Hawaiian Grindz

THIS PLACE IS THE BOMB DOT COM. It really is a great place to eat especially during lunch time where they have their lunch specials. The staff is always so welcoming and the place just has a very homey feel to it.
TOP THINGS TO GET: Mochiko chicken (best thing ever: amazing dark chicken meat, breaded and fried to perfection, pair it with their garlic sugoi and bbq sauce!), kahlua pulled pork, sugoi chicken! Most of their menu items come with white rice and macaroni salad.
If you haven’t had spamusubi, definitely try that out too. I always come to this place every time I go to Orlando, and it never disappoints me. My little brother also loves this place, and he’s a picky eater, but when he comes here, he eats like a monster! Atmosphere is very casual, relaxed and it’s reminiscent to the ocean waves. Really great food and I’m definitely gonna come back every chance I get.

This is the third time that I’ve been to Hawaiian grindz and it was again amazing! The staff was so helpful and the food was amazingly fresh.
We came for lunch and the prices for the lunch specials were awesome for the amount of food you got!
Try the poke! Sooo delicious.

Very good food at a very reasonable price! I had the lunch special, only $ 6.99, and it came with a scoop of white rice, macaroni salad, Kalua pig, and 1 spam musubi! My boyfriend had the Hawaiian grilled chicken and shaka shrimp! All was delicious!

First time there tonight and we all loved it! Only thing that angered me was that I hadn’t tried it earlier.. Quaint with great personalized service. Not expensive and well worth every penny and then some. Can’t wait to go back… Very soon.

If you are looking for food that is local to Hawaii… this is the place to be! You can find your typical lunch plate with 2 scoops of rice and macaroni salad!
For starters I tried their spam musubi. Its a rice wrapped in seaweed with a fried Spam in the center. It also had some rice seasoning in between to bring out more flavors. This is definitely comfort food. Don’t be afraid of Spam! There is probably a 100 different reasons why you shouldn’t eat it, but I don’t care! It still taste good to me =)
There are definitely a lot of items that I want to try on the menu. This time around it was the Garlic Sugoi Chicken and Spicy Shrimp. Both didn’t disappoint! Great bold flavors in the meat.
This place has friendly service and is celebrating their 3^rd anniversary soon with a hula and fire dancers! Check their facebook for more details.

I’ve had Hawaiian Grindz catered at work awhile ago and did not think too much of it.
I am glad I decided to join my friends here for lunch for another try.
I got the Katsu Chicken with curry (extra .$ 75 for curry) and absolutely loved it. The panko crusted chicken katsu was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. The curry was delicious as well and went perfectly with the chicken. I just wish there had been a bit more curry. The macaroni salad was creamy and tasty. Someone mentioned it being bland, but that was written a couple of years ago, it was seasoned just right on my visit.
If you need something to spruce up your rice, look for a bottle of their sweet soy sauce to pour onto your rice.
Will be back!

This place has so many exotic choices, what to pick? I’ve only known of one other Hawaiian place in Orlando, which is gone now, so I was thrilled to try Hawaiian Grindz (spelled with a Z) tonight for dinner.
Looking at the menu I see «spam musubi» rolls with rice and seaweed, ribs, coconut infused rice, panko breaded chicken, and taro leaf wrapped fish. I could keep going, so many unusual entrees that all sound unique and delicious.
For starters: I tried Kalua pig sliders which are smokey, salty pulled pork on sweet Hawaiian bread. The contrast of flavors is very pleasing. Nice start and very hearty little sandwiches. The Portuguese sausage was up next, very savory with a touch of garlic, so good! The spam musubi is like a sushi roll sandwich with spam, not my favorite, but fun to try and interesting flavors of grilled spam, rice, and seaweed. The Spam musubi is popular and if you plan to order more than three the menu indicates that you must call ahead for preparation time.
For dinner I tried that kalbi ribs and the garlic sugoi chicken for entrees with my husband. Both entrees come with two ample scoops of white rice and a traditional Hawaiian style macaroni salad made with mayonnaise. The garlic sugoi chicken was my favorite, not so garlicky that it was overpowering, the spice was really balanced and delicious. These are big, filling meals! I could have easily ordered meal one and shared it, so to go containers were a necessity.
The atmosphere is simple and humble, it’s a little strip mall place with some booths and tables. The woman that took my order and served the food is the owner, and she is super nice! The owner was willing to accommodate lots of questions about the food. By the way, the owners are actually former Hawaiian natives, so they really know their Hawaiian food! Great place for dinner when you want to try something a little casual and tropical.

Spam musubi. Kalua pig. Garlic sugoi chicken. So much deliciousness.
The food is great — and it really is consistently great. It’s also not your usual strip mall fare; this place has the lock on authentic Hawaiian food that hasn’t been watered down for western tastes.
Not has it been watered down for low fat reasons — though there are «healthier» choices offered, the majority of the menu is more concerned with things that taste good. And there’s a lot to be said for that. A scoop of their macaroni salad is a scoop of actual indulgence.
The service is also really personable and fantastic. It’s nice to go somewhere and have it feel familiar. It’s nicer yet to be remembered. The small team of folks here care about their food and their customers.
It’s worth the drive. Just be sure to leave with an order of fresh hot malasadas for dessert!

Probably one of the unique choices around UCF. It’s a great place to get your Hawaiian fix with affordable lunch options!
It’s definitely great to know I have a place to get my spam musubi fix. Some great plates I’ve tried in the past include mochiko chicken, sugoi chicken and loco moco — all were very flavorful and fulfilling. The food can get somewhat salty so be prepared for that however, it is still very yummy! Lastly, the owners are very friendly and very passionate about their food and establishment (something that’s Always great for a business).
If you’re around UCF, skip the pizza, burger, and beer joints and get yourself some Hawaiian grub!

I finally made some time to check out Hawaiian Grindz, and was quite pleased at the results. The interesting Hawaiian flavors are definitely unique, and have a little bit of American, Asian, and Filipino influences. The entrees are large, and come with plenty of food. A lot of their food is fried, so I wouldn’t go here if you’re a health nut… but that’s what makes everything so good!
The $ 6.99 lunch specials are where it’s at. You get to sample two meats, which is a great way to try something new. I had the grilled chicken and spam musubi. I never though spam sandwiched inside some rice and wrapped with seaweed would be so tasty! I definitely plan on returning for lunch

An unexpected joy!
We found this little gem on searching on Unilocal for somewhere new and exciting to eat! And we are glad we came!
In terms of the physical setup of the restaurant it was long and narrow diner set up. The decorations were ok, definitely could use a bit of redecorating to make it feel less like a diner and more like Hawaii. The service was some of the friendliest and attentive restaurant service we have ever received. The owner kept making sure our glasses were full and our faces had smiles!
On to the meat and potatoes (or pork and rice if you please)
We started with the Spam Musubi, the absolute best thing we are! It was teriyaki fried spam wrapped in rice and seaweed. 100% deliciousness! The seaweed and rice definitely helped with the saltiness of the spam! You must try this if you go there! For the meal, I had three different meats, rice and a salad. The rice was good, as was the salad. The first meat was a fried chicken nugget, good flavor, way overcooked and dry. But served with a teriyaki-​esque sauce that had great flavor but didn’t balance the dryness of the meat. The other chicken filet was cooked perfectly and had a very nice grilled flavor! The pulled pork had a brilliant consistency, but was a bit too salty for my palette.
All in all, if you’re looking for something new that will please your taste buds you need to check out Hawaiian grinds!

When we first walked into the restaurant around noon — we had no clue whether we should seat ourselves, wait for an employee to seat us, line up at the register, or what… we stood baffled for a few minutes, noticed that the tables each had menus, and decided to sit down.
After reviewing the menu for a few minutes and deciding what we wanted — my friend and I realized that we still had yet to see a single employee. The tables around us had people at them, and some had drinks, so we knew there had to be someone. We started to get up to see if we could find someone, and then a woman came out from the kitchen. She apologized to us and explained only two people were working.
They offer a very good deal for lunch — 2 proteins, macaroni salad, rice, and a soda for under $ 7. I had the chicken and pulled pork — the chicken was delicious and the pork was very salty. I really wish there was a sauce of some kind.
All in all, a good lunch deal — but not a place I’m overly eager to return to.

Hawaiin grindz is one of my favorite hidden gems that I was introduced too! They serve authentic, tasty Hawaiian food and offer a great lunch special– for 6.99 you get two main items, a side of macaroni salad and rice, as well as a drink. I always order a double order of the mochiko chicken which is perfectly crispy and on the sweeter side. Their macaroni salad is the only one I’ve ever liked as others are usually too creamy for me. Inside, the restaurant has a beachy vibe with lots of surfboards, grass skirts and tiki torches on the walls. The staff are all very sweet and always make you feel welcome.
*Tip– Make sure and check their hours before you head over as they close between lunch and dinner and I have been disappointed to miss that window before!

You must try Hawaiian Grindz for an authentic taste of Hawaiian food!
Especially the Kalua Pork — a staple dish in Hawaii. Typical plate lunch in HI consists of Kalua Pork [or another protein], Mac Salad, and Rice. You can’t go wrong with that combo.
So far I’ve tried the Kalua Pork, Mochiko Chicken, Fried Rice, Mac Salad, and Malasadas [also called Chinese Donuts]. The Mochiko Chicken is okay, not really my favorite, but the pork and the fried rice are AMAZING. I keep wanting to try the Loco Moco but they have been out of it the last 2 times I’ve tried to order. It’s quite a trek for me to get there as I live on the opposite side of town, so one of these days.
The mac salad is also super good. I got a side with my order one time and there was so much mayo in it, that it was inedible which was disappointing, but that’s not the norm. It’s typically a little drier than American style macaroni salad, but it pairs perfectly with the fried rice and pork.
The service is usually pretty good, but be prepared to wait a bit for to-​go orders. They are also closed in the middle of the day like many Thai restaurants do, so be mindful.
They do have some nice combos and lunch specials going on, I’ve posted the picture so check out the photos.

Having lived in Hawaii for so long I have come to love the diversity of a very diverse culture. The food here is like hanging out deep in the heart of the real Hawaiian culture. This isn’t you typical Luau setting with fire twirling hula dancers but the real deal. The pulled pork was delicious and very tender. I really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The service was good even though the owner was the only one working. The food was great the the price was good too. I think I have found my new home for Hawaiian.
Overall, if you want a taste of the Islands, this is the place to go.

Mmm I love me some Hawaiian Grindz. I had never been to a Hawaiian restaurant in Orlando before, and this place made a special impression on me. Cute décor, great service, and really yummy food. The owners are seriously so sweet. If you’re unsure of what to order, they’re happy to recommend the best dishes for you. They make you feel super welcome.
The spam musubi and mochiko chicken are a must. The entrees are all uniquely delicious — my fave is the grilled tilapia. And the malasadas is the perfect dessert to your meal.
A definite must for me when I visit Orlando!

Every time I vist Hawaiian Grindz, I feel I’m back in Maui having Kalua Pig and that’s a great feeling to have. The Kalua Pig lunch special cannot be beat at $ 6.50. You get a generous portion of Pig, white rice and noodle salad. The service was fast and I was in and out in less than 40 minutes. It’s the only place I can have a refreshing Guava Aloha Maid straight from Hawaii and it always hits the spot.

Much has changed since my initial review here in September of 2011, and much has stayed the same. There have been some shifts in the menu, but all of my favorites are still there, like the Mochiko Chicken, the Yakisoba Noodles, obviously the Kalua Pig, etc. In two years I have seen absolutely no decline in the quality of the food, which is still excellent.
A while back they also started a lunch special, where you pick two main items, and you get macaroni salad, rice, and a drink with them, for a total of $ 6.99. It’s filling, delicious, and cheap. Everything a lunch special should be.
I wanted to revisit my Unilocal review because the four-​star review I gave was mainly due to the canned beverages. They now have a machine for fountain drinks, rather than only serving cans, so here’s the extra star for that and the great lunch special.

Average Food IMO.
The hawaiian food from Hawaii and California (L&L) — do not compare to what they serve here.
Customers who say its the best is fooling themselves.
I had the Mochiko Chicken with rice & mac salad — The Mac Salad was so bland and had no hint of Umami in it that I had to add salt upon eating.
The rice wasnt soft and sticky & had blk spots in some of its pieces.
Mochiko is good but Average. Chicken Katsu is what it is but into pieces.
I was going to order Malasadas but I opted out.
In my opinion overpriced food and The Mac Salad is not up to my standards and that is 1 of the basic foods they should at least get right if they are hawaiian based.
Zippys Chili you can buy at the Frozen section at some asian stores and I bet that is what they use here unless its flown in from Hawaii!
Yes staff is nice but that is what you would expect from people that lived in Hawaii — They should lower the price down esp if they are mom and pops because portions do not match the price.
I have lived in Hawaii and ate at L&L in California and those experiences do not come close to what they feed you here!

Lunch specials are the bomb here! 6.99 2 picks on the lunch list.
This is a small mom and pop restaurant so service was okay.
Although we missed the lunch time special (ends at 2pm), they and lunch platter specials. Lol if that makes sense. Le beau ordered the luau platter came with mochiko chicken (bite sized breaded chicken), Kailua pork, and grilled chicken with rice and macaroni salad. I didn’t taste his but he ate all the chicken so I’m guessing the pork was okay. all that food about 10 $.
I ordered the mini grindz perfect because I ordered 2 things. I got the mini mochiko chicken which came with a handful of chicken and small rice it was perfect for my appetite and portion control lol. I liked it very easy to eat and tastes even better with the sugoi sauce. Which is a sweet sauce that gives the chicken more flavor. I also ordered the o so famous spam matsubi. Yes SPAM! it was quite tasty too it wasn’t overly salty like if you were to eat spam on its own and the seaweed together is yummy! I could definitely make it at home too. All for around 10 $
Overall I could see myself coming here very often. Although I don’t think I got the whole Hawaiian experience, the food was very good. Wish I could go to Hawaii !