Holoholo Bar & Grill

CLOSING SOON
We just found our favorite place to eat with my parents, kids, and sisters family two weeks ago. Not many places can accommodate large parties (10+) like us on short notice but Holoholo did a fantastic job and we were looking forward to coming again. I started following them on Instagram and last night they posted that they will be closing soon.
FOOD was fantastic. We ordered almost everything on the menu that we could and everything was delicious!
Go back and get your fix before it’s gone!

I’ve always had positive experiences here — excellent, creative food; clean restaurant and bar; and excellent service — until tonight. The food and physical space were still excellent but the service was atrocious. Definite turn off!

If you got the cravings for some meat this is the place to be. From fried pork ribs to bacon steaks they have a variety of things you can choose from. I really enjoyed the fried ribs (fall off the bone)! Next time I’ll sample the desserts and the various liquors. By the way parking is limited and tight during their peak hours… so either find street parking or chance’em at Longs across the street.

This is one of our go to places especially when we’ve got multiple families with us.
Food is awesome, I pretty much recommend any of the breakfast benedicts, the deep fried pork ribs (even my really healthy friends love it), and most of the spicy ahi tower. Desserts are good too. Flavor galore most of the stuff we have ever tried.
I actually recommend you come twice because the breakfast/​brunch menu is very different than the dinner menu with a couple things here and there that overlap.
Jill the owner is really sweet.
Atmosphere is clean. There is a bar area as well as a restaurant are although the restaurant areas have TVs too. Sometimes there is live music as well but I have not been on one of those nights.
Holoholo has its own parking lot which is like a pay lot looks wise but it isn’t. but be sure to register your car at the front door.
Menu’s changed a few times I miss some of the old stuff but they keep adding and the kitchen often knows the old menu and on a few occasions will revamp some of the old recipes.

Before last night I have never heard of this place. I drive by regularly and never noticed. I learned from friends that it was the site of the old Camellia Buffet, across the street from Longs Drugs on Beretania St. and University Ave., before the Japanese Cultural Center on the right (Mauka side of the street).
Parking is limited as this place can fill up pretty quickly, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. There are on-​street parking along Beretania and Isenberg streets near Moiliili Park within close walking distance.
The place is larger than it looks on the outside. There is a large dining area fronting Beretania Street, and another separate area towards the back which is more of a lounge/​bar setting. The bar is located in the back. There are flat screen TV’s all over the restaurant tuned for sports.
The food is delicious, a blend of local favorites such as fried rice, Kim Chee chicken, ahi tempura, Asian chicken salad, and smoked meat. They have also beautifully blended traditional local dishes and added a flare to keep up with the more modern, hip, healthy dishes such as the smoked meat kale salad, Asian pesto maki, ahi poke sushi tower, and hot sushi tower to name a few.
They also have your traditional bar menu items such as sweet potato fries, cheesy artichoke and crab spread, chicken dippers with your choice of three flavorful dipping sauces, and of course being in Hawaii, can’t forget the poke and edemane.
The restaurant’s capacity is more than enough to accommodate large groups, and also a great place for social gatherings of all ages. We were there celebrating our friend’s birthday, and there were four other large groups celebrating, as well as walk-​ins and others watching UH football.
The back seating area of the restaurant is more «adult“‘friendly, as there is a large bar and all of the tables on this side are elevated, or bar seating.
If you are ever in the Moiliili or University of Hawaii area, check this place out! It is a casual setting, the servers are friendly and accommodating to special requests, and you will not be disappointed! :)

Holoholo is great for a number of reasons:
1. Happy hour is 3−5pm for food and 3−6pm for drinks… I’ve only ever made it in after 5pm, but the food specials on the HH menu look great!
2. Prime location near UH Manoa, which means I can easily get a quick drink after a rough night in class
3. Food is served family style, which means you can try a bunch of things if you come in a group
4. Free parking in the lot between Holoholo and the Japanese Cultural Center (just don’t forget to write your vehicle information in the book as you enter the restaurant)
My go-​to items on their menu are the fried ribs, the smoke meat and kale salad, and the hot sushi tower. The poutine is also good, but you have to eat this fast because the fries get soggy really quickly. As far as drinks go, I love their simple sake/​soju jars! They have several flavors and are actually served in hipster mason jars. They aren’t on the regular menu, but go ahead and ask for them anyway!
I recently planned a friend’s birthday party here on a Saturday night in October. When I initially tried calling, it took several tries before someone finally answered the phone. When I finally got through, the staff was very helpful and I was able to set up a reservation for 20 people at dinner. Fast forward to the day of the dinner, and I found out that a few more people were able to make it at the last minute. I was able to easily change my reservation and add 4 more people to our party. When I got to the restaurant, they had two large tables reserved which was perfect! The only thing that I didn’t like was that they don’t split checks, even for large groups. However, because the restaurant was slow that evening, they said they would make an exception. Just be warned if you go in a group… you might have to pay all together!
TL;DR — solid happy hour, no split checks for large groups, and sake/​soju jars!

Went on a Wednesday night around 6:30 with my girlfriends & there were only a few other parties on the restaurant side. The décor was very clean & chic. They had mason jar lamps hanging from the ceiling, colorful paper thingies & they used patron bottles as vases with fresh flowers!
There was only 1 waitress working at the time so she checked in with us when she could, which was very understandable! She worked so hard & was so nice!
We ordered a few drinks:
— lychee martini (strong, very strong!)
— cucumbah strawberry splash (delicious)
— da kine mojito
— beer
The food was just as delicious as the drinks. We ordered the small portions for everything & shared. We ordered the spicy ahi poke tower, Hawaiian poutines, chicken pops, taegu salad, the cheesy bread & the fly lice. Everything was super yum! For the 4 of us with drinks came out to $ 35 each with tip.
They have a huge parking lot between the Japanese cultural center & their restaurant.
I would highly recommend! I hope they stick around because I would love to come back!

Like my Unilocal buddy Jules Y. said… I was «Holo Holo-​ing» yesterday night! (Lol! I like that.)
And the spot of choice was the — Holoholo Bar & Grill!
After looking at all the wonderful photo’s posted by my Unilocal buddies — Brian M., Ariana M., Kristen K., Michael C., Lori L., & Tracy K., I knew I had to make the run & check this place out!
Friday nights are one of the best times to go «Holoholo» so I met up with one of my good friends I’ve known since middle school, high school, & college… we go waaaaaaaaaaaaay back, if you know what I mean!
It’s nice to catch up with old friends, as we all have other things going on like work, & family.
Where is the Holoholo Bar & Grill? Well, if you know where the old Moiliili Star Market use to be (now it’s a Longs Drugs), just across the street from Longs Drugs is the Holoholo Bar & Grill. And if you folks remember the old Camellia Korean Buffet? The Holoholo Bar & Grill took over that old building.
There is lots of free parking in the private parking lot, but it is shared by the Kirin Chinese restaurant, & the Holoholo Bar and Grill, so if both restaurants are busy… parking can be a challenge.
Last night wasn’t too bad… I got there around 6:45 PM or so, and there were a few spaces open in the private parking lot. There is a «payment box» for the parking, but parking is free. All you have to do when you go into the Holoholo Bar & Grill, is to sign up on the parking sheet. You need to provide your license plate number, and the color & model of your vehicle.
Upon walking into the restaurant… the décor reminded me of the Side Street Inn (Kapahulu location) concept.
There is ample space in the restaurant, and a few T.V.‘s going on with the U.H. Waihine Volleyball game last night. (GO BOWS!!! Da Waihine beat #2 Florida last night! Yay!!!)
It is basically «seat yourself», and upon seating ourselves, a friendly waiter by the name of Troy came by to drop off some menu’s & water. He asked us if we’ve been here before… I told him no. He was helpful in letting up know what was popular on the menu, and we ended up ordering the following items —
1. Deep Fried Pork Ribs ($ 17.55) — Lightly floured & seasoned pork ribs deep fried and served with a special house made ketchup/​BBQ sauce.
2. Spicy Smoked Meat Fly Lice ($ 10.95) — Local style fly lice with smoked meat added to da mix.
3. Spicy Ahi Sushi Tower ($ 19.95) — Furikake sushi rice topped with a spicy ahi poke, avocado, alfalfa spouts, served with nori.
And what can I say about the grub?
The Deep Fried Pork Ribs was «Winnah’s!» The ribs crunchy on the outside, but all so soft & juicy on the inside! It was not oily or heavy at all. To top it off… the house made ketchup/​BBQ sauce concoction was fabulous! Put a little of that house sauce on your ribs, and your mouth with have a mouthgasm! Noms!
The Spicy Smoked Meat Fly Lice was also another hit! I loved the taste of the smoked meat mixed into the rice. When you order this dish, they give you an option of how you want your eggs, as they will make it anyway you like it. I chose scrambled.
The last dish… Spicy Ahi Sushi Tower was just okay for me… I should have read the menu carefully, as this dish also came with rice… so basically we ordered too much rice! The ahi on the top was okay… I just wished they provided more fish, since they charge you basically almost $ 20 bucks for this dish. I will probably not get this dish again… not of good value.
Overall, I had a great time here… probably due to the company I had. I hardly get to see my friend, as he is busy with his family, but lucky for him, he had a pass from da wifey yesterday.
Like I said before… it really doesn’t matter where you go, or what you eat, so long as you take the time out from your busy schedule to spend it with family, or friends. In this case I was lucky to see my friend yesterday…
Service was top notch! I would like to give «props» to — Troy T. our wonderful waiter, and I will be coming back again to try more items in the near future.

We went in and had a seat with no wait… yay! Were given a menu, and I immediately saw that they had a cheesy crab bread as an appetizer, so before I even ordered a drink, I ordered that delicious sounding app. Ordered the Holo punch and a beer, and then we eyed the entire menu, to decide what to eat. The drinks came out with hardly a wait, and it took us 5 – 10 minutes to decide what to order. We finally decided on the smoke meat fried rice, poutine, and sweet sake braised brisket. The order went in, and food started trickling out after 10 minutes and a refill.
The smoke meat fried rice was first, it was a generous portion, and looked like more than we could finish. I would have liked a little more smoked meat in it, and the carrots were really crunchy, but overall, it tasted pretty good. At this point, I realize that my appetizer still hadn’t arrived, so I asked our server to check on it, and he said «it takes a while for it to come out». Huh? shouldn’t it be quick if it’s an appetizer? So now, i’m expecting some greatness from this cheesy crab bread.
Next dish out, the poutine. It would’ve been really good if the fries were crispy, but they were kind of limp. The gravy and cheese made up for the texture, and it was tasty.
The sweet sake braised brisket was the yummiest, softest, tastiest part of the whole meal. It was a really good portion, and it was just the right amount of sweet. Totally a must try!
And then… guess what arrives to our table… my cheesy crab bread. Seriously. It wasn’t even hot, and it was limp, like it was sitting out waiting to be served. Total disappointment. The focaccia bread was soft, and the crab dip was more like a shmear of dip on bread, reminded me more of buttered toast than of dip. It was topped with what looked like Parmesan that was thrown in a broiler. Totally disappointed with this «appetizer» which was actually served after the meal.
I would’ve given them 2 stars, but that brisket gave them a bump up to 3. And, it’s because of that brisket that I will try them again in the future.

8÷17÷15 Returned once again. This time for the Lup Chong Meatloaf $ 11. Ground beef and pork, diced lup chong, shiitake mushrooms, sweetbread and teriyaki glaze. Meatloaf itself was pretty good. The liked the mix of meats. Sweetness might be too much for some but I liked it. Kind of bland without a good gravy on it. I tasted some separately and like their hollandaise, the gravy is weak and there’s so little of it. And tossed salad (with not the healthiest looking lettuce). No mac salad. How can you have Holoholo in your name and not serve mac salad?
Service: almost 40 minutes to get our food. Not too busy. Server was friendly and polite though. Luckily we weren’t in a hurry. If I do go back, it’ll be for a burger.
8÷16÷15 Return visit to Holoholo for the Monte Cristo Bene. $ 12. Not really a Monte. Not really a bene. Hollandaise was almost non-​existent in flavor and volume. Odd color too. Looks like egg yolk. But still a good knife and fork sandwich. Would’ve still been hungry but ate my wife’s breakfast potatoes from her veggie scramble so I was ok. Coming back tomorrow for the Lup Chong Meatloaf. Down to 4 Stars.

I came here on two different occasions. The first time was late night, trying to find some food after working out. We ordered the BBQ brisket, chicken pops and Hawaiian poutine. All of their food is really good! I can’t find much places that sell poutine in Hawaii, so it was nice to have that here! But what really got me was the BBQ brisket. Ever since going to Texas, I’ve been trying to find BBQ comparable on the island. It took this long, but it is here at Holoholo bar! The meat is so tender and juicy it melts in your mouth. It’s amazing!
The second time around I had to try the BBQ brisket again, hoping that it would be just as amazing as the first time. I was not disappointed because it was delicious! The other things that we ordered was the sushi tower, chicken pops, etc. All were good!
What was nice coming for happy hour is that they have entertainment. By the looks of it, this occurs on Mondays. I think the singer was someone from Na Leo Pilimehana that night…
Holoholo Bar you have exceeded my expectations! Get the BBQ Brisket!

Gotta give 4 stars for now but if the lunch/​dinner menu is as good as their brunch one, then Holoholo will get a deserving 5 stars!
First off this place is nice. Spacious, plenty regular tables and even cocktail tables. Clean, and furniture in good shape and not falling apart. Bathroom was clean too (total plus), and there was ample parking in the lot.
Brunch was SO GOOD. The food took a little while longer than normal, but it was worth the wait! My husband had a garlic fried rice loco moco… which was delicious. The gravy was tasty too! Everyone knows that gravy can make or break a dish! I was pleased with the fact that they had flavored iced teas! I got a peach lychee one. Hubby got a Bloody Mary (since they are also a bar/​lounge at night they have a bar). I got the sweet potato brisket hash – extra crispy. And let me tell you, that hash is to die for. I inhaled it. It was divine.
I always see their desserts posted on social media and they look amazing but alas, we were too full to try one.
I saw a lot of negative reviews for service but I guess we got lucky because we had a pleasant experience. There was just one guy running the floor when we arrived, and only one other table. By the time we left it had kind of filled up (table of 2, table of 4, and a table of 8) but still do-​able for him to handle on his own.
Overall I really really liked this place for brunch! We will be back to try lunch or dinner soon!

Went here for breakfast last Sunday. We passed by our usual haunts but I just didn’t feel like waiting an hour so when we drove by we decided to stop and I’m so glad we did. It was empty (shockingly) and we were served super quickly. I had the green tea pancakes with matcha sauce and my husband had the Croque Monsieur. Both delicious and inexpensive! So many items choose from that we’ll definitely be back! The lunch/​dinner items looked great as well, so we’ll be back for that!

We r here after the USA v China vb match. As always, good food, great service, and cold drinks!
Smoked meat and wilted kale salad, deep fried pork ribs, fish tempura for eats!
Washing all of that down with some ice cold Stella Artois!

I decided to check this spacious eatery out on a Sunday. Holoholo is located across from Longs Drugs and before JCC on the right side traveling down Beretania St.
It was quite empty, better for us as I was hungry and excited to get my grindz on. Holoholo Bar & Grill is open on the Weekends for breakfast from 8:00am for those peeps who don’t get up early. Lots of seating inside to accommodate large groups, you know the after Church gang. I loved that they have two flat screen TV’s to watch games while you eat. Found the restaurant really nice and relaxing, a good place to talk story with friends without yelling across the table.
Another thing I really liked is that you have the option to order from lunch menu, it made it even more difficult ordering for me, my stomach wanted to try everything on the menu. I did decided on the Pulehu Steak Omelet which came with rice, it was tasty and the portion was on point. My other half’s Crispy Bacon and Eggs came with a lot of nice pieces of Oink… Nice…
Well wouldn’t you know it, but the following day we dropped by Holoholo again to listen to some music which is on Mondays only. The music normally starts at 6:30pm in the restaurant side. You can find who’s playing at
and look under events. We were lucky to get to listen to Shawn Pimental and Lehua Kalima (from Na Leo) play and sing, what an Awesome duo, smooth feel good sounds from those two!
We did a family style eats, Edamame, Spaghetti & Ballz, Fish Tempura & Fries, Hamburger Sliders, Ice Box Fried Rice (I like that it was meatless). The food came out in a timely manner and it was more than enough for the four of us, small portions recommended unless you have people that have a bottomless pit. Only thing I would have liked better would be an option to order smaller plates at a cheaper price (Tapas style), so that way we could try more of their dishes.
Parking for Holoholo is the driveway right after the restaurant, there is ample parking. As you enter through the doors, the restaurant is on the right and the bar on the left. Make sure you sign in on the clipboard with your parking information, Time, license number, color, etc.
Service was friendly local style, a little laid back, Will be back to check out here again.

The service here is top notch. When we arrived, my friends and I were greeted right away as were wrote down the license plate numbers of our cars and color. I’m not sure why we had to do that, but my hunch is that there have been some cars towed away in the past, and this place just wants to ensure its patrons are looked out for. The server was a very nice young guy who constantly checked on is and ensured that our waters were filled. This was so awesome of him. Our water glasses were NEVER empty!
The food comes in pretty decent portions; my party of 4 got the Large Portion for every dish, and after a couple drinks and sharing about five different dishes, we all split the bill which only came out to be UNDER $ 30/​person! The only gripe I have about this place is that they didn’t have very many fresh fish/​sushi options.
I ordered two sushi towers, because they only had those two as options. They were both delicious though, but the avocado was a tad bit brown. The Hawaiian Style Poutine, however, was a hit among my friends and I. I think we’re going to get two orders of that next time and no fried rice (or «Fly Lice» if you will). The fried rice was too oily for my mood, but it did taste pretty good regardless. Also, we ordered the steak and bacon which was also a hit. So much so I almost forgot to take a picture of it before it was all gone!
Great beer and cocktail selection. None of that cheap beer that I hate, but actual good brews and IPAs. I don’t drink much anymore, but I still appreciate a good beer or cocktail now and then when I’m or having dinner.
This place is great for groups, and on a Saturday night, it was pretty chill and laid back! Just what I needed. :)

I came here to try it out. I think it’s more a bar food place even though the desserts look good and there were other items on the menu.
Smoked Meat with Kale Salad — is very large, about $ 20 — the meat was tasty but not my liking, heavy sweet sake sauce, good for having with a cold beer.
Ahi Sushi Tower — this is OK but I don’t know about $ 20 for it, you could share or it’s enough as an entrée.
Some of the menu items that I saw on Unilocal were no longer offered on the menu.
There weren’t many people in the restaurant, even though the parking lot was mostly filled up.

Holoholo is located on Beretania street, across from Longs. They have a parking lot available on the left side of the venue. If you park in the lot, they ask you to sign in your car so it doesn’t get towed. On the left side of the venue is the bar side and on the right side is the restaurant (this side has the bathrooms).
The Grub.
[[ S’MACKA MOCO $ 12.95 ]]
Their loco moco comes with fried rice, beef patty, two eggs over easy and brown gravy. You can also add hollandaise sauce for an additional $ 2.50 I thought this dish was good! Totally hit the spot when I was hungry :3
[[ LIP S’MACKA $ 11.95 ]]
This is a kim chee teriyaki burger served with sweet potato fries. Who doesn’t love a messy burger! Yummy and definitely a fan of sweet potato fries ;]
Overall this is a great spot to chill during the day or at night. They have a nice variety of items on their menu and a full bar to order any drink you desire.

This review is for the bar area only… I must confess I haven’t eaten on the restaurant side yet… both times I was here, the bar seemed like the right place for me.
When you arrive, make sure you put your car on the sign in sheet (if you have parked in the lot). The last thing you want is your car towed…
The bar area isn’t gigantic, but it isn’t small either… just good size. There are tvs for viewing sports and usually music playing.
The service I have had in the bar has been nothing but excellent. Stacie the bartender is always attentive, smiling, and happy to help… she’s the main reason I sit on the bar side.
As for the food… smoke meat. Yeah, I know, everyone’s saying it. But it’s true… it’s tasty and the perfect drinking food. Salty, chewy, and smoky… so good.
The ahi katsu was good here as well. The dipping sauce really complemented the fish. The cheesy crab bread wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be… the bread was a little soggy. The calamari was nice and crisp and that made it great for snacking.
Not a huge whiskey selection here, but they do have Macallan 12. And they do have all the major liquor… and beer.
I will be back to try out more of the food… and the desserts always look good… I should try those too!

Saturday… at Happy Hour.
Two friends from Arizona were in town recently and we were trying to brainstorm where to meet for drinks. Holoholo Bar & Grill was suggested and we decided to meet for happy hour.
HH is 300−500pm.
PARKING: Shared lot with Kirin Restaurant. As we were leaving near 6pm, there was a sign near the entrance instructing customers to sign in with the number of the space they parked in.
HAPPY HOUR: Collectively, we shared the following items from the HH menu:
Fried Calalmari
Crab Bread
Smoked Meat
Hand Roll Trio
Poutine
Drink specials included $ 3 domestic beers, $ 4 martinis and $ 1 off house red or white wine.
Out of all the dishes we ordered, the smoked meat was by far my favorite! I thought it was very flavorful and would absolutely recommend it. My least favorite was the hand roll trio. It just didn’t seem very fresh at all.
I would suggest to eat the crab bread and poutine while they’re still warm/​hot. Do not hesitate to «dig in» once its served. The calamari was alright as well, but wished it was served with different sauce (s). I believe it was possibly tarter sauce that was served and that didn’t pair well, in my humble opinion, with the dish.
SERVICE: Very attentive. Our server also doubled as the bartender. She was polite, friendly, and was quite patient as we looked over the menu. She was helpful with the various questions we had about a few menu items. Lastly, though the server was attentive, I wonder if the small crowd during that time was a factor since the bar area didn’t even reach half its capacity the entire time we were there.
BOTTOM LINE: A somewhat decent happy hour. Smoked meat dish was a standout for sure. Attentive service… though I do wonder what the service would have been like if it was more crowded.