Hawaiian Drive Inn

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!

A good lunch spot overall. I’ve been coming here for a while because of the reasonable prices and decent food quality. This time, I ordered the BBQ chicken, but unfortunately, it wasn’t fully cooked. A bit disappointing. I hope the owner sees this and reminds the kitchen to pay closer attention in the future.

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!

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 👌

The worst Hawaiian BBQ I've ever had. The kalua pig with Cabbage was terrible, the mac salad was nasty, I threw my whole plate in the garbage. I will never eat this food ever again. I'll stick to L & L Hawaiian BBQ from now on.

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.

The food was delicious, the place was busy but we got our food promptly and you can see them preparing your food. This has to be one of my favorite restaurants in Hayward. I can't wait to try more of their food.

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!

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!

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

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.

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 :)

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!!!!

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

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.

if you want great food at a really good price, you need to check out hawaiian drive inn. the portions aren't huge, but they're more than enough. we had the short ribs and katsu, and they were both super tasty. the mac salad is really ono too. it's a fantastic spot for the neighborhood and definitely the best place in the plaza. highly recommend!

Really sad to say that Hawaiian Drive Inn isn't what it used to be. My family and I have been loyal to this spot for well over 5 years. Maybe even 10. We always order the family pack. The last 3-4 times we've ordered a family pack, there's been a significant decrease in quality. The beef is low quality and dry. And this last time, the Mac salad was just not good. Tasted rancid and bitter. Made my stomach upset. Had to throw the whole tray away. The Katsu chicken and bbq chicken were fine. I do appreciate the fact that their prices stay reasonable but if that means that the food quality will go down, I'd rather pay more. It's a shame because I know this is a family owned restaurant and their service is always top notch but we've honestly been really disappointed by them lately. But we are really hoping they read this review and try to improve. My family and I want to support your business.

I love this awesome Hawaiian bbq joint I do love their great customer service on point !! However, I'm such a ding bat and went there on Sunday today 11/05/23, and forgot that they were closed... My Hawaiian bbq craving has tobwait till tomorrow

Best Hawaiian food in the Bay Area, small mom and pop shop that cares about the quality of food amazing steak!

We were on our way home on a Tuesday night deciding whether to have dinner at LL or Ono when this place popped up on my Yelp search and read some really good reviews about it. I also noticed that they also have Spam Musubi so we decided to go here to try it for the first time. We were greeted by a very nice male cashier. I already knew to order the family meal at $32.99 and a side order of Spam Musubi for $1.99 which my teenage boy likes. We ate in since we were already hungry. The food were delivered to us by the nice cashier. First came the paper plates, plastic spoons, forks, knives, rice, macaroni salad and egg rolls complete with sweet and sour sauce. Next came the bbq chicken, chicken katsu (we split it in half), teriyaki beef, broccoli and sauce. I like how it was delivered in "to go" containers with lids because I'm sure they knew there was no was no way that we can finish it. It didn't look a lot but those portions are huge! Between the three of us, we ate so much until we were busting at the seams and we still had enough for tomorrow's lunch and dinner! We will definitely come back here again. The food is so good, great customer service since we felt very much welcomed and portions are huge for the price that they charged. Highly recommended! Sorry LL and Ono.

The BBQ is delicious and service is great. The portions are generous. I will definitely be coming back for my Hawaiian BBQ cravings. We had the BBQ mix plate and very good portions of meat, macaroni salad and rice.

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!

I haven't had Hawaiian bbq in a little while, and I wasn't sure how good it would be given it was a bit tucked away. I was WOWED. Best chicken katsu, best katsu sauce, great mac. Knocks just about any other spot in the East Bay out of the park. The folks were very nice. A big plus was having lots of Hawaiian Sun flavors to choose from. Great price and the portions are huge. I would happily come back again. I will try spam musubi and their bbq mixed plate next time.

Another COVID survivor! Good job staying open = ) There was a place nearby run by some surfers from SD, but that place has long since been gone. Now I long for lau lau and it is slim pickins here in Haystack. But found this place and they have it. Not gonna say it is broke da mouth good, but it is lau lau and that makes my opu happy. The other stuff is good too eh! Just not so sure about the Katsu sauce. Kinda tastes like da stuff Mickey D's had called sweet and spicy. Other than that, it is "legit" - those words are not mine. It was my carnivore friend who went and ordered all the meats. Hey, it's the mainland and you take what you can get. Even if not prepped by local island cooks.

The food here is absolutely delicious! Every dish we tried was bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. Highly recommend the fish m chips and chicken sandwich.

Family owned business with great food and great prices, my goto for lunch. Very friendly people.

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.

Small local business located in a very inconspicuous spot with O'Reilly's likely being the most common location visited. I've ordered several of times here including catering. By far their chicken katsu is one of the best in my opinion because the chicken thigh meat remains moist and the panko is super crisp. Portions are well sized and honestly too good for the price. I believe this is a family biz - come here, don't go to Ohana's or L&L's. Hawaiian Drive-In makes delicious Hawaiian lunch plates and is a Hayward local business that deserves our support.