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Kahlua Pork and Fruit Punch! Not Shaka Zulu!
Shaka.. wow. The last time I heard this word was 2000 miles away. Here it is in a restaurant's name!
First time here and I have to say it was pretty good. I have a problem lately where I cannot remember what I ate. Same here..but I do remember I liked the pork.
I can't say I am much of a fan of any Hawaiin food places here. Not even Bruddahs..which is ok. My favorite mixed plate places are:
Rainbow Diner North Shore-closed
Big Island Grill and Kona Mixed Plate-Big Island.
I have to put this place on my A-OK list. I do want to come back and try more. I think this place has potential and would really like to try out more. This place also made we want to return to Bruddahs.
In any case..craving a mixed plate? This place is pretty darn good.
Ordered the Shakas plate which includes bbq beef meat, fried chicken, 1 spam masubi, macaroni salad, and rice. Also ordered 2 spam masubi on the side.
Shakas plate was good w/ the fried chicken wings being quite tasty and greasy. Spam masubi were quite large!
I still have a preference for the L&L's chain...
The original place in the San Gabriel Valley to grab good Hawaiian food!! For over ten years, I've been coming to Shakas on Garfield for my chicken sesame and spam musubi fix. For around $10 you can a plate of your favorite Hawaiian fixings. My personal favorites are the combination plates where you get a bit of everything. My absolute favorite combo serves my two favorite items....The Shaka Plate: teriyaki steak, sesame chix wings, spam musubi, and a chix salad. The other awesome combo plate is the 442nd Combo: where you can pick two items from a list of stuff (char siu, kalua pork, chix wings, etc). I'm not a fan of macaroni salad, but whenever I get my scope of mac salad at Shakas...there's never anything left on my plate. Actually, come to think about it, when it's good food...there's never anything left on my plate!!
Today's visit, I had the Pork Lau Lau and Lomi (Pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves and cooked in a tea leaf). Their delicious mac salad and a side of pickled cabbage was served along side. Super simple and super good. I had to have my spam musubi, so I ordered that on the side.
People love their shaved Hawaiian ice too. Personally, it's not my thang! But from what I see, peeps love that stuff.
They have a second location in Alhambra, right off of Main but I rather do the drive and eat at the original spot. I saw on their website that they are opening another location in Alhambra so keep a look out.
Service is generic, but you're not coming to Shakas for the service....you're there for the great Hawaiian food.
Parking: They have a nice little lot that can get crowded but I usually find something every time I'm there.
Ordered from Shakas for my boss' birthday b/c she mentioned that she liked it.
I have NO idea why. It was pretty gross. My coworker and I ordered two things to share--the teriyaki chicken (which was our safe bet) and the sesame chicken. Both sucked. The teriyaki chicken was really really bland. The sesame chicken was fried drumettes that were soggy. It was just not an enjoyable meal at all.
The one thing I DID like was the Honu Pepper chicken because it actually had flavor.
Would never order from there again.
Aw, writing this review brings back memories.... I USED to be a band nerd (whoops), so on the hot summer days we had "band camp" we'd head down and get the HUGE shaved ice from here.
Now, if I wrote this review back in high school I would have easily given Shakas 5 stars, but it has gone slightly downhill from there. I blame this partially on the fact that my brother and many high school friends used to manage it/work there and did excellent quality control before plates left the kitchen. I swear that my 5 stars would NOT have been based on them "hookin' it up" with discounts!
So, pretty much anything you get here will be good, but my personal favorites are shaved ice (duh), the Kalua pork (I can never eat too much slow cooked pork), mochiko chicken, chinese chicken salad (the dressing is to die for), honu pepper chicken (spicy, moist, and delicious!), fried saimin, and the requisite spam musubi.
Most people tend to get the Shaka Plate since it's a good combo of items, but I never enjoy the sesame chicken wings (not enough meat on the bones!)
Haven't been here in years!! I used to come here all the time in high school to support the YMCA clubs :) Good times.
Anyways, came here for lunch on a Thursday afternoon and the place looked the same. Shakas is small mom and pop place with about 8-10 tables and 4 booths. The place is fairly clean and the people at the counter seem very helpful. I don't recall the hawaiian landscape art on the walls but I liked it. On to the food!
For two people, we got the cha sui avocado wrap and shakas combo plate to share. I thought overall the food was ok, but I would have preferred going to Ono BBQ, but that's just me.
For the Cha Sui Avocado Wrap, the cha sui meat wasn't that great, because I tasted a lot of fat and it seemed to chewy. I gave the wrap a 2 star.
For the Shakas Combo Plate, the chicken salad, beef and sesame chicken wings were pretty good, but not awesome. I didn't like the spam musubi though because the rice seemed a little hard. I think the combo gives you a good variety of the more popular items that people often order but I will probably order something else next time.
If I come again, I will definitely try the kahlua pork!
Two Words: Shaved Ice!
Summer's BLAZING and Shaka's has the best remedy for your heat stroke! Hawaiian Shaved Ice!
Soft, snow-like shaved ice with a large variety of flavors mixed with a scoop of ice cream in a big cup! I like how it's juicy not icy like American sno-cones.
Food's yummy too - I won't go into details just order anything on the menu and you can't go wrong!
Mahalo =)
Have yet to try the food here even though I live right up the hill -_- but the shaved ice is yuMMmmy... its the soft melt-in-your-mouth type of ice that soaks up the sugary syrup much better than those chunky ice do. $3 for the regular size. I forgot how much it cost to add vanilla ice cream ($.75c) or something but i could be wrong... we opted to add lychee ice cream for an extra $2 instead. I'm sure ice cream costs the same... did it really have to cost more to substitute?
and who wouldve known that this place serves ice cream? I don't think the black tinted windows help with their marketing much. It's just not a very memorable place if the exterior is just black the way it is.
I absolutely love the kahlua pork plate! The portion is huge and the pork is just the right amount of juicy! I don't really get cravings for places, but I definitely crave Shakas when I'm in LA.
Whenever my sorority is in Monterey Park we always try to swing Shakas to eat. Its a small but popular place so you usually have to find parking on the street. It has a really homey local feel to it. My Hawaii friends feel a little more at home when they come here and if they approve of the food then it must be pretty damn good.
Loco Moco - Hamburger steak topped with two eggs and brown
gravy over rice. My favorite pick here!
Kalua Pork and Cabbage - slow roasted pork goodness
Spam Musubi - spam, rice, and nori, not the healthiest thing in the world but it tastes so good!
And when it is hot summer day you have to get their Shaved Ice. Dozens of flavors to choose from and super refreshing!
Shakas has the best Hawaiian food I've ever tasted. I've tried a few different places and they never hold up to Shakas.
Their Spam Musubi is awesome so much better than all the rest and the Mochiko Chicken plate is BOMB.
For yummy chicken wings their Sesame Chicken is really good too, I went on a kick a few years back where I HAD to have their Sesame Chicken every day for an entire week.
I like that they use romaine lettuce in their Chinese Chicken Salad. Not a huge fan of the actual chicken in it, but is a nice healthier option to the rest of the menu.
There's always a lot of kids there, and every asian basketball team frequents the place. The staff is usually very young w/ the boys working hard and the girls hardly working. But they all get the job done and I've always been able to get my food in a timely manner.
Sorry folks have to downgrade to 2 stars. For the second week in a row I had the hamburger steak plate. The food has gotten extremely salty. I thought the week before maybe the cook spilled salt in the meat, but I guess not that's why I went back to give them a second shot. Guess I will have to find another local place to eat. When restaurants start using alot of salt it is a sign they may have bought some cheaper grade meat to make a bigger profit. It was mysteriously slow hmmmm wonder why.
The best local food around. Especially the hamburger patty plate. Everything is good here.
When I miss home... I like to eat Hawaiian food...
I came to Shakas with my High School friends from Hawaii for a mini reunion (GO PUNAHOU!) What could be a better place to go than a Hawaiian Plate Lunch joint for such an occasion. We were there for 4 hours just chatting away... yes... 4 hours.
I ordered a teriyaki chicken and kalua pork combo (comes with with macaroni salad and rice).
Uh ohhhh this is where they lost one star!
Hawaiian food is about volume. The HUGE portion. Sauces and gravies spilling out of the takeout box. But this place unfortunately didn't have the volume that I was looking for. :( I ate the whole thing and had to order a spam musubi because I was still "hungry"! Don't get me wrong. It is STILL a lot of food and I probably shouldn't have ordered that spam musubi, but what I am trying to say is that Hawaiian food should be sinful... it should be gluttony... I just wasn't satisfied!
Food was great. I liked how they didn't add cabbage in their kalua pork... thank gawd... and the spam musubi http://static.px.yelp.... that i shouldn't have ordered was yummy too. Very comfortable atmosphere and very friendly. 4 stars!
I go to Oahu at least once a year and I want to live there so bad. Shakas kahlua pork is actually better than authentic Hawaiian kahlua pork; even Helena's Hawaiian food kahlua pork. Not every single thing on the menu is good, but most of them are pretty good. Get kahlua pork with lomi salmon and you will leave Shakas with a smile on your face. Loco moco and spam & eggs are good too but I don't recommend the bland saimin. I know that saimin is not as tasty as ramen but I've tried shige saimin in Oahu and I can't eat any other saimin.
Shakas was my first experience with Hawaiian food... I started coming to Shakas when it was a hole in the wall more than 10 years ago. Since then, the quality and portions have gone down. However, it's still one of the best I've had in California. I'd rank them up there with Hukilau, The Loft, and Back Home at Lahaina.
The Shaka plate is probably the best value because you get the best taste of everything. Their spam musubi is the best I've had compared to other Hawaiian restaurants. The salad dressing is to die for on the Chinese chicken salad. I often crave this... too bad I'm living in the bay area. The Sesame Chicken is also tasty - a mix of crispy texture and sweet flavors all in one.
Over the years, Shakas has definitely grown... offering ice cream, shaved ices, and different plate varieties. They've also expanded and tried to update the decor. Definitely much better than before, and their progress is reflected in their expansion.
This place has the best Spam Musubi I've tried anywhere.
Also, I'm not hating the Chinese Chicken Salad.
Otherwise, not fab but not drab
Considering GOOD TRADITIONAL Hawaiian food is hard to come by in LA, Shakas gets a 4 out of 5 stars from me.
Their saimin is pretty close to Hawaii's saimin in my opinion.
Their selection of home style food could be better.
The taste of the food is mediocre.
Their prices are not that reasonable.
But I never complain about the service.
Sorry, I'm just picky when it comes to good tasting traditional hawaiian food,
and I guess I can only find that at my grandma's house, or if I hop on the next flight back to Honolulu.
Shakas always has great service. It's also a great place to hide from the sun on hot summer days. They have great shaved ice and they aren't stingy with the servings. A ton of different flavor to choose from as well. I always get shaved ice and spam musubi. Delicious.
I once ordered the chicken teriyaki but then I quickly realized the famous local saying is true. "Shakas makes you caca." So no mores!
I come here for one thing and one thing only.
MOCHIKO CHICKEN
It's battered boneless chunks of boneless chicken that is amazingly fluffy and delicious with lemon and teriyaki sauce. I don't reccomend the cabbage / veggies. I always ask to change that for extra rice or macaroni salad.
I've also tried the Chinese chicken salad, Shakas plate, Kahlua pork, saimin, udon, etc..all these things are just okay. They DO have pretty good Spam musubi though.
BTW, the staff here is a LOT nicer than the staff in Alhambra, but I feel like Alhambra has bigger food portions..hmmmm.
I love this place & their spam musubi. As opposed to the Shakas in Alhambra whose spam musubi is something ridic like $7-8, this one is somewhere around $2-3.
Along with their spam musubi, their saimin & spam + egg plate is delicious. After I finish my meal, I always get some ice cream. The service is friendly & fast and their prices are reasonable.
I come here as often as I can with my fam.
An added bonus: there are usually cute boys working. HOLLAA!
11.4.08 I was introduced to shakas about four years ago and I have to say I never stop loving this place. I have gone and tried other hawaiian places and they never met up with the same taste and quality like Shakas. Their prices did increase as the years went on, but I say its till worth it.
For this location its actually busier than the one on main in alhambra. I really like coming here because its casual and there's a nice intimate feeling.
What to order? I freaking love their Shaka plate. Which consist of teriyaki beek, sesame chicken wings, chinese chicken salad, macroni salad and my all time favorite spam masubi. That's a whole lot of food! If you don't want such a big plate I suggest getting the Mochico Chicken that dish is freaking delicious. Or if you just want salad, you have to get the chinese chicken salad. Its one of a kind here.
Best Hawaiian place ever!
So I just had the 442 combo half sesame chicken, and half teriyaki steak, and double mac, it was great!!! Highly recommend it...
Having eaten here off and on for many years, we had lunch here last week and time has not been kind. They used to have some pretty inspired Hawaiian fast food, but whether it was the time of day we went (late late lunch) or something else the food was terrible and drab. They used to have a pretty good sesame chicken wings but these were inedible. My wife loves them and she didn't even touch hers. The teriyaki was okay, not any better than Yoshinoyas which is pretty bad. The mac salad was okay. Too bad, it was a nice change of pace for a long time, but I won't be going back.
They do have a nicer location in Alhambra, and the food is much better there. It's got a nice bar and some cool drinks so i'd recommend it over this location.
Food - C-
Ambience - C-
Service - C
Value - C-
This is a larger version of Ono Hawaiian. Their rice is delicious and their macaroni salad is pretty good too. This place is kind of hip for youngsters wanting to enjoy a good dinner meal. The place also includes a bar and it can be pretty packed on the weekends. The lighting is dark, intimate and enjoyable. It's perfect for group outtings on the weekends.
Parking is a beeyatch on the weekends.
Shakas is just a pretty cool name to have for a restaurant IMO. Both locations have a young coolness feel to it. The MP Shakas can get really busy sometimes so you might have to wait for a seat. Especially during the summer because of their popular shaved ice.
I had the shredded pork plate and my buddy order the combo plate that they named the 442nd, after the WW2 Japanese American Infantry regiment. I thought that was pretty cool. Both plates come with ample amount of rice and a scoop of mac salad. I've had the curry katsu and that's pretty good too.
What sets Shakas apart from the other Hawaiian fast food is their stinginess in portions. A combo plate anywhere else would of got you more chicken, more beef, and a short rib. I have to admit though, that the quality of meat is a little better, but not much.
Wait till you see the prices....it's gonna Shak you.....(you can laugh now)
Average meal with drink is about $10-$12. I'll try the shaved ice next time. Service deserves 5 stars.
Chinese Chicken salad...YUM! We are so sad that we no longer live in Southern California...I crave this salad.
Best shaved ice in all the LAND!!!
The food is a bit ordinary, which is one of the worst things that could happen to a food place, but we eat here at least 3 times a month. The chicken chinese salad highlights the menu. My kids like the spam and eggs and teriyaki bowls.
On a hot day, go by and get a rainbow shaved ice, it will change your whole day.
Chili over rice, Loco Moco, Seasame Chicken, and the Chicken
Salad are the best things to eat there. Although, it's not the cheapest
Hawaiian food, it is one of the best.
THREE AND A HALF STARS . . .
I have to say that w/all the hawaiian joints all over the place, this is one of my faves. . . I used to go here at LEAST once weekly when I worked (semi) in the area. While I'm a vegetarian, so I know that my tastes are quite different than the average Joe, but I can attest that the boys in my group really craved their food. . . when we debated in the morning where we'd go to lunch, Shakas was always the favorite.
Anyway, the service is all right. . . the staff is a little younger, and still has to work on improving their customer service. I like the food, but of course, that's my opinion. ;o) Of course, compared to "real" hawaiian food, this is fairly on par for hawaiian food. Of all the hawaiian places I've eaten around here, Shakas has it almost right.
And of course, for all of you that go there for the "shave ice"?. . . its ok. . .but not NEARLY as good as the real thing!!!
I used to work in Monterey Park and this is the Shaka's I used to go to for lunch/dinner. I was in the area so I decided to stop by and relive the sesame chicken!
I pretty much order the same thing every time I go there, small sesame chicken. Even though I only order the small size, it fills me up. It comes with plenty of rice, some veggies and the sesame chicken. The only thing is, if you like your chicken crispy, make sure you ask for it because sometimes it's a little undercooked, but every time I eat there, I still eat everything and have no leftovers.
I would have given this place 5 stars, but if you've been here before, you'll have to agree with me that the parking situation is not always easy. But the sesame chicken gets 5 stars for sure, not sure about the rest of the menu.
Shakas is great! The first time I ate here was waaaaay back in college. A friend of mine said he lets go to Shaka's. I'm like...what is a shaka?
She ordered a chicken curry bowl and an order of spam musubi. She let me try a piece of her spam musubi and I eventually ate it ALL!!!! HAHA... since then I've been hooked.
I always order the Shaka Plate with all sesame wings. The sesame wings are to DIE FOR! The are crunchy, lightly sweet, and oh so flavorful! The plate includes mac salad, Chinese chicken salad with a kick ass dressing, rice, and usually teriyaki beef, and 3 sesame wings.
The plate has a lot of food and if you actually finish it.... there is a good chance you've just ingested 2000+ calories and your daily allowance for salt and sugar all in one sitting! But to hell with it....it's SOOOOOO GOOD!.
On a side note I just came back from HawaiI last month and when I was there I acutally missed the food at Shaka's then the actual "Hawaiian" food I had in Hawaii...it's just that good!
-B
when im in cali n i have a craving for sum hi foods...i go to shakas
ill gobble up tha musubis, gyoza, , teristeak, n teristeak n mochiko chicken like no other!!!!!!!
n i get my hi=sun fix...LILIKOI PUHLEASEEEEEEEE
tha shave ice is good..(doesnt compare to waiola tho) n the chicken salad has the best dressing ever!!!!!!...im a weirdo n i dunk my musubi in it...
like mentioned by others..it does get crowded..but so worth it n u get to see a mix of the students gettin outta school..tha 5-0...families..stoneybaloneys...etcetcetc
This place is really cute and down to earth. It looks like such the perfect after school hang out for teenagers. They have worn down diner style couches, all you can drink soda fountain. The people who work there look like they are in high school. It just reminds me of The Max from Save By The Bell. Except it's Shakas for Mark Keppel High. They were showing some music video countdown show on their flatscreen TV. Overall it's just a really comfortable place where I can totally see myself hanging out with my high school boyfriend and doing my HW at.
The food was pretty decent. I got the Shaka's combo platter. I really like their macaroni salad. Their musibi needed more of the BBQ sauce. I wasn't that into the terikayi beef or the chicken salad. Next time I'm going to get the lau lau with musubi for a side.
Yes, I eat SPAM, what?
I love this place, I grew up in Monterery Park. I was there when this place first opened as a kid. I would always go in for a shaved ice. Until now I still go there even though I dont live in the area anymore. Whenever I am in the area and I am hungry I make it a point to stop by for some good food. Great prices, great food, careful though cause the parking lot if tiny.
Most of the dishes are decent. Love the mochiko chicken and the shave ice. Portions are generous. I like the food better here than all those wannabe Hawaiian restaurants that have been sprouting up all over the place. Also has started offering new options such as Kalua Tacos. Shaved ice has always been outstanding here (and they serve it with ice cream).
Eating in is a little bit difficult. They always play music that is not what you would call family-friendly. However, they recently remodeled their dining area and thankfully they have new chairs. The old seating was broken down and sticky so it is a lot cleaner than it was before remodelling.
Spam display is hilarious.
I actually like coming to this location more than the Alhambra one. The Alhambra location has a more difficult parking situation and the restaurant is dark and stuffy. This one is a lot more comforatable for families.
Hawaiian food at it's finest (at least in the Los Angeles/SGV area). Their chinese chicken salad is out of this world. I think it's the sauce that makes it taste 10 x's better than anywhere else I've tried.
Their shaka plate comes with chinese chicken salad, mac salad, spam musubi, chicken wings, and teriyaki beef. It's a lot of food, but also kinda pricey at 10 plus dollars.
I recently got into their mochiko chicken, it's pretty decent. Their sauce can get a bit gooey, but I think that's normal. I substitute the mac salad for more chinese chicken salad at an additional dollar.
They also have hawaiian shaved ice (ice cream optional), it's pretty ginormous. Great for kids, great for teens, heck... great for anyone with an urge for good comfort food.
It's such a waste for me to come here since I only eat their salads & macaroni. The only thing I tried from them is the ribs combo. It comes with rice, fried chicken, ribs, salads, macaroni, and spam sushi for $10-$11 (?)They give you small portion of rice AND meat...but I guess that's why the spams are there to make up the rice & meat part? The spam taste like krap, and it's such a weird combo! The fried chickens were okie, a bit dry sometimes. Like I said, I only come here for their salads & macaroni so those are the bomb.
Hawaii-kine Plate Lunch used to be obtained only in a few chosen spots. Shakas was and is one of those places. Sure, you can go get a greasy plate of Katsu chicken at the "ALOHA-OHANA-MAUI-whatevas" that have sprung up everywhere, but this place is where I go to eat da kine. I usually get the kalbi (korean bbq) and order a lau-lau on the side (yep they have lau-lau, which is fish, pork, spinach wrapped in ti or banana leaf and steamed). It comes with plenty rice, mac sal and tsukemono. Their saimin is also "broke the mouth" but they don't have won-ton min for some reason. They serve shave ice, too. Check this place out.
***Correction***
Spinach is used in lau lau in substitution for the harder-to-find taro leaf, but IMO almost as delish.
The food can rot in hell for all I care. I know the only thing I come here for is the shaved ice.
When Comic Galaxy was around I would hang out with the workers and since it was right next door, they would always hook up the workers with food. While it's not terrible food, I've grown tired of the Hawaiian cliched meal. So you can keep your beef over rice but give me a shaved ice with that big chunk of ice cream in the middle and you have me in heaven.
With summer around the corner keep this place in mind. You may have to have someone with you in order to finish the monster that is the shaved ice. Also, please be advised if you have medical conditions involved with your heart that the shaved ice may very well stop it.
If you weren't diabetic before, you will be after.
Moo-soo-bee. Say it with me.
Shakas brings the island flavors by the plateful. Rockin the standards, from macaroni salad to spam musubi, this restaurant is a winner! The plates are sauced with a little too much teriyaki for my taste though. Oh yea, whoever's been calling it spam sushi: you sound like a tool. Let me break off some wisdom for you. It's spam musubi. Moo-soo-bee.
Tips: Not a big fan of macaroni salad? Substitute with a chicken salad.
Neighborhood: Alhambra
Category: Hawaiian
Monterey Park, CA
Category: Hawaiian
Neighborhood: Alhambra
Category: Hawaiian
Monterey Park, CA
Category: Burgers
Monterey Park, CA
Category: Hawaiian
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