Da Kine's Hawaiian Catering

I’ve been using Uncle Nelson’s catering for over 10 years—since my son’s 3rd birthday—and he’s never disappointed. The food is always hot, fresh, and absolutely delicious—better than any Hawaiian restaurant we’ve tried! Uncle Nelson treats you like family, and his prices are very reasonable. I’m not sure where the negative reviews came from—my experience has been consistently excellent. Just note, he runs a catering business only—there’s no storefront restaurant. I wish he had a restaurant, but I respect that catering gives him the freedom to do what he loves. If you want amazing Hawaiian food for any event, Uncle Nelson is the one to call!

First and last time i will be ordering here. We ordered to go. The minute we opened our plates you could tell there was no love, my kids wouldn't even eat it. I am hawaii born and just shocked at the poor quality of this food I paid $50 for 2 plates lunches and a side of kimchi. I can cook my own kalua but on occasion I like to spoil my self ordering it.The kalua i got from here tasted like it was store bought, lacked seasoning and had no smokey flavor. The Mac salad was mushy, over cooked and not seasoned well. The kalbi was dry and over cooked. I'm sorry to say this knowing you probably worked hard but your food isn't up to par. I posted pictures of my unloved plates that unfortunately went straight to the trash.

They get 3 stars because it looks like a family operation and the service was great. The food just isn't spiced properly and quality is very poor; I'm pretty sure the salad came from a bag because it was just iceberg lettuce with carrots and no dressing. Also, the macaroni salad tasted like water so make sure you ask for extra Sriracha.

Great lunch with a BIG portion and perfectly cooked Terri chicken. Thank you Da Kine’s!

Great spot for hawaiian there katsu is fire 🔥

Exceptional Hawaiian food right here in San Diego and nothing but Aloha hospitality from Nelson the owner. Nelson is who truly makes all the difference. I've worked with him on a couple of catering orders (for a company event and a personal family event). He takes the time call and talk to you, assured us we ordered the perfect amount of food, he just made sure the whole experience felt personal and welcoming. You can tell he genuinely cares about his guests having a great meal. Now let's talk about the food - YUMM! This is the real deal Hawaiian food right here in San Diego. The chicken katsu? Mac salad? And that fried rice? IYKYK So good! Can't say enough good things about a local, family owned business. Thank you Nelson, can't wait until our next event!

Attention Yelpers: The kalbi ribs and the local fried rice are MUST haves!! .. you're welcome :-)

Da Kine's food is amazing! I had them cater for a small party and all of the food was just amazing! Kahlúa pork, Teriyaki chicken, Kalbi ribs, Mac salad, noodles, and veggies! Will DEF be using them again and again.

We hired Nelson to cater our son's Hawaiian themed graduation party and it was amazing! We order the Kalua pork, the short ribs, chicken, the street rice and white rice. The ribs are a must have and just fell right off the bone. The pork was so moist and flavorful. Much better than even on Hawaii itself! He hand delivers everything to your home and brought a piece of his famous mochi cake. We will definitely use again for future events...thank you!

Always delicious food and the best macaroni salad! If you've been missing authentic Hawaiian barbecue since the Pacific Beach location closed, this place is the next best thing. A great opportunity to enjoy genuine island flavor -- fresh, flavorful, and consistently satisfying.

I ordered catering for my sister funeral a good portion of food for about 100 people I placed the order a month in advance as to not overwhelm Uncle Nelson. So it was supposed to be delivered at 12:30, but do to no communication from is delivery driver the food didn't get there until 1:30 which was a little embarrassing because people were just standing around tweadling their thumbs asking me is he coming every 5 mins. When he should up he busted his but with my nephews and got the food in the church so I appreciated that. It only got better from there the food was spot on local food from Hawaii so much so that people would stop talking about the hamburger steak and the Kahlua pig and cabbage, we also got baked fish which I enjoyed , katsu chicken and teri chicken. The food was great and if everything would have came together this would have definitely been a 5 star rating.

I've been using Uncle Nelson's catering for over 10 years--starting when my son turned 3--and he has never disappointed. Every time, the food arrives hot, fresh, and on time. The quality is always exceptional--honestly better than any Hawaiian restaurant we've tried when those cravings hit. What sets Uncle Nelson apart, besides the delicious food, is the way he treats you like family. He's warm, reliable, and genuinely cares about making your event special. His pricing is also very reasonable, especially considering the quality and service you get. I often wish he had a restaurant so we could enjoy his food more often, but I understand the freedom that catering gives him. If you're planning an event and want amazing Hawaiian food with heart, Uncle Nelson is the one to call!

Everything from the service to the food speaks volumes for how incredible Da Kine's catering is. You can tell they put a lot of care into their meals and customer service. Growing up in a Hawaiian family, I'm used to having my family's home cooked Hawaiian foods and Da Kine's catering is right on par with all my favorite 'local' eats. The Kalua pig+ cabbage and kalbi short ribs, so ono! I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a delicious Hawaiian meal. Mahalo Nelson and team- we look forward to hosting many many more events with Dakine's catering!

HAWAIIAN CATERING (5 stars) We had a work event, the annual lunch Luau. Da Kines was used for the caterer. Nelson is the owner and he was communicative and punctual. He came prepared and had everything needed for the delivery. I was unable to participate in festivities from the prior year but overhead people say they enjoyed the food. This year he was selected again. Many trays of each were ordered: TERIYAKI BEEF KALUA PIG WITH CABBAGE KATSU CHICKEN WITH KATSU SAUCE FRIED NOODLES BAKED FISH GREEN SALAD MACARONI SALAD (local style) Price do change do to inflation and prices of food itself going up so I'm opting to put any price information. But after comparing with other competing catering companies the best prices and quality fell with Da Kine's. It's also comforting to have Hawaiian food cooked by someone who is from Hawaii. It makes it that more authentic. I unfortunately didn't get to try all the items but the items that I tried I would say the Katsu was my favorite. If I am a board member/officer again next year I will vote to use Da Kine's again.

We have used Da Kine for many events! Having this delicious food delivered allows us to enjoy the celebration. Highly recommend the Kailua pork, Katsu, Mac salad, and Noodles. I can't wait until we can call Nelson again and enjoy this yummy food. Multi generational guest s rave about the food. Yummy!

INCREDIBLE Polynesian cuisine! Hands-down, the best mixed plate and aloha vibes that made our Hawaii Five-0 birthday party so successful. If you were shopping around and considering other options, pick declines, Hawaiian catering! The top hits were Kahlúa pork, kalibi ribs, Mac salad, Katsu chicken, and by far... The best fried rice I've ever had. Ever! Absolutely outstanding service, food, delivery, and staff!

We hired Da Kine's to cater our event. They delivered the food as promised and all of it was delicious. The biggest hits included fried noodles, spam musubi and kalbi ribs. Super ONO and yea, hire them!

I booked Nelson's catering services for my baby shower and he was absolutely phenomenal!! Our guests raved about how delicious the food was, from the chicken katsu & kahlua to the island kimchi, Mac salad, green salad, and fried noodles. The only problem that came up is everyone gobbled it all down after going for seconds and thirds - I should have ordered extras! Nelson is a complete professional and not only showed up early to set-up the chafing trays/food, but impressively did all the set-up and also pick-up by himself! He was very easy to work/communicate with when planning for my shower and I would absolutely love to book Da Kine's again for my next event. Look no further for a delicious and seamless catering experience!

We ordered food for a co-worker's retirement lunch to serve approx 30, but ordered enough for 50 (we like leftovers). The lunch was scheduled for Thursday, January 2nd, and I submitted a request via their website portal a day or two prior to Christmas day. Nelson responded very quickly with a quote. Service wasn't needed as it was lunch, and then back to work. The food delivery was on time, food was still hot, and we dug in pretty much right away. The Katsu Chicken and Kalua Pig w/cabbage always seem to be everyone's favorite, but this time we also ordered Korean Style Kalbi Ribs which were quite a hit. The macaroni salad is also a must and pairs exceptionally well with the rest of the food. We will always use Da Kine's for Hawaiian Barbecue because they're local, their prices are extremely reasonable, and their food is as fresh as it gets.

WOW where to begin? Yesterday I hosted a meeting for our organization "Kulia I Ka Pūnāwai Kumu Hula Association" Here at my house in Granite Hills. Nelson hit it out of the park.... We ordered: Kalua Pig, Teriyaki Chicken, Chicken Katsu, Rice, Poi. Everything was super delicious. Nelson had received praise and compliments from everyone for providing our organization an amazing lunch. Many of us went back for seconds, a few went back for thirds....oink.... Not only was the food super delicious, Nelson delivered all the food on time, hot and definitely made with aloha! From myself, my family and Kulia I ka Pūnāwai Kumu Hula Association, mahalo nui loa Nelson! We greatly appreciate you.... Until next time....God bless you!

We worked with Da Kine's and Nelson for a welcome event before our wedding. He arrived early and very organized, and everything was set up perfectly. The food was absolutely delicious and we got rave reviews from our friends and family. The Katsu chicken, poke and Kalua pork were incredible! Nelson was easy to work with, and helped bring our event to life. Highly recommend them for an awesome Hawaiian style event! Thank you!

We had our annual lūʻau and the food was a hit! Uncle Nelson responded promptly and worked with us to have the food delivered on time and still hot. We've had Da Kine's cater for our event for the last few years and have no complaints. We love their food and their service. We will definitely be ordering again next year! Mahalo Uncle Nelson!

Great food, great price. I highly recommend ordering for catering. Nelson even came and delivered for my 40th birthday. I will order catering again

Da Kine catered for me and my family for a wedding rehearsal dinner. We ordered Teriyaki chicken, kalbi, kalua pork, and chicken long rice. Everything was delicious and delivered on time. Thank you Nelson for doing everything you said you would do.

Service was excellent, on time, and food delicious!!! Highly recommmend this company!!!

Nelson catered my daughter's baby shower for 75 people this past Sunday. Communication with him throughout was wonderful even with all of my last minute add-ons. Food was delivered as promised, prices were reasonable and best of all, my guests raved how delicious everything was. Will definitely use him again! Do not hesitate to book your catering event with Da Kine's Catering! Thank you Nelson!

I was so happy to find Da Kine's catering for my husband's "Hawaii 5-0" birthday party! I was a customer back when he owned the restaurant in PB 20 years ago, and the food is as good now as it was back then. The owner Nelson is kind and accommodating and helped me build a perfect menu for our gathering of 60 guests. He even delivered it personally and helped me set up the serving trays before the party. I ordered trays of Kalua pig and cabbage, teriyaki chicken, macaroni salad and rice. The Kalua pig and cabbage was so good and has the best smoky flavor. The teriyaki chicken thighs were flavorful and the tray served a lot. The mac salad is peppery and crunchy with green onions and carrots just like I remember it. Paired with Hawaiian sticky rice, and it was like I was back in the islands. I had several of our guests comment on how delicious the food was, and was so happy! (I ordered a tray and a half of each meat as well as the rice and mac salad, and we had plenty of leftovers...you get lots of food.) Thank you, Uncle Nelson, for making your Ono food available to us once again through your catering company! I highly recommend Da Kine's catering if you are looking for traditional Hawaiian food for your next party or event.

We used Da Kine's to cater my wife's retirement dinner one night while we had a family reunion at Campland on the Bay. (Uncle) Nelson arranged to have the two full trays (Kailua Pork & Teriyaki Chicken) to our campsite! There was no question, this was the best meal of our 7-day stay at Campland. Order process, follow-up and delivery were the best of any catering firm I've ever used. Highly recommend.

ALOHA!!! Nelson is DA KINE Best Hawaiian Food in San Diego for DECADES!! You know being around for that long speaks for itself!! If you want authentic HAWAIIAN STYLE food at your next event ... look no further. And I know, I'm a caterer myself (Sushi Affair)!!!

Darn it, they moved from just around the corner, to up by the college -- problem parking AND apparently they are only doing catering and not lunch plates. The food was awesome and authentic and made with much aloha. Oodles by the Nood Bar moved into the space vacated by Da Kine.

Nelson is awesome. Very knowledgeable after so many years of experience. Great chicken katsu!

I called up Nelson 3 days prior to our Holiday Company party desperately seeking someone to cater our Company party. He immediately took action, asked me what I was looking for, compiled an invoice, and sent it quickly. Although I had a couple of other companies I was working with, we decided to go with Da Kine's, because of Nelson's ability to accommodate and work with all of our dietary restrictions. And the wonderful thing is that he did it happily. He was extremely friendly and arrived early on the day of the event. Nelson definitely has the experience and friendliness needed to get the job done. The best part is that people are still talking about how good the food is days later! I would definitely recommend Nelson for any of your catering needs!