New Diner’s Drive-In

The food was pretty okay but what is disgusting is the big ass fly that I found in my Mac Salad. Yeah just cause they put up a new sign saying they’re new & improved don’t believe it. Messed up. Dirty.

My boyfriend and I came here on 5÷6÷16 around 4pm. It wasn’t busy at all — no one was in line to order but we still had to wait a little for someone to come to the window to service us. Maybe they were on a lunch break? Anyway we didn’t mind the wait too much cuz when the lady finally came, she was very nice and answered my questions patiently :)
I ordered a coconut bubble drink with boba (of course) and mochi!!! And if anyone knows me, they know I LOVE mochi. Also this was the first time I saw that as an optional addition to a boba drink so I was super excited to try it. My boyfriend ordered the Special #4 which comes with meat jun, steak & chicken katsu and also got a jumbo drink and an orange bang for us to share.
My bubble drink came out first and I almost jumped up to grab it! But then I took the first sip and I was horrified to find that the boba was NOT COOKED THOROUGHLY. It was soft and chewy on the outside but the middle was HARD as a seed! On top of that, the coconut smoothie wasn’t sweet at all. Maybe it’s supposed to be like that, but I have a sweet-​tooth so you can imagine my disappointment, lol. Also when I tasted the orange bang it was a little sour in my throat. It’s hard to explain. The soda also had a little punch to it, like it was a little more acidic than normal? So our drinks overall were a little meh.
My boyfriend said his steak wasn’t all that tasty and when I took a bite I agreed. The meat was a little mushy. His meat jun was alright just a little too salty for my taste. As for the katsu? It was BOMB!!! It was so moist and had a nice crunch. Loved it and would come back just for that!
Overall, food is either a hit or miss with this place. As for drinks? Well, we’ll just stick to soda since it wasn’t so horrible that we weren’t able to tolerate it, hehe.

Idk what’s up with all the bad reviews. My son and I tried the spicy mochiko chicken and damn thing was pretty darn good. Crispy, not oily, with a nice spicy flavor. Kimchee that came with, I wish came with more. Perfectly spicy! Fries we ordered could of had a little more salt ob it though. We will be back.

This place is open 24 hours! That’s a plus. Parking area right in front — another plus. Staff is nice. Food is good, but not super wow. They seem to have included extra sides with their late lunches, where did the kimchi come from? Lol. I would give an extra ½ star if I could.
I got a loco moco with brown rice. Overall good, but I do like my hamburger a bit more juicy, the was a bit dry for my liking. Bf got a Hawaiian combo with kalua and lau lau, again good but it’s not gonna be the best you ever had… needs something I can’t put my finger on.

Just had their pork guisantes (one of today’s specials) and it was pretty good! All plates are very affordable and come with a side of kimchee and white rice. I don’t think brown rice is an option. The drive-​in is now under new management which I think has improved the food quality by some degree.

This is one of my mom’s favorite places and I think it’s because she lives so close by. I wasn’t a fan at first but I have to say that I think this place is growing on me. My first meal here was their Kalua Pig & Cabbage plate for about $ 10. This was at about the same time that I started loosening up my diet after being so strict for so long. That might be why, but that is not the complete story. What I like is that the food is made to order so it comes out super hot and not dried out or overcooked. The cabbage in my plate was not mushy but instead hot and melted only slightly like it should be. I was happy that my food was not sitting in a warmer all day.
For my second visit I ordered the garlic ahi. I was happy that it was fresh but I wished that it was less salty. My ahi was overloaded with garlic salt and it would have been better if less salt was used and some minced garlic was added. It was saltier than the kimchi on the plate!
Just in case you’re wondering, my mom loves the fried chicken here. She always tells me how it’s so moist and juicy without being greasy. I may have to try it one of these days.

Food okay, portions okay, but not worth the price! $ 1 difference between mini & regular. So ridiculous! First time in a long time & guaranteed to be the very last!

I haven’t been disappointed yet. But then again, my visits are between 6:15am — 6:45am, when most of the island is either still in lalaland or gritting their teeth in traffic.
One of my favorite things to order this early in the morning is the lumpia at $ 1 each. Made fresh, so crunchy, savory and delicious with the chili vinegar sauce! (They tend to run out early, so get ‘em quick.)
Another fave is the very basic bacon & egg sandwich deluxe. Love that onion slice!
Ok, so some people think french fries for breakfast is a major no-​no, but think about it, what is a hash brown? Shredded potato that’s squished together into a patty then fried. French fries are just gargantuan hashbrown pieces, cooked individually! Ya eat both with ketchup, right?!?

This is my first time trying this place even though I live close by. I guess it’s because they except cash only. The prices are pretty cheap. I had got garlic shrimp it was really good. I also got the honeydew bubble drink this was also cheap but really good. Service was fast and friendly will definitely try to come back to try other things.

Just got home from ordering dinner… first off was told 13 mins wait for curry or stew… Well we waited, hamburger curry was worth it. Now if you like paper thin roast pork go to new dinners drive in. so don’t look like the picture not even close…
So not ordering that again

Mmm, room temperature mac salad makes for great food poisoning. I had a rough morning after eating dinner here. Chicken katsu was a bit tough on the edges but ok otherwise.

Braddah moco get that! Sober up your squad smoke stogie drive safe watching for the road blocks

Went here today tried there food. I ordered spicy mochiko chicken and roast pork mix. one out of 5 I give it a 2. Gravy was on point chicken not bad roast pork slices 4 – 5 pieces not worth the money. My wife ordered the fried noodles what a waste of money no flavor. Little bits of spam. cheese burger deluxe on point that’s what the one star was for and the gravy

I have actually never went to this place for about a few years even though I live a couple blocks away. However, I decided to go there to get some food one night. Oh boy, it sucked.
I was a little skeptical of eating here since the tables outside the place were dirty and the place was not exactly well lit. I did not bother to read Unilocal reviews before I actually went to this place because I already had low marks for it anyways, since anywhere that is 24 hours usually lack quality as the night goes on.
I took sometime to decide what I wanted to get, but the cashier that was working seemed a little annoyed that I was taking my time ordering my food. She did not say anything to me, but she did stare at me with an intense look the whole time I was looking at the menu.
I finally decided what I wanted and ordered the mochico chicken. It took only about 10 minutes for me to get what I ordered, which is pretty good for a restaurant. I started biting into my food and then I started to notice that the chicken was extremely greasy. It also tasted like they just microwaved the chicken and refried them. I could not eat anymore of it after a few bites and ended up throwing away the rest.
I felt sick after eating the chicken because it was so grease. I would not recommend coming here again.

Ok, let’s get this out of the way, I used to go to Diners back in the day but swore I would never go again. It was that bad. So why today? I was on the road and needed to get back to work but needed to pickup lunch along the way. As I came up on the location, I saw that it was the «New Diners Drive Inn». So why not give it a chance.
I am a fan of homemade hamburger steak and they had one on the menu so why not give it a go. It was homemade however, the pieces (two at that) was very very thin. At first taste, it seemed like Salisbury steak patties from the frozen TV dinners of long ago, but the taste wasn’t that bad.
Gravy was ono, rice was sticky and not over/​under cooked. And most important, food was hot.
So, will I go there again? Probably. Their garlic ahi looked pretty good. And there is a bubble tea shop connected to it. Will I get the hamburger steak plate? Nope.

Never ate food so fast. the mixed plate with BBQ chicken and Teri Beef was the juiciest meat I’ve ever tried. it came with 2 scoops of white rice and Mac salad.
then the homemade vanilla/​chocolate Swirl cone was a perfect way to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Tired of going to Zippy’s after your late night binge of alcohol at the club and being a ratchet in the bathroom? Welcome to one of the better late night spots to get your sober on and reflecting on how your spiral down into this plate of food that layeth beneath your face from New Diner’s is probably one of the better decisions you’ve made all night.
PLACE: located adjacent to the post office in Kalihi, this is a very easy place to spot while you’re driving by. Parking lot is plentiful, but it does get busy with its regulars.
Don’t be afraid, Kalihi isn’t what it once was. Nowadays all you have to worry about is why you just saw a random running independent chihuahua get VIP access to one of the many buy-​me-​drinky bars that litter the area. Like, did you just see that? Yeah, you did.
AMBIANCE: no dining in, it’s an outdoor seating kinda thing so enjoy your view of the local drunkards trying to get their fix on as well. No worries, lots of tables to sit your ass in. This place is definitely not romantic, so no first dates here ya’ll unless you know how to work it with you know what, so then all that superficial bull crap comes secondary. Lol
EXPERIENCE: this place has never failed me once. It beats Zippy’s by a lot. It’s priced dirt cheap for the large amount of food they give you, I teared once because the shoyu short ribs were monstrous. .. it was beauUuUuuutiful. They have a wide variety of local food and an assortment of crappy bubble drinks to choose from. .. c’mon, you’re drunk and it’s 4am in the morning, where else you gonna’ sip bobba’s that hit the back of your throat perfectly at this time of night? Yeahhhhhhh.
I’ve noticed that they have a new chef in the back as well, and he’s doing wonders. Compared to how this place was before. .. big BIG difference.
Overall, a really great place to sober up or get a late night snack for your munchie probs. Either way, this is the solution to your vice. Enjoy.
FIN.
p.s CASH ONLY!!!

Don’t ask me why but I’m just addicted to Diners meat loaf.
I’ve eaten it since I was a kid. Keeaumoku, Kalakaua and Kalihi locations (wont go to Aiea its just different). That’s the only thing I’ll eat there. Don’t know why.
I’ve had it served to me cold and sometimes when I go at night, I get the piece that’s been sitting in the warmer all day and has that carcinogenic crust on the bottom.
This latest incarnation is the worst yet. It has barely enough meat to hold all that bread together. Mushy sadness.
The rice scoops will soon be golfball sized. And they charge for gravy-​all-​over. Pitiful and down right sacrilegious in Hawaii.
Cured?

I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food for the price! We had kimchi fried rice with egg and the garlic ahi plate and both were good.
The fried rice was super flavorful with ham peas and kimchi. The garlic ahi was four slices and seared nicely. It wasn’t rare or pink in the center as I like, but was still tasty.
The location is on N King St and only three outside tables and some bar seating.

I’ve driven past this place MANY MANY times but never ate here until this morning. After shopping with a friend at the Swap Meet we were both hungry. I wanted to try Bob’s BBQ in Dillingham but my friend didn’t think it was open (when I checked on Unilocal later they’re OPEN).
As we arrived at about 830am there were just a few people. There have an extensive menu on the wall as well as a large board on the window with daily specials. Was somewhat hard to decide what to get but ended up with kimchee fried rice (egg cooked to order) and garlic ahi plate. My friend didn’t want white rice so we had tossed greens as a substitute.
While waiting to order the counter clerk too quite some time. She was making a boba tea so we just stood there until she was done! After placing our order the food came out in about 10mins.
As we sat down I started to read some reviews and with a bunch of below-​par ones, I told myself «I think we made a mistake coming here…» but the food was pretty good! The fried rice was cooked with a great amount of heat and enjoyed the bits of «crunchy rice» here and there. However, I didn’t like the frozen corn and peas in this dish and how the egg was placed in the box. It was «thrown» in the corner — — such bad presentation!!!
The garlic ahi plate was really good. A little overcooked to my liking but still very edible. Came with tartar sauce, lemon and thousand island dressing in cups but we only used the lemon wedges. This plate is worth ordering again.
For the 2 plates and a large non-​sweetened iced tea the bill came to over $ 22. A little pricey in my opinion.
Overall, a decent place for a quick bite.
NOTE: There was a sign at the register of «CASH ONLY».