Ola Hawaiian BBQ

I was really excited to try this place because I loved the food that I tried in Hawaii on vacation and it was nice to see that I could have it at home, but everything was just meh. We ordered the ola fire poke, spam musubi, and the loco moco. I felt like everything lacked flavor (other than the spam musubi). It’s kinda hard to ruin anything that has spam in it. I’m definitely not someone that eats overly salty or anything but all of the food was bland and not flavorful at all. The food also took about 20 minutes to come out.
Verdict: I will not go back. I would rather just make my own spam musubi and call it a day.

Small place. Basic tables and chair. Eating challenge photos on the wall. Food is authentic and affordable. Staff is quite friendly.

Family run and better priced than L and L. I eat here a lot whenever I’m in Fullerton. Very good.

I was sitting in front of L&L Hawaiian BBQ on Imperial and decided, «I want some Hawaiian BBQ». So I drove down here to OLA to get some. :)

Today a friend and I decided to try some Hawaiian food before we went shopping at Brea mall. We wanted to avoid the chain stores so we decided to go here.
A little mom and pop store (these are usually my favorite) with the same selections: BBQ, teriyaki, loco moco, musubi, poke, etc. my friend ordered the BBQ plate with spam musubi and I ordered the ola fire chicken mini bowl with the traditional poke.
Food was good, but not amazing. I hate to say it, but this was just as decent as the chain stores. The sauces served on the side were nothing amazing, just the same ol’ katsu and teriyaki sauce. Portions are large in my opinion, just the mini ola fire was enough! The plates are almost large enough for two people. We wanted to try a bunch of things so we definitely over-​ordered.
If you’re in the area, I mean at least it’s convenient? But I don’t think I’d go out of my way to eat here again.

This was more like a 2.5 stars review. I was excited to try this place out because of all the good reviews, but I was so disappointed. The restaurant wasn’t that crowded when I arrived, but they took forever to make the food. There were 3 tables waiting for the food when i came in, but the chefs were chatting instead of giving customers the food. I hate to be left to starve like this.
I ordered 3 dishes in total. The chicken katsu was quite bland, you have to add sauce to it. Moreover, it was extremely crispy that it hurt my gum while chewing. They just add a thick layer of batter outside to make it crispy. The shrimp and chicken dish was the same. The shrimp was so crispy and I can’t taste the meat at all because of the thick layer of batter. The musubi was huge but with a lot of rice and thin piece of spam. C’mon, spam is so cheap. I cannot taste the spam but rice and seaweed. It also lack of flavor so I have to add more sauce.
The food wasn’t that good. This place maybe a little bit cheaper than other place but I don’t mind to pay extra $ 1 to get a much better food. The cashier girl was pretty nice so I round up the star to 3 instead of rounding it down. Well, I don’t think I will come back here again

Pretty typical «Hawaiian BBQ» food, but staff is sooo amazing :-) They also have poke.
I’ve been to many Hawaiian BBQ type of places– such as L&L or Lily’s, but this one is so far my favorite! I find that it tastes better, and it’s $ 1 – 2 cheaper in price than the other establishments.
The only thing I got that is typical to most Hawaiian BBQ places is:
SEAFOOD MIX PLATE ($ 8.50) — Again, comparable to any other seafood mix plate I would get. However, a generous amount of proteins was provided. It came with two FAT (good fat) pieces of chicken, 3 breaded shrimp, and a nice piece of breaded mahi mahi. All of which were cooked well, and accompanied by the typical macaroni & rice.
Nothing special, but better than usual still :) ⁷⁄₁₀
Something different about this place– POKE! I am quite obsessed with poke, so this was a nice surprise to see in a Hawaiian BBQ place and it definitely did not disappoint. Overall, the poke was pretty pricy for the portion size. It’s portion size and price is very similar to North Shore. But seeing as it’s the closest and most convenient for Troy High School or CSUF students– def worth a try!
Only downside to the poke was that the pictures have avocado, and when I went I didn’t get any :/​
FIRE POKE: SPICY MAYO BLEND ($ 9) — Contrary to the name, this isn’t spicy! Probably my favorite out of the three poke options. The fish tastes fresh and they put the perfect amount of sauce topped with dried seaweed and sesame. It comes with a giant scoop of crab meat, AND seaweed salad. The seaweed salad is excellent and goes so well with the poke. ⁹⁄₁₀ (–1 for the price)
TRADITIONAL POKE: SHOYU– SESAME OIL BLEND ($ 8.50) — This also great! Again came with fresh fish, rice, crab meat, and seaweed salad. Not much different from the other bowl I got, other than the sauce.
I think what takes this place over the top is the friendly service! Even the kitchen staff is nice and says hello :-) The environment is so welcoming and definitely a place id return to.
WATCH OUT FOR THE Unilocal DEALS!

I usually get the mini meal curry chicken. I had it 3 times already but it’s not always consistent maybe I ate there first time and drove home (5mins) another time. I would come again. The mini meal had chicken, macaroni salad, lettuce and rice. A bit of everything for under $ 6
The people are nice and the is clean

Good food, good peoples. Had the spam musubi, katsu, and poke. Katsu was crispy, but not dry and the poke was fresh and delicious. Definitely coming back.

Pretty good. Other than portion size and very tough fried food
Always have good Unilocal deals. Sucks I can’t sub out rice for more mac salad. Don’t get the $ 5 deals tho. No Mac salad. You get 2 scoops of rice, cabbage salad and your choice of meat which I believe is from 4? Anyways, the portion on the main protein is like a child’s portion… And everything that was fried seemed over cooked this time… like it was extra extra crispy. Meat was so dry because of how crispy the item was.
Hopefully next time it’s better.

They don’t have the taco Tuesday specials anymore! So instead of getting tacos (they don’t have them anymore), I got the $ 5 value meal. It consists of your choice: BBQ Chicken, Chicken Katsu, Lemon and pepper chicken, or BBQ pork. I opted for the chicken Katsu and wasn’t disappointed. The cashier/​server seems unenthusiastic about her job but was kind enough to bring out the Katsu sauce and sirracha.
The $ 5 value meal consists of rice, your choice of meat, and some cabbage salad with no dressing. It’s a quaint family owned restaurant and they always have Christian radio music playing in the background. I live about a mile from here so I would come back just because it’s close but once I move, I won’t drive out of my way to eat here.

I was in the area visiting one of my friends and we really wanted chicken Katsu. We decided to check this place out since it is close to campus. It was roughly a 5 minutes drive from CSF, which is really nice for those who attend CSF. My friends and I ended up ordering the chicken Katsu for only $ 6.79 and the Teriyaki Chicken. I was amazed at how cheap the prices were. Also, remember to check in on Unilocal for 10% off an entrée. The mash potato and the salad were extremely delicious, however, the chicken Katsu itself was lacking. We noticed how the chicken was on the bland side. On the other hand, the Teriyaki Chicken was flavorful and yummy.
For my next visit, I want to try the Loco Moco. I have no idea what it is, but it looked amazing on Unilocal.The staffs were friendly and helpful. Parking lot is spacious so finding a parking is no problem at all. Oh, I really like the fact that they have a Spam Musubi Contest. If someone manage to eat this humongous Spam Musubi in less than 35 minutes, YOU WIN!!! and end up on the wall of fame. However, if you fail, they also have the wall of shame. I will definitely give this place another try in the near future and hopefully update my review.

I’ve never felt uncomfortable going to a restaurant until now. It all started when me and my friend ordered the Loco Moco and it wasn’t cooked properly. The egg was way too runny for my liking and the patty was still pink in the middle. My friend asked for it to be redone… result was the patty was coarse and rubbery but weirdly enough, the egg was even more raw! It looked like it was literally just cracked on top of the patty. So the redo made it worse. My friend asked for our money back and on our way out, the cook glared at us from the little window. He never took his eyes off us until we left the restaurant into our car.
I decided to give it a second chance where it was just me and I really wanted poke. I know I don’t speak for myself when I say that poke is amazing with avocado but when I got my poke, it didn’t have avocado in it. I asked the girl if they ran out and she wasn’t sure so she had to go back in the kitchen and ask… Now I don’t run a restaurant but the cook and the cashier should be well informed if they are out of something so that customers don’t buy things that they don’t even have. She apologized and said they did run out of avocado and I wasn’t about to make her return my money again because one I was hungry and two, the glaring cook was in the back, popping his head out again.
That was it for me. I don’t ever have to decide between Ola or L&L because I simply don’t feel comfortable coming back. The service is always good with cheerful servers/​cashiers but that cook… Yeah NO.

Must try the deep fried spam matsubi!
Called in an order to pick up after class, was really hungry and craving Hawaiian bbq.
Ordered the chicken Katsu plate, comes with a side of macaroni salad, coleslaw, and on a bed of rice ($ 6.79)
Also ordered the deep fried spam matsubi (2 for $ 4.50)
The chicken Katsu plate was a large portion and you can probably share it between two people! But overall the chicken Katsu was the same/​comparable to L&L. I was hoping something different, maybe different flavor or spices, but it’s the same. It was good, not great, but good.
The deep fried spam matsubi is delicious! They are huge as well! Just get that soy sauce and siracha ready!

Love this place and I wish we found it sooner.
The food is probably the closest thing to a Hawaiian Plate Lunch that I’ve had outside of Hawaii. There are a lot of Hawaiian bbq places around but none of them really have the flavor and textures right, this tiny place in Placentia does. The bbq chicken has tons of flavor, no fat or skin and was super moist — this is the first time (in a long time) that I didn’t have to drown it in teriyaki sauce. The Mac salad is fantastic, I can’t really explain Hawaiian Mac salad but this place does it right.
The people who work here are really nice and friendly too, it was almost like going to a friends house for dinner. I can not wait to go back.

Atmosphere: Ola is clean and casual. A little warm, but not so warm it bothers you.
Service: My girlfriend and I were greeted with a smile and a hello as soon as we walked in and the girl in the front patiently waited at the register until we came up with what we wanted. She seems like she really likes it when customers come in and likes working there.
Food: The food was sooooo good. The chicken katsu’s breading was crisp and the meat was tender. Other hawaiian bbq places taste like the meat has been cooked for a long time and then reheated, but this place’s chicken was tender as if it had been cooked right when we ordered it. We also had the spam musubi, which had a good portion size and taste.
A quick note about the chicken plates here: Most hawaiian bbq places have a small portion of maccoroni and rice with a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ mix of veggies and meat. This place instead gives you a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ mix of rice and meat with smaller portions of mac and veggies. A good plus!
We were very happy about Ola Hawaiian BBQ~

Came here on a Monday evening with 3 of my friends and there was one other person in the store. We ordered the the Family Meal with the Chicken Katsu, BBQ Beef, and BBQ chicken. We also ordered the Bacon Spam fried rice. Of the orders, the Bacon Spam fried rice was awesome.
The girl taking the order was super nice and very helpful. I also like that they have water cups sitting out so that i can get water without having to ask for a cup.
Overall, i would say this place is definitely better than L&L.

— Locale Destination —
It’s on N Placentia Ave and between Chapman Ave and Primrose Ave in Fullerton.
It’s in a small shopping plaza, nearby motel, right off 57 freeway. I think it’s on the boarder line of Fullerton and Placentia.
Ambiance: The shop is relatively small. Décor is very casual, nothing special, pop & mom shop. You order and pay at the counter and eat there. Some outside seating as well.
Service: Friendly
Parking: Plenty
— Gluttony Expedition —
Poke (house special kind. I think they got a few kinds): They use very thick starchy soy sauce based sauce, which is kinda unusual. It was a bit sweet. The fish quality was good, but nothing special as a whole. The portion is small for $ 9. It comes with 3 pieces of slice avocado and fake crab meat (for California roll). OK.
Beef bowl: Mini size for $ 5. It’s very small portion, even for me. Well, it’s $ 5. What do you expect? Beef tasted alright. It comes with cabbage salad and macaroni (both ok).
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
I like L&L in general. Yeah, it’s a chain. But they rarely don’t disappoint me — i always get the BBQ combo. I found a decent Hawaiian shop in Walnut, but you’d find better ones in nearby Torrance areas.
In Fullerton, both «Maui Hawaiian BBQ» (right off 91 freeway and Harbor) and «L&L» on State College nearby are failure to me. They aren’t as good as other locations. Nothing wowed me, however, this might be a better alternative (except for the smaller portion) than others when you were in this area.
Overall, I rather get a lunch chirashi at «Momo’s» in downtown Fullerton than this poke. $ 12 gives you tons of food with better quality at «Momo». I crave «Momo» quite often now ~ ;p
I might come back if I crave for Hawaiian food if I were in this area. Just because better than others in the area, not just because they’re outstanding.

Solid Hawaiian joint. I was buying a lot of food and found the Unilocal Deal, $ 20 for $ 35. Score!
Ola is in the same plaza as Leadbellys Barbecue, near CSUF. It’s a small joint that dishes out good Hawaiian grub.
Here’s the rundown:
Ola House Sauce Pokè — a solid Poke dish. Tuna and salmon, with a scoop of crab salad and a couple of slices of avocado. Yum! The avocado enhance the taste, giving it some creaminess.
Spicy Pokè — The spice level was just okay, but as a whole it was a very good poke dish.
Ola Spam Fried Rice — choke full of spam and egg, this is my kind of fried rice =)
Kalua Pork — I think the only disappointing dish I got today. It was lacking in flavor. It definitely needed a touch of salt.
Loco Moco — They prepare the hamburger the way my mom makes it. DELICIOUS. The gravy was just okay. Mixed all together with the egg and it’s heaven on a bowl (or plate).
Teriyaki Chicken — Very good. I’m not a teriyaki fan, but this one got me going back for more.
Ola Fire Chicken –Woo Wee, Now that is what I’m talking about. The heat was on for this dish. When they say «Fire» believe it! The best dish we had. I highly recommend this one, specially if you like it spicy!
Service was good. I placed a big to go order and the person before me also placed a big order. Slamming the kitchen (I believe it’s a one man show back there) the customers behind me were definitely P O’d because of the long wait they had to endure. Sorry folks. The food is good here, definitely worth the wait. lol
2015 Review #78

I’ve been on a Poke bowl binge and found this place on Unilocal.
To my surprise, this place has some really legit Poke bowls. You can choose 3 different types of flavors: Ola Special (sweet), Spicy Mayo, and Original Sesame oil flavor.
I ordered the Ola special ($ 9.50 + $ 0.75 for brown rice) and it was pretty good. They give you a decent amount of fresh tuna and salmon and the sauce was solid, though a bit on the sweet side. I would still give the winner of Poke bowls to Poke District in orange (based on price vs value) but this place is local and just a few minutes from my house so I’ll gladly come here for my poke cravings. As long as they keep up the quality and freshness of their tuna and salmon, call me a regular.
I also ordered their Chicken combo plate and spam musubi and they were decent … comparable to Ono’s.
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Update: Came back and tried the Spicy Mayo as well as the Original flavor.
The spicy mayo one was delicious and his a hint of hoisin/​peanut butter flavor. It was really savory and definitely satisfies that craving for something rich. It wasn’t even remotely spicy.
The original flavor was my least favorite, however, is probably the healthiest option out of the 3. Don’t get me wrong, it still tasted great and I can see myself order this flavor if I were just finishing up from the gym or feeling like a fatass. The original flavor is exactly what it’s described as, sesame oil + salt.
4 stars for the the poke bowls!