8 Island Hawaiian BBQ

Very good meats. Kalbi, beef n chicken. Combo #2! Heard it recently closed:-(

Bummer,
I just heard this from a friend and now read it here.
I wanted to take her family for a wonderful plate lunch now that she had finally visited the islands.
If MIchael reads this post, know we always loved the place and truly wish you and your family the best of luck.
We are so very very sad that you are closed.
Aloha,
Steve

I finally have a full day off and I decided to venture out to Boulder. After browsing through the Boulder travel guide site, I stumbled upon 8 Island Hawaiian BBQ and made it a point to check it out.
When I got here, place has a very chill atmosphere. Jack Johnson is currently playing as in drafting this review from my phone. Good to see a Hawaiian flag and a longboard surfboard. There’s a hippie girl operating the register lacked the aloha spirit big time.
As my quick tip mentions, there’s an awesome menu selection. Kind of pricey but seems reasonable enough. Combo plates are abundant but I opted for mochiko chicken since I haven’t had since I left home. You also get a choice of teo sides so i got fried rice and macaroni salad. A plus is that there is a line up of Aloha Maid juices and iced Kona coffe available BUT at $ 1.59 a can!
Food was prepared fairly quick but I was disappointed by the portion size. Back home, the portions are larger for a regular size plate lunch. Mochiko chicken was on point with flavor. Fried rice was lackluster. The mac salad was a dud. No flavor and dry. I grabbed a bottle of shoyu (soy sauce) to at least put some flavor into it.
Overall, the food was good although the portion for my dish was manini (small). Makes me wonder what are the portion sizes for the other menu items. I’d definitely will be back here, when I’m in Boulder. Other than that, I’ll continue to go to L&L in Aurora for the time being to get my local plate lunch fix.

I visited 8 Island brimming with excitement over the discovery of having a plate lunch joint just a couple blocks away. When I first walked in I was a little put off by the unkempt hippie chick working the front, but I comforted myself by saying that her natty dreds probably weren’t involved in the food prep. I ordered the Pau Hana combo which came with pulehu beef, teriyaki chicken, and mahi-​mahi. The plate came with 2 scoops of rice and I opted for the side of macaroni salad. The beef and chicken were good enough but sort of small in size. I don’t think I could have told the difference between the mahi and a Captain Gordon’s frozen fish filet. The rice was sticky and good. The macaroni salad really didn’t seem local style, which is a shame b/​c once you go hawaiian mac, you never go back. Overall my food was just okay, a little pricey, and not the mega portions that I enjoyed in Hawaii. Even so, my love of plate lunches will probably coerce me to return here in my never ending quest to fill my stomach with aloha.

I find myself at 8 Island almost weekly. Their service is friendly and helpful for a main lander white boy such as myself. Their food is always high quality and delicious. I have had a few things that I didn’t particularly enjoy and wouldn’t order again, but they have something for everyone. Keep trying different dishes!
My all time favorite 8 Island meal has to include the Friday (special) Ahi Poke with almost anything else. They recent had some sweet ribs on special that are ridiculously awesome. I can’t leave there without a side of Shumai and one or two orders of Spam Musubi.
Their prices are NOT cheap. They are slightly but not ridiculously over-​priced. You will pay a premium for your «Hawaiian» food. It’s difficult to walk out of 8 island for less than $ 12 per person and easy to walk out having spent more than $ 20.

We were sick of our normal burger, pizza menu’s, so we went out for a drive up 28^th, we were going to try the Moroccan place next door, but fellow Unilocalers gave this place good reviews, so we decided to try it. After studying the menu for a few minutes, I decided on the Kalua pork with brown rice and kimchi, my girl had the pollo loco with white rice and gyoza (pot stickers). The pork was good, I make a killer pulled pork so it would’ve been hard to beat. The Pollo Loco was amazing, maybe its because I’m a sucker for anything with curry on it, but this was great, a chicken katsu (Panko crusted and fried) with curry sauce and 2 over easy eggs. We loved the place, and I will go back for sure. The funniest thing was being able to see the SPAM in the kitchen.

I really like the food here. I wish I knew best thing to order. Kimchi was ok macaroni was really good. Protein was good but I don’t know if I got the best dish there.

I am always searching for quick, cheap and tasty lunch options during the days I am working in Boulder. 8 Islands is a great way to meet all three criteria. The only thing missing is the ocean views.
Even when the restaurant is packed with people the food comes out quickly. I LOVE the panko crusted mahi mahi and recommend it to anyone!

okay so since I was craving some kind of local food I decided to make the 22 minute drive to the nearest food that’s suppose to be Hawaiian like. Well I was expecting a little more on the local side, but well this place was okay, with they’re own twist. here’s the low down:
Loco Moco — not island style, they use curry with cumin taste for their gravy, the patty is tasty if used for an Italian dish, but a Loco Moco should be simple and not doctored up. Over 90% of places that serve Loco moco is the same way with the gravy making or breaking it.
Lau lau — It was tasty, but rice should be the main staple that comes with it and then the sides. not as a side offer.
Breaded chicken/​egg bowl — this was Really good, Very ONO, my favorite!
Macaroni salad — well it’s close to island style, but missing that one ingredient that takes me back home.
Spam musubi — well it’s not bad, but the 7 – 11 back home taste actually better.
I know I’m in CO, but I’ve been to several states that serve Hawaiian style food and they were pretty darn onolicious, but if you’re gonna serve local food and advertise it that way then you shouldn’t stray to far from tradition and serve it that way.
Will I go back to this place, maybe, but don’t think I’m gonna make it a regular.

will never eat this garbage again! so disappointing, when we first saw the ad for this place in Westword (a few years back), we trucked up to Boulder and instantly fell in love with the delicious Kal bi. It was amazing.
Today, the Kal bi is boneless, tasteless flank steak. We were the only 2 patrons in the place at lunch time on Saturday. Nothing tasted hawaiian… the rice was crunchy, the mac salad was bland and the meat was horrible.
what a shame.

It’s been waaaay too long since I’ve been here.
I’m a sucker for the SPAM Musubi, and the fried rice is good too. Yes, I like SPAM and will even buy it in a restaurant.
They get lots of points for the recycling efforts and accommodations. Points too for generous portions and flavorful food.
They have a frequent purchasers card, but it’s only good for full dinners or meals.
When will they have a punch card for the SPAM Musubi?

I very very rarely go to a well Unilocaled place and have a bad experience but this was one of them. I think I would have done 3 stars for the quality of the meat but that was it. With that said, the seasoning and authenticity wasn’t there. The mac salad had too much mayo and besides mayo the main flavor was carrot. The rice was mushy, granted it was sticky but lot of good that does me if its also mushy!!! Final point, Hawaiian plate lunch, 2 scoops rice… it keeps the universe in balance, so when I saw my plate with one scoop I wasn’t sure what I was getting!

I love Hawaiian food, so when I saw on Unilocal that there was a pretty well rated Hawaiian food place in Boulder, I had to try it.
Boy I was disappointed.
Ordered a classic — the Loco Moco. The most important part — the gravy, tasted like it came directly out of a can. I was expecting two pieces of hamburger steak and two eggs (like most joints), but instead only got one piece of hamburger steak and two eggs. And boy was it expensive compared to what I’m used to.
The one saving grace was the spam musubi. One of the best ones I’ve ever had, even though it was a little bit on the dinky side.
I might try it again, but the prices somewhat put me off.

The Kahula pork alone deserves 5 stars! Throw in the chicken long rice and you’ve got a feast straight from the islands. I’ve been to Hawaii many times over the past 10 years and this is as close as I’ve found for true plate lunch and honestly their kahula pork is better than most I’ve had there.
I also appreciate the fact that they go above and beyond on the recycling and compost front.
Mahalo!

Disappointing bland food you might find in Hawaii for some tourists.
The meat & chicken were tough, unflavored, and exceptionally small, anorexic indeed. The service was slow, and the menu was lacking most things truly Hawaiian, I expected more spam, not that I a huge fan, but it is truly an art what a Hawaiian cook can do to some canned meat. Will we be back, nope, never.

I went back for the Kalua Pork and Macadamia Chicken… OMG! Because these dishes are SO good I: A) haven’t branched out and tried the rest of the menu again/​yet; and B) only eat here on Thursdays and Fridays.
I’ve also become seriously addicted to their salad dressing. Did you know you can buy bottles of it?! I put it on EVERYTHING! Only my sense of dignity prevents me from skipping the dressing vehicles and going straight for a straw.
Oh! And thanks for adding the Hawaiian music!

Oh, 8 Island. Couldn’t you have just stayed mega-​tasty and we could have been best friends forevermore?
Or maybe I should have just stayed in blissful ignorance, ordering Kalua Pork and lomi lomi salmon over and over and just thinking I didn’t like the macaroni salad because I don’t like macaroni salad and everything would have been fine and I would have continued to yearn for their meals from my home all the way on the other end of Boulder.
But no. I had to branch out. Had to order the pork lau lau (pork and butterfish in taro leaves) twice, and the first time have it be wonderful and creamy and tender and bursting, and the second time have it contain basically no butterfish and dry husks of shredded, tough pork. I had to order their mahi mahi and find out that it’s stiff and jerky-​like, with the only standout thing about it being the admittedly kickass chili-​horseradish sauce.
I also apparently had to try their BBQ pork buns and find out that they are the microwaveable brand you get in the freezer section of POM. And then had to choke down their nearly inedible veggie gyoza.
Oh 8 Island, you confuse me. How can you produce such tastiness and such mediocrity from day to day?
I still dream about your Kalua pork. But I am admittedly sort of scared to order it again.

Inspired by all of your glowing reviews, I decided to try dinner at 8 Island last night, and I’m so glad I did! I love the creative authentic Hawaiian menu. The macadamia coated chicken sounded soooo good. But I got the salmon (Cilantro marinated Salmon topped w/​lomi tomato), which was excellent. I chose brown rice (perfectly cooked generous portion) and a lovely green salad with tasty homemade dressing as my side dishes.
I had invited a friend to drop by and join me, however she had already eaten dinner so she had a Hawaiian canned soda which she enjoyed.
I am looking forward to going in again soon, as I want to try the macadamia chicken, the other side dishes, and to enjoy that amazing brown rice again too.
The prices are reasonable; it was under $ 10 for my salmon dinner with two generous sides and a fountain drink.
I love the freshness and deliciousness of the food here. What a treat!

Damn you, 8 Island, for not being in my hometown. I’d visit you at least once a month and order your shoyu chicken and mac salad. I’m so tired of these overrated phonies like L&L misrepresenting Hawaiian comfort food. These falsies are popping up like zits on a 12 year old. They suck and they have not earned the honor of serving Hawaiian food.
Its a beautiful thing to see Sriracha with your other condiments. Sriracha and Hawaiian food are a perfect pair. You also don’t try to crossover by making your food bland. I feel like you’re cooking for me and other foodies who enjoy the taste of Hawaii.
I appreciate the way you’re a waste-​free restaurant and you push recycling all the way. You’re definitely Boulder in the soul with the spirit of the Aloha. I like the way you have a photo of Zippys on your wall and other local Hawaiian favorites. Your service is honest and attentive. The only thing missing is a huge Best Foods Mayonnaise display by your condiments… but that’s just me being nitpicky.
The LOWDOWN Pearl City, Hawaii Style!
Minus one star for not being near me, or even in my state for that matter. Yeah, its a jerkwad thing to do but I’m a selfish bastard.
Plus 1 star for making the spam musubi just right. Spam was fried just right… placed on top of moist rice, wrapped in nori. Perrrfect.
Plus 1 star for having «How to Speak Pidgeon English» on your counter. I remember having countless laughs from that book when I was a boy. Shaka brah!
Plus 2 stars for being an authentic Hawaiian joint in the middle of Boulder, Colorado of all places. You’ve made my sister and her family VERY happy… and I dig that. Stronje. (really, consider this five stars)

Hawaii power in the middle of the US of A… Come here to taste the ocean and feel the soft breeze of coconut and pineapple songs… Hula on over and order yourself up some yummy Hawaiian cuisine.
The funny thing is that most Boulderites would not know the difference… Tell them its Hawaiian, and so be it. Say it swims in the sea, and if they haven’t seen it while catching air at Breck, then hey, it very well could be from that thing they call the ocean.
This small eatery was scrumptious and an affordable, and an easy way to get «fast food» that was pretty healthy. The entire restaurant is a zero waste facility, composting all of the leftover or thrown away food, the plates, the cups, even the plastic forks and knives… everything! Green makes this place even tastier!
If you order up one of the main dishes you get two sides, which sneakily enough includes not one, but two scoops of rice (if you order rice as a side that is), so the meal is filling. I ordered the steak and I was not as impressed as I wanted to be. It was a little charred, and the pieces were thin and tough. A bigger portion of meat is what I was looking for. (Who doesn’t like getting two meals out of one price!?)
Like Amanda said, the main thing that this joint is missing is Hawaiian music… Or maybe the opportunity to get «laid» when I walk in… How about a hula dancer on Fridays? That would draw a large crowd… Wait, how about hula lessons? I would totally do that… I just like the idea of wearing a bikini to work.
* Star one for bringing the ocean life to the center of the Main Island
** Scoop it up buttercup is for giving me two giant scoops of rice
*** Oooh, that’s tasty star three is for the yummy and sweet salad dressing
**** Stir it up star four is for reggae workers with dreads… cool dude.