L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

I had pretty low expectations as this is my first L&L visit ever and I had a fast food pre conception for some reason. I got the chicken katsu and and the BBQ mix plate. For the money paid I actually really enjoyed both items, especially the katsu. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a gourmet experience but I’m leaving feeling satisfied. This location seemed pretty clean and the staff was friendly too which I appreciate. I really wanted to try the loco moco but Unilocal steered me away from it. I guess I’ll save that for real Hawaiian restaurants.

I picked up a couple of bbq chicken plates for take out the other day. The food is pretty good, although the chicken was almost on the verge of being not quite right — more chewy than I’d like. The mac salad was bland and nothing to write home about. In a pinch, it was an affordable, easy meal with generous portions. The service was a bit strange. The guy who helped me was likely on something, as he shouted his greetings at me several times: Aloha! Mahalo! Mahalo! Okay, buddy. I get it. We’re in Hawaii now. I liked seeing the Honolulu Star on the counter. Nice touch. I noticed he left shortly thereafter, as his shift was over. Maybe he was just really tired? In any case, I would come back for a craving and also to try the healthier plates with brown rice/​vegetables/​salads.

Fresh and delicious! My husband and I came here for a hot dinner, slightly healthier than the fare at the nearby Taco Bell. We were overwhelmed by the amount of food we received in a «regular» portion.
I’ve previously eaten at the Millbrae L&L, and was equally impressed! DEFINITELY get the Spam Musubi.

This is my favorite L&L! My bf & I just wanted to grab some food and the guy on the cashier gave the best service! He was very welcoming and warming. Bf is from Hawaii and he said this is his favorite L&L in California yet!

Food here is okay. I come here on occasion because it’s convenient, and because my daughter likes the BBQ chicken. The full size lunch plate (entrée, plus two scoops of rice and one scoop of mac salad) is too much for one person, but not enough for two. I recommend the smaller version.
Spam musubi is decent, as is the chicken. The kalua pork is so salty, I could barely eat it.
A major deterrent to coming here is that the guy working behind the counter is so hyper, he just can’t stop talking. He’ll ask a question, but then start talking again before you can answer. He’s very nice, but I feel so bad for the cook in back because I’ll bet that poor guy can’t get a moment of silence when there’s no one else in the restaurant.

Visiting from out of town and went to L&L for some lunch. Where I live and work there are many chains of this restaurant all with consistent and delicious food. All I can say about this particular restaurant is that it is blatantly obvious how the owner is cutting corners, and unfortunately at the expense of their customers.
Now I know that most of their business is going to be tourists or famished groups just leaving the beach from a day of surfing. That being said, this location is a disgrace to L&L owners everywhere.
Katsu gravy was thin, runny and light in color, not a brown caramel color as most. It tasted like a top ramen packet had been mixed with water and cornstarch. My husband got katsu and didn’t seem to mind, but he is a very easy going man and wouldn’t complain anyway. The bbq chicken was not full of flavor as with most times, and I can only assume this is because they did not marinate it as long. The mac salad is one of my favorite things at L & L … well except today, it was the best part of the meal but still a far cry from delicious, as it is normally.
Lastly, I asked for a side of teriyaki sauce, I got a small ¼ oz. Cup. The sauce was thin and flavorless. Oh and I couldn’t even enjoy my white rice because their soy sauce tasted burnt. Probably poor quality to save on costs.
All of my disappointments with this restaurant are a clear result of being cheap with your product. We spent $ 38 on lunch for 2 people, no we are not the 500 lb people you may be picturing. We ordered 2 mix bbq plate. A mini plate with fried shrimp (the goon behind the counter said it was the same price and there IS NO arguing with this guy) & 2 sodas. A plate and 2 shrimp ea. (See, not that bad!!). Anyway for that kind of money I would at least like you to put in the effort to make the gravy right, the teriyaki right and spring for the brand name soy sauce!
Oh and how could I forget the aforementioned «goon» behind the counter, he asks you a question, continues to talk and then turns around before you can even respond. He didn’t do this once or twice, but several times. I believe he may be on methamphetamines. All I know is I had to practice patience to not embarrass my husband by telling him exactly how to behave.
Well that’s all folks. Safeway is in the same parking lot, tomorrow I’ll just go grab some soup and some fresh baked bread!

Either their hours on Unilocal is incorrect or they’ve decided to close early. Unacceptable!

Overpriced for the amount of food they serve you (small portions) and food taste much different from the other L&L locations (daly city and south san francisco). Place is clean and the cashier is always friendly.

Great Hawaiian food. I’ve been going here for years. Try the chicken katsu curry.
They only problem I have is that the restaurant closes early, so it’s tough to get food here after a typical post-​work surfing session at Linda Mar (6−8pm).
There’s plenty of confusion about what time they close:
– the sign out front says 9pm
– Unilocal says 9:30pm
– as a practical matter, they’re usually closed by 8:30pm.
According to the cashier last night «We wrote 8:30pm on the glass (on top of the sign), and it washed off. 9pm is wrong — we close at 8:30pm»
Anyway, don’t expect to get food it you show up after 8:15pm.

I highly recommend that you avoid visiting this restaurant in Pacifica. I ate here about two years ago and ordered a meal with fried shrimp. What I was served looked like shrimp, but had a really odd taste. I realized after a few bites that I was eating deep-​fried yellow plastic. Absolutely disgusting! When I showed it to the kid at the counter, he said they could remake it. Remake it?! I had already lost my appetite and was so nauseous that I couldn’t even ask for a refund (which should’ve been given immediately). I have skipped eating there dozens of times since (although I’ve eaten at other locations without any issues). In hindsight, I should’ve contacted the local health department as well as the region manager. Bottom line: just don’t.

Cash only !!!
They have an ATM it charges 1.75
The food was good I had a seafood combo with the beef short ribs, the small piece of fish was weird and not good.
My friend had the katsu chicken taste delicious, rice and salad was good too.
The place doesn’t look very clean but the cashier was very very talkative lol
Overall was fine !!

Tasted bad like they dont clean their oil enough really bad taste i got my money back never again

This place is great for a chain. I’m just happy to have this place in our little town. Food is fair price and tastes fresh.
Love the spam masubi. Just got back from Maui and honestly, I like the spam masubi here more! Maui, the places I got spam masubi at were way smaller and their rice didn’t have any flavor.
The LL Hawaiin BBQ chicken is great! You get a lot for the price.
Also really enjoyed their fish sandwich.
All in all, lets be honest it’s Hawaiin fast food, but frankly it beats all the other stuff we have around. You get more here than you would at McDonald’s, not to mention probably has a fraction the chemicals in their food, if any.
Try this place and dear gods, try the spam masubi, I’m hooked.

Im a fan of L&L all the way. But this one is kinda ehh. Cash only for a chain place? Portion was still decent, but a little less than other… and the guy at the register was just weird.
I mean, it is pacifica so not sure what i expected… But I’ve been to other L&Ls and they are slightly better than this.
I even saw a sign saying they charge for terriyaki & katsu sauce too… The shopping center and location is kind of eh too.
& How convenient, they have an ATM inside, which I had to use because they only take cash, which means they probably collect rent from the ATM & make more money via only using cash too… So to try to make up for my ATM fee, I whipped out the $ 1 coupon they have on Unilocal,which I wasnt even going to use… but then got bitter when it was only cash.

Had ramen burger here. It looked thinner than my expectation from the photo, but it was very tasty. You can’t grab it like normal burgers with buns though. If you succeed, tell me.
It’s a fast food restaurant, eat quickly and play on the beach!
Unfortunately they don’t accept credit cards.

Good price to food ratio. CASH ONLY!
Usually not busy at all.
I get the Chicken Curry Katsu, it comes with rice and macaroni salad! =D

Good fast food Hawaiian.
Curry chicken. Spam. Eggs. Soooo yummy. Not great for a diet… but yum!
Hint: Call and order ahead if you can.

Cash only!!!
All I had was the spam musubi and they were quite good. Not too much food options in the immediate area, but not a bad choice either.
In a pinch, not a bad place to stop. Place is pretty clean and parking is pretty easy.
Located next to the Starbucks and across the parking lot from Safeway.

Excellent food. About what you would expect for portion size and quality. I’ve eaten as other L&L’s in the past including those in Hawaii (Lihue). And other Hawaii style places. (SPAM is my friend!)
But Watch IT on the Unilocal Discounts! The bastards here don’t manage their Unilocal page well. So when You browse to their Unilocal site and get the discount presented they will say «we don’t accept that discount». When asked why the will claim to have not control of their own Unilocal Page. Their defensive style of backing out of the Unilocal offer did not come across very honestly either. (see my Android phone screen shot)
Another thing, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Pacifica only takes CASH. They will happily direct you to an ATM where I would assume they are getting a cut of the overpriced ATM fees. Grrrr!
The rest of the experience was good and the place is certainly clean.
Overall I would lover to give this place a higher score and I just might do so in the future. But for now I would recommend they get a better handle on their Unilocal site offers, and also take payment cards, before I kick up their review score a notch.

Although I don’t usually frequent fast food, I heart L & L. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of my numerous trips to Hawaii in my adolescence when I used to wander in for food, after a day at the beach, clad only in a bikini and a savage tan. In Hawaii, my favorite chain was Zippy’s but here in Cali, L & L will have to do.
L & L is a Hawaiian themed BBQ plate lunch chain. I usually get the combination seafood plate (fried shrimp, mahi mahi, and short ribs) which comes with a scoop of rice and macaroni salad. Their meat can be on the gristly side, but all in all, everything is pretty tasty– I must admit to secret cravings for L&L macaroni :) They also have Hawaiian Sun sodas (also makes me nostalgic for the islands). *SIGH*
I always come to the Pacifica L&L after a day playing beach volleyball with friends at Montara Beach. So, I’m generally famished and L & L is on my way home and hits the spot. Pacifica is super low key so it’s really casual and comfortable to wander in here covered with sweat and sand.
As I said, it’s not somewhere I would go regularly since I try to follow a very healthy diet, but it is perfect for late Sunday afternoon post-​beach grub.
Mahalo L&L!