Rainbow Drive-In

I was so excited about this spot because my local friends said it’s good food for CHEAP. They were right about that part — it is certainly very cheap, but the food was just decent in my opinion. The lines are long but the service is pretty fast. Just beware, the parking lot can be a total mess and it’s quite small. There was decent street parking but as usual, Honolulu is just overcrowded and there can be impatient people. I felt like most of the food was rather bland and they would just smother everything in a salty gravy. The mac salad was just okay. I’d rather go to Zippy’s for a plate lunch and spend a little bit more to have much more flavorful food (and be able to sit in air conditioning).

Ok, this is one of those places you only know about it you’re a local. Very casual, nothing fancy, but good food! The service is fast, and the «drive in» atmosphere is fun for a late night grub fest! Sit outside and people watch. Plate lunch, local food.

I definitely didn’t feel the love for Rainbow Drive-​In that everyone on Unilocal (and the travel channel) seems to have. They offer your basic plate lunches (along with a fairly extensive menu), but that’s about it, really.
OVERALL.
— Fast service with the option to call your order in (to skip the wait)
— Decent food, but nothing to write home about
— Private parking lot available, but the spots can be small, and it’s difficult to navigate
Honestly, we just came here because of the hype, and we ended up barely touching most of our mix plate. The breaded mahi mahi, chicken, and beef was all very forgettable. Save your money (and calories) by going somewhere a little more tasty.

Very Ono! Rainbows is where it’s at! If you’re in the area come by and eat. The prices are easy on the wallet with generous portions. Easy location to find at the east side of Waikiki. Plenty of out door seating with a roof to protect from the sun or rain. Just watch out for the birds. The lines might look long but they move quick.
Check out their menu because of the daily specials. Come quick because they run out of popular items or the specials like the Shoyu Chicken. Despite that there are plenty of other great options that won’t let you down. Their food is made to order, very tasty, and come hungry.
The slush float is pretty good. Might sound weird having a scoop of vanilla ice cream in your strawberry slush but they go very well together. Almost remind me of Rita’s on the mainland.
Then for plate options I recommend the Shoyu Chicken, Chili Moco, Fried Chicken, and Mahi Mahi.

Just wanted to mention that you don’t actually «drive-​in» and eat in your car, neither is there a «drive-​thru». You just drive in and park. Go order your food and either eat at one of the outdoor benches or take it home.
The lines here can get pretty long but they move really fast.
You get your food pretty fast too.
I got their bbq mix plate and it was good.
Good portion of food and good prices.
I’m not much of a fan of chili, but I definitely liked their chili here alot.
It was great.
I also like how they pack their food, it goes on a plastic plate, then they put that into a box. Pretty unique I say.
Althought beaware if you eat on those benches, there might be a giant cockroach roaming around.

Although The slushy was unique, it tasted sugar’ed down/​too sweet. The food was meh: We got the mixed meat: meat was too dry, mahi mahi was overcooked. Mac and cheese was pretty good though.
Parking was difficult and hit or miss.

One of the best plate lunch places in town. There are two parking lots, and several outdoor seating tables. Also, in between lots are a couple of small gift shops.

Plate lunches with solid, if unexciting, options. Ordered the mix plate with chicken, steak, and breaded fish. Meat was decently cooked, though the steak was a bit tough — good macaroni salad though.
Fast service, and you can call in your order for pickup (right window) if you don’t want to wait.
Rainbow Drive-​In merch is available out of a small store to the right of where you get food.

********************** 1479 *********************
If this place is good for President Obama to eat, I should check it out. Walked here from Waikiki Beach, to earn what I was about to eat. The place was half packed around 1 PM.
The cashier didn’t even care to ask if you want anything. I told her it was my first time and she repeated what did I want. Rude is understatement.
I ordered the special with all three meats: chicken, beef, and pork. The white foam box was over filled with food, one piled up on the other?!
Opened the box up, I didn’t know where to start. I realized this is not really a place for me. Unless I’m training like Michael Phelps for the Olympic. Although, that was a very generous portion for one person.
I couldn’t eat the coleslaw. The chicken was OK, but the beef was so chewy.
It’s place when you really hungry after a Marathon, please come here. Other than that, bring a friend or two to share the food.
I always wonder is it why American is the fattest nation in the wold.

This place was recommended to us by local Hawaiians and it’s a local favorite. We ordered a mixed plate and loco moco. I might get killed by the locals with this review, but sadly we thought the food was bland and it was also way too heavy for our taste. The mixed plate has fried chicken, grilled beef, fried mahi mahi, white rice, and macaroni salad. I do like fried foods on occasion, but I thought it was a little too much along with the heavy mayonnaise macaroni salad and white rice. The loco moco was rice with a patty and fried egg on top. The gravy was a bit bland and it was just okay. I tried to enhance my plate with some hot sauce, but unfortunately had to give up after a quarter of the way in. Sorry, it was just a little too heavy for my taste! Please don’t kill me.

This place is awesome… I think it looks like locals head there so we felt like we must have gone to a good place.
The portions like any plate lunch place in Hawaii, is MASSIVE. We ordered the fish, chicken, and steak combo, and then also a loco moco. The food came out in like 5 mins or less, and we grabbed a picnic table in the parking lot area.
We grubbed and my daughter was happy with her rice and chicken. We picked up some souvenir t shirts for our two nephews.

You can’t beat the prices here! Really great bang for your buck, but the food didn’t impress us.
The bf went with the Loco Moco and I got the Mahi Mahi. I’m not a fan of the loco moco. It was pretty bland to me. The bf didn’t enjoy it either, but when in Hawaii you gotta get at least one loco moco right? I liked my breaded mahi mahi and tarter sauce a lot, but other than that everything else was okay. The rice was a bit hard and I really didn’t enjoy the macaroni salad at all. It was very bland as well.
Tables are first come first serve. They seem to fill up quickly!

The ok was given to the Tuesday special Ahi, but I only finished my fish. I was there for the loco moco, which sucks, the gravy is just not my thing. Their price is un-​beatable given the huge portion of food they serve on a plate!

Nosh and Nibble came here for dinner and we had the following:
Loco Moco Plate ($ 8.50)
Mixed Plate ($ 9)
This Loco Moco Plate was as traditional as they come with your choice on the preparation of eggs. I chose over easy and these came with two hamburger patties, mac and cheese, a ton of rice, and a ton of gravy on a styrofoam plate. Presentation-​wise, I think this is the best you get at this price point. The patties were pretty juicy and the eggs done right. I’d just recommend adding some pepper or ketchup to zap some extra flavour if the gravy isn’t enough. Quantity-​wise, you should be satisfied.
The Mixed Plate came with fried chicken, fried fish, grilled steak, rice, mac and cheese, and a bit of salad. For about the same price this was a fast food treat. The steak was a little dry and the amount of salad almost laughable, but the fried goods were pretty juicy on the inside. Again, this is not glamourous food, but the taste was pretty good. If you’re looking for a definitive taste of Hawaii, this diner scene is one cuisine you’ll definitely want to try here and walk away stuffed.

A landmark place to eat in Hawaii.
Luckily for me he house I stayed at was literally right around the corner so my friends and I made SEVERAL if not many trips here.
I lost rack of all the stuff I ate but the katsu, fried fish, ribs, chicken, man salad, slushies, and etc were all yummy.
The mac salad tasted like butter. who does not like butter.

True Hawaiian drive in experience. We had just landed and were heading to our AirBnB and realized Rainbow was around the corner. Easy decision for a quick stopover.
We didn’t want to over order, so the bf and I shared a mixed plate and a side of loco moco.
Mixed plate: I wasn’t a fan of the fried fish. There was too much breading and it lacked flavor. It may be that I just truly prefer my fish grilled/​baked over deep fried. The BBQ beef and chicken cutlet was exactly what I was looking for. It also comes with rice and mac salad or slaw. Normally I’m a slaw kind of girl, but when in Hawaii always choose the mac salad. I even commented, I’m not sure if I’m just really hungry or if the mac is actually that delicious. As I continued to eat and wanted even more, there was no denying that it was actually that delicious. The portion of this mixed plate is a lot! It is definitely shareable or be ready to take leftovers.
Side of loco moco: My first thought when we opened the container was, ‘This is a side plate?!’ I can’t imagine how much food a whole plate would come with. This meat, gravy, and rice combo was delicious. Of course a beautifully runny egg topped it all. My only complaint was too much rice and so I was left with all rice at the end. A little extra gravy at least would’ve helped.
Order at the window. There is outside seating. Your food is served to you faster than it takes for you to scope out an empty table. Prices are cheap for the amount of food you get.
Definitely a Honolulu staple (says the Honolulu tourist)

Mmmm I love this place! So much that we came back three times on our 3 day trip haha
LOCO MOCO PLATE ~$ 9
[+] peerfectly running over-​easy eggs
[+] comes w/​rice and pasta salad
[+/​-​] two patties tasted pretty normal but I’m a big fan of loco mocos (:
[+] gravy was deliciousss
MIX PLATE ~$ 9
[+] seriously the best piece of breaded chicken I’ve ever had
[+] the best piece of breaded mahi mahi I’ve ever had
[-] buuut the beef was only okay
[+] also comes w/​rice and pasta salad
Two orders of a «plate» dish is way plenty. We were two people and we struggled to finish this.
SLUSH FLOAT ~$ 3
[+] it’s slushie AND ice cream! pretty interesting
[-] but sooo sooo sweet; I’m not a teenager anymore, I can’t handle the overwhelming taste of sugar!
BREAKFAST SPECIAL w/​CHICKEN CUTLET
[+] that delicious breaded chicken
[+] with that wonderful gravy
[+] /​drool.
[+] and eggs
[+] w/​your choice of rice or buns
Note that there is a parking lot for this place! We parked at the zoo around 7pm and paid for the hourly rate until after dinner since we were thinking of walking to Rainbow. We totally did not know there was a lot with lots of parking.

Came here for our first meal with the squad once we landed in Honolulu.
This spot is known to be a Hawaiian staple, so I was super excited to check it out.
— LOCO MOCO: The hamburger patty was rich and flavorful, and liked that the gravy wasn’t too salty or greasy. The eggs were cooked perfectly, with a runny yolk. The mac salad here is delicious!
— COMBINATION PLATE: This came with tempura fried mahi mahi, chicken, and short ribs (galbi). The short ribs were juicy and tender, and the chicken was cooked nicely. The mahi mahi was a bit dry, so it went well with some gravy or katsu sauce.
— STRAWBERRY SLUSHIE (with vanilla soft serve): This concoction was perfect to end a meal in the warm, humid weather. Once this melts down a bit, it’s like you’re drinking an ice cold strawberry cream slushie.

Hawaiians know how to eat and rainbow is no exception. With great prices and an extensive variety this spot is very budget and taste buds friendly! The loco moco and the mix plate are great options and the chocolate brownie with pecans is to die for.
Combining that with a very «local» feel you get a great experience.
Why not 5 stars? Because it’s not the best in the island But def a great option that is a must!

Hawaiian food — dooooo the loco moco with me!
You can load up on carbs with their big portions of rice and macaroni salad if you are aiming to go that route.
Good value with good, generous portions. Aloha.