I decided to try Tia's Taste of Samoa. It is situated on North King Street near the Zippy's…read more These hidden local gems can really provide interesting eats. I've never tried Samoan cuisine ( does Palm Corned Beef count? Jk ) and it is similar to Hawaiian. I requested the Regular Plate from the nice employee, a man of few words. I asked a couple of questions...he pointed...it worked. Got the Luau Mamoe as the single entree choice. You then have the option of mac salad or Sapa Sui ( not exactly a traditional dish, I am guessing ). Lastly, there is a choice from banana, rice, or taro. Sapa Sui is simiar to Korean japchae, with cubed pork and frozen mixed vegetables - peas, carrots, and corn. Quite good with a strong soy sauce flavor. Luau Mamoe is like Hawaiian beef/squid luau. Stewed in coconut milk, taro leaves are mixed with New Zealand lamb. Negative: too many bones. Positive: luau leaves are always good. Taro...if I was hungry...could've finished both chunks of steamed taro. It was a lot. Poly Plate offers two entree choices. Street metered parking. Closed on Tuesdays but open the other weekdays from 900a till 600p. Weekend hours are from 900a to 400p.

Ron and Tia are the faces that greet you when you enter this restaurant. It has been described on…read moreYelp as a hole-in-the-wall, and it is in a very good way. There are only two tables here, so dining-in is an option, but we often see people ordering for to-go. We were a hungry party of four, directed here by curiosity and prior eating experience by one of us (shout out to Jaeyeong). Their food offerings are unique and distinctly Samoan! I don't think I had had Samoan food before, and now I am thankful that I have. I got the Poly plate because I can eat-- two entrees, and a choice of rice, taro, and faʻi. I couldn't decide between the three carb options, so Ron gave me a little bit of each which together combined into a proper portion! I got the kale mamoe (lamb curry) and the mulpipi (turkey tails). I love lamb, and I had never seen turkey tails offered anywhere before, so I had to try it. I also got Tia's signature pie (a pineapple peach pie) which was very good, and very sweet! The meat half moon pie is also so good. Honestly, you can't go wrong with the food here. Everything was delicious.

Going around looking for fasi povi since I've been craving. Was excited that they put it in…read moreindividual containers and the prices are clearly marked. The old female worker got mad at me when I told her she rung me up wrong. I told her no, the chop suey is $5.99 not the $6.99 she put it as. All she said was oh, there was no apology. And you know she was giving attitude for having to use calculator. Make sure you know the prices and check receipts so you no get ripped off.

Just stopped by today with my friend who needed some ingredients for his Samoan foods and what a…read moretreat it was. They had wide varieties of prepared hot foods along with ingredients to make Polynesian foods. I recognized taros, yams, coconut cream desserts and even some Korean side dishes. The owner was a sweet Korean lady who was very friendly and helpful. The place was clean and well organized. First thing I noticed when I stepped into the store was the scent of fresh baked bread. I got the fresh white bread and it was nice and dense. I also got the pineapple turnover or half moon and it was very tasty. What a great find..

I love this place. Every time you visit, if you don't want to cook but have a fat wallet, you know…read morewhere to go even early as 8am you get nice hot Poly food fresh and very delicious! Whoever the Chef is, you're doing a great job. So get ready to go and enjoy this Yummylicious hot Polynesian food! MAHALO

The staff here were welcoming and kind to my son and me, who came here looking to experience Samoan…read morecuisine. We left with a locally made coconut drink and a coconut-sauce bread desert. The bread desert was not too expensive either. Alofa!

We were waiting for our hotel room to be ready and wanted to grab some food since we were starving…read moreafter the flight. I was so happy to found that the Musubi Cafe was located nearby. We ended grabbing the unagi musubi, shrimp egg musubi, and their poke. It is a super quick grab and go experience. Our total was 22.14, which I don't think is too bad. The flavors of the musubis are soooo good! Everything was made so deliciously and fresh. It could get a bit messy eating it though because of the sauce, so make sure to grab napkins! Overall, I was really happy to have stopped by here for some quick lunch!

This Musubi Cafe is one of my favorite spots to grab a quick bite. They're open around 6:30 AM in…read morethe morning, and surprisingly you'll find a long line inside this cafe. There are 2-4 seats in this space, but you won't find anyone sitting at this cafe. Usually, it is grab and go. I was impressed with their various options. They have salmon musubi, tuna mayo musubi, and many more. My personal favorite is the chicken musubi, and I would usually buy it before I go off on a big adventure on the island or after my swim at Waikiki Beach. The staff here are kind, patient, and friendly. I wish I knew they had a stamp card because they actually do. I buy from them a lot. Along with musubi and sushi, you'll find that they sell trinkets, bags, and other souvenirs. Be sure to come by. They are handmade and fantastic!

@fortunefoodfinds: "This deserves a ROUND of applause! Whether you're visiting or simply wanting…read morelocal grindz, HELENA'S HAWAIIAN FOOD is sure to make your trip and/or meal feel complete. Ordered our must-haves: Short Ribs Pipikaula Style, Fried Butterfish Collar, Luau Squid, Long Rice Chicken, Lomi Salmon, Lau Lau, Poi, Mac Salad, Rice, n' their complimentary Haupia, Onions, n' Salt. Food so Ono I highly recommend, this very well-known local Hawaiian eatery again n' again!" SERVICE: fast n' fully staffed INTERIOR: spacious with limited seating EXTERIOR: gets hot, have water n' benches available WAIT TIME: came on a Thursday afternoon n' surprisingly wasn't too busy. After joining the waitlist that you sign in through the provided iPad, I would say 30 mins before getting seated. PARKING: very small free lot in front, limited spaces OVERALL COMMENTS: haven't had Helena's in a while so I've been craving it. Each visit is satisfying n' the food is always so good. I can't remember the amount of pieces they used to give for a large order of Short Ribs Pipikaula Style, it seemed smaller this time, but either way you gotta order it along with the Fried Butterfish Collar. Their Luau Squid is so creamy n' delicious just like everything else, all Ono. You can't go wrong bc this is truly local Hawaiian food at its finest!

I visited Helena's Hawaiian Food while vacationing in Oahu. I haven't been to Hawaii in years and…read moreall my friends raved about Helena's. I had to try it for myself. I expected the restaurant to have a long wait time, but we got lucky. There was no wait and my family and I were seated right away. As soon as we sat down, we were served with cups of ice cold water perfect for the hot humid day. We ordered Menu B which came with Kalua Pig and Pipikaula Short ribs with your choice of sides which we chose rice. We also ordered another plate of the short ribs and added haupia and mac salad. I wish I got the server's name, she was so cool but she explained all the food and how to eat the side dishes. They served sliced onions with pink salt and that was delicious. The short ribs were thick, tender, savory and had the perfect amount of fat. The flavor was addicting. The kalua pig was really good, perfect amount of salt and smoke flavor. The mac salad really well with all the food we ordered and that alone was already good. The haupia for dessert was the best way to end the meal. Everything was just heaven. Parking was easy since it was during the week and early in the afternoon, but there is street parking. The restaurant was clean, all the workers were really nice, and very attentive from start to finish. My sister and I split the bill, so I paid my portion and added a tip. The person processing my payment told me they had refunded my tip because gratuity was already included. How awesome is that?! I'm sure many other restaurants wouldn't have mentioned it and would have just accepted the extra tip. That level of honesty and service is what keeps people coming back, and it's one of the many reasons I would highly recommend Helena's to my friends and family who haven't been there yet. I plan to visit Hawaii again before the holidays and I'm definitely going to be eating here again. Mahalo to everyone at Helena's!

Great experience upon entering the store, the cashier was very friendly and helpful when I asked…read morequestions about items I didn't see out anymore, even the guy and lady that was in the back was helpful. I was able to get my corn beef. All The food i got was delicious and tasty and I will definitely come back again.

I haven't been here for over 40 years. The place was clean. We went there for the turkey tails and…read moreit was really good, cooked to perfection, was soft with a good marinade. I also got the shoyu chicken and the fried chicken. They both was good too. I've been looking for a place that sold cooked turkey tails and I'm glad I found this place. They also have other food. The only downfall is the parking. Go and enjoy!

I like this place better than the old Dot's that was in the corner a while back. Its much more…read moreorganized and all in stainless food warmers. Corned beef and cabbage, palusami (luau leaves with coconut milk and onions. Looks like a little laulau), taro, banana and fe'e (squid w/coconut milk and onions) just permeates the air when you walk in. Being able to free range in here is a bad idea if your familiar with the food. The plate starts to get heavy, you run out of space on the plate and theres still other stuff to get. If its not that, its the sticker shock when you pay for your stuff. Single items like the palusami and food by the pound like the poke and the fe'e has its own price while the others in the warmer get weighed together. So when it gets rung up and $27.00 and some change later, you learn to get one staple and two main and get out. Apparently, I still haven't learned that. The food here is obviously expensive. It is definitely worth the price though. The plate I made could feed three people easy and no I didnt eat it all, lots were taken home with me. The workers here are really nice and helpful. The parking is small but never did I have a problem getting one. The stalls are angled down towards the stream so if you reverse or pull straight in, it would be wise to use your parking brake just so you know your car will be there when you come out and not in the stream.

use to be my favorite store bt they barely restocks , some chips are stale n their prices are so…read moremuch expensive now

Highly recommend this spot for anyone craving or wanting to try Hawaiian food. The service is…read morealways friendly whenever we visit. We love this place--it's been a staple stop for us whenever we're on the islands. Waiaole Poi Factory is a real gem, with local decor and feel throughout the establishment. Thanks for the years of memories made here.

I can't even count how many times we've driven by this place en route to the North Shore. Finally…read moredecided to stop by for lunch. While they do have a parking, I suggest just parking on the street and walking up to the place. Signs clearly direct you to which window you can order food from and another for food pickup/dessert only ordering. We opted for combo plate (kalua pork and chicken long rice) w/ a side of poi. Both the kalua pork and chicken long rice were tasty but wished we had ordered rice instead so that i could mop up the delicious fat from the kalua pork! Loved the haupia pudding but wished they would give you a bit more. For dessert we ordered the tahitian sweet lady which was delicious! Wasn't a fan of the salmon lomi as it was pretty fishy for me. As we waited for our food, we noticed a dessert chilling on the ledge and joked with my wife that it was likely ours. Sure enough after 10 mins, the ice cream guy asked the cashier whose it was and at that time was our number called. Sadly, the ice cream had already started to melt. Wished they wouldn't have prepared the dessert until after our food was ready. Would definitely head back for their plate lunches and to try the sweet lady of waiahole dessert.

There was something very right about this drive in!! I stopped by for a quick dinner with the fam…read moreand ended up enjoying this place a lot more than I thought I would. I didn't expect much from this small corner diner, but everything turned out real solid! The exterior is especially entrancing, with its bright, rainbow neon sign that glows out the darkness of the night! The hooded interior was clean and followed well with the rainbow theme, especially with its rainbow pastel, title wallpaper. I would also like to compliment the workers, who were very nice and approachable! We ordered the loco moco plate, mixed plate, and saimin. Both plates were very filling and came in huge portions! The plates are for sure a top choice if you want a nice, hearty dinner! I especially enjoyed my loco moco! The saimin was less filling and came in an instant noodle cup. Still yet, it wasn't half bad--and it actually seems like a fairly good piece if you are on a diet or budget; it wasn't as expensive as the other dishes and only came out as 220 calories! I also want to note that they have a variety of tasty dessert pastries and icee treats if you are looking for a treat after your dinner. Overall, I would say this is a great diner to try if you've got a big appetite and are looking for something to share with a friend or family! Great vibes and great Hawaiian plate meals!

My family, across multiple generations, has been going here for decades, close to back when they…read morefirst opened. We have homes in the neighborhood. And we just can't go here anymore unless changes are made! We used to prefer them over Zippy's, but now they are less than 7-Eleven quality, while charging higher-end prices for the neighborhood. We have given them many chances, hoping it was just a fluke, but we have repeatedly been disappointed. Their chicken has become chewy and fatty, their rice is mediocre, and condiments such as mayonnaise are stripped down to the bare minimum quantity. Chile is poured so lightly that it is practically a minuscule amount. And their prices have continued to rise. I don't know if greedy people took over the restaurant who just don't care anymore, or what is going on. I remember when I used to take people here, and they would be impressed with the quality and quantity--plates just heaping with good cuts of meat, noodles, and rice. Those days are no more. As they say in Japan, the price performance is poor. Furthermore, their staff is rude. I can only imagine it was an owner working this day because it was a face I haven't seen that often. An older gentleman who appeared to be of Okinawan descent, working the cashier register, accosted us because I was privately discussing with my family about splitting different items with them. We were all ordering something, so he wasn't losing any money, but he told us about how prices are double in Waikīkī. First of all, it is rude to interrupt your customers that way. Secondly, we don't go to Waikīkī or care about Waikīkī. What happened to serving the locals? Third, Waikīkī has an assortment of restaurants, prices, and qualities, and they shouldn't be how you base your services. Lastly, I guarantee I could find a better deal in Waikīkī if I wanted to. Next time you're in the area, just go get a $6 bento or a $5 burrito from 7-Eleven next door. I assure you, the price performance and experience will be better. If Rainbow Drive-In is in the business of comparing themselves to other things, let's compare them to 7-Eleven and at least try to be better than them, right? I can get mochiko chicken from 7-Eleven for $6.99 that is similar in portion size and better quality. Meanwhile, they are serving their fatty, dry chicken for $16.75. Highway robbery! And they are not fancy, with their dirty picnic tables and plastic cutlery. They are just a step above a food truck, if that. Save yourself from the hype. They have gone downhill like a landslide. Go elsewhere.

It was a little overdone for my liking was a nice meal. Would repeat. Wait was long and system for…read morekeeping track of the wait list was malfunctioning or they were intentionally pushing me down on the list. Service was excellent. Shout out to Andy for the excellent service. Live music was a nice touch.

Food was decent, but the main issue which ruined our experience was that the server was hassling us…read moreabout giving my wife a complimentary dessert . We spent over a $135 on our food, but he was saying that we needed to spend more money to get the dessert and he just made us feel bad. So ruined the night for my wife on her birthday really disappointed.