Palolo Restaurant

My favorite Chinese resturant! They make the best shrimp fried rice ever! So so good, cheap and quick. My go to!

Great neighborhood restaurant. Walked in and ordered takeout. Quick, good service and tasty food.

Horrible place, didn’t even stay, I walked in, it literally smelled like shit. I walked right out.

We came for an early morning breakfast before my son’s basketball game at Palolo Gym. This place was perfect because it’s right across the street from the park. We were in a rush and had to get it to go. We were the only people there and the owner was manning the restaurant. It turns out that he had bought the business from the previous owner about a year and a half ago.
He was really nice and served us water while we waited for the food. We got bacon, scrambled eggs, and white rice. The eggs were light and fluffy, yay! The bacon wasn’t as crisp as I would have liked, but it was ok. The rice was cooked just right, a little firm and not soggy.
I can’t wait to come back to try some of their entrée dishes. Their prices are really reasonable.

Good place to go for Chinese restaurant. Prices are reasonable and good potions for your money. My favorite is Singapore rice noodles, salt and pepper pork chops. Worth trying, better than most Chinese restaurant I’ve tried

Try anything off the Chef’s recommendations and you can’t go wrong. Delicious hot food that makes you stop eating and savor. Great place.

Strong odor of moth balls tonight. Took my called-​in order wrong… good thing I checked. Lenghthy wait even though I had called in my order. Dispite all the food was good. They have taken a few items off the menu which was crossed off in pencil on their take-​out menu. Keep returning and giving chances to make this my «Chinese go-​to» but always something will disappoint. No almond cookies tonight…

One of my FB friends mentioned this place so I decided to look for it.
Found it in the heart of Palolo… adequate parking (I went later in the afternoon).
The food was good… what I thought was funny is they don’t seem to really do table service. There are tables in the restaurant, but since it’s mostly take out, they really don’t have table service «manners».
Prices are cheaper than most other places and the owner explained it’s because the neighborhood can really afford higher prices… but in order for them to stay in business, they might need to raise their prices… so folks, if you want pretty good Chinese food at a good price, we gonna have to help by increasing their volume…
I would go back to try other things there.

Palolo Restaurant, used to be called Palolo Drive In by previous owners, has new ownership and by far the best.
Service is so friendly and prompt. Never waiting to put your order in. They always offer tips on what to order if you dont know what to go. Food came in a short manner — i was expecting to be waiting awhile for my little big order but it came quite quickly.
Food was definitely on point! Best flavor I ever had! This was my second time ordering from here since our first time was a huge success as well but forgot to give them a review.
One main thing is they are always looking to improve food quality by feedback. So awesome! I might add that prices are very reasonable and affordable especially for the amount of food given in each dish.

Still delicious and consistently good. No longer featuring lunch specials STILL the regular prices are more than reasonable! Going back for my cake noodle or sweet sour cabbage or other since found favorites fix !!
…And, to say hello to Edmund. :)

I’ve been visiting this restaurant since they opened and initially they were decent for the price and for what’s available within walking distance from my home. However, after being opened for less than a year, this restaurant has already resorted to using horrible quality meats to try and maximize their profits. The last (and final) time I’ve eaten here, the chicken was gross, not fresh, and had strange dangling pieces of skin attached. I’ll never eat here again until they change back to a better quality of chicken. No matter how big the portions, it’s not worth eating here.

After reading tons of fellow Unilocaler reviews, I’ve now had the opportunity to try this joint a few times and overall have had some tasty experiences. I’ll fully admit I am from NY and my definition of Chinese food is the white box fake stuff I grew up on that Panda Express replicates so well haha but I have come to love some authentic style and Palolo Restaurant has a nice selection. They’re up in the valley of Palolo but pretty easy to find on Palolo Avenue — there’s a little neighborhood convenience store right next door. I haven’t been lucky enough to go during lunch time but the lunch menu looks like some amazing deals. Eight different options, all $ 5.75 for a nice sized portion! I’ve gotten takeout dinner meals myself. Everything is pretty much under $ 10 for entrees and starters. We tried out the cold ginger chicken, orange chicken and broccoli with beef. Gau gee are an absolute favorite of mine so we always throw an order of those on. The ginger chicken was okay, I did love the intensity of the sauce. The broccoli & beef was exactly what I expected it to be; simply cooked in a garlic brown sauce. The orange chicken pieces were friend up and dipped I am orange sauce. It was a tiny bit sweeter than I expected and a little chewy but overall, flavorful and satisfying. The true winner for me was the gau gee — crunchy, not greasy, seasoned well and perfect dipping in spicy mustard. Yummy in my tummy! It’s the little things in life.
I live near by so I love that this place is walking distance from home plus it’s open 7 days a week including a lot of smaller holidays, have all day hours and reasonable prices. I haven’t had the chance to eat in yet but they have my takeout ready in 10 minutes always, have polite & friendly service and are definitely a deal for the price. Def a good lunch stop by if you’re in Palolo Valley!

I bookmarked this new restaurant because I had seen the high marks.
We ordered the Crispy Gau Gee Mien and Deluxe Plate. We were going to order from there lunch specials but we were 5 minutes too late.
I eat a lot, a lot of Chinese food so I grade hard. The noodles were a little pasty like they didn’t pre boil before cooking. The gravy was watery but the vegetables were ok.
The deluxe plate had a good assortment of food and quite generous portion.
Overall I would dine there again to try the lunch special, I would stick with Lam’s Garden in Kahala or go to Chinatown.

Ever since mid-​January 2015, I’ve had this restaurant bookmarked to try. Fellow Unilocaler Cin T. posted her 4– star review complete with 7 courses of varying Cantonese cuisine about a week after this restaurant’s Grand Opening and I started to drool. Then, I noticed some 5-​star reviews from Fran C. and Li Y. recently so I mustered up my courage to «invade» this quiet neighborhood’s restaurant.
Palolo Restaurant was very easy to find as it is located right on Palolo Avenue and its store front signage faces out to the street. Doh! No need for GPS since you can clearly see the street addresses on the residences on the way up into the valley. There’s a convenience store located next door and parking in front. You just can’t miss it!
We were greeted by a friendly middle-​aged Chinese gentleman who was busily wiping tables from earlier diners and replenishing the condiments. He asked if we were doing takeout or dining in while presenting us with menus. Our intent was to order takeout because we had just come from our walk and were still a bit sweaty. We made our selections of their dry-​fried beef chow funn and a side dish of salt and pepper chicken wings.
While we were waiting for our order, he kindly offered us glasses of iced water. Several other people came in to either place or pick up their takeout orders, too. During our wait, we had a conversation with him (the owner) about Chinese generational attitude differences but always stressing education. He shared with me pictures of his highly educated and successful daughter and son-​in-​law. I could see his fatherly pride much like the pride he takes in his business. Meanwhile, our orders came out from the kitchen.
The portions were huge! As suggested by fellow Unilocaler, Kathy A., a pair of bowling gloves with wrist supports would have been very helpful here. The aromas wafted through our vehicle as we drove home. We were driven into a frenzy as we raced home to dive into the food treasures.
— Beef Chow Funn: the flat rice-​noodles were soft and lightly seasoned with soy sauce. There was a lot of tender beef slices mixed with crisp stir-​fried bean sprouts, round onion slices and chopped green onions. It was prepared well and the tastes were SOLID.
— Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings: there were 9 wings stuffed into a hamburger sized styrofoam container. The flavors were predominantly garlic, pepper (both red chilies and white pepper), Chinese 5-​spice, green onions and SALT. We were a bit disappointed with this dish because we found the chicken to be a bit on the greasy side and overly salty. Yes, I know it’s called Salt and Pepper but, for US, it was just too salty.
Palolo Restaurant is a good neighborhood Chinese restaurant with friendly and efficient service. Their food is solid and we’ll probably make our way back to try more of their dishes, soon.
#330

Checked this place out the other night. It’s pretty typical Chinese food. Menu is pretty standard, roast pork, char sui, kau yuk, various noodles, etc. The service was good, the staff seemed super friendly.
Both my date and I grabbed dinner plate specials (mix plates you usually see at places like this) as it gave us a little of everything. The major issue with new places is they don’t have the volume to keep everything hot all the time, so when you order a mix plate, some of it is warm, not hot, or even cold still, since they are just reheating.
The food wasn’t bad though, but a bit under seasoned.
We also ordered a side of the crispy roast pork, it was kind of dry, but seasoned well. The Shrimp Canton was alright as well, nothing spectacular, but good.
I think overall it is a new place still getting it’s legs, and it a perfectly ok option for those in the area who want some Chinese food. But I wouldn’t drive more than 20 minutes for it.

Nestled deep in the Palolo Valley is Palolo Restaurant. I wandered into the valley looking for this place since a couple of my Unilocal buddies brought this place to my attention.
Extremely reasonable in price and huge portions of food is what you will find at Palolo Restaurant. Friendly, courteous service topped the basket of good price and huge portions.
Cin and Eric already wrote a detailed review of the menu and location that I will simply
«ditto» everything they wrote and add they forgot to mention the shaved ice, For $ 2.75 you can have a GIANT bowl of shaved ice with as many flavors as you choose.
They have daily lunch specials for $ 5.75. I ordered the beef broccoli over chow mein and I had left overs for my dinner. Of the dishes, I will comment on their salt and pepper pork cops which IMHO is pretty darn delicious.
A worthwhile journey into the valley. If you’re ordering take out, I suggest you call ahead so the food will be ready for you by the time you get there.

What can I say… bruddah Eric is DA MAN!!! Upon reading my Unilocal buddy — Eric Robert R.‘s review on Unilocal,and talking to him about this place, I quickly booked marked this place so that I could stop by for some cheap ono grindz!
Today for lunch, I tell my co-workers…“eh, we go eat Chinese” today, as I have a new place for check out! They all jump into my car & off we went to Palolo, to look for Palolo Restaurant.
The place is pretty easy to find… and bruddah Eric’s description on how to find it, as well as the description of the owner (how he looks) was SPOT ON! Lol!
As you drive on Palolo Ave. the restaurant is to your right (if you’re going Mauka), the easiest marker is to look for the Tesoro Gas station, as next door is a Polynesian Market, and right next door to that is the Palolo Restaurant.
What can I say about this place… a small cozie neighbor hood restaurant with about 8 tables (2 large, 2 small, & 4 medium tables).
The restaurant just opened about a month ago, real clean, service was friend, the food was tasty, but the best part of it all… it was DIRT CHEAP! Ding, ding, ding, ding!!!
Let’s get down to da grub! As was looking at the specials today… they offered about 10 various «Special» items for $ 5.75, and like bruddah Eric said…“YUP! Just $ 5.75!!!“
This restaurant also offers regular plate lunches here, if you’re not down with Chinese. Food is made to order, so you get it hot & fresh!
For my lunch today, one of my co-​worker & I ate the Oyster Sauce Chicken with Cake Noodles. I could not believe how much food they gave me for just $ 5.75! It was just way too much food, and I could not finish it. The Oyster Sauce Chicken was delicious! The chicken was meaty, and it came with a pile of cake noodles that was crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I liked it, as the noodles were not hard (like I would get at some other Chinese places), and it was topped with some Choi Sum.
My other co-​worker ate the Beef Broccoli Chow Mein, it came out hot, and the aroma was intoxicating! He enjoyed his lunch very much!
Overall, a pretty cool place for some Chinese grindz! Mahalo bruddah Eric fo’ hooking up a bruddah!

Psssst, come here…
Hey, do you want to know a secret? Shhh.
A Neighborhood Chinese Restaurant…
That’s Cheap… That’s good ‘n has…
Friendly Owners, too? A’right!
Hey, there’s a hidden place just like that called…
PALOLO RESTAURANT!
A typical (dated looking) Chinese Restaurant located on Palolo Ave. in historic Palolo Valley! If you need a landmark for directions, it’s right before the Aloha Gas station (headed Mauka), next to the Polynesian Market (w/​the Primo logo). It’s only «dated-​looking» because the actual building is old, probably post-​WWII era, but the restaurant itself is only about a month old! It replaced the old Palolo Drive-​Inn! Parking is upfront and it seems to be shared with the beer market. Typical old school parking lot (no painted lines) — uneven pavement — park wherever there’s a puka kind!
Once you walk in you’ll notice how clean it is and well organized, too. If you see a middle-​aged Chinese man with a «side-​parted hipster hair-​do»… That’s probably «Edmond», who btw, is the owner, host, waiter, waitress and busboy of…
PALOLO RESTAURANT!
You will notice the standard «picture menu» on the walls, but if you come between 10am — 3pm… You’ll also notice a «Specials» menu, usually about 10 different items to choose for $ 5.75 each! Yup! You heard that right! $ 5.75! Typically plates run in the $ 7 range or combo plates for about $ 8. On the day of our visit we tried two specials:
ORANGE CHICKEN– Battered chicken w/​sweet sauce. The exterior was crisp and «most» of the chicken morsels were juicy. It was served with standard Chinese rice. Yup, I found maybe two pieces that were jerky texture (didn’t eat it), but for the most part it was good, and for only $ 5.75!
SPARE RIBS W/​BLACK BEAN SAUCE– Chopped-​up ribs with green peppers, onions and carrots. Covered in black bean sauce over standard Chinese rice. It was good, but not the best, but hey, remember it’s only $ 5.75!
We decided to eat-​in since it was empty with maybe 10 open tables! Previous Unilocalers mention how it’s hidden up in Palolo Valley, so it’ll never be as busy as if it was on busy Waialae Ave., but then again… a busier area and I’m certain you wouldn’t be shelling out $ 5.75 for a plate! However, during our meal a family of maybe 3 adults and 3 infants in diapers came in too! Not only to look, but they ordered well over $ 20 of food, so that’s a «lucky Buddha» good sign!
So yup, I recommend…
PALOLO RESTAURANT!
Go tell «Edmond» I sent you. He might even offer you free oolong tea or Palolo tap water because I told him so! No, it’s not fancy, or is it even close to being the best. It’s just a simple neighborhood restaurant in a older neighborhood that offers service with a smile, good enough eats, and if you want cheap… Well, you found it here in Palolo Valley!
Oh btw, I had a very comical conversation w/​«Edmond»… He’s convinced I’m «Eric Roberts» the actor! Julia’s brother! Had me lol’ing all the way to Waialae…
Tell him «Eric Roberts» sent you!
OVERALL GRADE: 3.9-STARS! (VALUE!)
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #421

Their grand opening was just last week, the restaurant is still decked out with the many congratulatory flower arrangements that their friends and families had gifted. The place is nice and clean with a simple layout of a few tables (two 10-​seaters, three 4-​seaters and a couple of 2-​toppers).
There’s a very friendly older gentleman that welcomes you immediately and hands you a menu to peruse. They’re not very busy, probably because they’re very new and the location is tucked away in Palolo Valley. The space used to be occupied by Palolo Drive-​Inn.
The food that we ordered were tasty, and the portions are quite generous.
The price can’t be beat either, the most expensive items are only $ 10.75, yes!
Here’s the menu.
Unfortunately, the words aren’t showing up clear on Unilocal,but at least you get the gist of what they have to offer:
Front page:
Page 1:
Page 2:
Page 3: Catering menu
BEEF LOOK FUNN WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE ($ 7.95):
This well-​seasoned dish was loaded with tender, juicy beef! I’m a fan of any place that offers more protein than veggies, lol!
— The piping hot look funn noodles were cooked to the perfect doneness as well. Soft enough to hold onto the savory black bean sauce, while still retaining its chewiness.
— You can’t tell by the pic, but the noodles are actually hidden underneath all that beefy goodness!
MOCHIKO CHICKEN ($ 7.75): Served w/​2 scoops of rice, 1 scoop of macaroni salad.
— Tender seasoned strips of chicken thighs are coated with mochiko batter and fried to a crispy finish.
— These crunchy morsels reminded me a lot of the forever-​gone mochiko chicken from JJ Diner on Kapahulu (RIP *sniffs*). Although it was a bit saltier than JJ’s, it was still good.
HOUSE SPECIAL CHOW MEIN ($ 8.95):
They should really rename this the «Kitchen Sink Chow Mein» because they had EVERYTHING in this bowl of noodles, except the kitchen sink. I’m not complaining, it’s actually a good thing!
— Loaded with all sorts of meats: Char siu, tender strips of beef, chicken, shrimps, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts & choy sum.
****My only complaint was that they didn’t pack the noodles separately for the drive (our fault for not asking). The chow mein noodles underneath was slightly overcooked by the time we got home, still acceptable doneness/​softness by most.
KUNG PAO CHICKEN ($ 7.95):
A spicy stir-​fry dish consisting of chopped chicken, peanuts, mixed veggies (usually carrots and bell peppers) in a spicy soy-​chili sauce.
— I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were big ass pieces of chicken thighs in our takeout! I’m used to seeing tiny peanut-​sized chicken parts that most restaurants serve.
— The sauce had a slight kick to it, but it wasn’t spicy enough for me… because I’m crazy, but I think most folks will find the heat just right.
CHICKEN KATSU ($ 7.75):
Lean chicken thighs and lightly coated with panko and fried to a crispy finish.
The coating was thin, just the way I like it. It was nice and crunchy and didn’t get in the way of the chicken. I actually like it better than the thick battered katsu from Kahala L&L.
— The chicken itself was also seasoned well. I found it delicious on its own without needing the tangy dipping sauce.
SHRIMP CANTON ($ 8.75):
Plump and tender whole shrimps are encased in a thin crunchy coating, light and airy!
— The classic sweet and sour sauce is comprised of the usual suspects like ketchup, vinegar and soy. I like that it’s well-​balanced and not overly tangy.
— I tend to stay away from sweet and sour anything, but it’s my friend’s favorite so we had to try it. We both loved it!
SALT & PEPPER PORK CHOPS ($ 8.85):
Absent was the confetti of spices and garlic bits. The meat itself was seasoned well though.
— I don’t think it was coated in corn starch prior to cooking, nor was it deep-​fried because the signature crunch was also absent from this dish. It seemed more like regular pan-​fried chops. Still tasty and the takeout portion was quite generous.
If you’re not in the mood for Chinese food, no worries, they have local favorites like Teri Beef (($ 7.75), Hamburger Steak ($ 7.74), Loco Moco etc. It’s listed under their «Bar-​B-​Q Plates» section on page 2.
I’m sad that they’re so hidden away in Palolo, hopefully more people will check them out and enjoy their food as much as we did. I can’t wait to go back to try out more items. I’m definitely a fan!

Palolo Restaurant had their Grand Opening today Jan 10. The business would get a whole lot more busy if it were located on Waialae Ave. I’m glad it is where it is inside the Palolo Valley because its a short 3 minute walk from my house.
I ordered the Deluxe Plate because I love variety and I was very happy with my order. I ate all my food in one sitting, not because the portions were small or because I have been starving. I ate all my food because it was that good. I highly recommend you try it out.