4. Restaurants

Ola Hawaiian BBQ

733 N Placentia Ave, Fullerton, CA, 92831
  • (714) 996-3288
  • Store is closed

Ola Hawaiian BBQ Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Fullerton for healthy meals suggestion.

Denny’s ( 1101 S Harbor Blvd )

Visit below restaurant in Fullerton for healthy meals suggestion.

Denny’s ( 1101 S Harbor Blvd )

  • Derek B.

    Good food. I've tried most of the menu. Haven't had anything bad. I like the Spam musubi most. Extremely friendly service.

    (4)

  • Anh N.

    Quick Review: I wasn't particularly impressed with anything I got here, and I ordered 4 different plates. I wouldn't say avoid but personally, I would not come back. Pros: Near CSUf, reasonably priced Cons: Food appears mediocre I had a Yelp Deal and got $40 worth of Hawaiian food to share with my family. We tried pretty much a bit of everything and none of the dishes satisfied. The spam and beef misubis were a bit too ricey, the cuts of meat for the plates tasted a bit dry. Based on their Yelp reputation, I'm inclined to believe maybe it was an off day, but 4 different plates is a lot of chances. I wouldn't say no if a friend was taking me along with them, but I might make some alternate suggestions first before accepting Ola as my lunch destination.

    (2)

  • Hanna L.

    I was here for the first time because my husband really liked this place and wanted to get catering for our church on Sundays. And I have to say... Chicken Katsu is really really good!!!!! :) :) :) I almost went back in got one to go.. Really crispy and tender!!! Yum yum!!

    (5)

  • Jimmy N.

    This place is just A-OK. The fire chicken was mehhhh...whole bunch of spice and that's pretty much all we tasted- and saw all over the inside of the styrofoam box it came in. BBQ chicken and beef were ok, a bit fatty. Fried rice was extra oily. Chicken katsu was probably the only saving grace here. Crispy and tasty, with a good dipping sauce. Totally would go to L&L's before coming back here again.

    (3)

  • Irene Y.

    I purchased the $20 for $40 yelp certificate and boy am I stuffed. Granted we had 4 people eating family style, but Ola Hawaiian BBQ is definitely generous with portions. Here are my thoughts about the hits and misses! Appetizers: *Crab Ragoon (3/5): It's okay. Not as crisp as I liked it, but it passed. *Spam Masubi (4/5): Um, wow.. who ever knew that warm spam tasted so delicious wrapped in seaweed and rice. Yum! *BBQ Beef Masubi (4/5): Also delightful. *Chicken Dumpling (1/5): Not worth mentioning. Main Entrees: All served with 2 scoops of rice and 1 scoop of macaroni salad *Katsu Chicken (5/5): Wow! The crispy exterior and super moist meat was outstanding. This was by far my favorite item on the menu and I highly recommend it to those who need a one-stop grab and go item. *Kalua Pulled Pork (3/5): A hawaiian staple, although I'm not sure if it's a stand alone item. The ratio of meat to rice (2:1) seems a bit too drastic. Sorry I love my carbs! *Hawaiian BBQ chicken (4/5): Thinly sliced chicken breast in teriyaki marinade. Tasty and for the un-adventure some patron this would be a safe bet. Misc. *Large Bacon Fried Rice (4/5): You can't really screw up fried rice, but mix in chunks of bacon and it's flipping' good fried rice. My grandma loved it as did I :) Overall if you're looking for a quick bit to eat in the middle of the week Ola Hawaiian has flavorful option at a price point that's hard to beat. Go check them out!

    (4)

  • Anthoni L.

    I really can't find anything negative to knock them down a star or even half a star. My cousin and I decided to try this place out because he's from out of town and has never had Hawaiian food and I just moved into the area. I like Hawaiian plate lunches to a certain degree. But nothing I've had here on the mainland has made me crave it or anything after having stuff on the island. L&L is a hit or miss with their mix plate. Sometimes its good, sometimes it too salty. Maui Grill and other places kind of fall into the same category. So when my cousin wanted to try this place out, I wasn't gung ho about it but I wasn't dragging my feet. I have this place a chance. First off, we got to speak with the owner, Stan. A really nice guy and was really thorough with our order. We ordered 3 servings of Spam masubi, which was 6 pieces. A BBQ mix plate and moco loco. I will say this. This place blows Mainland L&L out of the water. And the Moco Loco ranks as the best ML I've had on the mainland. It was more flavorful then just a bland, generic burger patty with more bland, watery gravy with a generic tasting side of mac salad. No, it was a generous portion of ML with 2 flavor filled beef patties that you could actually taste the seasoning and spices. The mac salad was better in so many ways. The morsels of chicken mixed win with the mac salad gave it better texture than just the run of the mill macaroni noodles, bits of carrots and mayo taste you get else where. This was good stuff. So honestly, I'm going to have to give it up to this place and Stan. The food, the service and his welcoming personality earned a 5 star review.

    (5)

  • Wilmar D.

    On Saturday I had a weightlifting competition at CSU Fullerton in which I had to weigh a certain amount in order to compete in that weight class. Having been working on cutting weight, I had been eating clean all week, and I stopped all intake of food and drink more than 16 hours prior to coming to Ola. When we finally arrived at 11 AM and ordered our food (my teammate and I were the first customers there), the smell of freshly prepared Hawaiian BBQ was intoxicating. We ordered our food to go because our weigh-in wasn't until 1 PM so I actually didn't eat any of it until then, but my mouth was watering the entire time. At 1 PM on the dot we raced to the official scale to weigh-in, filled out the necessary paperwork, and ran back to our food and tore it apart. Combo #3 of chicken katsu, barbecue chicken, mac salad, THREE scoops of rice (I subbed out the cabbage for another scoop of rice), and a side order of Spam musubi. I was so hungry I didn't have time to put sauce on my katsu. It was all gone so fast. From what I do remember, it was delicious. Katsu was on point with meat-to-breading ratio, and even almost 2 hours after ordering it it was still crunchy. The barbecue was perfectly seasoned and it was reminiscent of Filipino barbecue on a stick, you know, the good stuff you get at birthday parties. And the mac salad... well I've never been a huge fan but for some reason I was really into Ola's. I'm not from town - I live in San Diego. But if for some reason we happened to be back up there near CSU Fullerton, I'd totally be down to get another plate lunch at Ola. Maybe I'll try their giant musubi one of these days...

    (5)

  • Stacy B.

    Okay let me please share my experience. My family and I came here yesterday and was so pleased. First we noticed how clean it was then we tasted the food amazing. We went to Kotts Berry Farm and afterwards we tried to come back and eat at 11:00 pm. Lol. The next day we came back again. This time we met the owner. He was calm and his vibe was that of the place. Great choice of music, great food and atmosphere. The best way to start the day. I watched the owner clean the ketchup and soy bottle again and again. He has so much pride in what he does. This is my first review I have ever written due to having little ones keeping me busy. I was truly moved how great this place was. Many more blessings your way...Ola Hawaiian BBQ! From your military friends.

    (5)

  • Gabriel L.

    I always order chicken katsu at all the Hawaiian BBQ places I go to. This place definitely delivers a pretty good chicken katsu. Every time I've went, the cashier was usually a student(makes sense since CSUF is nearby) and they provide mediocre service. I gave it 4 stars because it's not the best place I've ever been to, but it's definitely better than the average Hawaiian BBQ restaurant.

    (4)

  • Patrick C.

    So good! i love the family meal, i love having loco moco, and i LOVE the spam musubi challenge! what an innovative idea!

    (4)

  • Trang T.

    Great food. Large portions For good price. The employee very friendly. Great service

    (5)

  • Lahana W.

    ola is the best hawaiian food place around!! Affordable prices for college kids looking for some island grinds lol Get the milk tea boba so yummy:) coconut shrimp is bomb and you can never go wrong with the BBQ mix plate! Employees are also friendly,welcoming and have exceptional customer service

    (5)

  • M L.

    I wasn't really impressed with my curry chicken katsu (why is their katsu sauce too diluted?) but found the male owner very friendly and welcoming. I also ordered their milk tea with boba and it wasn't good at all. Sooooo, no, I won't be a return customer sorry.

    (2)

  • Kym H.

    Will coming here make you feel you've been transported to the coastline of Hawaii? Probably not but it's not bad eats completely. I come here for my quick fix of Hawaiian BBQ and the people are are very friendly and helpful. This place truly is a 3.5 star place. It's not the best authentic Hawaiian cuisine. What you need to know: Chicken Katsu is great...Actually chicken anything here is pretty darn good. I've been here a handful of times and the reason why they are not getting a better rating is because their beef dishes aren't consistent. One day it's great and the next, you wonder if it's truly beef. I can't explain it but give it a try. Great values are : Masubi (each order comes with 2) Best dish in my opinion? Chicken Katsu Great Service..... Just be warned about their Beef......

    (3)

  • Kristen E.

    Love love love this place!! Customer service is great!! Short ribs are my favorite! First time trying it little far from home but I will of course return!

    (5)

  • Lizzie C.

    First time trying spam musubi- I must say, it is pretty good. The chicken katsu is pretty average though. I'll probably be back after trying a couple of the other Hawaiian bbq places around here.

    (3)

  • Kacie L.

    The food is great, and the service is amazing. The girl behind the counter (and it always seems to be the same one) is the happiest person I have ever met. Their sweet fire chicken is spicy, with a hint of sweetness. Their short ribs are never too fatty, and their chicken is moist and tender. We have never had a bad meal, and we order take out quiet frequently as we have 4 kids and are constantly on the go.

    (5)

  • Melanie L.

    My sister and I wanted to grab something quick before we headed back to NorCal and on her check list of places to try, was Ola Hawaiian BBQ! I love Hawaiian food and at the time there wasn't an L&L nearby, so we wanted to give it a try. There isn't much "traffic" at the location, but since it's near CSU Fullerton, you'll come across plenty of college students. The service was friendly, but the food was as flexible for substitutions. I wanted to have two mac salads and one rice, but they weren't willing to do that. While waiting for our order, I looked around at the walls and noticed that this place has its own food challenges! They have a spam musubi challenge and this 3-layer spam/rice dish challenge. There is a photo wall of all the contestants - some have actually conquered the challenges, but many have not. You get a free t-shirt, meal (what you scarfed down), and your name/photo on the wall. However, there was a sad note when at Ola. As I was eating my food, there was a hard piece in my BBQ chicken, which really made me unhappy. Don't get me wrong, the chicken was tender, but whatever it was (bone or something) was just a huge turn-off. :( On the plus side, if you're local, grab a stamp card if you plan on returning! There are also special deal days too - bogo and lower pricing for certain items.

    (3)

  • Jeff L.

    Good food, good price, good staff. Plain and simple. I've eaten here only once and I'm addicted.

    (4)

  • Vi V.

    I decided to go here after I read my friend Ken L.'s review. I was craving some hawaiian food and the ola fire chicken sounded good so why not! Walking in there was only one table occupied, but that's okay. That means I wouldn't have to wait so long for my food hopefully. I ordered and then looked at the wall of fame for their challenge thingy. Looks interesting, but I wouldn't do it...I can barely eat that much rice in one spam musubi so how can I finish 3! But anyways... What I got: Ola Fire Chicken Mini Meal($5): it was good...I wish it had more sauce and was more spicy? Mine didn't look as saucy as the other picture that I saw on yelp =[. The taste was still good though, but yeah...the macaroni salad was good, not too much mayo. The rice to me was kind of dry. I'm not a rice person anyways so I guess that doesn't matter to me. Service: It was good though. The girl behind the counter smiled and welcomed me right when I walked in the door. She actually apologized to me saying that she didn't have any quarters and that she had to pay me in nickels. That doesn't matter to me though so yeah. I was taking it to go and she also asked me if I wanted water as I waited! That's so cute! I'd come back to maybe try the fire chicken again or maybe something else.

    (3)

  • Raymond R.

    and AGAIN yelp doesn't fail me! Was in the Anaheim area and went on a Hawaiian BBQ search. Hopped on trusty ol yelp and found Ola Hawaiian BBQ. With 4 stars and 60+ reviews I decided to give it a go! And I wasn't disappointed at all. Food: Ordered the BBQ chicken plate. I didn't even put any sauce on the chicken and it still tasted good. I recommend it. The only thing I dislike is that they don't give enough rice. WHYY?!?! :(. I need my rice when I'm eating some chicken!! Other than that it was pretty good! Oh yeah, and my dad wanted me to add that they don't give enough cabbage. So yeah. Fix the portion sizes cause there isn't enough rice or cabbage inside the combo. Price: If you check-in with your Yelp app you get 10% off! So don't forget to check in. Will I be back? Suure thing!

    (4)

  • Eryn J.

    Food is really good, service was nice I was the only one in there and the food took a little longer than I had wanted probably around 15 minutes but I was really in the mood for Hawaiian so I didn't mind waiting. Only bad thing which I'm really upset about it I specifically ordered Katsu chicken and BBQ beef and when I got home I got BBQ chicken and BBQ beef. I was upset but not enough to go back because I don't mind BBQ chicken. Spam Musubi was good as well. I will come back and be sure to get the right food next time!

    (4)

  • Samantha R.

    Get the yelp deal! its a really good deal, if your getting food for about 4-6 people. Also the girl that works there is super nice and a great worker!

    (4)

  • Andrew N.

    The first time I came here, I wasn't too thrilled, but this place has slowly grown on me. The entrees are cooked to order and the service has been pretty good. If you're having trouble deciding, get the teriyaki chicken bowl. It's the perfect amount of food without being overwhelming and is a good value. There's a yelp check in deal for 10% off an entree and there's also a yelp deal for $20 for 40 of food, so be sure to use all those to get the best bargain. There's also a masubi challenge with 9 masubis and a grip of mac salad if you ever think you can beast it up. Just a nice place to go for a low key hawaiian bbq lunch or dinner that hits the spot.

    (4)

  • Jesse R.

    I had a really hard time getting excited about this place. Maybe it is just because I really like the Pho place next door and was always disappointed when my wife talked me into going here instead. There is nothing dramatically wrong with this restaurant. But three stars is all I can give it.

    (3)

  • Tabby M.

    I got the yelp deal and it was a steal! Food: great! We had bacon fried rice, spam musubi, fire chicken, Katsu chicken, and beef plate. The fire chicken was really good and I will come back especially for that dish. The shopping plaza is a bit sketch and sometimes hard to find parking so I suggest ordering to go but the service is great while you wait!

    (5)

  • Steve C.

    Really good chicken katsu and a lot of food for the money. We both ordered the chicken combo - katsu, bbq chicken, rice and mac salad. The bbq chicken was all right but not as tasty as the katsu. The scoop of mac salad could have been larger. The woman behind the counter, who was extremely friendly, brought bottles of katsu and teriyaki sauce to our table - a nice touch. We were very pleased and will visit again, even though the owner of the Pho place two doors down gave us a dirty look when we got out of our car. Maybe he thought we were going to the Thai massage place next door. No worries there dude.

    (3)

  • Justin A.

    Friendly Service, Great Spam Musubi. I can only comment on the Musubis as I ordered a whole tray to go. Will definitely go back to try everything else.

    (5)

  • Jonathan H.

    great food, great staff, great environment. The list of good menu items are endless and the owner is just superb. I will definitely be a returning customer here. Favorite items: BBQ Chicken plate, Fire chicken, loco moco breakfast If you are up for it...do the food challenges!

    (5)

  • Tiffany O.

    This place is great!! I was told that the Fire Chicken is a specialty here so I figured I had to try it since I love spicy. It does live up to it's name-pretty hot! The marinade is definitely unique. The chicken is SOOOO TENDER. I have no words to describe it. The mac salad is yummy and provides a nice balance (cools off your tongue). I am curious about their fried rice- I heard that it's a secret family recipe. The person in front of me ordered it and it looked pretty yummy-can't go wrong with bacon and spam in your rice :D The inside decor is inviting and makes you happy. haha. The customer service is excellent and food comes out quickly. I can't confidently give them 5 stars just yet because I haven't tasted a wide array of their food. But if I'm in the area, this will be my hawaiian BBQ place of choice!!

    (4)

  • Erin P.

    I really like this Hawaiian BBQ. If you are a fan of L&L, you will appreciate the familiar items like chicken katsu and spam masubi. They also have beef and sea food (fish and shrimp). I have yet to try those options. I think their prices are slightly higher than L&L, but the quality is equally good, if not better. And their staff is much friendlier and considerate. They chat with you while you wait, or help you decide what to get if you are undecided. They also have two food challenges, which I would really like to see someone take on. They have a wall of shame for those who have tried and failed at the attempt to eat a giant 3 layered masubi or 2 of each kind plus macaroni salad in 10 minutes.

    (4)

  • Adrian D.

    Ah, finally found a local Hawaiian BBQ place! Food was cooked to order and cooked properly. Generously portioned too, and I didn't even order the full plate, so, just fyi. Staff was courteous and pleasant too, extra points for that Definitely coming back here.

    (5)

  • Elle N.

    Get the yelp deal! Definitely worth the money with the amount of food you get. The chicken katsu and mac salad were very good. I was honestly surprised about the mac salad because most mainland mac salads suck. i actually really wanted more mac salad... & if you want to try the food challenges, they have two. when i went there, there was a guy trying the larger of the two challenges. he didnt make it. lol.

    (4)

  • Vern L.

    Tried the yelp deal. Great hawaiian food. We got a couple things... The fried rice mixtures they have are bomb. They also pack that plate full of food. And it's some good quality fried rice! We also tried the katsu, very good, no complaints. We also had the loco moco, very good, no complaints. We also had the spam musibi, very good, no complaints. The thing I liked about this place was it was a little more traditional vs the L&L's. The portions for the price especially with the yelp deal we had are definitely welcomed and liked. Heh.

    (5)

  • Richard C.

    I can't thank this place enough for all this great food!! The customer service is amazing and is very welcoming . The food is superb and the ice tea is amazing. I can't wait to try the challenge they have!! The area was desperate for a place like this. FINALLY AMAZING FOOD AND PERFECT SERVICE!!

    (5)

  • Dee I.

    I honestly can only give this place a three star for now. I went there with my son and bought the full size BBQ Hawaiian plate and the Kalua pork. In the BBQ plate, the Kalbi rib and the beef were overdone. The chicken, however was cooked perfectly. The macaroni salad didn't have enough taste for me. I don't think they used Hondashi - sorry, I like my ajinomoto. As for the volume of food, for $8 I expected more. Only 1 Kalbi rib, probably 1/3 cup of beef, and two small chicken thighs. As for the Kalua pork, it was pretty good, but I did ask for Kalua pork with cabbage and they did not give me any extra cabbage. I'll probably go back and try it again if I'm fixin' for some Hawaiian BBQ, but if I want more for my money, I'll be heading to Aloha Barbecue at the District in Tustin. They LOAD you up!

    (3)

  • Gian D.

    I went there for a food challenge. I lost. Food was still bomb. I went there other times, too. Deep fried spam musubi is awesome. I think you can deep fry any ingredient in their deep fried musubi, just ask. Great boba too. Workers are super friendly and cute.

    (5)

  • PJ D.

    The food is great. The kalua pork and spam loco combos are def recommends. The only suggestion is that the spot need to upsize on macaroni and rice to complete the meals

    (3)

  • Roland L.

    I decided to check this place out after reading Jennifer L's review a while back, but, finding myself in the Fullerton area is rather rare. Today, having to go to Fry's Electronics in Anaheim because of some work out in the OC area, I found myself really close to Ola Hawaiian BBQ. I was seriously considering doing the Triple Treat Challenge, but I didn't really feel like loading up on so much rice today. Am I confident I can eat 9 Spam/Beef/Chicken Musubis and 3 scoops of Macaroni Salad in 15 minutes without drinking any water? HECK YEAH!!! I pretty much ordered what Jennifer L and her bro did: Spam Musubi and Chicken Katsu Plate (but I had it with the curry). Spam Musubi: 4/5 This was just as Jennifer described...it had some pretty fluffy rice! They construct their musubi with a thick layer of rice on top of the nori, then drizzle some teriyaki sauce, and finish off with a 1/4 inch thick slice of spam. This spam musubi is as good as some of the best ones I've had. My only gripe would be that I prefer the spam to be sandwiched with layers of rice. When the rice is placed all on one side, the rice tends to squirts out the back when you bite into it. Also, if they added Kimchi to it, that would be awesome! Chicken Katsu Curry: 4/5 Super crunchy batter contrasted by tender juicy pieces of chicken makes this really enjoyable. They serve a generous portion of chicken on top of the bed of julienned cabbage. I think claiming that vegetables are served with their plates may be a bit of a stretch, but they certainly are not lying...last time I checked, cabbage IS a vegetable! After reading some bad reviews for Ola Hawaiian BBQ, I discovered one yelper harping on the "vegetable" thingy and hot food placed in styrofoam. Uh, did you realize the cabbage was lining the container acting as insulation to the hot meat? On Ola's curry: the consistency is more that of soup rather than gravy. It includes chunks of potato and carrot. You might find a bay leaf (as I did). This curry was as you would expect, a bit spicy but not to the point of destroying the overall flavor of the chicken katsu. Albeit tasty, this kind of curry is not my preference. I prefer a thicker brown curry with chunks of pork along with the diced potato and carrot. Macaroni Salad: 4/5 I cringe whenever I see Macaroni Salad included with a meal. I've had some extremely bad ones. I particularly despise L&L's! Actually, I despise all things L&L! Ola makes one that I can swallow with easy. Customer Service: 5/5 As Jennifer L stated, Ola does boast excellent customer service! The young lady taking orders was remarkably friendly and offered great suggestions for a first timer. She took the opportunity to waltz around the dining area asking how everything was and if I needed more water. Overall, Ola Hawaiian BBQ is a solid 4.5 star eatery. Outstanding friendly service, excellent value, generous portions and family oriented. I cannot wait to go back! Oh, I almost forgot to mention. They were playing some awesome Christian music here. I loved the Chris Tomlin and David Crowder Band bumping in there and seeing the wooden surf board with Psalm 37:4 hanging on the wall! It's always nice to know when I am patronizing a business owned by someone who love Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

    (5)

  • Mia J.

    Service was fantastic. The Girl that worked in the front was holding down the fort really well and I really appreciated her upbeat/friendly/optimistic attitude... I probably appreciated it even more because that's what I'm like so Kudos to her and the owner for having her as a valuable employee.. The Groupon offer was HUGE! haha Husb and I didn't realize just how much food we were getting but it's ok since we were able to spread out the leftovers over a weekend. For a Hawaiian-themed Bbq restaurant, I definitely loved this place over the typical ones that are out there. The quality was great. Overall, the service and food was great and I will go back again. I'm keeping in mind, for when I have a party to order that Giant stack of whatever it's called.. it looked intense but i'm sure it'll feed a huge party and still be tasteful! :)

    (5)

  • california w.

    Oh man. I love this place. Bacon fried rice is the stuff from my childhood, and this is probably the only place I'd eat spam at. All of the tastes and smells remind me of being back in the islands with da kine. The server here is so nice, and so is the cook. Be sure to leave them a tip commensurate to what you'd leave at a restaurant, as they cook everything to order. I hope they get enough money to send the server to Hawaii. She has never been, but she would fit right in. I do think that they should change up the coupon over here. Maybe vary it --one month, everyone gets a free spam musubi. No need to give food away, when people will pay for it.

    (4)

  • David S.

    Went there using either a Groupon or Living Social coupon. The owner is very friendly. Nice mellow atmosphere/music. Ordered the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken and BBQ Steak with steamed rice a mac salad. Like a previous reviewer, I thought I wouldn't get a lot of food with my coupon. I was wrong, they are very generous with their portions. Both the chicken and steak tasted very good. I love the mac salad, similar to L&L. The owner was also kind to give me extra restaurant coupons for further visits and made sure I had a frequent buyer card. Good place to go if you want good portioned Hawaiian BBQ.

    (5)

  • Markelle G.

    I ordered the fire chicken, and it did not disappoint. It's just the right degree of spicy, but also has a little bit of sweetness thrown in (do my tastebuds detect a hint of honey?). The grilled onions are also a nice addition to the dish. I tried a bit of my friend's BBQ chicken, and that was moist and flavorful, as well. The macaroni salad had bits of tuna in it (not enough to be overpowering), and it was very yummy. The only thing reason I didn't give Ola 4-stars is because they don't serve steamed cabbage. As it is, they serve their entrees atop a bed of uncooked, shredded cabbage, which is far less appetizing to me. Maui Hawaiian BBQ in Brea serves steamed cabbage, and offers the addition of steamed veggies (carrots, broccoli, etc.) for about 50 cents extra, which I often substitute in for the rice. The girls working the cash register were extremely friendly, and our to-go order was ready in under 5 minutes, so all-in-all we had a pleasant experience at Ola. I'll probably return again to try a few of their other dishes to see if they can permanently steal my patronage away from Maui.

    (3)

  • Les L.

    I finally had an opportunity to check out Ola, which is a relative newcomer to the neighborhood with rave reviews. To be honest, the restaurant is in a strip mall and there is nothing fancy about it. It's clean enough and there are few tables for dining in but nothing more. If you have a big party, they have a big folding table that can be moved around. The guy running the place is a real sweetheart. He's incredibly nice and friendly check this out for great service: at a strip mall joint, he'll deliver your meal and all necessary sauces and utensils to your table. It was a really nice touch. J ordered the Chicken Plate with katsu chicken and teriyaki chicken, rice, cabbage, and potato salad. The katsu was pounded thin and as a result, incredibly crunchy albeit dry. Softened with the hot sauce provided, it was pretty good, though not as good as the teriyaki chicken. The marinade was excellent. Flavorful without being salty and each bite was moist. The cabbage is a let down because it's raw bed for the plate. With Hawaiian food, I appreciate the presence of vegetables to lighten the load but the cabbage here was mostly roughage. I ordered the Ola Fire Chicken Mini Meal, which comes with rice, cabbage and macaroni salad. The dish strongly resembles some Chinese take out dishes with the vibrant red sauce. The sauce had heat and sweetness both but I really can't say what its ingredients were, certainly not Siracha (thank god). Chicken had been sauteed with this fiery sauce as well as onions. I liked it but it would have been nice to break up the monotony of the sauce. So perhaps in the future, I'll order a plate with more components. It was pretty good as Hawaiian food goes but my heart really goes out to the manager/server. I very much want his business to succeed so if I had an option, I'd choose Ola over L&L.. Plus it's cheaper.

    (4)

  • Maggie C.

    Delicious food and amazing service. The owner of the restaurant was super friendly. He even served our table. We wanted to try everything but all I wanted was a snack. Ordered Fire Chicken, Spam Musubi and Beef BBQ Taco. Ola Fire Chicken: It was just perfect. Perfect amount of spicy, sweet and tasty sauce. The macaroni salad wasn't bad either. I was experimenting with the chicken and made a fire chicken taco out of it and it came out delicious. We mentioned it to the owner and he said that he'd consider making that. 5 stars!! Spam Musubi: Okay every spam musubi is the same. You put rice with spam and wrapped it with nori. This spam musubi has yummy sauce inside. 4 stars!! BBQ Beef Taco: It was just okay. I wasn't too crazy about it. 3 stars!! I do want to try eating 9 musubis to get my picture up on the wall but not that night. I was so full from all of those and had to sit for a while @ the parking lot. I went back again for the second time and my meal was pretty bad =( I couldn't even eat half of it. Ola Hawaiian BBQ's Spicy Chicken (taco) is yummylicious!!

    (3)

  • Sylvia Y.

    Yelp map for some reason got this place all wrong. It's on the right street, but on the opposite side. Their food is just as good as L&L, their spam masubi is *droool* ok? I really wanted a tapioca drink, so I ordered it and it wasn't that good. the tapioca balls weren't that fresh. None the less, I like their steamed cabbage they do put on the bottom of their chicken katsu. I miss this place... :(

    (5)

  • Nick H.

    ***Updated 3/3/2012*** I came back for another visit. It was not very good. I had one of the specials and the egg and mojo plate were a big let down. I am not sure what happened. --------------------------------------------------­-------------------------- Kilauea is now in Fullerton with FREE FOOD! Fire Chicken! This chicken is on fire. The secret sauce is not too spicy but just right. I used an extra tortilla to make a fire chicken taco..mmmm Wait, so what about the free food?? Eat 9 Musubi (3 Spam Musubi+ 3 Chicken Musubi+ 3 BBQ Beef Musubi) with two scoops mac salad and you eat free! Oh, but no drinking except for tariyaki sauce and 15 minutes tops. But, you get your picture up on their wall whether you finish or not! If you don't finish..take it home and pay 25 bucks. My favorite--Fire Chicken 4.5 Stars. Secret Sauce has some siracha and garlic and something sweet. Musubi--mmmm 4.5 Stars. Spam is pretty good. I will try the others when I do the contest. BBQ Beef Taco- I wasn't a fan. Mac Salad-Wasn't a Fan..but I am picky with Macaroni Salad. Owner is great. Very friendly guy. This is one of my favorite fast food Hawaiian (with a Chinese twist) places. I am a fan. I also had damn good dessert in the same plaza.mmmmmm Oh, where is this place? Yup.... in the OC! Ola Hawaiian, Fullerton..another reason the OC is the best place to live!

    (4)

  • H Q.

    Ola Ola Ay! Ola Ola Ay! Good little neighborhood place. Very friendly service, nice specials and they have frequent customer cards. Not the food over load that Aloha BBQ in Irvine gives you, but just a good in quality and saves me $5 in gas to go there. I got to come by and try their Taco Tuesdays. I think I may buy the Yelp deal. Can't beat a half off deal!

    (4)

  • Alicia L.

    Nice place to get something quick to eat. The location isn't that great though, but I like that they try to give so many deals here. Their BBQ chicken was a little too gingery, but overall I guess I enjoyed the food. I got a stamp card, so sure, that gives me a little more incentive to come back there over L&L now.

    (4)

  • Kimmy T.

    Best Chicken Katsu I've had on the mainland. So perfectly crispy and flavorful. Counter girl was super friendly. They have boba too and it wasn't too bad. Also tried the Loco Moco and enjoyed it. Only thing I didn't like was the Spam Musubi because I didn't like the rice.

    (4)

  • Steve O.

    I've had my fair share of hawaiian bbq joints but this place seems to top them all because: 1) The service is amazing. I felt very welcome as soon as I walked in instead of feeling like"just another customer". Cashier girl was super nice :) 2) The food is delicious and is served in good portions. The "mini" size is also the perfect portion and price :) 3) The location is super close to CSUF so it's convenient for students like me. Eat here! They deserve your business and your stomach deserves their food!

    (5)

  • Shankar S.

    Moko Loco! Perfect hangover food. Food did not look like the picture(hence minus one star) but it tasted incredible.

    (4)

  • tina c.

    Guilty pleasure. I can't help it, but I really really love Ola! Fiancé and I have been here several times over the span of many months and we've never left disappointed. Seems to always be the same lovely lady working the front end of the place by herself. She is crazy sweet and thoughtful, and it's really a shame that she isn't working somewhere else where she might stand to make decent tip. I'm a lil' selfishly glad, though, 'cause I don't doubt that her kindness is part of why we enjoy Ola. I heart their teriyaki sauce. It's not particularly special, but I feel like it's got a good balance of sweet and salty. Not too soy sauce-y. Nice portions. And as others have mentioned, great rice! I wish I could say they have the best chicken, but they don't. It can sometimes be a tiny bit rubbery, but overall, I feel like it can be forgiven. If we're going out for 'teriyaki chicken,' odds are, we're looking for some guilty pleasure comfort food-- not gourmet fare. I love the spam musubi here. Sure, some other places offer it, but I never get it anywhere near as "fresh" and hot as I do at Ola! Super hot, yes, they put some of their sauce inside, and it's all super tasty. Same goes for their entrees, they must make it to order as I never have such hot (temperature) teriyaki anywhere else. I lurves me some hot food. Flavor, great. Temperature, great. Preparation, great. Service, great. So the chicken might not always be great, but all the other elements are there, and as my fiancé and I concluded, Ola Hawaiian BBQ is super consistent. You always know exactly what you're gonna get, and it's always good. (Ola is my fave teriyaki place, followed by Golden Bowl, then Okazya Kitchen. I don't think I've eaten at Maui Hawaiian BBQ, and I might have eaten at L&L once, but wasn't impressed.)

    (5)

  • Kat S.

    i know i am going to sound like a bitch (but ah wellz, everybody is a bitch in real life anyways). the yelp rave and that $20 for $40 coupon drove me all the way here to order my party tray. thank you my fellow yelpers, but next time i'll learn to be more selective. but did i talk about how much attitude that chef was giving just by standing at the back door? also.. i specifically asked for the servings of a small party tray and got the response that it is enough to supply 8 - 10 people. NO people! it was about the size to fill up 3-4!!! and we were no Kobayashi! the musubi that gained all the fame? meh~ apparently you never tried to make your own.

    (2)

  • Milton F.

    Portions are very small. The mini meals are basically for kids. Other Hawaiian places mini meals usually fill me up but this place's BBQ beef mini plate only had about maybe 8-10 slices of beef, so small that it couldn't really cover the cabbage on an already tiny plate. I'd probably go to Maui in Brea if I'm stuck nearby. Neither place can beat good L&Ls (not the fullerton one) or Young's BBQ in Chino Hills. Service is friendly, but the portions are pretty much unforgivable. It's beyond small to the point of stingy, and that's one thing Hawaiian food is not about.

    (2)

  • Pete F.

    The standout here is the spam musubi. The thick cut of spam is seared and the rice is warm and soft and flavored with teriyaki sauce and all wrapped with a crisp piece of nori. It's the closes thing to Aloha Specialties at the Cal in LV, which has IMO the best spam musubi. Everything else, just ok. The chicken katsu is pounded too thin so you get more batter than meat - I hate that. The menu is also not as extensive as L&L and other Hawaiian restaurants.

    (4)

  • Jennifer C.

    I had to update this since I have realized that Ola Hawaiian is MUCH better than most other "wannabe Hawaiian BBQ places," in Southern California...and I say this as a native of Hawaii who has tried so many :) I usually order a mini plate (which is really not mini...comes with a good amount of meat plus rice and mac salad) so that I can order 2 spam musubis on the side :) Spam musubis are homemade and the best ones I've had in California, hands down. I've tried the Ola Fire Chicken, Chicken Katsu, normal terikayi chicken, and Lemon Pepper chicken. All are delicious and truly do taste homemade. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on this menu really. The only reason I just can't get myself to give them a full 5 stars is because I think I'm looking for a little more Hawaiian, not only in their food choices but also in the atmosphere. They should throw in a few desserts like haupia (Hawaiian coconut pudding) or lilikoi cookies or something. Maybe even a laulau or kalua pig plate. I think i just feel like it's missing some extra Hawaiian flavor in that sense. Maybe some Hawaiian music or more Hawaiian decor. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but that's just my opinion. Bottom line - one of the best Hawaiian BBQ places in the area for sure.

    (4)

  • Sean D.

    This was our first time here... and won't be our last, either. It's a small place, but clean. My wife, my in-laws and I arrived about mid-day on a Saturday... hungry! We ordered six different items and drinks The young lady at the counter was very warm and friendly, she kept coming back to our table to make sure that everything was fine for us. The chicken was very moist and the portions were good, too. The food tasted and felt clean... nothing felt artificial or covered-up with lots of unnecessary sauces. The only thing I would warn you about is their macaroni salad... it contains tuna, so if you have any allergies to fish, order a different side.

    (5)

  • Kat B.

    Went in on Saturday evening and ordered Spam Musubi which I liked MUCH better than L&L. Overall this is a pretty standard Hawaiian BBQ place; however, the service was what stood out to me. The girl working was really sweet and that's not something typical small food places have. I will definitely come back again and try their different plates.

    (5)

  • Manny M.

    Showed up Friday night after calling to verify that infect they closed at 9, I got there at 8:50 only to be turned down. They told me they where already closed even though it's clearly stated online and on their door that they close at 9pm. I wasn't even looking to eat in I was gonna order to go but not today... Maybe another day I'll come to taste and review the food.. ( maybe not!)

    (1)

  • Sheri L.

    Pretty good - your average Hawaiian take out joint. Don't forget to ask for a punch card!

    (3)

  • Paul S.

    basic Hawaiian fare, nothing stands out. Prices on the expensive side but portions are smaller than other Hawaiian joints. Also nickel and dime you if you ask for extra sauce, they will charge extra. Some animosity between the girl working the counter and the guy that cooks on the back. The guy keeps lecturing the girl and keeps muttering and shaking his head. Also no washroom in the premises.

    (2)

  • Mitun S.

    Im a 4th year student at CSUF, and this whole time I had only tried L&L on state college and chapman. Sure it was good hawaiian BBQ, but sometimes it was amazing, and sometimes it was just average. I finally decided to try this place and damn was that a good decision. I got their BBQ chicken plate and it came out steaming hot. When i tried cutting into it, it was extremely tender and juicy and tasted even more delicious. The chicken was better than any i had ever had at L&L. The only thing that makes me give this a 4 instead of a 5, is that i liked the macaroni and cabbage and L&L better. But overall, Ola has bigger, tastier, and juicier servings and will definitely be getting my business in the future. Don't forget to ask for a punch card either! You'll probably need it.

    (4)

  • Alice K.

    Food was great! Service was great! Portions were great! Enough said!!!

    (5)

  • Linda M.

    Went to this place today to check it out - I think this is a good spot for college kids. You get a good amount of food for a few bucks. The food was made fresh to order and came out piping hot. I got the chicken katsu curry plate. The curry was not what I expected at all - it was light and not very thick. It was more like a watered down curry sauce more than anything. The katsu chicken was crisp, but I felt it was more batter than chicken for some parts. I could see this as good hangover food. The rice was decently fluffy and sticky. The macaroni salad was actually pretty good here - not bland and not overly mayo'ed. I have to say the chicken portion was ridiculous, I was only expecting half as much, and have plenty left over to last another meal. I also tried the spam musubi that seems to be popular. While it was decently good here, I thought that the spam to rice ratio was off, as in way too much rice. I also had the problem of biting straight down into it and having the rice fall out the other end. Definitely not sexy to eat. In terms of service, the cashier girl was nice and friendly. Food took a bit, but did come out fresh and pipping hot. This place is located in a small strip mall but coming here for lunch today, the parking lot was pretty empty. Decor is pretty minimal; a few paintings/signs on the wall and a surf board. There are a few tables to dine in, but the place is not big. Overall, the food is not bad here, but I probably wouldn't return. Lots of other good food in the area, and if you're looking for Hawaiian food, I'd recommend checking Ono Ono in Tustin instead. There is a better variety and I feel like it's higher quality, but it also costs a couple of bucks more. Just depends what you're looking for, I guess.

    (3)

  • Cody M.

    Good reviews on yelp so I checked it out. As soon as you walk in the door, awesome service. Very welcoming, total five stars just on that. Real good food, had the hawaiian bbq chicken plate.. love it. Go here, go here, go here. They have boba drinks to. Hell yah

    (5)

  • Cory L.

    I think it's finally time to write a review. After eating here numerous times, I must say, this place is a must-eat for hawaiian bbq. Neat vibe, awesome people, great-tasting food, and located close to CSUF. If you don't have a thing for the raw cabbage here, just request for it to be cooked. The Milk Tea boba here is also really delicious and the only other place that sells great boba is located in garden grove. The Chicken Katsu at Ola is THE BOMB. Their Katsu sauce here is great for all the meats. The Katsu plate here is $6.49 and it includes Rice, Macaroni Salad, Cabbage, and the Chicken Katsu. A great meal for you if you're in the area, and if you're a local here in Placentia/Fullerton this place is a must stop by and eat here with my friends kinda place. You guys rock, especially Sharon :) She creates such a awesome and live vibe which keeps you coming back just so you can get a smile on your face.

    (5)

  • Emma S.

    Wow! I have been looking for a replacement Hawaiian joint but nothing hit the spot until last night. I was starting to come to terms with food being a source of nutrition and not pleasure but thank goodness my sanity returned when I chose Ola Hawaiian BBQ for dinner. The food reminded me of this Hawaiian BBQ place I used to frequent in Long Beach that I have use as my basis for comparison at every Hawaiian spot I come across (and no it's not L&L - I believe it is/was called Hawaiian BBQ Festival). The Child and I were greeted by Sharon, a pretty and energetic young lady, and decided to get a Kalbi Short Rib plate to 80/20 split. It was after 8:00 PM and we really didn't need to eat a full meal but I wish we each had our own plate because my 80/20 turned into a 30/70. The Child enjoyed it so much that he pretended his other half of his Subway sandwich was going bad and convinced himself it was starting to hurt his stomach ... yet he continued to pick at my short ribs! He even said, "Mommy, this is soooo good! Next time I'm going to get my own plate." Yeah, no more sharing with you because you'll eat most of my food. Now where was I? Oh yes, back to the food. The macaroni salad was perfect - not too thick, not too runny - but I think that all depends on your preference. For me, it was great. It wasn't blended with a potato salad like some places make it. I think it's false advertising if they call a macaroni-potato blend a macaroni salad. I don't want to take a bite to find a mush of potato (I don't like mashed potato if you can't tell). All rice are not equal. Ola's rice is like the rice I make at home - just the right amount of stickiness. Overall, the food was great and we will definitely be back to try more. I only wish they had long rice noodles (*hint hint*). It's hard to find any offerings of long rice noodles at any Hawaiian BBQ.

    (5)

  • Tommy Z.

    The lady was super nice and the food was good, too!

    (4)

  • Jorge G.

    This is one of the best places to eat in orange county. The staff is extremly freindly. The food is fresh and extremly well made. The taste is out of this world. You have to try it.

    (5)

  • ellison c.

    Still fairly new with reviews, so bear with me here. I feel like I should hit one topic at a time.. Parking is plentiful, which is always a plus. The service may be the first thing you notice, as everyone gets a great greeting as they enter the door. It's very easy to feel welcome here! Service with a smile is probably the motto for this restaurant! The food is pretty incredible. As someone who has once worked at a similar Hawaiian restaurant and ate there for 6 days a week for 4 months straight, I feel like I've got a good grasp on what good Hawaiian food should be like, and let me tell you, Ola doesn't just pass the test, they ace it! Like on eBay's seller ratings, the food here is A++++++! I haven't had the pleasure of moving through the whole menu, but here are the highlights. Ola Fire Chicken - Spicy BBQ chicken, paired with their homemade teriyaki sauce.. AMAZING. Must-try! Chicken Katsu - This katsu literally confused me the first time I had it.. HOW was it so crispy on the outside and moist on the inside? It didn't make sense.. but it doesn't have to.. you just have to be smart enough to order it and to enjoy it after it's been served to you.. with a smile, by the way! Lemon Pepper Chicken - This chicken dish wowed me from the get-go. I don't make it a secret that I detest white meat chicken. Dry, tough, unpalatable!! That's what I think! However, Ola again came through and turned my skepticism around big time. They've transformed this chicken into some magical animal where every slice of chicken is moist, tender, and delicious. I'm sure most restaurants would've been content to serve their insipid white meat dry, but all credit goes to Ola here. (I think my usual dislike for white meat is quite apparent here, so believe me when I say this Lemon Pepper Chicken is delicious.) BBQ Chicken & Beef musubis - I have never had the pleasure of having such meaty and huge musubis. This isn't some dorky musubi you get at L&L, these are the real deal here. Also, inquire about the Triple Threat and Stan Musubi challenges if you feel in a Man vs Food mood.. I'm pretty sure nobody, and I mean NOBODY, serves a bigger musubi. I know this review is getting long, so let's cut to the chase.. or if you just skipped to the bottom for the Cliff's Notes, I don't blame you. Great food, great service, great pricing, great parking. I don't even know why you're reading this while you're standing outside the restaurant. Just go in and order! (If you actually are standing outside and go in based on this review, that'd be pretty cool.) Thanks for reading!

    (5)

  • Oggie O.

    Customer service is great here (5 star). Food is ok (3 star). Chicken was good and katsu was good too. I was kind of disappointed in their macaroni salad though because that's my favorite part, macaroni salad at Ono and L&L is better. I like my macaroni salad to be a bit on the soft side and a lot of sauce sticking to the macaroni, but it was kind of hard here with not a lot of sauce.

    (4)

  • Michelle H.

    My husband and I have found our go-to Hawaiian place! We lived in Hawaii for about 4 years and this place is right on target with the authentic Hawaiian BBQ on the island. The gals that work there are very friendly and attentive. I will say they have amazing katsu. It is very crispy and the chicken is very moist. I also love that everything is cooked to order, you aren't getting something that has been sitting in the back for the past hour or so. The BBQ chicken and beef is also amazing. Delicious flavor and you get a hefty portion with anything you order. Glad we came across this place, it's a favorite in our house.

    (5)

  • Ashley B.

    This has become my absolute go to place when I am craving Hawaiian food. I located this place a few months ago when doing a search for Bacon Fried Rice. Located inside a small little complex that also has the best laundromat I've ever visited and an amazing BBQ place (Shortstop BBQ, see other review). I've tried a wide variety of their menu including the BBQ combo, BBQ Chicken and Chicken Katsu combo, Kahlua Pork, Bacon Fried Rice, and Spam Musubi. All their food is made when you order so their is a bit of a wait, but it's totally worth it. The flavors of their BBQ options are amazing, and you dont even need extra sauce for moisture or flavor. Their Kahlua Pork is better than anywhere else I have had it. I even love their Macaroni Salad which I never usually eat from anywhere else. My personal addiction is to the Bacon Fried Rice, which I was recently informed I can combine with other items as they have a create your own fried rice option (definitely doing this on my next visit). The staff here is super friendly and very helpful. As I write this I am craving more.

    (5)

  • Brett K.

    Been randomly going to Hawaiian joints lately and decided to give this place try as it has generally very good reviews. Ola is amazing! I got the seafood combo, which turned out to be a lot of food for 7.99! It came with four large fried shrimp, fried fish (the best part) and barbecue chicken, all of which was served over rice with a side of macaroni salad. It was all exceptionally tasty but the breading on the fish was especially delicious! My boyfriend got the same and we shared a chicken katsu appetizer. The katsu chicken was good but the the best part of it was the portion size; about twenty pieces! And it was under three dollars! All of this amounted to under $19 with the Yelp check-in discount (10%). The dining area could use a little face lift but I ordered to-go so, whatever. To top off the amazing food, the girl working was extremely polite, courteous and sociable. Her customer service ability was at skill level: Disneyland. Overall, this place was AWESOME, I will definitely be a regular here from now on!

    (4)

  • Sharon O.

    I wouldn't necessarily say I wouldn't ever go to this place again, but I certainly won't make it a point to return either. Food was basic chain Hawaiian food. Not amazing and certainly not anything special. Girl at the front desk was more worried with talking to other workers and texting than taking our order and providing general/basic customer service.

    (3)

  • jon c.

    good portions, tasty katsu, the fire chicken is quite spicy. the family meal says feeds 4, but i think 6 can comfortably eat it. the musubi challenge looks like a daunting task--an 8lb spam musubi for $35. if you finish it, you get a shirt and a pic on the wall of fame. if you don't, you're out $35. pro-tip: there's no bathroom here.

    (4)

  • Otto T.

    Always great service and food is very decent. They honor yelp coupon without cheating on the food portion. I just wish it's closer to where I live.

    (4)

  • Krystal W.

    Having been born in Hawaii, it was hard for me to genuinely love a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant until now. I went with a group of 7 people, and we used the $20 for $40 deal. I was a little worried that we hasn't ordered enough food, but then came the miracle! Fire chicken, BBQ chicken, chicken katsu, macaroni salad, spam fried rice, bacon fried rice. All of us loved everything. The thing that made it better was that they gave us katsu sauce, teriyaki sauce, and sriracha all in the bottles so we wouldn't have to go back and forth for more. The server was extremely nice and helpful. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and made the 15-minute drive from my house totally worth it.

    (5)

  • Camille C.

    So we ordered catering from Ola, and we came home with not nearly enough food. One medium tray does not feed 20- 25 people. We ordered 4 medium trays of food not including rice and we didn't have enough main food for our party. Thank goodness for appetizers Oh and the yelp deal where you spend $20 to get $40 only works on catering if you spend a minimum of $100 but it's not stated on the deal. Seems like they added that restriction upon ordering. Food was good though.

    (3)

  • Kristen C.

    Ola is great! It's friendly with great service and ambience - quiet enough so that you can have good conversations with family/friends, but not that awkward quiet that makes you wonder why a restaurant is so dead. The quality of the food is great. I used to go to L&L all the time, but now I will make the longer trip to have Ola. Their kitchen is way faster and more sanitary. I always get the BBQ Chicken - I get tempted to try other things, but it's so good that I can never pass it up. The spam musubi is pretty good but don't eat it right away or it will be a mess. Give the seaweed time to moisturize. Haha!

    (5)

  • Melvin G.

    ahhh Ola's that little hidden Hawaiian BBQ place in the strip mall this place can be a hard fine but, its worth the quest cus you will be satisfied with almost whatever you get I first heard about this place through friends who live down the street from this place, having the only the other competition around being L&L I just had to see what's different or was this a straight up copycat well walking i notice how simple the menu read out is, and this also have their daily specials listed on a board right there as well, I wasn't sure what i liked to try so i ask the employees there what they prefer and they told me that fire chicken is sometin worth giving a try if you love spicy ( if you know me well i LOOOVE SPICY!!!) so i ordered, sitting there i waited a while. the wait wasn't too long definitely less than 10 min and BAM came out steaming fresh omg opened the box and BAM smelled so GOOOOOD. I couldn't wait to try that I took the fork and started eating it on the counter. This was a taste not of pure spice of pure flavor, the spices weren't too spicy but combined with the heat oh man this thing can make you sweat. combined with rice and macaroni salad, I felt like what a bang for the buck its worth it, definitely filled me up when i ate the rest at home. Ola's seems like your average Hawaiian BBQ place but it isn't and with the food challenges they have, it makes it that much more interesting Ola's I will be back when i'm not as broke :)

    (4)

  • Susan P.

    I feel like all these Hawaiian BBQ places are kind of the same... I don't have anything against Hawaiian food aside from my health concerns for diabetes.

    (3)

  • Lynda S.

    What a fantastic experience! I purchased the $20 for $40 Yelp Coupon, prior to heading to California to visit the 'happiest place on earth!'. Our last day, we just chilled by the pool and when it was time to get lunch, I left hubby and kids poolside and drove to get BBQ. The gal that greeted me was so darn nice, bubbly and all around helpful. I was hard pressed to spend the entire $40 but she gave me great suggestions and the hubby and kids were thrilled with my purchase. We got a terriyaki chicken bowl, spam masubi, chicken katsu, kalua pork and the korean ribs. Everything was amazing! I'm not a huge fan of macaroni salad but theirs was wonderful, I think they add a little bit of tuna which sounds strange but even my kids loved it! The sides of terriyaki sauce and 'special' sauce were really good too. We will definitely visit here again if/when we return to Anaheim. This place really is worth the wait that many people mentioned. Even without the Yelp Coupon, their prices are VERY affordable. Go check this place out!

    (4)

  • Tiki T.

    Great deal from Yelp

    (4)

  • Amy V.

    i like this place since its so close to CSUF. but to tell you the truth, I haven't eaten at a bad hawaiian bbq place before. they're all good! :) so can't go wrong with stopping by a random one and trying it out!

    (4)

  • T G.

    I had seen this place several times and had always been curious so I came here on a whim. I am in total agreeance with Melinda L. The service was very nice and friendly. The cashier let us know about the daily special which I took advantage of. The food was ok. The Rangoons were good but a little smaller than I wouldve liked. I also liked the dumplings. The macaroni salad was a little more salty than I would've liked and my BBQ chicken had too much pepper. Overall, I would give this place another try if I am in the area but I would not go out of my way to come here.

    (3)

  • helen c.

    the quality and tastiness of the food here is pretty good. it's midpoint between l&l (fast food) and the loft. the cashier/waitress was nice and friendly... however, the service of the cooks was super slow. it took about 40 mins to get our order.

    (3)

  • Kenneth Y.

    A small place in a strip mall, but they serve tasty Hawaiian type food, reasonably priced, and sometimes have deals or Groupons. As Hawaiian BBQ goes, this is our favorite place to go. The BBQ Chicken, Katsu Chicken, Beef are all good.

    (4)

  • Olivia H.

    I came here with a bunch of friends to shoot a scene for a short film, and decided to grab some food while I was waiting for everyone to get ready. I didn't want to get anything too heavy so I just ordered a spam musubi, and when I got the styrafoam box it comes in, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were actually 2 large musubis inside. I believe it was Nancy who was working their that night and she was very friendly and helpful to all of us as we kept running in to do the same scene almost a million times :) You definitely get what you pay for and more here!

    (5)

  • Nicole R.

    So let me start this by saying I have never been a fan of the Hawaiian BBQ. I, like many others I am sure, have heard people rave over L&L's and was simply not impressed. I always drove past this place and decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did. First visit - had the Ola fire chicken after the lady working the counter helped me decide (I need to find out her name and she was suuupppeeerrrr nice and helpful) I got the mini plate since I wasn't too hungry just hungry enough. Took it home and omg it was delicious! I have never liked macaroni salad and this converted me... so much so I went back the next day which leads me to... Second visit - had the lemon chicken plate this time whch also turns out to be the lady at the counter fav. Welp it is my new fav as well. So they take this delicious chicken, grill it and is beautifully seasoned but not overly so with pepper and toss a lemon in there. She recommended sqqueezing the lemon and adding the hot sauce and it was delicious! And as you see i enjoyed my macaroni salad again lol. So yes try this place! support it!

    (4)

  • Cynthia J.

    I like this Hawaiian BBQ. - Not only it is close to where i live but its decently priced. The staff is very friendly and willing to help you out. The food is always good and they have good coupons ! They also have specials like the Mini meal or 5$ meal ! I'd rather go here then a lot of other "fast" food in the area.

    (4)

  • Michael H.

    fiery chicken is not typical of other hawaiian bbq places and we love it! can't go wrong with bacon or spam fried rice either! the only thing i wish they can do is to cook the cabbage instead of being raw...most other places either steam or boil the cabbage and it tastes a lot better. Website also needs to be updated since it didn't have everything they currently offer. the $40 coupon for $20 helped out! the girl who took our order (11/26 evening) has an amazing attitude - even though we had take-out, I left her a tip for providing a pleasant experience.

    (4)

  • Lily A.

    Mini meals are a good option for lunch, large portion. Great food and great prices!

    (4)

  • Chuy F.

    I visited this place two times so far and I have enjoyed both experiences. The first time I came was on Taco Tuesday. I was very surprised to find out how big these tacos were when they were served up! These were no typical Cantina Lounge wimpy tacos. This order consisted of two tortillas filled to the brim with meat and toppings. A single order (consisting of two tacos) was enough to fill me up. My first taco was the Hawaiian beef and it was what I was looking for. Deliciously cooked beef that was not full of fatty parts and chopped up so that it was easier to eat taco style. Some sriracha sauce on top and that was a great taco. The second was the chicken. That chicken was very moist and rather than sriracha I put the teriyaki sauce on top. This made for a sweeter and savory chicken taco. In the end I was able to have two of my favorites...Hawaiian and Mexican, put together in a happy marriage that satisfied my hunger. The second time I went I ordered the chicken salad. This was a huge salad that left me surprisingly full. The chicken once again was moist and flavorful. It's pretty hard to screw up a salad so I wont go into further detail. But I will say the vegetables were very fresh and crispy! When I am looking to change up my Taco Tuesday routine I will be back again! Kind staff who will answer your questions and offer suggestions.

    (4)

  • Ken L.

    L&L...you have been so good to me. You were always there when i needed my hawaiian fix. Never changing, always pleasing...you were my go-to hawaiian place for 2 years. But OLA Hawaiian BBQ has swept me off my feet. The Skinny: Ola Fire Chicken. That dish single handedly made me switch from L&L to Ola. Its like...chopped chicken thigh(?) covered in their special fire sauce. I dont know what's in that sauce, but whatever it is, its ola's secret weapon. If they get their name out more, i'm willing to bet L&L will have a hard time staying in business (okay they still have $1 spam musubi tuesdays, which is still going good for them).Coome here, order the Ola Fire chicken. you will not be disappointed. The FUD: Spam Musubi was just okay. they used a different kind of seaweed that i'm not use to, but still good. A nice cut of spam, not too thick, and not too thin. The biggest problem is the rice. Something about it didnt taste right. It really didnt taste like spam musubi rice. I dunno, something about it just struck me weird. Girlfriend got Chicken Katsu and I got Ola fire chicken. Both dishes had juicy, tender soft chicken. Its like....dry chicken never existed! I dont think i can go anywhere else for hawaiian chicken dishes anymore. Its just that good. The one thing i wish Ola had was some brown rice. Brown rice is delicious. The Service: The staff was very friendly. It was just one guy, the boss of the place. He was very quick with helping us and he was an all around friendly guy. I almost wanted to start up a conversation with him if my mouth wasnt so full of fire chicken. Give this place a shot. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Its hole in the wall, and if they end up closing down because of poor publicity, it'll be a dam shame. So everyone who's buying, returning, exchanging books at little professor (i'm looking at you CSUF students), come to OLA. Now.

    (4)

  • Kristeee K.

    This place is my new favorite place to eat. Not only is the food awesome the owner is very welcoming and displays superb costumer service. As I sat there eating my chicken katsu the owner made sure to come by and make sure everything was going well. I've been to other Hawaiian BBQ places and they only seem to interact with you when you order. The owner made sure to engage in conversation with not only myself but everyone who walked through the door. Not alot of people display this kind of costumer service anymore, or when they do it doesn't seem genuine. They even offer special deals every day of the week which is another plus! I will definitely be recommending this place to many and coming back frequently! Oh and make sure you pick up a frequent buyer card cause trust me after you experience this place you WILL come back!

    (5)

  • Mark A.

    1st time eating at this place and certainly enjoyed the exceptional service (friendly and attentive), and the food as well. However, the prices are somewhat high for the quantity of food. It would have been nice to get a little more meat. Honestly, if it weren't for the Yelp deal of $20 for $40, I would have felt I overpaid. Don't get me wrong here, as I did enjoy the food, but the value would not be there for me to want to come back again.

    (4)

  • Ryan H.

    I've had my fair share of Hawaiian fast-food restaurants and this has to be the best one so far! They just switched owners, so they're still getting things together, but the experience is great! Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Food is delicious. I had the Chicken Katsu that had a crispness that I've yet to experience anywhere else. The Spam Musubi was tasty, but a little salty for my taste. I talked with the owner about it and he was definitely willing to hear me out and remedy the situation! Seating is a bit tight and it can get crowded around lunch time, but the total wait time for my food was quick! Plus, I got a free sample of their Crab Rangoons, which were absolutely amazing. Perfect blend of flavors. I'll be coming back here some time in the near future!

    (5)

  • Rosanne P.

    Services was friendly and helpful. I purchased the Yelp Deal that the restaurant offered and mentioned it to the the person who took my order over the phone. After taking down my order she reminded me that I should probably get the most of the deal and order more food. After I was done I had an outrageous amount of food that lasted for days. The food quality was the best that I've had in a long time for Hawaiian BBQ. I would definitely go back.

    (5)

  • ESTHER L.

    I was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness of their bbq chicken. I've learned over the years to stay away from L&L's chicken because it's usually dry and tough. The chicken here is moist and has the most amazing flavor. Yum! =) Although I didn't try it, I heard their bbq beef was pretty good, too. I bought some spam masubis for the kids..they LOVE them! Two masubis for $3.09? It sure beats L&L's prices! The staff are super friendly and everyone greets you with a smile. I would totally recommend eating here if you're looking for good company and yummy food. I'm definitely coming back!

    (5)

  • Kai H.

    I normally don't eat any other hawaiian places beside L&L, aloha, and ono. Ola, if it were a chain, would definitely beat all the other chains out there. Prices are more than fair for the amount of food you're getting. You're also getting quality too over quantity. Some places give you HUGE portions but they are not made to order. Ola made me wait 10 minutes for a great meal and it was worth the wait! Oh yea... if you can, take on their triple threat challenge: 3 types of musubi and 3 of each type. Free if you can finish it. Tip: chew fast.

    (5)

  • Benjamin R.

    Ok food, ok service.

    (3)

  • Kevin D.

    I like their Spam Musubi more than L&L, but that's just my opinion. I usually order Hawaiian BBQ Beef (90%) of the time. Great Food, but sometime the wait is too long. So I suggest calling in for to-go orders.

    (4)

  • Tiki W.

    Okay, so usually I do not go for the Hawaiian food thing. Today though I was feeling very festive and willing to try new kinds of foods. Thank goodness a lot of the Hawaiian foods are similar to Japanese though, or I would have been lost on what was what going into Ola Hawaiian BBQ. For myself, I ordered the Fish & BBQ chicken, and for my boyfriend I ordered him the Chicken Katsu. Originally I had asked if my chicken could be white meat because I dislike dark meat. The girl behind the counter had said that they did have a white meat chicken offer, and took my order slip to the back. As I sat down, the owner and the girl came back out from the kitchen and motioned for me to come back to the counter. The owner said that the only chicken on the menu that was white meat only was the Lemon Pepper Chicken. Wonderfully, the owner asked if it was okay if I would mind having the Lemon Pepper Chicken & Fish instead of the regular dark meat BBQ chicken that the fish normally came with. It really made me happy that the owner and the girl behind the cash wrap really cared about what I had wanted in the first place enough to mesh different plates into one just so I would like eating it. Since the chicken was lemon pepper flavored already, it went nicely with my fish that came with a lemon to squeeze on top. I would recommend this place to other people if you'd like to try some good, simple Hawaiian food. One note to remember though is that if you only want white meat chicken, you can only go with their Lemon Pepper Chicken.

    (4)

  • Andy K.

    I ordered take out and the wait was too long. I had time to shop at the pharmacy next door and watch 15 minutes of futbol that was on the TV next to the cash register. The owner was nice and apologetic, but the food itself didn't make up for the wait. The Katsu sauce was super watery and the macaroni salad wasn't up to snuff. The Spam Musubi was really big, but the proportions weren't right. More sauce, less rice and roll it tight! Loose seaweed wrappers make me sad. :(:( I'll be sticking to L&L down the street.

    (2)

  • Jim D.

    Plate lunches just like Hawaii! Great value; nice, friendly service; good grinds!!

    (5)

  • Catherine W.

    The service has been consistently great, the quality of the food is good and with the yelp deal, it's a bargain!

    (4)

  • Dee Y.

    I came here with husband and got a bunch of musubis and the spam loco moco... The musubis are simple and tasty, and the loco moco was just great. A perfect comfort food. The girl behind the counter was one of the most friendliest, sweetest person I've ever met. We came close to closing time, and even at that time, she was still very friendly. I would be very happy to come here again...

    (4)

  • Priscilla Y.

    Fire chicken was a huge disappointment. Over sauced rubbery chicken, so gross. Beef was not impressive either, tacos were dry. The girl working was really nice though, so a star for that. But I will not be returning. So far Ola and Hot spud in this plaza were both a fail.

    (2)

  • Aletheia W.

    i really wanted to love this place... but...... it fell short. somehow. we got a coupon in a mailer and so decided to try it out. their homemade katsu sauce was extremely lackluster. like... it was really not good, it tasted like... nothing. their katsu was decent. their hawaiian bbq chicken was standard, nothing special. my husband picked up our order, and said that the owner was incredibly nice. and since we like to support our local businesses, i would give them another try.

    (3)

  • Mary H.

    New management, new menu items, and still delicious! Went on Friday night and apparently they have a daily special running. Friday is 15% off any fried entrees. Ordered a chicken katsu and it was dang yummy and crispy. Have to try their make-your-own fried rice next time.

    (5)

  • Bernice C.

    I went for the first time with a friend about a week ago after hearing several positive remarks about this restaurant, and my first visit was fantastic. After driving for about 20-30 minutes, I walked in, and every worker was friendly with a smile on their face. Their food is delicious! I feel like I got my money's worth, if not more, and I had leftovers for dinner. I also bought food for my friend to eat after she got off work, and she loved it too. It was definitely a great first experience. I'm bummed that Ola is bit of a drive, but it is definitely worth the drive when I crave some yummy hawaiian food! A few days after, two of my friends from school went without me. I must say, I was bummed that they didn't take me with them, but I asked my friend to order a spam masubi for me. He came back and gave me a box that had two inside. WOAH! TWO SPAM MASUBIS?!?! It definitely turned my day around! And they were ridiculously yummy! As far as I know, Ola gets two thumbs up for food and service! I can't wait to go back again =)

    (5)

  • Jonathan F.

    This place deserves a taste! As others have said, this place is great competition for L&L and other Hawaiian BBQ plate lunches. Came here for some late lunch because my gf saw it on yelp. The lady behind the counter was so courteous! She offered us water while we waited for our food and took our cups to throw when we picked up our food to go. The Ola fire chicken is pretty good if a bit saucy; BBQ chicken was on point. And the prices were great! Their $5 value meal is a better value proposition than subway's footlongs, and it comes with a drink! Give them a try, you won't be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Torrence L.

    I used to go to L&L and The Loft in Lakewood a lot before i found this place. Compare to the other two Hawaiian BBQ place, this one is a lot cheaper for the same amount if not more food. My favorite is the ola fire chicken! mmmm sooo good. I would drive all the way out to fullerton just to get it. The sauce is really different from anything i ever tasted. It mixes really well with the chicken and when you eat it with rice, Best favor ever! and i dont even really like chicken. The service is always really fast, the owner and the girls who work in the front is super nice. They always make the effort to talk to you and see hows your food.

    (5)

  • Larry C.

    Spam fried rice is off the HOOK!!

    (4)

  • Cindy W.

    Dangit!! I wanted to be the first to review this place..epic fail! I came here because I had a coupon for buy one get one free with a purchase of two drinks. L&L has some competition from this place. It is about $1-2 dollar cheaper than L&L and I feel like they give you alot more food. I had the chicken plate. It came with 3 large pieces of perfectly grilled bbq chicken. Not too salty, very juicy and tender. One of the things that I fear when I get chicken at hawaiin places is that the chicken will be overly seasoned or too salty but this one was spot on. The macaroni salad was another story. Hmmm it had a bit too much mayo in it and tasted a little on the bland side. The service is really good. The lady at the counter is super nice and asked us if we liked our meal. This is def a mom and pop shop. Great food, fast and friendly service. I will be back! They have the special of $5.00 for a your choice of chicken, 2 scoops or rice and macaroni salad. Usually the large plates are around $7.00

    (4)

  • Alice L.

    INTRODUCING THEIR NEW TACOS!!!!!!! i popped back in today, and found a delight! tacos are now being served OLA styled! with their signature bbq beef or bbq chicken OR their fish, these tacos are absolutely OFF the HOOK! xD (did you like my pun? :]) served in warm soft corn tortillas topped with fresh diced tomatoes and cabbage, these tacos are absolutely AMAZING! each order comes with two tacos (either chicken or beef or fish) and i cant talk any more about them because their too friggin great. NOTE: taco tuesdays! 2 tacos for $3!! :)

    (5)

  • Jennifer F.

    I had their spam masubi and beef barbecue, both of which were good but the same as anywhere else. Their boba milk tea is extremely sugary and artificial tasting. Service is very friendly.

    (3)

  • Michael K.

    Perhaps it's just me, but I've noticed that Hawaiian themed restaurants tend to be rather empty. This was no exception, but I can't really figure out why. The staff is incredibly helpful, and the food very tasty. About the only issue I can really think of is that it's kind of far from where we live, but that hasn't stopped us before.

    (4)

  • Kevin K.

    Good for getting your Hawaiian craving fixed. The Good: The food is pretty good. The Bad: The only problem I had with this restaurant is the SODA. Yes, I need to have good quality soda and unlimited re-fills where ever i go to eat. Its just my thing i guess. The label is for Diet Coke, but it is definitely RC Cola or some cheap Cola. The soda is also flat, which was very disappointing. When i go to get food, it will always be for take out, so that i can go over to Jack in the Box( next door) and get my soda.

    (3)

  • Johnson L.

    Nothing really special about this place. The $5 value meal is not my favorite because I do not like soda and I would prefer to get the mini meal with macaroni salad. The food here was meh, nothing special and a little of the skimpy side.

    (3)

  • Kenny A.

    Had the $5 bbq chicken lunch special. Chicken was perfectly cooked. Also had some musubi and the spam was delicious. Just need to pack the musubi a little tighter but can't complain. Right now they have some good coupons too, available right at the counter. My coworkers were able to get one plate free with purchase of another plate and two large drinks. They ended up splitting about $11. Nice! I'll be back to try their spam fried rice and chicken katsu... but for now I think they're a nice alternative to other Hawaiian spots.

    (4)

  • Ira J.

    Great service and great food. I ordered the chicken combo, it was a lot of food and very good. The gal working didn't let me miss out on their house made katsu and teriyaki sauce.

    (5)

  • Monty V.

    Fresh back from Afghanistan I land and need to attend a wedding just 4 hours later. I stayed at the nearby hotel since it was close to the wedding and needed some quick grub. Well I walked out and saw this place and said why not. I gotta warn you normally I can eat anything the first couple of weeks as anything but cafeteria food is good. This place disappoint my taste buds though. Spam masubi was good and didn't use the half seaweed that I see some places try to pull off and spicy chicken and teriyaki chicken were good. Mac salad as a bit runny but overall a good place to eat. Did it stand out, no. Like I said though I was hungry and it satisfied my needs.

    (3)

  • Roman A.

    This place had some of the best Hawaiian food I have had outside of Hawaii.

    (4)

  • Morekimchi K.

    Spam musubi was excellent. Bbq chicken mini plate was delicious as well with a delicious macaroni salad. Dip everything in the hot sauce and teriyaki and you will be very happy. Friendly service too!

    (4)

  • Melanie M.

    I usually go to Island Grill in Los Alamitos when it comes to Hawaiian BBQ - and every once in a while I will go to L&L...I have to say I was somewhat dissapointed with Ola.. I had the Fire Chicken - It was good - not great, but good I also had the Katsu - was good also - again not great, but good. Here is my true issue with Ola...IT WAS THE RICE! It was overcooked and somewhat mushy, and made everything else seem blah. How do you mess up rice when that is the staple of all of your dishes? Also, the macaroni salad was bland and had WAY too much mayo - and that's all it was, noodles & cream, not good. I at least gave it three stars for the good things. The young girl at the cash register was awesome - it was her first day and she was sooooo friendly. The owner seemed friendly too. Also, because this place is new and can only get better. They have bacon fried rice on the menu as well as spam masubi, so I may go back. I was just hoping to have another great Hawaiian BBQ place to go to - until then, I will stay at the Island Grill in Los Alamitos!

    (3)

  • Yummy L.

    We visited on 8/6. We were greeted by warm alohas as we entered. The young lady behind the counter was very helpful and courteous. Everything we had was delicious and good portions...Spam Musubi, Chicken Katsui, BBQ Mix, Kalbi. We really enjoyed the milk tea boba too! Will visit again every time we're in town.

    (5)

  • Mehrdad M.

    My name is Mehrdad, and I'm a chicken katsu curry addict. There, I said it. To get my fix, I usually go to L&L Hawaiian BBQ. Their version isn't bad, but their curry is VERY hit or miss. Why does their curry taste like cigarette butts mixed with water 60% of the time? Thankfully, this lovely "mom and pop" shop has opened up in my neighborhood. The service is impeccable. The little Asian lady that runs the place, is always cool about me substituting the "salad," for an extra scoop of macaroni salad. Their curry has big, fat chunks of carrots, potatoes, and onions in it. It tastes MUCH better than L&L's version. Coincidentally, their menus are basically identical. However, the one at Ola is ALWAYS cheaper by about one or two dollars. This is a GREAT place to eat, and is conveniently located. So please support them. Mom and Pop establishments like this deserve all the help that they can get in this economy. You won't be sorry.

    (5)

  • Lucas F.

    I gotta give this place 5 stars. The owner is such a nice guy, if he is there be sure to say hello. The amount of quality food you get for the price you pay is unbelievable. Their chicken katsu is a must try.

    (5)

  • M E.

    Strolled to this place for dinner on a Saturday night. Not too crowded so the service was fast. I believe it was the owner that took our order. He was very friendly and helped me decide on what I should order. If I had a larger appetite I would've taken his challenge on the triple threat. I ordered a mini meal with the Ola fire chicken. The chicken was not too spicy but spicy enough. It was grilled chicken with some onions and it was bomb. My girlfriend had the mini meal with chicken katsu which was also very delicious. Check this place out it's worth a try!

    (4)

  • Philip S.

    Pretty good! Chicken Katsu is nicely done. The kalbi ribs could be a bit more cooked, if you bbq them a bit more they get a caramelized coating. Overall, worth the money. Be aware parking is hard due to its location near CSUF.

    (4)

  • e k.

    My family and I happened to be staying at the Residence Inn nearby and were looking for take out food. Since we all like Hawaiian food, we decided to try this place. We were not disappointed -- in fact if we lived nearby, we would probably become frequent customers. We all enjoyed the very generous portions of food. Everything tasted great -- the Ola Chicken, the Chicken Katsu, BBQ Chicken, Beef, and Fried Fish. The two young ladies who took our orders were sooo sweet and friendly, and they made us feel very welcome there. If we're ever in the area again, we'd definitely go back.

    (5)

  • Mary F.

    This was my first time having Hawaiian food. I had the chicken katsu and spam musubi it was serve hot, fresh and it was plentiful!!

    (5)

  • Tia S.

    Great food, but bad service. I hate ordering from someone who looks like they hate their job. Not one smile, just an attitude.

    (3)

  • Stephanie W.

    Desperate for something other than jack in the box and mcdonalds, I went searching and came across this place. I've always loved Hawaiian food, so this was a good choice. Nice friendly welcome as in walked through the door, and tasty smelling food too. I ordered my food a lunch special for $5, which was a great deal for Hawaiian food. I waited and waited and waited. It took 20 mins for my food to come out. I didn't even have time to eat it, since I only get 30 mins for lunch. When I opened the box, it was a really small portion. I was kinda disappointed.

    (3)

  • JOHN W.

    Our dinner at Ola Hawaiian BBQ was AMAZING. The price was fair, generous portions, filling meal, and super courteous, perky, friendly staff. She was very sweet and tried to accommodate everyone. Slushy Saturday- a great deal, where you can buy one slush and get the second one 50% off. Boba (unlike other places) was free, with perfect consistency and sweetness. The pepper lemon chicken, BBQ chicken, katsu, macaroni salad...all delicious. Would definitely come back again!

    (5)

  • Bobbi D.

    This is my new favorite spot to eat - food and prices are great, & the people who work here are super nice. Rock on Ola !!!

    (5)

  • Marvin S.

    Very, very good food. Friendly service and owner is an awesome dude. I highly recommend going here.

    (5)

  • Danny C.

    great food, nice and clean place. Fast service.

    (4)

  • Irice S.

    WARNING!!!!!! If you're thinking of purchasing the $20 for $40 Yelp deal, it will NOT WORK ON CATERING UNLESS YOU SPEND $200!!!!! Definitely misleading! Nowhere on the fine print does it indicate that catering orders are exempt from the deal and it also does not indicate the $200 rule. I just called in and got a simple, "Sorry." Sad to say, I haven't even tried the place, but they should really be more mindful of their advertising. SMH.

    (1)

  • Takeyo M.

    Great service, reasonable prices, generous servings, quick service. Used the Yelp $20 for $40 worth of food. Ordered the family pack with Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Katsu Chicken, Ola Fire Chicken it also came with Macaroni Salad and Steamed Rice. Ordered the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Musubi and Hawaiian BBQ Salad. Yum. Looking forward to my next visit.

    (5)

  • TJ C.

    Ono chicken katsu! Doing a job in Placentia & found this little place thanx to yelp, mahalo. Only been once, but was good, so I'll be back.

    (4)

  • Craig N.

    Awesome Yelp deal. The food was pretty good overall. And the service was very friendly

    (4)

  • s y.

    dont get your hopes up yelpers, this place is mediocre at best. portions are disappointing, quality of food is below expectation. and their idea of vegetable, is just threaded lettuce. i'd probably never come back again. *they use the cheapest kind of styrofoam as utensils. hot food + Styrofoam = cancer risk!!!

    (2)

  • Eric B.

    Great service, one of those very low key Hawaiian BBQ spots.

    (4)

  • Maria N.

    This place is ok... I don't understand the huge appeal, I have had much better Hawaiian BBQ at L&L and others. I had a mini meal. Don't be mislead by the pictures! It's one small piece of chicken, which was really tasty, and 2 scoops of bland, mushy rice. The "veggie" is raw, shredded cabbage. My friend had the chicken Katsu and it was crispy, but tasted like it was fried in old oil. This place was a mild disappointment. I was lead here because of the awesome yelp reviews. The service on the other hand was great!! I'll come back again to try the spicy chicken. I just hope the rice tastes better next time.

    (3)

  • Jimmy M.

    Ula fire chicken is great!

    (5)

  • Joe L.

    This place is awesome! You can't go wrong with any of the bbq meats. I especially like the beef. You gotta try the bacon fried rice. It's new on the menu but definitely a winner. They don't skimp on the bacon and it's got a little kick to it.

    (5)

  • darrin l.

    needed some take-out lunch and was staying nearby at the crowne plaza. this is a gem tucked away in a strip mall. the young woman manning the counter was extremely helpful and very friendly. while we were waiting for our food they had track and field on the TV. now how many places would be showing track and field; for me i loved it. we ordered the family meal plus 2 side orders of fried shrimp to feed 5 people. we were told the bbq chicken and the teriyaki chicken were very similar and that was, indeed, the case. we were amazed at the amount of food we got, especially the chicken. the rice was perfect as was the macaroni. the shrimp stayed crunchy. even the large soda orders were more than a fair price. even with the 5 of us we couldn't eat all the food. loved everything!

    (5)

  • Bryan H.

    I like to think I am a connoisseur of take-out Hawaiian food. Ohana Hawaiian BBQ, L&L Hawaiian BBQ, Maui Hawaiian BBQ, etc... Every Friday I do laundry at Super Wash and Dry and usually run across the parking lot to Jack In the Box but this time I tried Ola Hawaiian BBQ. I must say I really enjoyed it. I got my usual standby of the chicken katsu and BBQ chicken plate. It is on par, if not better than Oahana Hawaiian BBQ in Anaheim, CA. Friendly service, they take ATM cards with a visa or master card logo. It was quick for being cooked fresh. Best of all it tastes great. Even the macaroni salad was really good.

    (4)

  • Chris L.

    Had a fantastic experience here. The food is great I had the BBQ beef + musubi sideorder. The owners also a great guy. I'm definately going to become a regular here since I live down the street. Very well priced. The meat was marinated so well!

    (5)

  • davie g.

    Ok, so after reading what, 30 reviews of this place I thought it was odd no one mentioned a Loco Moco? Ok, so it was a 13 mile round trip but I never mind a drive for a good meal. I arrive and no Loco Moco on the menu board. Hmm... ok. I ask the guy at the counter and he says they're out. I said "you're out"? He said they were out of the ground beef for the Loco Moco. He advised me although it's not on the menu board, it's on the take out menu. So I ordered two mini meals (you know, I wanted to make the most of my 13 mile round trip). So, I examine the take out menu the entire time I'm waiting for my order (yes, they offered water). I never could find it on the take-out menu so I asked the guy to point it out. He couldn't find it either! I don't know, maybe Loco Moco's not a big seller, but if this Haole's dragging his sorry butt to a Hawaiian BBQ, that's what I want. I've NEVER gone to a place calling itself a Hawaiian BBQ and have them tell me I'm s.o.l. because they're out of Loco Moco. Am I right? I'd ding them for this, but my score is for the food I tried. Period. P.S. this next sentence or two are edits...I just checked their on-line menu and their catering menu. No Loco Moco. Guess what kids, this Hawaiian BBQ doesn't seem to sell it. Sorry. Edit complete. Proceed. That off my chest...I tried the most popular dish, Fire Chicken, and the Island Curry Chicken. When I got home, I tried a couple bites of each, and decided to eat the Island Curry Chicken for lunch. The hint of char taste with the curry flavor and the chunks of veggies was great. I only got the full brunt of the curry heat when I got to the bottom of the dish where the cabbage had been soaking in the curry sauce. The Fire Chicken was good, too. If Sriracha is your poison in the hot sauce game, you'll love this dish. Although I do like Sriracha, it's not number one on my list. Some people complained about too much or too little sauce, I thought the amount was fine. And it really does pack some heat for you light-weights. I liked the Mac salad, and I feel rice is rice, so I'd be just as happy with two mac salad scoops. Bottom line...I give the curry chicken a 4 and a half stars, and the fire chicken a 3 and a half so we can spit the difference and call it a solid 4.

    (4)

  • Kaila D.

    I had the Ola fire chicken bowl for $5 and thought it was really good...especially with their teriyaki sauce! I'll be coming back, that's for sure.

    (4)

  • Jeremy P.

    Amazing local place to get your hawaiian food cravings out of the way. Conveniently located next to my school, California State University, Fullerton, it is a great place for college students to grab a quick, cheap, and satisfying meal. Always expect your meal to be steaming and delicious whether you eat there or at home. My real home is located hours away from my apartment in Anaheim. Back there, I had a favorite Hawaiian restaurant that I went to almost daily. I have been missing that until I discovered this jewel. This restaurant is very notable in its generosity, service, and welcoming of customers. They always care about their customers and treat them like family. I really appreciate the personal connection they like to make to regular customers. I highly recommend trying this place out if you haven't already. As long as I live here, I'll keep coming back!

    (5)

  • Scott A.

    My wife and I stopped in at Ola Hawaiian BBQ on our way to the Brea Improv on Friday night. I've had mixed experiences with Hawaiian BBQ and was once again relying on the 'Yelp' community to steer me in the right direction. Have you ever seen one of these places that was not in a non-descript shopping center. Since I'm a deal guy the Yelp 20 for 35 pushed me over the edge and sealed my fate. When entering the restaurant a couple college age kids were getting themselves hyped up to attempt Ola's Triple Threat Challenge. Not knowing what this was my first thought is that it might involve the Full-Body Asian Massage Parlor and Pho place next store. Then the waitress spoke up and let everyone know the it involves eating a huge portion of Chicken Katsu without water in less than 15 minutes. We placed our order, which for $35 was like the entire menu and then enjoyed the show. The waitress and owner cheered them on, but it was in vain. These guys, including one who had previously attempted the feat, failed miserably. By my estimation they got about 1/2 of it down before time ran out. Great show while we waited for our food. So now for the food. We sampled the Island Chicken Curry, Ola Fire Chicken, BBQ Beef, and Kalua Pulled Pork. All served with white rice and macaroni salad. I could not get enough of the Ola Fire Chicken (spicy, but very flavorful) and BBQ Beef. My wife loved the Island Chicken Curry and we were both too stuffed to hit the Kalua Pork. We packed that up and took it home. Best Hawaiian BBQ that I have ever had! Waitress was bubbly and fun. She made the rounds regularly, refilling drinks and chatting everyone up. She enjoys her job and the interaction with the customers. The owner was also there and was helpful and friendly. This place is super clean.

    (5)

  • Terence Y.

    Very community and family friendly. Great place for fundraisers. My go to place for Hawaiian food in Fullerton. Prices are appropriate, and lots of parking is available.

    (4)

  • bbmama m.

    We have been coming to Ola Hawaiian BBQ for 2 summers now. We travel to California every summer for baseball and we absolutely love coming to Ola for some Hawaiian BBQ food. The food here is OK and reasonably priced. The staff here is very friendly. Twice we walked in on the brink of them closing for the day. They more than willing let us order and didn't make us feel rushed that they were closing. The BBQ was a little dry, maybe overlooked, but nonetheless very tasty. The Kalbi ribs had good flavor as well. We will be back next year! Thank you Ola Hawaiian BBQ!

    (5)

  • Stephanie S.

    Came here several times within the last week for a fundraiser, and I really enjoyed my visits! I wouldn't say this place had the BEST Hawaiian BBQ in the area, but the service I received is incomparable!! The entire staff was attentive, energetic, and friendly. Even though our group was large, they always found a way to accommodate us. The cashiers had big smiles on their faces, and they made sure to check on our party, even though this is more of a casual to-go restaurant. The spam musubi and chicken katsu meals weren't bad either! I'd definitely come back here for the service.

    (4)

  • Amber C.

    Good food with wide variety!! I normally eat at Maui Hawaiian BBQ and I have to say I like this place a bit more. Although I prefer Maui Hawaiian BBQ macaroni salad more, very clean place and good customer service .

    (4)

  • Natalie N.

    The food here is great! Personal favorite is the teriyaki chicken, and my husband loves the chicken katsu! I have seen the lady who works behind the counter everytime I've been in there, and she is super nice and can help you if you don't know what to order- who knew hawaiian food could be so good!

    (4)

  • Andrew K.

    Located in a strip mall off Placentia Ave., next to Pepe's and 1/4 mile from CSUF, Ola Hawaiian BBQ serves the same standard menu items and the convenience of getting your food quickly as you would expect from L&L at comparable prices. The difference, however, is in the quality of the meat and its preparation. The kalbi short ribs are not overcooked and not as oily as L&L. I also thought the beef was well marinated and had a more delicate, authentic flavor to it. Kudos to the owner Stan for getting the Korean recipe right! The skinless marinated chicken is also well seasoned with a light barbecue sauce and the meat is tender. The chicken katsu skin is crispy and not too oily. The Hawaiian BBQ Mix (combination of BBQ beef, BBQ chicken and Kalbi), $8.29 is the best bet if you are hungry and like variety. And I would recommend any of their $5 Meals or the Lunch Bowls, $4.89 and up, to all the starving students and people on a budget. The staff is very friendly! Thank you Stan, Judy and Jewel for always greeting your patrons with a smile and making certain the food is prepared to our satisfaction! Look for coupons by following them on Twitter or "like" them on Facebook. There are also flyers with coupons inside at the counter. Two Hawaiian BBQ Beef or Chicken Tacos for $3.00 on Taco Tuesdays! Also look for weekend specials and food eating challenges on Saturdays! 1st Year Anniversary Special: get a free soda with any lunch plate special, 10% off fried rice and free cookies while you wait! November 5-12.

    (4)

  • sohphia m.

    I got the yelp $35 for $20. The food was made on time. Excellent service but the beef kalbi ribs was very hard to chew I guess the meat quality is not that great comparw to other places. The chicken katsu is the best!!! Worth the money. Overall it's decent.

    (3)

  • Merry J.

    Love, love, love this little spot! Everything I have tried has been superb and I have tried quite a few things! The loco moco is my favorite, the chicken katsu is delicious and huge portion, the lemon pepper chicken is very nicely flavored as well! I love getting the musubis everytime, they save well and I'm always in the mood for it. There is always the same gal there and she is such a delight! A pleasant experience each and every time

    (5)

  • Doug P.

    It's a little hole in the wall casual restaurant like chinese take out restaurant with a few seats. Had the fire chicken, honey garlic wings, and spam masubi. Everything was just okay. Fire chicken was better than okay I guess. I'll have to come back and try other things because I love Hawaiian food and really want to give it 5 stars!

    (3)

  • Rachel S.

    This Hawaiian BBQ joint is nothing special. I was turned off when I saw in the cashier's face how uninterested she was in taking my order. She didn't smile or say hi back to me. We ate there & it was nice that she actually walked over & brought our food to us. But I'm guessing she was too lazy to shout what order numbers were ready or was bored & wanted to walk around. I said thank you to her & I got nothing... Kinda rude. I think I'll come back again just bc I know people who are interested in doing the challenge :)

    (3)

  • Noemi B.

    my favorite spot for Hawaiian BBQ!! Good location SUPER close to CSUF and the workers are always SO FRIENDLY! I have come here for individual meals, group meals, and even used them for catering services. Their Macaroni salad is INSANELY awesome!!

    (5)

  • Chris C.

    On a Wednesday evening, I got the 20 for 40 yelp deal and went all out. We got 2 BBQ mix plates, 1 loco moco plate, 1 ola fire chicken mini, 2 spam musubis, 2 chicken katsu musubis, extra order of mac salad for 39.90. - Great service. She gave us lots of sides/sauces and even brought water to us. Gave recommendations. - Compared to LV hawaiian bbq, it's about the same price, the taste and quality of LV far surpasses their flavor. Try Island Flavor next time you go to LV - I'd say this is like L&Ls, but a bit more expensive and comes with less rice. - Although I haven't used them, there's a great deal each day. - I'd just come here for a quick bite for lunch. - Musubi Challenge? oooo

    (3)

  • PeggySue H.

    I was looking forward to Hawaiian BBQ. The food started out OK but it was mostly bone and gristle. I chew on what I thought was a piece if meat for a long time. I just spit it out before I choked. Maybe I just got a bad batch. I don't know if I would go back.

    (1)

  • Elaine N.

    I used to go to Aloha Hawaiian BBQ when I was in Irvine, I'm happy to have found my new go-to while in Fullerton! I ordered Chicken Katsu with rice and mac salad - the katsu and mac salad definitely hit the spot. They had a variety of sauces to choose from too! I also shared a spam musubi which was ay-okay. Fast service and fast food, definitely what I was looking for.

    (4)

  • Juan F.

    I came here with the hunger and confidence that I would defeat the Triple Threat Challenge. It consists of 3 Spam Musubis, 3 Chicken Musubis, 3 Beef Musubis, 3 Scoops of Mac Salad, and the wild card: No Drink. I looked at the Wall of Shame and there were plenty of people. I looked at the Wall of Fame and there were 2 people. Maybe I could be the 3rd? Nope. My chances ended as soon as I got to the restaurant because I got there thirsty and I had to drink a bunch of water before I even started... When the food came out, it smelled delicious. I finished 7 out of the 9 musubis including the Mac Salad. However, that won't and I had to take a picture for the Wall of Shame. I won't be eating that for a while now.... I feel like a fatass.

    (4)

  • Randoll C.

    Life is littered with many little disappointments. I tend to have this outlook when it comes to finding good Hawaiian food without having to fly back home. I didn't know what I wanted for dinner but I had a craving for Hawaiian or Ramen so I let my friend choose from the two options. She picked Hawaiian, so I picked Ola's. After my experience at another highly rated Hawaiian joint in Carson, I wasn't expecting too much. I'm glad when my expectations are proved wrong. First of all, it's close to where my friend and I attend church and it was a nice to find the place decorated with signs of their faith. The Fish was also playing in the background. When I do listen the the radio, my dial is always set on 95.9 if I'm within their radio coverage area. We walk in and it's a few minutes before we're greeted by the front counter person - she's off to the side handling personal matters on her cell phone. That's not a big deal for me as I know what I want but my friend has all sorts of questions. In fact, we ended up having the party behind us order first because my friend didn't know what she wanted so it's not like our waiting inconvenienced us. In fact, the employee displayed great patience with my friend's barrage of questions regarding substitutions. Often times I have to remind my friend that we're not at Burger King and she can't have it her way. We ended up ordering a Chicken Combo (BBQ & Katsu) with no rice - all Macaroni Salad for me; the Seafood Noodle Soup for my friend and a side of Spam Musubi to share. I truly enjoyed my meal. Both Chicken selections were flavorful and cooked just right. I enjoy Katsu where I don't have to drown the chicken with Tonkatsu for taste. In this case, the sauce was minimal because both the breading and chicken had enough flavor on their own. When it comes to Macaroni Salad, I'm very hard to please. In fact, will not eat salad made with certain types of mayo. Last night, I enjoyed the salad so much I inhaled all three scoops like I was actually doing the triple threat challenge (more to come on that). Unfortunately, my friend didn't care for her Noodle Soup. She picked out the seafood and vegetables but she left a lot of the noodles. She was expecting Saimin as opposed to Udon style noodles. I'm not a big fan of the thicker noodles as well so I tried a few bites then we ended up discarding the rest. Good thing she enjoyed the Musubi otherwise we'd have to order more or go somewhere else to feed her. The Musubi wasn't bad either. A nice thick cut of Spam and a nice balance of rice and sauce to blend the flavors together. On a side note - there's a food challenge at Ola's that consists of eating 9 Musubis and 3 scoops of Macaroni Salad in 15 minutes without taking a drink. Those who know me know I'll be back to have my pic put up on the wall of fame (there's pics of those who failed "wall of shame") but last night's visit was for taste. No way I'm going to eat a bunch of stuff I don't like.

    (4)

  • J C.

    food was ok, we used a deal but customer service was GREAT...!! Sharon was so sweet and attentive!

    (4)

  • Binh T.

    Another good lunch spot by CSUF. My friend, Anna Q., and I come here often when we're not craving for American food. We usually go for the Chicken Katsu mini meal which is anything but mini. But this past year, I have discovered the amazing taste of spam fried rice. I must warn you, you'll have to wait a while because they make it when you order and your food will come out smoking hot. But wow, can they make a fried rice. With hot sauce, this less-than-$10 lunch is very satisfying. They usually have check-in offers which is always a Yelp star plus, too. The cashier that works here is really nice. She also attends CSUF, I think. She's always chatting with you while you wait for your food which makes the wait time seem shorter. She'll also offer you water on hot days. Plenty of parking and again, walkable from CSUF. My friend and I always cut through Denny's to here instead of turning the corner. There are several tables but a lot of people get it mostly to go, so they'll be a seat just for you whom choose to dine in.

    (3)

  • Kris H.

    My family loved the spam musubi, the chicken katsu and the boba milk tea. We found the lemon chicken and the beef to be a bit too salty. Mom loved the macaroni salad. The service was really good. Wish I knew the name of the woman who helped me. It was Saturday evening, July 5th. Great job!

    (4)

  • Crystal I.

    Love the frequent buyer card!! Place is a little run down. The cabbage has an interesting flavor but its good overall.

    (3)

  • Nina M.

    I went here for lunch today with my boyfriend. We dined there. I ordered the Kalbi ribs and my bf ordered the Chicken Katsu. I enjoyed both, and would likely order the chicken again. I wouldn't order the ribs again because it was a little difficult to eat....maybe if they cut it better, but I was having trouble with the plastic fork/knife and the styrofoam to-go box that I kept cutting through. Positives: great customer service, tasty sauces, reasonable prices (especially if you use the check-in deals), location is close to school Negatives: no proper silverware or plates when dining at the restaurant, the dining area was very warm (no ac?), I wish there was more macaroni salad and less rice. Overall: we would go back due to our location at school. It's a good deal with decent food, especially if you plan on buying a lot off the menu.

    (3)

  • Corey P.

    I did the Triple Threat challenge and I failed. Find me in the pictures. After eating that much food, I can still comfortably say that the Spam Musubi is still enjoyable, as is the Beef Masubi (which may not be a regular menu item). I do not enjoy the texture or taste of their chicken, but that may be because I was shoving food in my mouth for 15 minutes straight. Macaroni Salad is decent enough to be a filler. The $5 lunch deal is modest at best, a good amount of meat with 2 scoops of rice. Nothing fancy. The workers here are really friendly. If you're in the area and you are craving Hawaiian food, come check them out. Otherwise, I don't see myself coming back here until maybe the end of summer.

    (3)

  • Jimmy T.

    I bought the deal, and I always get the family meal, and a one mini meal to eat there. The food and service is always awesome. I love the Christian music that is playing when you are there.

    (5)

  • Cory M.

    I love going to Ola Hawaiian BbbQ. The food here is amazing. The quality, freshness, is excellent. The staff is friendly, outgoing, and very helpful. The music, and decor is encouraging. I highly recommend this restaurant.

    (5)

  • Nhi Thao N.

    My boyfriend and I ate dinner at Ola Hawaiian BBQ two nights ago. We had a Yelp deal ($20 for $40 of food and drinks). We wanted to try a new place, and Ola got pretty good reviews overall on Yelp, so we decided to check it out. It turned out to be in the same plaza as the Pho Lover restaurant that we ate at a while back. Ola is a small, casual eatery. Orders are taken at the register. The cashier was very nice and friendly and seems to really love her job! Apparently there are two food challenges offered here, where you basically have to eat a whole bunch of food in a limited amount of time and if you succeed, you don't have to pay for the food. Most people fail the food challenges, based on the wall of losers' pictures versus winners. We ended up ordering: - Hawaiian BBQ mix entree $8.29 - Kalbi short ribs entree $8.50 - Seafood noodle soup entree $6.89 - Chicken combo entree $7.29 - Spam musubi 2-pc $3.09 - Crab Rangoon appetizer $3.49 - 2 small boba milk teas $1.95 ea Wow that was a lot of food, and we only went over our deal by $1.45 before tax. Each entree came with a separate portion of rice and macaroni salad. We ate the seafood noodle soup entree and the Kalbi short ribs entree, 1 piece of spam musubi and the crab rangoon and took the rest to-go. The food here is okay to good. The crab rangoon is a crispy wonton with crab and cream cheese inside. I didn't really taste that much crab, if any, so I wasn't too fond of the mainly cream cheesy taste. The spam musubi was good, but it was pretty simple: a piece of spam over rice wrapped in seaweed. I might try to make that myself at home sometime as it looks pretty easy to replicate. I liked the soup and Kalbi ribs, which were both tasty. The milk teas tasted just okay to me, slightly watered down, I thought. Overall, I liked this place but it's more of a place to pick up food to-go or to go for a casual lunch, not really a date night kind of place. Everything is very affordable here, though, so we definitely got a lot for our deal! I give a thumbs-up to great customer service.

    (3)

  • Mike L.

    Chick katsu was ok, but the cabbage slaw was very raw and no taste. This is a college kid hang out so you can see kids chatting in there for hours. If you are not a college kid, you are out of place (like me). The only thing going for them is the price. I can see why college kids like this place, a cheap lunch, not bad.

    (2)

  • Valerie G.

    Tasty food, but I come here because they have the sweetest and friendliest service in town.

    (5)

  • Jensen W.

    The beef masubi is really delicious. I used to go once a week for them till I moved. Everyone there is really friendly and relaxed. Drop by and give it a try!

    (5)

  • Jen T.

    Whoever the girl was at the counter with the jolly voice, damn your amazing. Great customer service, very informative and on top of everything. You shouldn't be working at a fast food place, work at a 5 star restaurant . That being said the food was m'eh. I order the plate with the terriyaki chicken. Too salty , the meat didn't taste fresh at all. I would even say the meat had a rubbery texture. I don't like sauce stuff so much , kinda sad, I forgot to tell them no sauce because they really drench everything . The best thing about the meal was the rice.I love rice. 2 star food, 1 star service

    (3)

  • Allan R.

    Honestly this place has very standard fare hawaiian dishes. Same style as L&L, but with more of a family down home feel. The service is great; the owner is a really friendly guy. He started the place with his mother a couple years back. They do two different challenges: Giant Musubi Challenge, and also a Giant Plate challenge. If you finish either one of the challenges the food is free. I think the Musubi is $25 and the Plate is $35 if you can't finish in the one sitting. I think I will try it out one day. You get your picture on the wall and a t-shirt too! Their Spam musubis are great. Chicken katsu and bbq chicken is good. the place offers a great deal right now $20 for $35, which I would take advantage of. They offer a family meal for about $29, it feeds four, but could easily feed six. I would recommend that since these guys are very generous with portions. Try it out, shouldn't disappoint for the price and the friendly service.

    (4)

  • Emma M.

    Best poke I've ever had. You wouldn't expect it when you see the shopping center it's in, but trust me. Get the poke--I got house special. They even have a stamp card, so if you get 10 poke bowls, you get the next for free. In addition the girl working there is super cheerful and friendly to customers. I had had a very long day and her positive attitude made all the difference.

    (5)

  • K B.

    This place does not have a restroom for customers. The service was good. The poke bowl and spam musubi were good. The Loco moco had burned eggs and very little gravy. The ramen was bland. I can't get over the fact that they do not offer a restroom.

    (3)

  • Steven F.

    I'm sorry, but when you open at 11am but tell me at 11:10 that you'll open in 10 minutes, you make me not want to eat there anymore. Not sure how your food is, but there are other places to go anyways.

    (2)

  • Tom I.

    Came here about 5 years ago, like it then and love it now. Not sure why it took me so long to come back. Great service, great food, atmosphere is good and the restaurant is clean. Will definitely be back, this time I will not wait so long. If you have not tried their bacon fried rice, it's a must, it is yummy! I also think that the price is super reasonable. It looks like they were pretty busy, so I am surprised they closed so early. I did try to stop by on Monday, but I was there at about 8:55 p.m. I wasn't aware that their kitchen is closed at 8:45 p.m. and the restaurant is closed at 9 p.m. But glad I decided to come back and try it out again tonight. Price: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Quality/Quantity: 5/5 Cleanliness: 5/5 Customer Service: 5/5

    (5)

  • Nelle R.

    Went in there because I saw how many reviews and how good the past reviews were... My experience was not at all great. Went in around 8 at night a few weeks ago and there was a helpful young lady who was friendly and very attentive. There was a young Asian looking guy cooking in the back with glasses. The food I received (ordered for my boyfriend) came out not at all what was expected or close to the pictures. The mac salad only had 2 spoon full bites which was very small in portion. The chicken katsu combo with their specialty chicken was bland. The chicken katsu was small in portion as if they used a baby bird for their cutlets. It had a funny taste to it too, like the oil was old (then again that's what I guess I get for coming in at night). The other stuff their chicken it was kind of spicy but nothing special. Again small portion. That leaves me to the rice, small portion. All in all, the portions were hella small and we were disappointed, especially my boyfriend who was hella hungry for some Hawaiian food. I feel like I have to go back tho and give it a second chance because sometimes it's just "one of those nights" where it wasn't right. Update to come.

    (2)

  • Akiko I.

    - Locale Destination - It's on N Placentia Ave and between Chapman Ave and Primrose Ave in Fullerton. It's in a small shopping plaza, nearby motel, right off 57 freeway. I think it's on the boarder line of Fullerton and Placentia. Ambiance: The shop is re

    (3)

  • Brandon K.

    This place is really good. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful girl taking our order. What does that have to do with anything? I don't know, but it doesn't hurt I was going to order a BBQ mix plate, but then I looked over and saw the poke selection. They wisely post wonderful pictures and I was forced to change my mind. I got the poke and it was delicious. My brother got the fire chicken and it was also delicious. Ladies go there and look at the dudes. They seemed pretty handsome. Everyone was friendly too!

    (4)

  • Steve S.

    Solid Hawaiian joint. I was buying a lot of food and found the Yelp Deal, $20 for $35. Score!! Ola is in the same plaza as Leadbellys Barbecue, near CSUF. It's a small joint that dishes out good Hawaiian grub. Here's the rundown: Ola House Sauce Pokè - a solid Poke dish. Tuna and salmon, with a scoop of crab salad and a couple of slices of avocado. Yum! The avocado enhance the taste, giving it some creaminess. Spicy Pokè - The spice level was just okay, but as a whole it was a very good poke dish. Ola Spam Fried Rice - choke full of spam and egg, this is my kind of fried rice =) Kalua Pork - I think the only disappointing dish I got today. It was lacking in flavor. It definitely needed a touch of salt. Loco Moco - They prepare the hamburger the way my mom makes it. DELICIOUS. The gravy was just okay. Mixed all together with the egg and it's heaven on a bowl (or plate). Teriyaki Chicken - Very good. I'm not a teriyaki fan, but this one got me going back for more. Ola Fire Chicken -Woo Wee, Now that is what I'm talking about. The heat was on for this dish. When they say "Fire" believe it! The best dish we had. I highly recommend this one, specially if you like it spicy!! Service was good. I placed a big to go order and the person before me also placed a big order. Slamming the kitchen (I believe it's a one man show back there) the customers behind me were definitely P O'd because of the long wait they had to endure. Sorry folks. The food is good here, definitely worth the wait. lol 2015 Review #78

    (4)

  • daniel p.

    Food was pretty good. The ola fire chicken is not that spicy. Seems to have gochujang sauce in it. Very tasty. The shrimp was a bit stale. They messed up on my way o go order. I asked to substitute the rice with extra mac. But they didnt. Its ok though. Overall great place

    (4)

  • Kelvin C.

    I've been on a Poke bowl binge and found this place on yelp. To my surprise, this place has some really legit Poke bowls. You can choose 3 different types of flavors: Ola Special (sweet), Spicy Mayo, and Original Sesame oil flavor. I ordered the Ola special ($9.50 + $0.75 for brown rice) and it was pretty good. They give you a decent amount of fresh tuna and salmon and the sauce was solid, though a bit on the sweet side. I would still give the winner of Poke bowls to Poke District in orange (based on price vs value) but this place is local and just a few minutes from my house so I'll gladly come here for my poke cravings. As long as they keep up the quality and freshness of their tuna and salmon, call me a regular. I also ordered their Chicken combo plate and spam musubi and they were decent ... comparable to Ono's. ================== Update: Came back and tried the Spicy Mayo as well as the Original flavor. The spicy mayo one was delicious and his a hint of hoisin/peanut butter flavor. It was really savory and definitely satisfies that craving for something rich. It wasn't even remotely spicy. The original flavor was my least favorite, however, is probably the healthiest option out of the 3. Don't get me wrong, it still tasted great and I can see myself order this flavor if I were just finishing up from the gym or feeling like a fatass. The original flavor is exactly what it's described as, sesame oil + salt. 4 stars for the the poke bowls!

    (4)

  • Andrew G.

    Check in and get 10% off and then like them in facebook or follow on Twitter and get a small drink on the house with a free refill I came here around 12 on a Saturday, it was empty, but people were consistently coming in. Prices were pretty reasonable. The counter lady was very nice and informative. When my friends and i first got our food, we were like woah, this is kinda small? My chicken BBQ was a lot but, my friends were a little disappointed with their Loco Moco and Poke. But as they were eating it, they realized it was portion friendly and was more than enough. My friends eat a lot too! PROS - 1. Great prices 2. Great deals (make sure to check in and like them on FB) 3. Great parking situation 4. hole in the wall 5. Portion friendly 6. Free refills CONS - 1. The table set up is a little weird, it could be a problem if it gets busy.

    (5)

  • Abigail K.

    "Hi, welcome to Ola" The first time I tried this place, I came to pick up my to-go order and I was greeted by the most friendly cashier I've ever met. In fact all their workers are really sweet. I've come a couple times after and I've had nothing but positive experiences. For food I've tried their: FIRE CHICKEN: I really liked this entree cause it was more than filling for a great price. It comes with a bed of rice, spicy chicken, some sort of macaroni side, and some side salad/cabbage. The chicken wasn't too spicy, but I can handle a bit of spice. Some pieces of the chicken were a bit burned, but overall it was delicious. FIRE POKE: I believe their poke dishes are new and not yet on their actual menu. I'm not sure if they're only serving it for a short period of time, but if you go you should definitely try it. I've been on a bit of a poke craze for a while and I've tried several different poke places and Ola's poke is one of the better ones I've tried! The sauce that the poke is marinated in is really flavorful. The fish didn't have that really fresh taste, but I didn't really mind. I did want a bit more fire to it though. I was expecting it to be spicy, because of the name so I was a little disappointed. As for their decor, its not much. Its pretty plain on the inside, but its a cute little Hawaiian themed restaurant. I did notice their wall of fame for their food challenges they have! Overall, a great place to grab some quick food. Check in and get a discount! Or use their $20 for $35 deal! Its worth it!!

    (4)

  • Hao T.

    3.5 but im rounding up because it is a local business in the CSUF area (: Workers are really nice Karen is the best ! But the male worker needs to have a sense of urgency sorry ahah :P There are alot of deals for us broke broke college kids. Food is pretty good. Your standard Hawaiin fixes! They even have two food challenges if youre ever the adventuresome one. However, I tried their new poke bowl (original) and I was not that impressed. For 9 bucks (8 with the check in discount) that is a bit pricey. you DO get full however. But here is why it fell short: 1. Rice: was not hot and fluffy or tasted fresh ? 2. Fish was not that fresh either. Some fish still had the membrane attached to it making it hard to eat. I like poke more of a thick dice but this one was just pieces. 3. Avocado was included but didnt taste like avocado lol But I do like the fact that they included the fake crab salad ! That was good as a mix in. Hopefully they'll keep improving the dish because I love poke !

    (4)

  • Felicia L.

    After a midterm at CSUF, I decided to treat myself for a poke bowl here at Ola! Once I stepped in, I was greeted by the staff with a big "Hello! Welcome to Ola!", which was very surprising but very nice! The menu is your standard Hawaiian fare (BBQ, Kalua pork, spam musubi, etc.) but my eyes were fixated on the poke bowls. I got a regular poke bowl, which had tuna and salmon mixed with shoyu and sesame oil. With the poke had nice fluffy rice, a side of seaweed salad, avocado, and imitation crab salad. The poke was excellent! Along with this bowl, I got a Hawaiian Sun drink and 2 spam musubis, which I rocked. It was a great post-midterm meal. Overall, I enjoyed my food here and I really liked the service here... everyone is so nice and friendly! I plan to come back whenever I am on campus. Thanks!

    (4)

  • Xman D.

    I wanted to try something new and my friend found this place on Yelp. It's located in a strip mall with plenty of parking. I went during Wed lunch hours and this place is not too busy. Ola has its steady stream of customers. The service was relatively quick. The owner, who works the front, said that he was short staffed today and the order would take a few more minutes. Nice guy, didn't have to say that. It's lunch time. I expect a wait. This is a fast casual place with a variety of food. There were a lot of things to choose on the menu. They have a stamp card for people who frequent them often. If you like non-chains, I would recommend going here for fast casual. Food. Decent food. Fast casual. I ordered the BBQ mix. Came with rice, cole slaw, and potato salad. Decent portions for the price. Service. The owner is awesome. Helped provide some recommendations. Engaged in conversation even though he was busy. I would come back because the effort is there. Parking. Plenty of parking all around. Plaza isn't too busy.

    (5)

  • Chiante M.

    Could've came here moons ago when I worked around the corner from it. You wouldn't know it was here since it's pushed towards the back on Placentia, in between Leadbelly's and the Holiday Inn. My favorite islander/Hawaiian style bbq's are on the westside of Anaheim but since my work and residence border east Anaheim/Fullerton, this will turn into the spot that will have to do. And I say this gladly. The cashier was extremely pleasant and the food was fantastic. Chicken katsu had an ample crisp to it and my loco moco was dangerouslyummy! It wasn't drenched in a bath of gravy like some other Hawaiian cuisine places do it, but the gravy they did marinate it in is BOMB. Almost wanted to order an extra side of it. My eggs perfectly cooked all the way. The mac salad, rice and slaw went well too. A big like for me.

    (4)

  • June L.

    I love Ola with all my heart. I really wished I discovered it sooner. I mean, it's right next to Little Professor, and I go there for my college textbook needs. I think what lured me in the most are their new poke bowls. The extremely kind worker told me that they get the fresh fish everyday from an organic farm or market. They cut it up whenever someone orders one, and that's pretty impressive. It's a good poke fix if you're a Fullerton student who doesn't want to drive all the way to Anaheim or the beach. The meat is in huge chunks and they give a side of spicy mayo if you ask for it. I'm almost always here--and I know I can always count on Ola to satisfy my fish cravings.

    (5)

  • Dinh H.

    At first I was glad it looked like a mom and pop type shop prices comparable to other Hawaiian BBQ shops. I ordered the BBQ mix which is typically my favorite can't go wrong with 3 different meats. Everything on this plate was pretty disappointing. First off I'm sure I won't get any food poisoning here because all my meats were nice and charred black. 1/3 of my plate was burnt and crispy pretty much gave me a side of cancer. Secondly the edible side was a bit bland. Good thing I was eating there because i didn't receive any sauce. I had to ask for some teriyaki sauce guys just put one in to save the customer the hassle of waiting till your free to get one. Thirdly I'm glad I didn't only ordered the short ribs because there was literally less meat then bone on the only short rib they gave me. You would have to give me 3 of those pieces to equal a normal portion of short ribs. And again meat was plain!! How is it possible to make tasteless short ribs!!!!!! I've owned a few food business and i love supporting small mom and pop shops, but you just lost a customer and maybe more. I rarely write reviews, but shit i don't know how this place got so many reviews and repeat customers with these plates they served. Even if it's only $9 I lost I felt like I got robbed. Sorry Ola but you guys need to have some quality control.

    (1)

  • Grace C.

    YUMMY! Hubby and I just moved into the area, and, as we do enjoy Hawaiian BBQ, this was one of the places we were completely looking forward to try out. Located in a small shopping center that is a bit hole-in-the-wall-ish, there's plenty of parking. I will admit that the parking may need some new asphalt, and it's a little hard to wind about, but, don't worry, Ola is worth it! Hubby went to this place for the first time on a weekday. EXCELLENT service that is truly with a smile, and food came out reasonably quickly. It's Hawaiian BBQ, so you will always have to wait, no matter what franchisee/corporation/mom-and-pop shop you're patronizing at. Afterwards, hubby has ordered online and over the phone with no issues. I've visited this place once to pick up the foods, and, once again, service was excellent. Very polite girls, very willing to help, and super-informative. They seemed to also double- or triple-check my order just to make sure I had everything, and didn't balk at any requests (extra sauces, extra forks, etc.). The most important part of the review: the food. The food is absolutely excellent. The first time I had their poke bowl, it was SO good. The sashimi was super-fresh, the sauce wasn't overpowering, and the amount of the ingredients in the bowl was enough to satisfy me (but NOT make me feel fat). The second time I had the poke bowl, everything was still very fresh, but there was a little too much seasoning/sauce. So, had a 50/50 chance with the poke bowl. We've had the ribs (juicy!), the loco moco musubi (one of my favorite items on the menu!), pork (tender!), the chicken (tender!), and the macaroni salad (yummy!). So, overall, yes, been very happy (and fat) from the foods. They also have a musubi challenge. Be warned, there is a LOT of rice. I don't think I can do it... Hubby and I plan to do some catering from them, but we're pretty confident that they'll do the catering job well. Looking forward to having parties catered by Ola!

    (5)

  • Daniel M.

    Great food, great people. Thanks for supporting American Assoc. For lost children

    (5)

  • Viska S.

    This place is heavenly. The food is great, expertly grilled chicken and delicious Mac salad that someday I will recreate! lol. Customer service is awesome and the staff is always a joy. This is pretty much always my husband and I's go-to dinner when we don't feel like cooking. They also have two Crazy eating contests that I'm sure must be fun to watch! Go check it out! You won't be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Victoria H.

    Let me start by saying I love hole in the wall type of restaurants. It has that type of ambience. Karen, who took our order at the front is super nice, very friendly, and extremely helpful! The food was good! I ordered katsu chicken! The katsu sauce was a bit runny but none the less good! I will be coming back here!

    (5)

  • Kathy V.

    So far I've only tried the poke bowls here. It's not the best poke in my opinion, but it's good enough for a shop next to school. It's a good fix for my lunch break. Take advantage of the 20 for 35 deal if you plan on coming at least twice. When you check in, you get 10% off your order. I've tried all three flavors and I enjoyed each and every one of them. If you're feeling something sweet, try the Ola Poke Bowl. If you're feeling saucy and creamy, get the Ola Fire. If you're feeling mild, get the Traditonal! It just depends on what you're in the mood for. As for the barbecue items, I have yet to try it. Also ask for a stamp card if you think you'll frequent this place! You get a stamp for every 8$, and you can only get up to two stamps each visit. The service here is good and the workers are friendly, always a plus.

    (4)

  • lin w.

    We got the $5 mini meal..it's more like kids meal..it is not worth the $$.. It's my first time here and I don't think I am going back again

    (2)

  • Lauren S.

    I spend a lot of time in the Fullerton/Brea area and really like Hawaiian food, so when I was suggested to try Ola I made sure to order my "test" meal for all the Hawaiian restaurants I try. I got the chicken katsu along with spam fried rice and also decided to try the musubi (I'm very picky on musubi but usually try it at places that give me a good vibe). Everything was DELICIOUS. The katsu was crispy, the spam fried rice wasn't greasy or heavy, and the musubi was flavorful and not too salty. Perfect perfect perfect! I will definitely be back to try everything else on the menu. Thank you Ola for being so delicious!

    (5)

  • Jimmie B.

    I was referred here by a friend because I love fish, and apparently this place has the best poke bowls around. I arrived and ordered the original poke bowl, the cashier was very friendly and we made some small talk which ended up in him recommending the house poke bowl instead. I ordered the house poke bowl and was not disappointed!!! Plenty of fish comes in a bowl with rice, avocado, crab meat, and other spices/sauces for $9 plus tax. It was amazing! I'm a real big sushi lover and this place is up there with my now top favorite foods. I found myself wanting to come back just a few hours later for round two! I would definitely recommend this place for the poke bowls. I haven't had any other food here so I can't give an opinion on the other food, but as for the poke, they are spot on. Service was friendly and on their game. I will definitely be coming back.

    (5)

  • Amy T.

    Great food, great prices. The poke bowls are delicious and fresh. The BBQ chicken and katsu are my favorites here.

    (5)

  • Jessalyn L.

    Fresh fresh poke ! Best I had since Hawai'i . Better than anything I've had around here. Fave is the spicy mayo. Worth the drive

    (5)

  • Arnold N.

    Walking in, the dining area is clean and the cashier greets warmly. The decor presents a family friendly atmosphere. The menu has a little bit too much stuff. The katsu chicken has a prefect crust to meat ratio. The choice of poke bowls really separates this place from others, except you should get them before 6 because they run out often. The macaroni salad is always fresh, and spam musubi is the best. The wait time for is the same as In-N-Out. They don't give drinks as part of meals though. But overall, don't bother going anywhere else for Hawaiian BBQ, food and service is top quality every visit.

    (5)

  • Gregory L.

    This is probably one of my go to places to eat in Fullerton. They recently added poke bowls, which taste amazing! I usually have to drive to Huntington to get Poke but now I just walk down the street and go here. The tuna taste good, and I like how they add avocado and crab meat. For $8.50 I think it is a very fair price for the portion of fish you get. I tried the spicy mayo one and fell in love, and I ended coming back the next day for more. The staff here is very friendly, and the restaurant is always nice and clean. You might want to call in your order in advance, it usually takes about 10-15 minutes to get your food, but if your not in a hurry then it is not a big deal. All in all I love this place, and how they offer such a wide variety of food whether its a loco moco (hamburger, eggs, gravy, and rice), to barbeque chicken and beef, all the way to poke bowls (fish, tuna, or salmon).

    (4)

  • mike c.

    Can't say how good the other dishes are, but they have good spam musubi! Their yelp deal is awesome too!

    (4)

  • Ben D.

    Best Hawaiian food mainland! Talk about mom and pop feel and great food that doesn't put you in food coma when you're finished. To top it off, they don't water down their teriyaki sauce like other Hawaiian places.

    (5)

  • Henry C.

    Food is so delicious here. I'd place this above the L&L's and other Hawaiian BBQ places out there. We catered from Ola and our guests loved the food. Customer service was terrific. K, you were excellent in handling everything!

    (5)

  • Dizzle B.

    Went for the 20/35 deal to get a good cross-section of dishes: Krab Rangoon - 1/10 Chicken Pot Stickers - 1/10 Kalbi Plate - 3/10 Chicken Katsu Mini Plate - 2/10 All Ahi Original Poke - 8/10 Mixed Spicy Mayo Poke - 7/10 The original all ahi poke was the star of the line-up. All of their poke dishes are served on a bed of rice and a scoop Krab salad, which is kinda weird but the flavor in both versions was solid. You have to pay an extra dollar for ahi only (no salmon mixed in), so the total comes to $9.50 per order. I'd prefer they leave out the rice and Krab, which is just fluff, scale back the portion a little and bring the price point down like L&L. The "appetizers" were both throw away dishes and a real waste of money; the potstickers were bought-in and weren't even browned on the bottom (I finished them in a pan at home). The rangoon was just a wonton skin filled with krab salad and deep-fried, which yields a soggy oily mess of krab swimming in broken mayo. Avoid these at all cost. Neither plate lunch had anything redeeming going for it. Kalbi plate had a generous portion of ribs but they weren't cooked properly and chewy. The chicken katsu was mostly breading and lacked any flavor. The macaroni salad was okay but the shredded cabbage looked rough and wilted so I just avoided it. This is my first time having Hawaiian BBQ since moving back to Socal so I'm not sure if this is par for the course but my go-to L&L in Campbell beats this place every day of the week and at a lower price. Aside from the poke dishes, everything they put out was poorly-made and really low value for money. A Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch is the epitome of comfort food, but Ola gets it completely wrong.

    (2)

  • C T.

    Excellent service. Prices are great. Less serving of chicken katsu than L&L BBQ, but I guess that's why the prices are a little lower. A small place but it feels cozy.

    (4)

  • Chingi Z.

    Upon walking in we were greeted by Karen who with her genuine smile and super pleasant attitude explained the poke and loco moco options. I had the Ola Poke - it was so fresh, perfectly seasoned and took me back to eating poke in Maui. Aside from the quality of the food which exceeded my expectations I was even more impressed by the level of friendliness and customer service displayed. I loved it so much that I went back the next day to pick up some take out and Karen not only remembered my name but she also chatted briefly about little details that we spoke of the prior eve. It is not often that I find the perfect storm of quality in food and service but that is what you get when you come here. Highly recommend and if you are reading this Karen, you are a gem and I hope that the owners know this. THANK YOU!!!!

    (5)

  • J H.

    I stayed nearby for work/business and decided to see if there were any near by places that served poke. This place popped up on Yelp, right next door to where I stayed. I absolutely loved the regular poke and side of BBQ chicken. It's located around many chain restaurants that I normally would love to settle for because of familiarity and convenience. Would definitely come back.

    (5)

  • Ngoc N.

    This place is my current addiction! Whenever I'm craving a good bbq place, this is where I'd go! The food is excellent and the service is awesome! Definitely recommend the mini meals if you're looking for something inexpensive. Overall, awesome place!

    (5)

  • Aliza B.

    Was hungry after a long day of work and saw this as the closest Hawaiian BBQ from me. I've also had Ono Hawaiian but I've always liked L&L. I thought Ill give this place a try because I always thought they were all similar and it's just a name difference. Little did I know, this place sucks! I just got my dinner from there right now and idk if it's because I had been so used to L&L but either way I paid $8 for a small piece of BBQ chicken 5 small pieces of Katsu, small scoop of macaroni and small scoop of rice. WTH is that? Doesn't even come close to the picture. Not just that, it tasted BLAND!!! I am so disappointed I don't even feel like eating what I bought. I give them the one star for the service because the server was friendly but the food sucked!!! Idk if it's just me but I don't mind an okay or below expected customer service but when the food is good, people will always come back. I can honestly say I'm NEVER going back there again.

    (1)

  • Henry F.

    Super good like always thanks guys

    (4)

  • Lynda Z.

    I'm always in the mood for Hawaiian food, so on this trip to SoCal we search Yelp for a place that would satisfy. And, we found it! This little gem is located at an unassuming strip center. When you walk in, you may be greeted by Karen. A very sweet girl with a big smile who actually talks to you as you decide what deliciousness to order. What a concept, right? Customer Service is alive and well at Ola. Now, as for the food, it's yummy. The first bite of the Loco Moco took me back to my recent visit to Maui. The beef was good stuff, the rice was good, the mac salad was tasty and the egg was right on time. Nothing about this platter was bad...it was all good! my wifey got the Poke and loved it so much, she went back the next night and got some moe to take back to the hotel room. If I lived in the area, I'd be at Ola all the time. Sadly, I'm not. boooo! Anyway, go check them out and you will not be disappointed. Say hi to Karen too!

    (5)

  • Jerome M.

    Small restaurant with legit food! I only tried the Ola Poke Bowl, but it was awesome. Definitely the best poke bowl I've tried outside of Hawaii. I'm definitely coming back.

    (4)

  • Omar K.

    Taco Tuesday special sign drew me in. The guy at the counter said they ran out. Sigh, I am the first customer for the day how did they run out? Probably someone forgot to order taco shells? I end up ordering curry chicken plate. It was good and fresh, the curry wasn't over powering. Macaroni salad was good and so was the Cole slaw. I am not an expert on Hawaiian food, but I'll come here again. Service was good, food was fresh, and prices reasonable. I might get mini meal next time, the full plate is a little to heavy for lunch.

    (4)

  • Brendan T.

    I am digging the new Poke bowls here! Spicy mayo or Ola house sauce are probably my favorites here. The other plates are still just as awesome if you don't like raw fish. Also, the new cashier, Karen, is probably one of the most awesome human beings I have ever met. She's sweet, a great listener, funny, easy to talk to.... I love coming here even more now... :)

    (5)

  • Lesley C.

    Was recommended to this place by friends due to location convenience and past experiences. Was having a birthday gathering at a friend's place and it was convenient for them to pick-up from Ola. The Yelp deal was certainly convenient as well! I called and spoke to Stan, and asked if I could use the Yelp deal towards catering. Stan said "yes." Which was perfect, so I dropped by the next evening to purchase small BBQ chicken (10-12) and a small macaroni salad (10-12). The cashier, Karen, was really nice and took down my order. The place was pretty packed for a weeknight and even a line started to form behind me as I was placing and paying for my catering order. I asked to put down 2 names for pick-up on Saturday. Saturday morning, I called to double check on my catering order and Sharon also asked if I wanted plates, forks, and sauces. She mentioned that Teriyaki sauce and Sriracha could be provided. Great! Once I arrived at my friend's place Saturday night, I was disappointed that no sauces were provided and the portions looked a bit small. Truthfully, I didn't know how much to expect but the boxes did not look like it could feed 10-12 people. I was assuming 10-12 people (portions) as I don't think catering usually goes by pieces. Even with a gathering of about 9 people (mostly girls), the food portions would not have been enough, good thing someone brought a couple of pizzas. The BBQ chicken was a bit on the dry side but not sure if it's due to being all lean meat (no chicken skin) or staying on the grill too long. There was also little cabbage provided with the chicken. The chicken would've probably tasted better with the Teriyaki sauce, if it had been provided. The macaroni salad was good. We didn't order rice as it was more cost efficient to cook our own. Pros: Great that they have friendly staff and is family-owned. Cons: Portions are a bit on the small side. BBQ chicken wasn't the best and no sauces or etc were provided, even though I was promised.

    (4)

  • Yu H.

    Came here during lunch time- the line wasn't long but the wait time was long. Got an Ola poke bowl and it was just mediocre. I have to say I'm quite disappointed...

    (2)

  • Kristin M.

    One star for the good crab wontons everything was disgusting!! This is not Hawaiian food its bland and my friend found a hair in her rice. I order the Garlic Shrimp and let me tell you there was ZERO taste to the shrimp and the garlic was in huge chunks that was half cooked. We honestly went for the poke but what a surprise they didn't have fish today. Never going back I'm sticking to the L&L in Brea

    (1)

  • Leicel P.

    I don't normally give a 1 star but I was soooooo hoping to like this place based on previous reviews. Ordered a large spam fried rice. Very flavorful (see pic), BUT the rice was hard! It was like the pot of rice they fried it from wasn't done yet. Who ever cooked it didn't put enough water or use the "finger section" method of measuring the water (those that are Asian know what I'm talking about). So there was a crunchiness that's not normally part of fried rice. I also ordered a Mango slush (which is supposed to be slightly crunchy b/c of the ice). But that's how I'd describe the consistency of the rice. Maybe it was an 'off' night? I might go back to give the benefit of the doubt.

    (1)

  • Alli L.

    I wrote this review for the wrong place but can't delete, only edit (I think..).

    (4)

  • Jack Y.

    Didn't know this place is near CSUF, such fail. So I went there for the first time in forever~ I felt very welcoming. One of the employee, Karen. She's sweet and easy to talk to and caring/urgent, like she actually she brought out the foods for us and along with the sauces. refill water for us. which was pretty awesome. SHES THE BEST/AWESOME CASHIER/PERSON!. Even my work place doesn't really bring out the food/ refill the water for the customers and interact with the customers. Gotta give her credits for doing the little things. DEF will come here sometime soon! Food was pretty decent, even though I was already bit full but i ordered teriyaki chicken bowl. which was pretty cheap for college student like me. Especially with a great customer service like this place :) Recommended for those who go CSUF or live near by the area should def try it out.

    (5)

  • Anita J.

    Best customer service ever I love their macaroni salad and their poke bowls are the bomb!!

    (5)

  • Hajara S.

    This place is a little bit of a hidden gem. One of my go to take out restaurants in fullerton. The staff is extremely friendly and efficient! I appreciate their thoroughness when placing an over the phone order. I've tried almost everything on the menu- the ola fire and katsu chicken are on point! Yummy!

    (5)

  • Hc C.

    I was looking for a random place to eat. Something cheap, close by, and fast. This came up on my list on yelp and decided to try it. Friday of finals week, it was dead. I saw one person sitting down. Im pretty sure it's busier than this normally. Since it wasn't busy i asked the cashier what the best poke bowl was. She explained to me that one of them has sweet taste to it (which I'm not a big fan of). Because of her insight, i felt like i chose a good bowl that i enjoyed. I got ola fire poke bowl. She brought the food to my table & asked if i wanted water as well. she was very genuine and very kind. (She also asked if i wanted siracha & started me a point card at the register). Because of the food i am giving four stars! It was actually really good except the rice was hard on some parts and had different sweet sauce in the inside (im assuming it accidentally got in there or they reused the rice that was suppose to be somewhere else?). The salmon was good, spicy mayo was pretty good, avocado, and crab meat was very sweet for some reason.. And the amount wasnt much worth what i paid for /: . It was a good amount for a girl to eat but not for $9.72 :b Overall, i would rate the food 3 stars? More customers came in as i was eating and the cashier seemed to have a lot of connections with many customers. I WOULD come back but probably ask for no crab meat.

    (4)

  • Sunny S.

    Tried my first ever yelp deal here and I was super nervous! Guy at front was super nice even helped me redeem it, made recommendations on the menu and didn't make me uncomfortable I had the yelp deal! Chicken Katsu was amazing! Masubi was cooked sooooo well, pork and spicy chicken were good too, even the macaroni salad was delicious. Prices are great, place is clean and I'll definitely be back. Only 4 stars because the poke definitely needed more seasoning. Tuna was great quality and knife work was good but I wanted soy sauce or sesame seeds and some spice. I like my poke to poke me back lol

    (4)

  • Anthony A.

    Once again, scouring the area around CSUF for quick, tasty eats this spot was at the top. Hawaiin food isn't something I get to have often - partially because there aren't many places to eat it, and also because I'm not exactly crazy about it. But it's always good stuff, and sometimes that's good enough. I walked in to find the place empty; nice guy at the counter gave me a few menu suggestions when I said "I want meat, and lots of it". Knowing full well ahead of time that it's all dark meat, I still got the BBQ Chicken combo because meat. Lots of it. There ain't a whole lot I can write about a container full of chicken, rice, and macaroni salad. I gotta say, for dark meat they sure cooked it perfectly. You know how dark meat can have all those fatty ends and the occasional gross mouthful of cartilage or something will catch you off guard? They did a fine job here of grilling the shit out of that stuff, cutting off most of the bad, and presenting you with all the food that's fit to eat. And like I said, there's a lot of it. I consider myself a healthy eater and it took me a while to get through every piece. It was a mountainous stack, for sure. Rice is rice. They cooked it like it should be cooked. The macaroni salad is something I have a love/hate relationship with because I love how refreshing it tastes after wolfing down mounds of meat, but I hate mayo. And this thing is all about mayo. I usually take ridiculously small bites of it after a few pieces of chicken. Just enough to give me a little burst of something light and flavorful in a different way. They do provide free water here, but you're relegated to the tiniest styrofoam cup I've ever seen. Seriously, did they buy these in bulk from Mattel's unsold stock of Barbie Dream Houses? Why do the water drinkers always get stiffed with a cup fit for a dwarf? Maybe I want an extra large water.

    (3)

  • Meynard L.

    Yum yum and yum. Sweet and spicy poke is bomb. I wouldnt mind travelling the extra 7 miles to satisfy my poke bowl fix. Their filipino too lol

    (5)

  • Phillip V.

    Dat Stan Masubi do.. Family Owned, Great for Lunch, Fantastic Service with a Smile! Our Office is a customer for life :D

    (5)

  • Joon L.

    Food is delicious. Tried most things on the menu now and never disappoints. Friendly staff, fast service, good portions, no complaints. Much better than franchise Hawaiian BBQ chains, make sure to check it out when in the area

    (5)

  • Charles F.

    I was on the line between 3 & 4 star. Simply based on their poke- I've been to a few other places but definitely worth it for convince factor. If your in the placentia/ Fullerton area I recommend coming here for your poke fix, and now I'm curious of the other items they offer and will be back-

    (4)

  • Aryan O.

    This place is good but nothing too special about it. I don't know why but why are all Hawaiian BBQ places located in such random places. But anyway, we were in the neighborhood and came across this place. Stepped in and it wasn't busy at all, the guy at the counter was very inviting but didn't really help on decision making. We got our usual with me getting the Loco Moco and the Chicken Katsu. The Katsu sauce was taken too the table in a squeeze bottle which was pretty good. You can dictate how much you want. They also have the soy sauce in a squeeze bottle which I wouldn't recommend in those bottles because when we tried using it a lot came out at once. Chicken Katsu was good but the Loco Moco wasn't as good as other places. Gravy was not good and Burger were cooked a little to well done. The thing that got me about this place were the spam masubi's. They have spam masubi challenge which called Stan Masubi its basically a large spam masubi with 4 layers of rice 3 layers of meat and it's the size of a napkin dispenser on the tables. You have 35 minutes to complete and its free, if you can't complete it than you have to pay $35 plus tax. I won't come back for the food but I might come back for the challenge.

    (3)

  • Daniel Y.

    I was going to give 3 stars but the service was exceptionally good so bumped it up to a 4. I got one of their poke bowls this time and it was a big disappointment. Very small size for about $9. I think they put a quarter of an avocado, lots of imitation crab meat and half a dozen pieces of actual fish. I would just stick to the usual hawaiian bbq plate here. 4 stars because of good service and good hawaiian bbq plates

    (4)

  • Hanz L.

    I love the friendly staff and the great food at affordable prices. Definitely a great place to have in the community. I hear they have poki bowls now too. Should try it. And as a tip, this place has a spam musubi challenge so if you're into food challenges, this place has one!

    (4)

  • Heather B.

    I've lived down the street from here for awhile now and have no idea why I haven't tried this place sooner! I was going in for your typical Hawaiian bbq and then saw the coconut shrimp and was sold, and man am I glad I chose it! The coconut breading on the shrimp was so perfect and just crispy enough, very tasty. The mango chili sauce they give with it to dip in was the cherry on top! Just so good, can not wait to go back for more. The service was friendly and relaxed, in true Hawaiian spirit, and you definitely get that mom&pop vibe, which I'm always down for, so long as it's accompanied by good food&service.

    (4)

  • Timothy L.

    GAME CHANGER: POKE BOWLS! While I loved coming here for their Hawaiian food, I'm addicted to their poke bowls. The Poke Ola has some amazing sauce.

    (5)

  • T M.

    Excellent service, excellent food! Their katsu is far superior than L&L's and pretty much any other Hawaiian BBQ that I've had.

    (5)

  • Tawny G.

    We found this little place about 2 weeks ago and have had nothing but the best food and service. The service is just amazing!!!

    (5)

  • Elizabeth S.

    Whenever I'm at a Hawaiian BBQ place, I usually try the chicken katsu and spam musubi. The sauce that they make for the katsu is different from other places but much more delicious. The musubi ($3.09) is delicious, they weren't stingy with the thickness of the spam or overdosed with the rice. The chicken katsu ($6.49) is the most well-known here. They gave plenty of chicken and it was crispy and juicy. They gave two scoops of rice and the scoop of macaroni salad was yummy too. Not alot of seating and it can get crowded since it's near CSU Fullerton. The girl who was cashier was friendly and refilled my drink before I asked. They have a frequent user card here.

    (4)

  • Sarah E.

    So I'm always a little hesitant to go to any Hawaiian BBQs since I'm originally from Hawaii. I'm pretty biased most of the time, but this place was decent. I ate the BBQ chicken and shrimp with mac salad and rice. I really liked the shrimp, but the chicken lacked in flavor. The mac salad was just okay as well. My bf had the chicken katsu, but wasn't that impressed either. I will say, however, that the people working there were really nice, so I appreciate their service!

    (3)

  • Randi B.

    We planned on eating here, but 1 - it was WAY too hot in there, and 2 - the girl working had some friends visiting her and their conversation was way loud and way annoying, so after placing our order "for here" we changed it "to go." BF ordered the Spam Moco and I ordered the Hawaiian Chicken BBQ & Katsu Chicken Combo. I asked for the Katsu to have curry sauce. Got the food home. His order was correct, mine was not. I was given all Katsu and no BBQ chicken. The curry sauce was on the side, thankfully. It smelled and tasted like really bad, thick, canned chicken soup. I threw it away. Luckily they had provided us with Katsu and teriyaki sauce on the side, so I used that instead of the curry. He said his food was "alright" but he'd had better Spam before. How that is possible, I am not sure, but that was his review. My Katsu was okay, but many of the pieces looked questionable so I only ate half. The rice was undercooked. The macaroni salad has tuna in it and it was the best part of the meal, but the portion was miniscule. After eating we both had upset stomaches. Bummer, I was really hoping to like this place, since it's a little closer than our favorite place in Irvine. I guess driving an extra five miles won't kill us when we want Hawaiian food in the future.

    (2)

  • Barbara K.

    The food here is really good, and the owner greeted me with a big hello and made me feel welcome! I felt like I was apart of his family :) I recommend this place to anyone who wants great Hawaiian BBQ, and great service. :) This place made me feel at home.

    (5)

  • Mary S.

    Ola did a catering job for 300 people at our school fundraiser. The owner Stan was really great to work with to help with our budget. Although they are fairly small, delivery right on time - we got lots of compliments from our parents even so that we sold out of our meals - a first! Food was very tasty bbq chicken and beef combo. Thank you Ola and Stan for making our dinner a huge hit!

    (5)

  • Sherry K.

    Three stars because the service is fantastic! Super, super friendly staff, very welcoming and sweet as can be. That said, the food was less than desirable. Overcooked, bland, and not something I'd like to repeat. I was so bummed, since it's close by, and I usually really like Hawaiian BBQ, dammit. I think I might give it another shot one of these days, just because the service was so good. Also, if you're not a fan of Christian rock, this isn't the place for you, since that's what's being piped through their sound system lol. They are closed on Sundays :/

    (3)

  • Cassy H.

    Meh - I have to say, Ola is okay in my book. I ordered the BBQ beef lunch plate, so it came with white rice, bbq beef (which I wanted it to be more tender; it was a bit on the dry side), a scoop of macaroni salad, and salad (which I thought looking like a 'slaw, but it didn't have much taste and was rather bland). Perhaps, I just ordered the wrong item on the menu, because other people seem to enjoy it. On the other hand, I received friendly service and was attended immediately.

    (3)

  • annie l.

    The girl at tye counter was super nice. But our order was messed up. They were really nice about it. The $5 deal was affordable however portions were super tiny.

    (4)

  • Byron C.

    Got the $5 small meal, Katsu fell off but it was crunchy. Solid, would try again. Friend got seafood soup. Rating is 4 based on limited experience, will be open to try again! They were out of Poke ~7-8pm on a Saturday night we went. :(

    (4)

  • Arnold W.

    I got the food catered here. It was such a great value. I went with a few small meat dishes that fed 8-10 but it really fed 16 people with some leftovers. It came out to be about $7.50 a person. The food was pretty good. The macaroni salad was solid. The katsu was nicely fried. Kalua pork was moist. The cashier and owner were super nice and friendly, and helpful in helping me pick the dishes. I'd come back for more catering.

    (4)

  • P B.

    Great service, fresh and yummy food, and affordable prices. What else can you ask for? Happy Anniversary Ola!

    (5)

  • Claire A.

    Great Hawaiian food for great prices. I advise to call ahead during lunch and dinner rush because they get busy. Like spicy food, try the ola fire chicken. Delicious !

    (5)

  • Jon L.

    You get a sudden katsu craving. You need a delicious savory crunch with juicy insides, chicken or pork, doesn't matter. Damn it a katsu meal is expensive at Japanese and Korean restaurants! If you're a local college kid you're doomed. What to do?! Well fear not for there is Ola's! You wait 8 min at most for your hot and piping meal! If you're somehow not in the mood for katsu there is plenty of cheap bbqed options. They also have a special deal each day, like spicy wed or fried fridays. Thank you Ola's for saving hungry poor college kids w/ satisfying portions and perfect bits of katsu. Grab a plate lunch right before class, you'll make it I promise.

    (4)

  • Ryan M.

    Excellent Hawaiian BBQ place! The staff is really great. Both the chicken and the beef are delicious and the macaroni salad is awesome!! Can't wait to go back for more.

    (5)

  • Tamara T.

    The mister and did a little research on top Hawaiian BBQ places in the area and this popped up. I skimmed the reviews and what stood out to me was that this place had the best chicken katsu and I'll vouch for that. The first bite was perfect! It was crispy, moist and not too hot. The teriyaki chicken was perfect and you could cut through it easily. I also tried the deep fried spam misubi and bbq chicken misubi and both were decent. The service was great and the girl at the register was ridiculously nice. They also are Christian and have Christian rock playing in the background. So, if you're atheist you might want to bring your ear plugs.

    (4)

  • angie l.

    Stumbled upon this place yelping for Hawaiian food close to my house. It's a small mom and pop's restaurant with only a few tables. I placed a take out order of BBQ mix, Kalbi, loco moco and spam and the girl at the register mentioned they can do small box of ala carte of chicken Katsu and fire chicken for about $2 if I wanted to sample the menu so I got those too. To my surprise, everything was very tasty, we got tons of food for $35. Service was great and they were very generous with the sauce. Solid 4 stars!

    (4)

  • Lissete D.

    Delicious fried rice, scrumptious chicken plate and somewhat addicting macaroni salad. Great yelp deal feeds a family of 2 for a week! I rate it four stars only because the beef is a bit dry and not as good as if want it to be, but the chicken makes up for it .

    (4)

  • Belinda C.

    Delicious! I love hawaiian food! and spam musubi mondays!!

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : No
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Ola Hawaiian BBQ

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