I was craving spam musubi today and for the heck of it I ran a search for it in Yelp and 'Ai Pono popped up! A friend of ours had told my husband and I about this place, but I never knew how close it was to my office...less than a mile away! It's always a great feeling when you're walking up to a Hawaiian restaurant and you can hear the Hawaiian reggae jamming out the front door...and then you walk in to be greeted with by a big smile and "aloha!!!" from the gal working the front counter - all to find out that she's one of the owners who's from Hawaii She offered great recommendations and we were not disappointed with our orders! We'll definitely be regulars from now on Mahalo Dana and kitchen krew!!!
Johan M.
Dang, I really wanted to like 'Ai Pono. In fact, my friends and I would gush over the photos on Yelp, because it looked so freakin' good. But it was incredibly underwhelming and overpriced. I ordered the mento bento, which was supposed to be a nice sampling of various proteins and side dishes. The shrimp was soggy and underseasoned. Chicken also lacked seasoning and felt a little under temperature. Sausage and fried ahi were pretty good. The menu said the bento had noodles, but instead the plate held the biggest portion of rice I had ever seen coming from a Hawaiian cafe. While it is a bento box, meaning there are small portions of each protein inside the combo, there wasn't enough protein inside to justify the price. I may give this spot another shot and I would update the review accordingly.
Mike L.
I lived on Oahu for years and have yet to find such an authentic Hawaiian experience. From the staff to the food, it's as Aloha as you can get. We've tried just about everything they have and it's all great!
Diego K.
This is one of my restaurants to go to. I love the specials, the originals and desserts. The staff is so amazing nice and helpful. This is a must go to spot!! Best Hawaiian food in SoCal and OC
Noah A.
You won't find better/authentic Hawaiian food in OC than at Ai Pono. I have yet to find anything close to as good as Ai Pono. I probably come here 3x a week now and they aren't even open everyday. Dana and the rest of the team give the best customer service. Dana truly cares about her customers and wants to make sure you leave happy every time. I have tried multiple dishes here and every week has a very unique special that hasn't disappointed. They have better poke than the places around here that ONLY do poke. This truffle poke is to die for.
Patricia L.
I really wanted to like this place since it was busy and all my coworkers loved how authentic their food was. I ordered the lemongrass chili chicken and it came out quickly, but right when I dug my knife in, it was bleeding and totally undercooked. I sent it back and they apologized and advised that they were going to provide a new one for me. I waited and watched all my coworkers finish their meals. They brought out a new meal for me and apologized that they just wanted to get the orders out as fast as they could. Upon my first bite, it seemed cooked and I assumed it was good this time so I decided to take my meal to-go and eat at the office so my coworkers didn't have to wait on me. Same thing. I came back with uncooked chicken once again. On top of the fact that their salad was as dry as the Mojave Desert and provided no dressing at all. I asked my coworker and apparently it was supposed to have some sort of mango dressing on it. So basically, I just drove out to spend $15 and I'm sitting at my desk still hungry. Not sure if I would come back again considering they were unable to cook their chicken properly twice. Also, their prices are ridiculously high for food served on plastic plates lol
John R.
Got the Spicy Ahi Poke Bowl. Was fresh, tasty & felt healthy Will definitely return.
Harry G.
Great place. Wish it were open for meals other than lunch. BTW, all the map apps I've used put Ai Pono on the other side of the street. Maybe someone at the restaurant can deal with getting them corrected.
Ed L.
You can quit going to any other Hawaiian restaurant in Orange County. While a little pricier than most the quality, flavor, and diversity of the menu has any other place left in the dust. Hot Link Musubi, Ahi Katsu (out of this world), and Korean Fried Chicken were fantastic. Macaroni Salad- solid, jazzed up rice, and a fresh green salad pulled it all together.
Audrey F.
An authentic Hawaiian cafe located in the middle of an office park! My family and I enjoyed our dishes here tremendously, especially the ahi poke, loco moco, and ahi katsu. Everything tasted great and the service was very friendly. Even though the serving sizes were pretty large, I felt like this place was a bit expensive considering that it's a take out place and everything is served in a to go container.
Great food. Great service. The food was fresh, decent portion and with that the price may be a bit pricey than the normal Hawaiian joint. It was worth it though. The katsu ahi was fried yet not greasy. It was perfectly fried with a delicious sauce, side salad and Mac salad. I can't wait to go back to try the meat options!! It's located in an industrial area with limited indoor seating. On a nice day the seating outside is good! I will be back!!
Billy P.
It's been some time since I've written a review, but this place woke me from the hiatus like Dr Frankenstein woke up his monster! I love all things Hawaii and this place encompasses it all! Situated in what seems to be a shared kitchen in an industrial park, it's sleek, simple and clean. I ordered the mento bento, which was a great sampling of their ahi, chicken, sausage, shrimp with rice and noodles! It was absolutely delicious! The flavors and freshness are super apparent. Take L&L bbq but elevate it times 100%. The gal who took my order was so sweet and excited to share their food flavors. Between her slight island accent, the vibe, island jams and authentic food... I couldn't help but to feel like I was transported back to Maui!
Jesika J.
This place is a little hard to find because it is in in an industrial center and yes the hours are limited but I work super close so when checking lunch options was super happy to discover this gem. The staff is so friendly and happened to go when they launched the combo plates. I went with the Thai Shrimp and Chicken Katsu and my other party had the Chicken Katsu and Hamburger Patty. The Combos come with mac salad that has tuna in it and rice. The freshness is unreal, the price is a little high but for the quality it makes sense. The crunch of the Katsu was perfect and it was still juicy and flavorful, the thai shrimp had great flavor and was cooked to perfection (if you don't know you should eat it with the shell and tail on... trust me they make it right so it's easy to do), loved the mac salad and the rice was well done! I definitely will be keeping this in my lunch rotation. They offer treats from the Shugar Shack (gluten and sugar free) that are totally amazing as well.
R K.
I would give this place 4.5 stars. The 1/2 star deduction is lack of seating if the weather isn't great outside. We found this place on Yelp and decided to check it out. It's located in a business park off of Redhill/Bristol. It's hard to find but just use your navigation for the address. The staff there is very friendly and helpful. There are all sorts of items to choose from. You can get it bowl style or plate lunch style. I got a poke bowl which I thought was very good. My co-worker got a chicken plate, but she said the chicken had sort of a sweet sauce. She liked it but thought the sauce was too sweet for her. Portions are a good size. Seating is limited inside but they do have seating outside, but it was cold and windy so your only option was inside and it had only 4 tables. Luckily one of the staff was looking out for us and save us a table when people were leaving. Overall, the food is above average, portions are good, service is great and prices are a few dollars more but nothing crazy expensive. I'd go back on a nice day so I can enjoy the food and eat in their patio section.
Tim P.
This is the new best of the best Plate Lunch I wouldn't consider it a Hawaiian plate lunch due to the gourmet presentation flavors and uniqueness of all the dishes the people could not be more nice genuine and sincere it's a fantastic spot full of Aloha and No ka Oi. The servings are generous and well presented in there to go boxes they make everything fresh to order a real Kanaka dream.
I was craving spam musubi today and for the heck of it I ran a search for it in Yelp and 'Ai Pono popped up! A friend of ours had told my husband and I about this place, but I never knew how close it was to my office...less than a mile away! It's always a great feeling when you're walking up to a Hawaiian restaurant and you can hear the Hawaiian reggae jamming out the front door...and then you walk in to be greeted with by a big smile and "aloha!!!" from the gal working the front counter - all to find out that she's one of the owners who's from Hawaii She offered great recommendations and we were not disappointed with our orders! We'll definitely be regulars from now on Mahalo Dana and kitchen krew!!!
Dang, I really wanted to like 'Ai Pono. In fact, my friends and I would gush over the photos on Yelp, because it looked so freakin' good. But it was incredibly underwhelming and overpriced. I ordered the mento bento, which was supposed to be a nice sampling of various proteins and side dishes. The shrimp was soggy and underseasoned. Chicken also lacked seasoning and felt a little under temperature. Sausage and fried ahi were pretty good. The menu said the bento had noodles, but instead the plate held the biggest portion of rice I had ever seen coming from a Hawaiian cafe. While it is a bento box, meaning there are small portions of each protein inside the combo, there wasn't enough protein inside to justify the price. I may give this spot another shot and I would update the review accordingly.
I lived on Oahu for years and have yet to find such an authentic Hawaiian experience. From the staff to the food, it's as Aloha as you can get. We've tried just about everything they have and it's all great!
This is one of my restaurants to go to. I love the specials, the originals and desserts. The staff is so amazing nice and helpful. This is a must go to spot!! Best Hawaiian food in SoCal and OC
You won't find better/authentic Hawaiian food in OC than at Ai Pono. I have yet to find anything close to as good as Ai Pono. I probably come here 3x a week now and they aren't even open everyday. Dana and the rest of the team give the best customer service. Dana truly cares about her customers and wants to make sure you leave happy every time. I have tried multiple dishes here and every week has a very unique special that hasn't disappointed. They have better poke than the places around here that ONLY do poke. This truffle poke is to die for.
I really wanted to like this place since it was busy and all my coworkers loved how authentic their food was. I ordered the lemongrass chili chicken and it came out quickly, but right when I dug my knife in, it was bleeding and totally undercooked. I sent it back and they apologized and advised that they were going to provide a new one for me. I waited and watched all my coworkers finish their meals. They brought out a new meal for me and apologized that they just wanted to get the orders out as fast as they could. Upon my first bite, it seemed cooked and I assumed it was good this time so I decided to take my meal to-go and eat at the office so my coworkers didn't have to wait on me. Same thing. I came back with uncooked chicken once again. On top of the fact that their salad was as dry as the Mojave Desert and provided no dressing at all. I asked my coworker and apparently it was supposed to have some sort of mango dressing on it. So basically, I just drove out to spend $15 and I'm sitting at my desk still hungry. Not sure if I would come back again considering they were unable to cook their chicken properly twice. Also, their prices are ridiculously high for food served on plastic plates lol
Got the Spicy Ahi Poke Bowl. Was fresh, tasty & felt healthy Will definitely return.
Great place. Wish it were open for meals other than lunch. BTW, all the map apps I've used put Ai Pono on the other side of the street. Maybe someone at the restaurant can deal with getting them corrected.
You can quit going to any other Hawaiian restaurant in Orange County. While a little pricier than most the quality, flavor, and diversity of the menu has any other place left in the dust. Hot Link Musubi, Ahi Katsu (out of this world), and Korean Fried Chicken were fantastic. Macaroni Salad- solid, jazzed up rice, and a fresh green salad pulled it all together.
An authentic Hawaiian cafe located in the middle of an office park! My family and I enjoyed our dishes here tremendously, especially the ahi poke, loco moco, and ahi katsu. Everything tasted great and the service was very friendly. Even though the serving sizes were pretty large, I felt like this place was a bit expensive considering that it's a take out place and everything is served in a to go container.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food. Great service. The food was fresh, decent portion and with that the price may be a bit pricey than the normal Hawaiian joint. It was worth it though. The katsu ahi was fried yet not greasy. It was perfectly fried with a delicious sauce, side salad and Mac salad. I can't wait to go back to try the meat options!! It's located in an industrial area with limited indoor seating. On a nice day the seating outside is good! I will be back!!
It's been some time since I've written a review, but this place woke me from the hiatus like Dr Frankenstein woke up his monster! I love all things Hawaii and this place encompasses it all! Situated in what seems to be a shared kitchen in an industrial park, it's sleek, simple and clean. I ordered the mento bento, which was a great sampling of their ahi, chicken, sausage, shrimp with rice and noodles! It was absolutely delicious! The flavors and freshness are super apparent. Take L&L bbq but elevate it times 100%. The gal who took my order was so sweet and excited to share their food flavors. Between her slight island accent, the vibe, island jams and authentic food... I couldn't help but to feel like I was transported back to Maui!
This place is a little hard to find because it is in in an industrial center and yes the hours are limited but I work super close so when checking lunch options was super happy to discover this gem. The staff is so friendly and happened to go when they launched the combo plates. I went with the Thai Shrimp and Chicken Katsu and my other party had the Chicken Katsu and Hamburger Patty. The Combos come with mac salad that has tuna in it and rice. The freshness is unreal, the price is a little high but for the quality it makes sense. The crunch of the Katsu was perfect and it was still juicy and flavorful, the thai shrimp had great flavor and was cooked to perfection (if you don't know you should eat it with the shell and tail on... trust me they make it right so it's easy to do), loved the mac salad and the rice was well done! I definitely will be keeping this in my lunch rotation. They offer treats from the Shugar Shack (gluten and sugar free) that are totally amazing as well.
I would give this place 4.5 stars. The 1/2 star deduction is lack of seating if the weather isn't great outside. We found this place on Yelp and decided to check it out. It's located in a business park off of Redhill/Bristol. It's hard to find but just use your navigation for the address. The staff there is very friendly and helpful. There are all sorts of items to choose from. You can get it bowl style or plate lunch style. I got a poke bowl which I thought was very good. My co-worker got a chicken plate, but she said the chicken had sort of a sweet sauce. She liked it but thought the sauce was too sweet for her. Portions are a good size. Seating is limited inside but they do have seating outside, but it was cold and windy so your only option was inside and it had only 4 tables. Luckily one of the staff was looking out for us and save us a table when people were leaving. Overall, the food is above average, portions are good, service is great and prices are a few dollars more but nothing crazy expensive. I'd go back on a nice day so I can enjoy the food and eat in their patio section.
This is the new best of the best Plate Lunch I wouldn't consider it a Hawaiian plate lunch due to the gourmet presentation flavors and uniqueness of all the dishes the people could not be more nice genuine and sincere it's a fantastic spot full of Aloha and No ka Oi. The servings are generous and well presented in there to go boxes they make everything fresh to order a real Kanaka dream.