Kalei’s Kitchenette
9926-F Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego
(619) 738-4731
Recent Reviews
Sort by
9926-F Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego
(619) 738-4731
We’re so glad we found this place! We love Hawaiian food but it’s hard to find authentic options outside of Hawaii. The pork was tender and flavorful, the mac salad was spot on, and it paired perfectly with the sticky rice. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kalua Pork
very easy to work with. the food was delicious. Morgan helped us order the exact right amount of food for our rehearsal dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Hulu Hulu chicken is my favorite. Best in SD IMHO. Small restaurant in PQ, but worth a try for authentic Hawaiian food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Out of a 5 star rating, I would give 100 !!! Kalei’s Kitchenette, I can not thank you enough for such a caring and personalized service, INCREDIBLE food, and new friendships made. I originally wanted them to cater my wedding and while we didnt quite go that direction, I loved them so much and wanted to support them so badly that I circled back with them for my DREAM rehearsal lunch. I had a crazy idea that I wanted to do a kamayan style lunch to celebrate my Filipino heritage and they were not only super onboard but even brought the flowers to bring it to life (unexpected and almost made me cry lol). Garlic Chicken, Lechon , Lumpia , Veggie Medley , Garlic Rice, Pancit - it was all SO GOOD. My family and friends told me they were drooling over it like 10 times before we could even give our thank you speech to start the meal - and once eaten, everyone RAVED and also kept asking where the food was from (which of course I raved about back).
A huge mahalo to Khara who has been the sweetest soul and rock to lean on when bringing the vision to life , Morgan who stepped in with administrative coordination, Chef Andy of course for the DELICIOUS meal(s), and the whole Kalei’s Kitchenette ohana. ❤️ This will not be the last of me, my family, or my friends , so until next time! Thank you so much again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were passing by and have heard rave reviews, and wanted to check them out. So we decided to stop in. Love that they had island tunes playing while we waited for our food. We enjoyed reading the history & story on the wall, and seeing the personal photos. The staff were welcoming and we signed up for the rewards program and got $5 off on the spot. The food was awesome, and the cucumber salad was absolutely incredible!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Chicken, Pickled Cucumber, Pickled Cucumber Salad
The restaurant is new & clean.Food quality was average & portions were minimal. I felt like the $25 for hua hua chicken with macaroni salad was pricey...especially so-so food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
We had Kalei's prepare food for a company event, and the food was delicious! Everyone raved about the taste and quality. Really glad we ordered from them. My ONLY issue was that they arrived with all the food (35 people worth) 45 minutes before the scheduled delivery time. We did everything we could to keep the food hot.
Food: 5
Service: 4
Used for event catering on August 16, 2025. Food was great! Everyone loved them...the macaroni salad, crab salmon dynamite, eggplant with tofu, kalbi ribs, fried saimin, kahlya pork, and the garlic chicken. Everything was so delicious! The service, professionslusm, and coordination was all commendable. Looking forward to using them again in the future, highly recommended 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food here was absolutely delicious! First time here and we will for sure be coming back. Great food. Friendly owners. Great jams.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is an amazing lunch spot with the kindest staff. It's family-owned and the chef makes the food with love--whether it's a quick spam musubi or catering order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love stopping by while working. Always get their musubi! Owners from Maui, work on site. Love it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
5 stars all the way. If you want to be transported to Hawaii, come here. Ono-licious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food definitely needs improvement. I ordered bbq chicken with cucumbers and rice, and can tell there was mostly a lot of deep fried shell (tiny chicken inside) under tons of sweet bbq sauce, pickled cucumbers and rice were plain, I ate less then half of the plate and threw the rest spending $22. This is a nice small place, quite clean and great service though and would be great if I like the food as well. But too expensive for this quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
A very small, but very good Hawaiian restaurant in the heart of San Diego's best neighborhood. The huli huli chicken was amazing. It has a great taste and a very good flavor. Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...