Hawaiian Time

Coming from Las Vegas which has one of the, if not the largest populations of Hawaiians outside of Hawaii, and probably 50 or more Hawaiian restaurants, I was hoping this would be really good seeing as options are limited. Now I wouldn’t rate it as phenomenal, but still give a solid 4. I would like to see more menu items, like spam musubi, chicken katsu, and saimen. But beef was flavored well. Mac salad was a little too peppery for my taste but not bad.

This is fast food not good Hawaiian food. Drive to Portland if you want really Hawaiian food!

I will always come back to Hawaiian Time. The food has been consistent for me. I can’t recall how many times I have been to Hawaiian time but this time I had the pork: it was perfect. I was looking for something not so saucy today, and this hit the spot: smoky, salty, barbecued and shredded. They have furikake (a seaweed condiment) behind the counter so if you like it (I do) they’ll give it to you in small containers.
The mac salad is an island thing so if you compare it to other mac salads, it will be different. Another island thing: lots of rice.
Service is always friendly. Lots of take out orders, but I like sitting in the dining area: spacious, high ceilings, large windows at the front and back of the store. They have bar tables with stools and regular tables where your feet are on the floor.
The pricing strikes me as higher than other «fast food» stops but I still plan to eat here. My meal, a regular plate and a drink was $ 10.

The meat is juicy, and the macaroni salad is my favorite. :)

Disappointed– I wanted chicken and vegetables only. But was charged an extra $ 2 for vegetables even though I did not get macaroni or rice. Got the smallest amount of chicken. Ugh why does it have to cost so much extra to eat healthier?!?
Just don’t get enough for the $$$
$ 8.45 for 4 oz of chicken and a small side of veggies… yikes.

Not as good as the west Salem or Eugene locations. Food is nearly the same but just isn’t on par to how good the other locations are in comparison. Mona loa chicken has a thicker sauce, this was more of a thin siracha teriyaki. But this small chain is still a favorite of mine.

I typically really enjoy Hawaiian Time. This is my first time at this particular location, the girl working the front counter was less then plesant. This also happens to be the first time I have tried the pulled pork. I will never be eating it again. My food came out less then even warm, and the pork has no flavor. When my husband asked how it was I said «tuna fish «. By far the most unappealing experience I have had at Hawaiian Time.

I always get the chicken and my boys get the king mix of everything. Never leave hungry. Warm potato salad gets some getting use to but it is good

Very good food. Only wish they had a menu on the wall to help you decide will standing in line.

As others have said, I do think it’s far from authentic, but the owners have to be aware of local tastes, etc. I survived on Hawaiian Time in college so I love to have it every once in awhile. Feels like coming home and it’s comfort food.
The macaroni salad is my favorite item on the menu, but they have a great assortment of plate lunches. I usually end up getting the regular teriyaki chicken and it’s a nice change from hamburgers and fries.
I don’t believe this location has a drive thru, but the one in West Salem does. Makes it more convenient. Try it and you might really like it!

Yumm! That’s all I can say!
A coworker and I get food here at least once a week (Mauna Loa Chicken with an extra scoop of Mac) and it’s always so good! They are pretty quick, don’t think I’ve ever waited longer than 5 – 7 minutes for two meals.
Nice, open restaurant. Staff is friendly.
Only complaint I have (not even big enough to take it down a star) is that the sauce is never NOT spicy. Haha. Even the «regular,» which is milder than mild, is pretty spicy.
Overall — friggin delicious and would quite obviously recommend to ANYONE!

The only thing here worth eating is their macaroni salad. Everything else is overpriced and not made to order. I know this because I ordered and within 30 seconds my «teriyaki chicken» plate came out.
1. They have a panda express «fast-​food» style set up in the back where they just scoop what you ordered onto a bed of rice and give it to you right there.
2. They give you way too much rice. So you can toss your low-​carb diet out the window.
3. I would normally expect a salad or something but nope, it’s just rice and macaroni.
That said, the cashier working in the front was real friendly so instead of 1 star I’ll give it 2 for great service. But the food is a big NO.

Love it. Top hawian place for me. Huli Huli hits the spot. I’m recommending this to everyone.

This is the second Hawaiian Time I’ve been to, and at least the food tastes the same as the one in Beaverton. The food isn’t bad but is really a poor representation of Hawaiian plate lunch. Where’s the chicken katsu or the loco moco or even hamburger steak? Every plate lunch place has a daily special that people go out of their way to go and get because it’s served only once a week.
This place is again far from authentic (as the title claims) but as the next closest plate lunch options are in Eugene or Beaverton.
Also, they were out of pork until later that night. Really, the one authentic typical plate lunch item that they do have (it’s kalua pork people not pulled pork) is not available for hours. It kind of felt like a waste of time to have gone.

We get takeout from Hawaiian Time (Store 7, Mission Street) two or three times a month, and we have never been disappointed. Our favorite is the regular-​size Huli-​Huli (Teriyaki) Chicken ($ 8.45), and we always substitute an additional scoop of macaroni salad for the rice ball (50-​cents extra). The counter service is always fast and friendly, and the décor is just what you would expect at a Hawaiian themed fast /​casual restaurant — neat and simple. We love it!

I was thrilled to find this place since I’m a huge fan of L&L and Ono in California. This is your typical hearty Hawaiian fare — you can likely portion out two meals from the large plate. The Mauna Loa chicken has a slight kick, and I prefer it over the Huli Huli. The Kalua pig is pretty much all meat, so ask for extra cabbage if inclined. If you need to detox from your recent Carl’s Jr/​Popeyes binge, head next door to Hawaiian Time and opt for fresh grilled veggies to go along with your meat of choice.
Hawaiian Time gets bonus points for the seaweed/​sesame seed packets. They are the perfect accompaniment to the rice and macaroni salad; I usually dump at least four of the containers on top. Yum! The girls working there are super friendly and even took time to recommend their favorite restaurants in Portland. Love the Salem hospitality!

Great Hawaiian plate lunch place. Could use spam musubi on the menu tho.

The food here is excellent. I’ve tried one of the beef dishes and one of the chicken dishes and the chicken is tasty but the beef is outstanding. The flavor of the sauce really goes well with the beef and they put on just enough to make it flavorful without the poor meat being drowned. One thing I love is that they give you a really good amount of rice; I love rice and a lot of places don’t give you nearly enough. I’ve never understood that actually; why not give a nice big portion of rice since it’s so cheap?
Anyway, the place itself is pretty new and very clean, the kind of place that doesn’t make you at all nervous about ordering from. Being new they do have a couple of kinks to work out though. First off is the problem of menus. They have a stack of plastic ones sitting right by the registers and that’s it. There’s no giant overhead sign or a dry erase board or anything else to look at, so if there’s a crowd at the register you can’t decide what you want before you’re at the front of the line. Seems like such an obvious thing, not sure why they haven’t put up something for people to look at.
Second, they actually have a drive-​thru window, but it has a sign on it saying it’s «under construction.» Not sure what their plans are for it, but it could be a pretty nice deal. It wouldn’t really work as a typical drive-​thru since the food is not sitting around pre-​made, but I could see it working well for called ahead orders. Call them, swing by 10 minutes later, grab your food at the window and keep going. But if the haven’t got around to putting up a menu inside I wouldn’t hold my breath on it ;)
Portions are pretty large. There are three sizes, and the medium or whatever they call it is a large amount of food. Most dishes come with rice and macaroni salad. The mac salad is excellent. My friend who doesn’t like ANY pasta salad loves it, especially with a bite of the meat at the same time.

I was skeptical given the lukewarm reviews of those who had come here before me. Upon entering, the interior was very open and welcoming. I had no major complaints on the cleanliness of the restaurant.
To start things off, I always cringe when reviewers make note about disliking the appearance of servers. While tattoos/​piercings/​facial hair/​excessive jewelry may make some people cringe, it should not be a reason to dismiss or give a lower score due to this. Today is a perfect example of why, as the guy taking orders behind the counter may not have «looked the part» was extremely happy and helpful and really made the counter service top notch.
The food came out really quickly for our to-​go order. We ordered the Mauna Loa Chicken (which the server described as a 2 on the spicy scale) and Kalua Pork. In contradiction to previous reviews both orders did not skimp on the meat and left us extremely satisfied. I felt the pork was salted enough and the chicken, while it felt a lot spicier then a «2», was delicious. The macaroni salad was also a delicious side.
Our overall experience was really deserving of a 4.5 rating, and I hoping that maybe they have learned from their slip-​ups in the past and have something going. We will be back.

I requested a take-​out order for one mixed plate: Mauna Loa chicken (chicken pieces in sweet-​spicy sauce) and kalua pig with fresh grilled vegetables and mac salad ($ 8.95 + $ 2 for veggie substitute).
Before I even tried any food, the employees messed up my order twice. They initially forgot the mac salad, so I had to drive back just to get that taken care of. Then I tried the chicken and immediately realized they had put in the Huli-​Huli teriyaki chicken (not the Mauna Loa chicken) by mistake. Instead of going back a second time, I just settled for what I had in front of me.
The food was OK. I did like the chicken… very flavorful there. The crunchy, vibrant grilled veggies were a welcome break from the monotonous chewing of teriyaki chicken. The kalua pig was respectable, but could have used a bit more salt. After all the hubbub to get my mac salad, it was just average at best. The mac salad could have used a bit more salt and pepper, and perhaps some shredded carrot for flavor, color, and texture contrast. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t get rice, but I thought $ 10.95 was pushing the pricey side for the amount of food I got.