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Tue-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
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THIS IS PLACE IS FRIGGIN' AWESOME!
EVERYTHING WAS GREAT! I'm not even kidding.
Even before Man vs Food, we had been visiting the award winning Helena's for some time. Locals knew of it's excellent Hawaiian food for a while. Sweet Auntie behind the counter is always happy and really funny. It's a small and old place. Mismatched furniture, door that doesn't close by itself, but all of this add to the experience.
Pipikaula Ribs, poke with fresh ogo (seaweed), kalua pig, lomi salmon, squid luau, and haupia (like coconut jello dessert) are the main menu items to get, but there are plenty of other things. I even like the cut onions and side of Hawaiian sea salt. Winnahs!
Everything is served in small bowls, but even though it looks small, there's plenty to eat and get your fill. The great part about it is that you eat family style so everyone can taste everything. It may be a bit more spendy than your average restaurant, but hey, when are you going to get to eat Hawaiian food like this again?
Parking is in a shared lot right up front and on the street. If it's busy, then it may be hard to find a place.
People thought this was:
My favorite Hawaiian restaurant in Oahu. I'd say it's better than Ono's Hawaiian Foods - no offense against Ono's, but Helena's is that good.
Ate there twice in a span of 3 days. If my heart could take the sodium and fat beating, I would have eaten there every day during my trip to HNL.
The lady is a friendly tita (that's an oxymoron) and my ordering experience went like this:
Tita: "What would you like"
Me: "I'd like to get the Pipikaula short ribs... and the chicken long rice. Oh, and the squid luau. Hmm, let's get the tripe stew as well."
Tita: "Anything else?"
Me: "Um. Oh ok let's also get kalua pork. And and can't forget the lomi salmon. Beef stew. Haupia for dessert. Lau Lau. Fried butterfish collar."
Tita: "YOU ORDA'D THE WHOLE MENU ALREADY! WHY NOT SAY 'ONE WHOLE MENU' PLEASE?"
It was a half-friendly half-mean interjection - but all out of hawaiian tita love. Something your mom would scream at you. We practically ordered the entire lyrics to 'Fish n Poi' by Sean Na'auao.
Food was perfect. I thought the kalua pork could have been a bit better, but the squid luau, pipikaula short ribs and buttefish collar were money.
The restaurant is not big, but not cramped either.
Parents - they have high chairs but we brought a booster chair. No problems at all and the space between tables was ample. Very kid friendly - the waitresses were gushing over our little one. Felt like they were aunties, not waitresses.
This place should be a MUST on any one's list if you're after authentic, home-made-flavor Hawaiian food.
People thought this was:
My hubby has a fascination with going to places that have been on TV. ;) Being a huge fan of Travel Channel's Man v. Food we just had to try this place.
We arrived here in the late afternoon after spending a lazy day at the beach. It wasn't too crowded and there wasn't a line out the door like some Yelpers experienced. Maybe we just got lucky. The waitresses were super friendly and helpful with suggestions on what to order.
I ordered Menu A - Kalua Pig and Lomi Salmon and hubby ordered Menu D - Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon, Pipikaula Short Ribs, and Luau Squid. It sounded like a lot of food but we were hungry. And in actuality the portions are tiny, like tapas. It was perfect for getting a taste of everything. We loved everything! Well, the Luau Squid was a bit...interesting but not bad....just a little too coconuty for our taste. And the prices seemed a bit steep but I think that's pretty much everything in Hawaii, even the real local places like this.
When we come back to Oahu (when and not if!), we'll definitely come back here. I can't wait to taste everything else on their menu!
People thought this was:
Just about everything I want to say about this place has already been said. This food is heaven-sent. Sooooo good. Worth every penny.
People thought this was:
Great food but a bit pricey. I ordered the Menu D but realized after the salmon and squid came that I just should have ordered more of the bbq ribs.
Of course the lady next to me ordered the large version of the salmon. Try the menu d once and tailor your taste buds next time you roll through.
TIP: Plan in advance! Make sure you visit on a day that they are open (may be obvious, but you lose track of your days as a tourist!) and don't go too close to closing time! I would suggest calling ahead of time, but a Yelper just mentioned that they don't answer their phones.
We were really excited to try this place on our vacation to Oahu and were ready to taste delicious, authentic Hawaiian food! I wrote down favorite dishes of reviewers, mapped out directions, and arrived at the storefront only to see a dark exterior and a note that read: "Sorry, we closed early because we ran out of food!"
Too bad, so sad :(
Hopefully I'll be able to visit this restaurant next year and update my review to 5-stars like the rest :)
People thought this was:
We heard about Helena's after we saw the Honolulu episode of Travel Channel's Man vs. Food. We had a 3 hour layover in Honolulu on our way to Maui and decided to go here for lunch since it's only about 10 minutes away from the airport. When we got there, there was a line out the door! I guess we weren't the only one's who saw the episode... hehe
Anyway, we ordered a combination plate "C" that included Kalua pig, Pipikaula ribs, Lomi Salmon, Rice, and Haupia. My husband really wanted Lau Lau so we ordeded that on the side including a side of rice. The flavors of each dish was so authentic it tasted like your Hawaiian grandma made it. The Kalua definitely tasted like it was something out of the imu (earth oven).... so yummy! When we asked if that's how they cooked it, they said they did! The pipikaula ribs were so tasty too! The food was so good that we took some home to freeze and take back to the mainland!
The service was really good as well. The ladies there are very friendly and made sure that you were satisfied. It's definitely service with a smile.
One advice I'd like to emphasize is that this place gets REALLY busy during the lunch and dinner rush. So, plan in advance. If you plan to go there during those time frames, get ready to wait. Taking it to go is also a good option. They pack it well enough so that it's just as if you're eating there.
This was the first time that I had eaten at Helena's Hawaiian Food & I think it was good. There were so many things on the menu that I would have liked to try, but what I ordered was good. All the dishes were prepared well and they came with nice touches: like a big plate of free Haupia, red Hawaiian Sea Salt, etc. Generally, I am not the biggest fan of Hawaiian food, but I thought Helena's did a nice job preparing our food as well as other dishes that were being served throughout the restaurant. Helena's Hawaiian Food doesn't offer that much parking and their restaurant can get busy quickly, so come prepared to wait or make sure to go at an off time. Nice job Helena's, you do deserve that James Beard Award.
PS. They only accept cash so come prepared. Their prices are good, but it can add up quickly because you usually want to order more than 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 things... LOL
PPS. Their Kalua Pig & Cabbage is just plain good. :)
People thought this was:
Seating and parking gets to be royal pains in the ass during lunch hour. The ribs are deadly good, but will probably lead to an early demise by way of heart disease (then again most foods this delicious will). The portioning and pricing is a bit high considering what you get, and on average I'd guess eating lunch at Helena's ran everyone at my table about $16/head today.
It's this weird halfway love-hate thing, where you totally love the food you got but somehow don't feel like it was really worth the $16 you paid for lunch.
Service is pretty good and its great to see a small mom and pop in Honolulu doing as well as Helena's is.
And yeah, the ribs probably take 10 minutes off of your expected life span...but they are totally worth it.
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Whoa!
I had no idea about this place with the exception of my friend emailing me and telling me to try this place out. I thought it was a place for breakfast which wasn't the case. We ordered lomi salmon, short ribs and the beef stew. All were extremely tasty dishes. The haupia was served to every table. I wish I had known about this place from the beginning of our vacation. The waitress was extremely nice and helpful which boosted an extra star! It was so good that I had to buy a T-shirt from them! They were also viewed on "Man vs. Food" on the Travel Channel. This is a MUST place to eat. Very small place so you'll probably have to wait unless you get there when they open. Mostly locals go there to eat.
This was the first place we stopped at while on our vacation.
We wanted to try authentic Hawaiian food and this is where the yelpers told us to go. I'm glad it didn't disappoint!
My husband and I shared Menu C ($12.55). It came with
*kalua pig
*lomi salmon (salmon ceviche)
*pipikaula short ribs
*rice
*haupia (coconut dessert)
It came in little dishes that we shared. Portion size was perfect for us two.
The lomi salmon was refreshing and perfect with the rest of the food. My favorite was the kalua pig and the short ribs! I actually wish we had ordered one more serving of the short ribs!
The owner told me that they were going to be featured on Man vs. Food in Sept. Just saw that episode this past week!
Went to Helena's right after getting off the plane from the Mainland. Very nice people working there. Reasonable food for the price...kalua pork was very good, haupia too. Atmosphere is pure local, which is very comfortable.
Un-freaking-believable!
Being from CA, Jason and I try to hit up as many places as possible to eat because well, we are pigs! So as Jason's friend Kris is driving, I am Yelping places to eat. We decide to head over to the not-so-great-looking area between Likelike and Pali Highway.
The three of us sat in the back and ordered our own sets because no one wanted to share (in case it turned out to be really good) and each of our sets had the pipikaula short ribs in it. GOOD THING WE GOT OUR OWN SETS!!! These ribs were so good that this is now on our must hit list for Oahu.
I don't want to mislead you in thinking this is the ONLY great thing on the menu. I order everything since I never know when I'll be back. Let me tell you, the butterfish soup, the squid lau lau, and the kalua pig are also very, very good.
I might try the butterfish fried next time, those look amazing.
People thought this was:
Hawaiian food at its greatest!!! SIMPLY FANTASTIC!!!
You cannot say that you've had Hawaiian food unless you've made a stop at Helena's. Located along School street in a small shopping center. You have to look hard or you will miss this place. Don't be fooled by this little hole in the wall restaurant. The food will keep you coming back for more and more. Just the wet Pipikaula short ribs alone would make me brave 30 minutes of traffic to pick up my order of ribs. Oh lordy!
Broke 'da mouth!
I have never had anything here that didn't WOW or amaze me. She has fantastic foods.
The great part is that grandma used to cook and now the grandson is in the kitchen making all the local 'kine grindz.
Wear loose clothing and a belt with more holes in it, you will be loosening after dinner:)
People thought this was:
If you're looking for authentic, delicious Hawaiian food, you have to go to Helena's Hawaiian Food!! In fact, they even received the prestigious James Beard award in 2000. The pipikuala ribs are a must have. Definitely, plan ahead. They'll be a crowd around lunch time and parking is a b#$%h. Believe me, it's worth the wait.
We had the fried butterfish collar kalua pig and pipikaula ribs. The butterfish was really good crispy on the outside and so tender inside. The kalua pig went really well with rice. I also enjoyed the sliced onions with chili water and pink sea salt. The fried butterfish was the best thing we had in Hawaii!
Best Hawaiian food. (better than Ono Hawaiian food on kapahulu). We had the short ribs, beef stew, beef stew with watercress, and Kailua pork with cabbage. It was all good!
I admit I'm not a big fan of Hawaiian food. It always struck me as well...very rustic (my original adjective was unrefined but rustic is more appropriate) and in most cases the best examples of this type of cuisine are not found in restaurants. Rather they are going to be sampled at a.) a church luau or b.) in someone's back yard on a lazy Saturday evening with plenty of heineken, under the flickering lights of home depot tiki torches and serenadaed by the sounds of friends and relatives having a jam session on ukuleles.
However, if you want to know what the gold standard for Hawaiian cuisine is, come and eat at Helena's and you won't be disappointed. It is rare that a place breaks into four star territory on my bell curve, so its worth a try.
Kalua pig here is the benchmark for all kalua pig to be measured against. Unlike most places, Helena's version doesn't arrive soaking in a pool of cuisson and leeching artery cloggin pork fat into the broth. Theirs is lean, moist, smoky, and juicy.
Squid and Chicken Luau is rich, creamy, smooth textured, deep olive green, and not overly dominated by coconut milk (the cheapest and most abundant ingredient that is commonly used by other places to stretch the batch out).
Pipikaula short ribs are amazing. Salty, smoky, and rich. Their method of air drying the ribs over the stove imparts incredible complexity to such a simple dish.
Tripe and Beef Stew are solid. The tripe stew is pretty much cooked tripe with beef stew gravy. Its good in that they are able to neutralize the smell of tripe without using an overly acidic or sweet stew broth common in many local tripe stew recipes.
Fried Butterfish collars are tasty, crispy on the outside, perfectly seasoned simply with salt, and have a texture similar to deep fried frog legs.
Haupia is a freebie. It is smooth, not overly sweet, not overly agar'ed, and not overly cornstarchy. All in all, its just perfectly balanced.
Only thing I didn't appreciate was the skimpy poke and opihi dish. I'm better off making my own for this one. Good poke is easy to find and hinges primarily on the quality of the fish. The garnishes and seasoning are just smoke and mirrors.
The prices are resonable and you get to order a lot of little dishes tapas style to customize your own complete meal. Expect to pay about $20/person. You will walk out full (unless you have no idea what you're doing..and in that case Mcdonalds is down the road).
Ambiance...well lets just say Helena's definitely has a sense of place and time (feels like you stepped back into the eighties).
Service is helpful and sincere, though not particularly professional. Elena (Helena's daughter) is super friendly and a gracious presence in the dining room.
Okay, bare with me. I like Helena's and I think they make the best squid luau but I am so disappointed that they don't answer their telephone to take call in order. I used to call in my order because they do get busy and the parking situation is bad.
My goodness I know you guys are popular but are you guys too good to answer your telephone.
Pipikaula short ribs: Greasy but in the good way. Tasty rib juices greasy. Not oily greasy. Flavor is unbelievably good!
Kalua pig: Super tender and sweet!
Butterfish collar: Crispy outside done just right. Inside is some damn good moist butterfish!
Poi: Ew. Even my friend (Hawaiian native) thinks it tastes like Elmer's glue. But he eats it and loves it. Ew x2.
Lomi salmon: Perfect amount of acidity with the lime juice.
Opihi: Ok.... so only the native Hawaiians at the table liked this. My girlfriend and I thought it tasted like licking the underside of a rock, straight from the ocean, that happened to be covered in algae. =X
Haupia: Yummy. Sweet, creamy, rich. I'm usually not a fan of coconut but it was really good and surprisingly refreshing after the heavy food.
Lau lau: Outside leaf was too strong in flavor. It overpowered the fatty pork inside which was reallllly good.
People thought this was:
Recommended by the friend whose wedding we were in HI to attend, Helena's was a welcome first meal to have on this visit to Oahu. We lucked out with parking (right in front of the store), tailing a delivery man bringing in cartons of raw foodstuffs for the restaurant. Otherwise, parking in the lot looked as if it would prove difficult at peak hours.
Alas, we didn't read up on the suggestions here so we completely missed out on the short ribs (when the cashier saw our order she asked my mom where we were from, since the ribs were missing from the list). The salmon and tuna that we did have was pretty good, albeit slightly on the salty side (even with the white rice). No, we didn't try the poi.
I liked the haupia (if that's the coconut gelatinous dessert) a lot. My grandma seemed to find it amusing that the food reminded her of more familiar Chinese food for some reason.
Soooo good! Like David said, you can't say you've had Hawaiian until you've tried Helena's! It's totally a hole in the wall in a weird/ghetto part of town, but it was soo good! Thanks Yelp!
We made a stop here before heading towards the airport to leave Oahu and boy, am I glad we did! It was great! We got Meal B which came with kalua pig, pipikaula short ribs, and rice. We also ordered the fried butterfish collar (because of all the great reviews about it!), some poi (just to try), and some beef stew. Everything was really really good! It all comes out in pretty small portions, but it was nice to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Poi was a little weird, but not horrible. The server was really nice and helped us navigate through the menu since we had no idea what we were getting or eating. :P And then the owner (I think?) talked to us a bit and told us they were going to be featured on the Travel Channel in September this year! Awesome!
WONDERFUL way to end our trip. Thanks Helena's! (And Yelp for leading us there!)
So Ono!! Now this is a foodies dream, price right, food more than alright and fabulous service!! Got to order the short ribs, chicken long rice, laulau, everything off of the menu so fine! my mouth is watering just thinking about the food there. No snotty people here just good food, good people and melt in the mouth food.
Bonus they give you a little side order of sliced raw onions with hawaiian salt!! Sooo good with everything.
They only take cash, so go to the atm before.
Don't let the location or outside scare you... This is the place to get traditional Hawaiian food.
We ordered Menu D and recieved poi or rice, kalua pig, lomi salmon, pipiluala ribs, and squid luau. The meal also came with an appitizer of sliced onion that was meant to be dipped in large grain salt and coconut dessert. The grand total was 17.50 and was easily split between two people. The kalua pig was the best I tasted during my trip and the squid luau was full of nice sized squid cuts. The squid luau tasted like coconut milk and spinach pureed- which my brother did not like and we left half eaten. It was tasty, but gets sweet and overwhelming the more you eat.
The service was kind and not patronizing when we had questions. During our lunch the regulars and tourists constantly rotated in and out making the restuarant always full.
Fyi's~
* Closed Sat, Sun, Mon
* They do take-out
* They cater... and are the caterer for many of the local community luau's
* The James Beard award they won was for Best Regional Cuisine
People thought this was:
After scheduling the time, I chose this as the place to meet for an early weekday lunch at 10:30 am with some friends from Mililani. To avoid the parking and traffic issues in the Waikiki and downtown area, this seemed like the logical choice. We each ordered two dish combinations (around $9.50 to $10.00) and shared two side dishes:
Friend
Pipikaula Ribs and Kalua pig with rice
Friend's wife
Pipikaula Ribs and Squid Luau with poi
Me
Kalua Pork and Lomi Lomi Salmon with rice - I liked the contrast of warm (pork) and cold (salmon) with the rice. Friend gave me a piece of Pipikaula ribs since I only get to come here once or twice a year, if that.
Shared
Lau Lau - Good flavor, but I'm not really into the salted fish flavor. Leaves even had good flavor.
Butterfish collar - Think hamachi kama, with no batter yet crispy.
Dessert
Haupia - Pleasant palate cleanser to end the meal.
During lunch, I learned that my friends did not know of this place and enjoyed the meal. They pointed out the numerous short ribs that hung from the kitchen ceiling that I didn't notice before; I prefer the Korean kalbi short ribs myself, but my friends seemed to enjoy this. I spoke to the auntie/owner and got a couple take-out menus for my friends for next time. She told me that they close at 7 pm or 8 pm (hint - get there by 6 pm), depending when they run out of food; 4.5 stars for the food, 0.5 stars for family feel. For simple and authentic Hawaiian food, I think you can't go wrong by coming here.
People thought this was:
My friend met me here last year, giving me simple directions from my hotel. I wondered why he set… Read more »
This is the best place to get Hawaiian food, hands down. Sorry Ono's, but this is my favorite now. I can't believe I live less than 5 minutes away from this place and I always miss it whenever I drive by. We sat ourselves down and waited for the watress to help us out. It took about 5 minutes for her to get to us and almost 15 minutes for our order to arrive. But the wait was worth it because the food was hot and they were busy.
I was with my friend at the time and we ordered a lot of food. But it didn't seem like a lot. My friend had the set with Kailua Pork, Laulau, Lomi Salmon, and Haupia. I ordered Ala Carte of Chicken Long Rice, Ahi Poke w/Opihi, Beef Watercress, Pipikaula, and Poi. Though I didn't really like the Poke w/Opihi because it had an ocean taste to it. Probably from the Opihi. The Opihi was decent, it had a sour taste to it. The Pipikaula I didn't like, it was fatty and the taste was alright. Nothing spectacular in flavor, I guess it isn't for me. I loved the Chicken Long Rice since there was a lot of noodles, white chicken meat, and not salty. The Beef Watercress did not taste bitter, the soup was not salty, and the beef pieces were flavorful and only a very few fatty pieces on it. I also tried my friend's Kalua Pork and it didn't taste overpowering with smoke or salty and there was hardly any fatty pieces. The Lomi Salmon was ok, nothing special it just taste the same wherever you go. The Laulau was good and steaming hot, too bad I only had a small piece of it because I wanted more. The Haupia is perfect, not too gelantinous and not too creamy. It has the right amount of coconut flavor to it. The Poi is so far so good, I don't know why I love poi. There was very little sour taste to it, very paste-like, yet good. You need to have an acquired taste in order to like poi.
On another day, I came with my brother and we were starving for Hawaiian food. We got there and we had to wait about 10 minutes for a seat then 20 minutes for our order (it was busy again during lunch time). And again I ordered a lot, I had the Lau Lau, Chicken Long Rice, Small Poi, Beef Watercress, Small Rice and Fried Ahi. My brother order Kalua Pork, Tripe Stew, Ahi Poke, and Large Poi. The price of my order was nearly $20 but I didn't care, because as soon as I bite into the Lau Lau, all I felt was happiness. Never did I had good Lau Lau before, I have always ate it out of the package and it disappointed me so much. But this Lau Lau was so fresh and yummy. The pork pieces were juicy and flavorful, even the piece of fat was so good. The butterfish in the Lau Lau definitely melts in your mouth and so does the bones. The leaves really tasted like spinach but better and didn't taste bland. The Tripe Stew was actually pretty good. I can't seem to describe the taste of the stew, it was good but I can't figure out why. At least it doesn't taste like regular old beef stew. But the tripe was very soft to eat and required no extra chewing compared to eating tripe at Chinese restaurants or in Pho. The Fried Ahi however was a little disappointing for me, I guess I'm not a big fan of "well done Ahi" since it takes all the flavor away. I tried to use the spicy chili water but it didn't help much. We managed to finish everything easily but me and my brother could not finish the small order of rice. So next time we're not gonna order rice.
Overall Helenas' food is just right yet so good. These dishes may be small but it packs a lot of flavor. When I think about it, I like how Hawaiian food stimulates every taste buds on my tongue. Next time, I'm bringing all my friends here.
People thought this was:
We had the bf's nephew for the day and thought it would be fun to go to the Bishop Museum. Since you could easily spend a few hours perusing all the wonderful items at Bishop, lunch ahead of time was a MUST! A quick Yelp search around the area pulled up PHENOMAL reviews for Helena's Hawaiian Food. Let's not fail to mention that Helena's got a James Beard Award--amazing!!! Not too many of those on the island! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We lucked out on a table for the three of us, despite the fact that the place was packed! A quick perusal of the menu showed truly authentic Hawaiian food--for EXTREMLEY cheap prices! We ordered the Kalua Pig, Luau Squid, Laulau, Pipikaula Shorts, and Haupia. A TON of food with drinks at a whopping grand total of under $20!!!! No joke! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The Kalua was so tender and had that amazing smoke flavor that only an imu could provide. Both the Laulau and Short Ribs were delish. The surprise of the meal was the Luau Squid, which I had never tried before. And although maybe not the most visually pleasing, this dish of stewed luau leaves & coconut milk with chopped squid was scrumptious. Extremely rich with light "tea" flavors from the leaves. And let us not forget the yummy Haupia. Mmmm!!!!
I cannot believe what a great find Helena's is!! With such mouth-watering food and inexpensive prices, Helena's has found a permanent place in this gal's heart.
People thought this was:
Thank you, Yelp! So glad we found this place. If you drive here, don't blink or else you might miss it. Come in and sit at any available table and order from the paper menus situated next to the soy sauce.
We ordered small orders of the kalua pig & cabbage, lomi salmon, short ribs & rice. Total homestyle Hawaiian cuisine. At first sight it doesn't look like much, but we were surprisingly full after our meal. The kalua pig wasn't too salty, the lomi salmon was "just ok" according to the BF and the short ribs were truly great & not too fatty. Service was excellent and you really feel like you're at your Aunt's house eating a home-cooked meal. They're open from Tue-Fri from 10am-7:30pm.
People thought this was:
This is some of the best authentic Hawaiian food you can get, whether you buy it or make it yourself. My Tutu (grandmother) buys some of our party foods from Helena's - and she's an excellent cook, so that's telling you a lot right there.
Service is friendly, but at busy lunch and dinner times, be patient. Don't worry, it will be rewarded.
Finally, not only is the food delicious, it's also a pretty good deal. You can have a Hawaiian luau feast for less than $20!
People thought this was:
Like Kathryn C below, I am having a hard time rating this place because I am beginning to think that perhaps Hawaiian cuisine (authentic) does not make my list of favorite cuisines. While I am a Loco Moco WHORE, perhaps I am just not a big fan of all Hawaiian dishes.
So, having overlooked the other reviews on here - I am going to assume that this is authentic Hawaiian food. While my rating for taste hovers at 2-3 stars at best - I am all for authenticity - so I am throwing in an additional star though to my tastebuds, the food didn't warrant it. Yes - even I can fall victim to peer pressure.
That said - the service here is truly nice, friendly and welcoming. Per a friend's recommendation, we literally got off at HNL and drove straight here for lunch. We were seated immediately and given good service.
We ordered the well-known short ribs, kahlua pork, luau squid, and lomi salmon.
Being Korean, I am particular about how ribs "should" be. These ribs were "hawaiian-style" and really did not suit my tastebuds. They weren't bad, there just weren't good. The boyfriend says he liked it....
The Kahlua Pork was shredded and well-seasoned but the meat was dry, in my opinion. That said, my boyfriend loved and devoured it.
The Luau Squid looked precisely like regurgitated cow food - and I think it had maybe 3-4 small chunks of squid in it. That said, the flavor was quite nice, and if you're not turned off by the appearance of food, this is a good bet. That said - I didn't taste squid, I tasted coconut milk and overall goodness. Rob did NOT like this dish, so it worked out alright for me.
The Lomi Salmon was good. Mixed in with tomatoes and onions, it contrasted well with the heavy Luau Squid. It's very refreshing and reminiscent of what a Hawaiian "ceviche" would be.
They also served this meal with two pieces of coconut pudding dessert items, which were tasty.
So again - to me, Helena's was a 3 star establishment serving 3-star food... but who am I to argue w/ Hawaiians claiming this is the real deal? Goodness knows there are plenty of Korean restaurants serving what I consider awesome, authentic Korean food, and the general population hates the food.
So - due to the kind service, and Hawaiian hospitality, I am adding in an additional star.
It's worth a visit if you're in Hawaii - perhaps you will find that you love Hawaiian food!
People thought this was:
I had to get some kahlua pig while in HI, and this place had good reviews. Definitely a quaint little shop. The service was great, and the pig was awesome. They mentioned I should try the ribs the next time I came in. As I knew I wouldn't have time to make it back I brought some back to the hotel with me. The ribs were some of the best I have ever had. For local grub, friendly service, and a great Hawaiian BBQ I definitely recommend this place.
Authentic Hawaiian food at its best here! Got the lau lau ($3.75) , pipikaula ($4.45) , kalua pork ($3.05), rice ($1.55) , haupia, squid luau ($3.50) (don't order this if you already have lau lau). http://static.px.yelp.... They were out of the butterfish collar "until further notice". What???
I was so sad, that's what I read on the reviews that everyone raves about. Even my auntie had told me to get that there.
I have to say, everything tasted fresh. The pipikaula was nice, thick, fatty, probably would go down great with a lite beer. You know, just like having a hamburger, extra cheese, extra onions, extra pickles, extra sauce, with a diet coke.
I didn't care for the squid luau because it tasted like the lau lau mashed up and with half a can of coconut milk added into it. I hardly saw any squids in there. This dish was recommended to me after they told me no butterfish collar.
Getting in and out of here does also take a bit of time. Not really any parking besides the lot in the front and the side. The lady owner also takes care of the cash registers, to go orders, and pretty much everything else. It took me about 15 minutes waiting in line just to pay. Price wise, this place is very reasonable. I would definitely come back again!
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Mmm, Helena's. Roommate finally took me there last night, and we definitely went home full!
Helena's is only open until 7:30 ("or until da food run out, sista!"), and we got there at 7ish. We kind of hovered in the doorway until one of the waitresses waved us toward a table; it's that kind of casual diner-y style joint. Menus are under the see-through plastic that covers the table.
The other waitress brought us some water and said she'd be back in a few minutes, so we cracked our beers (it's byob) and waited to order. I let roommate handle the ordering this time because I've been known to get waaay too much food! He got us some kalua pig with cabbage, tripe stew, poke, and pipikaula, and of course it came with the Maui onions and salt and haupia. We really wanted the butterfish collar, but no butterfish probably for a couple more weeks (tears).
Everything was delicious. Kalua pig is one of the reasons I decided to move to this rock and Helena's did not diasppoint. The pipikaula was great too, but I'm definitely more a fan of kalbi as far as short ribs go. I put some chili water on my rice, ate most of the poke, and drank a bunch of Longboard, so it was a pretty good time. The best part though was that all of that food came to $24! It's so rare that I'm a cheap date, we'll totally be going back again.
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When a hole-in-the-wall place like Helena's Hawaiian Foods wins a James Beard award for outstanding American regional cuisine, you know there's something special going on over there. In Helena's case, it's definitely the pipikaula short ribs and as many of you know, I'm a freak for short ribs. Pipikaula is a Hawaiian version of beef jerky, but this is the first time I've seen it made with short ribs. They're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and even better if you dip it in the chili pepper water that comes on the side.
Here's a rundown of the rest of our order, which included familiar Hawaiian standards:
* kalua pork - good but could have been smokier
* squid luau - squid content was low but the flavors were spot on. My wife's friend said this was just like the squid luau she grew up eating.
* lomi salmon - not normally a fan, but I actually liked Helena's.
* chicken long rice - strong ginger flavor, which I liked, but it masks the chicken.
* beef stew - solid
* fried butterfish collar - rich and fatty...excellent.
* poi - Nice purple color, but we don't like poi. Our friend and her two-year-old daughter loved it, though.
* haupia - the pipikaula had me in their trance and I forgot to have some! :( My wife liked it and said it was smooth and not watery like some haupias.
Helena's is an a weird location for out-of-town visitors, but if you can make it over there, the pipikaula short ribs are definitely worth a try. Plus, everyone there is super nice, and they'll make you feel at home.
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This was the very last place we ate on our vacation to Hawaii because it was so highly recommended by our cousin who was born and raised in Oahu. And she was right! The food was absolutely delicious. Of course we had to get what their known for which is the kalua and ribs plate lunch! Very tasty and the service was extremely friendly. A must-do when you are in Oahu!
My favorite place for Hawaiian food! A classic. Helena was a James Beard Award winner (she's since passed away). Be sure to take a look at the prints by one of my favorite Hawaii artists - Jean Charlot - many of them signed to Helena personally.
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LOVED IT! awesome authentic food, very good service.
Unfortunately is only open on weekdays, so if you should plan your trip.
They serve 4 sampler combos, which makes it easier to try new food. One combo should be fine for 2 to share.
The food is so good, it's an experience in itself (it doesn't need a fancy looking facilities or hula dancers).
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quick and great taste!
One of my top five faves on the island, in any category.
Okay, it can be pricey, hence my 4 star rating. A meal just for me is usually over $30. (okay, so I like Hawaiian food!)
I DON'T CARE.
Pipikaula- may not be "traditional"- what is that anyway?- but the best I have ever had.
Squid Lu'au- I have been on a quest for squid lu'au almost as good - no dice (sorry Yamas, Onos, Kapahulu Poi Factory, People's Cafe, Haili's, etc)- just cannot compare!
Butterfish Kama- I would rather eat this than the body of the fish!
Everything else is good, but I had to mention my faves!
I am so 'ono for this now!
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Honolulu, HI
Category: Hawaiian
Honolulu, HI
Category: Seafood Markets
Honolulu, HI
Category: Hawaiian
Honolulu, HI
Category: Hawaiian
Honolulu, HI
Category: Sushi Bars
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