Papa Ole’s
54-316 Kamehameha Hwy,Ste 9, Hauula, HI, 96717
Papa Ole’s Menu
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Diabetics at Papa Murphy
Most of the pizzas offered at Papa Murphy are relatively low in sugar but high in sodium. You must restrict yourself to one or maximum two slices of any pizza ordered at Papa Murphy if you're a diabetic. You can pick salads which are low in sodium to keep your sugar levels in check.
Foods to Avoid at Papa Murphy for Diabetics:
Avoid desserts and salad dressings when you order salads at Papa Murphy. Always skip the Pizzas which are high in sodium content if you are diabetic. Almost all family and large size pizzas are high in sodium and hence should be avoided. Also, avoid stuffed pizzas at Papa Murphy if you're a diabetic.
Food Suggestions for Diabetics at Papa Murphy:
Chicken Bacon Artichoke - Thin Family/Large Slice (Only one slice)
Nutritional Facts: 230 calories, 12g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 530mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 8g Protein
Tuscan Chicken and Sausage - Thin Family/Large Slice (Only one slice)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 430mg sodium, 16g carbs, Less than 1g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 12g Protein
Gourmet Vegetarian - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 340mg sodium, 18g carbs, 1g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 10g Protein
Chicken Garlic - Thin Family/Large Slice (Only one slice)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 430mg sodium, 17g carbs, 1g sugar, 0g fiber, 13g Protein
Pepperoni - Thin Family/Large Slice (Only one slice)
Nutritional Facts: 220 calories, 12g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 6g), 440mg sodium, 18g carbs, 2g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein
Garden Veggie - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 180 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 330mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 8g Protein
Hawaiian - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 180 calories, 7g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 360mg sodium, 20g carbs, 4g sugar, 0g fiber, 8g Protein
Caesar Salad
Nutritional Facts: 100 calories, 5g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 2.5g), 230mg sodium, 7g carbs, 5g sugar, 3g fiber, 8g Protein
Italian Salad
Nutritional Facts: 270 calories, 19g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 9g), 710mg sodium, 11g carbs, 4g sugar, 6g fiber, 13g Protein
Garden Salad
Nutritional Facts: 190 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 420mg sodium, 13g carbs, 6g sugar, 6g fiber, 10g Protein
Visit below restaurant in Hauula for healthy meals suggestion.
High Blood Pressure at Papa Murphy
Most foods served at Papa Murphy are high in sodium content. However, there are certain Pizzas types and salads that you can try without spiking your blood pressure levels. Also, you must restrict your pizza intake to maximum 2 slices to keep the sodium consumption in check.
Foods to Avoid at Papa Murphy for High Blood Pressure:
Avoid all Regular Large Pizza Slices and Family Pizza Slices at Papa Murphy. While the sodium content in Regular Medium Pizza Slices is low, we recommend you skip them as well. Also, keep Stuffed Large Pizza Slices and Stuffed Family Pizza Slices at bay when ordering at Papa Murphy. Salads may sound healthy, but most salads offered at Papa Murphy are also high in sodium.
Food Suggestions to Control Blood Pressure at Papa Murphy:
Garden Veggie - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 180 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 330mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 8g Protein
Gourmet Vegetarian - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 340mg sodium, 18g carbs, 1g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 10g Protein
Hawaiian - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 180 calories, 7g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 360mg sodium, 20g carbs, 4g sugar, 0g fiber, 8g Protein
Herb Chicken Mediterranean - Thin Family/Large Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 100 calories, 5g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 2.5g), 230mg sodium, 7g carbs, 5g sugar, 3g fiber, 9g Protein
Tuscan Chicken and Sausage - Thin Family Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 430mg sodium, 16g carbs, Less than 1g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 12g Protein
Chicken Garlic - Thin Family Slice (No more than two slices)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 430mg sodium, 17g carbs, 1g sugar, 0g fiber, 13g Protein
Caesar Salad
Nutritional Facts: 100 calories, 5g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 2.5g), 230mg sodium, 7g carbs, 5g sugar, 3g fiber, 8g Protein
Cream Cheese Frosting
Nutritional Facts: 370 calories, 25g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 13g), 310mg sodium, 35g carbs, 33g sugar, 0g fiber, 3g Protein
Healthy Tips for Dining at Papa Murphy
Visit below restaurant in Hauula for healthy meals suggestion.
High Cholesterol at Papa Murphy
Papa Murphy takes care of people with different health preferences and offers multiple varieties of pizzas and salads to choose from. You can order thin crust family or large size pizza to keep the cholesterol levels down at Papa Murphy. Don't eat too many slices and restrict yourself from consuming more than 2 slices to balance your cholesterol levels.
Foods to Avoid at Papa Murphy for High Cholesterol:
Skip the pizzas on the menu under family or large pizza slices. Stuffed family size slices and stuffed large size slices are also high in cholesterol and must be avoided at Papa Murphy. In the Appetizers, make sure to avoid Thick 'n' Cheesy Homebaked Bread. You can enjoy all kinds of salads at Papa Murphy except Chicken Bacon Artichoke Salad for its high cholesterol content.
Food Suggestions to Maintain Cholesterol Level at Papa Murphy:
Garden Veggie - Thin Family Slice/Regular Family Size/Thin Large Size (Max. 2 slices)
Nutritional Facts: 180 calories, 8g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 4g), 330mg sodium, 20g carbs, 3g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 8g Protein
Hawaiian - Thin Family Slice/Regular Family Size/Thin Large Size (Max. 2 slices)
Nutritional Facts: 210 calories, 11g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 5g), 340mg sodium, 18g carbs, 1g sugar, Less than 1g fiber, 10g Protein
Caesar Salad
Nutritional Facts: 100 calories, 5g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 2.5g), 230mg sodium, 7g carbs, 5g sugar, 3g fiber, 8g Protein
Italian Salad
Nutritional Facts: 270 calories, 19g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 9g), 710mg sodium, 11g carbs, 4g sugar, 6g fiber, 13g Protein
Cinnamon Wheel (2 slices of 16)
Nutritional Facts: 250 calories, 7g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 2.5g), 410mg sodium, 42g carbs, 13g sugar, 0g fiber, 5g Protein
S'mores Dessert Pizza (2 slices of 16)
Nutritional Facts: 260 calories, 7g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 3.5g), 290mg sodium, 44g carbs, 18g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g Protein
Visit below restaurant in Hauula for healthy meals suggestion.
Q&A on Papa Murphy
Where's Papa Murphy's located?
Papa Murphy is based out of Vancouver, Washington, United States. Besides that, Papa Murphy can be found in 1300+ locations in the United States and Canada and over 1500 locations worldwide. You can use our Restaurants Listings directory to find a Papa Murphy nearby.
How to cook Papa Murphy's Pizza?
Papa Murphy offers take and bake pizzas to its customers who wish to cook pizza at home. Once you take home your Papa Murphy pizza, you need to remove the plastic wrap and preheat oven to 425 degrees for original or thin crust pizza and to 375 degrees for a stuffed pizza or calzone. Simply follow Papa Murphy's instructions for a specific type to enjoy your home baked pizza.
Does Papa Murphy's take EBT?
Yes, Papa Murphy accepts EBT across all its outlets in the United States.
Does Papa Murphy's offer delivery?
Yes! Select locations do offer delivery. You can check with your delivery partner to see if they can deliver food from Papa Murphy nearby. You can always use our Restaurants Listings directory to find a Papa Murphy outlet nearby to visit the outlet yourself and order your favorite pizza.
Is Papa Murphy's pizza gluten free?
Papa Murphy has joined hands with Udi's to offer gluten-free crusts for customers looking for gluten-free pizzas at Papa Murphy.
Is Papa Murphy's Pizza Vegan-friendly?
You can order vegan-friendly pizzas at Papa Murphy. Simply customize your order with the right crust, sauce, veggies, garlic, and spices and add your own plant-based meat and vegan cheese while you bake the pizza at home.
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About Papa Murphy
Papa Murphy is one of the top pizza chains in the United States. Papa Murphy was formed after the merger of two popular local pizzerias namely Papa Aldo's and Murphy's respectively. The trend of "take and bake" pizzerias gained popularity in the United States during the early 90s. The growing popularity these two take and bake pizzerias located in Hillsboro, Oregon and Petaluma, California respectively gave the idea of a possible merger to Terry Collins.
In 1995, Terry Collins consolidated the merger and founded Papa Murphy and expanded the pizza chain across 1300 outlets in the United States and Canada. Customers can relish Papa Murphy pizzas by simply walking into the nearby Papa Murphy outlet or simply order online or call-in to pick up the order later. Some Papa Murphy outlets also feature a drive-thru window where you can pick up your call-in order. Today, Papa Murphy is owned by MTY Food Group. Papa Murphy is the 5th largest Pizza Chain in the United States.
Healthy Food Options at Papa Murphy
Papa Murphy is basically a take and bake pizza outlet where customers can order their favorite pizza and enjoy it at home. You can either bake your pizza or grill it as per the instructions mentioned on each pizza crust. Papa Murphy offers a wide range of pizza options such as gluten-free, vegan, veg or non-veg. You can easily choose the right pizza based on your health or food preferences and enjoy a classy pizza at home. Apart from Pizzas, you can also try the salads at Papa Murphy for your healthy cravings.
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Address :
54-316 Kamehameha Hwy,Ste 9
Hauula, HI, 96717 - Phone (808) 293-2292
- Website https://www.papaoles.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :7:00 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 : Yes
Waiter Service : No
Caters : Yes
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Al A.
Hoo brah! Food in Hawaii can be expensive, especially at the resorts. $20 for a Loco Moco? Really?? When the family and I stayed at Turtle Bay recently, we vowed to eat like locals (we eat like locals on the mainland, anyway) during our stay in North Shore, Oahu. Of all the killa' spots to get grinds, Papa Ole's hits the mark with their quality offerings, friendly service, large portions, non-exorbitant prices and their thick, juicy kalbi ribs. The family was so blown away by the food, we came back the following evening for more....but they ran out of ribs! :( The lines, lack of AC and longer waits didn't deter us, we knew what we were getting into. The garlic chicken, Loco Moco, double cheeseburgers and fries really hit the spot! Papa Ole's became a favorite for my family. I'm sure it will be a hit for you too. Until we meet again, Papa Ole's! -Big Al
(5)Ray P.
As what pretty well all of the reviewers have said, this place serves very ono food. They have a great combination: super tasty food, great prices, and large portions. About the only thing missing is a large seating area (and a/c for the hot humid afternoons). Oh well, you can't have it all. If you go during non-peak hours there's no real lineups. I went about an hour before closing and didn't have to wait other than for them to cook up their delicious meals. If you're in the area, it's a definite stop to make if you're looking for a great meal. If you're not too hungry, you can split a regular size with two persons or you can save the leftovers for lunch the next day. Note: This is not the place to go if you are looking for super healthy food. Even the grilled fish and sauté shrimp dishes are smothered in butter (yum).
(5)Jill Y.
Holy smokes! What a find. My husband heard about this place from his co-workers so we decided to give it a try. We live in Kapolei, so we took a cruise to the other side of the island. At first glance, it looks like a typical drive-in but as soon as you near its doors, your nose gets lured in with so many delicious aromas. The inside gets a bit warm so we opted for outside seating. The place was crowded so we waited for a family to leave before finding a spot 10 minutes later. The prices are a bit up there at first glance, ($16 for Big J's, & $14 for mixed plate), but man, are they worth it! My husband and his friend ordered the Big J's and my daughter and I ordered the sauteed shrimp and garlic chicken mixed plate. We were served our plates outside by a very friendly waitress who had the dexterity to hold our heavy trays with one hand and wipe our tables with the other before placing our trays down. Wow, where does she work out? The portions are huge so we shared. The sauce was really good with rice. Only downside is you have to peel the shrimp, but I'm guessing flavor gets packed in that way. The garlic chicken was wow for the mouth! My husband and his friend even enjoyed the pulehu steak & ribs so much, after they polished off their food, they ordered another plate! Already went again and we are now planning to cruise up there very soon. Overall, customer service was awesome, the prices were reasonable, and most importantly, the food was great. A definite place to eat for kamaaina and a must see if you are visiting.
(5)Joy P.
My ohana and I stopped here for the first time during a trip around the island this summer. There were 11 of us and we were HUNGRY! I guess we got there at just the right time because it wasn't that busy. We ordered a pretty wide range of menu items and went to sit down on the picnic benches outside. The staff brought our orders out to us when it was ready. Not a bad wait (about 10-15 minutes) considering it was such a big order. Everything was amazing! This ain't your typical plate lunch joint! The portions are big and the flavors are phenomenal! We tried the country fried steak, garlic shrimp, pulehu ribs, roast pork, garlic chicken and chopped steak to name a few. By the time we were done eating we were already discussing when we'd plan another family trek out there to eat at this joint. Awesome job guys! We'll be back real soon!
(5)Brian F.
Great food in the Hauula area. Pulehu shortribs, hamburger steak and don't forget the peanut butter rolls!!
(4)Lika G.
Great atmosphere great service beautiful town Laie. Keep the country, COUNTRY!! That's what makes it beUtiful. It's not packed with tourist. Reminds u of the old Hawaii with modern amenities! I like the kalbi pulehu ribs!! That s it
(4)Tabitha C.
For breakfast, you need to try the Mac Pancakes, made with macadamia nuts. Totally unique & wonderful. If I could rate this 6 stars I would. Also the loaded omelet and the potatoes were so good I'm drooling writing this review.
(5)Jared T.
Love this place absolutely best garlic chicken I come here almost every time I drive by really good and really friendly
(5)Priscilla C.
Pinky still thinks about their garlic chicken here calling it "fire" and regrets not ordering it again when we came here for the second time during our trip to Oahu. The garlic chicken I have to say is so flavorful and tasty. Personally I hate sweet food other than desserts and fruits, which is why I don't eat BBQ. However, the garlic chicken is such a yummy combination of sweet, salty, savory, meaty, with garlic infused crispy batter with moist and juicy meat. I tried their sautéed mahi mahi special and that was pretty tasty as well, in a garlic butter sauce served with lemon, rice, and mac salad. Too bad they didn't allow me to order a mini size of their special bc portions are huge here! On the second trip Pinky chose the Puheli ribs that everyone seemed to be raving about. With big juicy chunks of ribs, the flavor itself didn't do much for us. It was a simple salt seasoning I believe bc we didn't taste anything else which would have been fine with us if the meat wasn't so tough and chewy. Another thing we weren't big fans of was the macaroni salad, way too much mayo for us to handle. Peanut butter rolls, this was like heaven on earth for Pinky. I'm not a huge peanut butter fan, but I have to say this was quite tasty. Soft warm rolls slathered in a creamy peanut butter topping, I could just sit there and eat this with coffee all morning. Portions to price ratio is legit, while service is super friendly and efficient. We would come back here for sure!
(4)Emily W.
My husband and I popped over here for breakfast for the mac nut pancakes. I'd REALLY wanted to try the Hukilau Cafe but they were closed each time we checked in. We went here based on the reviews and my thirst for mac nut pancakes was definitely quenched. Husband got a big plate with fried spam, eggs, and potatoes. Portions are huge, as to be expected, and the wait is a little long if there's a crowd. My pancakes were ENORMOUS but also really good. I wasn't able to finish them, so I'm glad I ordered the short stack. My only disappointment is that they didn't have peanut butter rolls before lunch!
(4)David P.
This was recommended by our local airbnb host so we gave it a try. Upon arrival there were several people ahead of us in line and many people outside waiting for their food. Placing our order only took a few min in all while waiting for the food took a bit longer, about 20-30 min. Which is a good sign! At the suggestion of the cashier, we ordered the garlic chicken and the short ribs. The chicken was definitely pretty good, and not overly garlicky and just the right amount of batter, but sadly I was disappointed with the ribs. I felt they were super salty and almost every piece was more than half fat. If I wanted to eat a years worth of fat in one sitting... I wouldn't. I've had shortribs at other places (shoutout to Helena's Hawaiian Food in Honolulu as a comparison/benchmark).That isn't to say the flavor was bad. It was actually good. The meat was also very red/pink. Kinda wish there was more substance (meat) on my bones instead of fat. Of course, different eateries have their own ways of cooking. I'll give Papa Ole the benefit of the doubt and toss it up to an off day and/or being rushed to send food out to hungry customers.
(3)Vince L.
On this recent visit, I thought I'd try something different. I overheard the two customers in front me in line order the "Teri Beef" plate. The lady at the front counter also said they had run out, so they had to make a fresh batch. That was enough to convince me to try it. As with any plate lunch for those unfamiliar, it consists of two scoops rice, one scoop mac salad and a pile of meat. There was certainly a lot of it in this case. I liked my choice of teriyaki beef much less than I did the ribs from last time. It was thinly sliced and a bit stringy. The marinade was a bit too sweet for my palate. Hawaiian teriyaki sauce has more sugar than normal, but this is a few notches above that. I should've stuck with the rib place that I normally get.
(4)M C.
Very disappointing breakfast. We ordered eggs over medium, Portuguese sausage, & hash browns. 1) it took FOREVER! 2) the eggs were not cooked right - overcooked 3) the hashbrowns appeared to be frozen & fried 4) there was an overwhelming margarine or fake butter taste In all fairness, I hear the plate lunches are good...so maybe give that a shot? I do not recommend breakfast.
(2)Mahina A.
Got recommended to this place from my dad who is a bus driver. When you first walk in the lighting is so dark i rather sit outside. Theres a few tables inside and long bench tables outside. You walk in and place your order then wait for them to call it out or bring it to you. I ordered the shrimp plate which was super ono. The only down side was too much sauce on my rice (so either more rice or less sauce i guess) . But the shrimps were nice and big. My fiancé ordered one of the specials i believe it had some kinda shortrib and shrimp mix plate. He said it was awful. The meat was super tough and just not what he expected for the price (and he likes everything usually). Was glad to know they had a bathroom in the back since my daughter decided she had to go. But i would definetly come back herr for the shrimp plus its a nice drive.
(3)Glenn A.
Killer pulehu style ribs with just the right flavor. We drove all the way to Hauula to eat the ribs. I definitely recommend these guys!
(5)Rodger M.
For the price papa'ole is awesome! Good sized portions! Love the brown gravy, it's like my mom used to make! Definitely returning!!!
(4)David P.
The food was great. We got both types of Ribs and loved each. Wife and I got the regular size which was more than we could eat. The restaurant is minimal, we ate outside, and the staff is top notch the day went. If I go back to Hawaii I will be putting this on my list of places to eat.
(5)Paul W.
Found about Papa Ole's back in 2006 when I walked out of the Turtle Head Resort and asked the valet for a recommendation on a local place to eat. His face lit up when he said Papa Ole's and told me to get the Garlic Chicken. That meal has been in my thoughts since and eight years later I was happy to return. Filled with aloha, Papa Ole's is a happy place. Picnic benches out in the front and small tables which can be pushed together inside. Service all ALOHA! I can't speak for anything other than the garlic chicken and peanut butter bread. A Garlic Chicken Plate and Peanut Butter bread have enough calories in them to power an NFL offensive line. You would fight an NFL team to protect your glorious Papa Ole's chow! I can't wait to return or until then...live vicariously through my brother and my sister-in-law.
(5)Patti K.
Wasn't planning a stop here, but that is irrelevant...haha. Decided to try banana pancakes because their peanut butter rolls were not going to be ready til about 11:00. boooooo. Also they were not sure what pies were gonna be available and when...they had to check next door. Regardless, slight wait for pancake, but it was yummy and we were not in a rush anyway. We wanna come back for real food!
(4)Gillian G.
Oh man the garlic chicken was so good! Crispy, fried, and sweet, and juicy! And all the rice under it was delicious too because if the juices. We ate every morsel. I would come back to try it all if i could!
(5)Mona R.
We got the Teri beef, garlic chicken, pork and gravy, and mahi. Everything was tasty, portions were extra large. Prices were fair to Hawaii. If you're wanting the ribs get there early! We were there at 330 and they were sold out.
(5)Cheryl W.
If you're yearning for the great food from Papa Ole's, you got to wait until they reopen on 7/23. Hurry Papa Ole's we're hungry!
(5)Bree C.
Yummy. Thanks to everyone's recommendations we got the garlic chicken. Fried nuggets of deliciousness. The mini was a perfect size. Comes with one scoop rice and one scoop Mac salad. Mac salad was only ok. Made better with a good squirt of Sriracha. We'll for sure come back. Wanna try the ribs and Loco Moco.
(4)Malia V.
I wasn't a big fan of any of the food we got (shrimp & ribs, sautéed mahi, peanut butter rolls) the best thing we are was the cheeseburger... The homemade patty was delicious! I felt very unhealthy & tired after I ate.
(3)Tim P.
My wife & I stopped here this morning for breakfast, and let me say I'm glad we did. She had a stack of the macadamia nut pancakes with chocolate & bananas and I had the regular size Loco Moco. Boy let me tell you, that was a meal to write home about. All my wife could say about the Macadamia nut pancakes was how incredibly amazing & awesome they were ( I believe the words " To Die For" come to mind). As for the Loco Moco, it was just "Perfection"!! If your ever in Punalu'u & hungry for a great meal, you just gotta stop by Papa Ole's. You'll be happy you did!!!
(5)Erik H.
Three of us made the trek from Waimanalo to Hau'ula to try this place out today. I'm not sure what all the hype is. I ordered the pulehu ribs. As tender and juicy as it was, it tasted mostly like char. I like the pipikaula from Helenas better. The rice that came with my ribs was mushy. And the mac salad wasn't as great as some other reviewers made it seem. I've had better mac salad made at home. My cousin had the Kalbi ribs. I tried a piece. It was alright, but Korean bbq Kalbi is much better. My cousins cousin got the garlic chicken. That was the saving grace of this place. I had a piece of that after I finished my pulehu ribs to get rid of the char taste in my mouth. So if you're thinking of taking the drive out to the country for the pulehu ribs, I'd just say go to Helenas and have their pipikaula instead. But that's all subjective. Take the drive out there if you're feeling daring.
(2)Noreen L.
My co-worker told me about this place and after reviewing all the comments, we decided to try this place. Very busy! Customers keep coming so you cannot be too hungry otherwise you will be so grouchy before the food comes out! My husband ordered the ribs and shrimps combo and I ordered mini garlic chicken wit tossed salad. OMG! Everything was soooo good!! Ribs are so thick and it's almost like eating steak! Shrimps have good sauce and garlic chicken is to die for. This is the best garlic chicken ever! I am not kidding! So lightly deep fried so you don't taste heavy oil or batter in your mouth. The sauce is not overpowering at all - just the right amount. Only the negative is the tables and chairs are so dirty. We will definitely go back!
(4)Jocelle B.
Pros Easy, affordable food, cooked fresh to order. Huge portions so feel free to get the "mini" plates or share with a partner. Free refills on fountain drinks. Food I ordered the mini sauteed shrimp, which came with rice and salad. It came in a light, garlic buttery sauce. It was perfect! I didnt want it to end. The dressing on the salad was a little bland and light but otherwise an epic mouthwatering dish! My shrimp were large and well cooked. Came out hot and fresh. Our party also ordered the garlic chicken, a fried chicken in garlicy sauce which was DEVINE! The terriyaki chicken, which was obviously marrinated for a long time and had a deep developed flavor without lots of goopy sauce, which went perfectly on top of the salad. Everyone loved their meal and couldnt stop raving about it! Considering the disappointing and overly priced food we have been eating on Waikiki for the past week this wonderful gem was worth the drive! Cons We loved the excellent service and staff, had to wait a while for our food but they were pretty busy.
(5)Sam A.
Food was amazing. First my boyfriend and I went and ordered a stack of pancakes, eggs, and hash browns. The pancakes were really good, but we removed the butter from the sides because there were four scoops around them and we didn't feel that was necessary. The eggs were okay, but tasted mostly like butter and the hash browns were soggy from the eggs. The next time we went we got one mac nut pancake, which was great! I highly recommend that you only get one or two though because it is very large and covered in sauce. The reason I did not give five stars is because when I went the servers did not know if they had coffee left, there was no creamer or milk, and no sugar alternatives. Secondly, the tables were pretty sticky and the peanut rolls were never there! Food is good though.
(4)Stephanie G.
Such a secret, we stumbled on this place based on my brothers recommendation. Not sure if it was because of the business... Waiting almost an hour for our food, or the fact we were really hungry, the food that we are was yummy!! We ordered the kalbi and shrimp. We wished we had more portions to our serving but the food was definitely tasty. Will be back, especially to try one of the dessert specials that were posted. Still would rather get some north shore shrimp though
(3)Mike L.
One of my favorite places to go to on the island. This is the place to go when you have the craving for pulehu ribs. I live on the main land so when I come for vacation, I come to eat. And this is the place to eat. Get a mini to feed your appetite. Get a full plate to feed yourself for an entire week! That's how much meat you're getting. So far the pulehu and kalbi ribs are worth the drive. the sautéed shrimp (cooked in lemon, butter, and garlic) were okay. Shrimp has good flavor but don't expect these to be Giovanni's. They also have specials all the time. Make sure to save room for their homemade peanut butter rolls. Looking forward to coming back next time to try more of their food. Also, they offer breakfast!
(4)Jonah P.
Just a heads up guys they're closed at the moment. Not sure if they're doing renovations or whatever but we tried calling, made the trip here. I live on the mainland now so it was kinda disappointing. I'll have to wait a year or so to come back to this place . I LOVE their pulehu ribs!!
(4)Billie Jo M.
Clean establishment with friendly, quick service and "HUGE" portions of ONOLICIOUS KAUKAU. I had a regular size hamburg steak plate. It came with 2 huge patties. I could have fed 2 people. Located in Haaula Kai center. Lot's of outdoor seating. Great place to stop while cruising around the islans.
(5)Megan Q.
Great food. We loved it so much we had them cater our wedding. It was really good every one kept saying how great the food was. The Teri beef is the best. The Teri chicken was really good too. We also had the noodles and the vegetables which worked well.
(5)Rizzle N.
Sweet bread French toast was good. Veggie omelette was a good size and very tasty. Good home fries. The person taking our order was not the friendliest.
(3)Pang T.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this restaurant! We stumbled upon this place and am so glad that we did. We were greeted as though we were family. By far....hands down....the BEST BBQ I've ever ever had (other than my husbands)! Would fly back just to grub on this ;)
(5)Samantha S.
Ate here with my sisters and dad on our first day here. It was very good and the service was excellent. The staff is so friendly. I will have to eat here again before we leave.
(4)Joey B.
My buddy who grew up here in O'ahu recommended coming here for good food. Eating here was well worth the beautiful drive up the Kamehameha Highway! Had the Loco Moco and that BROKE DA MOUTH it was SO GOOD! I recommend this place to anyone visiting O'ahu! So friendly! They gave us some of their peanut butter bread, and I was in heaven!
(5)Jozlyn H.
The reviews says it all! The best local plate lunch I've had anywhere on this entire island! It's too bad I have to travel all the way to Hau'ula just to eat their awesome food! So far I've tried their salmon, kalbi, roast pork, garlic chicken...... and I think that's it. My favorite is the kalbi, garlic chicken, salmon.... kalbi.... garlic chicken.....actually I can't decide. I guess it depends on my mood. They give huge portions so I tend to order the mini... all toss salad (no rice). Their salad dressing is good too and even the mini size is ginormous! This place gets busy around lunch time and the line usually goes to the door. However, they are pretty fast and everyone that I've met that works there are super nice. We didn't have to wait that long for our food. You order, they give you a number, you sit at the table and then they call your number and bring your food to you then you stuff your face! I wanted to nap after cause that buggah was so ono! They get plenty condiments too.... tabasco, shoyu, worchester sauce (who uses that), etc. This place is must try if you're on that side of the island. Everyone I've introduced this place to absolutely love it.
(5)Ryan H.
Papa Ole's is good local food at it's finest. If you get there and it's busy, it's gonna take some time for you to get your food but it's worth it. It's no different anywhere you go. Some places you wait an hour just for a table. They have a great selection of food from Kalbi Ribs, to garlic chicken, Lau Lau, Chicken Katsu, and more. Their breakfast is really good and you can never go wrong wth their eggs or Loco Moco. They are friendly and they even take cards which is rare in these parts. The peanut butter rolls are ONO and ask for the daily specials. If you are in a hurry call ahead for a pick up order.
(5)Malia A.
Talk about hole in the wall place. Read all the reviews on yelp and just had to go there. Finally made it out two weeks ago. yayyy And it wasn't even crowded. Maybe it was the time that we went (12:00 mid day) ?? We ordered the loco moco plate. ONO LICIOUS!!! The hamburger patty was "homemade" yummy and came with two eggs and the gravy was very flavorful .A+ We also got to try that peanut butter roll that everyone is talking about. It was good but when we opened up our container, it did not look nearly as good as all of the pictures that everyone is posting on here. It reminds me of the peanut butter bread that they used to serve for breakfast a elementary school. I'm not complaining.... I just thought it was going to be a whole lot better and different. Overall, I would definitely go back to try the kalbi :)
(4)Jas M.
Went there for the first time in 2010 and I've been a regular customer ever since. The workers are very nice and their food is bomb! Pulehu ribs are the best, super tasty, soft and so much flavor! Shrimp, hamburger steak with mushroom gravy, and sautéed Mahimahi are a few other favorites. If you're looking for healthy, go somewhere else because they make the best tasting gravy for your rice with every meal you order ;) the food takes a while but that's because they make it when you order it, but it's so worth the wait!
(5)Lorilynn L.
The bomb dot com, food is delicious and very local. Atmosphere could use some cleaning tho.
(4)Olesya M.
Big *J* speacial is so delicious! Juicy (marinated) ribs and garlic shrimp.
(4)Patrick S.
Really wanted to like this place given how highly rated it is on Yelp but can't help feeling a little disappointed. The kalbi (marinated korean style ribs) and the pulehu ribs (same style Korean ribs but non-marinated and just cooked with salt) tasted good but just tough. I'm thinking the thick slices of it may have had something to do with it. Even cutting it in half would these ribs would still be thicker than the slices of kalbi that I'm used to. The other seafood dishes were okay but not memorable. Think we had a grilled ahi as well as a shrimp scampi dish that was okay but have had better in some of the other shrimp trucks. This place is on the way to PCC, so we ate right before noon. We did a full day walking around PCC and weren't really hungry until the luau at 6 so at the very least the portions are generous here
(3)Monte S.
In a word, fantastic! Pulehu ribs were great. They were more like small steaks on rib bones. We also had breakfast there this morning. Banana pancake short stack and could not finish. The pancakes were at least an inch thick each. Great food and great price on the north shore.
(5)Anna M.
Mouth watering now as I type this...Garlic Chicken was, how do locals say, "broke da mouth". Next time I'm on da island, I will make sure I to stop by!
(5)Helen C.
Went back a second time because I couldn't leave the island without trying their garlic chicken. Alas, they ran out 5 minutes before I got there! Should have seen it coming, though, considering every other spot around seemed pretty empty & this place had a line out the door. A word to the wise: get there early for a weekend lunch because they could run out of food. Had the kalbi ribs & fried chicken instead & of course both were tasty though I had to be rolled back to the car afterwards. This is definitely going to be a regular spot on our return trips to the North Shore.
(5)Donna L.
We were in Laie on a Sunday (when everything is closed except McD) so we stopped in Hau'ula at Papa Ole's for a bite. I had the salmon plate and bf had the loco moco. Our bill came to $24. The quality of the food was good and the portions were huge, we each had enough food leftover for a second meal. Nice friendly service, good freshly made food.
(4)Diana C.
YUM!!!!!! I can't believe I never knew about this place before...Get the garlic chicken and short ribs! It's not super cheap, but very reasonable for quantity and quality of the food. Probably some of the best food I've had on the North side of the island.
(4)Julie A.
Heading out to the Polynesian Cultural Center, we found this place by chance and we're happy we did! The food was delicious, we ordered two mixed plates, one with the pulehu ribs and garlic chicken, the other with kal-bi ribs and roast pork. YUM! The people were super friendly too. I don't think we'd drive all the way out there just for the food, but if we're ever in the area, we'd definitely stop by again!
(4)Natalie W.
We had an awesome experience here! Taking the advice of Yelp on the way to a PCC day, we stopped at Papa Ole. We settled on a mini of hamburger steak with mushroom gravy and a regular garlic chicken= $15 ish. We started to pay them when the power went out. Since the register didn't open, then told us to not worry about it- they would still cook our order (gas powered). About ten minutes later we received our order without a word about payment. When we finished our meal the power was still out so I tried to give them a $20... they insisted I take two drinks. They closed the restaurant to new orders soon after us, but continued to sell rice and drinks to hungry men wandering in for lunch on break. The whole mall had lost power and they were the only ones still with food. In summation! Cleaner and more put together than most hole in the wall/stripmall local spots. Seating inside and covered outside. Sliding glass selection of pops and drinks to go with breakfasts and plate lunches. Sweet and genuine service and counter ladies. Only a SMALL wait for foods even with tons of orders. Food that is better quality and tastier then any other plate lunch I have had on the island. FYI's~ *Plate lunches come in mini and regular- regular is really jumbo *I am not a fan of chicken and I liked the garlic chicken *The mac pancakes looked tasty *Lots of seating *The specials board usually has Hawaiian baked good for cheap
(5)Derek H.
Stopped in after a recommendation from a local, so glad we did. Awesome terryaki chicken, great flavor-cooked to perfection. 5 stars for a little local place in a strip mall. Do not miss.........if you are in town!
(5)G A.
kalbi is killllahhhhssss!!!!!
(5)Sy S.
Fantastic! I was in Hawaii on vacation, had to try this place out. Worth the wait in the LONG line on a rainy day. Nice people, lovely food, served with love. Thank you Papa!!!
(5)Michelle C.
Yes, please! Totally great plate lunches here... I had the garlic shrimp (mm!) and the boyfriend got the hamburger steak with mushroom sauce. Let's just say after my bite of his I was uber sad I didn't chose wisely. So, if you find yourself in North Shore - hit it up.
(5)Robin T.
Best plate lunch I have had on any of the islands. Papa Ole's is in a strip mall but easy to find. I had the garlic chicken and my boyfriend opted for the Hawaiian salt ribs and both were amazingly good. You can combine 2 different meats if you can't decide. Plenty of covered picnic tables outside or eat inside. The staff was pleasant and brought our food outside to the table with a smile. Will make the trek around the island to North shore again to visit Papa Ole.
(5)Jason B.
Great plate lunch place that we hit every time we come to Oahu. They seem to be friendlier this time around, not minding the tourists - and there were a lot out in front. Basically, get your grub on!!! Local style!
(4)Blake P.
The garlic chicken is out of this world. My mouth is still watering from the pulehu ribs. I love local food, and this food makes me want to be a local. The best local food on oahu...period. Update: Now that I am back home, I am dreaming of the garlic chicken.
(5)Thu D.
Papa Ole's has ruined me for all mixed plates. I come from the mainland and all we have out in Cali is L&L and Ono Hawaii BBQ. Papa Ole's puts these chains to shame. I had the mixed plate of garlic chicken and Pulchu ribs. I also tried the Kalbi ribs and fries with gravy and mustard mayo. There is no garlic chicken on the mainland so this is the 1st time I ever had it. I can't say it's the best because I never had others but it tasted damn good! I wanted more! The Pulchu ribs are different from what I normally cook for myself and get at restaurants. The ribs were well seasoned and had a great taste of sea salt. Every bite was heaven. Yes it is out of the way but if you are in the area check it out. The food is great and the service was the best. They were very nice. I wanted to go back again before I left to the mainland but my friends didn't want to go back to the North Shore.
(5)Cambria C.
locomocooooooooooo
(3)Erik M.
We dropped by Papa Ole's on our way around the island on the way back to Honolulu. We weren't terribly hungry, but needed a little something to tide us over until dinner, and the menu looked like it would fit the bill. We almost drove right by it, but I caught the roadside sign out of the corner of my eye as we rounded the corner. If you're headed south on Kamehameha, start looking to the right a few minutes past the Polynesian Cultural Center, because it'll sneak up on you. The aroma inside the restaurant definitely kicked my hunger into gear. The girl at the counter was cheerful and patiently answered our questions about some of the menu. I went for the mini plate of Pulehu ribs with a side of macaroni salad while my wife opted for the deluxe teriyaki chicken sandwich. The ribs were had a rich smoky flavor, but were a little on the fatty side. The mac salad was about what you'd expect from mac salad. The chicken in my wife's sandwich had a nice teriyaki flavor and was very tender, but it was primarily dark meat and a little too greasy for her tastes. I, on the other hand, finished everything she couldn't. I hear the breakfasts are outstanding, but you'll have to take someone else's word for that. I'd say the lunch is a good value, but nothing spectacular. Quick tip: If you're eating in, save a little coin and just buy a small fountain soda - free refills!
(3)Ken C.
Peluhu short ribs with garlic shrimp is to die for. Excellent & quick service. Enjoyed talking to staff (part of the owners family), whom I think is referred to as the "girl". Even got some free cookies to go!!! Love this place. Was glad to have found this local place outside of the hustle & bustle of Honolulu.
(5)Triple C.
Best Deal on the Island! Their short ribs put anything the Korean establishments in LA do to shame! Thick and juicy and tastes like rib eye! The Garlic Fried Chicken is outstanding! Generous portions and very reasonable prices. It's mostly a local establishment but the owner was very friendly and helpful to us. Definitely a gem on this island! Anything comparable at Roy's would cost about 45 bucks! Here you get HUGE portions for a very reasonable 10-14 bucks a plate.
(5)Jeff R.
Ordered the entire breakfast menu and it was all onolicious!
(5)Tara H.
When I come to visit my Grandmother on the Windward side, I am always looking for something local to eat and close to the house. Aside from my grandmother's cooking (can't beat that!), Papa Ole's is the next best thing on this side of the island for great island food. Most recently I was out here this past week and went here for breakfast. **NOTE to all non-Hawaiians** If you don't normally eat for 2, order the mini or else you will be! LOL! They give massive portions! I ordered a couple of eggs and portuguese sausage, with hash-browns and my friend got 2 pancakes and a side of bacon. This is what we got. * I * - 3 scrambled eggs, 3 hash-browns, 8 slices of sausage and 1 piece of toast, shoot I forgot to order a mini, no wonder!! It was delicious but I will order a mini next time. * Friend* - 2 huge fluffy pancakes and a pound of bacon on the side! LOL! She forgot to order a mini too. All in all the service is great, the food is great local food and nice and close to my Grandma's!
(4)D L.
The garlic chicken was great! I don't know what is "authentic" Hawaiian. I do know that of all the plate lunches I've eaten (Rainbow, L&L), Papa Ole's garlic chicken was one of the best dishes I've had in Hawaii. Probably one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had anywhere. Good prices, great food and outstanding service.
(4)K A.
We stumbled upon Papa Ole's trying to avoid Subway, Taco Bell and L&L. I had a short stack of Macadamia Nut Pancakes ($5). It was HUGE and DELICIOUS. Both of the guys got the supreme omelet ($9), which the cook promised was the best on the island. The omelets were also GIANT and came with either 2 scoops of rice or 3 hash browns. To top it off, the waitress brought us complimentary fresh baked buns with peanut butter. YUM, but by the time we left we were stuffed and ready for a nap... After such a good experience with brunch, we went back for dinner. We both got combo plates that come with 2 scoops of rice, coleslaw or a fresh green salad and 2 kinds of meet ($9). The garlic chicken and fried chicken were delicious, as expected. Overall, Papa Ole's is good eats at a good price, and it feels like a very authentic Hawaiian experience.
(4)APRIL R.
DEEEELISH. point blank, clean, friendly. minus a star for being kinda dark inside and waiting a long time, but foods fantastic.
(4)Bruce L.
Best banana pancakes EVER! I come here every time I come to the islands. This place is a don't miss.
(5)Tameta C.
I am visiting Hawaii for the first time. The only thing better than the scenic views on Oahu are the garlic shrimp at Papa Ole's! AMAZING!!! The regular portion fed my boyfriend and I a nice snack on our tour around the island. The staff was awesome and friendly but would not share the secret recipe for the garlic sauce and for good reason. I'm telling you, as a lover of seafood and fine dining these were some of the best shrimp I have ever tasted! I wish I were going to be here longer so I could go back for more!
(5)Celly A.
We were driving up to north shore. We picked up my friend who lives in the middle of NOWHERE... LOL. She lives in the country (thats how the locals say it). Anyways, if you're not from Hawaii, this spot is in this quiet neighborhood where all you see are locals, construction workers, or city workers. They all come here to eat. We entered this small spot. My friend and her son ordered banana pancakes. Dude and I ordered fish and garlic chicken. The food tasted so homemade. I loved it . It was not super greasy like some places we ate at. The chicken was extra crisp and the fish had a killer sauce. Mini plates definitely filled me up. And I still had leftovers. Too bad I didnt try the infamous Loco Moco. Everyone in there was eating it. The ladies who worked there were sweet and awesome. But remember, this spot is in a random location. So if you're visiting Hawaii, it be best to take an early drive.
(4)Krishan K.
Garlic chicken was very good. Possibly the best I've tried anywhere.
(4)Angela M.
My husband and I were so busy site seeing that we never ate lunch last Saturday. Around 4pm, we were starving! We stopped here after using the yelp app to find a nearby restaurant. But......ew. Hubby got the Big J's meat lovers special. Nasty. We're talking fatty gristly meat. I got sauteed Mahi Mahi. I think it was sauteed in ALOT of margarine or some other butter substitute. The fake flavor was really over powering. (Both were served with a humongo pile of white rice and a salad.) But, to be fair, a lot of the food we found on the island was cooked this way. We had to go eat at Whole Foods to get something that wouldn't harden our arteries just from looking at it.
(1)Lina O.
the bfs coworker who used to live in Kailua had suggested Papa Ole's. it is quite a drive to get to, as there is only one way to get there. we went one day while on the north shore side, passing the shrimp farms. it is located in shopping center on the far right. it is a small restaurant, with a walk up counter and some tables inside and community benches out front. order your food at the counter and they bring out the food to you. the girl that was helping us was super nice and friendly. we ordered the mini plate of garlic chicken and the pulehu ribs. oh mah gah. first of all, a mini plate is huge. the garlic chicken was so crispy and flavorful. it was so good. the pulehu ribs were huge thick pieces of ribs just bbq'ed with salt and pepper. it is so simple and so freakin good. it was like eating pieces of steak. they also have free refills on fountain drinks. the food took a little while to come out, but everything was fresh and hot and once you taste it, its so worth the trip!
(5)Janine L.
We got omlettes- both big and cooked with fresh veggies and meat. The place is clean, fast and friendly. Good choice!
(4)Tom W.
Will definitely go back next time on Oahu to get the ribs plate, saw a couple go by that looked awesome. Our boys wanted the cheeseburger/fries which totally satisfied their hunger, even splitting the plate. My wife and I split the mahi mahi plate with salad instead of macaroni...very fine fish, but we wished it hadn't been laden with so much butter that one of the two scoops of rice was floating in it on the bottom of the plate...
(3)H K.
I found this place through a search nearby-highest rated. Don't let the backwater location fool you - this is an outstanding place lunch operation. Locals eat here. Do not be afraid. The staff were friendly and explained the menu to us under the watchful eye of some of the regular patrons, but what we got was phenomenal. This is the best mac salad I've tasted. My wife devoured her teriyaki chicken sandwich faster than I've ever seen. Mumbled something about being "fing awesome". My daughter's cheeseburger was done to perfection. I had the mini Pulehu rib plate and it left me full and happy. Then we decided to do back in and sample their baked goods. We got a zip lok bag of the most wonderful sugar cookies ever and a fine piece of banana bread. I wonder if something was in it. I love you all. Wow, these colors taste fresh.
(5)Tanya F.
Really enjoyed the garlic chicken! We also had breakfast there a few times. Pancakes and French toast are big enough for two people. The people were so friendly and have us hints of what the locals like.
(4)Matthew Q.
I was really disappointed with this place today. Last week we came here and got food to go for breakfast because me and a bunch of us friends were camping at the beach. The breakfast was awesome and the peanut butter rolls tasted fantastic. But today me and some of my friends went for lunch. I got the roast pork with gravy. The roast pork was really oily. My friend got the Teri beef and that was really salty. My other friend got the short ribs and the ribs was greasy. And then me and my other friend got 2 orders of the peanut butter rolls. But the rolls was really dry. And they also forget about our rolls. We finished all our food and we had to go up there to ask for the rolls. So I think I came to the conclusion it's either before 1230p the food is good or maybe because we were camping and really hungry that's why the food tasted awesome the first time. And to top It off under our table was a half alive really BIG roach! YUCK! So good luck with Papa Ole's! It's either a hit or miss.
(2)Carolyn C.
Papa Ole's has the most incredible Mac Pancakes I've ever eaten. And I've eaten my fair share from Kauai, Oahu, Big Island, and Maui. They are an inch thick with huge chunks of Mac Nuts, and are light and fluffy. Eating them with the coconut syrup will cause you to "see the face of God." Everything else we had here was delicious and the portions were huge. You could easy share and have plenty to eat. Go have a religious experience for your next breakfast.
(5)Art M.
OMG, best lunch plate Evah!!!!! Bar none, the best hawaiian BBQ i have ever had. Get ready for a mega high calorie, cholesterol, sodium ahhh who cares!!!! just indulge!!!!! Its so good!!!!! You go in to a very welcoming smile and a wonderful smell that will just make your mouth water. The food will not disappoint, My advice is to get the short ribs. Amazing flavor, juicy, succulent, and with one bite its like a party in your mouth. I also had the fried chicken which was yummy. Others got the pork plate, OMG, talk about gravy everywhere. Yummy!!! if you go to HI, stop by papa ole. No lines, Best kept secret IMHO
(5)Amanda Z.
While waiting for my husband to finish coaching soccer (allll the way out at BYUH), I was super hungry so I jumped on the yelp app and read all the glowing reviews for Papa Ole's garlic chicken, so off to Papa Ole's we went. It's a tiny little place with a few tables&chairs inside and several benches outside. The menu had several local items that sounded good, but we decided to share a regular garlic chicken with mac salad. We were gonna take it to-go, but once we peeked inside, we just had to sit on the benches and eat it right away! The garlic chicken had the perfect balance of fried crispy (but not oily) and garlic (enough garlic to taste good, but not overpowering). Once we both tasted the chicken, it was an all out battle to get our share of the food (I seriously had my elbows out to get in there and protect my half!). The extra garlic sauce was super ono when mixed with the rice and the mac salad was yummy too. My husband said Papa Ole's reminded him of restaurants in Hilo - super laid back, free parking, and delicious local food. Will be back the next time we are out that side of the island!
(5)Robert M.
We were in Hawaii Pre-Christmas for vacation and Papa Ole's was not on the top of our list as we were staying in Waikiki Beach and if you ever worked or lived on Oahu that is just to far to drive unless your a tourist. Anyway my girls wanted Tattoo's from Richard at Polynesian Tattoo (great place and a nice guy) so we decided to pair this visit up with skin graffiti. Now this is a locals place and it is very low key. The ladies that work here are super nice and i like the way people on this side of the island always make us feel very welcome. The very strong anti-development sentiment is evident by the large signs displaying a passion for keeping Hawaii as is, But do not let this discourage you as the aloha is freely expressed everywhere . Our breakfast was fantastic; Mac nut pancakes, banana pancakes, and a mushroom tomato omelete, all of which beat Eggs & Things in Honolulu up and down the block. The pancakes were light and fluffy and ice cream on the side should now be mandatory for all mac nut stacks. The real reason to go to Papa Ole's is the pan fried potatoes which must have a been cooked in a magic pan that i am hoping they don't wash but keep in a constant state of cooking limbo. The are adorned with crispy skin that is curling away from the host body. So good! Make the effort to get up early and go, you will not regret it.
(5)Daniel K.
We stopped by here for an early breakfast on our way to exploring North Shore. Banana pancakes topped with macadamia nut ice cream, a massive omelette filled with every type of meat and veggie that would ever belong in an omelette-- this was an unbeatable breakfast, and lasted us throughout the morning. Homefries are solid, which is always a plus in my book. And great service! The lady who served us was wonderfully sweet, offering more ice cream for our pancakes (who could refuse?). Totally recommended for those who love a greasy rich breakfast. As I am one of them, it gets 5 stars. ONLY if you want a rich breakfast. but hey, you're on vacation, right?
(5)Jaime G.
This place is great. We stayed a block from here, and went shopping for groceries at Tamura's. We had just got into town after the long drive from Honolulu, and we were hungry. We were going into the store and there was an aroma of delicious food cooking nearby. I saw this store-front restaurant there next to the Domino's pizza. So we decided to try it out. I had the garlic chicken, which was amazing. It comes with white rice and the best mac salad I've ever had. My wife had the pancakes, which were freekin' huuge!! and had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!! We went back for breakfast the next day and ahh man I must say they "hook it up" bacon, sausage, spam, eggs hash browns, the whole 9 yards with lots of aloha...if you're looking for "ono grinds" look no further this place is simply the bomb and you won't be dissappointed
(5)julie m.
Well it didn't really live up to all of these rave reviews. The place was packed on a Saturday evening so we got our order to go. Pulehu ribs- way too salty for me. Kalbi ribs had good flavor but were tough. Garlic chicken was just okay, don't understand the hoopla over this. Terri beef - again too salty and had a strange flavor to me. I don't think we will order there again. They are practically across the street from where we are renting, so at least we didn't go out of our way.
(2)Tonu A.
Garlic chicken plate is hands the the best. Out of all the local restaurants in the local area, this is my fav place. The service is great and they are good on timing in preparing the food.
(5)Erik O.
We were so glad we found Papa Ole's! Not that we were looking for Papa Ole's... but we were looking for some good food and all we were seeing was tourist traps and fast food restaurants. I got the "Big J's Special" and my wife got the garlic chicken and they were both delicious! It was so good we came back again two days later!
(5)Steven B.
The wife and I came from the mainland to Oahu to check out the windward side of the island, where we could mingle with the locals and not sink into the typical tourist traps. So, we went looking for the place the locals go to eat. What we got at Papa Ole's was more than fantastic food, we got genuine Hawaiian Aloha Love! I am a garlic nut and when I found out the the garlic chicken was one of their specialties, I was there. My wife had the chicken but I asked if I could have a combo plate and "Girl" (more on her later) told me I could have it anyway I wanted it. So, I ordered the garlic chicken AND the pulehu ribs. The garlic chicken is truly out of this world and the pulehu ribs were very tasty as well.The portions were huge! But the part that made me want to live here and come to this establishment all of the time is that "Girl" (that is what everyone calls her, including her uncle, the owner) who was behind the counter also came outside to deliver our meal. She was being hugged by most of her customers and she called them all "Uncle," "Auntie," or "Bruddah" and when I asked her if she was related to them all, she just laughed and told me that it was just a respectful way of addressing the locals. Both "girl" and her uncle made sure to tell us that the name of the restaurant was in honor of his/her father/grandfather "Ole" and this was a family run business. We could tell. Before we left, "Girl" brought out a big baggy of shortbread cookies as a gift and was gracious to a fault. So, before we left, I had to get up and give her a big hug. We were like family now! So, even though it is kind of hard to find in the shopping mall, make it a destination. And tell "Girl" that I hope she had a great time in on New Years Eve watching the ball drop in Times Square!
(5)Patricia M.
We rented a vacation home right down the street from this restaurant and after a long day of traveling and checking in to our place we were so hungry. We drove over to the little shopping center where there was a grocery store and a few other small shops but there was only one place to eat other than the usual chain fast food restaurants........Papa Ole's. The place didn't seem like much, a hole in the wall really.......but we decided to give it a try and it was by far the best meal we had the entire vacation! It was our first taste of Hawaii and it's forever burned in our memories. We had the kalbi short ribs, heaping scoops of rice, and macaroni salad. Delish! Since leaving Hawaii, I've tried to duplicate this meal and it just can't be done.........I need to get back to the island!
(5)EG F.
Why are you not closer to town side ? !! I would be one of your regulars! :) The garlic chicken and pulehu ribs are to DIE FOR ! :) Worth the 1 hour drive , we'll be back!
(5)Jody V.
Me and my wife usually come here close to closing back in the day.....it's been a while since we been here due to just being exhausted from work. So tonite we decided to go eat here and lemme tell you..soon as we entered the usual local aunty greeted us like we never left ,despite the eatery nearing closing time, her spirits and jubilation is always on an extreme high...I mean the folks here actually care about the customers and always engaging also...we ordered 2 minis ...pulehu ribs of course...and what do they do???....they give us 2 full orders instead..these folks here just embodies what this north shore mentality is about...giving...their food is the bomb, and the staff is the atomic bomb.....boom....
(5)Michael S.
Fantastic! Garlic chicken and the Big J's special are the way to go! So good!
(5)Eugene N.
I love love love this place I just can't stay away. The food is divine, Even though it might be a little pricey it's worth it. They give you really big portions and it's worth the money. My wife and I always get the ribs and share it, Yum Yum! They can get busy at times and when you go be sure to have extra time. It's always best if you call in and place your order before you head down over there. The food and service are great I'll definitely be going in eating there again soon.
(5)Mari W.
Huge portions! Big enough for the biggest eater. Just about all of the breakfast selections are amazing. I didn't love the garlic chicken - seemed like there wasn't much flavor (Sugoi's has got nothing to worry about) but the teri beef was great (if you like well-marinated meat) and the fried chicken was nice and crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. I'd definitely stop if I was already on the north shore!
(4)Raechel S.
A very unassuming place to grab a quick lunch--we stopped here on the way to the Polynesian Cultural Center, since we had already been to Giovanni's and were in the mood to try some Hawaiian fusion. We got a combo plate to share--half garlic shrimp and half kahula chicken. OMG, everything was so flavorful. The plate was heavily loaded up and well worth the 14 bucks we spent. It came with two sides and a drink, so we definitely were full by the time we finished. I would recommend this restaurant if you don't need a sit down service type and just want to fill your tummies before you head over for a day at the PCC.
(4)Mr. P.
So I got a big tray of peanut butter rolls,which they had on hand (kinda last minute decision) but I was a hit with everyone. Big tray is $42.00-small is $21.00 and single order is 2 rolls for $3.50. WINNAH !!! If you haven't tried them yet,what you waiting for....did not get a chance to try any breakfast or lunch plates,but looks good and prices are reasonanle.
(5)Dwayne Y.
Now the drive from Honolulu is quite far and I am still undecided if the drive is worth it for some ribs. We ordered the Pulehu Ribs and Garlic Chicken. First off the garlic chicken was mediocre to above average. It has pretty nice flavor but seemed kind of dry like it was over cooked. I don't think I would ordr this again. The Pulehu Ribs had excellent flavor but my ribs were a little tough. My friends said I probably had a bad batch so I will go again to see if it is true. The ribs did taste good. I think after they cooked the ribs the sprinkled on more hawaiian salt to give it extra flavor. If so, this was a smart move since it really helped make the flavors pop. Overall a pretty good place with pretty good (not Helena's level) ribs.
(4)Vivian D.
Employees are friendly and accommodating. Longs Drugs for bathroom. Was able to get half and half mini with substitute of green tossed salad. Wait for food was very long. Kalbi ribs were thick and juicy. Garlic chicken was dry and mostly hard deep-fried covering with little flavor. I didn't taste any garlic at all. Been there. Done that. Don't need to do it again.
(3)Anthony L.
Stopped by here for lunch while on vacation. I had lived on Oahu before so I was already familiar with this type of plate lunch menu. We had the garlic chicken and kalbi ribs. They were both great and the kalbi ribs were probably the best I have ever had! The meat was tender, moist and delicious. I wish I had known about this place when I lived here...second thought, probably a good thing I didn't, I'd be so fat! Ono grindz fo sho!
(5)Bobby B.
Nice people, HUGE servings and most importantly, DELICIOUS food. Had the Big J Special and their Garlic Chicken, their 2 most popular items, and I can see why. They were simply outstanding. The Pulehu ribs were incredible: large, tender, flavorful, and just the right amount of fat. The garlic shrimp was large and very good, almost on par with the shrimp trucks of the north shore. The garlic chicken was very tasty. I'd recommend to eat it quickly though because the chicken cooled off rather fast. Service was extremely friendly and informative. They make you feel as if you're a regular even if it's your very first visit. This is easily one of the best quick meals that you can get on the island IMO based on the price, quality, and quantity that they give you. So glad to have found this place. We will always hit up this spot on the way up to the north shore. I can't recommend this place enough.
(5)Mike L.
We found the best BBQ short ribs on Oahu! Actually, that extends to all of Hawaii. Papa Ole's does their [Pipikaula] short ribs right! Not super thin so the meat is dried up or chewy, they are a little thicker than what you'd find in Hawaii but because of that, they aren't overcooked. In fact, you can see a bit of pink in them (if you ask for medium rare), just the way I like steak/beef. We also tried their garlic chicken and it was sweet & garlicky deliciousness. I would like it a little less sweet but the white rice helps balance that out. If you're in the Kailua or North Shore area, this place is worth the drive as it is more or less in between both areas in an nondescript strip mall. But then again, isn't every good place in Hawaii like that?
(4)Robin P.
Somebody slap me for waiting 5 1/2 years to try Papa Ole's! As North Shore residents, we drive by this place almost daily, have read the Yelp reviews but have never eaten here until today. I ordered the Kalbi ribs and my husband ordered the double cheeseburger deluxe. We brought our little puppy with us, so we knew he would enjoy several bites from momma and daddy's plates! I requested the ribs cooked medium and they were a perfect, tender pink medium. The flavor was out of this world delicious! I ordered the mini and after the first bite realized I made a mistake by not ordering the regular. The cheeseburger was HUGE! The patties were freshly made and it was beautifully messy! We can't wait to try other menu items. The seating is outside so it's perfect for our family (no little humans, but one spoiled little puppy)! Papa Ole's will definitely become our regular weekend stop. Great food, great prices, tentative staff, and outside seating that meets my puppy's rather particular eating out standards. In doggie words, Papa Ole's gets 5 woofs!!
(5)Joseph H.
Papa Ole's is a guarantee stop every time in in the neighborhood. The kalbi, the pūlehu short ribs, garlic chicken, supreme omelet with shrimp sauce, all winners! The macadamia nut sauce is a winner a well. Reasonable prices with good sized portions. Do yourself a favor, eat here.
(5)Annette I.
Food: 4.5 Atmosphere: 5 Service: 5 Average total: 4.83 Service: The girls running the counter are very polite and smiling faces. They have hand written tickets so be sure to really voice specifically what you want as far as modifications are concerned. if you order dine in the girls will deliver your food. If it's take out they will shout your name. Amazing service! Atmosphere: Typical HI style mom & pops type restaurant. In door seating limited and outdoor bench seating available. Show your aloha and grab a seat! Food: We ordered: (2) mini garlic chicken plates (1) hamburger steak mini (all rice) (1) garlic shrimp plate mini (1) regular garlic chicken (1) cheeseburger (1) side order French fries (1) strawberry shortcake. garlic chicken: BOMB! Can't really describe it, but trust me it's good! Hamburger steak: Asked for all rice and gravy on the side, did this on purpose to try the hamburger for myself on it's own. To me it tastes fine flavor wise and it wasn't dry like how some of these other reviews say. BUT READ ON! Cheeseburger w/side order fries: My cousin had this one, he mentioned his burger was pretty dry and he had 1 huge thick patty! Looked delicious! I guess it's more about preference. Shrimp plate: So delicious! I can't even voice to you how ONO this was! Really, the shells are still in tack on the shrimp so you can suck out the absolutely delicious garlic sauce!! OMG I'm always craving garlic shrimp and this truly was worth waiting for! This is a MUST! Strawberry shortcake: Not your typical run of the mill angel food cake and whip cream. What you wi receive is a huge square of luscious pillowy cake with strawberry swirled inside and a thin layer of whip topping. Let me just say this was DEVINE! The flavors are all there and it's nicely composed for sure! Love this. THANK YOU PAPA 'OLE's for serving such ONO food!
(4)Lori F.
Loved this place...the sauteed shrimp, that's just as good, if not better, than any of the shrimp trucks, the fried chicken, hamburger steak with mushroom gravy, & peanut butter rolls. Deelish! The only thing that was a miss was the mac salad...it was a little too heavy for me so I didn't eat much of it. The wait for an order is approx. 10 minutes. Friendly service & located in Hauula Shopping Center. Note: if you go in the day & they're out of the rolls, try coming back in the early evening. They seem to make another batch for the dinner crowd.
(5)Uilani P.
Love the pulehu ribs combo with fries. The wait is kind of long but in the end the gave service with a smile and the food was delicious. Wanted the peanut butter roll but it was all sold out ... well be back...
(4)Alice H.
I got the garlic chicken and the mahi mahi, and both were pretty good. They DO give out large portions. But I don't know. It was just 'ok' in my opinion. I don't think I would come here again, but it was good just to try out authentic Hawaiian food!
(4)K L.
Must have the pulehu short ribs...no questions asked! It's definitely a must have if its your first time! The short wait is definitely worth it!!
(5)Hattori H.
A good spot for plate lunch in the same plaza as Long's Drugs and Tamura's. This place is a couple doors down from the post office. Came here on a weekday and wasn't busy at all. We ordered the Sautéed Ono Special and Garlic Chicken plate lunches - both with mac salad sides. The Ono special was really good; the Ono was sautéed in a lemon/butter/cream sauce. We could've just had the sauce over rice - it was that good. The garlic chicken is fried in a light batter and was pretty good but had a slight sweetness to it - still good though. This place can be easily missed if you're not aware it's in the same plaza as Long's. If you're driving north on 83, it's literally right after North Shore Fish Tacos and about a mile south of the Polynesian Cultural Center. This place will definitely be a place we'll come back to.
(5)Reiko N.
This is the true Hawaiian best kept secret. One of the biggest highlight of going to the North Shore the scenic route is stopping over at the Papa Ole's. The infamous garlic chicken, the shrimp, oh boy their chop steak with vegetables... And don't forget unko's specialty peanut butter roll dessert! Service is just amazing. Wonderful people, great family, God bless this place
(5)Allison S.
Stopped here on a Sunday morning to get breakfast. I ordered the macadamia nut pancakes and they were so decadent, almost like a dessert. The portions here are huge, too.
(4)Shane T.
Sometimes on vacation you can get so drunk you forget everything that happened unless you took pictures! Some things happen that you can't forget like being jailed or getting in a fight. The other thing you will never forget is the Palehu ribs! It's the best seasoned steak short ribs ever. The recipe should be given international awards! My taste buds were on hyper overload mode. As I was eating I couldn't believe what incredibly good tasting bit of heaven I was in. True state of euphoria! I wish I could freeze an order of this and bring it back to Cali!
(5)papaya s.
The pulehu ribs are SOOOOO good. Very simple, but delicious. I don't crave many things, but these are often on my mind. Eat the garlic chicken hot and fresh. It's delicious, although a total grease fest. Not the same once it's cooled off. Looking forward to trying more menu items the next time we're in Hauula!
(4)Jenna S.
Ok, I know the dining options around here are limited but this place definitely did not live up to its hype. The portions may be large but you are paying for it (I thought I misheard the total for two plates, one was even a mini, ouch!), the food is mediocre at best and the wait was long. The hamburger patty in the loco moco was tough and dry! I also got to sample the pulehu ribs - large but chewy and very fatty, the fried chicken - the batter really needed salt, it's more like mochiko chicken that had no flavor, and the banana pie - this was good but honestly it tasted like boxed jello banana pudding. I suggest skipping this place, especially if you are visiting! There are MUCH better places to eat around North Shore even Haleiwa. If you want plate lunches go to Teds Bakery down the way, now they have good food and a much larger selection - their hamburger steak/loco moco is the bomb. Or hit up a shrimp truck like Giovannies or Macky's. Happy eating.
(2)Anthony F.
The food was great but the service stands out and kept us coming back. They were great about explaining the menu..bringing out the food..offering suggestions with a smile. Ended up being our most visited restaurant during our stay. Had the garlic chicken, ribs, garlic shrimp, beef stew, peanut butter rolls, omelettes, and Mac pancakes. The lunch and dinner plates were our favorites. Breakfast was good just a little too big for us. But kept coming back for the friendly experience.
(5)Jeanie H.
Thought this place would be packed with tourists after reading some reviews but when we arrived on a Monday at lunch time it looked like 90% locals still. After trying their food, I can see why this place is a local favorite. All the items we had were great! We ordered the ribs, shrimp, terri chicken plate and sandwich. Everything was full of flavor and we couldn't stop eating. If we are ever up this way, we will defiantly make an effort to stop here again. The only one thing was that the terri chicken came a bit too burnt for my mom's taste and she sent it back. When thy re-grilled her food, it came out perfect the second time. They were really nice and apologetic about it. Everyone that works there were really nice also. Definitely 5 stars!
(5)Kate T.
This place is legit. Really good Hawaiian food. They give amazing meat portions. I got the garlic chicken and it was great! They were super friendly and helpful when we ordered.
(5)Cecelia K.
Great hole in the wall, local restaurant while driving around the island. You will find a mix of tourist and locals but when we went saw mainly locals enjoying an afternoon lunch. Garlic chicken was lightly fried with sweet sauce. I liked how they didn't over saturate the garlic chicken. Just the right about of sauce to meat ratio. Peanut butter rolls are hawaiin sweet bread covered with a peanut butter sauce. It was very rich in flavor. Couldn't finish the whole thing but its defiantly a great treat for those that like peanut butter cups! Generous portions!
(4)Chase B.
Get the teri chicken! The BEST hands down. This place has the best plate lunches on the island. From the teri chicken to garlic chicken to ribs, a must stop when in the area. A relative of mine who has lived on the island now for over 13 years has yet to find anything nearly as good as Papa Ole's. Get shrimp from Romy's or Giovanni's, but get everything else at Papa's.
(5)Aron N.
You've probably heard of the ultimate cheeseburger. Well it exists but not in the places that you might have guessed. Papa Oles has THE ultimate cheeseburger. Bun, mayo, cheese and meat!!!! How big? After not eating all day at Turtle bay, I still couldn't finish it. This is the king of cheeseburgers on this island and maybe in the state. This is a serious burger - yes I mistakenly ordered the double and when I got it, I couldn't believe the size! I think it was $5.50 and it blows away any other burger here that's twice as much. People talk about the other dishes but these guys are not fooling around with their food!
(4)Kimberly V.
The cheeseburger was amazing!!! One of the best I've had. The only thing I would suggest is to get a sturdier bun to hold the yumminess in. The garlic chicken was ok. Not the best. And the fried chicken had a sweet taste...I'm not a fan of it. Overall I enjoyed it and would go back for the burger and maybe try something new. The staff is very friendly and they bring your food out to you.
(4)Will C.
Da best BBQ on the westside.. We travel over 59 miles ine way just to eat there. I've the Big J's special, Teri chicken, and Garlic Shrimp.. So ono...
(5)Kaori N.
Papa ole was recommended to me from many people (locals and visitors), so of cause I had to come. Overall good value, I will definitely come back. Garlic shrimp was bit too creamy but good. Rib was so juicy and flavorful!! Chicken was good but I've never had chicken fried and dipped in sweet sauce so it took a while to get used to, but after I got used to it.....I think I am addicted to it!!!
(4)Paul K.
Delicious, massive portions. Most plate lunch places I went to in Oahu only had massive portions, with bland food. This place had the best Korean style kalbi I've had in a long time. The wait for the food is a bit longer than most other places, but well worth it. Absolutely worth the trek from wherever you are on the island. Closed Tuesdays, though.
(5)Kam J.
Great tasting local food with nice size portion I had the uncle special plate, it had good sized steak with sauteed onions and mushrooms with rice, really good. Kids had the burger, they loved it. My wife had crispy garlic chicken, it was delicious so she said it is a must have item. thank you.
(5)Tamara B.
We happened upon Papa Ole's for breakfast one morning kind of accidentally. We were renting a condo nearby and drove by this place a couple of times. It is pretty unassuming, but we made a mental note to check it out for breakfast on our last day... We have NO idea that it was such a freaking AMAZING place-- had we any idea, we wouldn't have waited until our last day to check it out! Like I said-- super unassuming joint. Some picnic tables outside, and some basic dining tables inside. Nothing fancy at all. But what makes this place a 5 star establishment is not the fanciness of the dining room... it's the quality of the food & the friendliness of the (small) staff. It's HUGE portions of absolutely incredible food, made and served with love & pride. You can't go wrong! We had a couple of breakfast sandwiches and a 'short stack' order of the banana pancakes.. The pancakes were, in a word:: SUBLIME. I didn't even know that pancakes could taste like that! If you are in/around the North Shore of Oahu, you gotta swing by Papa Ole's. You just gotta.
(5)F A.
I don't know what these chef's put in their food, but my, they have it down to aloha perfection. 1. Garlic chicken is a must if it's your first time there. fried ckn w/ rice and mac. fried ckn has a nice hint of sweet taste to compliment the fried ckn 2. Teri Beef : if you are lucky enough to get this before it runs out (which it normally does every day) please order this. you can tell they take the time to marinate and prepare this dish. most other teri beef plates, like teds and tita's grill just grill it and dump teri sauce on top. but this place has flavor down to the bite infused in the flank of beef 3. beef stew; this was ookay, i would rather have ordered the terri beef or garlic ckn we ate here multiple times b/c their garlic fried ckn and teri beef was just soooo delish can't wait to come back here next time i visit oahu/north shore
(5)Kay S.
Absolutely amazing food! I had read a review about the garlic shrimp on Yelp and ordered it. First of all...it was HUGE! At least a dozen (or more) huge, tender, mouthwatering, garlic, buttery shrimp with the most delicious macaroni salad I've ever tasted and huge portion of gooey rice with garlic butter. I took shrimp home...I couldn't finish it all! It was well worth the 45 min wait. BTW, the easiest way to find the restaurant is to find the shopping mall with Long's Drug store in it. They are located next to Long's. It is a small place with only 5 or so tables inside but with tons of picnic tables outside. While I was waiting the 45 minutes on a Sunday there was a continuous line of at least 8 to 10 people ordering the entire time. People did not stop coming in and ordering and the phone rang the whole time I was there! Majority were locals and they always know the best places to go. It is a drive from Waikiki and Honolulu but a breathtaking beautiful one up the windward coastline. P.S. get LOTS of napkins....you shell the shrimp yourself and its pretty messy!
(5)Wendy C.
You can't go wrong with pretty much anything on the menu at Papa Ole's. We had the loco moco, macadamia nut pancakes and veggie omlet. The portions are huge, prices are reasonable and the staff is super friendly.
(5)Rebecca S.
Sweet, friendly locals staff using the freshest ingredients and preparing Kalbi made to order? Count me in! Located in a strip mall, locals and tourists in the know enjoyed hearty mix plates on the outside picnic tables. I got a mini Kalbi.mix plate (see my photo) which was more than plentiful. I highly recommend checking it out. (Cash only.)
(5)Andrew R.
I loved the Macnut pancakes! They looked scary when they came out, but they were SO good!
(4)Conor B.
This place has great food although the prices have raised the portions are still large. I think the kids meal is big enough for me.Stick with the small sizes or share a large is what I would recommend. If your about macsalad and meat your going to love this place. If your about salad you might want to skip this one.
(4)Johnathan Q.
Great place to eat after a day of surfing or swimming on the beach. The teriyaki beef and grilled shrimp were delicious and a lot of it.
(4)Fred S.
We visited this spot twice during our stay at Turtle Bay. Once for lunch and the very next day for breakfast. At lunch we tried the garlic chicken and the ribs. Both were great. For breakfast we had the banana macadamia pancakes, which were amazing. Also had the eggs and Portuguese sausage which was also great. Super casual local fare that offers nice portions at a fair price.
(5)Krysten I.
Holy freaking moly! I will never again order Pulehu ribs anywhere else (I honestly can't think of where to get them anywhere else though). I might swear off kalbi too though, they're that good. So these Pulehu ribs are thick cut beef ribs, seasoned with salt and who knows what (crack maybe). It really reminds me of kalbi...but better (and I love kalbi). The meat is tender enough to cut with a plastic knife and they pile on the ribs to a point where you can probably share a plate between two or three people. The Pulehu rib plate comes with rice (white or brown) and either mac or tossed salad. The garlic fries are also really good, if you have room. Now Papa Ole's is kinda out of the way for us townies, but I'm sure I will always make it a point to stop by when I go North Shore. I might even skip garlic shrimp and Ted's in anticipation for Papa Ole's.
(5)Maria T.
Papa Ole's has probably the best plate lunch on the island. They are consistent on flavor and portions are big. We always order the Teri beef plate, fries, hamburger steak plate with brown gravy, all of the desserts, garlic shrimp plate, breakfast, you name it, it's all good!
(5)Marlene R.
Based on people's reviews, I got "Big J's Special" (garlic shrimp and pulehu ribs), and my husband got the garlic chicken. The food was amazing! If you are on the North Shore, you definitely need to eat here. You won't regret it. :)
(5)Lily G.
While on vacation, we decided to venture away from our resort and try a local breakfast place. We ordered the loco moco. Upon ordering we were asked if we wanted the mini or regular. Since we were splitting this, we figured regular was the way to go. We were crazy wrong. Should have gotten the mini. The regular insanely generously portioned. It was a dinner plate full of rice, then the size of 4 burger patties about a 1/2" thick on top, 3 fried eggs (cooked any way you like) and gravy all over. That much food for $10 was probably enough to be breakfast and dinner for the both of us, skipping lunch because we would have been too full to eat lunch. Since we didn't have a microwave in our room, we ended up just stuffing our faces and skipped lunch and had a snack for dinner. The seating inside is limited but they do have a lot of benches outside. As we were waiting for our food, a constant stream of people came in. So we knew we had picked the right place for breakfast. Next time, I'm ordering the mini!
(4)Charlie D.
Outstanding spicy chicken and shrimp. From this small restaurant comes great meals, one at a time.
(5)T S.
In my global travel to find the worlds best fried chicken, I always use the same criteria, quality, taste, portion size and pricing. This place is top 5, I've had both the garlic chicken (very good) and the regular chicked(world class). Even if we are staying in Waikiki, we make the drive out, it's that good. Fortunately, we've discovered Turtle Bay, so the drive is not so bad.
(5)Micah B.
Best place I have eaten on the island!! Big js special was a perfect blend of food with a crazy big portion! ! If you do not stop by here when passing town, you are missing out
(5)Jorge H.
Never have I been served a better meal, on a paper plate, with a 20 minute wait. This place is legit and a must have. In an area where most businesses close by 9, this spot came through for us on a hungry North Shore evening. I had the roasted pork with rice, Mac salad, and a ton of the best gravy I've ever had. So simple, yet, so awesome. After having a couple of Hawaiian meals with little to no flavor, (see Hukilau Cafe), faith was restored at papa oles. What to expect? It's not fancy by any means. It's like a food truck but with some seating and plenty of out door benches. You may need to share space with the town hobos, but as soon as that plate lands in front of you, the whole world stops and you don't even care where you're at. Great place. Great food. Great time!
(4)Samita V.
Say no more. Just read all the other post and you'll get the picture. What you waiting for? Go grind brah!!! Oh, and because it tastes so good, you'll have the urgency to eat like a pig. Go rite ahead, look around you, that's why we all eat dea. Oink oink...What napkins...XD ALOHA!!
(5)Barbara G.
We stopped here for lunch strictly on their yelp review. I had the teriyaki chicken and white rice and it was delicious my friend had the pork and rice and it was also very good.. This is definitely up spot that the locals stop for meals. The staff was super friendly and helpful.
(5)Jeannie G.
It's like eating at your family's backyard BBQ! BEST pulehu ribs evah seriously. Worth the wait bc you can tell it's made with love every time. You can order lunch even during breakfast time. Their breakfast is just as delicious as lunch. Definitely try the macadamia french toast!
(5)Billy W.
Came upon this place accidentally and I'm so glad I did! Great local place that serves amazing food! I tried the Moco Loco, which is a local favorite, and loved it. Others with me had an omelette, French toast, pancakes, plate lunch with fried chicken (the Mac salad is amazing), and a hamburger. Definitely going back and would recommend it to anyone!
(5)Wanda K.
Ono food! Use to eat there a lot. But like everywhere else prices are a little high for me to eat there as often. But, its definitely a treat when I do. Great portions. And just so ONO.
(4)Roy B.
My first visit here and I'm Yelping out loud! After all these years coming out to the North Shore I never knew this place existed. It took a friend from the neighborhood to bring me here for lunch after golf and boy am I thrilled about this place ! Papa Ole's is truly a place that will satisfy the Local hard to please crowd and tourists too. When we got here at about 11:00am the place had already drawn a crowd which got bigger as time passed, but not to worry because there is lots of parking and seating inside and outside. The general consensus seem to be the Pulehu ribs as most of the patrons here were enjoying, so I took it to the next level and ordered the special with Pulehu ribs and Kahuku shrimp. The dishes we ordered weren't just better than good, but there was lots of it and at better than reasonable prices. The service very friendly with lots of Aloha! Oh yeah...the soda is bottomless! So all you Townies and Tourists alike step away from Waikiki and see what you're missing up on the North Shore and enjoy a meal at Papa Ole's in Hauula! It's sure not to disappoint .
(4)greg k.
We read the hype, even my sister liked it so off to the north shore to check out lunch. Busy lots of super sized people so I figured the plates were super sized. Well I tried the garlic chicken and used Fatboy in Kailua as standard. Sorry to say it was sinewy like bad jerky tough and chewy. The sauce was missing a lot of things like garlic for instance. White rice was flawless which earned it a one star up from zero star. The Mac salad was as plain as Mac and mayo can be. No flavor but not old either so we had a fresh batch of flavorless food.
(1)Bryson L.
Wow, some of the best teri beef I've ever had, really juicy and moist. Awesome plate lunches here. The sad part is its so far away. This place was definitely worth the trip though. There's a lot of seating and parking at this place, it was definitely nice to unwind outside.
(5)Patricia P.
It's not a complete visit to the islands without having some great hawaiian grub at papa ole's. Hands down, best mac salad on the island and pelehu ribs and garlic chicken are to die for. Friendly staff, total mom and pop place with great prices and huge portions. Come get the best slice of Aloha that Oahu has to offer, and come early to ensure they haven't run out of those amazing ribs!!
(5)Brandi W.
This place is great! Hole in the wall with picnic tables outside. The girl at the desk was nice and helpful. We shared Papa J special is out of this world! The ribs are small steaks and flavorful. The garlic shrimp is phenomenal. Also comes with rice and a salad. Worth the drive from Honolulu if you're going to the Polynesian Center. Beach across the street. Really. This is an amazing place for lunch!
(5)Diana A.
Ordered the short rib and loco moco with mushroom gravy. I have 3 words to say" food is delicious! " Short ribs was soft and flavorful. The loco moco was the best! I went to a few in wakiki and no of them compares to this one in flavor and texture (the burger patty was moist and juicy ). I had other loco moco like prime rib, short rib and regular loco moco but I still can remember "papa oles" loco moco. It's a bit of a drive but it's worth it. PS remember to order the mushroom gravy
(5)Trenton V.
Geez, greasy places with fried food sure do get a lot of love here on Oahu Yelp. That's what this place was. I got the greasy garlic chicken with some creamy fatty potato salad and some fatty French fries. Food was good, place was full and super busy. They did have sautéed veggies on the menu for 6.50, everything else was pretty reasonably priced.
(4)Marku M.
I'll just say it. The shrimp here makes Giovanni's and other shrimp trucks look amateur. My sister in law the Big J's that had the Pulehu Ribs with the shrimp. I tried the shrimp and I was hooked. I bought the garlic chicken and it's exactly how i would imagined it. Been coming here for awhile and pretty much everything on their menu is bomb. But they are really known for their Kalbi.
(5)Ed K.
Good food and good service. Beef Kal-bi ribs were very good and the cheese burger was delicious. Very good price and big portions too! Will definitely go back for more!
(4)Kimo S.
Pricey. Let me get that out of the way. It can also be a long wait but when you're on the this side of the island everything is a bit pricier so I'm okay with that. Plus we came on a Sunday when so many other places are closed which probably added to our wait time. Lesson learned: if you come on a Sunday be prepared to wait. All that being said, this place is fantastic! I ordered Big J's combo which is the Pulehu ribs and Garlic Shrimp. Lauren V. ordered the Teri Chicken which she said was the best she's had around the island and probably their best dish. Not going to lie, her Teri Chicken was delicious and I would go back for this plate, hands down. The Big J's combo was equally amazing but the Pulehu ribs stole the show. They are twice the thickness you normally get kalbi ribs from a standard korean BBQ place. They were cooked perfectly and I just picked them up and ate without a fork or knife. The meat was easy to bite into, I wasn't fighting to take a bite, it was tender and well flavored. Damnit, now I want to go back to order another plate. The Garlic Shrimp was fine, nothing amazing but the Teri Chicken and Pulehu Ribs were amazing. Definitely order these and you'll be in food coma heaven.
(5)Chris W.
I was working on job site in Hauula and tried Papa ole's for the first time and must say it is one of the best plate lunch restaurants Ive ever had. I eat a lot of plate lunches everywhere i go and work and Papa's price, selection, quality and taste are second to none. Ive been there 3 times in one week. Had the teri beef, teri chicken mix and was awesome. I had the Garlic chicken too, it was oh so good. My favorite so far is the Kalbi, pulehu rib mix plate. it is heaven on palate. going back real soon to try some other menu items. Cant wait!! Chris Wacklin, Mililani Mauka
(5)EL C.
For the most part Papaoles plates are great! BUT the other day I got the blueberry Creamcheese square and it was not good at all. Talk about SUGAR ON SUGAR... The crust tasted like straight sugar (10times sweeter than a SUGAR COOKIE sweet), the Creamcheese layer tasted like SUGAR too (You couldn't even get the taste of the Creamcheese, which is normally the best part), then the blueberry topping (which was a little sweeter than normal, but it was actually the least sweet of the layers. My other complaint is that the Peanut butter rolls are not how they were when they first opened. Whatever changed between the opening, needs to be changed back. Other than that Papaoles food is awesome.
(3)Claire H.
My husband liked the sweet pork taco and burrito. The kids enjoyed the cheese quesadilla.
(4)Beth H.
Good local food. I had the mac nut pancakes, the short stack was huge & delicious! Could't finish it all. The bacon was pretty thin and crispy. My husband got the veg omelet and hash browns. The hash browns were store bought deep fried, just ok. Overall, a good place to eat as there aren't much breakfast places around.
(4)Val B.
Omg!!!! Huge portions. Love them for breakfast. Love them for lunch and dinner. Make sure to check their schedule. They are closed on odd weekdays. Also saw that dude from Hawaii 5-0 dining. Indoor and out door seating. Nice cause you can walk it off by venturing to longs or Tamuras.
(5)Edward I.
The serving is huge, had the loco moco like most of the people that posted here. Just right. I felt sorry for the guy at the counter, he was really suffering from the heat, what's with Hawaii and it's lack of a/c and restrooms? Seating outside could fit about 80 people. Conveniently located next to a post office, so I was able to ship out a lot of heavy stuff using those giant priority boxes to help lessen the weight of my baggage. Getting here is a little out of the way, but the best way I've seen so far is coming from Kailua and following the eastern road up, eat here for lunch, go around the island and have a romantic dinner at Waikiki.
(4)Mae K.
sorry lost points in my book! $14 grilled mahi mahi special, it wasn't! dressing 4 my salad was some concocted oil-based, no-flavor mess! hubby had chopped steak w/chicken, loose money! 2 plates, 2 bottled drinks (cooler robbery-$2.50each), 2 orders of peanut butter bread $3.50 each! $41 bill wasn't worth it! so dissappointed! tables, sticky as hell, lighting @ 6pm sucks, so dark! sorry papa ole's my friends rave about your good food, but consistency is the key!
(1)Da H.
Well, the rice was terrific. However the rest of the meal was, frankly, disgusting. The person taking our order was inattentive and unhelpful. She mixed up our orders, overcharged one of us for her order, and delivered the wrong order to another of us. That person ended up going next-door to Domino's Pizza to purchase some breadsticks. One of us had the pork dish, which was generous, but fatty. In fact it was shreds of meat swimming in a pool of grease. The shrimp was okay, but again was very greasy. The macaroni tasted like it was flavored with chicken fat. In sum, the meal hardly rated one star much less the 4.5 given by other reviewers.
(1)Wajih A.
We ordered Kalbi ribs Pulehu ribs Garlic chicken everything was so good that i came back the next day. Recommended in oahu especially in the east side of the island
(5)Kawena K.
I almost didn't post this review, purely based on my own selfish reason - I don't want other people to find out about this place! But really, Papa Ole's deserves every star. I find myself making excuses to drive out to Hauula, just to eat here. I even have a Papa Ole's chant that I do in the car on the way over. You gotta get the peanut butter rolls. Peanut buttery (emphasis on the butta) sauce all over a warm roll? YES, PLEASE. I believe they only have a limited quantity each day so make sure you get them early. I almost always get the pulehu ribs because it's pulehu done right! Seasoned with nothing but Hawaiian salt, the cooks back there in the kitchen know how to pulehu those short ribs to perfection without overdoing it on the grill. The best thing about this place is the customer service. I came here once for a take out order and when someone accidentally took my order instead of theirs, they gave me his order + my original order + peanut butter rolls to enjoy while waiting. It's nice to know there are still establishments out there that care about customers.
(5)Adam P.
I love this place. Big portions. Get the Kalbi ribs. Very thick and juicy. I had them cater my wedding too and everybody loved it.
(5)Terry K.
When my car makes its way to the north side of the island, it's always a guess as to what I would find..... Well---- in Laie! Papa Ole's BBQ Kalbi ribs, Pulehu style ribs, chicken, garlic grilled shrimp were my selections. I ordered the mini plate for each which was about $6 less per plate than the full sized plate. Worked out well as each order came with a scoop of rice (they have brown rice too) and a scoop of macaroni salad. The ribs were grilled to perfection and the texture of the meat was absolutely wonder. I was impressed with the simple fact that Kalbi ribs were not OVER marinated.... Price? Mini $7 to $7.50 each mini plate. Oh, the meats are made to order and not sitting under some warmer. Unless you order in advance be prepared to wait at least 15 minutes for your order to be prepared. Definitely worth the wait (and the drive)
(5)Tammy L.
Lovely people! Although this place was ultra-casual (which place in North Shore isn't, am I right?), the people were so kind and wonderful. We met up with some family members here for lunch and ordered a bunch of food. Like most Hawaiian cuisine, it is meat and starch heavy. We got a variety of things but I ordered the tripe stew for myself. It was very good and served with the ubiquitous ice cream scoops of rice and mac salad, both also good. The garlic chicken was also very tasty and the kids had a lot of it (with rice and mac salad). The only thing that was NOT good at all was their teriyaki beef. I think because of the seasoning (with ginger), it gave it a very bad taste of old oil and fishiness. Everyone agreed not to eat it but we didn't mention it either. We later went to a beach picnic nearby where the food was catered by Papa Ole. The same beef was served and it tasted the same. I concluded it was their seasoning that resulted in the off-putting taste. All in all, a tasty meal (except the beef)...just try not to overdose on carbs and have a green salad as soon as you can!
(3)Jacob N.
I give this place is a good 4.5 stars, but not quite a full Five. After doing the La'ie Falls hike (a couple of reviews ago) we came here for lunch because one of our group had already decided that we'll be eating here ahead of time. She apparently read reviews, and blogs about this awesome place all the way out here. I'm glad we all went along with the idea! PROS: + HUGE portions + Broke da mouth flavor + Friendly service + Lots of seating CONS: - A bit pricey - So far from home! After a quick Yelp check on this place I was impressed with the 4.5 star rating with over 100 reviews. I knew I was in for a treat, and I noticed that the Garlic chicken, short ribs and pancakes were all the rave in the Yelpisphere. When we got to the little strip mall that houses Papa Ole's (and Tamura's on the other end) there was a lot of parking in the lot. The restaurant was pretty sparsely populated since it was post lunch rush time. Breakfast wasn't being served anymore (It was just after 2pm), so I knew I couldn't try the pancakes this time. Now I was torn between the short ribs and the garlic chicken. There were two types of short ribs to try from. Kalbi, and pulehu. They were out of kalbi, so that further narrowed my decison. But it was still a dilemma! Short ribs, or chicken? -- That is the question. Whether 'tis tastier in the mouth to eat Deep-fried chunks of chicken in garlicky sauce Or to partake in pulehu grilled goodness And by deciding, choose one. Hold on a sec, -- I'll just ask the cashier for a recommendation! So that's just what I did. She said those two are the most popular items on their menu, and that she prefers the chicken because she doesn't really care for beef too much. Alas, I love beef... My dilemma remained unsolved. She then told me I could do a mix plate of the two! SOLD!!! That's exactly what I did! I added on a fountain drink (with free refills), paid for my order, got my number, made my drink, and joined my friends on one of the long picnic tables out front. After a short wait the food started coming out. Everyone was impressed with the size of the plates. Even the mini's! The Garlic Chicken was big meaty chunks of chicken with the skin still on, deep fried, and covered in a garlic sauce kind of like a lighter more garlicky version of the Zippy's Korean sauce. The Pulehu Short Ribs were thick meaty cuts simply seasoned with salt and pepper, and grilled to perfection. The mac salad was alright nothing too special, but it went well with the garlic sauce. Pulehu Short Ribs and Garlic Chicken Mix Plate: yelp.com/biz_photos/Qtyt… The down side to all of this wondrous food is that my mix plate along with a fountain drink had set me back $15. This is quite a hefty price to pay for a plate lunch, but on the flip side it was a pretty hefty plate lunch! It totally filled me up after hours of hiking on a nearly empty stomach! It was definitely worth the stop here, and I'm debating whether or not visiting Papa Ole's again would warrant a trip all the way out there. I think it just might be. It's also, without a doubt, worth the stop in if you're anywhere near the area. Give those Kahuku shrimp trucks a break for once, and check out Papa Ole's! I'll definitely be back, and hopefully I'll be back early enough to try the pancakes!
(4)Nakia N.
Aside from the lengthy lines, this is and has been "the spot" to go to! Bread pudding is always on spot!
(4)Phillip F.
Like they say. ... All good things are worth waiting for. This place is so good and the people are so friendly. .. so much aloha. The cheeseburgers are so good. ... Hand made thick Patties. ..BBQ chicken is really good. The pastele stew is really good. The Teri steak sandwich is really good. Love the fries.
(5)Anna L.
Delicious range of meals. Great proportions...and food is tasty!
(4)Sean Z.
Ono, country grinds! I admit, even with the numerous positive reviews of Papa Ole's I was still a bit skeptical when I arrived. I was expecting this place to be a typical, plate-lunch styled establishment with no "WOW" factor. Boy was I wrong. Their hamburger steak plate was definitely one of the best I have ever tasted! In addition, their brown gravy was no joke either. On a second occasion I tried the same thing except with the mushroom gravy this time, and damn, that was delicious too! The only blemishes I see here is the long waits and restaurant design. The cashier area is really narrow so when there are a lot of people, it feels extremely cramped. Also, the doors are always open so whether you eat indoors or out their will be harassing flies present. *parking is not a problem; big open lot *service is genuine *self-serve water is located to the left of cashier area
(4)Erica W.
Great food and great staff. They made us pork and cabbage even though they don't have it on mondays... thanks so much papa plea!
(5)Love C.
Been wanting to try this place for a while. After eating at North Shore Tacos, we stopped by for desert. Got the peanut butter rolls and a blueberry cream cheese cake. Both were soooo ono. As delicious as they are going down, don't eat too many of the peanut butter rolls, cause you'll feel sick after. Looking forward to going and trying more food. Just wish they didn't serve everything on toxic styrofoam.
(4)Kara R.
So delicious. Sunday nights in this area are tough to find a place for dinner, but I'd eat here anytime. Totally cheap, unpretentious, great service, delicious food and they were fast for take-out. The shrimp is better than any of the food trucks we tried, totally flavorful and not over-cooked. But the real shining star is the beef ribs. Cooked perfectly with the right amount of salt and char. I could have eaten them all day.
(5)Kim K.
There's always a line when I come here which is always a great sign but expect to wait 20 mins or more. My favorite is their Kalbi Ribs. Seriously one of the best Kalbi I've ever had! Priced fairly and you get so much on your plate! Charred perfectly with a tasty sauce and fat in all the right places. I also like their garlic chicken and mac salad. Yum! Another locals favorite.
(5)Philip M.
Good grub! We went for breakfast and had the mac nut pancakes which were super yummy and not at all what we were expecting. They have a yummy creamy syrup that covers the pancakes that is so rich and delish! They also have hashbrowns which they make extra crispy similar to McD's. Their omelettes are huge and super filling so you definitely get your money's worth.
(5)Joel W.
Very nice people here. Food was excellent. My wife and I both got the macadamia french toast. Fast service!
(5)Jeff H.
Awesome breakfast place. We had half stack of macadamia nut pancakes, half stack of banana pancakes, bacon, and hasbrowns and let me say this would have been enough for four people to eat. The pancake were awesome, the Mac nut comes with some crazy sauce on the top and its delicious.
(4)Jim H.
Incredible volume of food for the price....most visitors can split a regular plate and its only $10.
(4)Josh K.
This spot came as a recommendation from someone who worked at Turtle Bay. It's a small trek from the resort to a small shopping center, but it is totally worth it. Pulehu Ribs is all I have to say. Their Mac salad is also amazing. The staff is delightful. Loved this place!!!
(5)Corey B.
I couldn't check in for lunch today because of poor cell phone coverage. The Pulehu Ribs are THE BEST. The beef stew ran out and a lot of locals were ordering laulau with garlic butter shrimp. I hope to try those one day, but the ribs are just too good to pass up.
(5)Sara P.
This place has huge portions!. I needed to stick with a mini and I couldn't even finish that. I went with a bunch of different people and got to see all the food they ordered and everything looked awesome! I got the aina special, which is just their homemade hamburger steak and gravy with some sauteed mushrooms and onions on top. Winnah! My friend also ordered to pulehu ribs which were nice and thick and excellent flavor. Next time I think I'm getting that! Also tried the famous peanut butter rolls and the topping was amazing. It's not very healthy haha but you dont come to papa 'ole's to watch your figure. The peanut butter frosting tastes like pure butter and sugar with some peanut butter for taste, generously plopped on some yummy rolls. Good dessert to finish everything off! Good thing it's all the way out in Laie or I would go all the time!
(4)Francis D.
I don't usually come this side of the island, but I'll always make an effort to eat at Papa Ole's when i do. Their for food are good, affordable, and they give a generous amount.
(5)Shari M.
The best pulehu ribs ever! I could eat here for breakfast lunch and dinner.. We had the roast pork with gravy.. The gravy is a home made gravy so Ono.. The fried chicken and garlic chicken is tasty and delicious.. Not oily. There is so much Aloha.. When we inquired about the infamous peanut butter rolls.. They made a fresh batch and sent some out to us and it was a light whipped peanut butter cream topping melting on top of a soft light roll.. I recommend this place if you are in hauula..
(5)Mz Lu T.
My favorite place for their chopped steak and mushroom plate. Also the peanut butter rolls are winner!
(5)Michelle M.
Best loco moco on island! Love bringing friends up here to try local grinds first times! Everything from scratch, so ono!
(5)Amanda F.
Had the best plate lunch I've ever had! Fried chicken was super crispy and seasoned, rice wasn't dry & mac salad was YUM (not the bland, run-of-the-mill mac salad either)! Quick & attentive counter service, sat outside on the picnic tables. Food is delicious here! Only downside is this place has no ambiance, in a strip mall and no personality put into their shop but the food is well worth a visit!
(5)Abby S.
There is always a wait everytime we come here. The food is mediocre and the prices are a little on the high side. The staff is nice though. Dining is limited inside the restaurant but there are plenty of picnic tables right outside to eat at. Don't ever come on a Sunday for lunch. You'll wait an hour to eat!
(3)Scott H.
They have great portions, more extras, better quality local dishes! Much better than the locally acclaimed favorites that go off reputation rather than food! Try them out, Loco Moco special is my fav here!
(5)J W.
This is one of the best places for breakfast on the North Shore! The portions are very tasty and HUGE! My family of four ordered two entrees and one side and had trouble finishing it all. We had the Moco Loco, the large stack of Supreme pancakes and a side of home potatoes. Everything was DE-LI-CI-OUS. Our original server was very friendly despite being really busy. The second server (started her shift after we started eating) not so much. The 2nd server needed a serious prescription for happy pills. A Costco size would probably be a good start. We would really recommend this place. Just bring a serious appetite or several friends to share.
(5)B L.
Definitely worth going to. First off, I am not a fan of local "BBQ" type places, such as L&L I generally feel that the quality of food from those places is very poor. PAPA OLE'S is. A million times better than all the L&L joints on island. Their prices are about the same if not better, and the portions are massive. I do feel that they use high quality ingredients. They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner at great prices. My normal order is either $13 for a Prime Rib plate (rice and Mac salad). This is one of the best tasting and largest pieces of prime rib I have ever had. I am an extremely picked, and especially when it comes to meat (I do not like grisly or super fatty pieces) and this meets my standards. I also frequently get the "Uncle OLE'S Special" for around the same price, and I get one if the juiciest pieces of steak, that I have ever had. A 1/3 of the price of what I'm getting at Outback. Definitely worth going to and it has a great locally owned family environment. I saw some other reviews about people complaining that they run out of stuff, but personally, it happens, it's a small place and at least you know what you do get is fresh, since they run out, that must mean they frequently order fresh stuff. One if the best places to eat at on this side of the island, and one of the best locally owned places on the entire island. Btw, they sell a HUGE ziplock bag full of homemade cookies.... FOR $5 DOLLARS
(5)Bobby M.
Very friendly service, unfortunately the food was only OK - the Big J's special (pulehu ribs & garlic shrimp) was so-so & the garlic chicken was lukewarm. Oh ... & there was a big hair in our special! ;( Disappointing after seeing all the great reviews.
(3)Paige S.
I read a lot of reviews on this place before deciding to go here for a takeout dinner before the walking dead. What we ordered: Kalbi Ribs & Garlic Chicken Kalbi Ribs were good, and the flavor was great but we like the flavor of Helenas better. Garlic Chicken: When I see garlic chicken, I want it to be garlicky like there is no tomorrow. So bad that my husband thinks twice before kissing me. This chicken is not that chicken. HOWEVER, it was GOOD chicken. It is sweet with a light garlic flavor and if I were to go back, i'd get this again. The portions are huge, the flavor of all the food was good and the service was friendly. The only con is that its a pricey!
(3)Juliene C.
My husband wanted to take our new car out for a drive. So, we decided to drive out to Hauula to have lunch at Papa Ole's. My husband says they make the best loco moco on the island. It's a small spot. It was raining so we had to wait for our order outside on the picnic benches. Luckily someone left & we swooped in for the table. It took a long time to get our order, but they were pretty busy. -loco moco: it taste just like any other loco moco i've ever tasted. -garlic chicken: pretty good, but after awhile it all taste the same. -peanut butter rolls: now this is what made the drive worth it! It's basically dinner rolls with peanut butter smothered all over it. Its not you're typical peanut butter though. Its lighter, silkier, & smoother. Delicious! I would probably eat here again if i'm in the area.
(3)Josh R.
My friend mentioned this place to me where we were cruising around the island. At that time I was super hungry so I said "Lets Go!!!!" My friend told me about their garlic shrimp and how tasty it was. At that time, I was craving for some meat and sure enough there was a plate that would satisfy me and sample that garlic shrimp! I ordered the combo that came with the ribs and shrimp. When my order came out (yep they brought it out to me while i was sitting ouside) I was like "damn!!!!" the plate was overflowing with the ribs and I could smell the shrimp. From the first bite of the ribs and sucking of the shrimp, I was sold!! The shrimp sauce was the best Ive tasted so far - yep better than the ones I tried miles back ( Giovanni's) The ribs were tasty in every bite. I was truly satisfied after that. It was worth driving there again a second time even though the plan wasnt driving around the island. I was hungry and I just drove there and again so worth it.
(4)hyejin s.
Pulehu ribs had good flavors but they were too fatty. Some pieces were lIttle too tough. I would try the kalbi ribs next time. The chocolate cream pie was very good!
(4)Robert D.
Kalbi Ribs from the grill - my fav., Roasted Pork is a big plate, and excellent home made desserts (bread pudding, peanut butter bread, banana pie - all great) I highly recommend this place, as I'm a regular. Sundays are very busy after church. Its a family business, and everyone seems to know someone there..
(5)Jason L.
Stopped by here to have dinner with some family and friends... the girl working behind the counter was extremely helpful and friendly. Recommended some different options for us and here's what we ordered (if I could remember). Wife and I shared the Big "J" Special... definitely split it with another person. Had ribs, garlic shrimp, rice, macaroni... Flavors were good, but I found it to be a little too greasy and the ribs had a lot of fat on them. Even though they were seasoned and cooked perfectly, it just felt like I was chewing on fat 75% of the time. Also tried their peanut butter roll - tastes like a sweet roll with a peanut butter cream frosting lathered all over the top. My daughter LOVED this! My sister ordered their garlic chicken. I wasn't a big fan of this since it almost tasted like the garlic chicken you would get at Panda Express :/ I was hoping it was going to be a garlic fried chicken with chunks of fried garlic, but it was drenched in some honey sweet and sour sauce. Overall, this place is a solid place to stop and eat at...portions are large and you get a lot of food for your money.
(3)Rudy D.
Omg. The best little mortals of red meat heaven in my.mouth. The pelehu ribs are fricken to die for. The garlic chicken is equally delish. A must have if you are up on the north part of the island. Been there three times, absolutely delish every time.
(5)Scott Y.
Forget the shrimp shacks! They don't have the flavor! And this place has PULEHU RIBS! ordered 2 mixed plates to try their stuff on the way to the shrimp shacks... Mistake! Should have ordered more shrimp at Papa Oles!! It's that good. Why have i been passing this place my whole life?!?!
(5)Robyn T.
We love coming here for breakfast when we're out on this side of the island. The food is good (and PLENTIFUL), and reasonable... We've tried the Macadamia nut pancakes (so ono), the Aina Moco, the Pulehu Ribs and many other delicious goodies.. OH! and I cannot forget about the Peanut butter rolls... Definitely a place to visit when you're out in Hauula. :)
(5)Kate R.
Great little local eatery. Had breakfast (twice:) and lunch. Teriyaki sauces are super yum at lunch time and the potatoes for breakfast are super! They use at least a potato and a half and a Japanese spice made of roasted seaweeds and sesame seeds you can buy at the drugstore next door! And I totally did. Within walking distance of the rental homes we were staying at. The staff is friendly and the food is great! My husband and I tried the spam breakfast sandwiches one morning and he had a ham omelet and I has the macnut pancakes another morning. They were about a mile thick;) they were covered in a caramel sauce and nuts. I got the short stack and could only finish half! Delish! Local fave, must try!
(4)Nancy G.
Love finding new restaurants when we visit Oahu. This was just the beginning of a new relationship with food! Three dinners, three happy people. All the food was incredible including the cookies and pie that we had to take with us; there was just no room left to enjoy it~ Wish I could go back today but its a long way from California to go for dinner.
(5)Rebecca P.
This restaurant was mentioned in the "guest book" at the condo we were staying at, so we decided to give it a try. I asked the cashier what she suggested since I was starving and all the plates I'd seen looked delicious (all large portions, by the way). She recommended big j's special, which came with shrimp and ribs. I went with that so I could try both. The shrimp was delicious. I should've just gone with the shrimp plate (my original thought when I went in). The ribs were tasty, but they were probably more than 50% fat. I usually try to cut off the large portions of fat on the meat I eat but I couldn't do that with these because it was often a layer of fat on the top and bottom of the pieces with a tiny sliver of good meat in the middle. So I skipped eating a good bit of the ribs. I docked a star for the quality of the rib meat. My Mom got the teriyaki chicken (because they ran out of the chopsteak after we ordered so she had to pick something else). That was as good as my shrimp. I docked the other star because it took us almost 40 minutes to get our food, despite the fact that it was going on 8 pm on a Sunday when we ordered. I'd definitely go back, but not when I'm so hungry (because of the long wait) & I would not order the ribs again.
(3)Dover G.
We had dinner to go on Saturday night. They were out of most of the popular items. Including French fries!?! I had the Palehu Ribs, although I wanted the Kalbi Ribs (they were out). Mac salad was good. Husband's cheeseburger was good. Ribs were ok, lacked flavor and fatty. He was very disappointed about no FF. We went back on Monday morning for breakfast. Again out of a lot of things, including Potatoes. Would've gotten 2 stars, but now down to 1. We left and didn't try breakfast.
(1)Janice H.
Famous for their garlic chicken, but absolutely adored da pulehu ribs! Ditto on da peanut butter roll which was a bread roll smothered in some fantastic peanut butter sauce. BF adored it + he's not a huge fan of PB. Cedria Kanoa, da owner, is so full of aloha + is so gracious. His 'ohana runs da place from serving customers to cooking da food to ringing up purchases. If you're traveling through Hau'ula en route to da North Shore (taking da Kailua route), den it warrants a stop along da way. REVIEW #188
(5)Jiayang H.
One of the best meal I had on Oahu! We live in a vacation rental right across Papa Ole's and one morning we decide to try this shop. Oh myyyyyy the food was amazing! Three of us order 3 dishes recommended by owner and they are huge... It toke us a whole day to digest them haha! Do be aware the food portion are biiiiiig!
(5)Hannah C.
Really good food! I got the garlic shrimp, and it was delicious. However, you peel your own shrimp which is something I haven't done at a restaurant before. The rest of my family throughly enjoyed their food too! Totally reccomend!
(5)Ken K.
NO POTATOES! Two attempts. The first time, no fries. Had a great cheeseburger, but if I hadn't been hungry and tired, I would have gone elsewhere. Tried to get breakfast a couple days later, and this time, "No Potatoes" on the "Out of:" board. We left. If the management can't solve simple supply issues, then they don't need my patronage. Really. They are located next to a grocery store. To me, it's ridiculous that they would prefer to lose sales because of a readily available and popular staple.
(2)Jon S.
Papa Ole's is the bomb dot com. Love the Pulehu ribs. I like the cheeseburger with light sauce. Breakfast is all big portions that taste good. Pretty much everything I've tried here has been good (besides the fried chicken had a sweet taste to it, but no one's perfect). Papa Ole's #1!
(5)Melissa C.
Order the pulehu ribs, you won't regret it. My bf had the loco moco, and claims it is THE BEST he's ever had.
(5)Alyssa K.
I stopped by here for lunch with my mom when we were driving around the island. I hate to be lone downer here but I wasn't very impressed with the food. I could literally feel my arteries getting clogged up with all the grease and oil from the food here. Pelehu ribs were alright, but to me, it was nothing to really write home about.. Basically overcooked & burnt pieces of meat.. I like my meat well done but not torched... I also had the pastele stew.. again, nothing exciting. The tables were super sticky, and that grossed me out. Just not my kind of place. I'm giving 3 stars because everyone was nice there.
(3)Jon H.
Stopped by for a breakfast with 4 people on the way to the southern side from where we were staying in Laie. Ordered up the meat omelette , reguler plate of eggs, and the macadamia nut short stack of pancakes. RIDICULOUS PORTION SIZE ALERT. The meat omelette, filled with vienna sausage, spam, and bacon, had probably 6 eggs, as it filled an entire takeout box. The hashbrowns? 3 hashbrown patties. 2 pieces of buttered toast. Enough to feed an army. The pancakes? 3 pancakes the size of a basketball, then TOPPED with macadamia nut ICE CREAM. Yeah, ridiculous. Everything was delicious, huge, hot, made to order. Prices were decent, we ordered most of our food for about $25. The only complaint I had was the coffee. First off, they ran out when I ordered and didnt finish a new pot until after I had finished eating. And when the new pot came out, it was burnt black coffee..... LEGIT
(4)Darren M.
Always one of my favorite meals on Oahu. I will drive from Waikiki just to eat there. Best ribs ever.
(5)Kimo A.
Best teri beef bruh. Their teriyaki sauce is better then any where on this island. And awesome serving sizes. Come here for the REAL plate lunch.
(5)Chuck C.
Very popular local restaurant so long wait for plentiful, ono food. Best was garlic chicken but pulehu and kalbi ribs were also thick and meaty. Garlic shrimp not as good as at Tita's Grill though. Very casual, fun atmosphere.
(5)Theordore S.
Best plate lunches ever - lots of food all grilled and tasty - the shrimp is amazing (with garlic sauce) but love the kalbi and palehu steak, too. Everything is great. It's busy as heck - so expect a short wait or call in ahead - if they answer! That's how popular they are - their desserts are good too - Prime rib on Thursday! It's well done but again, the portions are huge and well worth the cost, which is a just few dollars more than the average plate lunch restaurant but that's because the food is not "average" - it's awesome - why cook?
(5)Gretchen B.
If you're a local or vacationing to Hawaii, you should already know the food tastes absolutely fresh. Their produce is literally picked from their own garden or local markets. Papa Ole is a prime example of that fresh-from-the-local-market taste. At Papa Ole, the short ribs are balanced with the correct amount of salty and sweet, and they're not those thin short ribs either. Their rice is cooked right (I've had my fair share of too sticky, overly cooked, what's that bug in my rice moments at other eateries). The mac salad is delicious and isn't heavy at all. My suggestions: short ribs, fried chicken, banana pancakes or Mac nut pancakes with a side of sausage or spam. Mmmm...trust me and you'll have lots of leftovers for later! If you're in the North Shore, don't forget to stop by Papa Ole!!!
(4)USC T.
Awesome food and Hawaiian friendly service. We went with the house special of calibi ribs and shrimp and it was fantastic. Only 1 1/2 mile from Polynesian Cultural Center.
(5)Darryl M.
In case you're just visiting (like us), know ahead of time that this diner is a really a take out / sit outside place in a small strip-mall with zero atmosphere (unless you like parking lots). That aside, the people were very friendly and helpful with figuring out the menu options, and the food was very good. We came for breakfast and enjoyed the combo plate with potatoes. The potatoes are lightly salted and tossed with nori and black sesame. They were tasty. Could have been hotter, but they were fine. The eggs and Portuguese sausage were traditional fare. No complaints. We also ordered a side of banana pancakes with the mac nut sauce. Be warned...the macnut sauce is truly a sauce, not a syrup. So if you don't like thick, gravy-like sauce on your pancakes, just get em plain and put maple syrup on them. The sauce is very good with the banana pancakes, but after a while (as you get full from a three-stack of giant pancakes) , the heaviness of the sauce starts to take it's toll, and we gave up on the rest. It good, but just a bit much. Would we go again? If we were passing through that way to North Shore...Yes. Would me make a special trip out of our way to go there? Probably not.
(4)Gary T.
My wife and I went there for the first time .My wife ordered the chop steak with onions and I ordered the pulehu ribs .The portions were generous , but still , I should have gotten the regular size instead of the mini . The chop steak was pretty good ,but the pulehu ribs were super good . We're going back for seconds for sure !
(5)Itz I.
Love this place!!! Friendly staff, cool breezed setting!! And the food?...like heaven in your mouth (: it's awesomely good!!! Papa Ole's over L&L anyday! Allday! plates are pretty big tho'for a mini plate which is good ! It's a MUST go to if your starved! Or just stoned outta your mind (: 100% satisfaction guaranteed ! (:
(5)Jonathan H.
Had the combo which had the shrimp and ribs. Highly recommend the ribs as they were great - ordered them medium for how well done. The shrimp was also good. It's a lot of food but really good.
(5)Kristina T.
I ordered the garlic chicken/ shrimp mixed plate and the Loco Moco... sooo good!
(5)Jeanine B.
As a bunch of mainlanders looking for some authentic Hawaiian food, we found it at Papa Ole's! HUGE portions, and super delicious. This place is a must if you are driving around the island!
(5)Daniel U.
This is what I like to call Hawaiian "Soul Food". One order is big enough for two. Just epic all around.
(5)Jennifer R.
Uh-mazing!! I have only been here once but it was enough to say it is one of my favorite places on the island!! I had a loaded cheeseburger and it is by far the best burger I have ever eaten! I visited on a busy Sunday so I expected a little bit of a wait, but was pleasantly surprised by not having to wait long at all. Seating was in the form of picnic tables outside so you can enjoy the weather, but covered in case of showers. Staff was friendly and efficient! I also got the peanut butter rolls and they were delicious! My parents got more local kine food and really loved their meals as well! I will definitely return!
(5)Scott H.
Giant pieces of kalbi ribs! Portions are huge. Food is great. Can't ask for anything more. The kalbi plate is huge. the spare ribs are slices about 3/4" - 1" thick, cooked medium. So good!
(5)M S.
We are somewhat regulars, and was very disappointed on our last visit. The pulehu rib/roast pork plate combo was bad, the pulehu ribs smelt rensid and was sour. We couldnt take it back as we had already drove home to Kahuluu. Not to mention the portion size is smaller.
(1)Teesie K.
Recommended to us by a local and had amazing plate lunch! Reasonable prices awesome food. We will make it a point to go every time we are on Oahu !
(5)Reza A.
if you are at the North Shore and you are looking for some amazing local Hawaiian food, this is the place to go (and I am not talking about the healthy kind if you know what I mean). My girlfriend and I stopped by at 6:30 PM after a long day at the beach to grab dinner. The place is fairly clean and has both, indoor and outdoor seating (the latter being particularly desirable when it's dinner time and a bit cooler outside). Don't expect anything fancy though, this is a pretty low key place. We ordered a "Loco Moco" (it's listed on the breakfast menu but it's available for dinner as well), and the "Big J Special" (we substituted the Shrimp Garlic Chicken). It took around 15 minutes for the food to be ready (and that was on a busy evening), and the portions were fairly generous for a total of $23. The "Loco Moco" was super buttery and rich, with a very tender beef patty and eggs cooked to perfection. The "Garlic Chicken" was very crispy and flavorful without the garlic taste being too dominant. The seasoning on the "Puleha" (ribs) was amazing and the meat was cooked right to order (medium well in our case). Probably the best "Local Hawaiian" food I had (and dating someone who grew up on Hawaii, I tried a bunch of them).
(5)Loocha L.
in my limited time at the North Shore, this was hands down THE BEST FOOD on the windward side. No hustle bustle if clutter suburbia Kaneohe here in Hau'ula, a pure seaside unpretentious vibe. loco moco reg size YES fried rice HELL YES (esp good as brkfst) pulled pork reg size YES sauteed mahi mahi special HELL YES teri beef sandwich YES coffee OK (what, not like i can do w/o it)
(5)Adriana B.
AH!!!!!! So delicious!!!!! I wish they served fried rice, it would've set my meal off right perfectly. Nonetheless, some soy sauce on the rice goes well.
(5)Tracey I.
The absolute best best to get a pulehu and garlic shrimp plate. I live in town but we go fishing around the area and Papa Oles is a must stop! The service is awesome and their food definitely matches. The Special J is enough to feed two people. Their shrimp taste like its fresh from one of the Shrimp farms in Kahuku. You can't beat it.
(5)Lena M.
We always order the sautéed shrimp and the garlic chicken. For my husband and I, a mini plate of each (comes with rice and mac salad) fits the bill. Occasionally we'll wish we had more shrimp but then we would go from full to totally uncomfortable. We like the chicken, it's really good. But there's something about that shrimp. It is simply incredible. You will want to lick your plate. Warning: this is not health food. But with shrimp that good, who really cares? Papa Ole's is a must if you are visiting the North Shore.
(4)Kalai F.
I know there are only a few places out here to eat but we found this place and decided to try it out. We opted for the pulehu ribs and a mahi plate with a side of fries. The mahi was overcooked and not sure that it was even mahi mahi. The pulehu ribs was ok at best kinda chewy and lots of fat. The killer was our bill! Prices here are ridiculous! I think our total for the two plates and a side came out to about $30! I say go next door (tamura's) and buy fresh fish and a box of kalbi and cook at home. It'll save you tons of money.
(2)Sooky S.
When I have to go up to Hauula for work, I always save room for the garlic chicken here. Unless you want to take half of it home, get the mini.
(4)Brent P.
We live at Sunset Beach with limited food options so last night we decided to drive to Papa Ole's and we were very happy campers. My wife had the Pulehu and I had the Garlic Chicken which I loved. We both ordered mini plates which left us very full so I probably wouldn't order a full plate unless sharing with someone - but that's me. My only disappointment was that they were all out of dessert. After reading the different Yelp reviews I was really looking forward to sharing a treat with my wife at the end but went away a little sad. Oh well, we drive by here every weekend so we'll be back. Thanks Papa Ole's for giving us a new option! P.S. Service at the counter was excellent!
(4)Darren W.
Very good local food, a must try. Shame i could only eat one dish. Will be going back definitely..
(4)Adam R.
Like most restaurants in the area, it is dingy and unappealing to the eye, but the food is good and the people are nice. The garlic chicken was good, but there is nothing about it that is garlicky. The macaroni salad is good.
(3)Evan F.
While on one hand I really like Papa Ole's, on the other I don't. I think it's because I've watched the prices double through the years as well as had some bad experiences with the food. With that much said, when the food is prepared on point, and I'm also in the mood for it, then the place truly rings a bell with me. For those that enjoy large portions, Papa Ole's is a great local food spot. Of course, you pay for large portions at Papa Ole's because they're a bit pricey. In terms of quality, they have a reputation for high quality as well. Only thing is I find them a bit inconsistent in how well they prepare their plates. In other words, they're hit and miss. That has just been my experience over the years.
(3)David J.
Holy cow that was fantastic! We almost made the mistake of going to L&Ls again - so grateful for a local's recommendation to go to Papa Ole's instead!! We had Kalbi ribs, Palehu ribs, garlic chicken, sautéed shrimp, teriyaki beef, and more! Don't forget the peach cobbler too! Fed the eight of like kings! BROKE DA MOUTH!!!!! And very reasonable prices too!
(5)Emma P.
Sometimes en route to the North Shore/Laie, Papa Ole's is a destination in itself. At least for me. Sure, it's an unassuming plate lunch joint on the outside, but the staff as well as the portions are so, so generous. Plus, if you're in search of breakfast on a Sunday morning in the area, Papa Ole's is pretty much the only game in town (a food monopoly is not always a bad thing!). Not to mention the extended hours on Haunted Lagoon dates in October -- business savvy, no? Their garlic chicken is my go-to lunch of choice, but if it so happens that I'm in before 11am, their macadamia nut pancakes are amazing. It almost makes me contrive reasons to make the drive out from town.
(5)Hetal S.
Hv only been there for breakfast. All I can say is yum yum yum... Close to turtle bay. And not too pricy either.
(5)Terry F.
We stopped on the recommendation of one of the locals. We ordered the beef ribs and the teriyaki chicken salad. The favors were fantastic! My wife's salad was great. I couldn't have hoped for better flavor from the beef ribs, they tasted amazing. Not being a beef rib expert I don't know if they could have been any more tender, I thought the meat was tough and was a little disappointed. That said, it was worth the stop, don't regret going here.
(4)Austin K.
We had breakfast. Great, authentic local place. The short stack of macadamia nut pancakes where smothered in butter, fluffy, and delicious. The veggie omelet comes with piles of hash browns and white bread toast. Charming. It's not fancy fare, but you shouldn't expect it when your kicking around the northshore. Super friendly staff and outdoor picnic table seating. Thanks Papa Ole's for a solid way to start the day.
(5)Rod G.
We stayed across the street from this very local place. The staff, and all of the customers we talked to here were very friendly. We had breakfast twice during our stay. The veggie omelet and home fries are extremely tasty. Enough for two people to share. My brother had the Spam breakfast sandwich which he thought was quite yummy. Highly recommend if you are in the area, or just driving by, great little place for breakfast or lunch.
(4)Travis D.
I came here at around 8pm right after going to the Haunted Lagoon on the opening night. I was extremely hungry and didn't feel like eating any McDonald's, which is an absolute last resort. A quick glance over the menu, you will see a variety of regular and mini sized plate lunches varying from $8-$12. After some deliberation and some input from a woman in a muumuu, I decided on a combination plate with pulehu and kalbi ribs. This came out to a mere $12 and was well worth it. I shared a couple pieces with my sister and was satisfactorily satiated. Definitely a better deal than a typical $13 plate of Kahuku shrimp down the road. The ribs were thick and juicy. I'm not sure why, but the pulehu tasted better than the kalbi. Maybe the kalbi was slightly dry and charred? The food here is definitely 5-star. I'm subtracting one star for the 30 minute wait for my ribs. It's understandable, since the ribs are THAT thick. If you have ADD and don't have signal on your cell phone, they have a TV and free wireless. You can pass the time checking Facebook or playing Scramble With Friends. The next time I'm in Laie I will definitely stop by again and be more mentally prepared for the wait for my food.
(4)Keisha B.
We were up in Laie and need something quick to eat before visiting PCC. This place is a great local food option for not vegs. Unfortunately, they don't have much to offer for vegs. I did order a salad and it was filled with water at the bottom. The salad was almost $5 and it was shredded lettuce and tomatoes. I thought this was a little poor in ingredients for the amount I paid for the salad. If you are looking for some great local food like pork or steak and rice - this is a good joint for you. Skip the salad ;). But get the fries! They are delicious. Also the price isn't bad at this place. However, be prepared to wait a long time for your meal :(
(2)Sampo H.
The service was a bit slow and they ran out of several dishes, but the food we ended up with was excellent (pelehu ribs, garlic chicken). This was much better than Tita's, the other popular barbecue joint a few miles up the road. If you're ever in the Turtle Bay area, it's well worth the extra 8 minutes to drive past the Kahuku restaurants and down here.
(4)Marshall H.
I have visited this place a couple of times now. This place stays busy as hell so get ready for a wait. My favorites are the Beef stew and the cheeseburger. I also enjoy the roast pork dish. Beware cause the plates are large. Most of the time I get a mini plate. Don't forget to get a peanut butter roll if they have any! You won't regret it! Overall I like the food from the place!
(3)Marcus D.
Stopped by here for lunch on a tour of the island. It is located in a strip mall, nothing fancy outside or in. Service was very friendly and helpful. My wife ordered the sautéed shrimp and I got the ribs. Both meals were great, but have to give a special shout out to the shrimp. Great sauce, and plenty of shrimp. Prices were really great. Got plenty of food. Note: I reserve 5 stars for truly exceptional, so no knock on this place.
(4)Jeremy S.
By far my favorite spot to eat at while on O'ahu!! Every time I land the first stop is always here, especially after those long fights from the mainland!!! The Garlic Chicken is phenomenal, best item on the menu!! The Loco Moco is the fantastic and the large portion is more than enough for two!! Oh and the mac salad is the best on the whole island!! Prices may seem high but remember, this is Hawaii and everything here costs more. However, for the amount you pay the portion size is huge and the food delicious!!! Average large food plate is around $10 and in my opinion well worth it!! Just go and make it happen!!!
(5)Brandon O.
Bomb food! Wife and I both got loco moco. It was HUGE. You think I can eat all this? No way! 2 giant beef patties, tasty gravy, a mountain of rice and perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs. THIS is loco moco. GIMME GIMME GIMME! I NEED SOME MORE! Only problem was the wait... Sunday around 11am we waited for 45 minutes to get our food. Bummer....
(4)Melanie W.
I am a foodie and this is one of the top three meals i have ever had. If you are in Hawaii, you can skip the stale resort, overpriced resort food and go to Papa Ole's. The meat is so succulent and tasty, I can still taste it even though I came back home three weeks ago. Everything is amazing but definitely try the salted and sweet beef plate. You won't regret it.
(5)Darrell P.
Sorry, but this place is over rated. This place is small. The tables were dirty while I was waiting for my order. Im mean, I couldn't put my arm on the table without having to peel my arm off because it was so frickin sticky. The wait was at least 15 minutes long or more and I was the only one of two people there. I ordered the salmon plate for 13.00 and a mini beef stew for 6.00 so with tax an all I think I got a nickel back. While I was waiting I was thinking, sheesh all they have to do is warm up the stew and salmon dont take 15 minutes to cook. Well, the stew was not fully warmed up and had that curdling look. Meat was like it was boiled to make it tender with no flavor. The salmon was burnt. For waiting all that time I was thinking this too. How the hell do you burn salmon? It was on a bed of rice with a scoop of mac salad which was just mayo and macaroni. 13.00 does not justify this plate. Nor does the 6.00 for the stew. I wont be coming here again and I wouldn't recommend this place either unless your really hard up to eat somewhere.
(2)Jennifer A.
Everything said is true! We ordered the Kalbi and the sauteed Shrimp plates and they were HUGE! They both came with 2 scoops of rice and macaroni salad. The shrimp had such a great flavor, none like I had ever tasted before. Kalbi was marinated just right and was piled high on the plate. Get your meal and sit outside on the wooden tables and you are good to go. You will not be able to finish your meal, either that or you will have to roll out of there. You can still see the beach from the tables, so that is a added bonus!
(4)Christina W.
My husband and I shared a local breakfast here: eggs, rice, and fried spam. It was so perfect! The eggs were cooked just how we wanted, and the helpings were really generous. They were also really sweet to us and didn't treat us like we were tourists! I'd definitely go here all the time if I lived there!
(5)Lawton M.
Way out in the little town of Hauula you will find this gem of an eatery. Very friendly service. Lots of seating outside. If you don't mind sharing a table with the biker crew that's cruising the island and stopped off for lunch there. And the food... Oh. My. Fricken. Gawd. For reals, guys this place is unbelievable. Best kalbi I have had ever - I kid you not. Big thick pieces. Glazed and charred to perfection. A vegetarian's worst nightmare. I gladly welcome the oil into my bloodstream. There are pills to fix that kind of stuff now, right? Teri chicken is also OMGreat. This is how plate lunches SHOULD be. They are also known for their peanut butter rolls. Doesn't sound too fancy but I swear they must lace it with crack or something because minutes after eating your last one you're already jonesing for more. I think they make their own rolls which just adds to the completely insane levels of yumminess of this sweet calorie bomb. Taste is not always consistent but even on an average day they make peanut butter desserts an artform. Just call ahead as they are probably going to run out if you don't get there in time. If you're taking a circle island cruise you have to stop here to eat. It should be required by law.
(5)Joseph M.
The only reason this place got any stars is because the food was decent. It wasn't great and it definitely isn't worth going out of your way to try. Me and my party of four order 4 dishes, they had the bright idea to combine our numbers and serve us after the 9 other people who ordered after us. The reason for this cannot be because our orders take longer to make because the people who ordered after us ordered our same meals. Whether or not their forgot about us or if it was for some other reason, the service was terrible and they did nothing to compensate for it.
(2)Ervin S.
Excellent food and service. Indeed an awesome hole in the wall. Best food I had in Oahu.
(5)Scott M.
cheeee, local style plate lunch in laie. thebest is the ono pulehu steak plates. also had their hamburger steak, and teri chicken and teri beef , and garlic chicken plates all is winnahs, even their burgers and fries are massive and ono too. plenty parking and outside chairs... if u nevah try... go for it
(4)Lisa G.
Minis are very generous portions! A regular should be shared. We had the pork with gravy and the puhule ribs and both were excellent! Nice people working there too.. We were visiting and went our last night.... should have gone sooner!
(5)Kalisi L.
We have moved here to Oahu 2 years ago from Utah and i can say this is the best hawaiian food ive ever had. Whenever we get the chance to come out to Haaula, we have stop here to eat. We love the price and the amount of food they give you, it's so worth your money. We also recommend this place to everyone (friends and family) that visits Hawaii and they totally love it. Also everyone that works there is customer friendly and they have the aloha spirit. Im a chicken katsu lover, but I am in love with their Garlic Chicken and there bread pudding. Go and try it its delicious and Devine.
(5)Nubia B.
If I were on Death Row, and I was allowed my one last meal ... I think I'd have someone fly out to pick me up some breakfast from Papa Oles. The food's delicious, no question. But it's like Sinai S. said on here: it's "served with love" -- truly! It reminds me of going home after a long absence and my Mom serving up a feast, all made with love. It's got a "stick to your ribs" quality that makes you want it most when you're sick, or having a bad week, or just need a bit of extra comfort, Mom-style. The portions, too, remind me of Mom: you'd better have just finished a marathon or a hike before getting the "mini" loco moco and the "short" stack of banana pancakes ... :D This place is a gem.
(5)Mel C.
Been here several times before and the food is always great! Its been three years since I first ate here and only now am I taking the time to write a review. Back in 2010, I often drove past here for work. One day I decided to try this place after one of my accounts in Haleiwa recommended it. The first thing I ever had there was their Tripe Stew. Very tender and tasty tripe without the gamey taste often times associated with it when it is not properly prepared. Service was great, they were very friendly. Every visit since has been pretty much the same - awesome food and great service. Needless to say, the word has been getting around and now they are so much more busier than they were 3 years ago. My favorites - Tripe Stew, Prime Rib, Pulehu Ribs, and Kalbi Ribs. This is one of the "must stop" places when passing through Hauula.
(5)Randy L.
When I head to the North Shore (via Kane'ohe) this place is a must. Their Pipikaula is succulent and made just right(just enough Hawn salt for me). Was lucky they made extra Peanut Butter Rolls today, Broke Da Mouth!!
(5)Tommy J.
Very good restaurant for take out or eating on their picnic benches. A mix of locals and tourists. We had take out on some of their specials and all were very good. If we stayed longer this would have been a regular stop.
(4)Drew M.
Stopped here for lunch before heading into PCC. A great Hawaiian plate lunch stop!
(4)Kristy K.
I got the special which was a chicken fried steak and my gf got the garlic chicken because everyone on yelp raves about it. Anyway, my chicken fried steak was really good. The gravy was REALLY good. I bet their hamburger steak is good too. I tried a couple pieces of my gf's garlic chicken and it was just ok. Yes everyone, just ok. I would not drive all the down here just to eat here. No way. To me the food is nothing special. What makes it special is the workers. The lady there was very nice and outgoing. Very outspoken and very local. The kind of lady that you just want to call "Aunty." LOL! Will I ever come here again? Probably not...because it's hella far.
(3)Sergio M.
This place was a walk away from our place in Hauula. The food was delicious despite the wait to get your food, it's worth the wait. The fried chicken, and cheese burger were good, the teriyaki chicken was the best! It was cooked and flavored perfectly give it a try. Some of their popular items sell out so get there early in the day or give them a call. Papa Ole's is a must when in Oahu!
(5)Greg J.
So tasty it's ridiculous. Get the Teri chicken mini plate. The portion is generous and the food is seriously amazing. AMAZING
(5)Kerry O.
This place is amazing! The kalbi ribs melt in your mouth! Consider my mouth broken!
(5)Sharon S.
If you don't like it don't go back. That way I don't have to stand in line so long. The country fried steak was amazing!! Much better than other places I have been. This was my first visit and I will definitely return. Sorry I didn't take a picture but I was busy chowing down.
(5)Angelo A.
I would say this place offers the BEST hamburgers on the island. And the plate lunches are quite good as well. Unfortunately it's all the way out in Hauula. The staff are Super friendly. If you're out in this part of the world, it's definitely worth a visit.
(4)April W.
This place is amazing. I live 30+ min away & come at least once a wk. The staff is so friendly....and extremely helpful. but what really counts is the food & this place has got some great stuff to eat. The daily specials are always amazing, basically if it sounds good get it :). Garlic chicken, loco moco...some pretty amazing fried chicken too!!! The desserts are amazing as well..peanut butter rolls are to DIE for!!! Go try this place!!
(5)Kyle G.
Over-rated. Yummy food, and BIG portions, but not the absolute best.
(3)Dave B.
What can I say other than fantastic! The food and service are both too much. You better bring your a-game appetite or get ready to be stuffed.
(5)D A.
Amazing grilled Ahi. Melt in your mouth, not one hint of fishiness. Cooked all the way through, yet as smooth as sushi. The garlic shrimp was also Amazing (ps they only take off part of the shell).
(4)Edge N.
I never even knew this place existed but was following a few friends and this is where we ended up. We happened to have arrived at the same time everbody else in the whole community decided to be there. The place was really busy so orders were taking a very long time. I waited about 30 minutes for my mini hamburger steak. Anyways it was so crowded it was a somewhat justified wait considering. Anyways I had a choice of either standard brown gravy or mushroom gravy with my hamburger steak. I chose the mushroom gravy. The burger was your standard not good or bad patty, the mushroom gravy really changed it up and was good, the mac salad was ok, and the rice was nor good or bad. $6.00 for a mini that taste better than your generic l&l and enough to satisfy was cool. This place is known for their pulehu ribs and I don't think there was any complaints in the group. This place was purposely chosen to end up at so I am sure whatever else on the menu must be good as well. The setting is your basic order your food and either sit inside (your basic fast food table and chairs very limited seating) or outside (picnic tables in the shade. Some complained about the outside picnic tables being sticky or dirty but I think it was just the type of paint they chose to paint it with that makes it sticky. The staff held their neutral demeanor considering getting barraged. On my next trek around the island Papa Ole's will definitely be an option worth considering.
(3)melissa N.
Me and my family stayed out in the Punaluu area for the Labor Day weekend , while out there my son and his father went spear fishing. Their outings were fruitful yet we didn't want the mess of frying or prepping our for dinner so we took it to Papa Ole's...... OMGoodness.....Ole did an AWESOME job frying it up ....by far the BEST fish I ever had in my life....and I've had ALOTTA fish. Nothing but bones left....even the fins were gone! They were awesome to do it twice that weekend for us, so I just had to write another review. Their customer service is by far a "only in Hawaii" kind and for that I was very grateful!!
(5)Toni M.
Plate lunches, boys and girls. But, they are good and the portions are HUGE!! Papa Ole's was a planned stop on the way home from Kokololio Beach Park (a great beach if you've never been). It was an awesome local crowd, warm and entertaining. I had the sauteed mahi and my companion had the pork roast. Salad and rice were included. Both entrees were very flavorful with robust sauces. The roast was succulent and tender. The fish was perfectly cooked. It's nice to have a great little restaurant in that neck of the woods. I'll definitely go back!
(4)Mark Y.
Food was excellent i had the Teri chicken salad!! Friends had kalbi , pulehu ribs and roast pork all was excellent servings are good service was good as well. Stop by when u are out that side!!
(4)Hesperian C.
On a trip to the north shore, we stopped by this spot. I didnt order anything but my cousins all ordered food so i got to sample a bit. This place was good and gives hella big portions, will hit this spot up again if im in the area
(4)Myong C.
Finally got an opportunity to try this place out on our way to the Haunted Lagoon the previous weekend. I had heard so much about it and yelp reviewers were constantly praising it so I was definitely curious. We got there around 5pm, and the place was definitely slamming. They offer seating both inside and outside and the crowd was a mix of both locals and tourists. Saddled up to the front counter to peruse the menu and finally decided on some tried and true favorites - garlic chicken and kalbi. The combo plate cost $12 and interestingly they don't give equal portions of each. The man behind the counter told us that they would give more of whatever dish we ordered first. So we decided that we wanted more of the garlic chicken. We received our plate after about a 10 minute wait and then proceeded to Haleiwa for our next stop. Of course, we couldn't wait to sample the goods so we began noshing on the food during the drive. The first victim was the garlic chicken. Nice sized pieces of chicken thigh meat, fried to a golden brown and dressed up in garlic sauce. The chicken pieces were fried nicely and very moist but I found the garlic sauce to be too weak. I generally like my garlic chicken a little on the potent side and this one was a bit bland to me. Next up was the kalbi. The kalbi was cut into thick slices and I have to say the sauce was quite flavorful. The quality of the meat was okay for normal local plate lunch standards and I enjoyed it. The mac salad was also pretty delish and we didn't leave any of it behind. All in all, a decent meal and would probably go back if ever in the vicinity of Hau'ula.
(3)Gina YeeJi S.
My favorite place to get local food. Their portions are awesome! and best garlic chicken I have ever had in my life. don't go to L&L, the price is about the same with a lot better quality.
(5)JJ L.
Ono local grinds. My sister lives out this way and she and her family are great enough reason to leave the city, but Papa Ole's has added a big bullet point on my list of other reasons why driving toward the North Shore from town is well worth it. The plate lunch is a bit on the pricier side (comparably), but if you think Zippy's is a good deal then you'll be more than comfortable paying for your meal at Papa Ole's. I ordered the combo plate lunch/dinner ($12): kalbi ribs and garlic chicken. It came with a heaping mound of mac salad and two scoops of rice. The kalbi ribs were (sic) ginormous and moist - about 6 thick pieces. The sweet, robust taste helped me through the fact that ribs were slightly on the rarer side. The garlic chicken isn't Mitsuken, but it's plausible. If anything, the sweet-garlicy-shoyu sauce is great to mix into your steaming white rice. I ate here with my family, so I was able to sample the cheeseburger and french fries. The cheeseburger was super fresh and had gooey american cheese. My partner ordered it plain, but I believe it comes with lettuce and tomato. The french fries were fresh and served with a side of mayo/mustard sauce. The hamburger steak was ok. It tasted just like the burger and the gravy was poured on thick! I'd recommend giving this place a try - Kahuku shrimp trucks aren't the only thing worth driving all the way into the country for. The staff is great and super friendly and patient. I took 5 minutes to decide what I wanted after looking at the menu for 15 minutes. The cashier lady didn't care that there were 2 parties behind us, she just kept saying, "take your time!"
(4)Jocelyn R.
Well worth a visit - we were in town recently and went here for breakfast. My husband got the supreme omelet, which was giant and tasty, I went with a two-egg breakfast (yum, bacon) and we shared an order of the macadamia nut pancakes. We were so full we even skipped lunch that day! The people were friendly and the prices were reasonable. Give it a try if you're anywhere nearby.
(4)Emmanuel C.
This is our favorite place to eat on the entire island. A reality series on this place would have been produced but the kitchen was too small for the cameras. Quality delicious food affordable....worth the drive...the same prime rib plate in Waikiki would cost twice as much! I have lots of pics but don't know how to post
(5)Kimberly D.
Seriously fellow yelpers? How are actual restaurants with food not prepared from frozen or reconstituted going to earn a star. Brought family here who were visiting from out of town. Old cooking grease, bad food. Can't even do local staples like mac salad and rice well. Cheap? Not so much! We threw away most of the food we ordered due to the poor quality. Drive right on by. At the very least order one thing and reconsider how hungry you are until you give it a try. Reorder a second entree if you dare.
(1)Mel L.
The best local food in the north shore! The regular kalbi ribs plate could feed two people! Ono LOCAL food! The Loco Moco was the shizz too! The desserts were fantastic too! Closed on Wednesdays , next to Dominos in the same shopping center as Tamuras and Longs Drugs store! Plenty of locals come here too! Oh yeah accepts credit cards too!
(5)Liana S.
I guess when a place is 4 stars, expectations are set high. Meat was way chewy and bloody. Totally totally disappointed. I felt sick afterwards. Almost threw up. I cant believe the cook would serve that meat. The fish was soooo good though. But Overall expensive. Sadly, we won't be back. Can't :( sorry papa.
(1)Petrea H.
Yum. Would definitely go back. Classic plates and delicious entrees. Some of our favorite grinds in two weeks in Hawaii.
(5)Lee G.
We saw this on yelp and my parents live here and have never gone but they have wanted to. So we decided to go for breakfast. Holy cow the food was awesome. My parents and I got the mac nut banana pancakes (little did we know that they came with ice cream on top). They were amazing. Best pancakes I have ever had. My wife got the French toast. It was awesome too. If you are ever in Laie this is a must. A day later we went for lunch. I had the Kalbi ribs and my wife had the garlic chicken, both were amazing. The Kalbi ribs are the teryaki marinated ribs (Hawaiian style). Best lunch this whole trip.
(5)Bethany W.
Please bring back the macadamia nut ice cream for the pancakes! :)
(4)John R.
Two words....garlic chicken! It was frickin amazing! We were on Oahu for a short time and only got to eat here once. A friend recommended it and I am glad we went! . We were dying to go back but it was closed the next time we went to that side of the island, and never had another chance. Big bummer! We got the kalbi and garlic chicken combo, and wow, was it amazing! The garlic chicken was tender, flavorful and awesome..and the kalbi was thick, with great flavor and tender as well. Our friends got the garlic shrimp which they said was perfectly cooked, and another ordered the roast pork, which was awesome as well. I cannot wait to get back to the islands to go to Papa Ole's.
(5)Brian C.
Thanks yelp for guiding us here after a hungry drive through the North Shore. Two items of interest, garlic chicken and their kalua pig with gravy! Garlic chicken was sweet and crunchy, and just the right amount of garlic. The kalua was doused in gravy you'd find on loco moco and it gave it the right amount of moisture bite after bite. Go in there and sign their petition to keep the mall alive!
(4)Natasha L.
Had sautéed garlic shrimp plate, very tasty but very very rich butter sauce. Cash only but they were open late and it hit the spot
(4)Jason A.
LEGIT! Today was my fourth trip to Papa Ole's and as expected they did not disappoint. I brought my father whom is visiting me from the mainland and I ordered Kalbi Ribs for him and Garlic Chicken for myself. Apparently the Kalbi order was not heard and when my number was called I "complained" about my father's ribs not being ready and they corrected the mistake (which I was at least partly culpable for) by cooking his Kalbi before the group of tour bus people that arrived directly after us. And on top of that great service the food was ono as expected. I will definitely make this a regular stop for me and my friends every time we go to north shore.
(5)William D.
My wife and I went here on a Saturday night (Fed 8th).. We were both very hungry from our activities. The restaurant was crowded but they came through. I ordered the shrimp and ribs. They asked me how I wanted my ribs cooked-they nailed the medium I requested. They did not skimp on either and we both left full and satisfied. Everything tasted great. Informal but nice. Service was good.
(5)Dan Y.
Nothing special here folks. Its in a strip mall way out in the middle of nowhere for tourists, so if your not in the area I would not recommend making the trek. Even if you are in the area I would suggest going to one of the other chain places instead. Beef ribs were tuff to the point of being inedible. A whole heaping plate of inedible meat mocking my hungry stomach. Garlic chicken plate was ok if you are into the american fast food style Chinese food. Deep fried and covered in a heavy garlic sauce.
(2)Rob W.
Bookmark this one for sure 'caus you can drive-by it 20 times and never notice it in this strip-mall type location. Really good Banana Pancakes! Great service with lots of Aloha. Small inside with lots of picnic tables outside. Locals love this place.
(5)Shellaine C.
looking for eats that was anything but mcdonald's after a day at the PCC with 2 7 year olds, we came upon local joint papa ole's. excited to try some local fare, we ordered the garlic chicken plate that comes with a supa dupa huge mound of macaroni salad and rice, and a burger for the boy. food took a little longer to arrive than we'd hoped (and when you have 2 very hungry 7 year olds, one who is not particularly patient, a long wait becomes an exceptionally extremely long wait with much complaining and moaning) but food is prepared upon order so it's fresh made for you and not been sitting around forever under some heat lamp. garlic chicken not as garlicky as i thought it would be but chicken was still tender, exceptionally juicy, deliciously flavorful, with a nice crispy-ness on the skin that yielded a satisfying crunch when bit into. rice was fresh and nicely sticky and the macaroni salad (probably laden with calories but whatevs, i am on vacation) was delish and addictive after a single bite. the burger was a bit of a struggle as boy had been waiting an inordinately long time to eat and after many reassurances from us that it was a regular, plain hamburger, the papa ole burger was not quite what he was expecting. *i must also note he is not the most open minded child so any variance in a burger is greatly exaggerated and met with much consternation on his part*. the meat was seasoned with a bit of teriyaki, you know, local style but boy was not having it. so rice it was for him and the hubs finished off the burg. which he said was tasty despite boy turning up his nose at it. wish we had ordered the fries and the pancakes as both sounded so yummy, even for dinner. fun, casual indoor dining area as well as an outdoor patio with 6 or so table- benches. noisy enough to disguise the noisy stylings of my 3 keikes but not so loud you have to shout over the din.
(3)Ted P.
We only ate here once and only tried one dish, but it was very good. We tried the Pulehu Ribs - very thickly sliced beef short ribs rubbed with sea salt and cooked to order - we got medium rare. Very tasty. Everything else looked great too, and some locals recommended to place to us and it was packed on a Thursday night - so they must be doing something right. It is in a shopping center mall - and not very well marked. If you are in a large shopping center parking lot in Hau'ula - you are in the right place - it's on the right hand end of the mall as you face the front. They do not have a sign on the building that we could find, although we did see a folding sign standing at the driveway once. It is closed on Wednesdays (which we discovered after searching in vain for it on a Wednesday night. We found their website that lists their schedule - but only after driving home and not knowing whether we had actually found it or not - it turns out that we had been about ten feet away from their front door and had no idea that they were there. Five stars.
(5)Tim W.
5 words you wanna hear at breakfast....... Mac Nut Ice Cream Pancakes! yelp.com/biz_photos/Qtyt… Hell Yes!! Stopped by this place for breakfast. The pancakes are awesome! Super friendly service too. Will definitely try lunch next time as well... .the plate lunches looked delicious and huge! Lots of picnic tables out front. Lots of locals eat here which is always a good sign!
(5)Edward T.
Delicious pancakes (had the macadamia nut pancakes and the banana pancakes), loco moco, and they're one of the few restaurants open on Sundays. We made several stops here during our 2-week vacation to the north shore.
(5)Laura N.
My go to place for a great plate lunch! I've been eating here since this place first opened several years ago, and it never disappoints. Very generous portions, and awesome food- everything tastes like someone's aunty cooked it at home. If only this stuff was not so high in calories.... then I would probably eat here daily. You can't go wrong with anything on their menu- roast pork and gravy- yum! Loco aina special, fantastic garlic chicken, always tasty specials.... Need I go on? :-)
(5)Kristen F.
Mac nut pancakes are Yummy
(4)JaRon W.
Garlic Chix was delicious! What really made me write this review was the pancakes!!! THEY WERE AMAZING!!! Literally some of the best pancakes I've ever eaten! I'm not a review writer typically...but I felt like the world should know how good the pancakes are.
(5)Corey Y.
Had to feed 40 people for 2 nights and didn't know what to do. Papa Ole's was the answer. The food was amazing and was only topped by the people that work there. They were very nice and even helped us carry the trays of food to our car. The pulehu short ribs are amazing. Thick cuts of juicy, perfectly seasoned short ribs. The garlic chicken was crispy on the outside and oh so tasty. Kalbi is just like the pulehu but marinated, so it too was amazing. The kalua pig and the teri chicken were both very good, as well. They also serve breakfast and their sweet bread french toast is money. I will definitely be back to try their macadamia nut pancakes and everything else on the menu.
(5)Kathy A.
Such killer food. Felt like a local. Had the salty ribs and sauteed mahi plates and both were exactly what we'd been looking for our whole trip!
(5)Antonia G.
We stopped in here after visiting the North Shore, after a quick look at Yelp we settled on Papa Ole's since I wanted to try an authentic Hawaiian plate lunch. The place was filled with locals and had outdoor and indoor seating. We went up to the counter and perused the menu when a Hawaiian lady who must be the owner came up to us and asked us if we were visiting, we said yes, and she recommended the garlic chicken and their ribs. I ordered a mini plate lunch which consisted of garlic chicken, rice, and mac salad. The chicken was good as it was all white meat but it was super greasy, but I guess that is what you get when you order fried garlic chicken. Brian had a combo lunch plate which had two types of ribs and rice and mac salad. The ribs were good but one of the styles of ribs (forget which one) were super greasy and basically all fat. The mac salad was heaven very mayonaisy (I know that is not a real word) but really good. If you dont like mayo you wont like the mac salad. All in all a decent place to check out traditional plate lunch food on the island. Very friendly staff too!
(3)Deb L.
Staff was exceptional. You could tell it was a favorite location with locals. The garlic chicken plate lunch was great. Glad we were there a little before the lunch hour as it got very busy.
(5)Hoku W.
THEY have the best garlic chicken... 'nuff said.
(4)Amber W.
Papa Ole's rocks! This is the best plate lunch place I've been to. Their teri chicken is awesome. HUGE portions here, and it's cheap. I always get the regular portion and split it with someone else. Also, the restaurant is always clean and the employees and other patrons are very friendly.
(5)Joanne S.
Yummy plate lunch, teri beef and garlic chicken were great. We had green salad instead of mac salad, salads came with Ranch dressing. Definitely would stop here again. Clean bathroom too, you get to it walking through the kitchen and the kitchen was very clean.
(4)Clintonn M.
Love this place for food quality, service and prices... also had them cater my christmas party one year, and they threw in alot of free stuff.. Even without the free stuff, I still love this place...
(5)BOOYAA P.
Great quick food and nice people glad we stopped for the boneless garlic chicken.
(4)Lindsay J.
i decided today was going to be a beach day... so my friend and I decided to head to waimea bay to go for a swim. we stopped here for some garlic chicken and french fries. we ate it in the parking lot while waiting for beach parking. sooo yummy! breathing in the salt air really stirs up your appetite! damn! within 10 minutes, every single piece of chicken was gobbled up, and every grain of garlic sauce soaked rice was gone. YUMMERS!
(4)Jim W.
Great food and the staff knows everyone .So when someone new like us walk in they take the time to welcome you and let you know what specials all of the locals like . I had the ribs ,Off of The Hook as well as there Mac but wait the Bread pudding should be against the law it's so good . Just pissed that we didn't find this place sooner .
(5)Sandra B.
Good, cheap eats. Be careful, their large plates are HUGE!
(4)Selma T.
Papa Ole's Kitchen is my family and friends favorite spot when heading out to Laie or North Shore. All the food is tasty but my personal favorite is the cheeseburger deluxe and fries! It's always homemade and fresh. Sometimes it is a toss up between Ted's Bakery and Papa Ole's and we usually end up eating at Papa Oles because the prices are cheaper and the food is almost as good. Papa Ole's can accommodate large groups. It's definitely a must go and eat!
(5)James W.
Good place for authentic Hawai'i'n cuisine. Staff was so friendly and funny. A must if you're in the area. I had the Big J Special, a great plate for meat lovers. I don't think anyone eating here would leave disappointed.
(4)Jon M.
Whenever you're in Hau'ula you have to stop here but make sure you have time to take a nap after you eat. It.s all good, Kal-bi, hamburger steak or garlic chicken. It's all broke da mouth. Enjoy....auryte!!!!
(5)June M.
I always leave Papa Ole's with a smile on my face. Partly because everyone in here is so friendly, and partly because the food is so tasty it puts me in a happy food trance. The sun shines brighter and the birds sing sweeter after a trip to Papa Ole's!
(5)Jennifer D.
BJ Penn came here so you know it's legit!! Seriously the chicken is to die for. You must must get it! I still fantasize about it...
(5)Lynn W.
Amazing service and food. The ladies were very friendly and quick. Each palte was made w care. Plates were HUGE. My daughter got the panckes...the best pancakes ever. I got the Loco Moco and it was delicious. Soooo much food too.
(5)Greg P.
Staying in Waikiki we had no idea what we were missing until we ventured out to the north side of the island. Taking a tip from yelp has never steered me wrong and this was no exception. Cheap prices, fast service and amazing food. We had the teriyaki beef and teriyaki chicken plates. Both were melt in your mouth good. We both had trouble finishing the mini plates- they had so much food packed in. I can't imagine the size of the regular size plates. Great value and taste! A clear cut case of "eat where the locals eat" if I ever saw one. Don't waste your money in Waikiki when you can get food this good elsewhere on the island!
(5)Darren A.
Zippys, L&L..u should be running scared! Papa Ole's foof has great taste, generous portions and excellent customer service! Simply the BEST fast food diners in Hawaii!!!
(5)Michael W.
What a great find. Great food and great people. Born and raised in Hawaii so its good to know when I'm back visiting friends & family there are still "local" places to go "grind"!!
(5)d s.
Stopped here for dinner before going to Polynesian Cultural Center's Haunted Lagoon. Made the decision to eat here mainly due to the many positive reviews. It was "okay" with ups and downs. First, somewhat on the expensive side. I was a bit surprised not many folks mentioned this. We ordered the garlic/kalbi combo, hamburger steak, double cheeseburger, fries, and one medium soft drink. Came out to $33! I had to ask for a recap of the charges. I know Grace's, L&L, Sugoi's, etc., maybe aren't quite as good quality wise but DAMN! That's quite a bit for basically upscale plate lunches. I have to admit any of the hamburger items are very good. Home made taste and BIG! The double cheeseburger is almost too big for one person. Hamburger steak comes with a very tasty mushroom sauce. The mac salad is nothing special, just the typical you find anywhere. The fries are pretty good and you get a lot. Comes with an interesting mayo sauce that actually tasted pretty good. I thought I detected some mustard mixed in. The big let down was the garlic chicken and kalbi. The folks that said the garlic chicken was the bomb should try Sugoi's, En Fuego, Fat Boy's, and Mitsuken. Not even close! It was okay, but cannot compare to the rest. The kalbi was terrible. Very thick with lots of fat and unedible parts. As others have suggested, go for the smaller portions if you aren't a big eater and choose wisely. We saw quite a few folks eating the Hawaiian plate so that may be worth trying in the future. If you're really hungry, for the money you'd end up spending here I'd suggest a sit down restaurant type of meal.
(3)Madeleine K.
The food is to-die-for good. We stopped by for lunch and were at first skeptical. We didn't know what to expect. The woman behind the counter was helpful and guided us toward some amazing food. I had the garlic chicken plate and and my fiance had the kalbi ribs plate. Our main plates were accompanied by two scoops of white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. We devoured our meals and even though our bellies begged us not to for fear of bursting, but we persevered and finished the rest of our food. The garlic chicken are little morsels of tender chicken with a sweet and salty teriyaki sauce and the kalbi were juicy pieces of meat. We both left satisfied and happy! This place is a must-go.
(5)Reina P.
Was here two times in 3 days in February because they have the best damn garlic chicken around North Shore, or anywhere else in Oahu for that matter. Small hole in the wall, but definitely worth the try. The place tends to get really busy especially around lunch time, even though it's off the beaten track, but hey, good food is good food no matter where you are. Enjoy, you won't be disappointed!
(5)Brian G.
Found this place on Yelp as we were passing by the area, and decided to give it a try. It looks like a bit of a greasy spoon in a strip mall (with plenty of outdoor picnic table seating & limited indoor seating), but we always look past that (or even seek it out) where good food is involved. My wife and I love Hawaiian food, so we ordered standard fare (Kalbi Ribs & Teriyaki Chicken). The grandparents, not being very adventurous, ordered hamburgers. The Hawaiian food was excellent, IMHO quite a bit better than the big yellow chain restaurant that seems to be all over the West coast. As expected, the portions were huge (order the mini unless it's your only meal of the day). The ribs were cut about 1/2" thick and very tasty (although a bit fatty in places), but the chicken was perfect. Sides were great as well. The grandparents were surprised at the size of the burgers (and the fact that they came with thick cut onions & two thick tomato slices). They were also blown away, saying that it was one of the best burgers they'd ever had. So one of the friendly employees came over to talk to us, and we found out that they grind all of their hamburger fresh daily...that explains the exceptional quality. I can't wait to come back next time and try some Loco Moco!
(4)Leanna P.
YUM! Stayed with my auntie and uncle nearby for a couple weeks and I ended up eating there four times! To keep this short and sweet, try the Garlic Chicken, Short Ribs, and the Teri Beef burger... All are quality and tasty treats for anyone! Now that I'm back home in Seattle, I sure do miss the ease of driving down the street to Papa Ole's for a bite to eat outside at the picnic tables. Wish I could have stayed longer and ate more food.
(4)Steven K.
We had the Garlic Chicken and Shrimp. Price was good, portions were large and it was delicious. Well worth the 30 minute drive.
(4)Jim R.
This place pretty much made my weekend, Regardless of the Giant BBQ in Velzyland the night before and the phenomenal food we had there, The Teriyaki beef burger was so delicious. And they even let us drink beers out front, So Chill.
(5)Harli B.
I had heard so much about this restaurant from my brother in laws that my mother in law and i just had to try it. I am so glad we did. My family ordered the Garlic Chicken & Pork Watercress plates. The chicken was amazing super tender and moist. The pork watercress was perfectly seasoned. The portions were great. We ate every bite!The cashier was very polite and their pumpkin crunch desert was delicious. I would recommend this establishment to anyone.
(5)B C.
Great food service and value and plenty of seating. If u r on the northshore this is the place for breakfast.
(5)Daniel P.
Amazing Hawaiian food here! We got the Hawaiian special plate and it fed both me and my girlfriend. So good! We got here after the lunch rush which ended around 2pm. The waitress was really nice and sat down with us. She recommended the Hawaiian plate What a great experience!
(5)Rj K.
I so wish I lived in Hawaii, and this family owned spot is the main reason!! I had the Aina special, and as a "mini" it was freakin huge! $6.25 for two huge patties, mac salad and delicious rice smothered in the most wonderful mushroom gravy. Unless you are starving, the mini is cool for most. I really like how sweet the girls were who were working, and the quaint benches outside. Looked to be all locals eating there, always a good sign. Hidden in the North Shore, this was worth my 50 min drive from Waikiki :)
(5)pat m.
i've been here twice with friends.. i get the Pulehu ribs!! lemme tell you.. SUPAH ONO!! now das how you make pulehu ribs... if your ever out in the hauula area.. darn.. now i'm hungry again!!
(5)Olaf T.
I eat here several times a week. Try the melt in your mouth roast pork and tasty desserts like the short bread cookies. The pastele stew is another winner. Friendly staff and quick service. There can be a long line on Sundays around lunch so I go early.
(5)Kerry L.
i wish had this place at home. we would eat there often. good prices and helpings. food was great
(5)C J.
I read the Yelp reviews and stopped by but it was nothing special and the banana pancakes were slightly burnt with a taste of everything else that's been cooked on the grill. Service was nice.
(2)Michelle S.
If you want a real greased up Hawaiian meal this is the place. Good local spot. It is a pretty cheap price and good food. Recommended if you want a true hawaiian dinning experience.
(4)A. T.
If you want to eat a delicious, unhealthy meal, then go for the garlic chicken and pulehu ribs. If you want a delicious heart attack, then go for the hamburger steak with mushroom sauce. Way, way, way better than anything any of the North Shore shrimp trucks have to offer; wish I had known about this place at the BEGINNING of my honeymoon.
(5)Will K.
"The" best local plate lunch place that I've ever been too, period! Anyone living on the North East side of Oahu (which is where Papa Ole's is located) can testify on how good the food is there. If you have a chance to make it out there, the GARLIC CHICKEN PLATE is a must! You cannot go to Papa Ole's and not order it. Great customer service there, you order your food at the counter, and then you can have a seat and they'll bring you your order. If you're in a rush, or you want to eat asap, i highly suggest calling in your order (The wait can range from 10 min - 25 min depending on how busy they are). I usually always call in. If you're coming in from town, It's definitely worth the drive to make it out to this place!
(5)Krystal L.
best grinds fa sho! garlic chicken and peanut butter buns are the best evah!!!! sooo good! must try if you're up in Hauula!
(5)TinaMarie M.
we went to papa ole's looking for some "authentic" hawaiian food. id have to say out of the four of us in our group my roast and gravy was the best!it was good!the little ribs are a little funky and so was the beef stew. my sister got the teriyaki chicken and said it was decent.
(3)tiffany e.
came to this place because of fellow yelpers! we wanted some great authentic hawaiian food! we were staying on the north shore in waialua but just happen to be on that side of the island and wanted something good for lunch! i had the teri chcken, it was ok. nothing too special. served with rice and mac salad. mac salad was great! also tried the roast pork with gravy, it was good! my hubby had the pulehu ribs. they were ok. it was like three huge bones with a little bit of meat on it. needless to say, he was still hungry after. we both ordered the mini. reasonably priced. wanted to love it, but it was just as good as L & L.
(3)nickala g.
If you like Kalbi ribs, this is the spot. They're like kalbi marinated rib eye steaks, so juicy and flavorful with just a touch of char. Perfect! The terriyaki chicken was moist and tasty. The garlic shrimp was oily, as anything sauteed in yummy butter is, but tender and delicous and worth peeling off the shell for. The macaroni salad was a bit mayonaissey for my taste, but simple and seasoned just right. We were dissappointed that there weren't any cakes to eat, but the customer service was great and eating outside was a plus.
(4)Juan L.
On a Sunday night stopped to eat here with my family because we couldn't find anything else open. It was a great find. The shrimp was very good and the teriyaki chicken was excellent. Also a good bargain for the area. Definitely worth a try.
(4)