Matiki Island Barbeque

Best Hawaiian Bbq I have tried so far in Orange County! Not like any of all the other Hawaiian grill restaurants (those ones all taste/​cook the same). Portions of the food you get at Hawaiian Bbq is real good an is your money’s worth! All meats are fresh & cooked yummy. More of a homemade taste instead of artificial flavor taste the staff is very kind as well.

Growing up in Hawaii, I’ve been spoiled with great Hawaiian BBQ and have always search for «decent» authentic Hawaiian food in California for years. I’m so happy that I found Matiki Island BBQ. I’ve been there only 2 times and love it each time. I got a Kalua pork plate when I first went here, and for the second time, I got # 1 «Sam’s Choice», which is a gigantic beef rib plate. Couldn’t decide which one I like better but they are both the best Hawaiian plates I’ve tried outside of Oahu. The Kalua pork is super tender and moist, perfectly seasoned. It comes with endless layers and layers of pillowy green cabbage. You can get a choice of either greens salad or mac salad to accompany your 2 scoops of rice… I chose «all rice». The beef ribs plate is another world in itself. Not only it’s one of the best Hawaiian beef ribs I’ve ever tasted, it’s one of the best BBQ beef ribs period. Definitely a must get!
Both plates are humongous and most likely will make the average eater to-​go it. Well, I ain’t one of them so: P I think it’s the best $ 10 lunch well spent for authentic Hawaiian/​Samoan BBQ.
Anyways, I’m definitely a fan and really happy that I discovered this restaurant so close to my work place. Looking forward to come here weekly!

Long time lover of the number one combo plate… Huge bones with juicy meats that are flavored with delicious spices. I love the retro homey atmosphere. They just recently swapped out the menu board so they have pictures for those of you trying it for the first time. Just a great Hawaiian BBQ place. I wish it was closer to my place I’d probably drop by once a week instead of once a month. They don’t mind at all if you want to bring your own Kimchi or pickles.

Pulled in to the lot and was greeted by the hugest rat I’ve ever seen. The size of a small dog. Needless to say, this place is off my list. If they’re that big in the parking lot, maybe they’re full of hawaiian bbq. Mahalo, but NO!

Eh it was whatever…
Came in for lunch and again kinda disappointed with Unilocal.Are my standards too high? Or am I just having unlucky experiences ?
I ordered the beef and chicken combo for around 12 dollars. It comes with a lot of meat, 2 scoops of rice and I had it with the green salad. Some of the positives :
I love that the meats have a smokey flavor and were kind of tender.
A lot of meat. I was not hungry leaving this place.
Cons: everything was a little too sweet especially the salad dressing which tasted like it was doused in a sugary syrup and some vinegar. Not my favorite. The rice was atrocious. It literally was overcooked and clumped together… You could smash the rice down into a single patty that’s how starchy and overcooked it was. So disappointing. Just a mediocre experience overall.

This place is labeled as Hawaii, but has a Samoan flair. I went with friends who have been going here for years, they said they really spruced up the décor. Used to be more of a dingy hole-​in-​the wall type of place. What apparently has not changed however, was the food.
Let me start off by saying, these may be the best ribs I’ve had in California! The meat just falls off the bone, it’s so tender. The ribs, along with the cut up steak and short ribs, were marinated perfectly. The marinade went all the way through the meat, so yummy. I did not try the chicken because my friend recommended against it, plus, even looking through all of the Unilocal pictures, beef is obviously the popular choice here.
The 2 item combos come with 2 scoops of rice, mac salad or choice of salad. There is even an option for a veggie bowl here. My guess is if you are stepping foot in this place, it’s not because you are on diet mode. So go with the mac salad! It’s pretty yummy, and has potatoes mixed in.

I finally found my new favorite local Hawaiian food spot! Most of the Hawaiian food I have tried are the typical franchises ranging from L&L, Ono, and Aloha Hawaiian BBQ. I stumbled onto this location randomly from a Facebook check-​in post. Surprisingly, when dining at the restaurant I asked the owner and was shocked to find out this place has been open for about 20 years. I wish I knew about this place earlier!
My favorite food item was the Beef ribs aka Sam’s Plate. This menu item caught my attention because I have never seen a Hawaiian franchise serve beef ribs so this had to be a must try! The beef ribs didn’t let me down at all, the beef is tender and almost literally fall off the bone without much peeling required. About the sides, I haven’t tried the green salad but the macaroni salad is good but it contains potatoes unlike the previous macaroni salad I had in the past.
I had the Kalbi Short Ribs which is also delicious and I wouldn’t mind getting this item either, they give you a good portion size. Some of the Hawaiian franchises charge much more for Kalbi, I notice some have stopped serving this item, and the portion meat servings are smaller. The only bad I have to say about the Kalbi Short Ribs that it needs to be cooked perfectly fresh because the Kalbi taste bad when the majority of the meat is burnt :(

This place is really hit or miss. On a good day, it’s definitely 5 stars, but easily a 1 star on a bad day as well.
The menu here isn’t as expansive as other Hawaiian places, but the meat is usually better. The mac salad is like a hybrid potato salad unless that’s just yolk that’s giving that mashed potato-​like texture.
Really, the only reason to come here is to get the beef ribs. Everything is is pretty much the same as any other Hawaiian joint. That being said, if you do end up finding yourself here you should definitely get the beef ribs.

Got the #1 Beef rib plate with green salad. 4 great tasting beef ribs, but no too much meat. I would get extra meat next time.
A bit of a wait. Order ahead.

While visiting Buena Park for vacation, my girlfriend did some research and found a local place for us to try out that was conveniently located near Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel.
While the restaurant may not look fancy and all, it’s the food you have to try. My girlfriend ordered the Spare Ribs combo dish. I got the Spare Ribs and Beef combo. Both combos came with rice and Mac salad.
When the food arrived, we were surprised how much meat the dish out. That’s a lot.
The beef in my combo dish was alright. I would have liked it to be a little more pink. Other wise the flavor was alright.
The spare ribs in our dishes was the star. It was absolutely Whoa! The ribs were flavorful, juicy, and delicious. That had to be one of the better ribs I had.
If you want some added flavor go use the sweet soy sauce they have.
I’m so glad we got to try this place out Definitely try out the ribs. Mmmmm!!!

1^st time here… you can smell that island bbq smell from the street. If it taste like it smells then we are in good shape. The cashier is nice and welcoming… ALOHA! No attitudes here…
The place has a few tables if you want to dine in.
…to be continued

I’ll say this bluntly: The #1 plate [Sam’s Choice] BBQ beef ribs are the reason I had dinner there two nights’ straight — I only wish I lived closer to the OC so that going there would be a minimum once weekly visit! The green salad was a welcome surprise as well, their dressing is a sesame vinaigrette that was so good I ordered some on the side to dip my rib chunks into!
People will say what they’ll say about the ribs not being very meaty, but what do you want for $ 10.75? Just add another $ 2.50 for extra meat and I guarantee you’ll walk outta there stuffed;) I did… twice!