Hawai’i Nei Cafè

5/5 kalbi - large portion of short ribs, flavor is on point. Sometimes you order these at places and its too much fat. Thats not an issue here, so much meat! 5/5 kimchi - it was at my favorite ripeness level and great flavor 2/5 mac salad - too sweet for me 4/5 egg rolls 5/5 musubi - it was huge! The lady who works or owns this food truck is such a sweet person, so bright, and a joy to talk to. I will be back!!

This place was absolutely incredible! The lady working when we ordered was so nice and friendly. The kalua pork was phenomenal— juicy, flavorful, and the texture was PERFECT. The spam musubi was standard and pretty tasty. The Kimchi fried rice was amazing. I’d never had it before, so I was pleasantly surprised. My partner had the loco moco, and LOVED it. Mac salad was also bangin’. Overall the price was really good for all of the yummy food we got. Definitely 1000/10 recommend y'all give it a try. 👌🏽

The 2 owners are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. The food is amazing and they are always smiling. If you get a chance to order from this truck feel free to talk to the owners they’re truly kind and what the world needs more of. Your friend J

The food is so good!! I always go out of my way to get this food truck when its on site, they never disappoint. The owners are so friendly and always greet me with a smile!

This is the best poké bowl in Austin! The owners are incredible people, extremely kind, and always such a pleasure to see. You can taste the love and joy they put into their food and you can bet they will always greet you with a smile! Seriously cannot recommend Hawaii Nei Café enough! A staple in South Austin, we are extremely lucky to have you guys!!!

I am so happy we found Hawai'i Nei Café. The vendor was so friendly, the food came out lightning fast and the portions were huge. She offered a complimentary water while I waited. She called me by name when taking my order (from the card), and I even got a little buzzer to let us know when it was ready. It was almost no need as it was ready before I finishedI filling up my van with gas. The pork was fork tender and juicy, and the macaroni sauce was clearly hand-made. The fresh scallions added to the flavor. For $11 this was a STEAL. No reason to go to a drive-through when this food is cheaper, faster, healthier, and made with love.

Excellent food and very friendly owners here as well. My favorite is the pork kimchi fried rice and my wife likes the various poke (spicy, teriyaki, etc) here. Not only is the pork fried rice amazing, but it's enough to fill me for three meals! Their shrimp tempura is super tasty as well, as are the egg rolls. Very happy to have discovered this little gem of a trailer, and doubly happy that it's so close to home. It's a quick Doordash delivery, and a SUPER quick pickup. I placed tonight's order over the phone and they said they'd have it ready in 10 minutes. Sure enough, it was. Highly recommend this place!

Love the customer service here! The staff is super sweet and always helpful. The food is amazing, especially the poke which is full of flavor and very filling. The musubi is also fresh and delicious.

The portions are SO huge. Got plenty of fried rice underneath the BBQ Chicken. The marinate is soy sauce flavored. Bulgogi fried rice is delicious. (Again, the portion is huge!) Tried Loco Moco for the first time because the sunny side up eggs are shiny and captivating with the gravy blanket. There's a beef patty underneath in case you are wondering. The Mac Salad is on the sweet side. The lady that took the order was very nice. This food trailer is located on S. 1st at a gas station. They give you a pager while you wait on the food. The ambiance is very chill. Best for picking up to go.

Good sized portions, super friendly service, and delicious food! Love the loco moco.... Just like Hawaii! Love the Mac salad and the pineapple sides. Don't sleep on the selection of Hawaiian canned drinks!

Drove way out of my way. Yelp said open but the truck did not. Waste of time and gas. I am sad

Food truck good. It's probably a place I could get used to but like asian food without white rice theres just not much there.

Legit ono kine grindz! So good. Must try, highly recommend. Skip Hawaiian Bros and get yourself some authentic local Hawai'i food at Hawai'i Nei Cafe. Mahalo!

Location - easy to miss but it is by the gas station on the intersection. It is next to a couple other food trucks and has a couple spots for parking. Food - I got the beef bulgogi and mac plate and the bbq chicken and mac plate. On their website, they update daily what their hours are and if they have any specials. That day, they actually had a special that each plate was only $10. Extremely good value, especially since my meal ended up being two portions and I had the leftovers for lunch the next day. The beef bulgogi and chicken were super flavorful, and the rice was fragrant and chewy. The only little complaint is that the mac tasted almost watered down, but it ended up being a nice contrast from the super flavorful entrees. The cashier was a very nice lady and I'm happy to support local food trucks and small business owners.

I was planning a trip to Hawaii and started craving some proper Hawaiian bbq and stumbled upon this food truck. I really can't express what a great surprise this place was. The food was so good I had to make myself stop eating. Can't recommend this place enough. It was like I was back on Oahu where I spent all my summers growing up.

Our family is from Hawaii and Hawaii Nei is the real deal. My note to the owners: Jay and Loryn - I can't thank you enough for the fabulous food you catered for us last night! Our whole family felt transported to Hawaii as we ate up every bite! The shoyu chicken fell off the bone and the Kailua pork OMG, the best! Thank you for making our party for Liam's graduation such a success. See you for take out soon. Many Mahalos!

This place is delicious but I feel like it's rarely open. I haven't been able to eat here for months even though it's one of my favorites. I love the teriyaki musubi, li hing pineapple, and butter mochi if they have it.

i am tossing and turning in my bed as my dear stomach is affected with such wonder from the slender pineapple slice which graces my innards. my wife will tolerate the yelp which slides off of my tongue gracefully after a chicken worth fighting for escapes from my wallet. cheers!

This food truck was super yummy! I'd been eyeing it on Uber Eats for a while, and I finally caved and ordered. I got the poke and pork with a side of mac salad, and everything was super yummy and fresh. The pork meat slides right off the bone, and it's incredibly flavorful. I loved eating the rice with the pork sauce. Their mac salad is pretty solid. It's nowhere as good as some mac salads I've tried in Hawaii, but it's probably the best you'll get in Austin. Their poke is so yummy! It actually reminds me of super fresh poke you can order in grocery stores in Hawaii. Overall, I had a good experience and would come back again. It's not that cheap, but for a small piece of Hawaii, I'd say it's worth the money.

So glad we decided to stop here. Friendly staff. The Poké was amazing!! Fish was so fresh!!! And the katsu musubi was delicious! Best poké I've ever had. (:

I was craving some Hawaiian food and this truck 100% hit the spot. And lady running it was sooooo nice! Will definitely be back!

Great food! Great Service! And fantastic amount of food for price! Made me feel like I was back in Hawaii

Amazing the food was hot fresh and a lot for the price! Staff is friendly! Been dreaming about their bulgogi and cold Mac salad!!! 10/10

Recently vacationed in Hawaii and was really missing the amazing food & flavors... During this last weekend's trip to Austin, I was lucky to find this gem - a modest food trailer in the Zilker Food Truck Park (near Barton Springs/Zilker Park) that serves authentic Hawaiian classics! We decided on the Bulgogi Beef & Kalua Pork plates, each served on a bed of white rice, along with two additional sides (we chose macaroni salad and greens). They also provided complimentary Hawaiian canned juices with each plate. The generous piles of food were hand-delivered to our picnic bench, hot & with a gracious smile. The owner/cook (Lauren) & her family are so sweet & delightful... They bring the Ohana straight from the islands to the heart of Texas!!! Everything was so yummy!!! We will certainly be back... It's now a new Austin street food favorite of mine!!!

My boyfriend was raving about this spot, and I finally was able to try it today. I absolutely loved everything about my experience, from the extremely friendly, warm customer service to the high quality, flavorful food. I had the beef bulgogi with rice and mac salad which was delicious! The flavor of the beef was unreal and one of the most tasty meat dishes I've had (highly recommend). My boyfriend had the bbq chicken with beef bulgogi combo which he enjoyed as well. I will definitely be back soon, as I'm already craving the beef bulgogi dish!

I can't believe I haven't left a review here yet. I loove this place. I always look forward to talking to the lady who works here/owns this because she is always so upbeat and kind that it makes my day better. The food here is super good for Austin, probably some of the best poke and Hawaiian food in town. I don't come often, but when I do I look forward to it so much. I would recommend checking the website or calling ahead before showing up if you live far away, as sometimes they close early or without notice. But still a really delicious and amazing place.

The food truck isn't always open at noon and sometimes doesn't open until 4 PM. The good news is they are on grubhub, uber eats and every delivery service. The shoyu ahi poke was too spicy for me as it's more spicy than what I've had in Kauai. I really liked the shoyu chicken because it wasn't too sweet. My husband loved his poke but he thought his loco moco was under-seasoned. The spam musubi was good and my favorite a la carte side was the li hing pineapple. It was sweet and salty just like I've had in Hawaii. We'll definitely become regulars!

I am a little obsessed with spam musubi. It's one of my favorite snacks/light meals to go/comfort foods. Hawaii Nei Cafe's musubi is 100% legit on point. Would go just for that. But the poke is also really tasty, and the service is great! Go, go, go--will not disappoint.

Was craving spam musubi and found this food truck! Super excited that they can do basically everything gluten free!! I have gotten the shoyu ahi and shoyu salmon, gf, and both were so yummy and fresh! The use great fish and everything is super tasty! The portions are fair for the price, maybe a tiny bit small but it's the quality that really counts. And the spam musubi!! So freakin' yummy and well-made and gf. It scratches the itch for me. Definitely recommend this place! The food is great and the people are always so nice!

Hmm not sure whether they accidentally gave me the wrong thing, but my spicy ahi bowl was pretty bland. Was nervous to get poke from a food truck, but went bc of the glowing reviews. I was disappointed. The bowl was bland-- no discernible spice, salt, or acid flavor. I added soy which made it slightly better. Also, extra dollar for avocado when there are already so few ingredients.... I might try again given the reviews, but right now, can't recommend.

The best Hawaiian food in Texas! They're so awesome and sweet as well :) the food never takes long to come out but even if it does it's definitely worth every minute

This place was super tasty! I ordered the spicy poké, the shoyu bbq chicken, a piece of musubi, and a piece of the butter mochi, which, damn . The poké was different than the local poké spots because it had a Hawaiian creaminess to it that made for a different experience. It comes with a ton of rice. The bbq chicken was perfectly cooked with tons of flavor without being overly sauced. The musubi was classic, my only qualm was that it was a tonnn of rice compared to a very thin piece of Spam for $3, and we all know Spam is hella cheap. Still not enough to take away from the overall experience. Lastly, the butter mochi. I'm still thinking about it and honestly wish I would have bought more. Buttery, coconutty, but not overly sweet. Everything you need in a dessert. Online it said that it was sold out, so I asked about it when I picked my food up and they had some! So definitely worth an ask when you're there.

Best Hawaiian place in Austin! Amazing customer service! My wife and I have been here for 2 years and this place never misses! Again from their food to staff you'll have an amazing experience!

Ordered delivery. It arrived hot and as ordered. Bulgogi and shrimp tempura. The batter was a little thick, but otherwise good. Though I really could have just gone for a whole platter of the bulgogi. So so yum!! The macaroni salad was okay. Definitely worth having, but go with the bulgogi foe a party in your mouth.

Howzit? You want REAL ono grindz? Shoots, here it is. Right here. As real and authentic as kama'aina, ain't no malahini here, bruddah.

Was really looking forward to trying this place out for the first time and had a craving for some Loco Moco. Checked the website for hours, and oddly just said 'Open 5/12/23 5-7:30', which I found odd and have never seen before (this was on 5/13 fyi). It was about 6:45 pm and I had just picked up some food for my kiddos, so I headed over to place my order, but when I showed up it was closed. So unfortunately this review isn't about food because I never had a chance to try it and there was absolutely no way to know if they were open prior to heading over. I can only assume this is one of those locally owned businesses that has random hours, which for me is a hard pass (there is even a disclaimer in small print that says "hours are subject to change without notice". While I'm sure the food is delicious here, I don't have time to play guessing games as to whether a food truck is open or not so I won't be finding out. Hopefully I can find another Hawaiian restaurant down south for some Loco Moco another day.

Really enjoyable people and mostly tasty food - I would come back even though there was a major hiccup on my order. Came here on a Friday afternoon with a friend who had never eaten Hawaiin nor had any Korean. My dish was the pork and it was so very, very salty - that I ended up tossing it all. However, I am certain that if I took it back, they would have provided something else. I was simply too full from eating the Musubi Katsu, the pineapple and tasting my friends combo dish. He enjoyed the Bulgogi and 5 spice chicken. My partner ordered the Kimchi fried rice and was expecting a somewhat small portion for the price. Boy were we surprised! It filled up the entire box. She thought it was a great value and we will return again when we are in the neighborhood. Did I mention that this truck is run by really nice people? : )

Delicious! We ordered two hapa meals, one with kalua pork and shoyu chicken and another with Bulgogi and bbq chicken, 1 original spam musubi, 1 teriyaki musubi, and a shoyu ahi poke bowl with avocado. Our sides included macaroni salad and li hing pineapples. I can't say a bad thing about any of it. Everything was so good! Can't wait to go back and try the things we missed.

Amazing!!! The braised chicken and mac salad are the best! Hours can be tough lately, but it's worth trying to find a time Nei cafe is open.

Way more than just poke! This little truck is the best Hawaiian BBQ in Austin. I love their lunch plates, the beef bulgogi in particular is my favorite. I don't know what it's marinated in but it's magical. The portions are huge but I still find myself getting a Musubi every time with my order. They're classified as a "dessert" so I think that makes it okay. If I'm feeling extra fat I'll get some sweet chili wings, they're always fried perfectly crispy. The wait can be a little long, but it's usually a one man (or woman) show. They have buzzers to let you know when your food is ready so you don't have to keep checking.

The food here is absolutely amazing. The spicy ahi really knocked my socks off because it was truly super delicious. The ahi tasted so fresh, the seasoning was perfect, and the texture was melt in your mouth. Definitely a MUST! The egg rolls were very tasty and had the perfect crisp. The chicken wings surprised me to be honest. You never really know when you get wings from somewhere how good they're actually going to be. The wings had just the right amount of sweetness and spice. The beef bulgogi was really tasty as well. I'd never had it and had no idea what to expect but it was really tender with amazing flavor. I highly recommend this place and will be back! Oh! Forgot to mention (because I didn't pick up the order ) the couple working there were super sweet and friendly according to my boyfriend. Hawaiian food in Austin for the win!!!!

Alright I'll start by saying that every single thing I've had here was INCREDIBLE! The owners are incredibly friendly and made me feel like their best friends from the moment I walked up! I can personally vouch for the mac salad, both kinds of chicken (MELT IN YOUR MOUTH GOOD) and their poke! My only complaint is the limited hours they're open so I have to really plan when to go since I live in North Austin but it's so worth it. So glad we have this spot in Austin:)

This place is really good and very authentic poke. The staff is great and very helpful. They answered all of our questions and made some solid recommendations for us to try. We tried the shoyu salmon and ahi which were excellent and super fresh. We would definitely recommend. It's a food trailer located next to a gas station so don't stop at the food trailer park. It's easy to get in and out too. I love poke.

The BEST HAWAIIAN FOODTRUCK/MOBILE RESTAURANT in AUSTIN!!! I stopped by yesterday 9/2/22 and OMG!!! EVERYTHING that I ordered was AMAZING!! Everyone go and check these guys out! I ordered their braised shoyu chicken, Kalbi, kim chi fried rice, and loco moco (for a family of 4), and I tell ya, it's DELICIOUS!!! I/we will be back to try their pokè and musubis! Great food and awesome people!

Finally! Real Hawaiian plate lunch! In Austin! We tried this food truck for the first time yesterday and could not have been more pleased. The Moco Loco was legit. The mac salad was perfect. We even washed it down with a lillikoi Aloha Maid. Absolutely perfect. Next time I'm going to try the BBQ Shoyu and some poke and the kalua pork. And. And. And. We will definitely be back.

After a Saturday of eating, I was looking for a good light restaurant for dinner while in Austin and stumbled across this restaurant in my search. It is near my sister's home, has high ratings AND is not a chain restaurant - a win all around. We went fairly early for a Saturday night and I ordered the beef bulgogi (with seasoned pineapple) and a musubi. Both dishes were amazing and delicious. Neither felt heavy (basically putting someone to sleep) but full of flavor. I didn't know what to expect from a food truck, but I was pleasantly surprised and happy. BUT what made the experience here better was the interaction with the owner (I think). I was craving their Hawaiian butter mochi (I cannot find this in a Hawaiian restaurant yet) and asked to be sure because on the menu it was marked as SOLD OUT. Is it true?! And it was! We laughed about it because it was kinda the nail in the coffin for me to go there and she stated that a customer earlier in the day bought THE.ENTIRE.PAN! She did tell me to come back tomorrow (Sunday) and that she would have it for me then! We made it there around 2:30 PM and I was immediately recognized as that dessert woman! I received my Hawaiian butter mochi warm and it didn't last 10 minutes when we made it home! It was just a delicious dessert worth coming back for... The food was delicious and for what I bought, a good deal and more importantly, the service was great and as others have stated, they made you feel like a member of the family or a close friend. Smiles all around. Made you feel like you were in Hawaii...

Tried this place for the first time. Just finished the poke nachos which were incredible and had the little sampler, everything was great there as well. Also the people there were super nice in a very genuine way. Definitely plan to go back and try a few more of their items

Very friendly. And conveniently located. Poke is pretty expensive for portion and you sit outside with no service. ~13 for a small bowl. What does all the money go towards? The poke is good but is a bit dry for my taste. I love food trucks, but I'm not sure where this new fad of charging MORE than brick and mortar locations came from recently. At the end of the day it is a massive deterrent.

I was looking for a good Poke place and I'm so glad I came across Hawai'i Nei Cafe! Don't let looks deceive you, the food is amazing! The Shoyu Ahi poke bowl was FANTASTIC! The flavor really compliments the Ahi and the avocado was a nice mix-in! The lady serving the food was also very sweet! A+ food! I will definitely be returning to try their BBQ!

I came to their pop up location at my company cafeteria. This is the second time I tried their food. Seriously for $10, the food is tiny portion!! I'm still hungry after eating the plain white rice with some pork in a small box. There are many poke or Asian fusion style restaurants in Austin just like this one but offer much better variety of sides and much bigger portion. I have been to poke bowl, chilantro, honest Mary's.... they all offer a varieties of sides come along with protein. This restaurant only offers white rice and a couple of salad leaves along with their protein. Very disappointed.

This place is legit. Unlike another place in town (I won't mention the name) the owner moved here from Hawaii. Anyway I had the combo with Bilgogi and Shoyu chicken which were ono grinds aka freaking delicious. The Mac Salad was on point and last but not least the Musubi was mouthwatering. I will definitely be back even though I live totally on the other side of town

I have been eyeing this place since I moved to Austin mid 2021 and finally found myself in the area to give it a shot. I ordered the Musubi Combo, not knowing at all what it was but I was pleasantly surprised!!! I've never eaten spam before and thought the variety of the 4 different kinds of the musubi offered a great introduction to it. Cannot recommend this place highly enough, can't wait to try the rest of the menu.

The food is fresh and delicious. I got the spicy ahi poké bowl. The rice was cooked perfectly and it was just the right amount of spicy. The cherry on top was meeting the owner. She seems like a legitimately cool person. What more could I ask for? Great food, central location and interesting conversation.

Ordered the spicy tuna and completely forgot that it was spicy by the time that it was ready (daydreaming rather than time it took to be ready) and got a nice kick that I haven't had in other pokes that advertise as spicy. Well done! Only thing that took it down a star was idk if it was the size of the cuts, but some of the tuna pieces had a much more noticeable elasticity compared to other poke joints I've been to, but still would recommend!

I was born in Hawaii and this is truly authentic plate lunch food. Everything is delicious and the owners are insanely kind.

I discovered this place by accident and I have been back over 5 times in the past 2 weeks. There are so many great things I can say about this place but let's focus on 2. 1. The food is unbelievably delicious. For example, the 5 spice chicken falls off the bone. I am guilty of breaking the bones open to suck the marrow out. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. 2. Loryn, the owner is sensational!! She puts her heart into the food and strives to ensure your satisfaction. She makes me feel right at home : ). I wish I could give Hawai'i nei 10 stars!! P.S. I was present during the day of "Emerald's visit" She was incredibly rude when Loryn was only trying to serve her best.

Food truck poke. Got the salmon, probably should have gone with their ahi as I felt it was meh. Portions were decent with it being mainly rice with minimal fish. Added on avocado for 1.50 which I felt ripped off by. Maybe coming from Los Angeles my standards are higher for a $15 poke bowl. Owners were friendly and has some pretty tough competition in that food truck parking lot.