Pros: Clean, friendly service.Cons: overpriced, small portions, plain.I was so excited to try the food here, I had heard such good things..... but sadly I was pretty disappointed. I ordered the Guava Chili Pepper Fried Chicken ($16,) which came with mac salad, coleslaw and rice. I also ordered the Black Magic Bahn Mi ($12)The chicken, although the flavor was ok, was very greasey and the meat itself was very bland. The mac salad is nothing like what I grew up eating, it was very peppery, not a fan of the tiny scoop of flavorless slaw.As for the Bahn Mi, the meat had big pieces of hard fat, it was over cooked and had a strong burnt flavor.Im not sure if it was the time of day that I ordered (last hour before closing) or if it was just a bad day (it happens) They were all sold out of the li hing lemonade as well.. As a first impression the food was not at all worth the price.I may give it another try and order something different, but if the next time isn't fantastic, then I will chose another place to take my bussiness.
My husband & I 1st heard about this place from the live streams on The Dirty Heads, they would say you gotta go hit up 'Ai Pono Cafe. One day my husband seen a story on the cafe he told me we gotta go there, ge started following them on IG so I looked them up & said oh shoot they're the same cafe!! This food is really unique in the flavors & really tasty! Can't wait to try more of the food on the menu! 10 stars for sure! ??????
I was once a HUGE fan of this place, but after I signed up for the meal prep things went downhill quickly! I have been trying to reach Gene "Chef" since December 16 due to unfilled meals from the meal prep that he offered. I showed up to pick up meals as usual before 8pm as agreed upon and the restaurant was closed. When I reached out to Gene he said they closed early for their Christmas party and that he would refund me for the meals since I told him we live over 30 minutes away and it would not be worth it to drive that far again for 1 days worth of meals...not to mention we were never informed the meal prep was ending....he just stopped communicating and when asked about the continuation multiple times he just ignored the question. I know that this was probably a side job for him, but when you're connected to a restaurant with partners I'm sure they expect a better representation from their partner. After 3 e-mail and 1 instagram follow ups since December 16th I still have not heard a peep back. Gene owes us $72 for 1 day of meals for 2 people. $72 is not going to break the bank, but it is just principal now. It is unethical and disappointing that someone we supported would act so poorly. We have raved about this restaurant and have referred a lot of people, but I am very disheartened.
Omg, I Love it! I ordered quite a bunch from 'Ai PonoAnd everything was just amazing.I love the guava chicken, gosh all those flavors make me drool some more. I dislike picking on chicken, but on this one, I get over it.It's crispy, a little spicy, crunchy, flavorful, tender, and juicy. Just like it should be.I started ordering because I learned in Hawai'i what Katsu was and that it is so close to our german chicken schnitzel (at least as close as it gets)The potstickers are delicious as well.No pictures , I ate too fast ?Mahalo nui loa!
I had the Korean chicken, which was great. My friend had the poké, which he said was also good. My other friend had a different chicken, which was not as good, but still alright. Cool relaxed vibe.
Excellent food! First time having Hawaiian food, good experience. Although it’s little expensive in my opinion, it kinda makes up for it with the portion.
Expensive for what you get when ordering poke. Korean fried chicken was dissapointing, not very fried, more like grilled, not crispy in the slightest. Also mac salad had a savage amount of pepper on it, I dont know if it was supposed to be like that as other peoples photos on here do not look the same.
The staff was great. Other than that, skip this place. First, it's super expensive for what you get. Food is salty. Nothing special. The galbi, was a jerky. Not even edible. The chicken I had, inside was still red. I should have taken a picture of it. Overall just not a good first experience.
Expensive for what you get when ordering poke. Korean fried chicken was dissapointing, not very fried, more like grilled, not crispy in the slightest. Also mac salad had a savage amount of pepper on it, I dont know if it was supposed to be like that as other peoples photos on here do not look the same.
The food hear is stupid good. One of the best restaurants in orange country and definitely the number one Hawaiin spot on the west coast. The Chef is amazing and his staff is the best and always so happy.