The Rainbow Drive-In is an iconic diner in Honolulu. They were established in 1961 and haven't changed much. They serve Hawaiian comfort food. I've been meaning to try Rainbow but never had the chance. I had lunch with George today. I didn't know George, he's just one of those local Aloha people that you meet in line and end up talking to. George recommended the Pork or Chicken with gravy plate. I was encouraged that the locals ate regularly at the Drive-In. The menu is up on the wall behind the counter and it's hard to see. I ordered the Pork with Gravy Plate. Nila was aloha friendly and took my order. I only waited a few minutes before my plate came out nicely prepared in a white pie box. They have a few covered picnic tables to eat at. George and I sat at one of the tables and shot the breeze while we ate. The pork was tender and covered with gravy. The Hawaiian Mac salad is just plain addictively good....creamy. The rice was plain white rice. The portions were generous and could have been easily shared. There's a Rainbow Drive-In gift shop if you need the shirt. There is parking for about 15 cars, but you don't need to be in a car to eat there. They have a couple other locations on the island, but George says this one is the best. If your looking for a classic Hawaiian experience where you can meet the locals, I recommend. It's not fancy, just Aloha friendly. read more

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We came by for a quick breakfast and the service was. It's not a real drive in at this location but lots of parking. There's sheltered picnic benches and tables on the primisies too eat if you decide to stay. They had calming Hawaii music playing in the back ground. I ate the BBQ beef, scrambled eggs with rice (Breakfast Special) which tasted good. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Breakfast special w/ BBQ beef - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Iconic local food. Reasonable prices. Conveniently located near Waikiki. The Loco Moco is a must if you're uninitiated so you can baseline against other places. The shoyu pork was flavorful and tender. There are some outdoor seating options, picnic tables under tents. The parking lot is small but not bad for the area. read more

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My husband loves rainbows. My kids and him always crave their bacon, eggs, and rice. It's so cheap for around $10. You can indicate how you want your egg and bacon cooked. They always get extra crispy. You can even get fries instead of rice. You honestly can customize to your liking. It is always super crowded, so we order online. It makes it faster because you just head to the pick up counter. All of the their other food is drive inn style. Cheap plates for Hawaii. Parking can be a little hard when it's crowded. There are some stalls on the street. There's a restroom and outdoor seating. read more

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Food: My standard order: Teri-beef plate with 2 scoops rice and mac salad. Strawberry slush float--except on St. Patrick's Day--Lemon Lime Slush Float! Service: Not bad (if you nice to the girls when ordering) Ambiance: Take 'em home quick while hot and eat 'em while watching TV read more

This place seems to be popular, but in my opinion, it's overrated. It's crowded and there's no parking. We drove around for a while until we saw that someone was finally leaving. My bf really wanted to try the Loco Moco everyone talks about. His friends recommended this place. It took a few minutes for him to order because the line was insane. There were no tables available, not even in the back. Right when he got his food, we saw someone leaving. There was no one keeping up with the cleaning/wiping down the tables or sweeping the floor. It was somewhat dirty, and we had to wipe down the table ourselves. It took a very long time for him to get the food. There's a long wait time to order and even longer to get your food. I didn't order anything because nothing caught my attention. The Loco Moco didn't look appetizing. My bf mentioned it wasn't good. He was disappointed because he had been wanting to try it. He also ordered the Mixed Plate (BBQ Beef, Chicken, and Mahi Mahi). Once again, he was disappointed. The knife broke because the meat wasn't soft and tender. He said overall, the food was bland and lacked flavor. He said he wouldn't come back. I was surprised to hear that because he doesn't usually say that. read more

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Good food at a reasonable price. Very good value for your money. Service is good considering how busy they usually are.

Yes, Obama ate here. Tony Bourdain and Guy Fieri have been here as well. The food is hot, cheap and plentiful. This isn't going to be a gourmet experience, but it is a solid meal and excellent people watching. Go with the Loco Moco plate and enjoy!! They serve a thousand plates of food each day! read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

How did they make this so well? The eggs are over easy, which makes a good sauce to blend with the rice. However, I wouldn't suggest blending the this with the macaroni that comes with it. Although it was good, if the eggs blend with the Mac and cheese, it gives a weird taste. Nonetheless, the food came fast and warm. Service was extremely kind, and the noise is average for a tasty restaurant like this one. Would go again, but I'm here on vacation. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Rainbow Drive-In is one of those OG landmarks that I feel is more of a tourist attraction these days in modern times. It use to be a big local hangout but as things get old, so does the taste and flavors of Honolulu. I took some friends here for their first time in Hawaii and overall enjoyed it for cheap eats. The flavors I feel over the years has changed drastically and not as good as it once was. It feels very cafeteria-esque but for the price and quantity--you get a whole lot for your dollars worth! Stop by just for iconic landmark photo op and a quick bite then move on to the more modern tastes of Honolulu. read more

4 of us ordered the pork cutlet and it was very disappointing. All the breading instantly fell off while cutting the very very paper thin pork. Our plates were full of breading that we couldn't eat. So sad because we've been eating here for decades but it's just gone downhill. I guess they can fool the tourist but local people know what a good plate lunch taste like. read more

Old school vibe serving classic Hawaiian plate lunches. Prices are reasonable for the area and portions are filling. We ordered a Loco Moco Plate with rice and macaroni salad, and a Corned Beef Hash and Eggs plate with fries and coleslaw. Each plate comes with rice or fries plus macaroni salad or coleslaw. We were sharing our 2 plates so we figured to mix it up so we can try all the sides. The star of the meal was definitely the coleslaw! It wasn't your regular mayo styled coleslaw, but more of an oriental dressing coleslaw. It was light, had a nice flavor punch and refreshing. Rest of the meal was good, nothing spectacular but nostalgic. Small parking lot and outdoor tables for you to enjoy your meal there. It can get quite busy, so they also have the option to order online if you want to go that route. Workers are quick and will call your name when your order is ready. If you're hungry and in the area, worth a stop to check it out and see how you like it. They do have the classic local plate lunches and breakfast plates or burgers. read more

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Great food, moco loco and shoyu pork were fanatic and reasonable priced. Short walk from Queens Beach and well worth it. Super cute decor and outdoor seating. Staff were nice and food came out fast. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Sign - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A very popular drive up diner offers local lunch plates to tasty burgers and fries. They're known for the combo lunch plates which is stuffed beyond the togo plater. The lunch plates are tasty and filling. The burger was popular and tasty too. During our visit the open air seating was scarce but tables opened up in no time. Souvenirs are also available to purchase. Service was quick to order and our food was soon available. Great vibe for an outdoor diner. read more

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It's an iconic place for some good plate lunch/local food, but it can be quite the tourist trap. Service was okay with the Gen Zer's taking their time with orders. Food was great as expected but with limited tables and equally limited parking makes it hard to really give this place the recognition it probably deserves. read more

At first glance you may not want to go in. But then you can see the line is full, so this food must be good! When I got to the window to order the man didn't seem to friendly or like he wanted to be bothered. But the locals that were there were very kind. When I went back up to the window when my food was ready the man had a totally different attitude. He was kind, made suggestions on what I ordered, and gave me a bag to carry my boxed plate of food. That is after I asked him. After all I still had about 1.5 miles left to walk back to my hotel. The ambiance was that of a dive, but the food was delicious! read more

Rainbow Drive-In - FRIED SAIMIN WITH BBQ BEEF PLATE, white rice and Hawaiian macaroni salad - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Finally gave this place a visit after many of times on the island. Of course you hear all the good things about it and it's a local favorite which always means it's a plus. Just a little outside of the main hustle and bustle of Waikiki. We actually walked there. They do have a big menu to choose from. It's a small little place but with picnic table outside. A lot of people took it to go which are packed in little boxes. The prices were great which is a major plus. Portion wise was good too. The only downfall, everything we ordered was lukewarm. The loco moco, gravy was cold. Also ordered a side to have extra but could have done without it. The fried fish platter, which we had with tots instead of rice. And the mixed plate with a selection of items served with rice and pasta salad. Price is amazing and affordable which is a plus. Only downfall, food wasn't hot. read more

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I ordered the Mixed Plate (combination plate of fish, chicken & beef) with a side of macaroni and a side of white rice with extra gravy. It's was incredible! The service was fast and the Valet Captain at the Marriott Hotel down the road recommended it when I asked him where the locals eat. He also recommended the Mixed Plate with extra gravy. The young lady behind me in line (a fellow tourist) ordered the identical meal. She sat with mw and thought I was a local. I told her that the Rainbow Drive-in was recommended to me. She forgot to order extra gravy, so I shared mine with her. read more

I was craving BBQ Beef and stopped by this location since it wasn't very crowded. I was pleasantly surprised to experience the same taste of years gone by. The meat was a little thinner, and I would have preferred it to be a little thicker like in the past, but it was still good. I've tried the other locations and somehow they don't have the same taste? I'll be stopping by more often since it's not as busy and crazy like before. Great to see an old place still serving the same good food! read more

About a 1-1.5: Rainbow Drive-In has been around since the early '60s, and they are family -owned and -operated. They currently have 3 locations, and we came here to in the morning for breakfast. I really liked the fact that their whole menu was available any time, all day - we ordered: +a Loco Moco Plate - two hamburger patties set on top of two scoops of rice, topped with Rainbow's special gravy, and 2 eggs (went for over medium), and a scoop of macaroni salad; the patties were thin and super dried out; the rice was not cooked properly and was a soggy/mushy mess; the gravy didn't have any flavor, along with the mac salad, which was just macaroni pasta with mayo; there was no seasoning whatsoever, and the plate was just bland +Chili Tots - went to add also cheese, was at an extra charge; the tater tots were actually fried well and came out crispy; the chili itself contained beans, which I liked, and it had a nice savory taste to it; it would have been better if they used freshly-grated cheddar cheese rather than the pre-shredded kind; don't forget to ask for hot sauce, as that can give this a nice kick +a Slush Float - a strawberry-flavored drink with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; this just tasted too artificial-like and wasn't enjoyable There were 3 'lines' in which you can order; patrons are pretty good in standing in queue. Staff moved the line alone, and they were pretty efficient; you just need to make sure you're paying attention for your name to be called, as there's no mic/speaker system. There's some parking on both sides of the place, with some covered outdoor seating area in both sides. I'm glad I was able to check this place out, but wouldn't return for a repeat visit. +Chili Tots +unseasoned, bland food items +avoid the slush floats and the loco moco +efficient service +parking available in their private lot +covered outdoor seating available read more

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Once again had an excellent dinner if you're on a budget, the food was hearty fast and plenty of it. I got a local local plate that was very big and I got three mahi-mahi plates. Everything was delicious. A lot of food. If you're a small eater, you might wanna consider to share one plate. easy fast service only problem. There was the sign do not feed the birds where I wanted to feed the birds, but my wife kept complaining to me not to feed the birds, but I'd rather feed the birds unfortunately she won. I did not feed the birds other than that there was plenty of parking. Food was great. Did not break the bank. Excellent fast service read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Really enjoyed the low key atmosphere and bench style outdoor covered seating. Service was quick and the staff were friendly. The food was great, the shoyu pork fell apart on the fork and was very flavorful. The loco moco was a great staple loco moco, not the best I've ever had but it tasted fresh and the eggs were cooked perfectly. If you come when they have the Shoyu Pork on special, you have to try it. It is one of the best things I've eaten in Hawaii. Also the Green River Limeade was delicious and very sweet. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Friday special: Shoyu Pork Plate and a LOCO MOCO PLATE* - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The Rainbow Drive-In is a classic spot to visit when you're in Honolulu, a must-try at least once type of place. The classic Hawaiian comfort food is affordable, portions enough for 2, and comes out fairly quick. However I do warn that the birds are VERY aggressive (a bird kept getting closer to me and snatched food off my plate despite me trying to shoo it away). This ruined my appetite entirely. I highly suggest to take your food to-go rather than eat at the picnic tables. My go-to is the loco moco plate. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - LOCO MOCO PLATE* - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It's probably one of the few cheap places here so that's a plus . But not a fan on how any of it tastes . Fries bland . Dark 3 piece chicken meh . Tuna sandwich no love in it . Chili dog not for me . Maybe breakfast is better . Service is fast . There were tables to eat outside read more

Solid place for a Hawaiian plate. We got the mixed plate and the loco moco, Both were great. The mac salad was yummy too. All the food is really heavy though so maybe don't plan to do anything too crazy after! Side note: the birds here have NO CHILL. We had to literally swat one away from my food. Do not leave your food unattended for a second!! read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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They're dependable and consistent with take out orders which you can easily put in online. They do crispy bacon really well. Their specials vary by day and can sell out quickly as their prices are good for this modern economy. Come here for comfort food and not particularly healthy food. Parking lot and nearby street parking is limited. read more

Came across Rainbow Drive-In multiple times on TikTok as well as hearing about it through a friend. Overall, we had a great experience. Super easy to order. Fast service. Friendly staff. We ordered the Shoyu Chicken Plate 8/10 and the Loco Moco Plate 6/10. Big portions for $12. You can't beat the price. The Shoyu Chicken was tender and flavorful itself. What I didn't care for was the soggy chicken skin. I was super excited to try their Loco Moco Plate and was slightly disappointed. The gravy and the eggs were the star of the dish. The hamburger patty had no flavor and it was dry. The rice was undercooked. Although I enjoyed eating the mac salad the mayo was a little overwhelming. Outside seating only. They had plenty picnic tables. Super popular place. We got there at about 6pm and beat the rush. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - SHOYU CHICKEN PLATE $11.75 - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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If you actually want the true local food experience when in Honolulu/Waikiki, this is the place to go. We stopped here for lunch and enjoyed the food. We ordered Fried Chicken Plate Lunch and Roast Pork Plate lunch- both with gravy. Mac and Cheese and Rice was included in the Plate combo. The gravy on Fried Chicken was a bit sweet to me, but my partner enjoyed his Roasted Pork. The portion size was good and if it's 1 person, just go with 1 Plate meals. There's seating outside or you can get the food and enjoy the Drive in experience in your car. True local scene food restaurant, go for it. read more

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In the times I've been to Hawaii, for some reason, we never got to stop by here until now. Our visit was on 11/13 mid morning. This is one of those places that was hyped up as a must try. I've always been excited to try this place after reading so many reviews. My husband ordered the mix plate which consisted of BBQ Beef, Boneless Chicken and Mahi Mahi. The kids got the Loco Moco plate and I got the Shoyu Chicken. Everything was sooo good. Very authentic environment, food and workers. I wanted to remove one star. After we ordered our food, the fam and I walked across the street to 7-11 to grab drinks to bring back to the hotel. We probably took about 10 minutes because we were going ga-ga over all the lychee candy they had. Got back and aunty inside was yelling my name. I walked up and she said scoldingly 'I called you like 10 times'. I was annoyed for a quick second but remembered that Hawaiians treat you like family. And aunty treated me like fam alright. lol No frills, no fakeness... just real. And i'll take that anytime. If you're an over-sensitive Karen who needs to be coddled and demands good customer service, this place isn't for you. Go somewhere else. lol But know that you'll be missing out on some awesome local grinds. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We finally made it to the famous Rainbow Drive-In and wow the wait was outrageous. Definitely not a place to stop if you're in a rush. That said, the food lived up to the hype for the most part. I ordered the shoyu chicken, which is one of their most popular dishes and only available on certain days but definitely worth the wait! It was flavorful, tender, and hit all the right notes of sweet and savory. My son went with a chili dog, classic and satisfying, and my brother ordered the combination plate, which gives you a little taste of everything -- perfect if you can't decide. Our friend had the mahi sandwich, and said it was fresh and tasty. The staff was a bit slow, but everyone was friendly. It kind of fits with the laid-back, island-time vibe of Hawaii, so we rolled with it. All in all, good food and local flavor -- just be prepared to wait, and maybe bring a little extra patience with you. read more

The trusty old Rainbow Drive-in. They have evolved into viewing menu and ordering your food online, and being able to just go to the pick up window. The food is pretty good. The parking is minimal for such a busy location. Nothing that they can control, but you may have to park down the road and walk when it's busy, which is always. We enjoyed the burgers most recently that was very good. Our son enjoyed the fries and a couple bites from the burger. The pricing is standard for our currenty economy. Just next store there is a delicous Shimazu Shave Ice. The line also gets backed up over there, but if it's less than 5 people, I'll wait. Overall we tend to go here when we have family or friends visiting from out of state to get the local experience. read more

Overall, the food we ordered wasn't great. We got a container of the mac salad, and it was not good. It was very heavy on the mayo. The food was very bland. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - BEEF STEW PLATE - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Wow, thought for sure I had reviewed Rainbows (as we call it). Been coming here since my school days at 'Iolani, in fact it's been nicknamed 'Iolani's off-campus cafeteria. It is the first place I stop when home. Whomever picks me up knows to head straight to Rainbows no matter what time of day. There's almost always a line, but it moves quickly and efficiently. There's been little renovation and updating, but that's part of the charm. Like they, "if no stay broke, no need fix." There are a few go-to plate lunches for me, but my two favorites are the Mixed Plate with gravy or Boneless Chicken "gravy all over." If feeling like breakfast then I get the Loco Moco or Portugués sausage, eggs and rice. My favorite Daily Specials are Shoyu Chicken and Beef Stew. I've read all the negative reviews and they're almost always from haole tourists who have no appreciation for the "plate lunch" and how important it is to our local Hawaiian culture. It's not the prettiest drive-In nor does it have the most refined food, but it is damn good and certainly onolicious! read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Mix Plate - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I got the mix plate with no gravy, and it was around $14.25! Super affordable for 3 kinds of meat, 2 big scoops of rice, and some macaroni salad. The fried chicken steak is delicious, and the mahi mahi comes with a tartar sauce. Service was quick, there are lots of windows to order from. My food came out within 5 minutes. There is ample seating with shade and plenty of parking for patrons. They sell really cute T-shirt's and other Hawaii merchandise. 9/10! They play Island Music, and it's very peaceful. read more

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My first time visiting what's been on so many food blogs, Rainbow Drive-In. I was excited to try as our first stop after we landed. My excitement was met with mix reactions. I always have to remember a few things about Hawaii. Anytime a location says "private lot", that usually means about 3-4 parking spots and always full. Further, all the locals are super nice and always seem to be on "island time". So city slickers need to be patient. Okay now, onto my experience and the food. Ordering was straight forward and easy. Up at the counter, order, and your plate lunches or whatever else you ordered will be prepared and brought out to you at the same window. A little drive in counter, a few seating places around the sides of the ordering booth with not much else. Parking is limited. As for the food, I ordered the iconic Loco Moco Plate and my wife ordered the Shoyu Chicken Plate. They were both, to me, just "meh". The Loco Moco Plate left a lot more to be desired because of that hamburger patty-your classic and simple, what seems like, frozen hamburger patty that is over fried and dried. Add on gravy that lacks flavor and depth, all over a bed of white rice and you really just get different textures without much flavor. The Shoyu Chicken flavoring and season was good, but the chicken itself was dry. Maybe the chicken was left over the burner or food warmer for too long. The Mac Salad was epic. Easily one of the best, if not the best, Mac Salad I've had yet, on the island or state side. Now that I can say that I've had Rainbow Drive-In, I think I'm good. I need to find another loco moco plate lunch to compare. read more

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From out of town and walked by this place and decided to come back and try their loco moco and Mac salad. The patties are pretty dry and tough and the Mac salad was contained a lot of mayonnaise that didn't taste quite right to me. The best thing was the coke out of their soda fountain. It was sweet and carbonated nicely. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - LOCO MOCO PLATE* - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

{Overall: 5; Food: 5}; Service: 5 Rainbow Drive-In serves Hawaiian rice plates. This location is fun because it looks the most like an old school drive-in. After parking in their lot, you walk up to a window to order and pickup your food. They have a few outdoor tables, but all meals can be packaged neatly in a box and ready to take away. We tried the loco moco plate, which came with macaroni salad. This is the best loco moco I've had. The macaroni salad was also incredible. read more

Rainbow Drive-In - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Actually tried to go to House of Wong for some Chinese food only to find they are now closed . Ended up going to an old time favorite Rainbow Drive In from high school/university years. Ordered Hamburger Steak for $14 with fries and coleslaw. The good news? There were 3 pieces of some mystery meat obviously not handmade like the old days. I should have taken a picture which would have negated the need for a written review but I DEFINITELY do not want others to be disappointed by the current "Hamburger Steak" should you have memories of the unctuous old time version. This is NOT A HANDMADE HAMBURGER STEAK by any stretch of imagination ‍. The brown gravy probably came from a McCormick Brown Gravy jar from Costco or Sam's Club. The good news is that the coleslaw was pretty good I was more than a little disappointed by the meal today. I definitely wouldn't recommend or return to Rainbow again. I dislike disparaging a local business but be warned and make your own decision. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me read more

After a fun day snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, we decided to take our friends from Japan out for a treat at Rainbow DriveIn for some onolicious local grinds! It was our families favorite beach day lunch during our small kid time and it didn't disappoint! We were so lucky to find a parking space and a table to sit at. Of course we ordered our usual tasty BBQ beef plate lunch with crispy french fries, tasty Mac salad, and our favorite icy cold Slush Float! Our friends were so thrilled with the meal...they finished their plate in no time and kept saying how much they loved the delicious Slush Float! Everything was cooked to perfection! If you're ever out in the Kapahulu area, don't hesitate to stop by this classic kamaaina favorite with friends or family, and enjoy the friendly service, delicious selections, and convenient location! It's been such a local favorite for decades! read more

Food is good, price is very affordable Kahlua pork with cabbage is good, order a mix meat which is also good Workers need a little Customer service read more

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