I stopped by this "Hawaiian" food place for takeout dinner with my wife approx. a week ago, while we were staying in Temecula for a few days. I went there because of my love for great Hawaiian plate lunches (having lived in the Islands for 15 years) and because of their high marks on Yelp. The young lady at the counter was very helpful and polite, and I complimented her for have a terrific attitude! We ordered a large "Big Kahuna" plate, so that we could try their Kalbi ribs and two other meats, along with their mac salad and rice. I requested two scoops of mac salad and one scoop of rice, as good mac salad is one of my favorite island specialties that I occasionally crave. We were both very disappointed with the terrible taste and quality of the mac salad, and the meats were also just OK. Needless to say, I will have to be more diligent with thoroughly reading the Yelp reviews, and sorting the reviews from 'most recent', in case there has been a change of Ownership. We will not be returning to Lekena's.
Courtney S.
Amazing place. Went in with mother and grandmother, and The worker was very friendly, and made sure we were comfortable walking in along with getting to know the menu. The food was amazing, and would definitely recommend this place to anyone.
Hannah T.
I saw this place and decided to get some lunch to go. I ordered a chicken katsu combo and a soda....$16 are you crazy!!! I can get the same things at L&L for $12. I was not impressed at all, the chicken was super crunchy and salty. You could not tastes the chicken at all. The rice was bland and really sticky and the macaroni salad was really liquid and the noodles were way over cooked. I did not have a good experience here and maybe other things on the menu are better but be ready to spend a lot of money.
Victoria R.
So glad I found this place! Came here during lunch on a Saturday and it wasn't too packed. There's plenty of seating and the staff are all friendly. Parking isn't a problem either! The food is amazing!!!! I grew up around this food since I am Filipino and Hawaiian so I definitely recommend this place to anyone!! I loveeeddd the spicy ahi poke bowl! The portion is great! And the flavor is soo good! With a yelp check in you can get free chicken katsu nuggets which were super yummy! My husband got the chicken teriyaki plate and he loved it as well. They also have Thai ice with boba and it was very refreshing. I seriously can't wait to come back! Their musubi is good too if you are craving one! Overall the atmosphere and food is amazing!
Michael L.
Coming from Hawaii always down to try other people's take on Hawaiian food. I was craving a poke bowl and this place hit the spot!! Fresh, delicious and so glad we stopped in!!
Juju B.
Being from Hawaii it's hard to find places that have that authentic back home feel and food that remotely taste like it's been made right. If you get a chance to meet the owner do it, she is from the islands. Her aloha is in her food. Want a real poke bowl, this is where you'll find it. Laulau plates are awesome. Get your luau style plates without having to cook for hours. A taste of hawaii...
Edna Ramirez
GOOD local food Hawaiian /America onolicious . GREAT SERVICE
Anthony L.
Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing poke places in town that allow you to customize your bowl how you like it. Great toppings, tons of different things to add to it. I will admit I go to a few of these places regularly. However after living in Hawaii for years some times I just want a regular poke bowl from how I remember it. This place has it. Poke on top of rice. It's all about the poke and that's it. Don't take anything away from the other poke places... there are some gems in town. But this is closer to Hawaiian poke. I haven't tried much on the menu because I always come back to poke. They have a typical Hawaiian menu with a lot of the islands yummy foods, which I'm sure one day I will try. Spam musabi, loco moco, Mac salad, katuz, are things I used to eat on the beach from local Hawaiian places. Something about each dish that is unique and wonderful.... just says Hawaii. But poke is still king in my book.
Rennae Paniagua
Stopped in to get boba, wasnt the best boba was too squishy few hard ones and the drink was too sweet!
Alexander Gonzalez
This place was wonderfull amd the service was welcoming its the place is Small but it packs a punch with the delicious food.
Amazing and well cooked food! We just move here from the islanda and it made us feel ri bu jt at home! Mahalo to aunty and the staff!!
Angelika W.
Sadly, I need to update my review and remove all the positive stars that I have given this place. Today I placed a phone order for pick up, I asked for 1 short rib plate, 1 kids chicken katsu and 2 drinks. I showed up to pick up my food and the lady says to me it will be $38. I was shocked. I said to her wow that is expensive, I usually eat here with a family of 5 for $60. So in her most "charming" attitude she says to me "I don't make the prices." This is where it started. The lady then realized that she did not order the kids chicken but the normal plate. So she fixed the price, which mind you, was only a $4 difference. Instead of owning up to her mistake, she became even more rude and re-ordered my food. So now I had to wait 15 minutes for a kids chicken, she could have just given me the adult one which has a little more rice and maybe 1 slice of extra chicken. This place has obviously hired someone new. The staff that I know who work there are very sweet and friendly. This lady was nothing but a ball of attitude and rudeness. From the start to the end she was just rude. We will never be returning. I suppose they raised their prices and dropped their standard of customer service. Very disappointing to say the least.
Joni S.
Returned after a long break of not eating here (for no particular reason - maybe the want to try poke at better locations and other Hawaiian options?). I was pleasantly surprised. Came right before closing so options were limited. The wait wasn't too long and got the free katsu nuggets for Yelp check-in. Most entrees come with Mac salad & steamed veggies. I can't pinpoint the seasonings used on the steamed veggies but definitely tastier than most other places. Mac salad was good - I find it hard to mess up on. Ended up ordering the fish - fried. Slightly regretted getting it fried rather than steamed as it was battered heavily. Still good but wish that they kept it lightly battered instead. All-in-all, I'll continue to return. Interested in trying out their katsu curry.
Donte' T.
I don't think I've got anything from the menu I didn't like. They even make fried tofu taste bomb. My favorite spot to eat lunch. Real s***
Jasmine F.
Paid $13 for a container of rice when I ordered a meal of kalua pork. Also their boba tea wasn't the best. Lacked flavor and the boba was mush. Ordered strawberry and it just tastes like milk. Used to be a favorite. Won't be coming back. Bummer.
I stopped by this "Hawaiian" food place for takeout dinner with my wife approx. a week ago, while we were staying in Temecula for a few days. I went there because of my love for great Hawaiian plate lunches (having lived in the Islands for 15 years) and because of their high marks on Yelp. The young lady at the counter was very helpful and polite, and I complimented her for have a terrific attitude! We ordered a large "Big Kahuna" plate, so that we could try their Kalbi ribs and two other meats, along with their mac salad and rice. I requested two scoops of mac salad and one scoop of rice, as good mac salad is one of my favorite island specialties that I occasionally crave. We were both very disappointed with the terrible taste and quality of the mac salad, and the meats were also just OK. Needless to say, I will have to be more diligent with thoroughly reading the Yelp reviews, and sorting the reviews from 'most recent', in case there has been a change of Ownership. We will not be returning to Lekena's.
Amazing place. Went in with mother and grandmother, and The worker was very friendly, and made sure we were comfortable walking in along with getting to know the menu. The food was amazing, and would definitely recommend this place to anyone.
I saw this place and decided to get some lunch to go. I ordered a chicken katsu combo and a soda....$16 are you crazy!!! I can get the same things at L&L for $12. I was not impressed at all, the chicken was super crunchy and salty. You could not tastes the chicken at all. The rice was bland and really sticky and the macaroni salad was really liquid and the noodles were way over cooked. I did not have a good experience here and maybe other things on the menu are better but be ready to spend a lot of money.
So glad I found this place! Came here during lunch on a Saturday and it wasn't too packed. There's plenty of seating and the staff are all friendly. Parking isn't a problem either! The food is amazing!!!! I grew up around this food since I am Filipino and Hawaiian so I definitely recommend this place to anyone!! I loveeeddd the spicy ahi poke bowl! The portion is great! And the flavor is soo good! With a yelp check in you can get free chicken katsu nuggets which were super yummy! My husband got the chicken teriyaki plate and he loved it as well. They also have Thai ice with boba and it was very refreshing. I seriously can't wait to come back! Their musubi is good too if you are craving one! Overall the atmosphere and food is amazing!
Coming from Hawaii always down to try other people's take on Hawaiian food. I was craving a poke bowl and this place hit the spot!! Fresh, delicious and so glad we stopped in!!
Being from Hawaii it's hard to find places that have that authentic back home feel and food that remotely taste like it's been made right. If you get a chance to meet the owner do it, she is from the islands. Her aloha is in her food. Want a real poke bowl, this is where you'll find it. Laulau plates are awesome. Get your luau style plates without having to cook for hours. A taste of hawaii...
GOOD local food Hawaiian /America onolicious . GREAT SERVICE
Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing poke places in town that allow you to customize your bowl how you like it. Great toppings, tons of different things to add to it. I will admit I go to a few of these places regularly. However after living in Hawaii for years some times I just want a regular poke bowl from how I remember it. This place has it. Poke on top of rice. It's all about the poke and that's it. Don't take anything away from the other poke places... there are some gems in town. But this is closer to Hawaiian poke. I haven't tried much on the menu because I always come back to poke. They have a typical Hawaiian menu with a lot of the islands yummy foods, which I'm sure one day I will try. Spam musabi, loco moco, Mac salad, katuz, are things I used to eat on the beach from local Hawaiian places. Something about each dish that is unique and wonderful.... just says Hawaii. But poke is still king in my book.
Stopped in to get boba, wasnt the best boba was too squishy few hard ones and the drink was too sweet!
This place was wonderfull amd the service was welcoming its the place is Small but it packs a punch with the delicious food.
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing and well cooked food! We just move here from the islanda and it made us feel ri bu jt at home! Mahalo to aunty and the staff!!
Sadly, I need to update my review and remove all the positive stars that I have given this place. Today I placed a phone order for pick up, I asked for 1 short rib plate, 1 kids chicken katsu and 2 drinks. I showed up to pick up my food and the lady says to me it will be $38. I was shocked. I said to her wow that is expensive, I usually eat here with a family of 5 for $60. So in her most "charming" attitude she says to me "I don't make the prices." This is where it started. The lady then realized that she did not order the kids chicken but the normal plate. So she fixed the price, which mind you, was only a $4 difference. Instead of owning up to her mistake, she became even more rude and re-ordered my food. So now I had to wait 15 minutes for a kids chicken, she could have just given me the adult one which has a little more rice and maybe 1 slice of extra chicken. This place has obviously hired someone new. The staff that I know who work there are very sweet and friendly. This lady was nothing but a ball of attitude and rudeness. From the start to the end she was just rude. We will never be returning. I suppose they raised their prices and dropped their standard of customer service. Very disappointing to say the least.
Returned after a long break of not eating here (for no particular reason - maybe the want to try poke at better locations and other Hawaiian options?). I was pleasantly surprised. Came right before closing so options were limited. The wait wasn't too long and got the free katsu nuggets for Yelp check-in. Most entrees come with Mac salad & steamed veggies. I can't pinpoint the seasonings used on the steamed veggies but definitely tastier than most other places. Mac salad was good - I find it hard to mess up on. Ended up ordering the fish - fried. Slightly regretted getting it fried rather than steamed as it was battered heavily. Still good but wish that they kept it lightly battered instead. All-in-all, I'll continue to return. Interested in trying out their katsu curry.
I don't think I've got anything from the menu I didn't like. They even make fried tofu taste bomb. My favorite spot to eat lunch. Real s***
Paid $13 for a container of rice when I ordered a meal of kalua pork. Also their boba tea wasn't the best. Lacked flavor and the boba was mush. Ordered strawberry and it just tastes like milk. Used to be a favorite. Won't be coming back. Bummer.