Lefty-J's Island Favorites

Thanks Keith Lee for another great recommendation! Maybe I'm a little biased because they serve filipino food but this place is FIRE! Nice customer service with great food and portions.

My boyfriend got the fried chicken/kalbi mix and I got the chicken katsu/kalbi mix. Both came with 2 scoops of white rice and mac salad. So much food!!! I had leftovers.

Worth the visit!!!

Maybe I had high expectations after reading all the reviews and watching the YouTube videos for this place but it was just ok. They give a lot of food and the service is good.

We have a lot of decent Hawaiian places in SoCal so maybe I'm just spoiled.

Want to give it another try though.

Good food. Large portions. Great aloha service. I wasn't sure what to expect but saw the reviews and decided to check it out. The lady at the counter was so welcoming. I ordered the loco moco, while my family ordered the pork adobo w pinakbet, and the chicken katsu w gravy.

First bite of the loco moco w onions transported me back to Hawaii. We're from CA where we live near lots of Hawaiians and hawaiian food but this tasted like the real thing.

I think our least fav of the three was the pork adobo-- still good and tasty, but just a tad on the dry and salty side, but overall everything was really good.

And extra points for such warm and welcoming service. Mahalo!

Been 4 years since my last review so coming back to say this is still our favorite spot to order Hawaiian food! The mini kalbi ribs is still a large portion for me, my husband loves the Garlic chicken & Kalbi ribs combo. We love the service here and go anytime we can

Tried the garlic chicken comes with two scoops of rice and a small side of macaroni salad. I would've preferred a scoop of rice and a full scoop of macaroni salad. The service was welcoming and patient while asking about the various menu items. Ambiance is very chill and welcoming. Food was cooked to order and was piping hot when it arrived at the table-LOVE IT. Would definitely be here weekly if I lived in the area. Yum. Yum. Yummmmy.

Lefty-J's Island Favorites has the best Pork Adobo that I've had in years!!! My husband and I were in downtown Las Vegas for an event early afternoon on a Friday and we decided to go to Lefty-J's Island Favorites for lunch. The location is off of Twain Ave and E Desert Inn Road. It's in a large shopping plaza with plenty of parking spots!

As soon as we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the team! The place was packed! All of the tables were in use and there were families outside the restaurant, as well as standing up inside the restaurant waiting for their order! I couldn't wait to try out their food after seeing all of the customers inside the restaurant!!

The restaurant's décor includes a lot of UNLV support, for the UNLV Rebels. You'll see some of the student's pictures on the wall. There is also a news article about Lefty-J's Island Favorites impact on the Las Vegas community. It was so amazing to be able to read that article and learn more about the wonderful impact Lefty-J's Island Favorites has had on the community!

Their menu offers a variety of Hawaiian Favorites and Filipino Favorites. You'll see items such as Kalbi Beef Short Ribs, Kalua Pork, Loco Moco, Spam Musubi, Chicken Adobo, Pork Adobo and so much more! It was so difficult to choose, but I was craving Pork Adobo and it's been years since I've had that dish!! I had to order the Pork Adobo with rice! My husband ordered garlic chicken. The team member had informed us since it was so busy with take-out orders and inside the restaurant, that it would take between 25-30 minutes to prepare. We were okay with that!

As we waited, we looked around the restaurant and spoke with the team members at Lefty-J. They're so friendly and it was great to get to know more about the restaurant! When the table had freed up, we ended up sitting down.

The food was provided to us in a to-go bag. It had all of the utensils and napkins, but we decided to eat inside the restaurant! The Pork Adobo is the best! It was so flavorful. You could taste the rich and savory flavors of soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper. They used real garlic gloves that you could easily notice mixed into the Pork Adobo sauce. I can't wait to go back and get it again!

I also had a bite of the fried garlic chicken that my husband had ordered. The dish was really good too! It was crispy and the batter wasn't too heavy. You could taste the other seasonings that were coated on, such as garlic and soy sauce. The chicken was juicy and tender!

We had such a wonderful experience at Lefty-J's Island Favorites. The food is outstanding here and the team are amazing. If you haven't been to Lefty-J's Island Favorites yet, you should go and try out their food!

Was in the area and decided to check this place out. It's a small place at end of a business center. Tried the regular and garlic fried chicken and both were great! Service was friendly and potions are a decent size for the price. If I lived over this way I would definitely add this place to the usuals.

After seeing all the hype on social media, we decided to try this place out since we were in the area. We came around 6PM so the only option was to take our goodies togo instead of eating inside. The service was very quick and friendly, the cashier was able to answer all our questions and even give us suggestions on which to try! This spot definitely feels like a hidden gem and a local favorite with all the UNLV athletes and family photos on the wall.

I got their Pancit (which was a huge portion!!), Coach Bojays and the chicken plate. My favorite was the pancit as well as the Kalbi. Each plate came with a side of Mac salad which made the perfect pair! Definitely will come back to try more.

The first spot my boyfriend and I hit once we arrived in Las Vegas. He's been wanting to come since he saw Keith Lee's review. I will say the food did not disappoint! We both ordered the two protein combo with Kalbi Short Ribs and Crispy Fried Chicken. It came with two scoops of rice with furikake, a side Mac, and soy sauce and sriracha. The chicken was SO crispy and the meat was so juicy, not dry at all. The Kalbi was savory and paired so well with the rice. The side of Mac salad was perfect and especially refreshing to help cut the grease from the meat.
I would say I can eat quite a bit, however my boyfriend and I could barely finish. The service was amazing and they recommended their favorites when I couldn't decide what to order. I would highly recommend and if I ever come back to Las Vegas I will be coming back 100%!

Oh how I wish we had something similar to Lefty-J's in the Bay. Lefty-J's is a small joint with big Hawaiian and Filipino flavors. It's located in the Twain Swenson Plaza. Once we arrived in Vegas, we wanted to eat a hearty lunch before heading to our hotel. The portions are very generous. One plate is enough for two people!

Seating is limited. You order at the counter and find your own table. We were able to order our food before the line was out the door. But the wait for an open table was about 25 minutes. Bad timing for us. Luckily the food and service made up for the wait. We received true aloha spirit. The owner offered us water while we waited patiently and quickly cleaned a table for us when it became available.


We all ordered the same thing- Lefty-J's Fried Chicken and Kalbi Beef Short Ribs. The flavor was incredible! The fried chicken was super crispy and juicy. The Kalbi had a wonderful marinade. Lots of oohs and aahs with every bite. I really felt like I was back on the islands eating a plate lunch.

When in Vegas, make time for this place if you enjoy Hawaiian food. Not all of the tastiest spots are on the Strip. And it's Keith Lee approved! Support local. You will love it!