Can't Fly to Hawaii? Head to Da Hawaiian Kitchen Instead

Da Hawaiian Kitchen

9842 Adams Ave. 

Huntington Beach, CA 92646

You can only be cooped up for so long before you need to break out to spread your wings a bit. That was the feeling both Katie and I had last weekend. We would be dropping off a gift to Katie's brother and our future sister-in-law on the day they were to be married. But, of course, their special day has been postponed due to the Corona Virus. So after that brief stop, we walked in nearby Fairhaven Park, a great spot to get some much-needed vitamin D and try to get our muscles moving.

After our three-mile walk around the nearly deserted park, we were ready to pick up some food and get home to prepare for the work week ahead. As Katie rehydrated, I went to Yelp to find a spot that both of us would enjoy. One of the first spots I discovered was Da Hawaiian Kitchen, which just happened to be about 6 minutes away. So we quickly called to order and have the food ready for us when we arrived. They told us it would be prepared in twenty minutes, so we took time getting over there.

Da Hawaiian Kitchen is near Target on the corner of Brookhurst and Adams in Huntington Beach. It's hidden between a dental office and Great Clips. In the eight years they have been open for business, they have an impressive four-and-a-half star rating on Yelp, with over 800 reviews registered. They recently had another location near the Newport Beach Pier, which was shuttered during these trying times.

This is a small storefront with maybe three four-person tables during non-Corona Virus time. The menu is pretty ambitious for what I imagine is a small kitchen behind the register. They offer seven Hawaiian breakfast staples all day long and plenty in the way of the plate lunches you'd expect to see at a Hawaiian restaurant. Most prices hover right around the $12 mark, with only the Local Boy Loco Moco going for $18, but that big meal includes three beef patties, three eggs, two scoops of mac salad, and three rice. That was a bit much for me this afternoon, but I'd love to tackle it next time. For now, I grabbed our bag, and we returned home rather quickly. Let's see if the food will sweep us away to an island paradise, at least in our minds.

When you are paying at the register at Da Hawaiian Kitchen, there's a small refrigerated section on your left with some side selections sold by the pound. If the picture above does not push you to order it, I'd definitely suggest getting some Spicy Garlic Poke ($17.99 a pound) to start your meal off with. We only got a half-pound and should have gotten more. The cubed pieces were some of the freshest we have had, and the spicy garlic flavor popped. This poke was mainly for Katie, but I should have gotten my own. Don't sleep on this poke.

Since Katie did not share nearly enough poke with me, I dove into my Combo Plate ($14 with a $1 upcharge for the beef). With this plate, you get to pick two kinds of meat, two scoops of rice, and one mac salad. I went with the Teriyaki Beef and the Chili Peppa Chicken. The beef was a little on the fatty side, which some might find not to their liking, but I didn't really mind as the meat had an excellent sweet flavor and was more tender than I was expecting. The star of the plate was the chicken thigh. This was a bigger thigh than expected, and the meat underneath the breading was moist and juicy. The best part was the breading, which had a nice spice, giving way to the garlic in bursts. It's easy to see why they get so much love for their chicken. It's really excellent. The rice was okay, but their potato mac salad was another favorite. A delicious hybrid of macaroni and potato salad that I should have gotten more of, and I will next time by substituting one of the scoops of rice for it at an additional charge. A move that is totally worth it. 

Katie was feeling the Combo Plate ($13) vibe this afternoon. She had the teriyaki chicken and the Kahlua pork. She was impressed with both but loved the shredded pork better. It had a real depth of flavor that was highlighted by an undertone of sweetness overlayed with a kiss of Kahlua. I will be honest; I snuck a few pieces of this while she was not looking. The chicken was boneless and had skinless thighs that might have been pressed together to form one large piece of chicken. The chicken had the same ginger teriyaki sauce used on my beef, and the result was still excellent, although some extra teriyaki would have been appreciated. Maybe next time.

There definitely will be the next time. In the last week, Katie has mentioned our lunch from Da Hawaiian Kitchen numerous times, which indicates to me how much she really enjoyed this meal and wants to come back sooner rather than later. I concur with that. I've thought about it quite a lot and am coming up with reasons that we could be close enough to the restaurant to swing by and grab more of their poke, chili Peppa chicken, Kahlua pork, and mac potato salad. So, where does Da Hawaiian Kitchen rate among the Hawaiian restaurants we've eaten at so far? I'd describe them as a higher quality L and L Barbecue, but with smaller portions. Not as high-brow as the excellent food from the kitchen at Ai Pono in Costa Mesa. Right on par with my experiences at Hapa J's in San Clemente, but at a much more reasonable price point. I guess I'm trying to say that the food here really capped off a good day. Just what we needed in these trying times. 

Out of five billboards (because when you visit the Aloha State, you will not find any billboards lining any highways or anywhere else in Hawaii), five being best to zero being worst, Da Hawaiian Kitchen gets 3.5 billboards.

For more information about Da Hawaiian Kitchen, head to their website here: https://dahawaiiankitchen.com/