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So my husband and I were in the neighborhood as I started to reminisce about Hawaii. How I wished that I could get a plate lunch somewhere in Chicago. To my surprise, minutes after that conversation we walked past Aloha Eats. Couldn't wait to try it!!
I ordered the mini bbq chicken -it's not bbq like texas bbq, but it's more like teriyaki. My husband ordered the Loco Moco (which he had ordered once while we were in Oahu). I loved it! The chicken was well-seasoned, perfectly marinated, not too salty or too sweet. I actually don't normally order teriyaki anything because it's too sweet, but this was great! The chicken was cooked to perfection. They served two BIG pieces of succulent chicken with one scoop rice and one scoop mac salad. The mac salad is just like it was in Hawaii. I can understand why some might say it's bland, compared to American mac salad, but in Hawaii, this is how their mac salad tastes. Lots of mayo! Love it. I was a little disappointed in a couple things. Underneath the chicken was raw green cabbage. I'm a fan of cabbage but I wish that they would have done something to dress it a little. Also I would have like a little more teriyaki sauce to put over my rice. There was no sauce at all. I will say that in Hawaii, there are more "sides" to choose from and we're not always forced to pick mac salad as a side but hey this is the closest to a plate lunch that I will find in Chicago so it's alright by me. The mini is the perfect size for me.
My husband loves the Loco Moco. If you hadn't had it before it's two hamburger patties, two eggs (any way you like it), with brown gravy. They serve it in Hawaii at all the local diners and plate lunch places. I had a bite, and I'll honestly say that it was pretty tasty but I don't think that I could eat a whole one by myself.
I peruse the menu while eating my plate lunch and saw that they also serve Saimin. Saimin is the Hawaiian version of something like ramen with maybe a fish cake, nori, and some veggies like bamboo shoots. It was tasty in Hawaii so the next time I go I might try that.
Thanks Aloha Eats. Please eat there if you can. Keep them in business so that we can have a slice of Hawaii whenever we need our fix.
I am no expert on Hawaiian food, I have however eaten at L&L many a time so perhaps I'm no novice either. Perhaps.
The helpings are generous; yet I am somehow baffled at how Asian and Asian related cuisines tend to get the rice to entree ration so wrong, Aloha Eats was no different. However! I welcome skimping on the rice in place of more meat since, being the good little Asian girl that I am, I have plenty of rice in my fridge at home.
I waited about 10 minutes for my order to come out. Took our pork katsu, double chicken (bbq chicken and chicken katsu), and spam musubi back home. I found the chicken katsu superior to its pork counterpart. The flavor of the bbq chicken was just ok. Neither the macaroni salad nor their fries were anything to write home about. The bbq sauce was lackluster. All in all, not what I had hoped for, but not terrible.
I'm not Hawaiian nor have I ever been to Hawaii, but the thought of partaking of a slice of the the Aloha State on a dreary day in Chicago sounded good to me, so I went here for lunch.
The young guy behind the counter was friendly and laid-back and was patient as I perused the menu for a minute (and shed layers of clothes as if I was doing a striptease: it was hot as hell in there!). The menu is quite extensive, encompassing plate lunches, noodles, curry, musubi, burgers and more.
I got the Double Chicken combination plate: chicken katsu (panko-breaded, fried and sliced chicken breast) & BBQ chicken with teriyaki BBQ sauce (a thin, sweet sauce with an Asian flair), plus sticky rice and macaroni salad. I preferred the BBQ chicken; the katsu chicken appeared to have been pounded flat, and once fried the thin meat had gotten rather tough. The panko breading was tasty, though, and did not get greasy or soggy.
There's definitely a choice for everyone here; not sure if it's "no ka oi," but worth a try.
3.5 yelp starts. great for cheap eats.
most dinner platters were about 7-9 bucks but included a lot of food. I tried the bbq mixed plate that included short ribs (think korean kalbi), beef (think korean bulgogi) and Hawaiian bbq chicken (think terriyaki chicken with a hint of pineapple) a huge portion of rice and a side of macaroni salad. All of the meat was great and cooked well. the macaroni was very bland. hubby tried the special which was mahi grilled and fried. both were very good. also tried the spam musubi- good but next time i will just try making this at home... bbq burger is just bulgogi in between two buns.
pricing is good for what you get. limited, sticky seating. would probably come back for some cheap and filling eats.
Once upon a time I lived across the street from this place for over a year and heard myriad rave reviews about the delicious hawaiian food it served up.
Today, I finally followed through on the initiative to check out Aloha Eats. The experience was utilitarian at best. I ordered the BBQ chicken plate. Now don't get me wrong; this is a fairly massive plate of food. It's just not impressive. The rice is rice. I like rice. This part was fine. The chicken (I got white meat) is just boring. 4 or 5 thin grilled cutlet pieces that tasted like basically nothing. They were also slightly overcooked and thus fairly dry. The entire plate is also served over a bland tasteless and somewhat bitter white shredded cabbage that I quickly learned not to consume.
Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh. I did take down most of the meal. But this was probably due only to the Smoke Daddy BBQ Sauce I added to it when I got my to-go order home for consumption.
Something for everyone, really.
Beef/chicken/pork/tofu katsu! Which means breaded and fried beef/chicken/pork/or tofu. With katsu sauce, of course. The sauce is reminiscent of a mix between A1 and that eel sauce..? Tangy & sweet.
They also have spam. Yes, very Hawaiian. Oh, kimchi, too!
Portions are huge. Plate lunch can be shared (imo) since it comes with rice and macaroni salad(or fries... whichever you prefer). I don't like rice so I asked for extra fries :)
I didn't like their curry.. the curry was too watery and didn't taste right with my tofu. Good thing they put the curry on the side!
Shrimp burger is pretty good! Mahi mahi is O-K.
WHAT THE.. I just saw their menu and they have salmon! I never had their salmon. Will try it next time :)
It's cheap for what you get. You order and they give it to you in a styrofoam to-go box. Condiments section includes tabasco, ketchup, & sriracha. Good job.
Space is pretty small.. I'd say it'd fit.. 25-ish people at most?
Ok, so I'm really glad my friend had mentioned this place to me. Coming from L.A. and having places like The Loft and L&L Hawaiian BBQ accessible all over, Aloha Eats sure was comforting to my home-sickness!
The restaurant is on the tiny end but the amounts of food, and menu selection is plenty! I always ordered the Hawaiian BBQ Short Ribs back home so I had to try it here, and it was really good - plenty, a little fatty, but good. I also had a few bites of the all-white meat chicken teriyaki plate, which was good, but I would have preferred it drenched with teriyaki sauce (and "dark" teriyaki would have been even better!).
I've never been much of a fan of the macaroni salad anywhere, nor the cabbage bed but I wanted to try it. With the mac salad being mayo-overload for me, and the cabbage bed a little lacking (needs something like ramen noodles!), I think next time and all future times I'd rather get the fries.
This place also serves things like burgers and even has kimchi on their menu. I might have mistakenly heard, but I thought the cashier also said they have mochi (but I didn't see it on their menu)?. But I'm not complaining because I love all of the above. Also................... Aloha Eats, please bring Garlic Shrimp to your menu and my life will be eternally fulfilled ahhhhhh!
I was born in Hawaii and lived there for 14 years. This place SUCKS! I have been there twice ( I decided to give it a second try since it is so close to my house). The first time I got the mini chicken katsu and the spam musubi. The musubi was pretty much like it was back home, but it was very overpriced. The chicken was overcooked and pretty bland. Both the chicken and macaroni salad were very bland (mac tasted mainly like mayonnaise).
The second time I went here I got the saimen, which smelled good, but again had absolutely no flavor. The noodles weren't even the right type!
Anyway, I will never go back here.
I blame Disney for thwarting my perception of Hawaii as nothing but Lilo, Stitch and Elvis.
We got take out last night. Granted, take out never tastes as good as when it's served piping hot on some nice porcelain. Regardless, we ordered the Double Chicken (BBQ Chicken and Chicken Katsu), Pork Katsu and the Spam Musubi (comes with two pieces). I had to throw that last one in there just because I had read about it week earlier about how Spam is such the craze in Hawaii and Spam Musubi was the delicacy. When I opened the plastic container, I was shocked to see what seemed like two nigiri rolls on steroids - it was just a Spam slice on a bed of rice held together by seaweed. It was pretty lackluster but I imagine it's just really their version of a ham sandwich. That could also just be totally ignorant - maybe their ham sandwich is really a ham sandwich.The chicken and pork katsu were good as well but nothing like the experience I had at L&L's back when I visited Champaign to relive my coed days (tear). Portions were large which were a plus. The macaroni salad didn't do anything for me - it was quite tasteless. Maybe through some pineapple chunks in there?
Overall, I'd have to give it a three for now until I can try more of it later.
Tip: Whenever I'm in Seattle I make it a point to visit a restaurant called Ohana - now that is some real Hawaiian cooking!
I'd never had spam musubi before, so I can't say whether it's "authentic" or not, but I can say I really liked it, and one order is plenty for sharing and tastes good the next day, provided you don't microwave the nori...
I wasn't a huge fan of the huge portions. I felt compelled for some reason to finish off two scoops of rice, one scoop of mediocre macaroni salad, and a crapton of beef. I think I skipped dinner as a result...
Next time I'll order the smaller plate with one scoop of each, though I didn't find the mac salad to be all that flavorful and could do without.
I'd come back again and again for the musubi, and maybe a lunch plate while I'm at it. Like previous reviewers have commented, I'd like to see them switch to more environmentally-friendly packaging.
based on my dish, i'd give it 1 star. but my bro had the bbq mix plate, which i had a small bite of and was good. had it before and it was good then too. also got spam musubi. rice to spam ratio was a little high, same as last time, but still pretty good.
the problem was really the saimin i ordered. felt like soup cuz it was a chilly outside and i thought my friend said he liked it. it's a hawaiian restaurant, so i had to get the spam saimin. the noodles and soup were just that. noodles with no flavor and some "chicken broth" that really just tasted like water. the only thing with any flavor was the spam. but did they flavor the spam? doubtful. sad. i'll still come back, but no way i'm ever getting that soup again.
I love Ryne D's review of Aloha Eats because that is how I can relate... went to U of I and was introduced to hawaiian bbq and macaroni salad from L&L. Sadly it did not do well (i think it was too early to introduce hawaiian food in the Champaign, IL area) and closed down. After graduating and moving back into the city, I was introduced to Aloha Eats!
I can now satisy my craving for hawaiian bbq and katsu. They have a lot of combo plates (regular and mini size) so you can get a mix of what you want or you can just get a simple order of your favorite dish. I haven't tried out their curry and noodles yet but i might venture onto it when i get sick of the hawaiian mix plate (hawaiian bbq chicken, beef and ribs) or chicken mix plate (hawaiian bbq chicken and chicken katsu).. but not sure whens that going to happen. the mini size is enough for 1 person and the regular can feed 2 people - perfect size for lunch so you don't experience food coma.. maybe for dinner you might want to opt for the larger portion and eat it all yourself... yum.
this place gets 5 stars because its the only hawaiian place in the city! roy's doesn't count because the setting is just totally different. aloha eats is where you go for a quick, cheap, delicous bite and roy's is the "i just got a FAT raise so let's celebrate" type of place. and i don't think roy's will serve you spam.... :)
aloha eats is a perfect weekend lunch or takeout place - there arent too many tables in there to sit so if you have a large party going in the weekends, you might need to squeeze tightly together.
Once upon a time, there was a restaurant called L&L Hawaiian Barbecue located in Champaign, IL. There, my friends and I would convene at least once a week to munch on chicken katsu, loco mocos, and cilantro soup. It was a glorious year, and we were blessed to have the only L&L east of Las Vegas (at the time). Then, suddenly, our beloved katsu was lowered to $2 an order, and we rejoiced.
Little did we know what was to come.
Shortly after the permanent discount, L&L posted they would be closed every Monday. Dark clouds rose over the horizon...and as the land of the University of Illinois flooded with our tears, L&L closed for good.
But then, years after graduating and moving out to the city, I hear of a restaurant called Aloha Eats open up north. A full year after sampling their comforting Spam musubi, I finally make it up there for a first-person experience.
The moco loco plate lunch is just as I remember it. Gigantic, piping hot, drowning in gravy, with a delicious scoop of macaroni salad on the side. No free cilantro soup, and it was a bit more expensive than L&L was, but those are minor complaints. Anyone a fan of Hawaiian food, Filipino food, Chinese food, or delicious food can find something to love here.
And we all lived happily, and fattily, ever after.
Review for Hawaiians:
Ho cuz, check dis out. Me and da oddah hawaiians was cruising at one summah concert near da bean trying to make like we was home jamming outside da shell. Da kine wen buy me one BBQ chicken/ katsu mixed plate from Aloha Eats, said it wuz jus like L&L's. Ho, nah. I going try 'em so I wen order regulah mixed plate all rice no mac salad yeah cause I stay on one diet. Ho da buggah was grindz. Had choke chicken and katsu. Da portion stay bigger den 2 L&L plates. Dey wen give plenny katsu sauce too. I only wen grind half cause I stay on one diet yeah and was going go save da rest for afters. But den I thought nah, da buggah so good I jus going eat 'em so den I jus wen pound da oddah half. Wen I was pau, I wen small kine pass out from one majah kanak attack. Dis place stay awesome.
Translation for Mainlanders:
Hello there fellow Yelpers, please read my review on Aloha Eats. Aloha Eats is excellent. One day, my fellow Hawaiians and I went to a summer concert in Millenium Park. It was reminiscent of the times when we would picnic outside of the Waikiki Shell and listen to summer concerts for free. My friend was gracious enough to buy me a BBQ chicken/chicken katsu mixed plate from Aloha Eats. He said it was just like L&L's plate lunch and thought I would really enjoy it. "Really?" I exclaimed. I certainly missed Hawaii's plate lunches so I ordered a regular sized BBQ chicken and chicken katsu mixed plate. I have been trying to watch my weight and, rather than consuming the hydrogenated fats found in macaroni salad, I opted for an extra scoop of rice. It was ridiculously delicious. There was an abundant portion of BBQ chicken and chicken katsu- easily equivalent to 2 L&L plate lunches. I simply couldn't imagine how I would finish it all. A common problem that I find with chicken katsu plate lunches is that they often come with an inadequate portion of katsu sauce. Aloha Eats did not have this issue as I had enough sauce for my chicken katsu and even an additional amount leftover for my rice. Since I was on a diet, I decided to only eat half of my delicious meal and to save the remainder as a treat for another future meal. However, the BBQ chicken was so tasty that I couldn't resist eating my leftovers. After such a delicious meal, I was completely full and decided to spend the rest of the evening enjoying the music with my eyes closed. Aloha Eats is a superb restaurant.
Excellent food. I like to get the BBQ Beef. Their BBQ is essentially Teriyaki beef. It's very mild teriyaki like what you would get at a Japanese restaurant. Actually, a lot of their dishes taste slightly Japanese.
It's very good for an 8 dollar dinner.
CHICKENNNNNN KATSUUUUUUUUUUU!
I haven't had chicken katsu since I was in undergrad and I had no Idea how much I missed it!
At this restaurant they serve an abundant amount of different meats cooked Hawaiian... but actually similar to japanese.... hahah they have teriyaki chicken, beef, bbq short ribs,...etc and most meals are served with rice and macaroni salad!
I love the macaroni salad here.... usually I hate things immersed in mayo, but here it just goes with the food.
The food is well priced (I spent about 10 bucks for a meal and a drink). And the portions are more than accommodating! I tried to dent my plate, but it barely looked like I ate anything.
I totally suggest coming to eat here.... it waters my mouth at the thought
If you've ever lived in the bay area, you know that Hukilau is the place to go for Hawaiian food.
Aloha Eats definitely satisfied a craving for spam musubi. The musubi probably would be better served if it were cheaper and sold individually; instead I got 2 pieces that were monstrous (granted I appreciated eating the 2nd late nite later). There are a variety of menu choices, consisting of most Hawaiian staples, including the loco moco, or what I like to call heart attack in a box.
The "mini" plates are a decent meal in themselves and are very reasonably priced. I opted for bbq chicken and my chicken came tender and juicy, as expected. I agree with Matthew L, it's not a place to be wowed, more of a place where you will get what you expected.
Oh baby. A great example of the trifecta of awesomeness -- cheap, huge portions, quality food.
I take pride in my quantity-eating prowess, and so when I heard "I'd be impressed if you finished that" it was game over. After the chicken cutlet, macaroni salad, and rice were gone, I was definitely stuffed but was impressed that I didn't feel like I had to pass out on the nearest sidewalk bench. Food was flavorful and filling but not too heavy. We went back and got some chicken katsu to go... which I have been picking at and is delicious. Can't wait to come back and try some of their other dishes.
Aloha Eats/Cafe is a great place to grab some cheap Grub in the Lincolin park area. I have been going here since its opening (mostly cuz im good friends with the weird asian kid that works there(you know who you are))cough Ivan cough cough. The place is family ran with the two kids working up front and the dad in the back cooking. Their food is great but there are some stuff i would avoid.
My friend always suggest the chicken combo plate to new costumers but i would have to disagree. Their chicken like most nondeepfried fast food chicken tends to be dry and not that great. But their beef and other meat products are great.
The dishes i think are a must are:
Loco Moco, BBQ Beef, BBQ Short ribs (so good), Portuguese sausage(its on the side board), Chicken Katsu Curry, Shrimp Curry, Spam Loco and if you want a snack they have great deep fried shrip shumai.
And don't forget the home maid Haupia its sooo good.
And don't forget the spam
For being this far from hawaii this place is as good as it gets for legit local plate food
alohas greats. The best part is looking at all the prude people as they get squeamish about eating… Read more »
Another one of those restaurants near Clark and Deming that I just had to try. After revisiting Molly's cupcakes, I walked next door to Aloha Eats and was a bit overwhelmed by the menu. I don't think I've ever had Hawaiian food before, but I think I'm a fan :o].
The guy at the cash register was very helpful since I couldn't decide which type of chicken dish I wanted. I tried the BBQ chicken mini-plate, which was more than enough food for lunch. It was a good price, and I enjoyed the chicken with the rice. The macaroni salad is pretty tasty, especially since it has just a hint of tuna flavor (but not too much). They have a wide selection of imported Hawaiian juices, and I tried the strawberry-guava, which was also yummy!
I definitely want to come back again to check out the other dishes, like the katsu :o].
I was introduced to this place a few years ago and make it a point to venture into Lincoln Park just for this place.
I usually get the Combination Chicken Plate. The Katsu sauce is outta control and the macaroni salad is always delicious.
Even if you haven't tried Hawaiian food before, this place is good enough to try. Pretty basic food with some deliciousness added.
Any place that can serve up relatively healthy food pretty quick is okay by me. I wasn't crazy about the sides and in hindsight should have configured my meal without them because they ended up in the trash.
I went a little crazy with indecision and ordered the BBQ Chicken, Beef and short rib mix and thought it was pretty good, although it was the
skinniest short rib I have every seen! Not heavy on sauce, just light marinade and perfectly steamed white rice. No bells or whistles but decent, healthy food served up pretty quick.
Downside? The cashier never interrupted her conversation with a colleague about a "douchebag" rap artist she met, holla and they put EVERYTHING in styrofoam which can't be all that good for the environment.
The space is cute and sparse. Its not Skewerz but its good.
JUST got home from dinner here on a whim. Immediately greeted with a really friendly "hello!" and a "take your time and let me know if you have any questions". We had a few questions and he was great about answering them. I also loved the music! I felt instantly at home hearing Kings of Leon come on! I love that they do substitutions because I can be a picky eater sometimes. Also, my boyfriend dropped his fork and as he was picking it up off the floor an employee was already at his side with a new one!
The food is really good but really simple. Food is served in styrofoam to-go containers so that makes it easy to eat what you want and go. Our faithful server was even at our side with a bag for our boxes before we asked! We joked he must be clairvoyant! Both my boyfriend and I were pleased and there was enough food so that we will have it for lunch tomorrow!
Everything besides the logo I did not like. The place was small and crowded. One employee serving five people. Their complicated menu was not explained well. I have ordered a chicken cotlet. It came with a delicious pasta and white rice. The chicken itself was not so great. The breading was overpowering the chicken. Also the color of the chicken was not appetizing.
Price: about 7$ per person
Size: Too big
Taste: not so good
employs: minimal wage
This place is the bomb for value (price/quantity comparison) and taste!!
The curry sauce is VERY cinnamon-y, the bbq sauce is tangy, the teriyaki is glorified soy sauce so i recommend the money sauce aka Gravy...
Get the chicken cutlet and you will never look back, they pack that box tighter then well, you know what... and the macaroni salad is not just filler, it's actually pretty tasty.
If you are veggi like these wicker park hipsters I saw, you may like the tofu musubi, think tofu nigiri on the stuff that Roger Clemens wasn't taking... It's HUGE...
Even as a fan of Hawaiian plate lunches, I can't get excited about this place.
Their kalua pork was adequate - good pork but overcooked tasteless cabbage and boring macaroni salad. The décor is nothing special. Plastic utensils and plates - it's a carryout fastfood place. 3 stars - nothing bad about it, just nothing worth going back for. Unless you're desperate for kalua pork or spam. Mahi mahi is broadly available there days, so it's no big thrill to get their fish.
I love this place!! I recently went to hawaii and have been missing it since i returned to the mainland.
the food is great and I highly reccomend the musubi's. its 4 bucks for 2 handrolls that you really only need 1 to be full. i prefer the chicken.
the only reason they got 4 instead of 5 is i wish there was a little more selection that were a little bit more hawaiian. i feel like a couple of their dishes are tweeked to be a little more mainland-ish.
but the service was fast and friendly and I've already sent a bunch of my co workers there... HIGHLY RECCOMEND!
When I used to live in the area, I always walked past Aloha Eats and wondered what Hawaiian food tasted like. I finally decided to give it a try and it was very tasty.
I ordered the mini Hawaiian bbq chicken plate. I'm not sure what the regular portion is like, but I could have easily split the mini portion. It was a scoop of rice, a scoop of macaroni pasta, and a scoop of something green, along with 4 chicken patties. Huge. I can't speak to how authentic it was, but it was pretty good. Considering how much I paid, it was definitely a good value.
My husband and I decided to hit up "the Hawaiian place" last night (as we call it), and while we were waiting for food, I realized that I desperately needed to give Aloha Eats some props on Yelp!
So, here I am.
The best thing about Aloha Eats is definitely its singularity. The reason we call it "the Hawaiian place" is because it's the only one we know about.
My husband loves the spam musubi. Since I don't like spam or seaweed, it's a non-starter for me. I am, however, a big fan of the BBQ plates - both chicken and beef. I usually get mini plate, and I just discovered last night that you can sub in peas and carrots for mac salad (or rice) if you are looking for more vegetables than just the cabbage that comes with every plate. I don't really care for the macaroni salad - it's a little bland for me - but other people seem to like it.
The BBQ isn't really your standard contiguous 48 barbecue, it's more like teriyaki-style grilled meat. The chicken is always moist and delicious. If you are a chopstick person, make sure to grab a knife because they serve the meat in kind of big pieces that make it a little unwieldy for chopsticks.
The regular BBQ plates are enormous - two scoops of white rice, a scoop of macaroni salad, cabbage and a heaping helping of whatever meat you choose, which is why I stick with the mini-plate.
If you're in the mood for something different, you should check it out. Seating is limited, but it's great for takeout. Gotta love the Hawaiian soda, too.
What did I learn in my second (and third... and fourth....) trip to Aloha Eats? Don't get their food to go. It must have been the fact that my food burned through the Styrofoam container last time. I went back with my boyfriend because he's lived in Hawaii and was craving some L&L style grub. I've had the BBQ burger (not my fave), the Grilled Mahi (Love it) and the Chicken Katsu (much better than the pork) and now definitely consider Aloha Eats when I head out for some fast food-esque munchies. Plus the owner is super nice. I'm glad I gave this place a second chance.
Maybe I hit it on a bad night. I hope so.
Tonite I was wandering around looking for something fast.…
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Damn, this food is good. Damn, these portions are huge. Just, DAMMMN! So far I have gone here 4 times and all my experiences were positive. I have ordered the chicken katsu everytime. One bone I'd have to pick with the chicken katsu is that the last time I ordered it seemed a little fatty. But I hear most people like some fat on their meat? Not me, no fat whatsoever. Kimchi is delicious (it made me want to eat kimchi again).Service here is friendly, haven't had a problem so far.
Its good, and its nice to try something different (kind of), but when you are in Lincoln Park with infinite dinning options, Aloha can only muster a mediocre score.
Worth a stop on by and a try because you will enjoy your meal, you just won't be wow-ed.
I love that I can get a plate lunch in chicago. The chicken is very good, and I always ask for 2 scoops of the mac salad. I didn't care for the Katsu, but most things on the menu are great!
So there was this da kine local place in Kihe, HI where they served these traditional lunch boxes-which included either BBQ beef, chicken, breaded pork over rice, and a salad. Those flavors stayed with me even after returning to Chicago. And after my first visit to Aloha Eats, I felt as if I was back in the islands. The BBQ shortribs (re: cut Korean-style) are my favorite. The chicken and breaded pork are good it was the sweet and smoky flavor of the shortribs that brought back those wonderful island images. Take care! The full plates are just that. Full! If you're famished, this is the ticket. For first timers, I would suggest the half orders AND get an order of the Spam musubi. Okay... Spam musubi have three ingredients-rice, a slice of Spam and dried kelp wrap (nori). Again, the flavor is close to what I had in Kihe, HI but if I had one criticism of Aloha Eats' Spam musubi is that it had A LOT of rice, certainly muchmore rice than the Spam musubi I had in the islands.
I recommend Aloha Eats. Inexpensive island flavors in the Midwest. Take a load off, wander into the nondescript dining space and enjoy.
Mahalo!
When I don't know where else to go with my roommate, we usually default to Aloha Eats. This is one of my favorite places to go when I need my Hawaii fix because of the decent prices and solid food.
I usually order the mix plate (ribs, chicken, beef, 2 scoops rice, and macaroni salad or fries) or the double chicken platter. Chicken katsu is also very good, but I highly recommend trying a slice of grilled SPAM. OH MAN it's magical in the face. Not very healthy and simple to make, but my mouth explodes every time I eat a slice of that heavenly spam. Try it out.
Place is sooo good! They'd get five stars if it was easier to get to, better parking situation, or more locations.
Food/Staff get 6 stars.
Jeez. I didn't know Ivan was such a celebrity! He's been interviewed so many times and has articulated why Aloha Eats does the things they do so well. I definitely hadn't guessed that when I went in for the first time a few weeks ago; I just thought he was a down to earth guy that's knowledgeable about Hawaiian culture. Well, he is, but he's much more than that. He's a representative of his family's business, and he does it damn well.
But that's not why I'm giving Aloha Eats 5 stars. I'm giving them 5 stars because they make the best macaroni salad I've ever had. When its creamy goodness unites with my tongue... I swear, fireworks appear. It really complemented my Spam Loco Moco well. Who could ask for more when you can get a giant plate of Spam, egg, and gravy over rice and a huge scoop of macaroni salad?
I've never been to Hawaii and probably won't get the chance to until my honeymoon (too bad I'm never getting hitched), so I am not familiar with authentic Hawaiian food, but I have a feeling Aloha Eats is IT.
I've been wanting to try this place for a few weeks now but after reading a few reviews on people getting food poisoning, I thought it best if I saved this place for a Friday so I would have the weekend to recover if I got it too. However a few of my friends wanted to eat there yesterday so I thought why not? I let my boss know that I might not be in the next day and went on my merry way.
I ordered the bbq mixed plate and spam musubi. I loved the bbq chicken the best with the spam musubi second, although I don't think I'll get it again as I can't justify spending money on something that tastes just like fried spam with rice, which you can easily just make at home. I also tried a piece of my friend's chicken katsu and I was not a big fan of the katsu sauce. If you want awesome katsu sauce, try the Kikkoman version...so good that you'll want to drink it. But overall I liked the food and will be back to try some of the other entrees next.
I also didn't get food poisoning which was a huge bonus.
Kathy: 1 Food Poisoning: 0
This place is really convenient if you want to have a casual meal or pick up something to take home. The give you lots of food for the price-- I can't imagining finishing a full plate! And they get points for having Sriracha on hand.
I should note that I'm not a fan of Hawaiian food. I lived in Hawaii for a couple years (so what if I was 8... I don't forget what I eat) and was never into it. I want everything to be less sweet and way spicier. But anyways, I think Aloha Eats is a pretty accurate representation of Hawaiian food. I didn't like the BBQ beef at all.. bad quality meat and wayyy too sweet. The fried shrimp is pretty good, I think it's butterflied and comes with a yummy tartar sauce.
That was the worst fried mahi, fried shrimp, fried scallop, etc dish I've EVER had. It tasted like it was marinating in 1 week old frying oil that should've been changed 6 days prior. The batter they used seriously only had the taste of the oil and the batter to seafood ratio was about 2:1.
The only reason I gave more than 1 star was because we also had the BBQ platter - it was good since it reminded me of those quick and easy dinner my Filipino parents would make at home: fried or bbq meats served with rice - nostalgic! Had I only eaten this dish, I would give this place 3 stars for fast and friendly service and cheap eats.
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Vietnamese
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