Kaimuki Grill

Thanks to good friends, I have a good life and I’m alive. If not for them, I would be lost and alone…
After reading Brian M.‘s review, I thought I’d better see/​taste what I was missing. There was more urgency since he posted the deadline of July 11, 2014.
Since I don’t like to be alone all the time, I chose my victims, c.y. (very entertaining & smart); and my pal, «Bugsy» Wayne C. What a savior Wayne C. turned out to be! After texting him about Kaimuki Grill from my vacation trance, he intelligently replied that this establishment is not open for lunch. Yes, I am not a good researcher. I’m a kinda spontaneous type with ideas, but not always detailed oriented. So, I called Kaimuki Grill and tried to make a reservation for Monday dinner, but they were booked already for a special event. I was almost in panic state and reserved a table for 4 for Tuesday at 5pm (opening time). I texted Wayne back — ok, can go! I thin asked c.y. if she could bring her hubby– yes, yes! I’m always interested in his opinion since he can cook!
While trying to get back into normal routine & fighting jet lag, Wayne texted about dinner. I replied, «Yes, Tuesday» and thought how odd of him to be so early. Then, I realized that TODAY was Tuesday, (not Monday) because I had worked Monday night, took a nap, went walking, and so it must be Tuesday right now! ACK! Panic! I had to get home, shower, then drive from Kaneohe to Kaimuki in the going-​home traffic! Meanwhile, c.y. was texting about carpooling and we came to the conclusion that we’d better go separate and just get there on time!
I had an idea about the location, but, being me and having my «it will work out» thinking — I was surprised that I never noticed Kaimuki Grill before. In the old, old days, I think I used to park in this lot when I used to bowl (?). Gosh — feels like it was another life. This place really changed with the paid parking lot. I don’t know how it was calculated, but I only had to pay $ 3 to exit.
Anyway, Wayne & I took our assigned seats at the first table by the door. I was really glad we made reservations because the place filled up fast with the happy customers claiming their reserved seats! When c.y. & her hubby came, I proudly whipped out my list of recommended dishes from Brian’s review! See? I can be organized at times! We were very happy with the Pulehu Steak, Garlic Chicken, and Lotus Root Chips! We also felt adventurous & ordered the Fried Rice (with lup cheong) and the Romaine Salad (fresh with tasty dressing) & Teri Short Ribs (no bones!) which our waitress suggested. Everything was GREAT! We compared our experience to Side Street Inn or Home Bar… good food shared amongst friends and good times!
Wayne & I had seen the photo of the watermelon ice cream pie, but it was sold out, so we ordered the Maunakea Deelite & 4 spoons. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise — an Oreo cookie crust under a layer of coconut ice cream and chocolate ice cream. It wasn’t too sweet or too frozen-​hard, but just right! Yum!
It’s too bad that this establishment is closing. I would have the exact same meal again and leave out the Fried Rice (to cut down on the carbs — haha) and maybe try the salmon. I’m truly fortunate to have eaten here and even more blessed to have good friends like Brian, c.y. & her hubby, & Wayne looking out for me! Mahalo!
p. s. Karaōke starts at 9pm — otherwise, c.y.‘s hubby & I would be singing and chasing the customers away!

Here to catch good grinds here. Big party coming in so we ordering quick. Here with good eaters!

Want to say Aloha and Mahalo to Carrie and the gang from Kaimuki Grill. They are closing the restaurant… last day is Friday, July 11^th… gonna miss ya!

I’m so sad that Kaimuki Grill is closing it’s doors on «July 11^th 2014»
Just had to stop in and get more their family style grindz! before it get crazy with peeps trying to get some of the great dishes that serve. Last night we ate some favorites of mine, Garlic Chicken, Pulehu Steak, Fried Saimin, Buffalo Chicken and of course those Crack Chips! (Lotus Root Chips).
There is a great article in Frolic by Diane Seo
on Carri’s new venture. Luckily we got to sample some of the Bacon Jerky, I really liked the Spicy Sriracha Bacon Jerky.
Yes, it’s sad that another eatery is closing in Kaimuki, but when she does open her new store in the Dole Cannery I’ll be able to get those «Crack Chips» AGAIN!!!
* Good Luck Carri !!!

Another small hole in the wall… laid back… drinker friendly… local grindz friendly… gotta come back here and do-​er again type of place.
Reasonably priced drinks (cheap) that goes great with the reasonably priced grindz (ono and cheap) in a comfy-​cozy neighborhood watering hole. Just what we were looking for after a graduation. At the corner of 12^th and Harding, In the diamond head/​makai corner of the always crowded Kaimuki municipal parking lot.
Got a half order of fried rice (ono) half order of garlic chicken (ono and not overpowering… can still kiss my wife) full order of Pulehu steak (ono, ono and perfect with fried rice and garlic chicken) so far everything’s awesome.
Washing it all down with ice cold sudz couldn’t be better… BUT WAIT! I think we might wanna try something else… I mean we’re here anyway… why wait till next time? Okay full order of the Pulehu Short ribs (even more ono than ono, ono!)
Than to take it over the top… some watermelon ice cream pie (oh my)
Okay so the parking in the dreadful KMPL is horrendous, it certainly won’t keep me away from this little neighborhood gem. See you there!

On weekdays, this place has got to be one of the most laid back and chilliest place I have been at for a dinner (and maybe there was a beer or two involved).
Went here yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see this place not that crowded at all. We we were greeted by really nice waitresses that were pretty awesome throughout the entire night.
We sat and debated about what to get. My friend had been here before, but it was a first for me. Too bad my friend said he didn’t remember how everything was, harhar. But that gave me the absolutely perfect excuse to order pretty much all their signature eats on the menu. The woman who was helping us had helped us out immensely when she said that pretty much all the items pictured on the menu is what they are known for: garlic chicken, garlic steak, and fried rice. We ordered that, andddd the kalua pig bowl.
All of them were pretty delicious and between the two of us, we were able to put away a lot of food (yay, us!)
A couple things to note:
1) Garlic Chicken: Crispy chicken pieces flavored with garlic awesomeness that isn’t overly greasy. Did I mention it was crispy?!
2) Garlic Steak: Got it medium, garlic flakes atop it was a nice touch. There was a side of sauce that complimented nicely with it.
3) Fried Rice: Not too sweet, not too salty, but jusssssttt right, ah?! (Rap Replinger reference). Good to go with the garlic steak and chicken! Peas and carrots are in here!
4) Kalua Pig Bowl: This wasn’t pictured on the menu, but I was really surprised at how good this was!!! Who knew kalua pig, lomi salmon and some sauce thrown together on rice would be so good. Wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. Must order this again.
Once again, the women working here work their tails off and are so very nice. Nice waitresses make all the difference, and you can totally see that they take care of their customers. They even came around and let everyone sample their beef jerky chips (interesting since I never thought of beef jerky being crunchy). LOL
Their ice cream pie was also pretty good. I don’t know why, but seems like I’ve been on a haupia ice cream kick lately, as I ordered another Mauna Kea ice cream packaged in a little bento container that had chocolate chunks throughout.
I will be visiting those awesome ladies again! What a hidden treasure here!

Fried food galore. Hahaha. Just your typical local diner. Their fried noodles is excellent. That was my favorite.
Very friendly service.

Recommended to me by a trusted friend & it didn’t disappoint. We shared the pulehu steak (cooked perfectly and on a bed of sauteed onions & mushrooms), spicy soybeans (not at all spicy, but very tasty sauce), and kalua pig lomi salmon nachos (great appetizer). The servers are super mellow and friendly. We got a sample of their beef jerky chips too. I’d definitely come back here — they know how to make you feel at home & serve up ono food!

A friend of mine suggested we check out Kaimuki Grill for pau hana and I was skeptical because in my 7 years living in the area, I’d never heard of it.
It’s easy to find and there’s plenty of parking in the paid lot or the metered parking on the street, even during pau hana time. When we got inside, it was small and pretty narrow — but was already filling up with regulars that all knew the waitresses by name. It was very relaxed and inviting.
When we sat down, we ordered the Kalua Pork and Salmon Bowl, an order of Edemane and two Garlic Steaks (for a group of four). The Garlic Steak was delicious, as was the Kalua Pork and Salmon Bowl. And the waitress was fast and very friendly. We had a few rounds of beers with our food and when we started slowing down the waitress came by and cleared the plates and told us to hang out and «talk story» as long as we wanted. I’ve heard waiters say that, but still push the tab on you (and understandably so since their tips depend on table turn over), but she never pushed the check on us until we asked.
The other tables were mostly filled and there was even one larger group of 10 people. Before, we’d go to Anyplace when we wanted a laid back neighborhood bar — but I prefer Kaimuki Grill.
I give them ⁴⁄₅ stars and only deduced one because of their bathroom situation. They have a shared bathroom with the restaurant next door and it’s not very clean and hasn’t been renovated in years. To get to the bathroom you have to walk out the back exit of the bar, which lets out into a hallway where the Men’s and Women’s bathrooms are located. It’s a bit inconvenient and unkept looking, but everything else about it was all that you could ask for in a casual, neighborhood bar. I’ll certainly be back.

WOW good food and people. A little homestyle bar/​restaurant with the best garlic steak and unique lotus root chips (like taro chips)! The taste was soooo good I didn’t want to think why :) Also had the pulehu shortribs (boneless) but liked the garlic steak better because the ribs was a little fatty. Next time I’ll try the pulehu steak instead for less fat.
Beef Jerky is awesome too! It’s the thin and crispy style with again, very good flavor :)

A little local place to hangout with friends. If you’re looking for a healthy meal, I’d recommend another choice. Most of the food is fried or has a little too much salt.
Came here on a Wednesday night with my friend. No draft beers only bottle, not a big deal.
We ordered the romaine salad, friend rice, garlic fries and the garlic steak. All was good, no complaints, other than the steak was pretty small for a small order.

I’ve been here twice, both on a whim and it’s pretty good both times.
ID card holders out there, they offer fries, onion rings or salad with a purchase of entrée of some sort, so don’t forget to bust it out before ordering!
Recommendations:
Pulehu steak for you salt lovers, comes with onions and mushrooms, if you’re not feeling that then i highly recommend the garlic steak. they give really big portions on rice and chicken so please be aware before ordering a full order for just two people (unless you’re wanting home lunch for the rest of the week). Garlic chicken was delicious and so was the onion rings and fried rice.
Parking is in the same lot as kimchee 2 and happy days but it’s located on the other end. Sometimes it gets a little crazy, but don’t be alarmed, there’s also street parking. This place isn’t the biggest, so you might have to wait a bit. but honestly for the price and service, it’s worth the wait.

Recently ate at Kaimuki Grill and had to write this review. Big disappointment by their service. I was looking forward to eating there cause we have been there several times and enjoyed the food. Arrived early, about 5:30 and there were only about 4 other people in the place. The guy that served us practically threw the menus on the table and did not even say anything — not even a smile. Bad service. He looked like he really loved being there (sarcasm).
The food is usually good but I think they must have had a different cook tonight. The garlic chicken was really overcooked and so dry. The fried rice was salty, mushy, and looked disgusting — too much oyster sauce. The romaine salad and steak was good as usual.
The customer service really needs to be improved. The other times I’ve been there the service has been hit or miss, depending on who is working.
I rarely write reviews on Unilocal but I think she needs to know how our party felt and hope she can improve her service cause she seemed like a very nice person.

I went to this restaurant based off the good reviews, appetizing pictures, and reasonable prices. HOWEVER, this was a big mistake. The food was horrible, unfortunately, and I was very disappointed.
The Kalua Pork Nachos:
This is what had me the most excited. All the pictures online had me salivating and by the time the dish was served, I barely had enough time to snap my own pic before diving in. The idea of the whole thing is great: kalua pork, lomi salmon and fried won ton skins instead of nacho chips. All sounds great, right? Wrong. This dish was SOOOOO SALTY we couldn’t even finish it. It wasn’t moderately salty, it tasted like the cook accidentally (or intentionally) spilled the salt in the dish. Now I’m a very tolerant person when it comes to food, especially when I’m starving, but this was unbearable. I’m also not one to send food back or complain (especially since we had more food coming out) but looking back, I really wish I did for their own sake.
Garlic Beef:
This dish wasn’t nearly as bad as the nachos. It wasn’t noteworthy nor something I would go back specifically for; it was just ok. I think it was just a big relief from those nachos… anything without salt would have tasted good. There is a dipping sauce with this dish which isn’t bad, but the garlic flakes on top didn’t really stay unless you piled them up and wrapped them in your slice of beef. Not the best way to eat, but not a huge complaint.
Fried Rice:
This dish was HUGE… plus points for large portions. The flavor wasn’t really that great though and it has NOTHING on the other local spots when it comes to fried rice. We ended up eating about a quarter of it and taking the rest back for the dog =X
I must say the service is good and the beer is cheap ($ 2 for domestics, bottles only) but needless to say, I will not be returning. I hate posting bad reviews and hopefully this was just a bad night for them.

Mediocre food and less than stellar service. In fact, the service is non-​existent for the most part. Let me start with comments on the service. If you want attentive, friendly service, this is NOT the place for you. Once the owner dumps your drink and food, she seats herself either at the bar or in a booth with her computer. You have to get up to ask for anything, including the check. Couple that with the fact that she is not friendly and a little grumpy and you feel quite unwelcome in this establishment.
Now for the food. Ok, so the food is not bad. I’ve had better fried rice at other places, and garlic chicken here is a little on the dry side. The Steak is good, but its kind of hard to ruin steak. The prices are reasonable and portions large. Everything is served family style.
’nuff said.

We came by on Sunday afternoon for part two of a late lunch, after a long hike. I don’t have anything dreadful to say about Kaimuki Grill, but I was a bit disappointed with the food here. To be fair though, we didn’t order their infamous garlic chicken.
We did get the Kalua Pig Nachos and the Teri Steak sandwich to share. The nachos are impressive at first sight. But then I’m not a huge fan of crispy wontons because I cannot help but feel like they’re super fatty. And so I would never order this dish again. The lomi salmon with the kalua pork was a good combination though. The Teri sandwich was seriously minimalistic. I mean, there was the bread, some mayo, and the meat-​no lettuce, no tomato, no pickle… it reminded me of a lunch from a school cafeteria. But then even in our cafeterias I’m pretty sure they included lettuce in the sandwiches. The fries were okay.
I had wanted to try the watermelon ice cream pie, but they didn’t have it on hand.
I left wishing that we had gone to Home Bar instead. Our server was good though and the food came out quickly-​so that is why I’m rating this place 3 stars instead of 2.

Kaimuki Grill is a cute little spot for a reasonably priced casual-​style dinner /​pupus and drinks. Imported beer = only $ 3.75! WOW.
ROMAINE SALAD — $ 6.75
Tossed with Adelle’s Famous Dressing. Light, slightly creamy, and flavorful. And this salad is pretty big, so it’s great for sharing.
LOTUS ROOT CHIPS — $ 6
Tastes like regular potato chips, but they are thicker and waaay cooler. Ask for some of the garlic steak sauce for dipping! That sauce is fantastic. But the Lotus Root Chips tastes great without sauce; they’re already lightly salted.
PULEHU SHORTRIBS -$ 14
If you’re expecting bone-​in like we were, you will be slightly disappointed. However, the quality of meat and good flavor make up for it. The meat is über tender and came with a generous serving (relative to the portion of short-​ribs) of sautéed mushrooms and onions.
KALUA PIG NACHOS -$ 10.50
Chunks of kalua pig and lomi salmon on a mound of won ton chips, drizzled with a special sauce. A definite winner.
Not a «regular» hang out spot for me, but I’d dine here on occasion. The food is good and affordable.
Unilocal 365 — #310/​365

The first time I came here was shortly after they first opened. Back then you could only get bottled beer from behind their bar. They have since improved their bar to include wines and liquors. I’ve been here many times since, and it’s the cheap alcohol that’s the big draw for me, although that is a definite plus! What I love about this place is the food, and the super friendly service!
The portions of food here are pretty hefty, and it’s quite reasonably priced. It’s more or less family style unless you’re selfish and get a burger. I’ll let you know that I have been selfish before and ordered the teri burger with fries, and it was freaking AWESOME!!! But back to the family style dishes. The staples I usually get are the garlic steak, shoyu hotdogs, and the lotus root chips. Usually we’ll also order either fried rice, or noodles. If you do decide to go with the fried noodles you’ll definitely want to also order the shoyu hotdogs, and dump it over the noodles. That’s a winnah combo! Other notable dishes are the garlic chicken and the pork chops. So ono! Make sure you come here with a lot of people, so you can try a lot of dishes!
The servers here are always great! Every time I’ve come I’ve had very friendly and attentive service. It’s almost like going to aunties house, and she just keeps feeding you, and bringing you cold beer. So awesome! I even had a different server the last time I went (he was a younger dude, sorry, can’t remember his name), and he was top knotch too! The order was right, he checked up on us, made sure we didn’t prematurely run out of drink, and even stopped by to talk story a couple times. You can’t beat good personal service like that!
The atmosphere here is pretty relaxed. Even though it’s a bar it’s not uncommon to see whole families here. Kids in their baseball or soccer practice uniforms with their parents, or even little old white haired obaachans enjoying some down home cooking. I always feel like this is the place where you’ll see all the Kaimuki uncles and aunties watching a game, hanging out and eating.
There’s a ton of parking if you’re willing to park in the pay lot adjacent to Kaimuki Grill, or feed the meter in the next lot over. Luckily I live a short 5 – 10 minute walk away, so I’m not usually too worried about that. It also gives me the chance to walk off any residual drunkenness I may have from the cheap beers.
The only reason I can’t give all five stars is that I tried to come here after golf last Sunday, and they were closed for a big catering order, or something. They were also closed on another night I stopped by for a private party. I can understand that they would have to do that for these events since they’re not a very big operation, but it still bummed me out that I couldn’t get my K-​Grill fix when I wanted it!

Because of the raving reviews on Unilocal about the Kalua Pork Nachos, I decided to finally stop by to try it out. Honestly, this came out not as best as I expected it to be. It did give me a «kanak attack» though! I could barely finish half. I guess if you’re hungover, this is what you should go for, it’d be best for that!
This place is a type of hole in the wall, family-​owned restaurant. It’s tiny and cozy, and you’ll feel very welcomed.
Downside: Weird hours.

Good place for reasonable drinks & pupus. They also have karaōke but the song selections were limited. The place is rather small and cozy, around 10+ tables with a small bar area.
The day we went (yes it was still light out… it’s «beer o’clock» in some parts of the world right?!) the owner was tending bar. She was pretty generous with my wine and chilled vodka, bonus star for that.
The food menu is also small but the garlic steak and kalua pig nachos were delicious! The steak came with a garlicky dipping sauce that was so good that I drenched the accompanying salad with it. The crunchy fried garlic chips was also a nice touch.
The Kalua Pork Nachos ($ 10) was a heart attack on a plate.
I could feel myself getting fatter with every bite, yet I couldn’t stop eating it! Crispy won ton chips were piled high and layered with kalua pig, tomatoes, onions and drizzled with a tangy mayo sauce.
The only complaint was that I wished there was more kalua pig and less chips (we left a huge amount of undressed chips on the plate).
They also have takeout bentos and musubis during lunch time as well.