Onotogo

5÷7÷2013− I just saw, on Twitter, that these guys are still in business. They are at Taste Table, on Tuesdays, in May only. 667 Auahi Street 96 813
Delicious! :)

My boyfriend is modern day caveman of sorts and this means his needs are as follows:
1) Caveman eat meat.
2) Caveman drink beer.
3) Caveman play or watch sports.
4) Caveman feel up cavegirl.
Those four basic needs combined make a happy caveman but boy oh boy, feeding that caveman can get expensive. He literally inhales giant dead animal carcasses faster than I can cook them. It’s a good thing we’re past the hunting stage because my spear chucking skills are less than stellar and we might never get a square meal.
I am so happy that I’ve found Onotogo because they feed my caveman with their $ 9 Pulehu short ribs and chicken plate which includes two scoops rice and toss/​mac salad. I showed him his plate and he said «(Grunt) Lots of meat.» This translated means «Wow honey, thanks so much! You are the best! I am so lucky to have such an amazing person to take care of me. I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!» Yes, he is a man of few words but the emotion behind them is not lost in translation.
Unilocal 365 Challenge: #139/​365 (The Caveman Diet)

After a surf sesh, my friend and I were craving something meaty and salty. OnotoGo answered our prayers! We split a mixed plate of pulehu chicken and pulehu ribs and I wish we had each ordered a plate because I could have eaten the whole thing by myself, it was that good!
I cannot give them 5 stars because while I was there, one of the owners had the brilliant idea of emptying the ashes from the grill during high winds, near the eating area, and all of the ashes flew towards us and onto our food.

I spotted Onotogo one day on Sheridan St., near the Cosmo gas station on South King. I got the Pulehu Boneless Short Rib bowl ($ 8): strips of juicy rib meat over a small bed of brown rice, with tossed salad. I also got their papaya dressing for the salad (brown rice and tossed salad were no extra charge). My order didn’t come in a bowl, but a rectangular plastic takeout container.
The meat was nicely seasoned, but the range of cooking temperatures varied from medium-​rare to medium-​well (I’m more of a medium-​rare to medium meat eater). The brown rice was cooked perfectly. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the light-​colored, creamy papaya dressing, and I saw black specks in there for a great color contrast. I would have liked a slightly larger portion for the amount paid.
Onotogo has other great specials, such as kalua pig and cabbage, poke bowls, hamburger curry, and salmon specials. Try Onotogo for some great keawe-​grilled food today!

Waited from around the time I first heard of this place and just recently was able to try their food out — the Pulehu Short Ribs and Ahi Poke combo plate that I had ordered was oh so delicious! I got there a few minutes after it opened and there was at the most, one person waiting for their order at the time, so I got my order within a 5−7min wait, which was nice.
They do provide a small covered area with benches and tables if you prefer to eat there, but I just got my order to go and even though the meat and rice was a bit cold after the around 10min walk back to the place where I’m staying at, everything was still very good! The tossed salad along with the balsamic dressing went well with the meat and fish too. The furikake citrus salmon sounds like the next thing I’m craving to try out:-)

K, the 1^st time I reviewed the place it was my first time here. Now I have been back here a couple of times and can say without a doubt that the food here is awesome and not a fluke.
Parking Wise: Parking can be difficult with limited street parking. But it is definitely worth the walk.
Food Wise: I am definitely a fan of the DokoGa TV Poke Bowl consisting of: choice of one of the pokes, pulehu chicken, white or brown rice, and tossed or mac salad. It has just the right amount of food for me.
Pros:
+ There is now tables under a tent for people to sit under.
Cons:
— Not as much parking available.
#Yelp 365 ⁰⁷³⁄₃₆₅

This review is ONLY for the poke. (…since that’s all I’ve had there. LoL)
Yes, some may argue that the poke is too salty and too flavorful, but to me… it’s yummy-​goodness. I usually get a side of poke to take home and eat it with my quinoa for lunch.
…and yes… when I can’t finish it all… and it’s been sitting in my fridge for a while… I actually cook it!!! And I can enjoy the yummy-​goodness all over again, COOKED! LoL.
Unilocal 365 Challenge #50/​365

Wow this is some good food! I had a really tough time deciding on what to get. Decisions… Decisions…
The smoke from Kiawe charcoal really comes thru.
Pulehu short ribs were tender, smokey and Dlish!
Teriyaki steak is easily the best on the island or anywhere! They use flank steak which can be tricky to cook, if over or under done can be tough. but they are grill masters and its perfect. The teriyaki and smoke from the kiawe charcoal along with proper cooking technique makes for one really good steak!
Choice of white or brown rice, mac or toss salad with plates, a bonus for the more health conscious.
I got the Dokoga special where they donate proceeds to the Japan relief fund. Poke, Pulehu Chicken, rice and mac. They have some pretty darn good poke, what i was craving, Shoyu style poke with inamona. Yum! It was fresh (not previously frozen) I almost got the spicy, which i was told was like spicy tuna (sushi) so i decided on the regular. I’m sure either would have been just as ONO!
I was gonna give it 4 stars but as I’m writing, i realized that i claimed it to be the best Teriyaki steak, so i guess by definition that makes it «as good as it gets» 5 stars.
Its good that this food truck has a regular place to park so i don’t have to hunt them down and follow them on twitter, since I’m too cheap to invest in a smart phone. I’ll get Iphone 12 when it comes out damn it! (but only after they work the glitches out)

#25/​365
Came here with my friend for lunch, we came a little before 12 on a thursday and we thought that it would be packed but nope, only a couple other people there and then a few more came afterwards. I ordered their teriyaki steak bowl for $ 7, comes with rice (choice of brown for $ 1 more) and choice of tossed (balsamic vinaigrette or papaya seed dressing) or mac salad. The steak was cooked nicely but just a little too med rare for me, as I like it med. It had a nice sweet teri sauce. They also had grilled pork chops as one of the specials that sounded good but I wasnt that hungry. They also always have a fish of the day.

Three words: Pulehu. Short. Ribs.
A friend told me that I should get there right at 11 because they run out fast, and just my luck, traffic everywhere. Freaking out because I’ve been dying to try this place, and if I missed today, boy the gates of hell would of been opened. Just kidding, I’m not that evil.
So I made it, YES! Menu is pretty simple. Got your meat’s (chicken, beef, pork) and fish too. Supposedly their salmon is suppose to be good (Second trip?) But decided to go for what they’re known for: Pulehu Salt Rub Short Ribs. HO MY GOD, was it just pure heaven. The meat was so tender and juicy, and you know it has great flavor when you don’t need to add anything to it (ketchup). I swear it literally melted in my mouth. Writing this just makes me want more!!! It also comes with either mac and toss salad. Got their toss with balsamic, and usually I hate salad, but their dressing, so good! And all for $ 7 (I got the bowl, you should go with the plate for $ 9), you CANNOT go wrong there.
Location isn’t bad either. If a friend hadn’t told me, I would of never known where it was. Got tons of parking, just ignore the «pay for parking» here signs, I do. And the service is great. You got two nice really chill guys working there. This place is easily worth 5 stars, and nothing less.

I’m a serious slacker for taking so long to review Ono To Go. When the truck was first gaining popularity I was stuck in the unfortunate predicament caled «lent-​induced vegetarianism» so all I could do was drool over reviews and pictures.
Being the masochist that I am I still followed @onotogo on twitter and and stalked people who ate there so I could drool over their plates and enjoy vicariously. Upon learning of my dilemma, Wedge created a plate I could enjoy without violating the lent diet — a grilled veggie plate!
I know you are shaking your heads right now but trust me, even though I’m now back on the meat-​eating train, I still eat the veggie bento whenever it’s available. Simple but delicious. I have no clue what he marinates those veggies in but it’s something magical when you’d shun pulehu steak, chicken, furikake salmon and poke for the likes of zucchini, kabocha, portobello and asparagus!
All of you lucky folks close enough to enjoy Ono for lunch … well I know most of you so give a gal a break and bring me some Ono To Kyle!
#17/​365

My lunch bunch friends decided to go take me to OnoToGo, and I am glad I went. I didn’t read the reviews on Unilocal before going, and I should have because then I could have decided faster what I would like to order and write about, but I agree with the Unilocalers that their food is pretty good. No lying, no promoting, but just my honest opinion on the food I eat, and I am glad I went because they serve really tasty food for your money:
Spicy Ahi & ahi poke bowl — 4 stars — For only $ 6, I had about half a pound of half ahi poke and spicy ahi on their special brown rice. The ahi poke was almost as good as Yamas, but the Spicy Ahi was the best I’ve had. They knew how to blend the mayo and spice mixture with the ahi, and also added tobiko in it. The amount as well as taste of the bowl they served was worth my money. Choice of white or brown rice, and when they asked if I wanted brown rice, the pake me mentioned it was a dollar more, but they said they’re not charging for it anymore, and that was the old menu on their truck. So of course, since the brown rice was no extra charge, I took the deal, and it was totally different (texture is more like soft long grain rice) from your regular brown rice at the store and worth ordering.
My friends ordered the combo kalbi and steak, and for $ 9 it was a pretty big serving. In fact, my friends and I all agreed that all the servings were tasty and worth the price.
Service — 5 stars — My friends gave me a hard time and told me that they way exceeded the 5 stars because I was asking them so many questions, and couldn’t make up my mind what to order for a good long time that they were half done by the time I ordered, and I had to let some other customers go ahead of me since I couldn’t make up my mind. I finally asked if I could mix half the ahi poke with the spicy ahi, and with a laugh and smile, he was finally able to serve me.
This hidden truck is in a parking lot behind walmart and some bars, and would be easy to miss. There’s only one small table to eat at under a small tree, which we were lucky to sit at since there wasn’t a crowd at the time we went. A truck that has a somewhat healthier meal that’s very tasty.
P. S. Sorry, Lori I, but I think now my post is going to make it more crowded the next time you go.

All Lori P. talks about is OnoToGo and how awesome they are.
What’s for lunch? OnoToGo
Where you headed? OnoToGo
Why you sitting in an empty parking lot? waiting for OnoToGo to open
I check out their menu, chicken, beef, poke, and rotating daily specials. Sounds pretty basic, wonder what’s the hype about? It really can’t taste that amazing, can it?
Teri Chicken & Teri Beef (Lori P. special delivery):
Chicken is easily my last choice of protein if beef and pork are present, but DAYUMMMMM, OnoToGo’s chicken is tender, juicy, and very flavorful. I thought I ate some of the island’s best chicken at Mike’s Fire-​Roasted Chicken, but OTG may have taken that title.
Dokoga Poke Bowl & Pulehu Chicken:
For $ 8, this makes an awesome lunch. The poke here is bomb, and I love their pulehu rub. The proceeds for this special also go to the Japan Relief Fund.
Kalua Pork:
Not too salty and juicy, text book kalua pork *thumbs up*
The food, price, and location (tons of parking) easily give OTG 5 stars, but the workers here are very nice. I’m still hobbling around with crutches and one of the workers can over to my car to open the door!
CAN’T WAIT TO COME BACK *Bart Scott voice*

I finally got a chance to go to Ono ToGo… and I’m a believer!
We were lucky to find no one else in line, and I ordered the teriyaki steak and pulehu. The pulehu was a little on the salty side, but still great. I enjoyed the teri steak better than the pulehu which surprised me (usually it’s the opposite way around). The meat was tender. The pulehu chicken was okay… I’m more of a meat person. I think that’s one of the best mac/​potato salad that I’ve had in a long time.
We were about to go and eat in the car, but there were some chairs outside and we sat down and ate. Would be nice if they had more tables and chairs in the shade :)
I can’t wait to go back and try their other dishes.
Unilocal Challenge: ³⁄₃₆₅

I cheated… I decided to start my Eat the Street earlier by going to OnoToGo food truck.
While I was browsing online to find out exactly where Brighton Collectibles was located in Ala Moana (see previous review), it dawned on me that I can pick up lunch… at OnoToGo… My stomach growled happily with my decision.
After strategically getting out of Ala Moana Parking lot, I went through the neighborhood to bypass traffic. Crossed the intersection and turned into the parking lot. SCORE!
No lines since it was a little past 11:00! DOUBLE SCORE!!!
Pulehu Boneless Short Ribs?! YES!!! TRIPLE SCORE!
Since I shopped and picked up lunch, I had to drive back to the office.
My stomach was growling hungrily while I tailed cars who were for some reason going extra slow. Showed my DoD CAC ID card to the security and found parking. Walked up quickly to my office and guess what?
The food was still warm and my coke was still icy cold.
Poured the shoyu over the rice…
Bit into the ribs… mmmmmmm delicious!
Although I may need to drive here on a Tuesday because it’s roast turkey day with the works!
I have also made a note to try their pork chops next time as well.
My stomach is content and quiet right now :)

The best lunch wagon on the island!
I love OnoToGo! Their food is always so delicious and you can smell it cooking when you drive/​walk by. It’s a great stop if you’re at Walmart/​Sams Club or even if you’re at Ala Moana. They get busy and run out of food if you go late, but that just shows how popular they are! They have daily specials.
They have a couple tables and chairs set up on the side of the wagon. The workers are all really nice!
I definitely recommend stopping here for lunch! Oh, and you can stop by Modern Pets too since it’s right through the parking lot! ;)

Look what you Unilocalers have done now… even the tourists are hunting this place down, probably quite shocked to be ordering food at a grafitti covered truck in a hostess bar parking lot in the middle of the day, only to consume the delicousness that is called ONO TO GO… What does this mean for you? You can expect a little bit of a line if you come at peak lunch hour, and if you come a little after that, a lot of your favorites will be sold out.
Not only that, but everyone wants to stay and eat in the parking lot too (WTH!?) so the last time I snuck into the Butterfly lounge and had an impromtu lunch with fellow Unilocalers Michael W, Norm D, and JJ L, who all happened to be there at the same time and we ate in one of the booths. Only problem was they thought I was supposed to be the hostess with the mostess. Boys, when I go to Ono To Go, I go for one thing: THE FOOD.
Since my initial review, I have come here probably a dozen times and it’s not near my work, home, or my kid’s school. In fact, it’s not even near anything I go to except for Sam’s club, and you know I only do that at 7:30am. (This place is open Mon-​Fri 11am — 2:30pm, Sat 10a-​1pm)
In addition to all my favorites (Korean Chickennnnn!) mentioned in my previous review, I have been adventurous and ate some other fine creations here, so if you arrive here and your beloved Pulehu steak is sold out, try these surprisingly delicious local kind grindz:
HAMBURGER CURRY BOWL $ 5. Yes, this is a bargain! Order the plate for $ 6! David C. recommended this saying that his friend thought it was «better than Curry House» and I thought to myself «How special can hamburger curry be?» I’m a tough one when it comes to hamburger curry because 1) I don’t like hamburger and 2) I don’t really looooove curry. BUT I LIKE THIS HAMBURGER CURRY… enough to come back maybe even tomorrow for another taste of it. This is Japanese style curry, perfect in consistency and full of flavor, meat, and a few veggies sprinkled in, but not enough to get in the way of the curry. I didn’t even know they had curry here on the every day menu all this time, I was so focused on all their grilled stuff and daily specials! I asked what kind of curry it was and Kev told me «It’s a secret!» so I’ll just have to keep coming back.
FRIED CHICKEN (!!!). Freaking awesome. I saw this today (⁶⁄₂₃) and had to try it. BETER THAN KJ’s. I remember having the fried chicken at KJs thinking it was good, but this is better. And I eat a lot of fried chicken.
GRILLED SHRIMP IN LEMON HERB SAUCE $ 9 — this is one of the rotating daily specials, I actually came specifically for this dish one day. Again, I wasn’t expecting to love the dish, especially after I saw the skin and legs still on the critter. I was trying it just because I’ve tried almost everything else… and that shrlmp exceeded all my expectations of what grilled shrimp should taste like. It was the best moist and juicy, succulent, fat-​ass pieces of shrimp I’ve tasted (once I removed the outside shell).
GRILLED VEGGIE MEDLEY SAMPLER $ 9 — Yes, if you are like me and trying to find vegan or healthy food to alternate with the fried chicken you consume all weekend: try the grilled asparagus, zucchini, pumpkin, and portobello mushrooms and you’ll be in for a tasty surprise.
CATERING — YES they do! They do birthday parties, business lunches, etc. so give them a call if you want to cater their food. Just make sure you invite me to your party, I only need a few hours notice.

I do not think I have been to a lunch wagon that has left me in a trance, daydreaming about pulehu… yes the food is that good. I have been there only once but am a huge fan and will be back again soon. I noticed Lori I. went back 2 times already… I really did not know what dish I wanted but I showed a picture from my phone of what I wanted to eat taken by Ryan O. the guy at the window was not sure what it was but said it looked like chicken and steak.
I ordered the pulehu short ribs and teriyaki steak.
short ribs are boneless, which I liked… This is my now favorite dish (the only dish I have ordered) I ordered this off the kiawe smoked menu. You have 4 choices, short ribs, chicken and steak… well I thought there were 4? The dish was heavenly. You have the smokey, tender chunks of meat that would make any carnivore wish that they had an auxiliary stomach to put an extra plate of this stuff away. You can order brown rice for an extra buck and toss or mac salad. Of course these guys are hidden… right in the back parking lot next to Flexa on Kapiolani.

Food truck adventure: So on a positive note, when I get my mind set on something, I set my goal and stick to it until I get. The negative to that is the same thing, when I get my mind set on something, I set my goal and stick to it until I get it.
Thus began my 3 week focus to eat grilled vegetables from, Ono to Go.
It all began when I caught an episode of Cheap Eats at my parent’s house and saw a food truck bring featured.
The show highlighted, Ono to Go, and amongst their pork chops, salmon and other items featured, was grilled vegetables. My mind exploded! A food truck that actually had grilled veggies as a menu item?! Score!
Why, Score, you ask?! When I became a vegetarian approximately 15-​plus years ago, it wasn’t just giving up eating meat. It was giving up some of the enjoyable things about eating out because vegetarian options tend to be limited to salads and the like and while food establishments could put vegetarian item or two on their menus, (and I am NOT talking salad!), they tend not to and focus solely on meat products.
So I was on a mission. I could EAT a vegetarian meal at a FOOD TRUCK! Yay me!!!
I found them on Unilocal and found their location. So as I giddily sauntered over to order my grilled veggie plate lunch… my giddiness immediately turned to frustration as they did not have grilled veggies.
I balked and asked why they would promote it on Cheap Eats and NOT have it on their menu… HELLO! You want and get the publicity and then not have it?! Ugh!
So for the next 3 weeks I was on a mission. I had my employee who is also a food truck junkie, call them everyday to see if they had grilled veggies on the menu.
And for 3 weeks they didn’t. I was determined.
Today, for the first time they served veggie medley, not grilled veggies, but heck, it was veggies nonetheless, so we ventured there, ordered it and it was… Ono to go!
My veggie craving was satisfied! Boo-​ya! :)

@OnoToGo, you phở-​king betcha! I finally got to hit up this truck after months of evasion — this made the hunt even more satisfying.
The GOOD: Friendly guys serving you up some seriously Ono stuff both in the truck and running around prepping your plate. When we arrived for some ono grindz, the specials were selling out (Mahi Mahi and salmon) and with good reason — man knows how to prep some broke da mouth fish! Fortunately I ordered me up some Mahi Mahi, while it was still around, and Justin R. my accomplice nearly sprained a bicep ordering the Hawaiian Plate which comes with one TON of food.
The best part of this whole experience was the exceptional Poke! The poke topped the Hawaiian plate and was by far, the best from a truck, store or kiosk that can ever be sold. It was succulent, savory, salty all out delicious. I need to order me up a pound and simply lunch in pescian-​bliss.
The Mahi Mahi was well flavored, lemony, garlicky and inundated with parmesan flavor. For the Hawaiian plate, you get lau lau, Kahlua pork, mac salad, two scoops rice, and poke. I am not a fan of Lau Lau, but this truck, man, made some seriously delicious lau lau — I usually can’t stand the leaves (because they remind me of a hamster cages) but this lau lau was pure flavor — MAD Flavor Yo! Without the hamster aftertaste. I have never enjoyed lau lau, leaves and all.
The BAD: The food was amazing, and knowing it’s from a truck makes it more delicious — I can only imagine what it would be if it were in a surrounding restaurant environment. Madness. The only problem that I COULD find was simply presentation. That though, does not affect taste — and it’s all ending up in the same place anyway. I know it’s a plate lunch, and I shouldn’t be expecting gold-​rimmed China, but my Mahi Mahi was just thrown in a cardboard take-​out plate, atop two scoops of rice and mac salad… I opened it and… it just looked sad. But again it TASTED AMAZING! And that was the ONLY thing wrong with the experience. On the lighter side — props for using some biodegradable-​ecofriendly containers made from recycled products. They support the environment, I support @OnoToGo.
Overall: Now I have to try ALL the dishes, and come back for my poke-​bliss. Two plate lunches, two drinks = 21 bucks divided by awesomeness = happy Unilocaler.