45622 Mon May 01 17:31:58 -0700 2006 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 225865 my first visit to Ohana Hawaiian BBQ in Pinole. went for the mixed BBQ plate lunch so I could try several different items. the mix was comprised of BBQ beef, ribs & chicken......a nice char added a smoky note. my favorites were the chicken and beef - chicken thighs were nice and moist and the beef had a good flavor. two scoops of rice and one scoop of pretty bland macaroni salad rounded out the plate. oh, and there is a bed of cabbage under the meats ...the meat drippings adding some interest to the uncooked cabbage. They offer fruit smoothies and also have a good selection of Hawaiian Sun beverages in a cooler. Price was $6.69 for a generous plate....quite satisfying. Aloha. Link: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/GordonWing/OhanaMixBBQ.jpg Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/GordonWing/OhanaMixBBQ.jpg Mon May 01 17:31:58 -0700 2006 0 gordon wing 1 225871 i also tried Ono for the first time this weekend. we went to the one in half moon bay. got the BBQ roasted smoked pork. ordered the large plate for $14. came with quite a bit of very shreddy pork. very tastey. would be perfect on a sandwich. Mon May 01 17:43:05 -0700 2006 225865 0 brian j 2 225910 They are not the same. Actually Ono in HMB is the only Hawaiian BBQ I've ever actually liked. They have fresh fish and are more cal-hawaiian. Ohana in Pinole gets consistantly good posts on this board. I keep meaning to try it, and the zillion other Hawaiian places in the area, but I just can't get excited about Hawaiian BBQ. If I do ever try one of the local places, Ohana would probably be the one I'd try. Thanks for the report, Gordon. Link: http://www.hawaiianislandbbq.com/menu.html Mon May 01 20:30:55 -0700 2006 225871 0 rworange 3 225912 I keep on hoping to run into a macaroni salad like the one I had at the Manago Hotel (famous for pork chops) on the Big Island: a mix of macaroni & potato salad where neither is overcooked/mushy. The search goes on... Mon May 01 20:59:29 -0700 2006 225910 0 gordon wing 3 225913 I tried Ohana on a whim because I was in Pinole. We are always searching for Hawaiian BBQ in the Bay Area that is the same as the L&L Drive-In on North Shore Oahu (Haleiwa). The first time we went there, and my wife grew up in Honolulu, we had no idea it was a chain. Simple well fried fish, decent BBQ. Ohana was the closest to that L&L for me. Cleaner certainly. The fish (Mahi Mahi and Shrimp) was comparable. The short ribs were a little too sweet but plenty tender for finger eating. I normally don't like any macaroni salad, but at Ohana it wasn't half bad. Sometime, when my wife has the craving, we'll drive out to Pinole. Mon May 01 21:00:58 -0700 2006 225910 0 JB 4 225943 Hawaiian BBQ must be the latest fast food trend. I noticed there is now one (Ohana, I think) in the West Gate shopping center (at the Davis St. exit off 880 in San Leandro) and there's one set (L&L?) to open any minute now in the Marina Village shopping center in Alameda (near the Webster St. tube). There's one on Hesperian in Hayward, too. Tue May 02 01:16:51 -0700 2006 225913 0 Ruth Lafler 5 225957 Yep, and a number of the places are owned by Chinese people from Hong Kong who have never been to the islands! Tue May 02 02:53:07 -0700 2006 225943 0 Melanie Wong 6 226066 The L&L in the San Pablo Town Center is staffed with Hawaiians, and there's enough Aloha to go around. The food's not bad for fast take out. I've enjoyed the BBQ Mixed Plate and the BBQ Chicken w two scoops of mac salad. Not "fine dining" for sure, but a decent value, and it's fresh. They wiil grill the mahi if you ask. Tue May 02 18:46:44 -0700 2006 225957 0 Brian Stack 5 225965 I believe they are all being opened as "cheaper" franchises, ala Subway, etc. I'd expect to be seeing a lot of them close within a couple of years. Tue May 02 11:14:14 -0700 2006 225943 0 pm 5 227790 I went shopping at the Trader Joe's on Santa Rosa Ave today and noticed the new addition. I stopped by and they said they open tomorrow (Tuesday). Looking forward to trying it (especially since we just vacationed in Maui). Mon May 15 16:22:17 -0700 2006 225943 0 EstaCAke 4 225981 There's an L&L hawaiian BBQ place on Kearny in SF Tue May 02 12:55:45 -0700 2006 225913 0 Dwill 4 226079 Today I was driving down Castro Street today when I spotted a Coming Soon Sign for Ohana Hawaiian BBQ. No detail since I getting a ride to pick my car being served in Mountain View. Will be back soon to check it out. Our favorite for now is J&J in Menlo Park. Tue May 02 19:50:00 -0700 2006 225913 0 yimster