Kokua Tiki Bar And Grill

We love this place! The food is beyond delicious. We have gotten most of the main meat and tofu items on the menu. My kids love it, too. I also really appreciate that the sauces are all made with gluten-​free soy sauce because a member of our family is gluten free, and often sauces are off-​limit because regular (wheat-​filled) soy sauce is used. But not at Kokua!

For some reason they like to burn the slider buns, like it’s a good idea. Doesn’t really make sense. I bet a pig that they won’t make it through the winter.

I was really impressed with my first visit at this restaurant!
I was hesitant to try this place because it’s always empty. But I was pleasantly surprised by the service, prices, quality of food and bar.
I ordered the BBQ chicken bowl that comes with cabbage and rice for $ 8. It was delicious! Almost like bento in a bowl and for a good price! I also got a mojito and I have to say out of all the bars in town this is hands down my favorite mojito in Ashland! My boyfriend got the chicken sliders and he loved them as well!
We will definitely be back!

Just ate at Kokua for the first time today and I’m definitely a fan!
My girlfriend got the bbq chicken bowl and a mojito and I got two of the bbq chicken sliders. First of all I have to say that for $ 8 it was the perfect amount of food. It definitely filled me up but I wasn’t overstuffed. The bbq chicken was cooked perfectly and the slaw on top was a nice crunch.
Super happy with the overall experience as well. It was mellow and we were actually the only people in the restaurant so it was very quiet.
Overall a great experience and we will definitely be back for more.

My son and I came in after school one day and discovered it was Happy Hour!
For around 8 – 9 dollars, we both got plates with a slider and a side. It was a great deal and delicious. As I understand it, during happy hour, you get a side for free with any slider order, creating a perfect portion controlled meal. Also, if you order a slider, you get the next slider half off! They have no problem splitting the 4 items up onto two plates.
My son and I both enjoyed our food. He especially loved that the sliders are served on the sweet Hawaiian bread, as he loves that stuff.
Service was friendly and attentive and everything was very clean.
Another great thing was the cucumber and pineapple flavored water. Refreshing!
We will definitely be back.

Enjoyed delicious Tropical beverages this afternoon. Happy hour was terrific and will return for a meal.

Excellent food! The Hawaiian pork is very good! Great value! I’ll be back!
Right across from the movie theater. Great for people watching.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m 9 months pregnant, but I REALLY enjoyed my BBQ lunch plate at Kokua! The chicken was juicy, tender, & flavorful and the macaroni salad was delicious too. I substituted my rice for cucumber since my doctor advised me to watch my glucose intake and they were a good side dish too. Looking forward to trying the musubi the next time. The service was also pleasant and friendly!

Right across from the movie theater downtown, this Hawaiian bbq with sides. This place Im assuming is aimed for tourists rather than locals as the prices don’t reflect the portions. If this place were else where other than a tourist location the prices would be 2 – 3 $ less.
The décor inside is nice. Their bar likes neat and organized. The menu is on the wall.
I ordered the bbq chicken bowl. It consists of two scoops of rice, half a cup of protein and half a cup of cabbage. The sauce they put on the chicken was really good and the chicken was tender but they barely put any on the chicken. I would suggest tossing the chicken in the sauce because i would get bites were there was no sauce thus no flavor with the bland rice and cabbage.
The hibiscus water was refreshing. Not as sweet as mexican hibiscus but i could definitely taste the natural hibiscus in it. It definitely wasnt powdered hibiscus from the taste. Free refills too which is nice.
This place is ok. I would suggest it to others that haven’t had Hawaiian bbq but imo doesn’t have the taste or portion sizes to have me drooling back for more. That’s just me.

Great food, and incredible friendly staff. HIGHLY SUGGEST. They also have the most refreshing cucumber pineapple water ever.

Amazing place! Great, quick, and kind service not to mention even better food! The aesthetic is beautiful and we really enjoyed the music. Great family environment. Delicious cuisine. Would recommend for everyone.

Finally open again! Stopped in for a spam musubi afternoon snack with my 7yr old, and it was delicious and totally unhealthy! Luckily, they serve a tofu version as well, which I intend to try the next time around.
Menu’s been expanded and now includes lesser priced ($ 5-​$ 8 sliders and bowls) menu items in addition to the $ 10-​$ 13 plates from last year.
They’ve got a couple more veggie sides too… some nice new bar seating as well… all in all, great job on the modest changes!
Now, all that needs to be done is for this place to stay open through the off-​season. Pretty please?

This placed has closed for the winter!

The food was bomb… The service was friendly. The portions were large! I took most of it home. I think the chef wants to try out for American idol. The crayon drawing of Hawaiian flowers on the wall were not done and seemed like an after thought … Other then that lots of food for a good Ashland price. 10 – 15 bucks a piece for lunch which seems to be the going rate these days.

The restaurant is phenomenal, It has such a welcoming presence once you walk in through the door. The food selection is amazing and they have great drinks, if you’re looking for amazing food in a cozy place with great staff then Kokua is the place to go

I preface this review with the admission that I’m no big fan of the island style plated meal, and yet I’m always keen to try new restaurants when they open in my home town…
I ate dinner here with family who were visiting from out of town, and who grew up on Mauii and still live there part time, and so their feedback informs and balances my initial prejudice against this so called cuisine
We were a party of 5 so we’re able to order one of just about everything and share.
Highlights for me included the coleslaw, which is wet and sweet, the tofu (surprisingly), and the pineapple upside down cake (which was despite being a little dry, very tasty).
The pork and Mac salad looked awesome, and were enjoyed by others. The ribs were in my mind rather thin and somewhat chewy — but by all accounts that’s the way they are island style… And they were devoured by our visiting patriarch. Kids loved the chicken, which has to me an unusual sauce/​marinade, and yet we had to get an extra serving for them!
Which leads to serving size, which I think was verging on the small size. Enough for lunch, or a modest appetite, but a hungry guy will have to order a couple of sides to round out the meal — but it’s priced fairly. I’d like to see a dinner plate that included a roll and coleslaw and would pay enough more to know there was really enough food.
Ambience casual, service fast and pleasant.
Nice vibe overall. A 4 start effort!

Had the grilled chicken sandwich with a side of macaroni salad. Loved it! The chicken had a nice char on it, the macaroni salad was delicious and tasted fresh. Also had the house made Chai cola… if you are a fan of Chai this is the drink for you! Overall loved the food and experience, had my doggie with me so sat outside :) will definitely visit again!

Growing up eating plate lunch (typical Hawaiian foods), this was definitely only so-​so. Granted, I just had the tofu plate, and while it was tasty, it was a bit salty. Still, not horrid or anything. Just okay. My family each said the same about their dishes– not a disaster, but nothing super special. My dad’s ribs had great flavor but were overcooked. The place had a solid vibe, though! It’s still new, so I look forward to a more varied menu, portion options, and for sure some improvement that I know will come with time and more suggestions :) Not a bad start!
Oh! And the hostess was super awesome and sweet!

Food was tasty.
Nice atmosphere and friendly folks working here.
My Kalua Pork was great. My wife had yhe Kalbi Ribs.
Also have some fun beers from Hawaii.

Good attempt at Hawaiian in downtown Ashland. The kalbi ribs were meaty and not too sweet, just enough garlic and ginger to add a little bite. The chicken sliders were pronounced «fine», which is about three stars on the Unilocal scale. Mac salad good, coleslaw very good, very creamy. Prices a little high but it’s downtown Ashland.
If the kalbi ribs stay good and they have takeout, this could save us a trip or two to Medford.