As part of our recent vacation to Hawai'i, we stopped by Helena's Hawaiian Food to get a taste of…read moretraditional, authentic Hawaiian cuisine. Parking was scarce, but we managed to find a spot nearby in the neighborhood. It was a Saturday around lunchtime, and we were able to be seated immediately. We didn't really know what we were doing with the menu, so our server ordered whatever she thought we would like. She did a great job. We got the Pipikaula short ribs, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, poi, mac salad, and fried butterfish collar.  Everything was so good! My favorite two items were the short ribs and the butterfish collar. The short ribs were so meaty with a nice firm texture and had a yummy sweet marinade. The fried butterfish collar was crispy and dripping with buttery goodness.  Trying poi for the first time was such an interesting experience as well. I had always wondered what it tasted like. I had always thought it was going to be like a sweet taro paste dessert, but it's actually more like a starch and serves the same role as rice! Its neutral flavor allows you to pair it with your proteins. It adds a bit of texture and helps you feel full. I was really grateful for finally getting to try it and loved learning something new! I had a great time at Helena's. The food was delicious, and I got to learn more about traditional Hawaiian cuisine. I totally recommend it. Great vibes.

NOOO HELENA you have failed me. this place was so good in the past but now it is overpriced and…read morelower quality. UGHHH i usually love hawaiian food since i am protein addicted but wow what a shame. we got the poi w/onions and salt, coconut jelly, kalua pork, and short ribs as part of the combo. portions were HELLA small and this was all like $35-40. EW! poi was great with the meat and onions. i lowkey just eat it all together. it is tangy with absolutely no other flavor. its in the same category as nigerian fufu except it is purple and liquidy. i love purple (barney, hair dye, taro sago)! short ribs were too dry, good flavor though. kalua pork was not as tender as hoped and lacked some POW POW flavor. coconut jelly was okay, reminiscent of the dessert they serve you after dimsum. anyway all this for that outrageous constipation-inducing price is WILD. wouldn't come back sorry

Overall great place!!!…read more Food was amazing... as usual. I had the plate lunch: lomi lomi salmon, pork lau lau, haupia with and add on of squid luau, Everything was fresh and cooked perfectly. All the people there are super friendly and the place is very clean. BUT they only have one mens and one womens restroom... so expect a wait when they are busy. Parking is a limited... you can do street or paid (small) parking lot. We took the local bus, worked great - just figure out which stop you need because it is in between two .. not directly up front. This is my #1 and first place I go to after landing and sometimes again before I go home. Would I go back? Always!!!!!

Saturday May 23, 2026 we decided to come here for the Hawaiian food for lunch…read more Parking in a private parking lot. 1 hour 29 minutes is FREE. 1 hour 30 minutes is $3.99. We were seated after 5-10 minutes. We both ordered the Highway Inn Tasting Plate. With Pork Lau Lau is $33.99 With Chicken Lau Lau is $31.99 It has a liitle of everything. Which makes it the most popular choice to order and it's a lot of food. For me, I ate it all and I really enjoyed it! Ambiance is casual and comfortable in here. We will be back again. Support local businesses.

Their gravy is what I won't forget - the portions are good and pretty fast turn around for being…read morebusy Service was there

We enjoyed the Loco Moco plate that had excellent tasty gravy and a macaroni on the side . Tasty…read moreand satisfying nothing fancy but good. We also ordered the fish, spam and beef dish that had rice and herbs . Yummy and satisfying nothing fancy. Overall this place has the local comfort food that Hawaii is known for serving. It is a fast food place with that outdoor dinning experience but not fancy in decor or presentation. Still I will definitely put this on my list for spots to eat in Honolulu.

OMG! This was a dining experience! So, the restaurant was closing so my friend said we should eat…read morethere! I didn't know that the servings were group sized!! I found so many things that looked great on the menu, to include fried gizzards, boneless Kal Bi ribs, fully loaded fried rice, Mac salad and other stuff I can't recall! So the TWO of us ordered way too much! We tried to eat as much as we could and ended up taking the rest home! Everything we ordered was delicious, so we knew we were going to eat good leftovers! The restaurant was a great place to go with a group to eat and watch sports! Our Waitress (I have to remember to get names) was a track star, she was running to and from several tables of groups to deliver food! I will go again if they reopen!

If you're visiting Hawaii with a big group, 100% recommend taking them here…read more We initially were a party of 16, and showed up without a reservation at 6pm on a Saturday. The staff was super nice about it and was able to accommodate us, with only a small request that we be out by 8pm since there was another big party with a reservation coming in. Absolutely reasonable. They sat us right away at three large tables, which gave us plenty of space for food and didn't force us to sit super close together. Menus, waters, plates, napkins, and forks were all brought out immediately, and our waiter was quick to take our order. We started with the prix fixe menu for 8-10 guests and were going to add other items à la carte, but a handful of our group accidentally went to the other Side Street location (make sure your group is all on the same page), so what we ordered ended up being more than enough. We left stuffed and with 5 boxes of food still. Edamame was nice and steamy, and large enough to easily pop the beans out with your mouth. Wish there was a bit more salt though. The farmer's salad had everything going on from citrusy to salty to crispy. Avocado had a little bit of oxidation but the capers, dressing and potato curls provided plenty of reasons to overlook it. The fried rice came in a hefty portion, with sizable pieces of bacon and sausage. The chicken I didn't realize was boneless based on the shape of the deep fry, but it was nice to freely bite into it without worrying about hitting anything with my teeth. Probably a bit too much on fried bits but still good. Pork chops had a better meat to crisp ratio in my opinion, as well as juiciness. They even came with ketchup on the side, which I love as a pairing but don't see much of at restaurants. My favorite meat item was definitely the sizzling boneless kalbi. The presentation on the sizzling plate with a side of kimchi was spectacular, and the meat was full of flavor. We also ordered yakisoba, which wasn't part of the prix fixe. Tasted good but nothing past standard expectations. We let the waiter know we had a 30th birthday at the table, and they brought a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream with a candle, and did a decent job getting the whole room to participate in the singing. It could also be the type of crowd this place attracts, since it seemed that everyone was so friendly and approachable. Thanks to the quick and consistent service, we were out in a little over an hour with no complaints.

Heard so much about this place with how authentic the dishes are so I decided to drive out and try…read moreit The Poi was authentic and true - the pork was good Service was good as it's like a take out ordering system . Located right beside the highway

Came here for the first time. Lived here all my life and finally came here. Mostly because the line…read moreis ridiculously long and the parking is ridiculously small. We ordered the warm kulolo with haupia ice cream and a side of squid luau. Both so delicious and flavorful. Staff are very friendly and fast. Parking is super small and there are no tables to dine at so be prepared to drive down the street to a nearby park to go eat. There are little benches, but not really a place to dine.

Tried Kehau's Kitchen and really liked it. The place has a chill local feel and everyone there was…read moresuper friendly. It felt more like a neighborhood spot than a touristy restaurant, which I appreciated. We had the poke nachos, ribs, and laulau. The poke nachos were really good and probably my favorite thing we ordered. Fresh poke with crispy chips and a good mix of flavors. The ribs were tender and flavorful, and the laulau tasted homemade and comforting. Portions were solid too. Service was great the whole time. Staff was welcoming, food came out fast, and overall it was just a good experience. Would definitely come back next time I'm in Honolulu.

First time eating here. I've been interested in it just never had the chance until now. I ordered…read morethe pulehu chicken. It was a lot more than I thought it would be for the price. I enjoyed the chicken way more than I thought I would and it kept us fed. I love the bbq flavor and taste of it. Service was a bit on the slower end. We finished eating and waited for someone to give us our bill. I waited long enough that I decided to just pay at the register myself. It wasn't a bad move as we were seated close to the register already. I'd come back to try the mexican side of the menu.

Musubi Cafe was the perfect first stop when we arrived in Hawaii. Everything is made fresh to…read moreorder, so there is a bit of a wait we waited about 15-20 minutes but it was absolutely worth it. The musubi was delicious, and knowing it was made fresh made the experience even better. The quality and flavor stood out, and it was a great introduction to our trip. If you're looking for fresh, tasty musubi, I highly recommend stopping by. We'll definitely be back on our next visit!

Right in the heart of Waikiki and a great find, especially if you have little ones! You walk in and…read moreare immediately greeted with a counter full of so many options -- the musubis, roes, and rolls were all great choices. We tried the spicy tempura rolls which were actually very mild. These were perfect for our toddlers who love finger foods and absolutely refuse to sit down at a restaurant. This place was so convenient for us as a family because it's quick, easy, and the kids could just grab and go. They also have bentos and bowls which gives you even more variety beyond just the musubis. Just a heads up for fellow travelers -- everything is premade so when you get it, it will be room temperature, which is something to keep in mind. They do take cards which is convenient, just note they close early so plan accordingly. Overall a solid spot for families and tourists looking for a quick and tasty bite while exploring Waikiki. Would recommend!

My favorite poke place in Oahu! They have multiple locations and I'm always getting the same stuff…read moreeach time. I like the Spicy Ahi Katsu and the Fireball and Firecracker poke. Any of their poke that is spicy, I get. This place is a personal favorite of mine because of the Fireball and Firecracker... spice is life! This is definitely a place that I recommend to people who are going to Oahu for their first time. The ladies who work at this location are a hoot. They're so chill, funny, patient, and hard workers. They let you sample and make sure you get your food. This place sees consistent business, we were there eating our food and always saw customers coming in and coming out. This location isn't really a 'sit-down' place but you can nibble on your poke for a minute before you take off. Inside is small, but clean, and you'll find a picture of Guy Fieri on the wall. The parking is not the easiest so pray for parking before you come :)

I ORDERED THE FISH AND CHIPS AND A POKE BOWL (Limu Ahi)…read more The cod for the fish and chips was fried well but the Mac salad and the fries were both too salty for me. I don't think the poke was fresh (in my opinion). I did a uberEats delivery so I don't know if that had anything to do with that. Next time I'll get it at the store to see if the fish is fresher if I get it directly from counter.

I loved it here. Truly a hole in the wall. Parking is really tough so street parking is usually…read moregonna be the norm unless you get lucky in their tiny shared parking lot. The guava bar was delicious and flavorful and just crumbles in your mouth! Definitely one of the better guava bars I've tried. Love how crumbly it is. The salmon belly was delicious OMFG. It looks so simple and straightforward but that sht is so flavorful. It is crispy and yet soft on the inside. The salmon belly is cut into bite-sized pieces so I didn't have to worry about using a knife to cut it. I usually try salmon belly where it is usually seasoned lightly to bring out the natural flavor of the salmon, but Guava Smoked's salmon belly is just grilled in a way that makes the salmon sweet/crispy and still get traces of the salmon taste as well. It's definitely not your traditional Japanese-style way of cooking salmon belly but really just their own. I'd go back and get this again. Another thing too. I'd get this with beer. This would hit very hard with alcohol but because I don't drink I need a kombucha. The grilled salmon belly would go perfect with it. Cheers! Uncle was very helpful and kind when serving and if you dine-in he brings it to your table.

Park in the back and walk up the stairs…read more This place was not as amazing as I hoped. But it definitely got the job done. The guy at the counter wasn't the most people person ever, but he also got the job done. Didn't get a photo of the guava cake brownie thing they have, but it was really yummy.

3.5 stars We wanted…read moreto try authentic Hawaiian food and came across this spot. The owner was very friendly and took the time to recommend dishes for us, including the laulau and lechon kawali. We also ordered the BBQ short ribs. Overall, it was a good experience trying Hawaiian food, but it's just not really our type of cuisine. The laulau was quite dry, and the preparation felt more like meat that had been boiled or cooked in liquid, which isn't something I usually enjoy. The lechon kawali had a crispy pork belly texture, topped with something similar to a salsa, but it didn't suit our taste either. Unfortunately, the cabbage served with it also had some black spots, which was off-putting. The BBQ short ribs were the highlight of the meal and the dish we enjoyed the most. We appreciate the experience and the hospitality, but the flavors just didn't quite match our personal preferences.

1. The hours posted on Yelp was incorrect. They open from 12:00 pm…read more A group of us ordered food the night before for pickup at 12:30pm, on Thursday. Then someone wanted to change from rice to poi. I tried many times and no one answered. Their voice mailbox was full. We e ended going there to make the change. He gentleman looked like he was working be himself. We bads to wait almost a half hour for him to finish the order. 2. Price - the prices were higher than expected. All the plates were $26.00 and up. 3. Food - The poi was very tasty and fresh, although a bit watery. The lau lau had a lot of lean pork filling, not a lot of leaves. The long rice didn't have much chicken and was a bit watery too. We enjoyed the sweet potato. There was also lomi salmon, haupia onion and chili pepper water. 4. As mentioned before there isn't much parking. The restaurant wasn't busy when we got there. Overall the food and service was OK. The price was a bit high.