L & L Hawaiian Grill

I wasn’t as into this as all of my friends are, but I’m also pretty picky.
I asked whether their chicken was white meat or dark meat and the cashier told me it was all dark — she then double checked with the cooks; they said it was all white.
I ended up getting the grilled chicken, it was definitely dark. My guy got the katsu chicken and it was white — think, chicken fingers. I couldn’t eat mine but I did enjoy his — however fried chicken sometimes bothers my stomach.
The rice was nothing exciting — the macaroni salad was good, but very heavy on the mayonnaise.
My friends all seem to love the place but it’s just not something I would crave or go out of my way for. Seemed very fast-​food quality. It was also extremely busy on a Saturday night and the food was extremely slow and there was no where to sit inside.

Eeeeehhh… Nothing special. I was a bit disappointed that they don’t sell mochiko chicken. So we came on a Sunday afternoon, not too busy. We ordered chicken katsu, mixed grill (short ribs and chicken), and a spam saimin. Okay, it was good but not great! The katsu was crispy but the sauce was a bit lacking. The mix grill had some good flavor. Like I said, it was just okay. However, the price and quantity of food is awesome!!! We came home with leftovers! Would I drive 40 min just to get hawaiian food from here? Maybe not, unless I’m in the area.

For a franchise place it’s operated like a mom and pop joint. Service is excellent, staff very curtioud, and the food is what I dream about about at night!
If you want a taste of home made island food that mom used to make, this is the place to be. Even if you weren’t adventurous with cuisine, come on its bbq.

If you haven’t been here yet then you are seriously missing out. Look through the L&L Hawaiian Grill food porn pics here on Unilocal if you need further convincing. I first came here and ordered the grilled chicken rice bowl with a Hawaiian Sun lu’au punch. I came here a few months later on a 2^nd visit and got a Spam musubi and a grilled chicken musubi which were both great. I also got the grilled chicken ramen, a huge step up from the packaged kind you find for a dollar at the grocery store. For dessert, get the chocolate huapia.

I really enjoyed my lunch here and would gladly come back. I had the combo B which was like surf and turf kind of deal. The beef was covered in this really flavorful glaze. I could have taken a bath in it, it was so good. The shrimp we’re butterflied and pretty large. Both the shrimp and the fish were coated in panco bread crums. They were very light and crunchy. Even the rice, macaroni salad and tartar sauce we’re delicious. The staff was very nice, the restaurant was clean and the service was quick. I’d definitely recommend this place to others.

Everyone is super friendly and you are greeted with an island hello, «Aloha». My boyfriend and I choose to share two of the most popular plates, the katsu chicken and the kalua pulled pork bowl. Both were extremely tasty and a great size for sharing. The pulled pork had great spice and the cabbage was tasty. The sauce that accompanied the pork was irresistible when you got down to the white rice. The combination is addicting. Now the katsu chicken had the best breading ever. The sauce was fantastic but the showstopper was the macaroni salad. The mac salad could be a meal by itself.
Prices are very reasonable and affordable for the taste and portion size. We will definitely come back! Try it you’ll be happy you did!

Every trip I take out of town helps to remind me how mediocre the food is in San Antonio. Especially when you venture outside of the enchanted land of rice, beans, and mystery meat.
Whether it is Italian, French, Greek, or Mediterranean, we fall short of Chicago, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston. Even within the State we lag Austin, Dallas, or Houston.
I take my hats off to anyone who ventures outside of the food box but if this is truly Hawaiian food, you can call me a liar. Again this is a fast food joint and there are cooks not chefs preparing the meals. The ladies do greet you with a friendly «Aloha» but that is as close as it gets my friends.
You pay up to say $ 11 a meal and eat off styrofoam. The meat quality is cheap, the vegetables appear to have been frozen and the rice is mediocre. Yes you can have Spam and eggs but Spam is like tamales, one step above what you feed your dog.
I apologize to all of you who think that this is good food. You also may think a good job is found at a call center, theme park, or hotel. You may think a high school degree is all you need, a $ 5 meal is a great deal, a t least housing is cheap, and that English is a second language, but that is the reason this country continues to lag in education and Medicene.
Yes you are right that money doesn’t buy happiness and ignorance is bliss. Am I simply an angry food snob, yes I guess I am. Believe it or not, the Spurs are the glimmer of sunshine in this town. Pop expects the best and he finds it in players that he ultimately coaches. If the Basketball here were like the food we would be watching the 76ers.
Tonight open your windows, stick your head out and scream that you are not going to take it anymore and ask more of your government, schools, doctors, businesses & restaurants. Join me in the anger that raises the bar and we will one day move forward.

Lunch time has a busy crowd, service is very well and the place is very clean and up kept. I’m so glad I got a place to come for Hawaiian food, growing up on Oahu and Maui you know local food. Just one place to remind you through your stomach and senses. Good atmosphere very aloha.
–RL

Very good food. Good staff. Friendly people. Great guitar player and singer. Good prices

Went to L & L Hawaiian Grill and tried the Grill Mix that included chicken, beef and ribs with some rice and mix vegetables. The meats had good flavor kind of sweet barbecue sauce, the rice was steam and the vegetables were okay. Overall it was not a bad experience.

Better quality and taste then the L&L’s in Hawaii. A lot of Hawaiian pride in their food. Ono kine stuff!

I don’t know how to convey how much I love L&L. I grew up in Hawaii and used to order grill plates at the L&Ls all over the big island and every time I hit up this location I’m brought right back. Huge portions, affordable pricing, and some of the best sticky rice in Texas. Two shakas way, way up.

I had the pleasure of getting dinner here last night. As soon as we walked in the girl behind the counter yelled ‘Aloha’. The ambiance was very nice with beach-​Hawaiian music playing in the background and in the TV that was there. Service was great! She suggested a meat plate for my bf who was very hungry and we were completely surprised at all the delicious meat (little fat) we got $ 10 and all the rice! Very good and highly recommend. I got a mango dessert juice which was very sweet but perfect when you’re eating a lot of white rice :-) and had their ramen burger which was surprising juicy and flavorfull. It’s a perfect family environment that provided excellent service, along with great food and prices. I will be going again very soon and order some of their pie they had.

We’ve been to other L&L’s out of Texas and there’s a few things I wished they had at San Antonio.
One is to give more of their delicious popular sauce. Every time we ordered the chicken katsu* plate it’s always a small amount of sauce but I guess we should’ve just ask for more, even if they charge, it sure is worth it.
The other thing is to have eggs rolls and lastly, give a free can of hawaiin drink per plate:)
We always order the same things at any L&L …the menu seems somewhat the same, this one introduced us to the desserts and Omg I just can’t get enough of the chocolate haupia ! I love coconut and chocolate!
Another new thing I’ve tried here is the little containers of poke’. I’m sure there’s different styles of poke’ but I prefer having sesame seeds and a little bit more of the «marination» though. Not the best here but it’s still good…
I like how they have a tv posting pictures of costumers. It’s nice to see other islanders happy to be at L&L as much as us…
Overall we love this place, We enjoy the foods here if only they have a bigger place so people can stay and eat. Seems busy and crowded sometimes. But sure is our «go to» favorite place =)

From all the hype I’ve heard, turned out to be a let down. I’m a firm believer not wasting food, however I didn’t bother boxing it to go.
I’m a strong believer of boxing what I can’t finish, I didn’t bother this time.
The loco moco lacked depth of flavor and the meat didn’t taste fresh. I make a better homemade version.
My girlfriend got the kalua pork, which was a big let down as well. Talk about no flavor at all.
The famous ramen burger turned out to be no bigger than a Mcdouble. Literally consists of ramen and a burger patty for $ 5.79. No fried egg or toppings.
Biggest let down of all was the poke. Paid money for this tiny ass cup of poke which has probably been sitting for a day or two.
Don’t recommend.

Hawaiian comfort food! Whether you’re pining for lau lau, kalua pork, beef short ribs, loco moco (with or without gravy), or any other foods that have come to define Hawaiian comfort food, you surely won’t be disappointed by what L&L brings to your table. For added authenticity, the food comes in a Styrofoam box!
L&L is a smallish place and can get very busy. Tables are at a premium and plenty of people were taking their boxes of food to their cars to eat. Order at the counter, give your name, find a seat. Pretty simple. The soda fountain is limited but the usual characters are there. I’d avoid the tea — not good at all.
I got the mixed grill which comes with 3 grilled meats (chicken, pork, and beef). It also comes with 2 sides so I went with the amazing macaroni salad and very average French fries. All the meats are succulent and full of flavor. The macaroni salad, if thick and delicious! The fries, not so good.
My wife got the ramen burger, and Spam musubi. What would a trip to a Hawaiian eatery be without Spam?! The ramen burger was surprisingly delicious. The burger was nicely seasoned, with some lettuce and a sweet teriyaki glaze. A bit disappointing was the temperature of the ramen «buns» which were rather cool to the touch. The Spam musubi was just as you would expect — the Spam salty with a kind of crispy exterior and soft interior, atop a bed of rice and wrapped in nori (seaweed). Pretty tasty!
The owner made her rounds and was throwing out «Aloha» and «Mahalo» to the guests. She was very proud of her food and was happy to see her customers enjoying it. I often end my reviews by stating whether I’d drive across town to eat at a place. In the case of L&L, yep, I’d gas up the hooptie and head out. And you should to.

I gave it 5 stars because it is a great family enviroment. We were treated well and they make you feel like family. The food itself was good and presentable. Go there on fridays for music and food and bring your cooler…

Yo I just gotta jump on the ramen burger bandwagon. Better late than never, right?!
Had this place bookmarked for a long time but never made it out here. Finally I came on a Sunday afternoon. Of course I gotta get the ramen burger and spam sushi. That sounds dope or what?!
The spam sushi was pretty good but nothing to rave about. I can probably make it at home since it’s so simple. The ramen burger was deff my favorite. It was so much better than I expected. It was so juicy and flavorful. Yummilicious! I have never been a burger lover but I’d totally eat this ramen burger often. Guess it just brings out the AZN in ya.
My only gripe is the styrene foam containers they use to serve the food. Why oh why?! It’s so not environmental friendly. You can do much better than dat, L & L! Other than that, it’s all good. As I said I’m all about the ramen burgers! Aloha!!!

Just stopped by to see what the vibe was, I was only interested in trying a snack, so I chose the much touted spam musabi. The place was packed with military people today but the line moved fast.
The employees are so friendly with smiles, alohas, and thank yous. There was a single musician playing music today, the kind I could not tell. This place probably makes the few who have every been to Hawaii feel at home, but this place and its food quality really has a fast food feel to it.
I gave the food 3 stars and another star for the friendly employees, clean restaurant, and musician.
eats:
— spam musubi $ 2ish, a piece of sliced griddled spam encased with sushi rice, and wrapped with a piece of nori (seaweed). The rice was bland and needed flavor from the spam; unfortunately, the spam was not griddled to a char and rendered enough and lacked flavor, the nori was too soft and didn’t tear with your bites. I would use a more flavorful rice like jasmine to make this dish successful. You can also get chicken katsu musabi, that fried chicken may be more flavorful. Furthermore, the rice to spam ratio is just too great. Reduce the mushy, unflavorful rice.
drink:
— authentic passion fruit drink, natural sugar, no fructose, very good $ 2.
takeouts:
— I came back another time and had the chicken katsu it was delicious. This is great comfort food.

In the context of great fast food finds, L&L Hawaiian Grill is legit! Where else are you going to find grilled beef short ribs and haupia on the same menu outside of Hawaii and California (NYC maybe)? Yes, yes, this is a fast food restaurant. I got it… it’s not a five star dining experience. You won’t find fancy flatware and a white table cloths, but when food is good. It’s good!
I had the Grilled Beef Shortrib plate with two scoops of white rice and steamed vegetables. You’d expect the veggies to be underseasoned and soggy. Not the case here! The both beef and veggies were well seasoned and satisfying.
The char siu (pork bbq) saimen was also pretty good. It has an «instant» flare to it, but on a cold and windy day, it is sure to comfort you more than your normal stovetop ramen.
Spam musubi, spam musubi. How I love thee. Just not L&L’s though. Maybe they didn’t make a good batch of rice that day, but the rice was extremely soggy and partly raw. Hence, I had to take 1 star away from them. The ratio of spam to rice was also not great. Wayyy too much rice for such little spam. Maybe I’ll try again next time. I am hopeful that it’ll be better.
Lastly, the haupia. This is my first time having the supposed popular luau tradition. It was a very good risk. Texture may be off-​putting to some people, since it has a firm Jello-​like consistency, but the coconut flavor was on-​point. Maybe next time, I will try the mango cheesecake!
If you’re in the San Antonio area, and just have to have some type of fast food, forget Whataburger, Taco Cabana, and all the other junky places. L&L Hawaiian Grill is the place to be!