Hawaiian Drive Inn

Quick service. Nice, helpful cashier. Big portions! Food itself, nothing to write home about

So good!! Got the BBQ chicken and my sister had the hamburger steak… and both were fire 🔥 It was so delicious!!! 🤤 Loved the mac salad too. Super nice people, will def be back!

I usually order takeout. Been a regular of this place for a while. Food just tastes better cooked than other hawaiian fast food. Favorite thing they've ever done for me: I got stuck at work after ordering soup and they gave me fresh hot broth to put my noodles in since it had been sitting.

A great place to feed your whole family. You're going to walk out of here with some delicious food more than you can eat at a really fair price. The owner is like I don't need to overcharge people I'm going to create a great value and that's our business model and it works!

Quick service, great food for a great price. I go here all the time for lunch. Their chicken katsu is one of the best I've had.

Solid food for good price. I got the mini plate with garlic shrimp and it was pretty solid with a good amount of macaroni salad. I also got the Katsu Masubi which definitely could’ve benefited from more seaweed to hold everything in when you actually start eating but overall it was pretty tasty with the must have dipping sauce.

This place is delicious! Way better than the commercial chains. Huge portions served at a very reasonable price. The people here are also very nice and welcoming. 10/10 recommend 👌

This palace is provides ample good food at a nominal cost. I usually go here once a week. The food quantity is good enough that you always have left overs.

Been going here for years. If I'm in a crunch I call ahead and they're super timely- always on time when I pick up my food. The man that's been working the front has been there for years and is so pleasant and welcoming and the food is also consistent in quality! I've had the bbq plate, bbq chicken, spam musubi, fries are always fresh and crispy, the shrimp, but the chicken katsu is my go to favorite and the mini plates are gracious.

I feel bad that I didn't think the musubi was all that crazy!! Sorry :/ I will say, huge portions for a good price, the guy at the front was very nice and welcoming. BBQ chicken and Katsu were good, The sauce that came w the katsu was very unusual...still wondering if I got salad dressing or something on accident lol. Good mac salad too!

Great food and generous portions! Lived in Hawaii and this was better than rainbow drive in.

Amazing food & great prices! There's a good selection depending on what you're in the mood for. Fast service for takeout or dining in. My favorites: Mini plate (good lunch option) Bbq mixed plate (good variety of meats) Musubi (all of them are amazing fish, katsu, spam) Ice cream (great prices- cheaper than liquor stores) Dubai chocolate bars

Simple, quick, and delicious Hawaiian food. It's a simple spot, open kitchen, you can see everything for the most part. Charlie the owner typically mans the register and takes your order. Super friendly guy, always smiling. Prices are extremely reasonable and portions are huge. Flavors are great. My kid loves the spam musubi and the saimin. I love their fried wings and garlic shrimp over rice (or broccoli when I'm on keto). You can also do substitutions. Give them a try!

There aren't a whole lot of places you can get lau lau around here but Hawaiian Drive Inn is one of them! My husband was craving lau lau the other day so to Hawaiian Drive Inn we went. This restaurant is located in a plaza so there's plenty of parking. It's a small restaurant with just a few tables inside so takeout is probably the way to go. The inside ambiance isn't much but it has what you need if you're just looking to have a quick meal. They offer the regular hawaiian bbq items that you might usually see. I also liked that they offer different kinds of musubis here. I ordered a spam musubi and a chicken teriyaki musubi but they also have chicken katsu musubis. Along with all the savories, they also offer ice creams and they have the dubai chocolate bar here too! Service was fast. We ordered in store and waited maybe 10-15 minutes for our food. Overall, solid choice if you're looking for some hawaiian bbq!

One of my favorite local spots. I've been coming here for years and have never had a bad experience. The service is friendly, consistent, and always on point. Portions are generous and the food quality is solid every time. Whether you order by phone or in person, they make sure you're in and out with no hassle.

Looking at the stellar reviews I decided to grab a relaxing lunch here while I waited for a vehicle to be repaired in Hayward. Truly walkable from southbound mall. It's located close to the Sizzler and DD's discount clothing . It had the basic Hawaiian fare. The paper menu was old as the prices jumped a couple of bucks. The new prices are on the overhead menu board. Looks family owned, friendly service not too busy. Fairly clean. The beverage machine was out of order however they had cans and bottles in a fridge so it wasn't a big issue. The portions are real big definitely could have taken leftovers home . As far as the overall taste, the chicken was tasteful but the short ribs were kinda tough and the beef wasn't stringy and hard to cut with a plastic knife. Another thing I don t know why it's called drive inn because there is no drive thru . I was short on time and made a decision to eat here and overall it was just ok. Tasted like a meat plate you get from a carnival or farmers market. Next door to a nail salon and an auto zone type auto store.Location is a bonus . 4/5 for friendly service and a peaceful kickback lunch on a summer Tuesday.

I work nearby and Hawaiian Drive-In has quickly become one of my go-to lunch spots. The food here is solid--hearty, flavorful, and always hits the spot. My usual order is the BBQ Chicken and Katsu Chicken Half-and-Half, which comes with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. You can also swap the sides out for broccoli or a green salad, which is a nice touch if you're trying to be a bit healthier. All of this for $17.50 (including tax)--and it's a lot of food. The portions are seriously generous, and they don't skimp on the meat. Everything is cooked fresh to order, and even during a busy lunch hour, I had my food in under five minutes. Super efficient. I haven't tried everything on the menu yet, but they offer a wide range of options--burgers, noodle dishes, potstickers, egg rolls, pork buns, spam and eggs, and more. It seems like there's definitely something for everyone. They also stock a nice selection of Hawaiian fruit drinks, coconut water, sodas, and Snapple, plus they even have an ice cream bar. Ambiance-wise, it's pretty casual. Could use a few more decorations to liven things up, but it's clean and functional--not a dealbreaker at all. Lots of parking outside too, which is a big plus during busy hours. I've been here at least five times now and have never been disappointed. Great food, fast service, generous portions, and fair prices. Looks like they offer catering as well, which I'll definitely keep in mind. Highly recommended!

First time trying. Good food, good portions and the service was impeccable. Super courteous and friendly. Loco Moco and Chicken Katsu were delicious. Thank you

This place had been my go to when I'm in Hayward. I normally get the mixed bbq plate or the fried fish plate. The fried fish plate is a big portion, I normally share this with my husband, and we still have a bit left. The fish is so tasty and not greasy at all. The rice is cooked perfectly, not mushy at all. The macaroni salad is one of the best ones I have had outside of Hawaii. The service here is amazing, I normally call to place my order since I always take it home. They normally have my order in ten minutes. This place is a must try if you like Hawaiian food, so much better than any other Hawaiian restaurant in the area

Stopped by to pick up some plate lunches to take to the park. Very friendly guy at the counter. We ordered the lau lau plate and a garlic shrimp plate, had to wait a little while for the lau lau but worth it, the lau lau was really good, very tasty and pork was tender. As for the garlic shrimp, while it was cooked nicely, there was no garlic to be found, I think the cook forgot to put it in, thankfully they provided a packet of sriracha which helped to boost the flavor. Mac salad was on point (to me the mac salad is the true star of a Hawaii style plate lunch). I will still go again as service was friendly and food was good.

Musubis always on point and they carry those Waikoko coconut waters you can usually only get in Hawaii. Bomb joint.

Just no....the food is absolutely gross. I got the 1/2 and 1/2 plate with bbq steak and katsu chicken. The chicken was dry and old, with no flavor. The steak is ok, but could use more flavor. The mac salad tastes like water, no flavor....just gross. The rice was hard. Im just disappointed all around and wasted my money.

A lot of Hawaiian spots near by and this one in particular is really not special. I believe it's newer but I don't think I'll be back compared to other Hawaiian spots I usually get more food and better quality for that price point they do have other unique selections but nothing I'd get. Customer service was friendly and nice, bathrooms were dirty

The food is delicious. Their loco moco, BBQ plates, masubis are to die for. They only thing that sucks is when I call for takeout they never seem to want to answer. I've even been inside when it's completely dead and wonder why is it so hard for takeout orders when you have people that are on a time crunch for lunch and dinner. Of you can't handle takeout/phone orders then don't offer takeout if this seems to be an ongoing issue. I can't be the only one who has experienced this.U had to get a meal from other places at least 6x due to nobody picking up the phone and tried giving it a couple min to call back if it died down. Yes I could order online but they never get my all macaroni when I request for it or there seems to be something wrong with my order.

So there's a good reason why this place survived the pandemic I would even argue they were probably a thriving. The food is delicious The people are so nice it comes out super fast it's a great value like you're going to spend some money and for sure have some food left over. You could even get it for the whole family if you wanted and again you have enough food for the whole family. It's really done how food should be done family style comfort food highly recommend if you're in Hayward!

Great food and great price! We moved away from the area but always stop by when we have a craving for Hawaiian food. They even took our catering order on their "closed" day for my FIL's 80th birthday! We love supporting local small business and so should everyone else!

It's been years since I've been here. I'm glad they are still around. I ordered the lau lau and Kalua pork combo plate. I told the gentlemen that I only wanted one scoop of rice. He was kind to offer a second scoop of Mac salad. So for the dish: plenty of food for the price. The kalua pig and cabbage was a 4/5. Had a good Smokey flavor, and not to salty. The pork was very shredded so it's not what I'm use to. The Lau Lau was a 3/5. A lot or taro which had a sour taste, one huge piece of pork and a huge piece of fat. But the pork was cooked fine. Rice 4/5 it was a little dried out and the Mac salad was a 5/5. I'm glad he offered me to scoops. It was simple mac, not to much dressing, elbow noodles cooked perfectly. The restaurant was very clean and had constant traffic.

I've been wanting to try this place for a while, so when the opportunity to pick up lunch for my new office came up, I knew this was my chance to try Hawaiian Drive Inn. I ordered 7 Katsu Plates, 7 BBQ Chicken Plates and 12 Spam Masubi. Everything was made to order and delicious. They are so generous with their portions! My co-workers wanted to nap after lunch, it was so filling. I only ate half and saved the rest for lunch the following day. I would definitely order from them again.

Been buying their excellent take out Hawaiian food for years. Especially like their chicken teriyaki . Highly recommend

This is the only place I'll go for laulau. Super friendly person n fast delivery. Highly recommend if you miss local food

I used to be a regular at the SF location a lifetime ago. Bbq marinate is the perfect balance between sweet and savory. I've been to this location (Hayward) a few times over the last 5yrs and always just as good as the last. Decent prices, great food, and friendly staff.

Taste went downhill. Last time I had the food here it was ono delicious but the most recent visit I felt they reheat foods here because the galbi was delivered in less than 10 mins. I ordered the mini plate and it had 2 slabs galbi with cabbage underneath and 2 scoops mac salad. The mac salad was too much mayo and lack of umami. The galbi seasoning was so lacking as well couldn't even taste the marinade. Not sure If I will come back. Try L&L next time.

Ordered last minute catering, and they were so accommodating! Even with building losing water, the owner called ahead and guaranteed my order. I think they went above and beyond to help me out with this late order. Musubi is delicious!

We're pescatarian, so only have tried the seafood options. Friendly staff. Great fried fish sandwich. Love their broccoli! Fish musubi is good as is their Mac salad! We frequent the place for the fish sandwich and the broccoli!! Ample parking.

Great price point but not too sure why the portions of rice and Mac salad seem smaller than before, like they're using a smaller scooper. Even Ono and L&L have decent size portions of the rice and Mac salad. I get trying to cut back due to the downturn of the economy but less rice and Mac salad doesn't make sense when those items cost next to nothing. Staff are nice and friendly so overall it's a good place to grab a bite!

Got Katsu chicken to go with rice and salad. Delicious, perfectly fried, good portions. Salad was fresh. Competitive prices. What more can you ask! Friendly guy at the counter too :)

Food is delicious, portions are generous and customer service is excellent. What more can you ask for?

Not sure why it took us so long to try this spot, we lived around the area for many years now and we ordered take out for this spot in one week! That's how good it was, we came back. Also you can't beat the price, quality, and portion during these times. Homecooked Hawaiian food at unbeatable prices. We love getting the half/half plate which comes with 2 meat, and 3 sides (2 mac salad and 1 rice, or whatever you want). So far we've tried loco moco, chicken katsu, garlic shrimp, bbq chicken, beef teriyaki, pork lau lau, and kalua pork. Portion wise, the chicken had the best portion. They were all delicious but my favorite would have to be: bbq chicken, chicken katsu, and pork lau lau. The chicken katsu sauce was so good! It wasn't too sweet like how the other Hawaiian chains make it, but had the right sweetness and tanginess. The bbq chicken was amazing! Juicy, tender... mmm. The pork lau lau was so good, hard to find this nowadays so we appreciate it being offered on the menu. I'm looking forward to coming back to try their saimin noodles and other dishes. Inside looks like it has good enough seating to dine-in. We'll try that option next time. The workers were super friendly and fast. Also they have those yummy Hawaiian canned drinks for purchase.

My go to place for Hawaiian BBQ catering! The most reasonably priced place to order trays of food in this economy! The food is also pretty good! They are very nice and accommodating whenever I call in and pick up. Would highly recommend this place!

Hands down my favorite Hawaiian restaurant! Everything is so delicious! Even the mac salad has good flavor!....not like other places that just dump mayo in there and expect it to work its magic. Highly recommend the BBQ mix plate, and my ultimate comfort food, Loco Moco.

Taste: 3/5 slightly above average taste. Service: 5/5 fast and cashier is friendly. Overall: 4/5 good for its price, definitely worth coming back when I want something decent and quick.

good service and it's good food! I always get this before class and it never misses. lowkey place but chill ambiance.

Food: 9/10 Portion size: large Service: take out only during COVID; pre COVID you pay at the counter and sit wherever is available Value: 10/10 New favorite Hawaiian place! They have chicken katsu masubis and not every Hawaiian place can make them for me! I also like how each order is just 1 so you can try other masubis too. (Some places have 2 masubis per 1 order)This time I got the chicken katsu and fish fillet masubis. So delicious! I will be ordering both again for sure. This is also the only place I've seen with the fish fillet masubi! They were both crispy on the outside and soft in the inside even eating it 10 minutes after picking it up! It comes with dipping sauce but its so good you don't need it. I also tried the spicy chicken wings, and the beef bbq plate made from rib eye! I enjoyed all the food we bought. The beef was tender and juicy with flavor. And the chicken wings were a medium spicy and the meat was tender inside. We got all of these items for about $20! They are also very fast. After placing our order, we only had to wait 10 minutes. Also I feel they are covid safe. Once people order they make everyone stand outside to wait. They have hand sanitizer available and in the back they are wearing gloves.

Loved the lemon chicken. Grateful they had low cal beverages other than Diet Coke. The potstickers were good. Mac was good. I used the lemon sauce on my fresh green salad and it was so light, refreshing, and delicious. Pork buns take longer so we'll try those later. Order taker very chipper. Meal arrived quickly. The place is a little buried back in a strip mall not connected to the one next door.

I've been coming here for years, and this is hands down the best Hawaiian food in the area! You just can't beat the quality and warmth of a mom-and-pop shop. I stopped by 15 minutes before closing (after a long day at work when cooking wasn't an option), and they were incredibly polite and welcoming despite the late hour. Their kindness and amazing food always keep me coming back. Highly recommend!

A hidden gem. Fresh kalua was epic! *Drooling as I am remembering* The food and service were exceptional. Kudos to them for keeping customers' and workers' safety. Physical distancing was practiced and enforced through posted signage on the premises and touchless payment. Also, they take cash if you prefer. I stumbled on Hawaiian Drive Inn by accident. It was late afternoon, I skipped lunch and was so hangry. I normally don't opt-in for Hawaiian plates because of the tragic experience from franchises like Ono Hawaiian where food tasted artificial and was always too salty on several occasions. But I am a huge fan of decent hole-in-the-wall and mom-and-pop. Because of the indistinguishable appearance from outside between Hawaiian Drive Inn and its neighbors' stores, I decided to give it a shot. When I came into the store, I had to ask the person who took the order about the 2 types of pork plates they had. I am terrible at remembering menus, but the one I had was da-bomb! The meat-to-rice ratio was as much as what appears in the picture I took. What was remarkable about the plate I had was that what you see in the picture (expectation) matched with what you get (reality). And that is the beauty in mom-and-pop, my friend. Fragrant spices with rustic smokey hardwood scent even before I opened the bag. French fries were thick and crispy, but I let them drown in the pork juices. Can't go wrong with any combination on the plate. I was pleasantly surprised to get so much meat for the buck. Unlike the typical covert rice or cabbage under the meat type of shenanigans I normally would get from a skimpy take-out restaurant. There was meat so much meat! Although I'm not a huge fan of stuffing my face with rice, I felt like I wanted more rice to go with the meat :-) Fresh Kalua pork was on point. TBH, I didn't know that a Hawaiian plate could taste this good. I could pig out on this at any time when I'm in the neighborhood.

Bussin Hawaiian food. French fries were super good, too. Nice owners. Place is a little on the small side so be prepared to carry out if even moderately busy.

I love the food, prices, and customer service. I also cater here quite frequently. Lastly, I love the fact that they take Sundays off. Nothing to complain about!

I've been a patron of this place since it opened it's doors around ~15 years ago! I remember this is one of the first hawaiian food restaurants to open up in the Bay Area. So, this location is very established and they know their traditional Hawaiian food very well! I've tried almost everything here and it always tastes so good. But the quantity you get for the price is enormous! Generous portions! Bang for the bucks! Stretch your holla dollas! Pennies for the bite! Hee hee, you get the point, right ;). Inexpensive! My go-to is the loco moco meal. They cook up 2 beef patties, 2 sunny side up eggs with rice topped with lots of yummy gravy. Mac salad to the side. It feeds 2 people or its a 2 day meal for me. Spam musubi is always a good side order, if your in the mood for a high sodium, mystery meat with rice and seaweed. I'm actually always in the mood for mystery meat! Then occasionally, I like buying their shredded pork but I love love love making rice congee (aka JOOK) with their shredded pork. It turns your jook into a gourmet delight. Customer service is wonderful here. My only suggestion is to add better lighting and to refresh the table/chairs and decor a bit. It's too hole in the wall for a franchise establishment.

On the way to my mom's and decided (last minute) to stop here...the gentleman at the counter was super welcoming, friendly and took my order of the BBQ mixed plate: chicken, teriyaki beef and a shortrib with mac salad and rice...he then said "it'll be ready in 5 minutes"....whoa! Well he was right...minimal wait and out of there. Shared this dish with mom so didn't get a chance to get a pic as she didn't hesitate and dug right in. Generous portion with 3 pieces of (dark meat) chicken, mom ate up the shortrib and beef was thinly sliced and a little salty (for me) but great to eat with the rice. Located in the O'Reilly Auto Parts on Hesperian with plenty of lot parking. Friendly, good food and reasonably priced at under $14 with tip. Take out only

Placed a catering order but with the storms, our event got moved and they were very flexible and understanding. We got the medium trays of chicken katsu, fish, rice, Mac salad and broccoli and everything was great. We will be back again for catering or just for lunch!

I've lived in hayward for 6 years so far and out of all the hawaiian spots... This place hits closer to Hawaiian food from Hawaii! The guy or possibly the owner is always cheerful and courteous. Even during the pandemic he still is very polite and nice. He's one of those where you're like "wow, he has great customer service for a small food spot!" Prices are very reasonable. I ordered the mini shortribs and was blown to the portion! Comparing it to L&L and others, usually they give a small scoop of mac and rice and 1 piece of meat. But this place was really generous with the meat, rice , and mac! Yummy! Forever my hawaiian food spot!

So friendly! I didn't even have to ask for sauces, they gave me everything I needed before I could even ask. On top of that, the worker even helped bring the food to the elderly customer's car. HOW SWEET!! I never had this kind of service for a takeout order before and I will definitely be coming back!

Legit Hawaiian grub that satisfies. Straight up the set-up and size of a chain Hawaiian resto like L&L or Ohana, but this is an indie family owned. So ya know I'm gonna be favoring this scene. Had to do all my tries for take-out, as all my visits have been during the 2020 Covid era. But unlike some cuisines, Hawaiian food doesn't get affected to much from a car travel. So this is super ideal for our current scenario. "Plate Lunches" are a Hawaiian term for a filling meal that consist of a combo of 1) white short grain rice; 2) macaroni salad; 3) meat of choice, most places offer at least 6 different options, usually much more. Here they offer a hefty plate lunch for around $10-$12 depending on what you choose. Those are really filling for big appetites. They also offer a "mini" version for a couple of bucks less, if you don't need a monster plate. I find on most days the mini to fit my needs. I've also ordered a catering tray for the family and it is a good way to feed multiple people. I got the "small" tray which says feeds 10-12 people for $25ish. And that's just the meat, as I supplied the sides from home. Meats tried thus far: Teriyaki Chicken (4.5*) Really good. They use a flattened chicken thigh and it is grilled well. I love how there is no gloopy excess sauce on the outside. All the flavor in embedded into the chicken, via a marinade. The tasty marinade and the juicy chicken makes this a winner choice. So good with white sticky rice. Fried Fish (3.5*) I think they use catfish fillet and it is good. The breading is really sturdy...almost too sturdy. Crunchy yes, but I think you get a little more crunch/breading than actual fish. So I'm 50/50 on getting this one again. It does make a good combo with the teriyaki chicken though, a grilled bite to go with a crunchy fried bite. #trust Chicken Katsu (3*) Pretty much same story as the fried fish. Breading dominating the actual meat. Kinda bland too, so I usually have to sauce this in some manner. I like the fried fish a tad more than the fried chicken. Still gotta try the short ribs and possibly the loco moco. And now that I know where they are at, I won't hesitate in future stops. The service is also always super friendly and impressively fast. That along with serious ono grindz that bust my mouth...bruddah I'm there!

Amazing service. so fast. delicious food. not one thing to complain about. i 100% recommend this place to anyone who's craving some healthy takeout. 10/10!!!!

The grilled chicken was pretty substantial I wish to have the teriyaki sauce to go with it though. Garlic shrimp, I wish it was more spicy like the one in Hawaii. We like all different kinds of musubi like fried fish and fried chicken katsu. I would like to try the Combo plate with the lau lau and loco moco next time.

Hands down the best Hawaiian food place in West Hayward (it's because I don't venture much into East Hayward). What makes this place stands out is their food quality and the value for what you get. This time we got their chicken katsu, fried fish, teriyaki chicken and steak. They were all good and there's nothing I would complain about. 4 orders here fed 5 people and even then we had leftovers for another person's lunch the next day. They also offer good pricing for catering. I would recommend this place if you're looking for a Hawaiian food place.