Da Kitchen - CLOSED
37 reviews
Milpitas, CA
"Let me preface this review by saying that I am a Hawaiian BBQ junkie. As soon as I had my first taste of chicken katsu curry with mac salad…" read more »
13 Reviews for Da Kitchen
So sad to hear this place closed. It was really good Hawaiian food. Great food, with great portions, at a reasonable price.. Too bad the location couldn't sustain it. It was so hidden on the back end of Century 16 theaters that hardly anyone knew of it.
I'll miss this place, but fear not, you can always go visit their original restaurant back in Kihei, Maui : )
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I swear I craved Da Kitchen's Loco Moco since breakfast this morning, and I crawled out of there tonight entirely satisfied. (As previous reviewers have mentioned, the portions can be quite large.) It was impossible to pull myself away from the 10 ounces of deliciously seasoned hamburger patty under eggs and gravy. I love the included scoop of macaroni salad, but the two of rice will always feel my cold shoulder as they watch me devour the delicious meal they flank. Back unnecessary stomach-filling rice! Back I say! *threatens with fork*
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Felt homesick for Aloha Grill back in Chicago, so went to check out Da Kitchen based on all the rave reviews. The service was very friendly, pricing was reasonable, and the ambience was comfy - stars for that. But my BBQ chicken plate tasted like it had been sitting out all day - booo. Could be that it was close to closing time, but still... made me miss Aloha Grill more. In any case, the service was so nice, I think I'll head back there again to try it out a bit earlier in the day.
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Loco Moco, katsu curry, YUM! I wouldn't order the teri bowl b/c you get some slaw thing that accompanies it. I wouldn't order the teri wraps either b/c they are tiny for the price the charge. If it wasn't for the loco moco or katsu curry, I would give this place 2 stars!
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Can it be true?! ah hell! Haven't been there in a few months and I was craving some Lau Lau! Aside from HukiLau its the only place you can get it around here and it actually tastes good. *#!&%(*^%#(*%
Da Kitchen has to be one of the best Hawaiian Restuarants in the Bay Area. Located right in the heart of Google city, Mt.View, you almost miss it because its in such a remote location. The Kahlua Pig Plate is my fave there. Then sometimes I switch it up and the Katsu Cutlet which is chicken with lots of gravy topped with onions. OMFG. So good! I spoke wiht the owners once and complimented on his Lau Lau. He said they order it straight from Hawaii. Accept No Imitations! The portions are big but I go knowingly that I will take some yummy leftovers home.
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Never been to Hawaii (I'll surf the North Shore someday) but I do know I love Hawaiian food. The mix plate is definitely the way to go and you'll have another meal waiting for you cause it definitely kicks your ass. Short Ribs, Kalua Pork, and Teriyaki Chicken with plenty of rice. I know it's tradition to have the macaroni salad but that's the only thing I don't dig about the cuisine (not a big mayo fan unfortunately). WIsh they had later hours but it's hard when you're behind a movie theatre and a dive sports bar.
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Great local Hawaiian food. The chicken katsu is good, so is the kalua pig plate/sandwich. If you have a huge appetite, this place will fill you up and send you home with a take away container. Do not attempt unless you are really hungry or craving a little Hawaii in your life. Good grinds.
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This place ROCKS! Try the Loco Moco.....everyone else seems to want mine everytime I order one. Good size portions make up for the cost.
Not the best Hawaiian I've had but when we need a place to eat for lunch this is the default. Very filling and the inside of Da kitchen is inviting. The service is good. They seem to have a different special everyday. This place is always full of people during lunch so get there early.
Ono kine grinds, brah.
Since coming to the mainland from Hawai'i a year ago I've avoided going to any of the Hawai'ian restaurants opening up. I'd assumed that most would be fad restaurants with mainland style food and cheesy interiors.
Da Kitchen, however, has the real deal local style Hawai'ian food. All of the requisite meat dishes are there, along with proper scoops of rice, and mac salad.
I had the teri(yaki) beef plate. It was served as it should be, local style, 2 scoops rice, mac salad, and a bed of cabbage. The teri beef was very good and does in fact deserve it's Hawai'ian designation. The rice was cooked perfectly and the mac salad reminds me of good ol' Hilo. My companions had the pork, teri chicken, and ribs, all of which were deemed very good.
The portions are large, not quite Samoan style large, but more than enough. The mix plate is huge. They've got a bunch of other local food standards, saimin (ramen, kinda), etc.
If you're looking da real kine local food you can not go wrong here. If you don't know local Hawai'ian food this would be a good place to explore. The decor is just like a local place should be, simple, casual, comfortable... not a foo-foo bistro. Expect about $11 per person.
Da Kitchen is one of my favorite Hawai'ian restaurants, not just in the Bay Area, but also on Maui where I am originally from (I came out here for college). I always venture back here whenever I feel the inclination to reconnect to my roots. The food is presented exactly how it is back in the islands -- heaping servings of everything with the authentic "Hawai'ian" flavors. I would recommend the kalua pig (which seems to melt in your mouth), the teriyaki chicken (which is prepared Hawai'ian style -- marinated in a thin shoyu/sugar based sauce NOT that thick, overly sweet sauce), and the chicken katsu (usually served in a mountain of chicken -- I'm sure there's more than one breast).
Some people may confuse Hawai'ian cuisine with just the traditional dishes (lau lau, lomi salmon, kalua pig, haupia, poi, etc), but today's flavors include an eclectic mix of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Portuguese dishes (from the cultural influences of the early sugar plantation workers).
While the decor and ambiance is not up to the same level as the Maui locations, the staff is very friendly (and some of them are even from the islands). The only thing I would want more in terms of food from Da Kitchen is the Chow Fun and Chow Mein dishes that I really love from the other locations. Otherwise, this is an excellent restaurant to take you to the islands, whether you're remembering home, your honeymoon, vacation or "just visiting."
***UPDATE:
I previously gave this location 4 stars. There seems to be new management/cooks and I'm not sure if it was just the particular date and time I went, but the food seems to have gone downhill. The rice was hard (undercooked), the chicken katsu was more panko crust than meat (what happened to the thick chicken breasts?!?) and the kalua pig was watery. I hope this was just a fluke. I'll try it again however. Hopefully I am mistaken and it will be as great as it was before.
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Heard some good things about this place and finally tried it today
for lunch. Very disappointed. Had the terri beef and chicken combo.
Terri beef was tasty but a little too sweet. Chicken was pretty bland.
Worst was the macaroni salad, macaroni was hard and tasted old.
Worst macaroni salad I've had in the south bay. Portions average
sized but pricing seemed expensive, 25% higher than comparable
plate lunches. Much better choices for plate lunch locally. I'm still
getting to all the newer places but my current favorites are
Mahalo BBQ Almaden location only and JJs in Cupertino.
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