Came for brunch at 10:30 a.m., no crowd at all! Friendly staff very attentive. Took our orders…read moreright away. I got laulau combination and mom got the squid luau combination. Laulau pleasantly surprised me as this was my first foray to Waipahu Highway Inn. Every time I got laulau at the Kakaako location the meaty (non fatty) parts of the pork was dry; this one was moist throughout, even in the meaty parts. Poi was good, especially mixed with the lomi salmon. Mom's squid luau was nice, came out hot, though it was a little sweet for her taste. The smoked meat was also a little sweet, though we know that's how they prepare it at H.I. Nice mix of smoky and sweet with the meat and onions. Finished with the haupia, which is standard and always dependable there. Like the old plantation feel and the old photographs of Waipahu all over the place, right down to the palaka decor. Every time I return I try to eat at H.I.

Authentic Hawaiian food done right!…read more This place is known for their catering. You'll find their food at weddings and 1st birthday parties. But, they also have locations where you can dine in or takeout. I've had takeout as well as catered food from here a couple of times. I love that their food is a complete meal and comes with haupia (coconut dessert). Most recently I tried their tasting plate which came with a little bit of everything: chicken long rice, lomi salmon, squid luau, kalua pork, poi, pork laulau, and okinawan sweet potato. Definitely good for sharing as well. I shared with my daughter. Everything was so flavorful and had lots of variety. The squid luau is sweet because it's made with coconut milk, the kalua pig and laulau are salty, the poi was not sour and went well with the lomi salmon, the sweet potato also added sweetness. It all worked so well together. For dessert, we got the Sweet Potato Haupia Shortbread. Definitely a sweet and savory combo. The potato isn't too sweet, the buttery shortbread crust and the coconut haupia. Definitely a local fave. Overall, great place to try Hawaiian food with tons of parking and usually not crowded. A must try!

4 stars for Mililani Restaurant!…read more The food was cooked really well, but everything needed salt, so the flavors never got to shine the way they could have. Which is honestly a bummer because if they had seasoned Bill's Fish & Chips... dude... it would've easily been the best we've ever had! The other day, my family stopped by Mililani Restaurant after my son recommend the fish & chips. Since I'm a sucker for variety - and I hadn't eaten here in about 20 years - I also ordered the Mini Fried Saimin and Mini Korean Chicken. I love seeing each restaurant's take on these local favorites. Bill's Fish & Chips: WOW. The full order is HUGE! You get three giant pieces of cod over a mountain of shoestring fries. The fish was cooked beautifully - super crispy on the outside while staying moist and flaky inside. But oh Lord... it needed salt! The fries had a great crisp too, although they did have that darker, old-oil flavor that was a little hard to ignore. Since I'm a foodie who likes to come prepared, I happened to have lemon wedges with me lol!... and man, did that take the fish to another level. Hey, don't judge! (I'm pretty sure my family was embarrassed... but ask me if I care. Hahaha! Jk... kinda.) We all agreed that if they had simply salted the fish right out of the fryer, this would've easily been a 5 star dish. Mini Fried Saimin: Can we talk about that portion size for a mini?! Super generous! Unfortunately, this one also needed more seasoning, and the oil flavor came thru more than the other ingredients. I know it's fried, so some oil flavor is expected, but it kinda overpowered everything else. A little more shoyu would've gone a long way. Since fried saimin is usually one of my favorite things to order (local girl at heart!), I'd give this one about 3 stars. Mini Korean Chicken: The sauce was delicious and reminded me of Sugoi's Garlic Chicken. The only downside was that the chicken itself wasn't hot. It tasted like it may have been cooked earlier and then portioned out for my plate. The service was friendly, helpful with recommendations, and they packed everything securely. Our order was accurate, and the prices felt fair for the amount of food you get. They definitely have a great variety for a neighborhood plate lunch spot. Would we make the drive all the way from Ewa Beach just for this? Probably not. But if we're already in the area, we'd absolutely stop by again. One last heads up... if you're planning to dine in, be prepared to leave smelling like the fryer. The ventilation could definitely use some help.. we all went straight to the shower when we got home!

"This place is basically my kitchen away from home! The Eggplant Tempura with the teriyaki sauce on…read morethe side is a total winner. And the Mini Lemon Chicken? Love, love, love. This spot never disappoints -- always ono, always comforting." The staff of course on point Marie

The hype is right!…read more Come straight from the airport, pass by here for lunch before you check in. You don't want them to run out of food before you get there. Order anything. Can't go wrong.

I remember when Tanioka's was next door to Daiei in Waipahu and their move to the current location…read morearound 1991. (That's how old I am) What's really nice is the food has been consistent. A really good okazuya, poke shop and plate lunch place. There's always a line so other people must agree with me. Even though I am full blooded Japanese I didn't eat raw fish. But I got hooked on the sushi rice with take and poke. The poke was cut so small I decided to try it. And surprisingly I liked it. So I had it again today along with a cone sushi (it's so hard to find the old fashion cone sushi -not the small football ones that you find at Foodland and everywhere else. The cone ee is so juicy and the right amount of sweet. Love it. There are so many of my favorites that it's hard to try something new. Want to try the pork chops with the scallions (like the kind you find on cold ginger chicken). Maybe I'll get someone else to order it and I'll get a

First time trying here. Heard good things so I wanted to check it out. The kālua pig was very good,…read moresquid lūʻau was good but needed a little more flavor, smoked meat also good. Portions were very generous and worth the price. The kitchen staff were very friendly. Nice spacious family friendly atmosphere.

We usually cater from Laverne's on NYE but my husband wanted to give this place a try. We had eaten…read morethere once so we trusted that our catering experience would be as good. Big mistake! We ordered 8 pans which came out to $842.00. A price we don't mind paying IF it was worth it. Lau Lau: Tiny, didn't see any fat and leaves were undercooked, taste was ok Squid Luau: This was the most disappointing of all! It had this weird watery taste, didn't see any squid and not much coconut milk. Pan was tossed. Rice: This is a no brainer since we are in Hawaii, unfortunately some of the rice was hard and brown at the top (looked like it was scraped from the bottom of the pot) Macaroni Salad: Very bland, had to add salt Kalua Pig: Taste was good (only winner) Smoked Meat: Only my husband liked it Chicken Long Rice: Another huge disappointment, it was really soupy, basically more liquid than noodles and chicken Hoio Salad: Some of the fern shoots were so tough and I found myself spitting them out Overall: For the price we paid, this was NOT worth it and we felt embarrassed for our guests. Back to Laverne's we go. You know that saying: If ain't broke don't try and fix it.

Have ate here a ton over the years as my office is close by…read more Overall great option for Hawaiian food with semi affordable options. Food is always consistent and service is okay. Worth a stop if you're in the area...

Looking to get your Hawaiian food fix fast? Laverne's is a food truck in Waikele that can do just…read morethat! Next to the Leonard's Malasadamobile Wagon and the Safeway. Known for their Hawaiian combo plates with popular items like squid luau, lau lau, chicken long rice, lomi salmon and haupia. I recently got their #1 Hawaiian plate with lau lau and kalua pig and then got an extra side order of their squid luau. The lau lau and kalua pig definitely needed poi -- I think you can only get poi as a side order because it doesn't come with any of the Hawaiian plates. Squid luau is one of my favorite Hawaiian foods and I did find a few really big pieces of seafood in my side order! It was sweet from the coconut and really tasty. The service here is really friendly and super fast! I think they have a lot of the food pre-made so if you're in a time crunch- this spot can definitely accommodate.

Never ever, ever fails…read more This is still one of my favorite places, it's a must! We got the small and large saimin, cheeseburger deluxe, Teri beef burger deluxe, and a large fruit punch. If you haven't tried the fruit punch while visiting Hawaii, you're missing out! Everyone's always so friendly, even if they're super busy.

Shiges saimin in wahiawa IS THE SPOT! Let me tell you that the large saimin and BBQ cheeseburger…read morehas a unique and tasteful flavor that you won't get anywhere else! The service and friendly staff also tops it all off! Definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants some good local food! Ps. Right door is takeout and going through the left door is dine-in/there's a bathroom through the double door: after walking in the double door on the left side of restaurant, it will be to your right!

Great food, service and atmosphere, and I'd definitely eat there again!…read more My husband and I went a little after 7pm and there was only 1 party seated outside, and 1 inside so we were seated right away. More groups came in after us, and there was a full staff so I think they must get pretty busy for dinner. We ordered the Spicy Ahi Donburi ($18) and the Hellfire wings ($20). We both grew up eating spicy food and tend to find spicy dishes pretty mild when we eat out, but we were impressed with these items! He was very pleased with his donburi and said that he thinks it was the spiciest ahi he's ever had. The ghost pepper sauce for the Hellfire Wings was a stand out for us, and we got a to-go box for the last wings just to take the sauce home with it. We spent a little more than we usually do, but we were expecting this and looking for a change from our usual spots. Overall, it was a great experience and I hope we'll be back sometime soon.

Rude waitresses & bad customer service. Dined here…read morefrequently & always felt like we were inconveniencing them. Never returning anymore.

Want to start off by saying their store hours have changed, they're open 6am to 6pm daily. As a…read morefirst-timer here I arrived at 5:38 am because their website and Yelp said open at 5:30 am... oops! No problem, didn't mind the wait since I had time to spare before work. I picked up a dozen mini manapuas for the office. It was a hit with my townie coworkers (apparently anyplace past the aloha stadium is considered "west side" lol). It was about a 10 minute wait for the deep-fried manapuas but worth it. Will definitely be back to try the other manapua flavors.

This is no longer the same owner and you can tell right away - the manapuas are not mini and the…read moreflavors are artificial and extremely dry. The fried manapuas are beyond inedible - the oil must be very old and they are just way over fried and oily.