1015 North Harbor Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92832
Sharp-eyed readers of this restaurant blog probably can infer that if I'm writing about a North OC spot for lunch, it means I'm either meeting my parents for a midday meal, or I had just gone to the dentist. On this occasion, the latter is true. I don't go to the doctor all too regularly, but I do go to the dentist every six months like clockwork, and since I'm rarely up this way in the afternoon, I usually combo my trip with a restaurant I haven't tried yet. This time it was Matiki Island BBQ's turn to dirty up my just cleaned pearly whites.
Matiki Island was founded by Melvin and Ricki Liufau, known more commonly as Uncle Mel and Aunty Ricki. Uncle Mel was a fire dancer and Ricki was a hula dancer when they opened a dance studio together in Anaheim. When the spot was available next door to the studio in 1996, Uncle Mel decided to open up a restaurant. Since those early days they now have three other Southern California locations, and recently opened one just off the strip in Las Vegas.
Operating five restaurants is pretty impressive in itself, but each restaurant has a 4 and a half star rating on Yelp with a lot of reviews. This, and my love of Hawaiian barbecue is what drew me here, and it was only a few miles away from my dentist. As soon as I got out of another stellar dental exam and cleaning, I called to place my order at Matiki. I was quoted just the amount of time it would take me to drive over and pick it up and be on my way.
For a point of reference, this Fullerton location is in the Hillcrest Park Shopping Center, which is situated alongside busy Harbor Boulevard and also includes a Black Bear Diner, Wingstop, and a Ralph's. There were no hassles with getting my food, as I was off within a couple of minutes after paying for it. The only problem I could envision was the thirty-minute drive back to Mission Veijo with the smell of barbecued meats wafting through the car causing my stomach to do summersaults. Let's check out the food.
As is the case whenever I eat at a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant, I gravitate towards combo meals, and at Matiki BBQ that meant I was going to have the #6 Chicken and Kalbi Plate ($12.75). I like getting to try as much as I can on one plate. The kalbi or short rib here was some of the best I've had at a takeout Hawaiian restaurant. Yes, they were a little fatty in parts, but these were some of the meatiest short ribs I've ever had. Usually, they are tiny, with just a little bit of meat, and not really worth the trouble. These had a good marinade on them that was sweet but did not overpower the beef. The chicken was a little hit and miss. Some pieces were delicious and tender, but other bigger pieces were on the dry side. Combo plates at Matiki come with two scoops of rice and a scoop of mac salad, but they were really good about substituting two scoops of mac salad in exchange for no rice at no additional charge. The mac salad here was on point with texture but was a little on the boring side. Still, it was better than white rice and definitely worth trying.
From what I've seen online, this #1 Beef Rib Plate ($12.25), which is also known as Sam's Plate is the most popular thing on the menu at Matiki BBQ, and for good reason. This was really excellent. Reminiscent of the big ribs you'd see flip over Fred Flintstone's car in the closing credits of the famous cartoon, this was one very heavy to-go container. The way they were placed into the container I thought they were going to be all bone, but there was plenty of meat on these. The meat was tender and kissed with a tinge of sweetness. I did not really have to use the provided sauce on these. There was one bone that had way more fat than meat, but this plate is one of the big reasons I'll be returning to Matiki BBQ in the future.
As far as fast-casual Hawaiian BBQ restaurants go, Matiki Island BBQ is right up there with my other favorite, Da Hawaiian Kitchen in Huntington Beach. The proteins here were pretty much all excellent, with the exception of a few pieces of chicken that were a tad dry. The beef ribs alone are worth the visit. Portions were huge, as I had plenty of leftovers for dinner the next day. Prices were more than fair when you consider the amount of food that I received. It will be hard to bypass Matiki Island BBQ when I'm up here again in six months for my next dental appointment.
Out of five hamsters, (because I recently found out that it is illegal to own a hamster in Hawaii), five being best to zero being worst, Matiki Island BBQ gets 3.5 hamsters.
For more information about Matiki BBQ, head to their website here: https://www.matikisbbq.com/
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