Was surprised to learn that CK BBQ was a chain. CK is on my regular lists of must haves. I've tried other Hawaiian joints in Boise and Meridian but they just don't compare to CK. The quality of food is excellent and the portions are enough to feed you twice! As a side note I have been on a Kimchee kick recently and CK has the best Kimchee that I have found in Boise since the closing of the Korean joint downtown.
(4)
Steve M.
I predict this place will be out of business when Boise gets more Hawaiian food options. Apparently, this place couldn't even afford paper plates so they went down to the Maverick station and stole some hot dog boats to serve their mediocre food. I really have nothing good to say about the food here. The portions are ridiculously small, the taste is less than mediocre, and THAT is why the place is empty. The guy who owns the place, plopped down the crap in front of me, handed me a fork and scurried off into the kitchen. I ordered chicken which required a knife. So, I had to go get one myself behind the counter because he was nowhere to be found. Boiseand must be hard up for Hawaiian grub. There can be no other explanation as to why this place has survived for so long. If you want Hawaiian food, the best place I have found is on Garrity in Nampa. It's much better food and much much better service.
(1)
StaciLei T.
I'm a Boise State student from Hawaii and I wasn't impressed with CK Hawaiian BBQ. The food is overpriced and not well executed. I ordered the lau lau and it was watery from being frozen and reheated in the microwave. I completely understand that you can get fresh lau lau in Boise but the least you can do is have som quality control before you serve it. the Mac salad that was served with it was al dente, which isn't particularly flattering in a macaroni salad. I also ordered a side of poi, which was good but I only got about 2 oz which I paid $3 for. there was also very little kalbi for the price paid. CK Hawaiian BBQ also has a very odd way of distributing food to its customers once it is ready. this method involves me having to wait an excessive amount of time for not only my order, but a few other orders to be ready so the worker can go to a few tables at the same time to give everyone their food. I literally saw my order sitting for a solid 5 minutes before it was given to me. The Hawaiian Sun beverages were the only great part of my experience.
(2)
Travis Z.
Food was surprisingly good. Will be going back, but they need better advertising (a sign would be nice).
(3)
Alisha L.
Huge disappointment! Absolutely no flavor on the kahlua pork. The macaroni salad was horrible and service was far from friendly. Will not be back. Even the teriyaki sauce was lacking. Most of the menu was Chinese and Korean. Not an authentic Hawaiian restaurant at all! Forget this place if you want Hawaiian go to the shak on Broadway!
(1)
Cliff S.
I always get the teriyaki beef with rice and macaroni salad. Nice and thinly sliced beef that is full of flavor. Almost $10 for lunch for the small by the time you add a drink and tip. Lived in Hawaii and wife is Japanese so I know a good plate lunch. Comes in a Styrofoam tray though so the flavors don't mix like a true plate lunch. Used to love it when a teriyaki sauce would meld with my mac salad in Hawaii.
(4)
Freddie D.
The service was below average and the fish was funky, really funky. The fish tasted bad and had a strange and unsavory odor.
(1)
Kathryn G.
This place is so good! One of the few places in Idaho that I would give a 5 star. It's comparable to real Hawaiian local food and the price is cheap for the amount of food you get! Plus the service is really good.
(5)
Todd G.
Always great food and hands down the best Poke in the valley. In fact, the Poke is better than most Poke shops in Hawaii.
(5)
Cory T.
Plenty of food for the money.
(3)
Michelle V.
I really enjoyed the food. I ordered the Spam Musubi, Lao Lao, and chicken teriyaki combo. The Musubi was yummy dipped in there sweet chili sauce. I'm not sure you can really mess up Spam sushi. The Lao Lao was very flavorful it had a beautiful umami richness to it. It had good texture to it.I think the star of the meal had to be their chicken teriyaki. It was thigh meat and very well marinated. The sticky rice was the perfect compliment to the salty slightly sweet chicken. The draw backs to our visit were the counter person. Who was friendly but not very helpful since he had very little knowledge about the food they serve and was very hard to understand. Also their macaroni salad had a funky after taste. I just couldn't get past it. I'm not sure what it was but I won't be having it again. All in all we will go back. I don't have much experience with Hawaiian food but I liked it. I think I will try the other place in the valley and see how that stacks up.
(3)
Megs H.
Lau lau & haupia for DAYS! Teriyaki chicken is good too but the lau lau is moist, flavorful, and authentic. Love it here!
(5)
David F.
I'll pump up another star for serving unique Pacific faire like LauLau - Fish and taro leaves. Very fishy, yeah!
(4)
Alexander J.
Nice location, nice prices, friendly staff. I ordered the lau lau plate, which was very reasonably priced for how ample the portion was,
(4)
Sher G.
We lived in Idaho 5 years and our local hawaiian friends even loved this place! We would always stop by after going to the movies! Their teriyaki chicken is awesome! Very nice and good ppl that work there too!
(5)
Gwen K.
Having lived in hawaii for 4 years, I was skeptical to try the place. So I just ordered a spam musubi and a manapua. Both were decent. I am not a fan of teri chicken or chicken katsu when its made on the mainland at places called "hawaiian bbq" because it is not true hawaiian made food. It has a mainland twist to it. So does the mac salad. I steered away since I saw people in the place eating it and it did not look good to me. Keep in mind I lived in Hawaii and just recently moved back to the mainland so I know what my food is supposed to taste like. There was on the menu Poke and Laulau. Seemed questionable to me, but who knows. If there are any local bradduhs and sistahs in Boise that can speak about the food first, then i'll give it a shot next time I'm there....but to read reviews from haoles......sorry, I'm still skeptical. If the braddah who owns the joint is local and the cook is local then I'll give it a shot....but it didnt look like it to me.
(2)
Chanthy N.
You can say that, the price were a bit pricey. But for the amount of food they piled up for me, it was worth it. Although I didn't eat the left overs of what I have brought home. If you order their Chicken Katsu combo, they give you A LOT! Not too much rice and macaroni salad, but it's still a huge amount of food. Also, I didn't know that there was salad under all of that meat, so if you order it, there is going to be cabbage or I'm not sure what it was under you food somewhere. My husband ordered the Fried Noodle, and he loved it. He got a "small" size portion and he loved it.
(4)
Vera M.
!?!?!!? :O I can't believe I didn't do a review on this place yet! I go here pretty often! I love HAWAIIAN FOOD! Absolutely delicious! I'm not gonna lie - I have a huge thing with comparing other restaurants and finding duplications of places that reminds me of the food that I had back in my hometown. This for sure reminded me of L&L BBQ that's popular all around the U.S. (google it :]) I usually order the Chicken Katsu combo. This includes their macaroni salad, rice, and slices of chicken katsu + sweet sauce on the side. And usually for something to snack on, I'll get spam masubi (Almost similar to "sushi" minus the fish ;] ) - Spam , rice and nori (seaweed wrapper) wrapped into a square shape. I love spam masubi especially dipped into the sweet sauce = LOVE Another great meal is the short ribs! The prices is a little expensive, just cause its around 7 or so dollars for a combo and it does not come with a drink. So lets say you get a combo + drink, ehh that would be around $8-$9. BUT don't frown, they have MINI sizes too! Of course everything is little amount. (Personally, I'd rather go for the combo :] !! ) At first this place was decent - to be honest, just cause I think someone was having a bad day cooking my food, and didn't show my food any love and care. Haha But then after a few times of visiting the food was just right. Plus the owners are really nice and friendly. I don't know why this place isn't as popular on the weekday compared to the weekend (movie brings their customers). This place is really good in my opinion and they should get more credit for it.
(5)
Xander I.
The teriyaki combo is awesome. Friendly staff but sometimes the wait is longer than it has to be, even after an order is called in. 45 minutes is a long time but if you are not in a hurry, it's great eating!
(4)
Michael K.
This place like another chain L&L BBQ, but the food is good enough to sustain my local Hawaiian BBQ cravings while I live in Idaho indefinitely. I can make all of this food at home, but I'll eat here sometimes when ever I watch a movie.
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 Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No
Greg L.
Was surprised to learn that CK BBQ was a chain. CK is on my regular lists of must haves. I've tried other Hawaiian joints in Boise and Meridian but they just don't compare to CK. The quality of food is excellent and the portions are enough to feed you twice! As a side note I have been on a Kimchee kick recently and CK has the best Kimchee that I have found in Boise since the closing of the Korean joint downtown.
(4)Steve M.
I predict this place will be out of business when Boise gets more Hawaiian food options. Apparently, this place couldn't even afford paper plates so they went down to the Maverick station and stole some hot dog boats to serve their mediocre food. I really have nothing good to say about the food here. The portions are ridiculously small, the taste is less than mediocre, and THAT is why the place is empty. The guy who owns the place, plopped down the crap in front of me, handed me a fork and scurried off into the kitchen. I ordered chicken which required a knife. So, I had to go get one myself behind the counter because he was nowhere to be found. Boiseand must be hard up for Hawaiian grub. There can be no other explanation as to why this place has survived for so long. If you want Hawaiian food, the best place I have found is on Garrity in Nampa. It's much better food and much much better service.
(1)StaciLei T.
I'm a Boise State student from Hawaii and I wasn't impressed with CK Hawaiian BBQ. The food is overpriced and not well executed. I ordered the lau lau and it was watery from being frozen and reheated in the microwave. I completely understand that you can get fresh lau lau in Boise but the least you can do is have som quality control before you serve it. the Mac salad that was served with it was al dente, which isn't particularly flattering in a macaroni salad. I also ordered a side of poi, which was good but I only got about 2 oz which I paid $3 for. there was also very little kalbi for the price paid. CK Hawaiian BBQ also has a very odd way of distributing food to its customers once it is ready. this method involves me having to wait an excessive amount of time for not only my order, but a few other orders to be ready so the worker can go to a few tables at the same time to give everyone their food. I literally saw my order sitting for a solid 5 minutes before it was given to me. The Hawaiian Sun beverages were the only great part of my experience.
(2)Travis Z.
Food was surprisingly good. Will be going back, but they need better advertising (a sign would be nice).
(3)Alisha L.
Huge disappointment! Absolutely no flavor on the kahlua pork. The macaroni salad was horrible and service was far from friendly. Will not be back. Even the teriyaki sauce was lacking. Most of the menu was Chinese and Korean. Not an authentic Hawaiian restaurant at all! Forget this place if you want Hawaiian go to the shak on Broadway!
(1)Cliff S.
I always get the teriyaki beef with rice and macaroni salad. Nice and thinly sliced beef that is full of flavor. Almost $10 for lunch for the small by the time you add a drink and tip. Lived in Hawaii and wife is Japanese so I know a good plate lunch. Comes in a Styrofoam tray though so the flavors don't mix like a true plate lunch. Used to love it when a teriyaki sauce would meld with my mac salad in Hawaii.
(4)Freddie D.
The service was below average and the fish was funky, really funky. The fish tasted bad and had a strange and unsavory odor.
(1)Kathryn G.
This place is so good! One of the few places in Idaho that I would give a 5 star. It's comparable to real Hawaiian local food and the price is cheap for the amount of food you get! Plus the service is really good.
(5)Todd G.
Always great food and hands down the best Poke in the valley. In fact, the Poke is better than most Poke shops in Hawaii.
(5)Cory T.
Plenty of food for the money.
(3)Michelle V.
I really enjoyed the food. I ordered the Spam Musubi, Lao Lao, and chicken teriyaki combo. The Musubi was yummy dipped in there sweet chili sauce. I'm not sure you can really mess up Spam sushi. The Lao Lao was very flavorful it had a beautiful umami richness to it. It had good texture to it.I think the star of the meal had to be their chicken teriyaki. It was thigh meat and very well marinated. The sticky rice was the perfect compliment to the salty slightly sweet chicken. The draw backs to our visit were the counter person. Who was friendly but not very helpful since he had very little knowledge about the food they serve and was very hard to understand. Also their macaroni salad had a funky after taste. I just couldn't get past it. I'm not sure what it was but I won't be having it again. All in all we will go back. I don't have much experience with Hawaiian food but I liked it. I think I will try the other place in the valley and see how that stacks up.
(3)Megs H.
Lau lau & haupia for DAYS! Teriyaki chicken is good too but the lau lau is moist, flavorful, and authentic. Love it here!
(5)David F.
I'll pump up another star for serving unique Pacific faire like LauLau - Fish and taro leaves. Very fishy, yeah!
(4)Alexander J.
Nice location, nice prices, friendly staff. I ordered the lau lau plate, which was very reasonably priced for how ample the portion was,
(4)Sher G.
We lived in Idaho 5 years and our local hawaiian friends even loved this place! We would always stop by after going to the movies! Their teriyaki chicken is awesome! Very nice and good ppl that work there too!
(5)Gwen K.
Having lived in hawaii for 4 years, I was skeptical to try the place. So I just ordered a spam musubi and a manapua. Both were decent. I am not a fan of teri chicken or chicken katsu when its made on the mainland at places called "hawaiian bbq" because it is not true hawaiian made food. It has a mainland twist to it. So does the mac salad. I steered away since I saw people in the place eating it and it did not look good to me. Keep in mind I lived in Hawaii and just recently moved back to the mainland so I know what my food is supposed to taste like. There was on the menu Poke and Laulau. Seemed questionable to me, but who knows. If there are any local bradduhs and sistahs in Boise that can speak about the food first, then i'll give it a shot next time I'm there....but to read reviews from haoles......sorry, I'm still skeptical. If the braddah who owns the joint is local and the cook is local then I'll give it a shot....but it didnt look like it to me.
(2)Chanthy N.
You can say that, the price were a bit pricey. But for the amount of food they piled up for me, it was worth it. Although I didn't eat the left overs of what I have brought home. If you order their Chicken Katsu combo, they give you A LOT! Not too much rice and macaroni salad, but it's still a huge amount of food. Also, I didn't know that there was salad under all of that meat, so if you order it, there is going to be cabbage or I'm not sure what it was under you food somewhere. My husband ordered the Fried Noodle, and he loved it. He got a "small" size portion and he loved it.
(4)Vera M.
!?!?!!? :O I can't believe I didn't do a review on this place yet! I go here pretty often! I love HAWAIIAN FOOD! Absolutely delicious! I'm not gonna lie - I have a huge thing with comparing other restaurants and finding duplications of places that reminds me of the food that I had back in my hometown. This for sure reminded me of L&L BBQ that's popular all around the U.S. (google it :]) I usually order the Chicken Katsu combo. This includes their macaroni salad, rice, and slices of chicken katsu + sweet sauce on the side. And usually for something to snack on, I'll get spam masubi (Almost similar to "sushi" minus the fish ;] ) - Spam , rice and nori (seaweed wrapper) wrapped into a square shape. I love spam masubi especially dipped into the sweet sauce = LOVE Another great meal is the short ribs! The prices is a little expensive, just cause its around 7 or so dollars for a combo and it does not come with a drink. So lets say you get a combo + drink, ehh that would be around $8-$9. BUT don't frown, they have MINI sizes too! Of course everything is little amount. (Personally, I'd rather go for the combo :] !! ) At first this place was decent - to be honest, just cause I think someone was having a bad day cooking my food, and didn't show my food any love and care. Haha But then after a few times of visiting the food was just right. Plus the owners are really nice and friendly. I don't know why this place isn't as popular on the weekday compared to the weekend (movie brings their customers). This place is really good in my opinion and they should get more credit for it.
(5)Xander I.
The teriyaki combo is awesome. Friendly staff but sometimes the wait is longer than it has to be, even after an order is called in. 45 minutes is a long time but if you are not in a hurry, it's great eating!
(4)Michael K.
This place like another chain L&L BBQ, but the food is good enough to sustain my local Hawaiian BBQ cravings while I live in Idaho indefinitely. I can make all of this food at home, but I'll eat here sometimes when ever I watch a movie.
(3)