Ono Hawaiian Foods
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner, Lunch
- Alcohol: None
129 Reviews for Ono Hawaiian Foods
At this family-owned hole in the wall, you get a home-cooked meal for $12. Unfortunately, they had run out of laulau, but the kalua pig was juicy, fatty and divine. The poke was a bit of a disappointment.
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They ran out of laulau. My advice for something like that is to order it, even if you don't know what it is.
Kalua was very good, albeit a bit plain (no dressing, no sauce), but still very good. Chicken long rice was OK; you should order something else instead.
This place just made me feel good! It was like going to my best friend's house and her grandma and parents are around to cook and make me eat.
Again, yelpers have lead me to a gem. Right away I felt at home when hubby and I sat down and the man of the restaurant suggested we move because there was a draft at that table.
Then grandma came over and found out we were new to Hawaiian food and suggested we share the Combination plate which gives us a taste of everything. We are supposed to choose between rice or poi but she told us to just choose the rice and she will give us some poi to try. So sweet of her!
Then another lady came right away with our food and she told us she'd be right back to show us how to eat our Hawaiian food. She mixed some soy sauce and chili sauce together and showed us how to dip our meat in it and then the poi.
The Pork Laulau and Kalua Pork were delicious! I will have to look for a good place to have this back in California.
The restaurant is adorable with old pictures and posters all over the walls. Tiny little restaurant. Come early because they close at 8pm!
As you can tell, the service was amazing. Without being asked, they noticed that my husband's soda glass was empty and offered to bring us some water. They taught us all about how our Hawaiian food is prepared, even showing us a picture of taro leaves. They also gave us an extra free dessert since we were sharing one combo plate.
This was an excellent Hawaiian experience and I would recommend everyone visiting to try it!
This place has won the award for "Best Hawaiian Food" for like the last decade. These are the places that usually end up breaking my heart, but this is not one of those times. The food here is insanely good. It might not look like it from the outside or the inside for that matter. Its a hole in the wall place that can fit a maximum of twenty people inside and according to my mother, looks exactly the way it did when she ate there in 1983. Everything I had here was amazing. Just order the combination plate and have at it. It has a smattering of lomi salmon, haupia, rice, kalua pork, and a lau lau the size of a human head.
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If it is your first time, make sure you tell them so This lady was kinda mean at first but she turned out to be nice and it was just her demeanor that emanated mean. She patiently showed us what goes with what and etc.
The watercrest soup is amazing.
There is a sign on the bathroom that says it is out of order. It's actually meant to scare tourists away - the bathroom actually works.
"No get mad!"
Love Ono's. I need to make at least two trips there every time I go to Hawaii.
Simplicity is key here. Depending on the day (and my whereabouts obv) I could easily pick a meal at Ono's over the French Laundry.
It's like Anthony Bourdain writes, if you ask a chef what his last meal on Earth would be, chances are, it would be a home cooked, feel good meal. Ono's is that place for me.
Thanks yelpers! My husband and I were looking forward to have GREAT food in Hawaii. This is my third time and my husband's 2nd time in Hawaii and never had "GREAT" hawaiian food in HI. After doing much research, peeps from yelp lead us to Ono.
This cute hole in the wall is totally family owned. The family runs the place and you can see their love and dedication to food and family. PLUS! Hence, they close on Sundays.
The portions are big, so plan to share with the combo plates. My husband and I ordered the combination plate for $15. The kailua pork was the BEST! It's moist and tasty. It taste even better with the chili sauce. Plan to dip everything into it. If you don't eat spicy, I suggest you start. It's not too spicy, so do not be afraid!
My husband started with ONO and ended with our last meal at ONO. Now that we are back in Cali, we dream and talk about ONO's food every other day. We are in search of a good hawaiian food in S. Cali. Ono gives a new meaning to Hawaiian food.
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I never tried poi until I ate here! and MAHN WAS IT DELISH! when you come here you gotta order the Kaluah pig!
Warning*:
This review may cause teeth-grinding, eyebrow-furling, fist-clencing, raised high-blood pressure and may result in the irreconcilable differences and the demise of the friendship I so cherish between me and my Hawaiian friends because, in my books, this place is only 3 stars.
I do like hole-in-the-walls and this place has charm, character, atmosphere, a zillion frames on the wall and sticky tables. The service was quick with our server's fingers dipping slightly in my soup adding to the flavor and I'll even say that they were patient and understanding enough to let us have a table which was tad small for our group while we're waiting for others in our party to arrive. We were not hassled to leave.
However, let me be frank and honest, food was just okay. It's not stellar but it's not missionary-style either, ya know?
Anyways, the upside is that it's walking distance from those sugary, golden-brown malasadas.
*So, suck it to me and bring it on.
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Food: i got the combination plate and shared it with my brother. the food was definitely enough for two people. my cousin and his fiance both got the lau lau and we got an order of the butterfish as well. the pork is good but a bit salty.. the lau lau is so yummy! the butterfish was a little salty too but everything was great. the side dishes were pretty good.. the jerky thing was good.. the coconut dessert thing was good.. and the salmon salsa thing was good too. everything was flavorful!
Ambiance: small restaurant, very casual, pictures of celebrities and locals plastered all over the wall.
Staff: friendly, helpful. the owner is very friendly with everyone!
Price: $$
I really miss my Ono Hawaiian Foods. We grew up eating the stuff and wow - I really miss their lau lau. My only gripe is that DAMN it's gotten expensive and you have to pray to the parking gods in hopes of finding a spot. Make sure you try the salt meat watercress. (Salivate)
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I totally thought this place was the same as the chain in LA but thank god I was wrong. I guess this is true Hawaiian food or homestyle cooking? I wonder if there's a place like this in LA.
My friends and I ordered two combinations plates so we could taste a wide range of dishes. And the plates come with either rice or poi. Every dish was excellent and we ate like kings.
Oh and the grandma was too cute!
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Yep, this is the place I stop at every time I'm in Honolulu. My absolute favorite is:
Salt Beef Luau
Yeah! Its like a big short rib that is probably pressure cooked so that the meat just falls off the bone. It is TENDER. The beef has nothing to do with salt, so I'm not sure why it's called "Salt beef" Its not salty, but very flavorful. The soup is very thin taro leaf soup, not thick like the chicken luau or squid luau. Talk about broke da mouth. Not many know about this dish.
So there, now you know. Go try it and leave some for me, OK?!
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YUM! Got the $15.50 combo plate to share with the BF. I really liked everything. The service was friendly, which is always a plus.
The kaula pig was, as other have said, very flavorful yet extremely light. I think it was the texture. The lau lau was wrapped in spinach (that's what the lady said) and was somewhat bland but extremely good texture as well. I never understood the chili water... maybe someone can enlighten me? Everything was very good overall.
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The lomi lomi was just "OK", otherwise this place was great. The Kalua pig was tender and light (for pork, ha ha). We were able to get a seat right away, but had to get creative with the parking. But dang, $13 for a "plate lunch"? Apparently the tourists (me included) got a hold of this place and the prices skyrocketed. Ah, capitalism...
Had the Combo platter for about $15. I say, the pork lau lau is awesome...and I know...you're not supposed to put sugar in the poi but it tasted like dessert after you did. Succulent meat at reasonable prices...top notch. I may try to come back during my stay on the island.
So the combo plate gets you Kalua Pig and pork laulau, pipikaula, lomi salmon, haupia, rice or a small amount of poi.
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THE BEST MEAL I'VE HAD IN OAHU BY FAR!
The server noticed it was our first time and patiently went through the favorites of the menu with us. She even gave us poi and rice, when you're actually supposed to choose between one. She taught us how to dip everything in the poi then the tart sauce, which brought out all the flavors.
I went for the Kahlua Pig plate, which came with slow roasted pulled pork, pipikaula (beef, almost like a jerky), lomi lomi (cubed salmon with diced tomatoes and onions), raw onions, and haupia (coconut jello dessert). I loved the variety of things that came with the plate, which allow you to enjoy a sampling of authentic Hawaiian dishes all at once.
My SO told me not to yelp about her dishes but I liked hers so much that I must tell you. She had the salt meat watercress (local favorite), which was beef shortrib and watercress in the most perfect beefy yet subtle broth. The broth was just that, the essence of beef and beef bones with a little salt, reminiscent of the Filipino soup "Linaga" or Korean "Gomtang". The server noticed how much I liked the broth that she came out and brought us another bowl of it, friggin awesome brah!
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SOOOOOOOOOOO ONO!
Of course the locals were looking at us like we were retarded when we couldnt decide what to get off the menu, but oh well- our picks turned out to be so good. Luckily we went early (5ish) because there were tons of people waiting outside eyeballing us to hurry us so that they could get seats.
I would highly recommend the Salt Meat Watercress.
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Wiki Wiki...Me Likey Likey Ono's.
In search of "authentic" Hawaiian grub, we ended up at Ono. This place is a lil Mom & Pop's setup on Kapahulu Ave just off the beaten path of Waikiki's tourist area. No need for a car if you're actually in Waikiki. It's just a 15 min walk from Duke Kahanamoku statue.
Once completing the trek to the spot, you'll be happy you did. Totally authentic local type dishes. We particularly like the Kalua Pig...Good stuff Bruddah.
When you go, just don't forget to bring some green...Cause at Ono, they don't take American Express, Visa, or Mastercard. CASH...It's everywhere you wanna be.
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Originally this place was on our list of destination places to check out, but we couldn't really find it. On our 5 mile walk back from Leonard's bakery, we discovered this place right under our noses. Stuffing ourselves with malasadas was probably not a good idea before lunch, but we had to try authentic Hawaiian food. We shared a lunch plate that included chicken lau lau, lomi lomi salmon, pipikaula (beef jerky) with everything dipped into the chili water, the salt and the poi. I also much enjoyed the haupia (coconut jello) for dessert because I love coconut. Our waitress was really nice and taught is the correct order and how to eat our meal. "If you don't eat the food like this, you will not be eating authentic Hawaiian food." And we heeded her advice since she looked like she knew what she was talking about. Dipping everything in the correct order really brought out all the flavors. If this really is authentic Hawaiian food, I don't know what the crap they are feeding us at L&L's.
This place is VERY good if you want AUTHENTIC Hawaiian ONO Grinds... I've only gone once, but I thought it was all good... I only wished it was bigger, and had more seating... I hope to go here again, once I return back to the islands. You can only get so much food like this back here on the mainland...
Best classic Hawaiian food. If you're solely into the food, you can skip the luaus and just eat here. It's a dive Hawaiian restaurant and the food is no frills as well--just pure, good, authentic Hawaiian food.
Get the special plates so you can try a variety. My faves are the kalua pork (huge portion) and haupia coconut dessert (like a jello cube).
I return here every time I'm in Honolulu and it's a fantastic experience.
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If Kapahulu Avenue was a baseball team comprised of restaurants and their lineup included Leonard's Bakery, Waiola Shave Ice, and Rainbow Drive-In batting in the 1,2, and 3 spots, Ono Hawaiian Foods would be the clean up hitter on deck waiting to drive them all in. There's a reason Ono is an all the tourist books, and you know the place is good because the locals will put up with all the tourists to eat there.
Ono is THE place to get authentic Hawaiian food in Oahu. They're known for their kalua pig and their enormous, almost plate-sized lau laus. And it's not all taro leaves either...it's a generous amount of pork, enough for two or three people to split. The pipikaula (Hawaiian beef jerky is also excellent and something I'll be ordering from now on. The ahi poke is fresh and wonderful and the butterfish luau was also really good.
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After months away from Hawaii, I couldn't wait to return and go to Ono's for lunch.
My dining partner and I shared the pork lau lau and kalua pig. Both were delicious, esp. dipped in chili-pepper water/Hawaiian salt mixture. They always bring out free haupia along with the check, which is a nice touch.
The couple sitting next to us had just seen Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Hawaii show, during which he visited Ono Hawaiian Foods. So they decided to check the restaurant out. They asked their server which dishes Tony ordered and what he liked/didn't like. The guy told them that he ordered everything on the menu and liked everything except for poi. I guess he tried to mask the taste by dipping kalua pig/lau lau/etc. in it but could not get used to the texture and taste.
I understand that Ono's is a charming little hole-in-the-wall that serves authenic Hawaiian food. People were very friendly, and prices are reasonable. And if I were Hawaiian, i am sure i would just give it like a hundred stars. But i am not. and I am not sure if all the non-Hawaiian people who have reviewed this place really love the food, or they are just swooned by the charm and authenticity, or they have to say they love it just to give themselves props for accepting different cuisines and cultures. But the truth is, authentic Hawaiian food just didn't suit my palate. We were a party of 4, and we ordered a load of stuff. We tried all sorts of stuff. We had the combination specials. we tried the pork. we tried the fish. we tried the long rice. in fact, we thought that maybe we didn't like what we were eating because we ordered the worng dishes, so all of us ordered more entrees, just to finda good Hawaiian dish. We never did.
I find the need to apologize for saying all this, because this is not an attack on Hawaiian culture at all. I just didn't like the food, that's all.
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Out of fear of retaliation from the loyal-to-the-death locals, I MUST give Ono five stars.
But if I had a choice, it would still get five stars. This is awesome, authentic Hawaiian food, served with a smile and some good advice about the raw onions, sea salt, and poi daunting you. It's not cheap, but it's not Helena's. This place has more atmosphere, and the portions are larger.
We waited outside in the RAIN to eat here. I felt like I was in line for Journey reunion concert tickets, I was so determined. (I can only PRAY FOR THAT DAY TO COME. Come on, Steve!)
It was worth the wet. The combo plates we had included pork (and butterfish) laulau, chicken long rice, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, haupia, poi, rice...and it doesn't look big, served on those tiny ass plates...but I had trouble finishing it all. Although I DID finish it. Every last grain of delicious rice.
Here's my non-local advice: Get the fresh poi, even though they ask if you'd prefer day old. Read the sign, which will tell you to not be mad, chill out, and wait in the long line outside, even in the rain. The bathroom is out of order...maybe...which means it's ok to take a looksee. Be friendly, don't whine, and eat as much as humanly possible.
That's my advice. But really, it's the way I eat at all restaurants...especially the "eat as much as humanly possible" part.
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Good authentic Hawaiian food, but beware if you go with someone who thinks that good Hawaiian food is L and L. (No offense to L and L- I love it when I'm at home). There werent very many people when we went, and we were able to get metered parking right out front. I had the combo plate which was OK- maybe I should have ordered something else? It was good, but not orgasmic or anything as described by other Yelpers. My main gripe was that the other tables consisted of OBVIOUS tourists, and they got stellar service! My friend and I did not- perhaps it's because they think I'm a local? The dishes were practically dropped on the table, with no follow up to see how we were doing. I know, you don't go to a hole in the wall place expecting service, but the difference was so obvious that it upset me.
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This is where you go for REAL Hawaiian food. Not plate lunch bbq. We're talking luau kine!!
I've eaten at Ono's since back in the day (when they USED to have an awning... bring a jacket for waiting outside, it gets windy!). My parents used to come here when they were dating in high school. Everytime we come back, they go, "OHHHH your girls getting so big yeah!" Even though they didn't seem to believe me when I told them 3 years ago that I was actually in college... must be the eternal youth that is Filipino blood.
Also, I've seen the autographed photos on the walls grow from Celio & Kapono, Miss Hawaii 1988, and UH Men's Volleyball 1994 to include Hoku Ho and Jasmine Trias. Oh Hawaii and their celebrities...
The standard order for 4 of us:
1) One lau lau/kalua pig combo plate (comes with lomi lomi salmon and one bowl rice)
2) One side lau lau
3) One chicken long rice plate (comes with lomi lomi salmon and pipikaula)
4) One side pipikaula
5) One side fresh poi (if we get there too late, they give us day-old poi which is still good just not as good)
6) One side rice
The other night, we finished everything except about a 1/2 of one of the lau lau.
It helps to have been coming here for so long, they give us extra haupia :)
Also, you know what the sign outside the bathroom: "Out of order... (MAYBE)..." really means.
I love this place so much!
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I love hole in the wall places with great genuine food! This place is a refreshing change from all the tourist traps in Waikiki. took a walk down kapahulu ave with an empty stomach and couldn't wait to reach Ono and pig out. you can't go wrong with anything in my opinion, but for my non-hawaiian food eating companion, it was definitely a walk on the wild side. I pretty much ordered things and told her to eat it. The Kalua pork was sooooo tasty, who can't like kalua pork. Also got an order of tripe stew and pork lau lau. All the dishes had the taste of home cooking and makes me wish i lived in hawaii so I can eat this wondeful food all the time
* SIGH * why do you have to be so far away? WHY?
i suppose its just as well, because i would eat that kalua pig and lomi lomi salmon every day of my (inevitably short) life!
but whining aside, ono is simply the best local food on the island. so, go! you will not be disappointed!
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this place consistently voted best Hawaiian style food. It's small 9 tables. The staff is all on for you. You will wait outside if busy. That's why we ate quick. Don't make someone wait too long. Groups seemed welcome despite space limitations. Great food.
Best place to go if you want Hawaiian food on the island. I love their lomi lomi salmon and kahlua pork. If I liked poi, I'd probably like it from here too. It's suppose to be fresh. I'm not a fan of yogurt (food poisoning incident in college) and poi reminds me of sour unflavored yogurt so there you go. Anyway, I digress. Give Ono a try.
I almost feel obligated to give Ono's at least 4 stars just based on other reviews - peer pressure! Seriously, though, I'd recommend trying this place just so you can get a feel for what I gather is authentic Hawaiian food. We ordered the kalua pig and lau lau sets - it was tasty and the lau lau was huge! I still haven't really adapted to poi and the lomi lomi salmon was a little fishy to me (my dad says he can make it better - we'll see!), but it was cool to sample it all. I don't think I'll be running back to this place the next time I'm in Hawaii, but it's a neat hole-in-the-wall place definitely frequented by locals and tourists alike. I would, however, really like to try the salt meat watercress sometime (so maybe I will head back!)...Hawaii has great watercress from what I hear (and see)...bet it's yummy! One other thing - I read in another review that it's only a 15-min walk from the Duke statue to Ono's...I don't think I'm a slow walker, but the walk seemed to take a long time. I think it's about a mile away - maybe the sun beating down on my shoulders made it seem worse. If you have a car, I'd use it. Except the walk back felt pretty darn good (after eating all that food...and stopping by Waiola's for shave ice...and contemplating stopping by Leonard's for malasadas...yup - I was on a Kapahulu food hunt!)!
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Ono is small eatery catering mainly to locals with authentic Hawaiian cuisine.
I shared a combination plate which included: kalua pig, lau lau, onions, rice, and an additional order of the butterfish; total cost of around $15.00 without tip or tax. I highly recommend this place, the only trouble is the location which can prove to be a hassle for tourists.
Ono's is good, but if you have a car / rental car, go to Helena's !
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The only Hawaiian food we'd had before was bland stuff at touristy luaus. This place was soooo much better. We got the kahlua pork and laulau, both of which were really good. The waiter (who I think was the owner) was friendly and warm, gave us a sample of poi to help us decide between that and rice, explained everything on the menu, and was generally a nice guy.
The portuguese sausage was also good, and we got seconds of the haupia (coconut gelatin-type dessert).
I'd come back here everytime I go to Oahu. Again, it's the type of family run business I want to support. To be honest, it's the same damn Hawaiian meal you get everytime at Luau's and whatever, the Lomi lomi, pork Lau Lau, etc. However, it's special when you eat it here, cus you' know it's not made for 300 people at the same time. You know there's someone in the small kitchen working away to make each individual order. If you want something else, the tripe stew was delicious. Give me another bowl,
Then walk to get some shaved ice or Leonards for dessert.
Total hole in the wall experience... and I mean that in a good way.
Tucked away on Kapahulu, Ono's provides an authentic local dining experience at reasonable prices. Dishes are simple, tasty, and sometimes come in very large portions. Especially the combinations. One combo should be good to satisfy two.
The vibe is extremely local with the occasional tourist wandering in to ask if they are at the right place. Seating can be tight since the place is so small. Service is down to earth and comes with a smile.
One minor ding because I had to walk across the street to get beer to go with our dinner.
We first ate at Ono's in April 2007 and again in Dec 2007. If you want the luau food without paying the $50-$70 per person for a show, then this is the place to go. As others have noted, I have given it 4 stars for its atmosphere, friendly service, friendly customers (mix of local and tourist who use the internet looking for good hole-in-the-walls). If I was to rate it strictly on the food, it would be 3 stars as Luau food is not exactly high cuisine. PARKING is a BIG problem although last time we parked right outside the door. I recommend eating early and groups larger than 4 are difficult. IT is EASY to miss so drive SLOW.
While your on the hole-in-the-wall hunt, check out the shaved Ice place just 2 blocks as you go towards the beach on the left side. It is on the corner and not hard to miss.
I have to give this place 5 stars as it's one of the longest surviving establishments in Hawaii. Well, maybe not that long, but I think 50 plus years speaks for itself.
I was luckily able to dodge the lines and get seated right away...I'm sure that helped.
A definite local spot, you have to know what to order to truly get the full fabulous Ono experience.
Tripe Stew- 6 stars (also comes with beef in same broth)
Chicken Long Rice soup- 6 star (SOoooooooooo good)
Lau Lau Pig wrapped in green herbal leafy things- 6 star
Poke- 3 star (wasn't digging the quality of the fish too much)
Beef strips things- 3 star (was overly salty and wasn't sure if it was kalbi or something else)
I had a few other things but I can't remember. THe ones I Listed above are definitely worth trying. I'm not really a fan of Poi but it's definitely an acquired taste like Natto and Kimchi. You just might love it.
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