Aloha Terrace Loco Moco

This place was ridiculously hard to find, especially because I’m not super familiar with everything on Kapahulu. I actually passed the eatery twice before I actually caught sight of it on the road. If you’re going pretty fast – even if you’re cruising – down Kapahulu, you’ll probably miss it. If you pass Taco Bell and Popeye’s on the left, that means you’ve gone too far.
Street parking can be hard to find, but I would recommend taking a buddy with you so one person can stay in the car (and look for parking) and the other can pick up the take-​out order. I was fortunate and found parking on one of the side streets, which wasn’t too far away. I was also glad that the owner was nice enough to walk outside so I could actually find the place!
Aloha Terrace Loco Moco has revamped hours, so they’re no longer open for dinner. So, be sure to catch them early for breakfast or lunch! There’s a decent amount of seating inside, and the guy at the register was more than happy to answer all of my questions. During the time of my visit, he told me the menu was in process of changing, but he was quick to point out that they’re known for their matcha (green tea) French toast … which I’ll just have to try during another visit.
I was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of loco mocos to try. I had my heart set on the chili cheese one, though — it’s not officially on the posted menu, but it seems to be a customer favorite, so you can ask for it. I had called in my order ahead of time for pick-​up, so it was ready to go by the time I got to Aloha Terrace. And, if you check in on Unilocal,you get $ 1 off your order. Deal!
Now that I know where Aloha Terrace is, I would definitely come back for lunch. Once you brave the parking situation and actually score a stall, you can rest assured that you’re in for a great meal!
Here’s what I got:
«Chili Cheese Loco Moco»: Every loco moco entrée comes with a side mixed greens salad and pasta salad. That was already a win for me because I love pasta salad, and not too many places offer it. The pasta salad here is seasoned really well — adequate salt and pepper on top, so I actually finished that even before digging into my loco moco. The chili cheese loco moco is unique because the chili sauce actually doesn’t contain beans, so you don’t have to worry about a gassy/​upset stomach after you devour this monster. The homemade beef patty is delicious, savory and flavorful … and it’s heavy, so I felt like I ate a ton of bricks after (but I enjoyed every single bite). Probably the best part is enjoying the cheese that’s oozing out from under the egg yolk and relishing the chili sauce that’s coating the entire patty. There’s also a good amount of rice that comes with the entrée (this one was only $ 8), but my only gripe is that they didn’t give more sauce … I was left with at least one scoop of rice after my patty, egg, gravy and chili were all gone!
«Menchi Katsu Loco Moco»: While I was paying, I asked the cashier what the menchi katsu was … and he said it was their homemade hamburger patty that was deep fried. Oh. My. Word. I am getting this during my next visit, hands down.
«Chicken Katsu Loco Moco»: Since chicken katsu is my favorite choice when it comes to plate lunch – and I tend to compare chicken katsu loco mocos wherever I go – I can’t wait to try this version one day. I’m curious to see what the gravy will taste like, as well as the katsu. Can’t wait for my next lunch visit.

Cool. Closed before 8pm when they’re supposed to be open until 9pm. Came from across town because a visiting friend wanted to try a loco moco.
Thanks for wasting our time. Get your shit together.

Loco moco w short ribs rocked! Definitely gotta try this place. Prices aren’t bad at all!

Went there for lunch with my boyfriend.
I ordered braised short rib moco w/​kimchi fried rice and he got beef stew moco over Kimchi fried rice and Pasta salad on the side.
Except for the salad (which was a little bit bland) we both liked what we had. The beef was very well flavored and tender, gravy was good, the kimchi fried rice was tasty since it has bacon in it :)
Will come back for sure!

We were looking for somewhere new to eat and this was bookmarked. However, it was 15 minutes till closing and I wasn’t sure if they would give us the option to eat there, or strictly stick to the 9:00 p.m. close.
So I sent my better half in and he called me to say it was okay and they’d let us eat there. I was happy, for a lot of places close at 9.
After taking a look at the menu, we opted for the curry Locomoco made with shortribs and the mochiko chicken and upgraded to kimchi fried rice, for a $ 1.00.
Thanks to Unilocal, we scored a $ 1.00 off one of the plates once we checked in.
We helped ourselves to the complimentary water at the beverage station. They offer selfserve Pepsi products and bottled water and iced tea in a little chiller nearby.
The place is nicely lit and roomy. Everything was clean. They even had a condiment station armed with shiracha, tobasco, shoyu, salt, and pepper.
Music filled the air. Thankfully, nothing loud. There is a television, but it was in off mode.
After waiting about 8 – 10 minutes, we got our food. My favorite between the two dishes was the mochiko chicken! It was moist, tasty, and very addicting. I look forward to ordering this again. I was sad, when i realized there wasn’t going to be any leftovers to take home.
The curry was okay, I prefer Japanese style curry made with a roux. This one tasted like local style powdered curry, which was okay. However, what surprised me with this dish, was the quality of the meat. They used thick cut shortribs and it was so tender and they gave 3 nice chunks. I don’t know about you, but I dislike when I order curry or stew and they give you fatty and chewy pieces and no matter how you chew it, the meat doesn’t break down. Depending on who you’re with, you end up swallowing the piece, or you politely and discreetly swipe your mouth with a napkin, hoping no one noticed.
Even your platic knife isn’t your friend. It doesn’t even help you cut up the meat. Believe me, this one required no knife, you could easily break it up with your fork. Another point I need to make, is that the combination of potato and carrots to the ratio of meat was on point. The egg on top was excellent blended into the curry.
It came with 2 types of salad, tossed and a mayo type spaghetti with carrots salad. I think I’ll ask if I can just get all tossed on my next visit.
I’m not a big fried rice eater, but my better half truly enjoyed it and in no time, it was devoured. I enjoyed picking out and eating the big pieces of kimchi in the fried rice. Can’t help it, I like kimchi.
Another great thing about this place, are the prices. I believe all of the plate lunches were $ 10.00. You have an option to upgrade your rice to kimchi fried rice for a $ 1.00.
With prices of value meals at fast food joints charging $ 8 – 10, I’d prefer a plate lunch over that any day. Hands down, there is quality, decent quantity, and a bit of, «aloha,» that goes into their food.
I think the only downside to this place would be the lack of parking. Yet, I’d make every effort to find one. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll have to play tag team to do take out. One person drives and the other one runs in to pay and pick up the food.
After talking to the manager, I truly hope they’ll consider taking their food on the road, as in, food truck. I know that there would be a lot more happy tummies out there. I suggested that they should join Eat The Street and other events to market themselves. A lot of local and non local people enjoy locomoco, so if you’re one of them and even if you’re not, you should give them a try. I did and yep, I liked it!
Before I end this review, I just want to thank the manager and the cook, for allowing us to stay and eat past their closing time. We enjoyed the food and conversation with you. We look forward to returning and next time, It’ll be way before closing time.

I’m a loco moco junkie. So when I learned there was a place dedicated to the greatest dish on Earth, I had to check it out.
After trying the original loco loco moco, I was satisfied, yet sadly not blown away.
There was nothing wrong with it. The eggs were done well and the burger was cooked well. But the gravy, while thick and rich, wasn’t that flavorful. And the burger and eggs couldn’t do enough to make up for it.
There are many gourmet loco mocos there, so I’m not writing this place off yet. The prices were reasonable, so I’ll be back to try different dishes

One of our friends was raving about how awesome this place is so I had to come and check it out as I love me a good loco moco! I first came here with a work colleague and tried the rib eye moco. They had a special at that time where they gave a free drink and free upgrade to their kim chee fried rice. Today when we went, there was no free drink but when you checked in on Unilocal,you got a $ 1 off coupon. Yay for Unilocal coupon.
Today my better half came with me and we both tried their short rib moco. The rice was nice and hot unlike a lot of places. The gravy was fresh and the short rib was very tender. I mean so tender we didn’t even have to use our knife to cut it as it would just break apart.
If you;re in the Kapahulu area or in the mood for a good loco moco then come on down to Aloha Terrace.

Ate here the other day and it was underwhelming.
But today we came in and asked for a side of rice and they charged us $ 5 DOLLARS?! I can’t believe they would charge that much for a puny side of rice.
Don’t get jipped like we did and just go somewhere else.

Below mediocre food…
Customer service was a joke. Rude and unwelcoming…
$ 5 for a side of rice? Plain white rice. Wow.
Don’t bother with this place, many better options out there.

I got the Rib eye Moco & hubby got the Smoked meat plate. The egg on mine was perfect with runny yolk on rice when I cut inti it. We got ½ pasta salad (spagghetti noodles) & ½ green salad with balsamic dressing. Tasty food. Friendly owner and staff. All the plates are $ 10 even. There’s a TV, and bathroom. On Kapahulu where it could be tough finding parking, but we have found street parking 3 times so far without problems. Pretty empty so need more people to come and keep this place open!

I’ve been drooling over the Instagram pics of @AlohaTerraceHawaii for awhile now and finally got the chance to sample one of their photogenic loco mocos for myself. The seat yourself restaurant is located on 740 Kapahulu Avenue and is open daily from 11am to 9pm.
My daughter and I shared one of Aloha Terrace’s most popular loco mocos, the braised short rib loco moco with teriyaki gravy (the other being the rib-​eye loco moco). You have your choice of salad, pasta, or can choose half/​half like we did. The dish comes with white rice, but you can upgrade to kim chee fried rice for a dollar.
Our loco moco didn’t just look awesome, it smelled delicious too! My daughter broke the yolk of the egg and I told her to take a bite of everything together. She loved her first loco moco! I loved it too! The beef was very tender and flavorful. The egg was cooked to perfection and the gravy was delicious. We both also really enjoyed the pasta salad. While I was busy posting a pic of our yummy meal, my daughter was busy eating. I had to put my phone down before the loco moco disappeared!
Aloha Terrace Hawaii serves up more than 6 different types of loco mocos daily and they have several plate lunch options on their menu too. All entrees are $ 10 each. We will definitely be back to try more of their loco mocos!

I love a loco moco! So, this place already has that going for it. Other pros — 1) clean, well-​lit establishment with a bathroom, 2) friendly staff, 3) choices of salad (green, spaghetti mac, or combo), 4) kim chee fried rice was nice and spicy with more kim chee on the side, 5) free refills, and by far this is the best 6) mushroom and onion peppercorn gravy on their very tender ribeye loco moco or their ribeye plate (no egg). It was to die for and probably cut a few days off my lifespan chowing down on the rice, ribeye fat, and gravy. Oh well…
Cons — 1) parking can be a struggle, unless you’re lucky, willing to pay, or willing to walk, 2) a little warm in the restaurant; could be a touch cooler granted it was a hot day, 3) mochiko chicken was heavy and oily (sauce with it was sour gross) and this is the worst 4) our order didn’t come out right TWICE! First time, wrong plate. Second time, wrong salad. Gave up after that and just took it as is.
Despite the mishaps, I’d go back, especially for the ribeye plate. What’s a few days off life’s end? Life’s too good to not enjoy!

Stopped by today to grab a couple of orders to go before heading in the north shore and they were a little backed up with a few orders ahead of mine.
I order and went across the street to Ono seafood to get takeout there as well.
By the time I got back it was still not ready.
Finally got order which costed $ 20.00 for the ribeye moco and the short rib plate lunch which was to have upgrade to kimchi fried rice and it came with white rice instead. Found out when I went to eat it at the north shore.
I added 2 scoops of white rice separately on the side and they charge me $ 5.00 that didn’t seem right.
But I have to say both dishes was definitely worth the $ 10.00 each all day long.
I would add them to my list of repeat visits just minus the $ 5.00 scoop of white rice.

We stopped over for dinner on our way to UH to drop off our son at the dorms. We were looking for something different and perhaps new when we came across this place. We were not disappointed! Nice and clean little place right on Kapahulu Ave. We came on a Sunday evening so we were lucky to get a street parking in front but I can imagine how finding parking in this area would scare a Westside person like me away.
Now for the food. I had the rib eye plate. For $ 10 I left that place SUPER SATISFIED. The slab of meat was super tender and flavorful. It was even already all sliced up ready to shovel into my mouth along with the rice and peppercorn gravy. The side of mac (actually was spaghetti noodle) salad was nothing to write home about but it did have it’s unique dash of spice that went well with my main dish… oh did I mention how delicious and melt in your mouth the rib eye was? I was going for the meat volume which was why I went with the plate instead if the «loco moco» version and as I noted I was not disappointed. Definitely coming back here again. Remember to do the Unilocal Check-​In to get $ 1 off a plate. Only negative for us Westside guys is that this place is all the way in town so need to include this on the itinerary when you come this way.

A wonderful low key spot for loco moco. Nothing fancy, just tasty food. Try the kinchee fried rice for extra flavor. Short ribs are amazing!

Here’s an easy Do/Don’t list for this cute new Loco Moco spot on Kapahulu:
–Do take advantage of their opening specials. Free drink and free upgrade to kimchee fried rice. But actually might be too many conflicting flavors with the fried rice (like mine was) so you might want to hold off.
–Don’t let them overcook your meat. I ordered the demi Loco moco (so regular hamburger with a demi glaze) and mine was so over cooked my husband didn’t even want to finish the rocks that were my hamburger. That’s the reason for my 3 star, btw.
–Get the pasta (their equivalent to mac) salad is got a unique flavor, garlicky!
–Do get the regular gravy! It’s far superior to the fancy demi glaze and so ono! I tried it on my hubby’s prime rib and he had to push me away.
–Do try the different mocos, they all sound so unique!
All in all a filling lunch… maybe split one if you’re a girl, both me and my bestie couldn’t finish ours.

As much as I want to give 5 stars I’m not going to. Let’s examine why. The air conditioner was not working well, there’s no option for brown rice and there’s not much parking.
If you can get past that, you’ll have a wonderful meal. They opened about 2 months ago in August 2015 and have yet to do Grand Opening. Until then fried rice upgrade and small sodas (with entrée) are free.
First off, don’t let the small container fool you. There’s a lot of stuff in there.
All orders are made on the spot so they come out piping hot. And they are all $ 10 so it’s a manageable meal.
The mochiko chicken is delicious. Soft and not too breaded.
The beef stew is straight up comfort food. Soft meat and delicious stew chock full of root vegetables.
The short rib loco was pretty good. I would like to have regular Mac over spaghetti salad. The Kim chi fried rice was one of if not the best I’ve ever had.
Looking forward to trying some of the other menu items.

Well… a mixed bag… I ordered the Chef’s special Roast Pork with sautéed onions and mushroom brown gravy with green salad.
Positives: the brown gravy was very flavorful. It’s what saved the dish for me. The roast pork, the few pieces in the dish, we’re very tender. Too bad it was very little meat. The green salad comes with a balsamic vinegarette, which was ok.
Negatives: I ordered it with a scrambled egg, got an over cooked sunny side up egg instead. There was hardly any meat in the dish. Mostly rice and gravy. The sautéed onions were really unedible as they were just sliced raw onions, maybe blanched. For the price it was certainly not worth it.
It was a first, I always give second chances, probably will be back again to try their «signature» rib eye moco. We’ll see. But I say try it for yourself and see. Like I said the gravy was really good… hope you enjoy.

OMG SO GOOD, YOU GUYS!
I may be biased since I fricking love loco mocos and pretty much order them whenever I can. The loco mocos I’ve tried from Aloha Terrace were stellar.
I ordered the prime rib loco moco with KIM CHEE FRIED RICE and a green salad, and the hubby got a pastele loco moco with white rice and pasta salad. Both of them were only $ 10 each and since they had just opened we got free drinks, too.
My prime rib was perfectly medium, and my husband’s pastele had a lot of meat in it. They use a lot of olives in their pastele (which he loves). Their gravy is really rich and meaty-​tasting. You can get kim chee fried rice for no extra charge, so I obviously chose that and it was great. My green salad (I think they use Nalo greens but not sure) was really fresh and the vinaigrette was just right. The pasta salad, which was just mac salad with different noodles, was bland to me but I have friends who like that so I’m not going to judge. The over-​easy eggs were perfect, as you would expect from a place that specializes in loco mocos!
The ambiance inside was pretty nice. The space is surprisingly light and airy. Their tables took rustic but are actually smooth and their chairs are really comfy and cute (I want to get some for my house).
It seems like a family-​run business and from talking with the people there, they seem to really care about making affordable, good food.
I can’t wait to go back!

After having a big lunch from the Cheesecake Factory, I was driving down on Kapahulu Avenue and that’s when I spotted Aloha Terrace Loco Moco out of the corner of my eye. It seem like whenever I just finished eating a meal, I somehow have a knack for accidentally spotting new restaurants. Is this a taunt? It is somewhat frustrating and insanely comical at the same time. In the former space of Thai Herb Kitchen is now the new Aloha Terrace and today (⁷⁄₆) is their soft grand opening. As usual, parking is tough on Kapahulu unless it’s after 6 PM.
The sign and place appeared white, modern and inviting so I pulled over. I like the vibe this place has — very «beachy» white overtones with a local Hawaiian flair though. As I entered the restaurant, I saw how new the paint matched the décor nicely. Tasteful cute Hawaiiana pictures hung neatly on the walls. At the focal point, you can see a counter and cashier setup and a big chalkboard overhead — almost ceiling height. I approached the two gentleman sitting at a table to request for a take-​out menu so I could return at dinner time. Since it was a soft opening, the take-​out menus were not quite ready. They pointed to the chalkboard menu but the menu items do not have pricing. The guys told me all mocos on that chalkboard menu is all $ 10 dollars today. Will score big for my dinner and specifically looking at ordering the rib eye or prime rib moco.