Kona Kitchen - Seattle
Hawaiian restaurant · Maple Leaf
8501 5th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Highlights
Airy Hawaiian spot with classic plate lunches & weekend karaoke
Airy Hawaiian spot with classic plate lunches & weekend karaoke
"The word “beloved” gets tossed around a lot, and with particularly reckless abandon in things like brunch listicles. But Kona Kitchen is one of a few Seattle establishments that’s truly earned the designation, with a following that’s been loyally returning for mochiko chicken and plate lunches for over 20 years. This is the sort of place where they remember your order and families with young children are always welcome. It’s bustling on the weekends so a 15 to 20 minute wait is to be expected, even though the wood-paneled dining room is sprawling, and there’s a small parking lot behind the building. The Hawaiian fried rice, loco moco, and spam musubi are some of their most popular dishes, but the brunch showstoppers are the Hawaiian plate and the lau lau plate, which are only served on Sundays until they run out. The lau lau — pork and salted fish wrapped in a taro leaf and steamed — is moist and liberally seasoned, abd a creamy side of mac salad with a couple dashes of Tabasco is the perfect complement." - Sophie Grossman
"This casual Hawaiian restaurant with locations in Maple Leaf and Lynnwood serves an perfectly-executed mochiko chicken, served with rice and mac salad. The light rice-flour batter on this popular Hawaiian dish leaves the pieces of chicken super tender while imparting just a touch of crispiness. Beyond the mochiko chicken, Kona Kitchen also serves good renditions of Korean fried chicken, katsu chicken, and chicken strips." - Jade Yamazaki Stewart
"This relaxed, all-day Maple Leaf diner is one sandy flip-flop away from being on a North Shore roadside. It’s an island memorabilia-covered place where you can slump into a bouncy booth and sip a $10 mai tai stiffer than a dress shirt. Among the classic Hawaiian stuff, there’s a dependable spam musubi and comforting gravy-drenched loco moco to customize with variables like fried rice vs. white rice or hamburger vs. portuguese sausage. But we’re even bigger fans of Kona Kitchen’s kalua pig and cabbage—it’s smoky, tender, and really good stuffed into a quesadilla, too. Keep it in mind if you’re in the market for a simple, satisfying group meal while fantasizing about the next trip to Oahu." - carlo mantuano, aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"This relaxed, all-day Maple Leaf diner is one sandy flip-flop away from being on a Hawaiian roadside. It’s an island memorabilia-covered place where you can slump into a bouncy booth and sip a $10 mai tai stiffer than a dress shirt. Among the classic Hawaiian stuff, there’s a dependable spam musubi and comforting gravy-drenched loco moco to customize with variables like fried rice vs. white rice or hamburger vs. portuguese sausage. But we’re even bigger fans of Kona Kitchen’s kalua pig and cabbage—it’s smoky, tender, and really good stuffed into a quesadilla, too. Keep it in mind if you’re in the market for a simple, satisfying group meal while fantasizing about the next trip to Oahu." - Aimee Rizzo
"This casual Hawaiian restaurant with locations in Maple Leaf and Lynnwood serves an perfectly-executed mochiko chicken, served with rice and mac salad. The light rice-flour batter on this popular Hawaiian dish leaves the pieces of chicken super tender while imparting just a touch of crispiness. Beyond the mochiko chicken, Kona Kitchen also serves good renditions of Korean fried chicken, katsu chicken, and chicken strips." - Eater Staff, Jade Yamazaki Stewart
