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88 Rice Bowl
Category: Restaurants Hawaiian Hawaiian [Edit]
1901 Junipero Serra BlvdDaly City, CA 94014
(650) 991-8863
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
83 reviews for 88 Rice Bowl
Review Highlights
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"I usually get the chicken katsu which was tasty." In 3 reviews -
"...their short ribs, and the macaroni salad was fantastic." In 19 reviews -
"I prefer the 88 rice bowl in the Westlake shopping center." In 3 reviews
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83 reviews in English
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Review from Roger A.
Burlingame, CA
4/8/2012
I've been to rice bowl many a time.
The food isnt that bad and the price is about right. I think they reduced their menus, but not quite sure as I didnt see smootie/bubble tea options.
the place is pretty big with alot of sitting. the people that work there are friendly. -
Review from Arnold T.
4/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
As morbid as this may sound, in each of our lifetimes, we are limited to a set number of meals. Like each breath taken and each heartbeat beat, all are indicators of mortality. Each meal finished is simply a countdown. The meal I had at 88 Rice Bowl is one I wish I could take back. Not to mention it probably took off a few meals left in my life.
Now back to something a little less dark. This place serves up Hawaiian fast food. They have the usual assortments barbeque and traditional fusion ideals Hawaiian food brings. My choice of the night was the loco moco. If it's there I'm ordering it. I have a strange affinity to this entrée that touches my heart. When I mean it touches my heart, I mean literally.
Two burger patties over a couple cups of rice covered in gravy and then topped with two eggs prepared your way. By definition, that is a loco moco. I understand the meal was inexpensive, so the bar of satisfaction didn't need to be much to reach. A bad sign about any burger patty right off the grill is if one can taste the frozen features. Worse is if the patty is covered in gravy and an egg and one can still taste the frozen in the meat. Also, the gravy was a little sour for some reason. I'll leave that one alone.
Besides the mess called a loco moco they make, this spot does have a positive trait. The movie theater is right around the corner. Hopefully fate doesn't lead me back to this place. I need to save those limited meals for anything but 88 Rice Bowl. -
Review from Rodel R.
12/18/2011
Let's just say that during my 3 day stay with friends in Daly City, I ate here twice with a different group of people each time! This isn't a full service restaurant, but more like an order and sit restaurant. The workers are really friendly and the prices are pretty good given the location. The free parking is also a huge plus!
During my first visit, I had the Pork Sandwich. It's a Vietnamese style sandwich that goes for about $5, but it's really worth it! My friend had the chicken sandwich and she enjoyed this one as well. She only ate half and brought the rest home. While eating it later that night in front of my other friends, they decided that they must also try the sandwiches here.
During my second visit, I decided to try out the pork chop plate with the standard scoops of rice and macaroni salad. This was also pretty good and I paid around $8.
I would highly recommend this place for a quick and decent meal and I personally will be going back to try the Katsu :-) -
Review from Sharjah D.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
I like the old 88 Rice Bowl in Westlake. This place is ok. It was just a convenient spot to grab food before the movies started. Their macaroni salad is bland and for one scoop for $0.99 is so small. It looks like a sample. My friend had the cheeseburger with fries and he said his fries were so soggy. :( Ehh... just a place for convenient and cheap food.
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Review from Michael T.
Pacifica, CA
5/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
I had the loco moco and my girl had the wings/fries. With a bottle of water, total was around $20.00. Not bad, mostly high school kids/early college kids. The loco moco was not overcooked with plenty of gravy. Mac salad was OK - a bit too much mayo for my taste tho. The chicken wings were super huge (about 1.5 times bigger than KFC/Wing Stop). It had no sauce tho, just deep fried. That order came with plenty of fries. Perfect place for a quick bite before the movies.
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Review from R C.
San Francisco, CA
4/25/2012
Not that bad the food is pretty average to me went there with friend the dumpling soup tasted kind of plain but still good i forgot the name of it. The portion was okay so i say is good enough to go for lunch if your school is nearby like City College few minutes drive my friend drove me there to eat lunch .
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Review from Denise M.
10/7/2011
Nice for a quick meal before a movie (theater is around the corner). I usually get the chicken katsu. Crispy chicken cutlets with a special sweet sauce. Scoop of rice and scoop of macaroni salad.
Not quiet L&L (still the best), but this place is pretty good, and has big portions. I have yet to finish a meal there.
Hubby has tried the fried shrimp plate. Nice and crispy shrimp with a dipping sauce. Also with rice and macaroni salad.
Dinner for two - under $20. -
Review from Jenniper B.
Daly City, CA
2/15/2012
I work right by 88 Rice Bowl. You would think its just like the rest of the local "Hawaiian" food joints, but I prefer this place over some. This place is much cleaner and not filled with over hormonal prepubescent wannabes like the 88 that use to be in westlake or L&L. The owners are very friendly. My 6 year old nephew loves spam musubi but I have to make sure all the ingredients are fresh due to his chemo treatment. The owner assured me they were going to use a fresh pack of seaweed. The food hasn't changed even when they went under new management. On weekends its a mixed crowd of college students, boppers, and couples. Its very chill on the weekdays. If you're craving a lot of food on a low budget and in the area, this is a good place to get that fix.
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Review from Albert L.
6/2/2011 2 Check-ins Here
SPAM MUSUBI, CHICKEN KATSU, BBQ BEEF -- Oh Yee!
I actually like this place, considering it's still "theater" food. The menu has an assortment of rice plates that come with macaroni salad and lots of BBQ on top. The price is cheap for the amount of food you get and gets you pretty full afterwords.
Try sneaking in some spam musubi's for your movie; it's tons easier than the a Round Table's pizza.. -
Review from Dave B.
Healdsburg, CA
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Stopped by this place looking for some "ono grindz" while heading through the upper Peninsula. I had my go-to Hawaiian plate lunch order: kalua pork with cabbage. Had to say - rather disappointing. The cabbage pieces were far too big, the meat tasted underseasoned and somehow just *off,* and they didn't have any Hawaiian bbq sauce. L&L would have been better. Just sayin'.
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Review from Albert W.
San Francisco, CA
9/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
SPAM MUSUBI!!! Well, better not that great, but better than driving to japan town in SF when your about to watch a movie.
Pretty bland for a restaurant that aims for people that don't know better asian places. Even panda express is far better than here. I dont even like panda, unless i am starving and nothing else to eat.
Hey at least there is FREE parking! -
Review from Hazel K.
3/15/2011
There is a great deal on the boba 2 for $5 and the family meals are pretty much a great deal if your a bit on the hungry side and still want to take it to go. I ordered the Seafood mini family deal (though it doesn't come with rice or mac) and we got like 3 pounds of chicken, Mahi, and shrimps. mmmmmmm...good!
Best Mac salad I've ever had, hands down! I don't like heavy mayo in my salad or heavy vegetables and 88 has the mac down to a science. I can literally taste every bit of the goodness and can finish one scoop and not taste the mayo in my mouth still.
There was friendly service and love in the food. I smiled a bit when our cashier called the rice and mac starch and not rice and mac. Gotta love it! -
Review from Bing D.
4/11/2011
Lots of parking but its in the lot away from the store so you might have to go up a few stories and down and back up the stairs.
i've been to this one and the sister/brother store on westlake near safeway.
why are there 3 or more reviews for the same store in westlake? who knows...someone should fix it.
both are the same. they have chicken katsu or with curry sauce. they do hamburgers which i seem to like here...they aren't great but for some reason the price always gets me to buy one if i don't want one from a fastfood joint.
this place gives you your money's worth. -
Review from Brian H.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 5/2/2011
An update for my second visit:
There is a parking garage if you go a bit north of the restaurant. Be careful of the Round Table Pizza delivery car blocking the lane to the garage. You'll have to break a traffic regulation and change lanes over a solid line in this case, like I did. I was able to find one spot on the 3rd floor, but it takes a lot less time to traverse the stairs than try to find a spot (each floor is pretty spacious). It was free on a Sunday, but I don't know if there is a parking fee on other days. An alternative parking option is south of the restaurant, where there is a free parking garage, or so the sign says. How is it maintained without funds?
I ordered the katsu like last time, except with dipping sauce this time (I wanted to try a different sauce; see prior review). The owner dude described it as "sweet and smoky." And indeed it was. More delicious than the curry sauce. I used it on the rice when I had some left over.
I noticed the portion was pretty good this time around. I was able to finish only 2/3 instead of the whole thing despite not having eaten lunch until 3 PM.
I'll definitely keep this place in mind for future "don't know where to eat out" moments.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/17/2011
Decor: 1
Looks very clean and bright inside. There's a bar where you can sit in a row instead of… Read more »
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Review from Wendi W.
San Jose, CA
1/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Randomly came here after a meeting around 12pm.
The place is very clean, was kind of empty, and the lady whims counter was nice :)
After reading some reviews on yelp, I ordered the mini Hawaiian Short Rib (#12, I think). As I picked the table and sat down to check my email, the lady brought out my yumm meatiness~ super quick!!
My mini Hawaiian Short Rib cam with one scoop of white rice, one scoop of mac salad, and two pieces of short robs on a bed or raw cabbage all for a little over $5 including tax!
I must say the mac salad was very good!! Not too heavy, not too tangy, just perfect! The short rib wasn't bad either. Very tender, a little too salty for my taste but over all very satisfied.
Will definitely make a trip back here to get some more mac salad and try other yummy Hawaiian goodies!! -
Review from Alice T.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2011
3.5 star.
88 Rice bowl is good and cheap place to grab some snacks/foods before or after a movie. I usually get the Chicken Katsu , thats comes with this sweet and sour sauce I adore. The garlic fries are good and the short ribs are savory. The onion rings on the other hand had too much batter , soggy and horrible. Their tapioca drinks (strawberry and bannana) was nothing special. They have a good portion for the price and you get what you pay for.
The place is clean and the staff are always nice. There aren't many places to choose from around the theater, so I am probably going to come back here, this time just for the Chicken Katsu. -
Review from Ed U.
Now have you ever been to a place that satisfied you at the time and the memory of that satisfaction lingers over the years even though the place may actually have been mediocre? No, I'm not talking about 88 Rice Bowl. I'm talking about Zippy's in Honolulu. Every time I order Hawaiian, I always seem to say - "Well, it sure ain't Zippy's". I don't think I've been to a Zippy's in at least ten years!
I just had that moment on Saturday when Jamie W. and I entered here after watching Julia Roberts cry, whine and fake-eat in "Eat Pray Love" next door at the Century 20. Both of us realized we hadn't had Hawaiian in quite a while, so in we go into this compact fast-food place. Service was quite friendly, and tables were turning over quickly probably due to people eating before their movies (I don't like to pressure myself that way when I eat too fast as it is.)
Even though they offered saimin, my favorite noodles, I went for a heartier selection, the $6.75 Hawaiian BBQ Short Ribs with two scoops of rice and one scoop of macaroni salad (see photo). Rubbery and hard to saw with the plastic knife. Had to pick it up and chew it... much like how I handle the rest of the challenges in my life. Jamie W. went for the $6.35 Chicken Katsu with the same sides (see photo) and thought it was just OK. I had a bite and than said the predictable... "Well, it sure ain't Zippy's."
FOOD - 2 stars...chewy Hawaiian...the meat, not the people...probably should have gone for the saimin
AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...fast-food joint with what looks to be the last of the politically incorrect Styrofoam on the market
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...actually quite nice
TOTAL - 2 stars...sorry, have to go with my fading memory again... "Well, it sure ain't Zippy's."Listed in: Saimin, Ramen and the Holy…, Do a Little Hula, Brudda
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Review from kevo m.
East Bay, CA
7/16/2008
Dry hamburger
The mac salad was wet and made my rice disgusting. Just a hint - Adding water to mayo doesn't really add volume.
There was a film of dried gravy on the hamburger patties. Did you use powdered gravy and forgot to spray water on it? Did you think the steam from the rice would reconstitute it?
They got my order wrong..."No salad, extra rice" is not a difficult thing to accomplish or remember when the order prints in the kitchen.
I could have just picked up a whopper from bk, tossed the bun, put it all on rice and it wouldn't have been too far off of what I had.
Definitely not worth parking in the tow away zone for. I woulda been fine with the dry hamburger if there was some real gravy. I coulda lived without having rice (not really) if the mac salad wasn't gross.
CCS (tm Nobu http://www.yelp.com/bi... ) for sure.Listed in: Weaksauce!
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Review from Stephen D.
San Bruno, CA
6/17/2009
After my friend missed her bus, I was stranded by Century 20 for an hour while we waited to catch the next movie. I stumbled into 88 Rice Bowl because I was hungry, I didn't want to drive anywhere away from the theater, and because I love Hawaiian BBQ. I had just been inspired by a super precise review on yelp by fellow yelper Genevieve Y, and with an hour to kill I decided to do one with the same detailed style. So here goes:
DATE/TIME: June 17th, 2009, 5:34PM
RESTAURANT HOURS: Sunday - Thursday 11:00am - 9:30pm
_ Friday & Saturday 11:00am - 10:30pm
SERVICE: Super nice and friendly cashier x 2
ENVIRONMENT: Blinding orange walls decorated with 6 folded aloha shirts and 4 tiki poles. Lots of potted plants near the entrance next to an Asian good luck cat (the one with one paw sticking up) Nicely illuminated and professional looking plastic menu with wooden drink menu. Granite counter tops and table tops bearing water streaks (whoever cleaned last didn't dry the rag enough) Register area - super clean, cashier polished it for a whole minute before I ordered. Tables and ground covered with salt and dirt o_o, plastic lei over register. Forgot to mention that there were gnats constantly flying around my face. Annoying.
MUSIC: Almost inaudible, broad range: Abba - Dancing Queen, The Fray - How to Save a Life, probably courtesy of FM 96.5, KOIT.
FOOD - Chicken Musubi - Super greasy, rice was stale and hard
French Fries - tasty, although from the frozen food aisle. Foods awkwardly served in a paper bag made for poor ketchup-fry "dip-ability"
FEEL - Family owned - Young girl helping mom/auntie mount ads, 2 guys laughing and eating right behind register
SEATING - 28 Seats - 10 @ bar-style seats and 18 @ tables (TOLD you I had time to kill)
CUSTOMERS - I was the only one, and I loitered for 45 minutes texting and gathering details for my review!
SELECTION - Over 50 items to choose from! Should have picked something else of those.
OTHER: Accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Wheelchair accessible
Adjacent to Cold Stone Creamery and El Beach Burrito - (Closed with notice of non-responsibility)
TOTAL: $4.00 (It was a little under 4, but I didn't get a receipt so I forgot how much the fries were. Musubi was $1.69)
I feel that the people here are really nice people and have a good thing going. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and just assume I came on a bad day with dirty floors and hard, greasy musubi.
...and that's the last time I'll do a review that detailed, ever again.Listed in: Stevie's BLACKLIST!!!
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Review from graceypoo m.
Boston, MA
1/22/2007
Just know where to touch me.. and know just what to do... ED pick up the phone. "Hi this is Ed"
(my fingers typing on a Yahoo! chat window with ed m.: "ED.! pick up Ed.! WHAT DO I DO)
(ed m: GRACE
is that you calling me?)
(grace): yes
could you pick up
(ed m:
i am on the toilet!!!!
ill call you back!!!!!!!!)
(grace:)soooooo
(ed m.:
i have to get OFF the toilet
and i ain't ready for that yet
oh
11:46 PM....now i am))
Grace: ED! OMG they're going to shoot Blair Underwood! NOOOO he's holding up a knife
Ed: and?
Grace: He supposedly burned his soon to be ex wife and I thought the bitch was lying coz Blair Underwood is hella fine, but he whipped out ht knife...
Ed: .... hee haa aha hha....
Grace:...OMG!!! THey shot him! OMG Not my baby, no!!!!!
(chat window with AJ): sooo sorry
i'm not a super multi-tasker like you are
but yeah, you're spot on about the coupling thing....
(in my mind: I want someone to play with my hair!!! why isn't he coming over to my room to play with my hair!?)
Grace (to Ed): ED!!!! I gotta write my review! I'm on a roll... omg I am listening to Air Supply right now
Ed: why? what song?
Grace: Making Love Out of Nothing At All by Air Supply... but really it's the song that played in my 80s playlist on my iTunes. The first song is actually Modern English...
Ed: ha ha ha.... hee .heee.
Grace: yes, it was inspired by that thread on the GH2 80s edition thread that Cheryll.. Anne Marie's friend... posted... it's the song i wanted to play on GH2.
Ed: .. hee hee.
Grace: okay let me write my review. (click--my cellphone actually does not click)
(calls Ed)
Ed: hello.. GRACE!
Grace: ED! Let me leave a voicemail. Don't pick up the phone. Pretend you are in the toilet!
(click)
I write a review... coz I had spam, eggs (any style I like... over easy), and rice for $5.95 (it's listed as a side)... and a scoop of macaroni salad at 88 Rice Bowl this morning with Cindy K, before we watched Stomp the Yard... honey, chile, it's NOT a plot movie... OBVIOUSLY.... $7 matinee... the movie.. made up for it. It's the #1 movie in the box office right now... it's NOT about the plot everyone!
They had bottles of tabasco and sriracha (cock sauce) for liberal use... i sprayed some tabasco on my rice and eggs and spam. mmmMMmmm. they have hawaiian barbecue here.... so the ribs, chicken, beef... they also have katsu stuff here. yes good. awesomely priced coz it's in DC.
OMG i am watching Law and Order right now.. Special Victims Unit.
okay... oooh White Rabbit candies are soo good! -
Review from Darryl P.
Sacramento, CA
5/19/2009
I happened to call up an old friend of mines that lives in Daly City to go watch a movie and for food. I happened to be in town and I haven't seen her in a month. We watched Angels and Demons which was pretty good. We came here because it was just outside Century Theaters and didn't really want anything too fancy!
I ordered the BBQ mix plate which had BBQ chicken, BBQ beef and BBQ beef short ribs. It came on a bed of cabbage, 2 scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. Overall I thought the food was descent. It's pretty much your typical Hawaiian BBQ restaurant.
If I happen to be around here and am craving Hawaiian BBQ I can see myself coming back here. -
Review from Melody L.
Irvine, CA
2/3/2011
MMmmm so good! Once again, this restaurant is location right outside of where I work, so I come here pretty often. I also get a discount for being employed nearby, so that's another huge plus for me!
They offer a mini size for all their dishes, and usually, the mini is filling enough for me. Comes with a meat option, rice, macaroni, and salad. I don't see how rice or salad could ever be exciting, but their bbq chicken and their katsu chicken = SO DELICIOUS, so well grilled/fried! My absolute favorite though, is the macaroni I'm sure its just generic macaroni, but I love it anyways.
Great service - I think every time I'm here I see the same lady working. By now she recognizes me too! -
Review from B H.
San Francisco, CA
7/14/2006 1 photo
What is it with the Hawaiian BBQ craze! This traditional lunch plate seems to suddenly be all the rage. BBQ'ed Marinated chicken, steak, and pork, two scoops of rice and macaroni-mayonnaise salad. All this for about 6-7 dollars! It says BBQ'ed but I don't see one in there, I think it's grilled in those flavorful saturated fats (shut up! you know what tastes good!)
Influences in the food it's part Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, American and SPAM did I forget anything? It's like going home to Mom's and she tells you to sit down, proceeds to push you down in the chair and says EAT!
I'm gaining pounds just thinking about it. -
Review from Jeff W.
3/11/2009
the spam musubi rice was served al dente.
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!
not good.
worst ever in the history of mankind.
do not order this here.
desperation meal before meeting my CPA.
never again. -
Review from carlos a.
2/8/2009
On one of those days when you run from meeting to meeting 88 Rice Bowl saved me.
For $7 I got a huge bowl of rice with a very generous serving of bbq chicken.
The food itself was a 3.5 but the price, portion and friendly service put it over the top to a 4 of 5 rating.
A good pick for a solid meal if you are near Daly City bart or Pacific Plaza movie theatre. -
Review from Kay N.
San Francisco, CA
12/25/2007
Spam musubi and curry katsu
before going to watch 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story' (a comedic spoof loosely based on Johnny Cash, played by John C. Reilly, with a scene in which the Beatles are played by Jack Black-Paul McCartney, Paul Rudd-John Lennon, Justin Long-George Harrison, Jason Schwartzman-Ringo Starr)
I'll try one of their boba/pearl drinks next time I'm nearby..oh, and probably another spam musubi. The prices are dirt cheap. Yeah, the food is like stuff you could slap together at home, but whatev..I like it when things are prepared for me. ^_^ (and yes, it was very Asian of me to put in that happy-eyed text face.) -
Review from Jennifer L.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2010
Hawaiian BBQ is Hawaiian BBQ. Nothing spectacular, but working in the area, it's inevitable that you'll end up here at least once a week!
I have to piggy-back on Alyssa's comments about Teresa (I believe she's the owner?). She always has a smile on her face and yes, she remembers everyone's name and recognizes everyone's voices when you call in for an order.
The Chicken Teriyaki mini is good...the Chicken Teriyaki Masubi is even better (and cheaper!). Again, nothing too spectacular but Teresa makes it worth the four stars! -
Review from Amy Z.
San Francisco, CA
3/3/2007
Let me just start out by saying the Hawaiians know what's up.
A hamburger patty smothered in beef gravy and topped with an egg (sunny side up), on a bed of white rice and cold macaroni salad? Genius.
At first I was nervous. Not at the prospect of eating this weird-sounding dish (Loco Moco). Not at the calorie content -- okay, so I was a little nervous. I was afraid there wouldn't be enough gravy and egg yolk to cover all of the rice (I hate hate hate plain white rice). But there was enough. And it was glorious.Listed in: My San Francisco Favorites, Worth the Trip, Guilty pleasures
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Review from CINDY K.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2007
'There's a Hawaiian food place right by the movie theatre' my friend says.
I was all, HUH? No there isn't.
There's Todai, Cold Stones (mmmm ice cream), the fakey taqueira, and the chinese rice bowl spot...
'Yeah there is..."
So we jet over here, just a half hour before our movie start time, and whaddya know, this ain't no chinese rice bowl spot anymore. The counter where the hot trays were, are covered up and being used for beverage storage. And the menu's been completely overhauled - island style. They have ALL those Hawaiian naughty classics: loco moco, kalua pork, macaroni, saimin, musubi's, SPAM-EGGS-&-RICE.
It's decent portions, served up fast, and the place is kept tidy & clean.
Sure I can make lots of this stuff, easily myself, but why when I can pay $5.95 to have someone else pile it on for me? -
Review from Joyce H.
I work near 88 Rice Bowl and I really love the service there. The woman who works there is really friendly and always remembers my name. She also suggested that I call my orders in because I have a short lunch break. I often call her and place my order and by the time I get there... the food is ready for me. She saves me a lot of time.
I often eat the BBQ chicken sandwich. It is delicious.
When I am trying to eat better, she often makes me a chicken rice bowl with no rice, steamed vegetables and skinless chicken. It's not on the menu but she always makes an effort to work with the me and my health goals.
The Thai Tea Milk Tea is delicious. -
Review from Fannie S.
8/19/2008
We saw Pineapple Express on Sunday evening, and stopped here for a quick dinner. (No, we were not stoned.)
We ordered their Hawaiian items, and were pleasantly surprised by the decent quality, generous portions and low prices. Cheaper alternative to Ono Hawaiian. For $7.95 I had the seafood combination, which had four fried shrimps, a piece of mahi mahi and a choice of meat (I chose short ribs), all of which were well-seasoned and hot to the touch. The rice was more starchy than my preference, and the macaroni salad was too wet/mayo for me. But everything else was fine! And they have several flavors of the Hawaiian drinks (cans), yay! (I'm eating the other half of this meal for lunch today.)
The owners are Chinese (not surprisingly), and were friendly enough. -
Review from Alyssa S.
4/14/2010
My first review ever on Yelp and I feel the need to review 88 Rice Bowl. Yeah, I'm kind of wierd.
This review and 4 stars is strictly for the cheeseburgers and the woman who works during lunch time. I work in the Pacific Plaza building and Round Table, Subway, and sushi gets tiring really fast. But I have yet to get tired of 88 Rice Bowl's cheeseburgers.
I know -- who the hell gets a cheeseburger at a Hawaiian BBQ spot? Well I do because I personally don't like anything else they offer there (katsu is too dry, short ribs are too greasy, etc). But their cheeseburgers...OMG, they're pretty awesome considering how cheap they are and that it's not a gourmet burger. They're juicy and the buns are rightly toasted. YUMMM. I'm probably going to call in for my order once I'm done with this.
The woman who works during lunchtime has the best customer service known. She remembers your name and can even recognize your voice if you call in often enough. She's always got a smile on her face and will do all that she can to ensure that you enjoy your food. She is just a very pleasant woman that all people who have to work with customers should be like.Listed in: College was a good time.
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Review from Helene K.
10/27/2008
This location is a definite "MUST NOT GO". I'm really not sure if Sunday was just a day "off" for them, but...upon walking into 88 Rice Bowl, I felt like the place was just not happening.
The front "display" was a royal mess with stacks of cartons of drinks, a recycling "pile" right at the front (it wasn't even covered) and....well, there wasn't anything that looked appetizing in the front display. There were even flies buzzing around.
Uncouth, not a place to go and enjoy a meal at all.
(If you know me, I rarely ever give 1-star reviews. So...this is extraordinarily bad. I didn't even eat here since I was so turned off by the atmosphere/appearance). -
Review from Matt M.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is family owned/operated and it definitely shows. I work nearby and go in for lunch several times a week. The second time I came in, the manager Binh knew my name and remembered my order. Since then ive met his wife, son, and daughter and they're all very polite.
The place is clean and everything you would expect from a Hawaiian BBQ joint. I usually get the katsu musubi or BBQ chicken bowl. A mini will fill you up for a little over $4. Highly recommended! -
Review from Kylie L.
6/23/2010
After watching movies at Century, we were all starving so I suggested this place because of the close proximity & I really wanted loco moco. Everyone else was game, so we all went in.
I've been craving loco moco for a while & I sort of got my fix, but the loco moco they make tasted like there was too much ramen flavor or MSG. For under $5, I guess it was okay but I've had better.
Spam Masubi & BBQ beef are also good. I should have just got that instead of the MSG filled meal I got.
Their meals come in either mini or regular. I think mini is a good amount of food, regular would be too much for me or maybe I'm just trying to cut back. -
Review from Stephanie C.
San Francisco, CA
10/26/2009
FOOD - 3 stars - I thought it was a Pho restaurant when I first looked at the name. But turned out to be a Hawaiian BBQ place. Nothing special compared to all the other Hawaiian BBQ places except they have boba drinks. Spam Masubi wasn't that great so I don't recommend ordering those. Chicken bbq was good.
RESTAURANT - 4 stars - clean and well-kept. Servers were nice.
PRICE - 3 stars - Again...comparable to all the other Hawaiian BBQ places. -
Review from Amy C.
Newark, CA
2/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've came to this once twice so far. The first time was pretty good & then I came here on Sunday night with my boyfriend before a movie. He got the mahi mahi while I got the chicken. Not much mean in the mahi mahi mainly flour & then my chicken was pretty dang dry. I remember the 88 Rice Bowl on Westlake was better than this place, but L & L is even better. Also, the Thai Ice Tea was wayyy too sweet.
-
Review from Michelle B.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2008
A perfect place to hang out at while waiting for your movie to start. I mean, who would want to hang out inside the theater while eating your popcorn? Shouldn't you save the junk food for the movie? So yeah.
I present to you, 88 Rice Bowl. Chicken katsu ain't that good. At least, not as good as L&L or Ono. I hate the macaroni salad but for some reason, all the times I've been here, my salad was watery. EW. I don't need that shit floating around in my chicken katsu and rice!! Nooooo! Too late, my rice is soaked in the unidentified watery substance.
Screw that. Coldstone is next door, why not go there??
+2 stars for the good sauce for chicken katsu.
-3 for the watery salad and soggy rice =[ -
Review from Gangsta B.
Davis, CA
6/24/2008
YEAH you KNEW this review was coming.
if i could give this place ZERO stars, I WOULD.
last summer, i came here for the first time after catching a movie. i ate something here and i was SICK FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS. i constantly threw up, took 2 bottles of pepto bismol, and went to see my doctor. i had some beef w/ macaroni the rice and whatever (i frankly don't give a sh*t what it's called, i can recall how crappy i was feeling last summer, so i don't need to remember some stupid name of a dish). just DON'T GO HERE. i remember telling my friends this and one of them told me they got sick from eating something here too.
i'm pretty sure the majority of yelpers want to keep their good health, so again, PLEASE DON'T GO HERE. save yourself the AGONY and PAIN that i felt. keep your good health. save your money on pepto bismol and doctor's visits. save those trips to the bathroom.
to top it off, the food wasn't even that great. greasy, burnt, and just really gross macaroni.
i hate this place. probably my #1 most hated place to eat.
AGAIN, DON'T EVER GO HERE. NOT recommended at ALL. -
Review from Katherine F.
Seattle, WA
8/13/2008
I don't know why people are so hard on this Hawaiian based fast food place. It's fast food, therefore you should think first, speed, selection, and price. I was very satisfied with what I had at 88 Rice Bowl.
The service was somewhat lacking, but what should I expect from a fast food place run in the DC. I had the spam, eggs, and rice. I know that people would say, "hey you can make that at home" (as my roommate so boldly pointed out), but her commented didn't ruin the satisfaction I felt with some ketchup, siracha, and my dish in my stomach. Yum!
