oriental, that of which I switched out once I got home, but overall, that plate was 5 stars. Both kids got the Korean chicken. They really should've shared one plate; each had a nice hefty portion. Chicken was so frickn crunchy and perfectly seasoned with their sauce. Mac was somewhat grainy from the potatoes, but still another 5 star dish. Sorry, my pic just doesn't do the KGC justice. Why 4 stars then? They seemed to be out of a good chunk of their menu. And most importantly, I'm a simple person and the first impression goes far. I don't want to sound picky, but it's a pet peeve of mines when I walk into a place AND ITS EMPTY, and the workers can't even say hello. I just don't get it. Maybe they were super busy with phone orders (although we got eye contact) and didn't realize the unwelcoming tone when we got the "I'll be with you in a minute" from the kitchen prep area, but that's my piece with hopes that it makes a difference for the better of the business. Upon grabbing my food after the 20 minute wait, the guy seemed to have cheered up a slight bit, just to add. Can't change the first impression tho. Anyways!! Go check em, go check em, go! read more

See all

Mean shoyu chicken and mean garlic chicken. Staff was cool. Nice little plate lunch spot to jam.

"What's going on foodie ohana?" Have you ever binge watched something because you wanted to see / hear something outrageously funny (roulade being pronounced roo-la-dae, "use-to-to", "taste-ta-tid good", "dranken", saying in Hawaii we call it o-ka-zoo-ya with the emphasis on the zoo because it's different from Japan), and along the way picked up some knowledge? That's what prompted the visit. 1. Outstanding old school ahi katsu. Thick cuts of ahi marinated in miso, coated with panko and fried mid well before being doused in a sweetened ginger, garlic, soy sauce. Umami supercharged goodness. 2. Solid garlic chicken. Boneless thighs sat in flour for a while to get the perfect crisp coating flash dipped in a sweet soy, garlic, cayenne, green onion sauce. The skin still crisp even 20 minutes later. All is not perfect. The boiled shoyu chicken is extremely sweet and being sat on a bed of chow funn, alters the taste of the noodles. The cone sushi, too dense and wet. Portions are HUGE. Prices fair. Good value for the money. Friendly local service. Take out only. Check yelp (they update their hours daily if there is a change) and/or call ahead to be sure they are open. Sometimes, even through tears of laughter, you find a worthy recommendation. Going to eat Japanese shabu shabu at a Chinese hotpot resto... ROFL. read more

See all

Was out with vertigo and I was hungry. Right after work the hubby came across this place and was intrigued and had heard about from our son-in-law so he tried them out and it is one we will keep in our top collections! So ONOLICIOUS! I had the shoyu teriyaki chicken was really yummy and not sweet at all, if anyone who knows me I don't care for teriyaki flavor but this soothed my taste buds (thumbs up)! The hubby had their Pipeline plate with Korean garlic chicken, my Boi had the regular plate and it was really good to. So if you in Waipahu, go check them out, you'll be back for more! Mahalo and we'll stop by again to try your pastele and chili. read more

See all

Good food, price and service! Really enjoyed my meal and strongly recommend Parking available and wished they open more days. read more

Actually a pretty good place, good food for and good portions for the price. Only reason for one less stars is the wait times, think was a little over 20 maybe 30min wait for our 2 plates. The past few days they been getting slammed so it's understandable. While I'm ok with waiting others may not especially if short lunch hrs. So it's better to call it in. On with the food...2 plates that was shared and left overs for dinner. Ahi katsu plate. Good filet of ahi, good well outside nice crispy and still very moist inside. Most other places will overcook and be very dry. Light katsu style sauce all over. I usually prefer the mayo unagi/teri sauce style but was actually good this way to. Food company Kailua has their sauce this way as well. Like the potato mac most places don't take time on the sides and just throw macaroni and mayo salt call it good. Like that here they put potatoes and others things to change it up Pipeline Plate... 2 chickens was Fried and Shoyu, 1 cone sushi, 1 ume musubi, with chow fun underneath. Chicken was good and crisp nice flavor little dry on some pieces but better than red and raw. Shoyu chicken was OK not overly sweet but did have some redness inside by the bone which I dislike. I know it's fully cooked and safe but just a taste I dislike. Chow fun was ok, and cone sushi was OK as well not overly sweet. Overall those 2 plates are probably the 2 best sellers. Great portions and great for grab and head to the beach etc. They are inside the same complex as the old Highway Inn. Like that they cleaned up this complex as it used to be a little run down and filled with homeless everywhere. read more

Pupukea Grindz - Ahi Katsu - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

I had the Korean Garlic chicken. It's so tasty, delicious. My friend had the pastels rice and i tasted it. Really tasty, little spicy. overall the food is delicious the atmosphere a few tables and chairs. Drinks are all canned and bottle there's no fountain drinks. The owners are Shawn and Barry, very nice guys. It's a fairly new local spot, opened in March 2018 . They're same owners of (20years) Pupukea Grill Lunch Wagon, can find their lunch wagon across sharks cove. So whether you there or in waipahu come check these guys out. Today I had the Ahi Katsu. Omg it's true, reviews are on point. This is a first and honestly I didn't think I would like it so much. It's so crispy delicious and moist all in one bite. The sauce they put on the Katsu compliments it,even yummier read more

See all

Decided to give this place a try and I was pretty impressed. We decided to try the ahi katsu, shoyu chicken, and the Açaí bowl. Shoyu chicken and açaí bowl was okay, but the ahi katsu was one of the best I have ever had, so crunchy on the outside and so juicy on the inside. The Ahi Katsu was the star of the show!! Ahi katsu 5 stars (the best of the best) Shoyu chicken 3.5 stars (shoyu chicken like any other shoyu chicken) Açaí bowl 1.5 stars (açaí had a pasty taste and there was too much going on) read more

Pupukea Grindz - Ahi Katsu, Shoyu Chicken, and Açaí Bowl - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

See all

The food is amazing! One of my favorite places to eat. The My Korean chicken is fabulous!!

The acai bowl is my FAVE !!! Tons of fruits( apples, kiwi,banana, blueberries & strawberries) The sweet potato mash on top Sooo yum!! read more

This place is simply amazing! I've been here a bunch of times, and I finally wanted to make a proper review. This place has local plate lunches served in good portions, I feel that it makes it worth the drive to Waipahu. The shopping center it's located in is newly renovated, with a new parking lot and lots of nice plants. I got the Pipeline Plate with shoyu teri chicken and boneless Korean garlic chicken as my meat. It also comes with ume musubi, chow fun and cone sushi. I highly suggest that you buy a side of their mac (macaroni) salad to make it complete. They also have different desserts in their showcase that changes every so often. When I went, they had a creamy coconut cake which came in a huge square piece almost the whole size of the container! It reminded me of a coconut tres leches cake. I ate the whole thing! The owner Shawn is one of the nicest people I've ever met! You can tell he's really cares about his customers and we small talked for a bit. Follow their page on Instagram @pupukeagrindzxlocalkinelures read more

See all

These guys are awesome! I love their Banzai bowl, generous portions, and a little bit of everything. Chow fun is ono, old school style! Love their chicken, fried, fresh and crispy. And they make a real good Pastele Stew! Check on their desserts, its usually different daily, and they sell out quick. Real nice and friendly owners who you can tell appreciate their patrons. Glad they're in Waipahu! read more

Was recommended by a friend. Asked the cashier what is the most ordered dish. He said ahí Katsu And Korean garlic chicken. I opted for the Korean garlic chicken with tossed salad. Hey it makes me feel like I made a healthy choice! It was divine! Will be back to try the other stuff on the menu and will update! read more

See all

Surprisingly dropped in a not-so-upscale neighborhood. At first I was skeptical, but after discovering the atmosphere inside was more small family owned business, emulating the north-shore plate lunches; I was hooked. My husband claimed the Mac-potato was some of the best he had ever had! read more

Pupukea Grindz - Inside - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Nice quaint local place for ono grinds and local fare. Located close proximity to Highway Inn, we stopped here to try their famous açai bowl. It was exceptionally well executed. Deeply appreciated that they were happy to make the dish without the high glycemic ingredients. Definitely recommend. The plethora of other 5 star reviews says it all. Mahalo for reading my review. read more

Pupukea Grindz - Açai bowl. Much better than all the others I've tried. They adapt to low glycemic diets which we appreciated - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Awesome food and service! Heard soo much about them, but their hours aren't the greatest. Finally used a day off to drop in for lunch and they were open!!! Was craving a really good Ahi Katsu but they didn't have ahi that day :( booo...Settled for garlic chicken and a special, came back in 15min and the owner (?) made me a small bento of ahi and whatever was in there was winnahhzzz!! Everything got pounded when I brought it home. Was asked why I didn't double order everything smh.... Point is - your drop in will be well worth it. read more

Finally got to try this place for the first time last week. My coworkers always rave about this place and they definitely DID NOT disappoint food was amazing and the service was great, super friendly. Look forward to trying their food truck one day read more

I always get the chow fun and ala carte Korean fried chicken sooo good and the two guys who work there are really nice and not usually too long of a wait the food is so good and the place is clean and nice. If you're thinking about going just try it, my family enjoys going here EVERYTIME !! read more

I absolutely love this place! Good food, nice staff Their acai bowl is so yummm. Especially with the sweet potato mash read more

Meannnnnn boneless fried chicken evaaaaaa on this island! Better than Tanioka's! I love you Tanioka's but this place get some majah grinds too! My second fav place for local food! read more

Pupukea Grindz - Boneless Korean Fried Chicken - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Super tasty plate lunch- like a gourmet version of your everyday plate lunch! The chicken was so crunchy, tender and flavorful, delicious sauce, the greens fresh, and the rice perfectly cooked. Really hit the spot after a long day in the ocean. read more

Pupukea Grindz - Garlic chicken with green salad - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

I was browsing Yelp for places to eat in/near Ewa and this place popped up. Since the ratings were so good and I saw that they had korean fried chicken (which is high on my list), I had to try it. It was flippin' scrumptious, and the serving size was super generous. There was also ample room to sit and eat in the restaurant, and ample parking stalls in the lot. On top of all that, the gentleman who was working was such a nice guy. Would definitely go back again, even despite the drive from town. read more

See all

My friend and I finally got to try this place. I've read about this place on Yelp and we tried to go there before but they were closed. It said they were on vacation. So we've been waiting and working out a good day to go to Pupukea Grindz. Pupukea Grindz is located in the same complex as Highway Inn in Waipahu. It's a really small place so you might miss it if you walk by. They don't have a lot of advertisement so you may not know what they're selling from the outside. When you get in, you can see that they have a lot of local selections for lunch. People on Yelp liked the Korean chicken so I got that. My friend got the ahi katsu. The service was fast and we didn't have to wait too long. We took the food to go because we had to get back to work. But once we opened our plate lunches we both said whoa. The plate was massive, it was so good. The plates come with two scoops of rice, Mac or tossed salad, and your entree. The taste was so good. I ate most of mine and was super full after. I tried my friend's ahi Katsu and that was good too. I'd definitely come back. Plates were about $11 but there's so much food, you could actually use it for two meals. read more

So first I don't come down to waipahu that often so this was a fun little treat. New restaurant in a older shopping center, but very clean and very well decorated. Ok now to the important stuff, order ahi hand rolls and ahi katsu. The hand rolls are nice and big with big chunks of ahi I'm them, very delicious. Now OMG the ahi katsu was absolutely fantastic. Ahi was cooked to a crispy perfection and the sauce was very well done. The rice was cooked well and the Mac salad was very taster. However, the ahi katsu was by far the star Will def be making this a regular spot. read more

See all

This place is hidden and the parking lot has plenty potholes but geez this place is so good and so worth it.. I went here with my dad because he said there was a bomb ahi katsu plate lunch here and I wasn't disappointed. Ahi katsu 10/10 - if you don't get this, then what are you doing? Go back and order this ASAP. The plate comes with two generous pieces of ahi and the Teri sauce on top adds that extra flavor! Korean fried chicken 8/10 - pretty good, and really generous amount of chicken and super garlicy (my fav) I was sort of skeptical since the outside doesn't look like much.. but it's in the same shopping center as the highway inn, but honestly I'd rather eat at Pupukea any day. Too good. read more

Pupukea Grindz - Left: garlic Korean chix Right: ahi katsu (sooooo good) - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

This Place Is Awesome!! Their Food Is Sooo Good!! So Far I've Tried Their Pastele Stew & Garlic Chicken Plate & Let Me Tell You.. It's The BombTheir Mac Salad Is Ono Too!! I Love This Place 10 Stars All The Way Around!! Well Worth The Money & Well Worth The Wait!! Their Plates Are Huge Too!! Check Them Out.. You Will Not Be Disappointed!! read more

Pupukea Grindz is my family's go-to for ahi katsu and pastele stew! Their ahi katsu is perfectly breaded (light and crispy), their teri sauce is perfect- not overwhelmingly sweet or thick, and the pastele stew is just YUMMMM. Prices are fair, especially for the generous portions that they serve. Parking shouldn't be a problem, and it can get a little "ghetto" in the area if you aren't from Waipahu, but no worries, you're fine! Haha I haven't had any of their desserts yet, but I am so tempted to buy them all the time. I have a terrible sweet tooth, and need to limit myself, yikes! read more

See all

Schedule not consistent. It's crazy how they suppose to be open than they say sorry we're closed. I love their food but it's disappointing when I get there and they close. This has happened more than I can count. read more

This place might have good food, I wouldn't know because they are never opened. I've come on at least 4 occasions according to their "business hours" and they are always closed. Poorly run business. read more

They are maybe open 5 times a month if that. I honestly don't know how this place stays open when they are always closed. But I have to say, if u get the opportunity to catch them on one of their open days, the ahi katsu is delicious. Too bad their hours are unpredictable. read more

My boyfriend was craving Ahi Katsu and found this gem close to home! Called to place a pick up order and the gentleman on the phone was super nice! Of course I had to go in and pick up. I was pleasantly surprised I didn't know this place existed but am happy too we found this too!!!!!! Braddah was super cool! My boyfriend loves the ahi katsu and the shoyu chicken is the best I've ever had (and I'm super picky)!!!! Thank you Pupukea Grill! Support & Shop local!!!! read more

Great Food. Been there 2 times both times the food was great. Ahi katsu fist time and pipeline plate the second time. Will be back more.

Found a new favorite! Was in Waipahu with the family, and was looking for a place to eat lunch. I found Pupukea Grindz on Yelp, and the menu had something for everyone in my finicky family. I was a little confused when I saw the name on Yelp, but talked story with the owner who explained their history (which by the way, explains all the fishing gear and supplies in the restaurant/store). The owner is a really nice guy. We ordered the Ahi Loco Moco, Pastele Stew, Ahi Katsu plate, Korean Chicken, spicy Ahi rolls, bacon and crab roll, and Ahi Katsu roll. The Ahi Katsu was great. A nice portion of Ahi, which was crunchy yet tender. The sauce was sweet, but not overpowering. Probably the best Ahi Katsu plate lunch I've eaten. 3660 has my favorite Ahi Katsu, but you'll pay two to three times for their version. The Pastele Stew was good. Seems like all "local" places offer Pastele Stew now. Pupukea's has a lot of meat, black olives, and is seasoned just right. Not too salty like some others. We definitely enjoyed it. Got the potato Mac salad with the Pastele Stew based on a previous Yelper's post, and I was happy I did. I usually opt for the toss salad when given the choice, but took a chance this time. The potato mac salad is like old school homemade with plenty of potatoes and just the right amount of mayonnaise (not heavy like some others). The Korean chicken, like the potato Mac was like homemade old school like the auntie's used to make. Boneless thighs lightly floured, and fried crispy, then dipped in a Shoyu sugar, red pepper sauce. We definitely liked it. I'm kind of over all of the garlic chicken that is out there. The Ahi Loco Moco was not what I expected. Unlike other Ahi loco mocos that have a gravy poured over, Pupukea's is served with a butter, caper, and I think dill and lemon sauce. It's not what I expected, but it was definitely tasty, and we all enjoyed it. The rolls we're terriffic like everything else. The ingredients, like their plates, are fresh, and made to order. If you enjoy thwir entree's, you'll enjoy their rolls. The only bummer we experienced was that my wife was ono for some chow fun, but that ran out. Right when we were leaving, the owner passed a container of freshly made chow fun to my wife. The owner insisted that it was on the house. I guess no bummer for us! Pupukea definitely has that local welcoming feel of yesteryear, with a menu that will please locals, yet their menu definitely has 21st century trendy upgrades such as acai bowls, hummus wraps, and Tahitian poke bowls. If I lived in Waipahu, I definitely would stop by at least once a week I really hope that Pupukea has a long run. My concern is that they could probably find a better location. Good luck to the guys at Pupukea. We really enjoyed our meal, and I really do think their food is special. I rate the quality of their food up there as one of the best, if not the best upscale plate lunches. By the way, Pupukea doesn't sell themselves as upscale plate lunch like some of the other proprietors out there. Maybe they won't like that I categorize it as that. Their food is definitely above and beyond regular "plate lunch fare". read more

Pupukea Grindz - The best Ahi Katsu plate lunch I ever ate! - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

See all

This place was killah's!!! I had a tough time deciding what to order because everything on the menu appealed to me. So I began with the Ahi Katsu Handrolls, one spicy, the other regular. Hooooo the buggah was Onolicious!!! I then had the Pastele Stew, this plate was "Broke da Mouff"! Very tasty plate! For dessert I had the Chow Funn and dis Buggah was Meeeean! Pupukea is da spot!! #killahgrindz read more

See all

The name is what grabbed us! I grew up in Pupukea so we had to go in. Very intersting...they sell fishing supplies as well as food. :) Unfortunately...we were killing time waiting for a Pizza Hut Pizza (it was National Pepperoni Pizza Day...what else was I supposed to eat?!?), so I did not eat anything, but I saw a few items on the menu we have to go back & try like the Ahi Katsu. My husband did get two hand rolls, which he thoroughly enjoyed. We spent some time chatting with the owner. He was super nice. Their original food truck is parked across from Sharks Cove in Mike & Ronnie's Shell Gas Station parking lot. read more

Pupukea Grindz - Seafood Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

See all