Taste of 808

TASTE of 808, good kine Grindz, very friendly people, the owner will come out and talk to you they are very friendly people and they from the same hometown where I come from, I really enjoy them and company and the food. If you live around Newberg, come on down and try some Hawaiian Grindz, you going to Love it. Aloha 808.

The reviews of this place led me to think it wouldn’t be very good. But it actually wasn’t too shabby! The restaurant was pretty crowded when I got there at 6 and ordered to go. I got half Kalua pork and half teriyaki chicken. Like others said, the macaroni salad was nothing to write home about. But, the Kalua pork was very flavorful! I would love to try it with cabbage next time along with the shaved ice they served there as well. Big portions and lots of food in their 9 dollar meal.

The food is decent, and the staff is friendly, but they seem very disorganized. The hours are not good. Since so many Newberg residents work out of town, including our family, we don’t get home til about 6:30. Closing a restaurant at 7 seems a bit early.

Great food and service! Made their transition from trailer to a brick and mortar and I am happy to say that I can get this food on a regular basis

As a newly Oregonian transplanted from Hawaii, you can imagine how excited I was to find a restaurant that served local foods from back home however, every time we’d go by the restaurant we were either too early or too late. So, this past weekend we finally were able to have lunch there after going to the coast.
My boyfriend ordered the Kalua pig plate and I ordered the Hamburger steak plate. Both cost $ 9 and came with 2 scoops of rice and 1 scoop of mac salad. My bf opted for all rice since he doesn’t eat mac salad. But for the portion, I thought it was a bit pricey since it was just a basic plate lunch. The taste of both the Kalua pig and hamburger steak is very similar to what I’m used to back home so, that was a plus. The mac salad was okay, noodles were a bit on the al dente side.
The downfall of our visit and reason for the 1 star rating. The girl at the front who took our order. No customer service etiquette at all. She was not friendly, definitely came across like she did not want to be there and there was only one other customer besides us so, I can’t see why she would be flustered? Maybe I have high expectations since I’m from Hawaii and know how the Aloha spirit can make a person feel but regardless, the girl lacked customer service skills and I’m sorry to say, she is the reason we will never return to the Taste of 808.

I was so excited for a Hawaiian place but unfortunately I am not impressed with it :(
I got garlic chicken and it was way to fried and greasy! Didn’t even seem like I was eating chicken. My boyfriend got teriyaki chicken and it wasn’t anything special at all.

Unfortunately, this place was underwhelming. Chicken katsu was ok, but expensive for the amount. Kalua pork was boring as well. I noticed another Unilocaler complaining it was dry, which it was– it should at least have free sauce with it. Mac salad was very bland. Malasadas dried out and became gross in no time.
Definitely not as good as 808 Grinds in Beaverton.

Got lunch to go. Teriyaki chicken. Overpriced for what you get. Chicken was good quality, good flavor, tender. But not worth the $ 9 price tag. Rice & sauce were good, mac salad was… well, boring. Unimaginative. Flavorless. Having never been to Hawaii, maybe that’s just how they do mac salad there. I may or may not be back, just in case I ordered the wrong dish. But not for a while.
Also, gal at the counter, you should smile!

I moved back to Oregon after I graduated, and I’ve lived here for the past 4 years. born and raised on Oahu. I get major cravings for local food, and a lot of those other places that say «local food» don’t really taste that great. taste of 808 hit the spot.
I got half loco moco, half garlic chicken. I don’t care for brown gravy, and order it on the side. but after tasting the gravy from here, I poured it over everything! don’t get me started on the garlic chicken! was nice and crunchy, plenty flavor, SO good. the aunty who took my order was so nice, and easy to talk to (of course), made me feel like I was back home. get shave ice too! I got there 5 minutes before they closed, so I didn’t order this time, but definitely on my next stop! so sad I missed the adobo special by one day :(
if you’re looking for some legit local food, come here!

We were headed to the Oregon coast this past Labor Day weekend. Saw the restaurant sign «Taste of 808» and decided to stop and have lunch! You see, we’re from the 808. Visiting our son that moved back to Oregon to attend grad school. He wanted some «local grinds.»
Anyways, hubby had mini loco moco, son had chicken katsu, his gf had kalua pig and I had the garlic chicken. Wow, the food was «Ono»!!! All our choices were yummy!!! Better than some of the places back home! Kalua pig n loco moco good and tasty! Very moist chicken katsu with perfectly crispy breading outside! Saving the best for last was the garlic chicken… Crispy light batter with a perfect shoyu, garlic sauce! The Mac salad was great too. The best Mac salad back in the 808, is probably from Zippy’s!
Met and talked to some of the other Hawaii people eating there also that day. A family who moved there many yrs ago and a couple of college kids attending and playing football at George Fox. We even got to talk to the owner. She was very nice & friendly!!! Told her Good luck and Congrats, their restaurant was a big hit with our ohana!!! My son and his gf said they’ll definitely be back and will spread the news with all their Hawaii friends living there in Oregon!!!
Mahalo «Taste of 808» for the onolicious, authentic Hawaii plate lunch there in beautiful Oregon!!!

My wife got food poisoning from their kalua pork and the menu is limited. They need a variety of menu items to keep people coming back.

I decided to give Taste of 808 a try while in the area on business after a friendly recommendation. I was overall pretty impressed. The food was delicious, the mac salad was quite good, though I wish the portion would have been bigger.
I ordered the chicken teriyaki which came with a bed of rice, a scoop of rice, and a scoop of the mac salad. All of that was about $ 2 – 3 more than I have paid for comparable dishes in competing restaurants and I wasn’t able to get anything to drink within my budget. The food came out fast but I felt the front counter staff was a bit inattentive which is unfortunately the norm anymore just about everywhere. They had a delicious sweet chili sauce out on the counter that was to die for. The teriyaki sauce included with my meal, however, was very watery though it tasted fine.
808 did however strike on a personal pet peeve of mine, restaurants that serve chicken teriyaki uncut. What kind of a deranged sadist provides 3 uncut pieces of meat to a person in a Styrofoam tray? Then give them only a dull plastic knife to maim their lunch with. The knife is great for cutting holes in the bottom of the Styrofoam tray, not great for cutting chicken. This is in the top 2 or 3 of my all time culinary frustrations. This issue that causes the customer to laboriously agonize for an entire meal could be neatly remedied by about 8 seconds with the sharp chef’s knife they have in the kitchen.
Overall, yummy food, nice clean restaurant, kinda pricy, cool name. 3 out of 5 shakas, would recommend.

Great atmosphere, terrific food (garlic chicken is a must) friendly staff, just like back home.

I was really excited to get some Hawaiian BBQ in the neighborhood. I am so sorry to report I will not be going back for food.
The interior is remnant of the pharmacy that was there before, it’s bleak and the space isn’t being utilized the way a restaurant should look.
I’ve been to similar places like 808 and understand the waiting process, however when I went it took almost a half hour to get the food I ordered.
I got the garlic chicken and a good portion of it was fried fat and chewy. The mac salad was incredibly bland and overall was a poor meal. My wife’s pulled pork was so dry but I couldn’t fathom paying for sauce on the side (it should be included!). I’m really hoping the kitchen and staff were just having an off day, but it was that bad to never want to try their food again.
I would go back to try their shaved ice, but this place needs some help for sure.

Good food but not great Mac salad is a bit dry and the rice was good (how can you screw up rice?). I had Kalua pig plate which had a good flavor w/​Hawaiian salt. Taste of 808 has real Hawaiian food not like other places. Staff is real friendly and the music playing is Hawaiian Music. Please sell the Hawaiian drinks as I can get coke anywhere! Thanks for a great place to stop! Shave ice is awesome and so refreshing!

For $ 7 my wife and I got a scoop of rice and a about 8 oz of pork, served in a cardboard boat that I normally get served fries in. When I picked it up at the counter my first thought was «you’re kidding.» There was no sauce option I had to ask for teriyaki and apparently I was lucky not to be charged 50 cents for it as others have noted here. The Kahula pork was very bland and rice was rice. I was thrilled they had a gluten free dessert but it was very dry, i would say it was 3 to 4 days old. There’s an Hawaiian BBQ place in Tualatin that is very tasty and has a ton of sauce options and provides a lot of value for your dollar. These folks need to up their game.

We’ve been loyal followers of Taste of 808 since they opened their little food cart. The food is delicious (we get kalua pork and garlic chicken) and we’ve been to the restaurant several times. They are brand new to this gig, and it takes a while to iron out the kinks. Some people are so critical and it makes me sad. Where’s the welcome/​understanding/​kindness? Geez. I feel the need to stand up for ‘em. The owners are great people just learning the ropes.
Food is served in typical Hawaiian fashion, like many of the plate lunch spots in Hawaii. Grab your paper plate and plastic fork, pick your table, eat, and toss your plate in the garbage on your way out the door. Not sure why so many people complain about that. I’m certain this helps keep the cost down from not needing people to waitress/​buss tables. And for those that complain about the price — these are BIG portions of MEAT! We easily split a regular (large) kalua pork between myself, and my 6 and 8 year old girls. We just add an extra scoop of mac salad because we like it that much! :) Feed 3 of us for around $ 10? That’s cheaper than McDonald’s. and way tastier! Keep up the great work 808! We’ll be here rootin’ for ya every step of the way!

Good option for Hawaiian food in Newberg. The shaved ice is a great option. The good quality is ok, not the most amazing selection and portions, but still it’s so different than all other Newberg restaurants that I give it a 4-​star.

We chose the teryaki chicken and Pork meal. It was about $ 9 each. The meal was done in about 25 minutes and our name was called to pick it up on a paper plate and plastic fork. Excellent taste. Chicken was cooked perfectly but minimal sauce. I asked for extra sauce, staff went to kitchen and came back and asked for 50 cents. Hmmm Pulled pork tasted moist, fresh, marinated and tender. Ambiance was like a cafeteria, they still have boxes around and scotch tape to hang up signs. Teenage employees were top notch smiling, helpful and friendly. I asked them if Alvin and Verlie were there to welcome them to Newberg. Manager never came out… Im sure its busy being newly open but «Newbergonians» will expect the small town personal touch. A little confusing on if we seat ourself or bus our own table. Theres no obvious garbage until you are at the back door. Its worth a try but I think their catering meals are more impressive.

We came to the Camellia Festival just so we could get some lunch from Taste of 808. Of the three food trucks there, this place was hopping as seen by the picture. I am so looking forward to them having a restaurant open in Newberg soon! I’m especially looking forward to the Shave Ice with beans and cream like in Hawaii.