Mango Grill

Mango Grill is awesome! My coworkers and I hit up this spot at least once a week. The food is great, but it does get very crowded starting around 11:45am. If you’re in a rush, I recommend going earlier and ordering from their list of daily specials since that food is in a warmer ready to be packed in a to go box. Their crispy chicken is delicious, but I’ve heard great things about lots of their menu items. This is definitely a great spot to grab lunch at for anyone who works downtown.

Every time my coworkers and I decide to grab lunch here, we try to get there before the lunch rush, and every time the line is long! I think the earliest we left the office to go over (only a 5 or less minute walk) is 11:30 and we’re still waiting in line!
But long lines is considered a good thing, right?!
The portions are big, and the food is tasty. There are always daily lunch specials and those are ready to go in chafing dishes upfront. The menu selections take a little longer, but I’ve heard it’s good!
One special I really liked was their roast beef with red wine gravy — the meat was moist and I could taste a lot of red wine! Another thing you should treat yourself to is their Mango Grill Fries — crispy crinkle cut fries smothered in gravy, cheese, bacon, and maybe a couple other toppings I’m forgetting! Make sure to share with other people — finishing it all by yourself is going to give you health problems (I would think)!

Talk about amazing portions! I ordered. Cheeseburger with fries and it was huge. I had to quarter it. The fries took the open space in the lunch box. Their honey mustard is so tasty and great for the fries. I added ketchup to it because I’m just like that.
I so recommend this place and come early cuz there is always a line at lunch. You should come give this place a try.

If you are looking for food more comforting to your palate than grandma’s finest, Mango Grill is your spot. Each and every taste of all of the delectable dishes here explode in your mouth and will keep you consistently coming back for more. Situated on the first floor of the Topa Tower downtown across the street from the Aloha Tower market place, Mango Grill offers the ever-​popular Mango fries — gravy soaked cheese and bacon covered french fries that will sate your appetite like no other.
The line length can vary wildly. You can find yourself with no wait, or behind a congo line of 20 people, but it’s obvious that people love the restaurant and its food and that is why it is so popular. I personally enjoy the Spicy Garlic chicken, one of Tutu’s best dishes, and almost all of the menu items come with your choice of either brown or white rice, and macaroni or tossed salad, so the calorie-​count is completely up to you: you have been warned!

Located about 6 blocks (one way) from my office, my co-​worker had suggested Mango Grill for lunch. I had never been. Located in the TOPA tower at the corner of Bishop and Ala Moana, this hidden gem is nestled in an alley with other small eateries.
We arrived to the end of a line about 15 people deep. It’s always a good sign when people are willing to wait in a long line for food! Luckily, the line went quickly.
Mango Grill offered several items on special which were ready made in warmers. They offered white or brown rice and tossed or mac salad with your entrees. Many dishes were available in a mini or regular.
I was hungry and wanted to try everything! I finally settled on a side of fried rice (2 scoops) because I heard this guy behind me raving about their fried rice and a mini ahi with a lobster cream sauce.
The fried rice had ham, bacon, kamaboko and green onions in it. At first I thought it looked a little plain but when I took my first bite, it reminded me of my mom’s fried rice (minus the Portuguese sausage)! Wow!
The mini ahi was good too. It was cooked all the way through (I don’t like seared fish) and the sauce was good. I liked the miso dressing they used on the tossed salad too.
I’m definitely willing to go back but next time I’m wearing my walking shoes!
Oh! And I almost forgot! There’s a small dining room to the side too so you can eat there if you want to.

Eh, this plate lunch place is alright. I had the regular spicy garlic chicken with white rice and mac salad ($ 10). I expected some amazing chicken especially when I had to wait 15 minutes on the long line to order, then another 15 minutes for the chicken to be cooked because it’s made to order.
Unfortunately, the chicken fell below my expectations; the chicken was soggy with the sauce, the chicken was in tiny little bits, and the sauce was too sweet and not spicy at all. If you’re a Mitsuken garlic chicken fan like I am, this garlic chicken will not satisfy you.

so HAPPY i stopped here for lunch!
Located on the bottom, in the center of the TOPA financial center all the way at the bottom of fort street mall across aloha tower!
todays special was the furikake grilled ahi. totally hit the spot!
i only have a 45 minute lunch break, so i decided to eat at my desk.
i thought it would taste junk n the 15 minute walk back, but was i wrong!
you guys have to eat here! bring the co workers!

Okay, I’m having Hawaii withdrawals… BIIIIIIG TIME! :(Mango Grill has been one of my all-​time favorite plate lunch places in Hawaii. Everything is really good, the meat is perfectly marinated, the sauce has been made to perfection throughout the years, you can really tell everything is made with love and care. That being said, you can order anything off their menu and it’ll still be delicious.
The highlights are the the ribs, definitely the ribs, it’s just soooooo delicious! The portion of a mini plate is good enough to satisfy you, and if you can’t get enough, you can always get the regular.
After you order, there’s always the option of sitting down to eat, which is quite nice. I believe the entire area is a part of Mango Grill, and you’ll know because that’s where the soda fountains are.
The only thing is that this place might be hard to find the first time because it’s inside another building and can’t be seen if you’re looking for it on the street.

RIBS!!! They are so tender the meat falls of the bone. I’m salivating now for some… But they only have them on Thursdays, so go early before they sell out! I don’t know why anyone orders anything except the ribs on Thursdays! The sauce on the ribs changes weekly, but the ribs are always super juicy and tender. My favorite sauces so far are the sweet and sour, and guava barbeque. The blueberry one… tastes like blueberry, which is weird on ribs. Or any main-​dish meat, for that matter!
So far I’ve tried a number of their dishes, including the crispy chicken with tomato and onions (comes with a vinegar sauce you can add for added zest), wine-​braised beef, furikake mahi, beef stew (with mac salad, of course!), grilled mahi with mayo, imitation crab, and teri sauce (yum!), and of course, their Hawaiian plate (including kalua pig, rice or poi, chicken long rice, and poke (unless you want green salad instead, but who would do that!!!) on Fridays! I’ve never had a meal here I didn’t enjoy. If you like thick crinkle cut french fries, you will love them here, especially when they are smothered with brown gravy, cheese and bacon! I’m also happy they offer mini plates, which are just right for us with smaller appetites. Then you still have enough room to get a cupcake from across the street. Yay!
I’m so glad this plae is close to my office! It is one of my go-​to places for comforting, home-​style meals. The 2 ladies at the counter are also really nice! I haven’t tried their breakfast yet, but plan to after reading the great reviews!

I had a hard time finding this place =_​_​_​_​=
I had no idea there was food places INSIDE the Topa Tower! & When I finally found this place it looked like a take-​out only. However, when I got closer the front, there was a secret dining area hiding to the right! Thank goodness! :D
The Grub.
[[ CRISPY CHICKEN $ 6.50 ]]
[[ ONO WITH MAC NUT PESTO SAUCE $ 6.50 ]] I thought the flavor was really good. However the fish was really dry. Bummers.
Overall for my first time here I thought it was okay. Prices a bit high for a mini, and my ono was dry. So that was disappointing. However the flavor and sauce on the ono was so good! I wouldn’t mind giving them a second chance.

Alright, I dislike writing a bad review when I had original review was fabulous. Today, I was not happy. Service was real bad. I don’t like to wait, especially, when I’m also in a rush.
My friend told me about the mango fries and so I liked it ever since. He placed a phone order and we walked over after 10 minutes. We got there and I paid. We wait for 10 minutes, I went to another place to grab an iced tea, and still no fries. Another 5 minutes passed, we asked the counter person, she was about to charge me again. Yes, the same person who already rang me up. She asked if we ordered it and we said yes. Then we wait another 10 minutes, I was done with my iced tea, three different orders already came and went and we still had no fries. We asked again, the same counter person, then she finally realized no one put the order in. WHAT!!! We’ve been standing there for 25 minutes waiting and they didn’t even once bother to ask what we were waiting for. We asked twice for our order. Unacceptable. So rude.

So it’s been a few years since I wrote my initial review for Mango Grill and I must say, this is hands-​down one of my favorite lunch spots to hit up!
Here’s a tip: go early, like around 11 — 11:30 because it’s hella packed any time after that!
If you’ve never been, check it out and your taste buds will thank you. The food’s awesome! They offer 4 daily specials, which rotate, one of them usually being a fish dish. There’s also usually a chicken dish on the menu too and Fridays are Hawaiian food on tap. They also have other items on the menu that are made to order. It’ll take about 5 — 10 minutes, but totally worth the wait. I once ordered the clubhouse sandwich with furikake fries — it fed me and my boss. Oh and yes, I said furikake fries — try it. It’s awesome!
The ladies who work here are really friendly and don’t seem to break a sweat — even when they’re super busy!
If you’re ever having an early lunch in Downtown, you’ll probably find me here!

This place deserves a 5-​star rating for breakfast! I love coming here in the mornings and the two ladies who work at Mango Grill are always so sweet and friendly! Great way to start your day :) The prices are pretty reasonable for breakfast. I usually order a side fried rice which is under $ 2 and is more than enough food for breakfast. Otherwise, I will order 1 scoop rice, 1 egg & side bacon which comes out to about $ 3.50 since their regular 2-​egg breakfast is a little too filling for me. Sometimes it’s better to call in your food if you’re in a rush since everything is made to order.
As for lunch, I enjoy their fried chicken wings and their burgers w/​fries. Most of their food there is very tasty so you can’t really go wrong with anything you order.

It’s located at the bottom of the Topa Tower. I’m not sure what the parking situation because I walked there from work but I don’t feel like it’s a place you would go out of your way to eat at. They do have tables inside if you want to eat there.
The Spicy Garlic Chicken seems to be popular. I had it and it’s pretty good but it just can’t compare to the Fort Street Café’s Garlic Chicken. It’s also not «Spicy» at all.

This is a great place to eat for breakfast or lunch or both!
The food is very tasty and the staff is extremely friendly.
I usually get the 2 scoops fried rice for $ 2.00, but today I got it with a side of crispy bacon too-​comes with 3 bacon strips! So delicious and plenty food for $ 4.40.
For lunch they have a set menu that changes daily — cafeteria style– or you can order off their menu. When ordering from their menu it’s best to call ahead.
The preset menu samples:
Shoyu chicken
Crispy chicken
Spaghetti
Mahi mahi
Roast pork with gravy
Beef stew
The mini plates are usually $ 5.95 which comes with your choice of dish, scoop of rice and salad.
Definitely will be back!
Location: Topa tower downtown Honolulu
Hours: M-​F 6am-​230
Seating: Tables available
Prices: $

I came here after reading encouraging reviews from my fellow Unilocalers but left somewhat disappointed.
When you first enter the establishment, it looks like a plate lunch takeout spot without a dining area. Hidden from obvious view and off to the side is their dine-​in section.
They offer daily specials in addition to their standard menu.
After my Giants lost to his Cowboys, I owed my buddy lunch. We both ordered mixed plates and our tab was $ 19.90 for two lunches. A little expensive for two plate lunches: this should’ve run me about $ 17…
I ordered their 5-​spice shoyu chicken and crispy furikake mahi mahi. I wasn’t too thrilled with my lunch. The shoyu chicken was overcooked and stiff. I find it common for a lot of establishments to overcook their chicken. Is it because chicken needs to be cooked thoroughly or risk a salmonella outbreak? To err on the side of caution, they overcook chicken? The mahi mahi recipe needs some spices as if it lacked salt… flavorless fish. I should’ve opted for their sauteed mahi mahi instead.
Perhaps I came here with high expectations and the food was good but just fell short my expectations? In any case, my impression of here is overpriced plate lunches with below average to average food…

I must have walked past here several times on my way to the one of the other little places in Topa. The line is always too long, which made me wonder «what’s the big deal here?» Today was no exception. Line was long, but it was pouring outside so I had the time to kill.
I opted for the Kim Chee Fried Rice. .it was a toss up between that and the Garlic Chicken. I wish I had of gotten the Garlic Chicken. The rice was O.K.. . I’ve had better. The unique twist on this particular Kim Chee Fried Rice was the grated fish cake (you know, the pink and white kind?). .. hmmm. Not a big fan of that. The fried rice itself, was nothing special. just fried rice with some Kim chee thrown in. I ended up juicing it up with some Tabasco back at the office. At least it was fresh! i had to step aside and wait for them to make me a batch.
Price was moderate to higher than the most places. the rice was $ 6.75 and the garlic chicken plate goes for $ 8.75. (most plates at other places are $ 7 – 8)
I’ll be back. . and next time, I’ll try that chicken. . it looked really good!

Actual Rating 4.5
Line:
Can get ridiculously long which is why I need to cut off the .5 points off. However, once I got to put in my order I noticed that the length of that line definitely depends on what the people are ordering as well. It’s not their fault that the line is long.
Service:
I got this really «happy» vibe off most of the employees there. They’re all really nice and it’s probably the only place I’ve been to downtown where people smile at you. Or maybe I just had something on my face, not sure.
Food:
… is real onos. I had to wait a bit for my food because it was made to order (spicy garlic chicken), but it was worth it! It wasn’t burning hot spicy which was great. It had a nice crisp to it even though they put sauce over the chicken. If you ever tried Sugios, this place gets pretty close to their chicken, just not as big. Therefore not as internally juicy. Generally, I’ll definitely be back again if my break time permits the time it takes for the line to wind down.

Today I was intending on going to the Carrot Patch to order a turkey avocado sammy on wheat. However, I saw that Mango Grill’s line was unusually short and so I decided to step in line. Both are inside the food court area of the Topa Financial Center in downtown.
My understanding is that Mango Grill is the second generation (there was previous rendition of this place but it closed down) of people that were part of Side Street Inn. So I ordered the kimchi fried rice to compare with Side Street Inn’s (the Ala Moana one) which is by far the best kimchi fried rice I’ve ever tasted. O.K. I lied because my mom makes the best kimchi fried rice on the planet. She’s in L.A., however, so I have to compromise.
I have to tell you that the chefs must be from Side Street Inn because it’s pretty much the exact replica of that wonderful kimchi fried rice composition. It’s on the salty side but what do you expect with kimchi, something bland?
For $ 6.95 you get a huge plate of kimchi fried rice goodness. Would the turkey sammy at Carrot Patch been a healthier option? Probably by 300 calories. Was this plate a plunge into happy land? Yes. The aunties at the counter are also super efficient and nice. I already know this place had to be good because of the long lines, but today confirmed this notion. I don’t expect the lines to be this short again, but when I have a chance, I am going to try some of the other daily specials. There’s also a very spacious eating area with a TV, reminiscent of the set up at Side Street Inn, Ala Moana.
[EDITED the next day 6/​13/​12]: I thought about it a bit and it actually is too salty and flavors are dense. That is a mean, I mean MEAN, mound of fried rice. It’s actually too much for lunch. I did a five hour hike on Monday (Kulepeamoa Ridge for anyone who cares) and I pretty much think I gained back all the calories I burned from that in one sitting (and it was a lung buster too). I hate you food! I guess in the tradition of Side Street Inn they provide a hefty portion but seriously I think it’s enough for two big guys and maybe four little salad eating skinny ladies. To eat it all in one sitting like I did was kind of insane and definitely imprudent. Two words: portion control. Ugh.

Great lunch spot on the ground level of the Topa tower for the downtown crowd. A large hIdden seating area to the right of the registers makes this a WIN in my book. I didn’t see any mangoes here but what I did see was a bunch of awesome plate lunches.
Daily specials today were roast pork w/​gravy, sweet sour chicken, shoyu ginger pork, and beef stew but I had my eyes on the SPICY GARLIC CHICKEN (because that’s what happens to recovering garlic chicken addicts).
Choose white or brown rice, tossed or Mac salad. I’m gonna warn you right now about the SALAD DRESSING they use on the tossed salad. It is very addicting so watch out, even non-​salad eaters might change their mind! I’d come back just to have more salad dressing, and luckily for me they sell it by the bottle because one little cup is never enough of anything.
The SPICY GARLIC CHICKEN is VERY GOOD, but more garlic than spicy. Nothing wrong with that, I ate every last morsel! They should call it «Not too spicy very garlic chicken», because I still reek of garlic one day later. This is not a good dish to have if you need to lead a meeting right after lunch, or get into small elevators because the garlic seeps out from your pores. I tried really hard to sweat it all out, but I still smell like garlic 24 hours later. Or maybe that was from the other dish we had…
FURIKAKE GARLIC FRIES $ 3.50! Holy mutha effing garlic! Between this and the chicken, my body needs to detox from all this garlic. But it was awesome!
Thanks to Thomas O. And Grant S. for having the UYE here – and for letting me crash your party even though I didn’t RSVP!