Yama's Fish Market

I have never been to this place nor even heard of them, but I have now! My mama's Oahu friends sent her home with some omiyage (Google it if you want to know). PUPU: Smoked Sliced Tako I absolutely love tako, but also am picky about how it's prepared. This version had a good texture - tender yet still chewy, but the flavor was just one-dimensional, liquid smoke. It severely overpowered the tako's natural flavors. Pass! Pipikaula Thank goodness a container of this accompanied the disappointing tako, upping the rating two full stars! To be honest, I've never eaten pipikaula but have only heard of it. What it is, I'm pretty sure, is marinated/salted and dried beef. It looks raw but is actually fully cooked, sliced semi-thick and super tender. The texture is like fresh corned beef, the flavor like beef jerky. Absolutely delish and will go great with beer and wine (yes, my wine virginity has been defeated, lol)! OVERALL: Great, another stop when we visit Oahu.

Stopped by for lunch last week and it was fantastic. Matter of fact we went back for more after we’d finished our first meal. Had the Lau Lau Kalua pork lomi lomi salmon combo. My wife grabbed multiple tako pokes and poi, haupia etc. Only bummer is that they have zero seating, so we had to slum it sitting on a wall in the parking lot.

Best ahi limu poke. A whole different level from all the touristy poke shops. You can also find poi here, or fermented taro paste, my favorite Hawaiian food. Kalua pork cabbage is also super good. Take out only. Plenty of parking space.

Very good food. Fresh and many different items from local cuisine to choose from. Neighborhood is not the best. Many homeless pepe right there where restaurant is so be carefull but restaurant and food is amazing. Everything is super fresh and delicious. They also have the pork in leaves and some very amazing sauces. Absolutely authentic island food is served here. Service is also super attentive and friendly. Unfortunately there is no dine in as of July 2021. But hey...we just took the amazing food to hotel room and enjoys it to the fullest. Also deserts were very good too. Not sure if you can call it desert but it was good. Sweet potatoes something....i can't remember these names. Anyhow, don't hesitate to give this place a try. I highly recommend.

The miso tako is incredible! Best tako poke I've ever had in my life.

In A Nutshell: -New updated review. -Yama's is still a local favorite. -They still have a bunch of delicious poke's to choose from such as ahi, tako, shrimp, scallop & smoked salmon. -They have a poke bowl combo: regular $12.75 or large $16.75, you choose your rice, poke & side. -If you like dried fish they have dried ahi poke too. -My favorites are their Wasabi Ahi Masago Poke, Spicy Ahi Poke, Ahi Mango Poke & Hawaiian Style Ahi Poke. -In addition to poke, you can check our their expansive menu & grab their other popular food, which is their Hawaiian Lau Lau. Overall, my general rule of thumb is I only eat poke while traveling to Hawaii, when you come here to grab some you'll understand why it's so special :)

Last time (December 2021) I only tried poke and liked it a lot. So I gave it another try for lau lau this time. Before this time, my favorite lau lau was Young's, but it's been slightly salty. Yama's was not salty at all, and the pork was so juicy and tender. I also like their composition of the sides (lomi salads, haupia, and poke). Totally recommend this place. they have best poke and lau lau in town.

Decent portions and prices. If you're new to traditional island cuisine, this place is a great start to your Hawaiian food experience. I git the poke, lomi, pork, and haupia plate (about $15) and it was delicious and quite filling. Comes with your choice of ahi poke. I asked for the Hawaiian style. They offer a lot of packages goodies you can take home, including many desserts.

I'm so glad I went out of my way to check this place out for some authentic Hawaiian finds! This place is known for fresh poke however I had already had my poke fix somewhere else - I ended up trying their chicken lau lau and coconut haupia and this was one of the best meals I've had while visiting Hawai'i! When I went there was only one line for the cash register, whether you're ordering food or just taking some snacks or dessert from the fridge to go. The wait was kinda long but it's worth it. I took my food to-go and the chicken lau lau was still steamy. The chicken inside was really moist and falling off the bones, and it was all so flavorful! The haupia is amazing too, very indulgent and creamy.

It's been way too long since I went there last...dunno why since it's always a crowd pleaser. In the neighborhood so decided to stop in to grab lunch. Baby fell asleep so hubs stayed in the car with her while I ran in. Setting me lose there on an empty stomach is never a good idea. - Beef stew plate for hubs. Yum. I like that the pieces of meat aren't big ol hunks. Just a personal preference. Was yummy. - Special Spicy Ahi Patties for me. Didn't think that through that I couldn't share with baby if was too spicy. It was not though. The rice is a little too gush for my taste, so I ate a patty with the cabbage it sat on. I think it had a sweet chili sauce on the side but I didn't eat it. Should have at least tried it. 2 meals worth for me. - Smoked salmon poke - I'm on the fence. It's tasty...chooooooke onions which I love. But almost like lox...which I also like, but I guess I'm just used to nice chunks of smoked salmon. It was tasty tho. And super good on some hot rice with furikake. - Pasta Salad from the fridge - not bad. Pasta a little bit soft for my taste but baby liked it. And the veggies good and soft so baby grinded that too. - Poi for baby...just realizing I sure carbo-loaded her up! But she loved the poi...and I got some of it that ended up on my fingers. Yum. Not the fastest service, but maybe just seemed slow since we were in a rush. The foods takes as long as food takes...it was the rest of it that took a while, including bagging and everything. It's all good tho... now that I got my Yama's taste again, I will be back sooner than later this time!

Yama's is my go-to takeout Hawaiian food place. Clean, lots of parking and friendly staff. I normally get the lau lau plate with lomi salmon and rice. I think next time, I'm also going to get a side of squid luau. They also have delicious poke by the pound and grab-and-go desserts like sweet potato haupia pie in the fridge. Cheers to Yama's Fish Market!

Definitely will recommend this spot for local grindz. I came in on a Saturday after the lunch rush and there were two other ladies in there, so there wasn't much of a wait. We were helped right away. My husband and I both got poke bowls, as well as zebra haupia for dessert. They have a lot of goodies in the fridges as well as the glass cases in the front. They also sell chips and some drinks. We got spicy poke which was good, and the rice seemed fresh and warm. I'm not sure if I would go again if I just wanted to poke, since Off the Hook is better in my opinion and not far away, but definitely for plate lunch, laulau, squid luau, etc., I think this would be a good place to go.

Love this place .... Laulau plate and choke desserts .... Hahaha.... Use to come here weekly when I used to work at Long's Moi!! OMG ... the good o days .... Always loved the food and desserts here!! Can't go wrong!! Fast service, great food and awesome desserts!!

On Young Street, Yama's serves a variety of local food. With a friendly blue exterior, the inside is quite straightforward with a counter to order from and a decently sized space. The people working seem to know what they are doing and sometimes do not even need to write orders down. They are also friendly! From Hawaiian plates like lau lau and kalua pig to beef stew and garlic chicken, there is quite a selection. There are even sides like poke and poi. Everything we have tried has been very solid. We usually get the kalua pig, mochiko chicken, teri beef, lau lau and lomi salmon, and poke. They give a hearty portion for everything. It is consistent each time we go. The mochiko chicken is especially great. On appearance, it looks like chicken katsu but it tastes like mochiko chicken with a bit more crunch. One of my favorite on the island for sure. We also love the haupia, so sweet and refreshing. The poke is quite fresh but I personally love poke with a creamier, spicy sauce. This poke is more fresh with more natural flavors. Overall, great spot to check out when a local craving hits!

Yama's Fish Market is a small place but full of snacks, poke, hot dishes, and desserts. One way sign when you first walk into the store to help customers know the proper flow. :) Just looking and ended up getting a small snack. First time trying Squid Luau. I was surprised it was hot. Though I was pleasantly surprised. Wow, so much flavor! Creamy, coconutty, and tender pieces of squid. Haupia - sweet, flavorful. I'll be sure to visit again.

To go only with a parking lot. You can tell this is a locals place. No frills and good food. Lots of poke options. They looked good however I opted for the ahi tuna cooked medium. It came w 3 steaks and two scoops of rice. Def was two meals worth for me. It comes with a ginger green onion oil sauce (or at least that's what I think it is lol) and it's superrrrr good!! Def a good option is you're looking for a decent plate lunch or poke. They also have a lot of dessert options in a fridge and a bunch of snacks. Workers were sweet and helpful.

Sent in 10 orders and when I got there they said they didn't get my order. I waited over an hour and not sure why they didn't work on my order instead of all the walk-in's. For some reason, they gave everyone else their order instead of mine. I kept waiting. I Finally got my order of 10 lunches when there were no other customers after which I asked for a discount for waiting so long. The owner said no so I left without taking the order. Cheap jackxxxes.

Was really disappointed that twice in the same week they didn't have any chicken laulaus. That's primarily why we came to Yama's.

This place is a hidden gem with excellent food, friendly staff, and a good local vibe. We came here because they are one of the few places that still makes boiled peanuts, and saw the great reviews on Yelp. Besides the boiled peanuts we also got the shredded shoyu chicken special, a Kalua pork plate, and a mini haupia. Everything was delicious and we will be back to try something else! Only issue is there's very little parking and everything is for to go only.

Overpriced and the quantity is very minimal, compared to other spots on the island. Since it's close to Waikiki I understand

This place is pretty good. Although a little pricey. Seafood, lau lau, kalua pig, poi, all the good stuff. Awesome employees. Recently new owners but same quality service.

The staff was super friendly and efficient I got the grilled ahi plate, was super flavorful - the fish itself was seasoned with salt (on the salty side - but better than it lacking in flavor) and also came with a ginger onion type of sauce. Can I just say, that I LOVE that they put the mac salad on the side - so when I got to wherever I had to go to eat my plate, it was cold and not warm - not a lot of places do this on their own unless you ask - but if you're a foodie, I think you'd appreciate this. it's nothing fancy - it's only take out but lots of sides to add on, a frozen section where you can buy lau lau, luau, ice cake, etc, can buy cookies, dried fruit, cake, haupia pudding, etc - I actually remember coming here when it was hakubundo the bookstore - so it definitely gives me the feels to come here! It looks clean even tho it's older. I haven't been here in years and I totally forgot to take a pic of my food since I inhaled it. With that said, I'll be back!

I was craving Hawaiian food and wanted to try somewhere new. Yama's popped up on my Yelp app and although I had driven by there before, I always thought they were strictly a fish market. After looking at their online menu, I was happy to see that they have various Hawaiian plates. The reviews of their lau lau were glowing, so off I went to get me a plate! This is a take-out only place. They're located in a semi-residential area off of Young St. in Moiliili. They're only open on Wed-Sun from 9am-5pm. I arrived a little after 4pm on a Sunday and there was only 1 other customer inside, however when I left several others arrived. There's several parking spaces available in their private lot. I ordered the #7 Hawaiian plate, which comes with Lau Lau, Kalua Pig & Lomi Salmon for $19.20. I also noticed that they had a fridge filled with various desserts so I got a Lime Haupia delight. When I got home and opened my dinner box, I was happy to find a generous portion of everything. The lau lau was juicy and fresh. It's 1/2 chicken, 1/2 pork. I was afraid it would be dry since I arrived near their closing time, but it was very moist and tasty! The kalua pork was juicy with just the right amount of salt. The lomi was delicious. And the lime haupia dessert was divine! In addition to their Hawaiian combo plates (they have 9 to choose from), they also have local favorites such as shoyu chicken, pork adobo, grilled ahi, etc., bowls like beef stew, kalua w/ cabbage, etc., salads and sides, and of course they are known for their poke. Service was decent and friendly. I know they've been called out on Yelp as being unfriendly or non-existent, but it appeared there were only 3 people working on the day that I went, so perhaps they're understaffed. I would definitely return to try more of their local plate lunches and poke!

Local spot for fish and halpia. I would travel all the way back here from the main land just for their halpia. It's not too sweet , and the texture of it is perfect . Service is quick/ efficient. The store is simple yet clean

Very informative and friendly service. I have come to this location and previous location. Lot is a bit small but street parking on Isenberg. They make their own kalua pig. I have to come back to try it. After reading some other labels some kalua pig out there has pineapple juice and another vinegar....need to stick to basics...pork, salt, and smokey flavor. There are many desserts to try. Will come back later to try some.

So, this place almost never picks up the phone. They're there, though. I got through once in three days. They have one vegetarian item (which, I know, is ridiculous to order at a fish market). It's a... I forgot the name of it already. Vegetables wrapped in what might be a banana leaf. There are large cushions do taro and carrots and such inside. Not bad. Everything else was a hit, and the line moved relatively quickly. Parking is nearly nonexistent, so we parked in the lot across the street- that was easy.

"Whatever just happened... blame it on the pig." - Grandma Tala I've been to Yama's Fish Market at least a dozen times for Ono Hawaiian food and dessert. Yama's is by no means fancy, instead it's more take-out with a couple of old rickety cafe tables out front. Aloha nō vibes! Located in the older part of Mōiliili if you blink you might miss it! The good news is you really can't miss the large iconic sign and baby blue building! Private parking opens up quickly as most are there for take-out only. Yama's menu is very busy but organized by Hawaiian Food, Local Favorites, Ala Carte, Pupus! I usually get a Hawaiian combo plate! My favorites include Kalua Pig, Chicken Long Rice, Local Boy Fried Rice, Chicken and Pork Lau Lau, Grilled Ahi, Beef Stew, and always have dessert for after including Sweet Potato Haupia, Pumpkin Haupia, or Strawberry Sensation Jello Haupia (eh, there's such a thing lol). In the end, Yama's Fish Market is my go-to spot when I just want local comfort foods in Honolulu without all the touristy bs. Want bites for the beach or island cruising? It's affordable, employees get to know you, and best of all everything is Ono-kine-licious! :D Pau!

we ordered their chicken long rice for a birthday party. We were very disappointed with 3 pans of the order. There was very little chicken and the few bites of chicken that I got tasted like cardboard. It definitely was not teal or fresh chicken. More like processed chicken. It was very water, and tasteless. They didn't add any green onions. Don't order their chicken long rice for your next catering. We also ordered 3 pans of their kalua pig, which was ok.

The best ahi plate! Sooooooooo yum! It's got the perfect grill flavor and the super mysterious green sauce it comes with is delicious! Where have I been? Run, don't walk to get it!

Note: update of my last review. Portions are small. Re: Pork Sari Sari. $11.70 Spoke to manager. Petula. Not worth the money. Pork sari sari, portion was about half inch of container.

10$ for one laulau and no butterfish? That's crazy. The lau lau wasn't even that big.

The counter folks are efficient and friendly (they are working hard to process orders quickly so there isn't a lot of time for social niceties - but they are friendly enough and I WAAAAY rather trade an extra greeting for folks filling orders with all possible speed)...the poke comes in a number of varieties and they are consistently delicious (my favorite is the spicy ahi w/ massage). My daughter and my elderly parents both LOVE their beef stew (which caution - sometimes does sell out - so either come early, phone order it, or take your chances) - and when you consider how few things their young and old tastebuds can agree on - that's really saying something. I love the lualau plates. The haupia is delicious. The squid luau is a favorite of ours. Oh - and the chicken long rice (although not a complicated dish) is another favorite our whole family enjoys. Only issue I've ever had is that the rice that comes with the laulau plate is occasionally a little dry for my taste...but that's been an exception - not the rule.

(18/25) Christmas review challenge continues~ Yama's Fish Market is my boyfriends go-to lunch spot whenever we can't decide on where to go. It's a little surprising how often we come here considering how indecisive I can be when deciding on food. But no matter what, we always end up here at least 2-3 times a month which surpasses any other place that we frequent! My boyfriend always gets one of their Hawaiian plates with poke. Without missing a beat, Yama's Kalua Pig is also consistent, warm, and filling with their fresh poke. I usually spice it up and get something different everytime I come here, but I always grab a bag of boiled peanuts. Some plates that I've had in the past: -Baked Spaghetti: carb overload. Although the spaghetti is warm and reminds me of nostalgic school baked spaghetti, it's served with rice which seemed weird to me?? -Grilled ahi with green sauce: Super yummy, lean, and tasty with the green sauce. I always sub the mac salad for tossed greens. -Laulau plate: All of their Hawaiian food is very warm and filling. -Mochiko chicken: Very crunchy and flavorful. But it can be a "miss" when there's pieces of full battered chicken fat. -Baked seafood dynamite: This can be hit or miss depending on how much mayo they're slathering on. I have to be ready to not do any work for a couple of hours after eating this because it's very heavy and rich. -Beef stew: This can be hit or miss depending on the scoop. I've had soft tender beef, but also very tough teeth flossing meat. -Kalua pig and cabbage: It's been a miss for me. It's been basically a cabbage bowl with hints of kalua pig (if even that). Overall I would rate 3.5/5. Thanks for reading through my itemized list!

The chocolate Haupie pie piece was a little too sweet for the chocolate part, and had coconut bits in it. Nothing like teds. Would not get it again. Still leaving 2 stars. Don't mean to criticize or anything. Just trying to help, hopefully they can improve??!

They have the best laulau and chicken long rice. Also like their desserts, especially taro mochi and haupia.

I Love this place !!! We moved away from home for 4 years and I missed this place so much !!!! So happy to be back home and it is still as onoliscious as I remember it !!!

Arrived to Yama's a bit later into the day and wanted to grab some poke. They didn't have a huge selection left and so I opted for the Oyster Sauce Ahi and the Smoked Salmon. I was expecting a bit more Oyster-Sauce flavor from the Ahi since visually it did have a more sticky-look due to the thicker oyster sauce, but upon tasting it, it was hard to discern the flavor where it just tasted more like a traditional soy sauce flavor. 3/5 The Smoked Salmon was a real turn off. Extremely salty to the point where I could only eat a few bites. The salt builds and builds which was very unpleasant. I don't know if it was because this batch was at the bottom and absorbed more salt but in any case, the salmon experience was enough to make me stop eating unfortunately. 1/5

Eight years later and it's time for an update... My original review of Yama's (circa 2014) was 5-star and though I doubt much besides the menu and prices have changed, I've changed. Yama's poke has always been great but I've now visited a slew of great Oahu poke spots causing in me less excitement than I originally had for the place. First though, let's talk about those rising prices. Were you aware that Ahi Poke is now running about $26 per pound? It's outpaced inflation most certainly and accounts partially for the way that Yama's serves their poke bowls: the poke portion is weighed out exactly and placed in a container separate from the rice which is also separate from your 1 "side" (e.g. kim chi). I imagine this is done to ensure the warm rice doesn't cook the fish and also to ensure customers they're getting the exact amount of fish that Yama's intends for a poke bowl to contain. At these prices (about $19 for a large poke bowl) you'll appreciate Yama's precision in weighing fish. Yama's also offers an extensive menu beyond poke, with a ton of calorie/carb-rich Hawaiian plate lunches. A Beef Teriyaki Plate ($12.75) included an almost comical volume of meat along with rice and macaroni salad. This sort of traditional plate lunch isn't my thing but if it's yours, you won't go hungry. There's a bit of seating right outside of Yama's, between their front door and the parking lot but unless you're starving there's certainly nicer, greener places to enjoy your meal. Yama's continues to serve excellent poke (for a price) and poke bowls that are fairly basic and require some user assemblage. I'm not riding quite as high on Yama's offering as I once did but it's still a worthwhile stop should you find yourself nearby and hungry.

In A Nutshell: -New updated review. -Yama's is still a local favorite. -They still have a bunch of delicious poke's to choose from such as ahi, tako, shrimp, scallop & smoked salmon. -They have a poke bowl combo: regular $12.75 or large $16.75, you choose your rice, poke & side. -If you like dried fish they have dried ahi poke too. -My favorites are their Wasabi Ahi Masago Poke, Spicy Ahi Poke, Ahi Mango Poke & Hawaiian Style Ahi Poke. -In addition to poke, you can check our their expansive menu & grab their other popular food, which is their Hawaiian Lau Lau. Overall, my general rule of thumb is I only eat poke while traveling to Hawaii, when you come here to grab some you'll understand why it's so special :)

I was at Masaki's for auto repair before becoming hungry and hadn't been here in a long time! I stepped in and looked down in the showcase and saw lots of raw fish and Pasteles! My favorite and a gotta have moment. I saw namasu and lomi lomi salmon in the case, then went over to the refrigeration area and pulled some boiled peanuts! I had poi on me all ready. When I thought it was perfect, I looked up...plate lunches! Awww...shucks! But my mind said stick to the Pasteles! My last item is a cold bottle of water, then trek back to the auto place. My repair was short...paid my bill, then home bound for some nice lunch! Wow! Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, and Japanese mix which goes great with my poi, but you can have rice nonetheless. However, it all went well together and to each their own, but yummy for me! But, the Pasteles had slight kick which goes great with tart pickled vegetables (namasu), lomi lomi salmon, and poi...walla! I'm in heaven...chomp, chomp! Ciao!

They never answer the phone and you can't leave messages because the mailbox is full;(

I've always been a fan of Yama's and have recently become an even bigger fan after ordering their catering platters! For my twin boys' birthday party, I ordered the pork adobo, spam musubi, rice, and shoyu eggplant with tofu. Everything was so delicious but the stand out crowd favorite was the spam musubi! Yama's consistently delivers on taste from their Hawaiian food items to their local favorites like shoyu pork. I will definitely be ordering from Yama's in the future for any catering needs!

Yama's has always been my go to place whenever I am craving Hawaiian food. The selection of hot and cold dishes suits me. The quality is always top notch. The prices are more reasonable than other counterparts such as Highway Inn, Youngs, Helena's. Though each has their highlights. Regardless of the Hawaiian place you go, you will pay for your craving! And, even though I find Yama's more suited to my tastebuds and pocketbook, I rarely walk out spending less than $50. Who's fault? My fault. Hahah. Like today, I had good intentions of getting only one healthy yet tasty laulau for lunch ...walked out with a pound of chicken long rice, a pound of squid luau, a daily special of baked seafood salmon plate, and TWO laulaus (chicken/pork combo)...my favorites. Ohh wait, I forgot the take poke, kulolo, sweet treats and boiled peanuts in the fridge? Gotta go back!! Parking is rather easy as they have their own lot of about eight spaces. Even if you have to wait for a space, you won't wait long. During these covid times, Yamas's has implemented a good system of only up to five customers in the store at one time, safely distanced. There is a waiting area outside the store marked off with proper distancing. Masks required to enter. Yama's runs as a takeout only eatery yet, got plenty to take out. Happy they take most major credit cards! Tip: Squid luau is meant to be eaten fresh. Make sure to get there in the earlier part of the day of buying. Recommend not buying extra needing reheating nor the cold one for reheating.

The food is good and the customer is awesome. Service is fast and the desserts are yum yum in my tum. Can be very noisy when it's super busy and very quiet when it's not. All the workers are very nice and very helpful. Until next time Yama's Fish Market.

We recently had catering from Yama's at my job and the food was SO good. I'm definitely coming here from now on whenever I'm craving Hawaiian food. We had the following catered - Lomi Salmon Kalua Pig Taro rolls Mochiko Chicken Squid Luau Stir Fried Tofu Mac salad It was all so good, you can't go wrong with all the yummy Hawaiian food. My favorite out of the bunch was their squid luau! This is probably one of my top places to go for squid luau now. It had the perfect balance of sweet and savory and almost every bite had a piece of squid. The kanak attack from this place was real. If you're craving something quick or looking for a place to cater, this is the place to go!!

Yamas has been my families favorite as well as Highway inn for our Hawaiian food fix. Every weekend my dad would take us to get Poke. Now I'm having my Hawaiian food lunches often, lol. So Ono! Their desserts are the bomb too. We will be back in a week. Lol

The kalua pig was ok, the plate on the whole was a bit underwhelming. I'd try something else next time. Maybe the poke is a safer bet?

I love Yama's! Little lot parking. Cash or card. It's hard to make phone orders here so if they don't answer just go in. I love all their dishes and especially their desserts! They have a wide grab and go selection of little pupus and desserts which is awesome!! One critique that I have is they use way too much plastic. Like I seriously think they should cut out putting their Mac salad and other sides in little plastic containers and work on answering the phone more then I'd give them 5 stars lol

Thank you for making such wonderful kulolo! I bought some to take to my parents on the mainland. I froze it, and then stashed it in my carryon. TSA didn't say anything. My parents are from the Big Island and always talk about kulolo from their younger days. Their eyes lit up when I brought it out for them! They heated some up in the microwave and were smiling all delighted and happy. You made my 80+ parents so happy! It was like watching them remember their childhood with every bite. Mahalo!

If you feel like eating good Hawaiian food, this is the place! Their Lau Lau, Kalua Pig & Lomi Salmon are really tasty. Rice comes with the Hawaiian plates but you can substitute it for Poi for $1.75 more. If you don't feel like eating Hawaiian food, they have local plates and daily specials. They have a refrigerator with a variety of salads & desserts, boiled peanuts, etc. that you can help yourself to. They also have Poke, packaged snacks and cookies! I love their Miso Tako Poke...it's sweet and onolicioso!

It's been some time since I last went to Yama's (pre-covid). I had tried to try them out again around 4th of July, but realized they were going to be out for a few days. Would be good to put it on the website/phone. I think the only communication they had besides signs on their doors was on their Instagram page, but that was the last place I checked. I ordered the #7 plate with kalua pig, laulau, and lomi salmon. I enjoyed all 3. I wished they had a plate with poke, kalua pig, and laulau. Nonetheless, I wanted to try some of their poke as well. Their poke is on the pricier end. Each is in the high 20s. I believe it was $28/pound. I got the Ahi Spicy Wasabi Poke (qtr pound for 6.99). In my opinion, wasn't very worth it. Also, the flavor on this one didn't taste too great. Maybe I should have stuck with spicy ahi. Nonetheless, the plate lunches are great! You can get Yama's giftcards at Costco. $80 for $100. So if you area regular, you should definitely be taking advantage of the deal!

Today, I got the Pork Guisantes Plate , one of Saturday's Specials. Daily specials are posted on their IG account. Yama's Fish Market is a staple in the Moiliili neighborhood but I can't recall having had anything from there in all the years that I lived in the area. On my first visit, a couple of months ago, I got another special for the day - Pasteles ( mild ) with Gandule Rice Special. Fantastic, especially the Gandule Rice...not too salty, but flavorful just like the Pastele. A bit disappointed today. The Pork Guisantes was made with minced pork...not sure if that is a traditional alternative but I am used to lean, slices of pork pieces. And where were the peas...all the potatoes must've pushed out some of the peas from my serving. Is there a Puerto Rican cook but no Filipino cook? Haupia is good and the jello dessert - from my initial visit. Not a seafood fan, so there won't be any Poke reviews. Parking lot is small and seemingly always full. Side street parking on Isenberg St. but it is across from the homeless encampment encircling Moiliili Field. This afternoon there was a woman trying to hit a man with a stick...think he was blocking it with his bicycle. I would've taken a photo and posted it ( on my IG account, not Yelp ) but I did not want to get hit with a stick...or bicycle.

I have come here many times over the years. Whenever I crave Hawaiian food, Yama's is one of the first places to come to mind, especially because it's conveniently located in town. The parking lot is small but the line inside usually moves quickly so you don't usually have to wait long for a spot. I recommend placing your order over the phone in advance. I am a creature of habit so I always get the same thing here--their #2 plate with lau lau and lomi salmon ($9.60). All their plates come with rice but you can substitute the rice with poi for $1.75. Their lau lau is a combination of pork and chicken. You can also opt for yours with chicken only. The lau lau is substantial and yummy. They offer vegetarian lau laus too under "Side Orders" but it's by special order only. Their lomi salmon is consistently made with fresh and quality ingredients. If you are a fan of simple cucumber kimchee with just a slight kick, you should try the one here! I love the combination of salty and slightly spicy flavors. Their chicken long rice is also delicious!

So this was pretty good but the line moves really, really slow. I don't know if it's because the menu always changes or if the prep time per plate is too long but it's a long wait. We ordered the kalua pig plate, beef stew plate, 1 spicy pastele and the chocolate Haupia pie. I liked everything EXCEPT the beef stew. The gravy had amazing flavor but the beef they use is thin and almost cubed. It was also tough, which is disappointing since the flavor was so good. Kalua pork was juicy, the spicy pastele was excellent and so was the chocolate haupia pie. Would order everything again except the beef stew. Make sure you have at least 20 min if ordering from here. They allow 5 people in the store at a time but I noticed no one follows that. There was at least 8 of us in there. I highly recommend you try the desserts and specials.

The. Best. Poke. I've. Ever. Had. I love eating poke and have hit up most poke places in SF Bay Area and Philadelphia. However, nothing was close to this!! We got the Hawaiian style scallops, wasabi masago ahi, and Hawaiian style tako. All three of these were super fresh, well flavored, and simply amazing. The scallops were huge and actual full scallops, unlike anything I've had in other poke places. It was so fresh and crunchy :") the wasabi madago ahi has such an amazing flavor to it. With every bite of rice you eat with it, you have the wasabi dressing, along with the little masagos popping in your mouth!! The tako was also quite fresh and tasty, tho not as mind blowing as the other two items. While Yama's is a little far away from the touristy area of Waikiki, it is a quick 30 min bus ride away!! If you are visiting Waikiki, make sure to stop by for the best poke you'll ever have in your life!

I had some gift certificates and wanted to use it before anything shuts down again during COVID times. Very limited and tight parking spots. I would suggest calling in ahead of time. I ordered a bunch of dishes just to try since it was my first time here. Kalua Pig cabbage, rice, macaroni salad ($9~) - Kalua pig was decently flavored. There was more cabbage than pork. Teriyaki beef, rice, mac salad ($10~) - beef was really dry and tough. Can't really taste the teriyaki flavor much. Hardly any sauce on it. Grilled ahi, rice, mac salad ($14~) - ahi was really dry and overcooked. The sauce was some sort of pesto but very oily. Tasted weird and not much flavor. Jackie's Ahi Poke Patties, rice, mac salad ($11) - Sounds good. Though the taste seemed like it was lacking something. Sauce was sweet and sour. Sauce and patty didn't match well together. Baked seafood ahi belly - ($10~) - this was very unique. Never seen anything like it. It was kind of hard and dry. Seems like a seafood lasagna. Mac salad was alright. Nothing fancy or special about it. Haupia was very soft and not too sweet. Overall, the food was ok. The pricing was ok. Local/Hawaiian food usually around this price.

I keep going to other places for poke but I always regret it. They're good, but their fish quality not as ridiculously ONO and melt in your mouth soft as Yamas (or Ono Seafood or Off the Hook Poke Market)! Sigh. Any poke is good from here, but I LOVE their Wasabi Ahi Masago Poke. It's a bit pricey, but little goes a long way with rice and you're paying for that quality. Give me a half pound of Yamas poke over mediocre poke any day. Plate lunches are also bomb too. Really want the mochiko chicken plate next time, but our usual order of laulau/kalua pork plates are always just so perfect. Plus gotta get that pound chicken long rice on the side! If you ever see a bottle of their chili pepper water make sure to buy it cause it sells out quick!