Da Hub

Good eats… inexpensive! Friendly crew! Food always looks and taste appetizing! Menu expanded too.

First time there and will be my last, I got some pastries which looked delicious but when I got home, the pastries had mold growing, only a business owner would know the date of their pastries and that should have been removed after a day or two, please inquire about how old or fresh the pastry is before buying and consuming.

Can be easy to miss so drive slow on the main road when you’re looking for it. Street parking if you’re lucky. Not sure if there’s a parking lot behind. I like how they have a picture menu of their available plates. No seating available to sit and eat there. Lots of local dessert goodies. Clean facility and staff was friendly. Giving it 3 stars though because the wait was long and my food was just OK. I ordered the Michiko Chicken and a dozen of their Mochi balls. Chicken was cooked too long and the outside was on the verge of being burnt. Mochi balls were just OK too. I did like that they gave chocolate and maple syrup to dip, but it didn’t help too much. I should have stuck with what I originally wanted to order — the ahi katsu. Maybe that would have been better? I’d go back to give them another try, for all the positives I mentioned.

Lots of ono food at this spot! They take local plate lunches to a whole new level! One of their popular items is the bacon — wrapped scallops, but I have yet to try them. But, if you’re in the mood for a poke bowl THIS IS THE SPOT!!! You choose what toppings you want in your poke (i.e.- Limu, onions, green onions, etc). It’s a great portion that will fill you up.
The workers are all really friendly and willing to help you make the difficult decision of what mouth-​watering item to choose.

I got baited for
coupon and found out that the coupon only applies to their cheapest menu $ 7.95! You kidding me. And you cant mix drinks desserts or anything else to the $ 20 minimum requirement. The most idiotic rigged system i have ever seen! Do not go here

Da food here has gotten more tasty den before.
I’m pretty sure dey change out the frying oil
More frequently now. Fish is constantly fresh and da chicken is cooked just right. Thx

To me, «Da Hub» means «the husband» in pidgin English. When I got to this shop, I asked.. They mean it to refer to a centralized location. .“The Hub” which it is.
Located in Kalihi, near the freeway entrance, this establishment opened on April 1, 2015. I first learned about it from the check ins of my Unilocal friends. After reading the reviews and looking at their food photos, I was determined to have some Bacon Wrapped Scallops. The other menu items such as the Kanak Attack and the Guava Smoked Pork Belly sounded good, but I remained focused.
The benefit of having a Lunch Buddy is that you will most likely make your Foodie goals a reality. Dear Daniel is so reliable that he makes me want to be on time and this time I even beat him there! (Yes, I’m small kine competitive.)
Our strategy has worked so far: get there as close to opening as possible to avoid crowds and get good parking. We both easily found street parking right in the front and we had their undivided attention. The friendly service goes beyond and their patience is noteworthy.
We ordered the Bacon wrapped scallops (6 pieces) and the Dragon Roll (2 pieces). We both liked the scallops, but didn’t care for the Dragon Roll. The bacon’s saltiness was too much with the sausage and the slight bitterness of the finely chopped bell pepper threw off the imitation crab. I needed the brown rice with bonus furukaki to even out the overwhelming savory power.
I stood in line with the electric fan since the air conditioning is very faint. They were gracious enough to set up a table outside so that the 5 of us could sit together and watch the traffic pass by. It still was a bit hot out, so we ate quickly and enjoyed some samples of spicy chicken and smoked meat that they shared with us!
I would go back for the eMochi and the Kalo (taro) Haupia Cheesecake. The Butter Garlic Shrimp deserves a try as well as the Steak n Shrimp plate. For now, I’m just going to enjoy my food coma. .zzzzz. .laters!

Scallops wrapped in bacon?! Sold!
This restaurant opened on April 1^st 2015 and has been gaining popularity with their tasty plates. Who wouldn’t like anything wrapped in bacon? It’s not the healthiest but it’s so good! They are located in Kalihi on Middle Street. It’s not a big restaurant and they don’t have their own parking lot but street parking is very easy to find in front of the restaurant. They don’t have a table to dine on inside but they located a table for us so we could dine there. 5 stars to them on customer service!
After they put together the table and cleaned it, we all ate our plates. My lunch buddy and I shared so we could try different items. We knew for a fact that we were going to get the Bacon Wrapped Scallops but had a hard time choosing the other plate. Everything on the menu looked really good! Finally, we decided to try the Dragon Roll. We both got brown rice and the broccoli with bacon side. They even gave us a small sampler plate so we could try a few more menu items.
The Bacon Wrapped Scallops came out in 6 pieces over a bed of cabbage, two scoops of rice with furikake and the broccoli with bacon side. Dragon Roll came out the same but with 2 rolls. We both really liked the Bacon Wrapped Scallops. The bacon was perfect and not oily with a juicy scallop inside that has been dipped in furikake. We both didn’t care too much for the Dragon Roll. The ingredients didn’t come together in harmony which took away from the overall taste.
They have great people working here and they excel on their customer service. Hopefully they move into a larger space with dine in as an option. Nothing beats eating it fresh out of the kitchen. I wish them the best of luck and a prosperous end to their first year of business.

Super nice and informative staff. The food is excellent, especially the spicy ahi. One of the food plates the «something attack» is awesome but would’ve been even better had I/​they/​we remembered the da hub secret sauce. Oh well I’m still glad I went.

At first glance, you’ll think that they have a diverse menu with so much choices. However, upon second inspection, you’ll see that a lot of the items are fried.
One example of this is their kanak attack ($ 11). It’s a super large portion with a vast variety of dishes, such as fried chicken, deep fried fish balls, ahi katsu, fried ahi belly and shrimp. This enough for two. After a few bites, eating only fried dishes gives you a guilty feeling of eating unhealthy but not tasty enough for you to care.
The second dish we tried is the smoked pork ($ 10). Very intense smoky flavor but a bit on the salty side and the sauce was not necessary as it detracts from the strengths of the dish. This is really pork belly and totally different from what is pictured on the menu and a bit tough.
While we waited for our plates the staff was kind enough for us sample their poke, it’s very fresh and well balanced. Most of the poke is priced at $ 14.95 per pound.
They got my wife’s order wrong as she asked for brown rice. Also, the smoked pork dish should have been in portioned foam plate as the sauce leaked into the rice and mac salad. Although minor, this is a common theme as the other reviews noted other mistakes and it seems the staff is a bit careless with details.
Note that this is a take out place.
A mixed bag, not sure if we would come back again.

The fruity pebble and chocolate banana are soooooo yummy! Highly recommend it. Not too sweet like other macaroons

This place is solid! I ate a plethora of poke from there last night, so this review is for the poke only (though I can’t wait to return for a few plate lunches).
Poke selection is awesome– choices include mussels, tofu, imitation and real crab, ahi and salmon. You can get a premix with different flavor bases like Egyptian (wasabi base), and off the wall flavors like… Chocolate poke and peanut butter and jelly poke! I know, crazy!!! The peanut butter and jelly poke was actually good. It tasted like peanuts with a slightly sweet hint. I had the mix my own poke and made salmon, green and sweet onions, kukui nut, Hawaiian salt, limu, masago, chili garlic, sesame oil, sweet chili mayo and wasabi. Super ‘ono!!! A bonus was they let me get a ½ pound instead of a full pound. Mix your own is $ 12.95/ pound.
My friend got the peanut butter jelly poke (not as horrifying as it sounds!), crab, and ahi poke creation of some other craziness with oyster sauce and spicy mayo.
And I had fried mochi — taro and liliko’i. I think the powdered sugar is the only flavor difference– the fried mochi inside of both was the same. You can get 12 for $ 5 or buy by the piece. I enjoyed it!
Super good combos… Love these hole in the wall places in Kalihi! Service was friendly– very nice and patient with all our questions.
There’s no parking (street) and there’s nowhere to dine in, so plan accordingly.

This is an update to my first visit. I was very optimistic about the manner in which the family handled the business however, today I stopped in again for another order of the bacon wrapped scallops that is once again overdone. When I addressed the issue with the gal at the counter she looked at me with a blank stare and basically said to me that is how it is prepared. So ends my story of this eatery. I doubt if I’ll ever stop here again. as to their desserts, whatever they advertise for the day? there’s nothing in the counter carousel
Sorry thumbs down for me

Just one great overall experience.
First off the Poke… is from the auction and super fresh. Flavors you’ve never seen before like P&J and Chocolate.
The regular type Poke’s are available also. $ 12.95 lb for most and fresh…
The Scallop bacon wrapped can’t be missed.
Multiple desserts are homemade and very tasty.
Service with a smile…

Kanak Attack portion is HUGE. Unfortunately, the taste is on the bland side.
They also forgot the furikake on my rice.
Seared Ahi on kale salad was tasty. «Spesho» poke was ok.

I dont usually write reviews. I mean, I would love to but having three kids, its hard to hear my own thoughts sometimes. HOWEVER, I wanted to take the time to write a review for Da Hub. Why? Because Im always down to support new, mom & pop restaurants who delivers delicious food along with island hospitality.
Long story short food was amazing, portions were huge, owner and his daughter was very helpful and kind, and their prices are very reasonable! I would highly recommend this place to my friends with confidence :)
*also try their little deep fried mochi balls. Soooo delicious!

This is one of those places that makes you order with your eyes because they all look so good! Mmmmm. even better when they have pictures of the food and description of what they offer that would make you want to order everything! Standing there with so many options, we didn’t know what to get as all the variety looks very appealing. They recently just opened so it’s the new hot spot for take outs in Kalihi. It’s located off of the main road of Middle St, so which you’ll need to find street parking. Not really a place to sit here so I would suggest to make a take out and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home.
It’s all so reasonably priced for the load of food they pack into that plate lunch. We got what seems to be the most priciest off of the menu, which was only $ 10.95. It’s called the Kanack Attack plate, which literally will give you that after you’ve had it. Your eyes will make you wonder where to start as it has a variety of fried seafood stuffed together in one plate. I’m not too sure what they were all at first as they seem to be all breaded and fried. So I bit into everything. It comes with fried ahi, fish nuggets, chicken, shrimp, ahi katsu, white/​brown rice with furukake, mac salad all on a bed of lettuce. This could literally feed 3 people because it was that filling, it didn’t even look like I made a dent in it after feeling so full! Definitely left overs for the next day.
We also got the 2 choice plates that were only $ 9.95 that you could choose any of the listed on the board. We got da beef, bacon wrapped hot dog with asparagus. The plates come with 2 scoops rice and side mac/​toss salad. They also have locally made sauces for you to enjoy with your plates. I’m not much of a person who loves fried food so it all tasted alright to me but you seriously can’t beat that prices especially for seafood that gives you soooooo much in one plate. Although it all calls for a heart attack so that’s why I can’t eat something like this everyday. Maybe once in a while, it’s definitely worth stuffing your face for.

I’m stuck between 4 and 5 stars… But I gave them 5 because they were quick, friendly and super nice.
I really like that they have photos of their menu items. Photos help those that are indecisive on what to eat. I’m always indecisive when I’m hungry because I just want to eat EVERYTHING
I’ll just get straight to the point:
PARKING: Street parking right in front on Middle Street or, if you turn ewa bound on Rose Street, there’s some parking behind.
TAKEOUT: Plan to take out… They have four folding chairs you can use, no tables. Or just grind’ local style… Plate in one hand, while u use the other hand to grind
SERVICE: The cashier was friendly, efficient at asking what we wanted. Also made some great suggestions
FOOD: Choose your rice brown or white, furikake or no furikake, entrée, and sauce. They had many sauces like sweet chili, spicy mayo… … Some other ones too I can’t remember. My fave was the spicy mayo
PRICE: Comparing portion to cost… This place is a good place to go when you’re hungry and on a budget. My mix plate was $ 10.95 and i was stuffed!!!
I enjoyed my bacon wrapped scallops, but I enjoyed the monchong katsu with spicy mayo a lot more… I wish I had left room for dessert cause those emochi mochi things looked interesting… I guess I’ll have to come back! :)

Very friendly service. Great food selection. I got the make your own poke with limu, jalapeños and wasabi oil. There’s different toppings and sauces you can choose from and different fish choices. Loved that they had fresh jalapeños.
The workers and owner are super friendly. I also tried a mixed bag flavor of their mochi dessert. It was made fresh and was hot and yummy.
Parking is an issue but they are open late and after 630pm there’s parking spots open on the street. I will come back to try their plate lunches.

One Week Ago
My Husband: «Babe, we have to go to Da Hub!»
Me: «What is that? A bar?»
My Husband: «I don’t know but we have to get the Kanack Attack! They were talking about it at work and now I can’t stop thinking about it.»
Me: «What’s in it?»
My Husband: «I don’t know but it’s choke food for cheap!»
Me: stomach begins to grumble :(
Me: «Okay, let’s go.»
My Husband: «Not today.»
Me: «How could you do that to me? Set me up to only let me down?»
Mother’s Day
Me: «Babe, I want some dessert.»
My Husband: «No.»
Me: «Why? It’s Mother’s Day!»
My Husband: «I already got you a load of sweets for Mother’s Day and you want more sweets?»
Me: «Are you seriously asking me this? How long have we been married? How long have we been friends?»
Husband: «Yeah, and now I have the tougher skin to tell you NoooOOOOOooooo!»
ME: «But we are in town and we need to get the sweets from these places! Please. I gave birth to your 3 babies! I watch your kids. Who mostly changes the babies diapers?» He stops me on my little rant.
Husband: «NooOoOOOoooooOOOOo.» He begins to spell it out, «N O, N O, N O, N O.» He begins to make a tune of saying, «NOoooooOOOOOO.»
We drive a few miles.
Husband: «Where are we? Are we near middle street?»
Me: «Why?»
Husband: «Cause, Da Hub.»
Me: «What?»
Husband: «Da Hub. Unilocal the directions to Da Hub.»
Me: «It’s not Father’s Day. It’s Mother’s Day! I can’t believe you.» I Unilocal the directions anyway. Of course with some nagging all the way to Da Hub.
What is Da Hub?
It’s a little store that serves local dishes with a twist of their own flavor, at good portions, at a great price. The most expensive plate is $ 10.95 for the Kanak Attack. According to the store picture of the Kanack Attack it has fried shrimp, fried ahi, katsu nuggets, toss salad, and 2 scoops rice. I like that they have pictures of their plate lunches with a detailed description located on the left hand side of the store.
I tried Da Hub special with half poke order (your choice/​I choice Da Hub Poke) and chicken. The chicken is fried and tender. The poke has limu, sesame seeds, and tossed in their secret sauce. I enjoyed it.
They also serve local pupu favorites that sell by the pound such as poke, steamed meat, taegu and more. What I like about this store is that you can choose your own mix ins for your poke. Which I totally did. Here is a picture of the choices your have for the mix ins:
Calling all Sweet Tooth Lovers ;)
***E Mochi Mochi***
It comes in different flavors and I’m in the process of devising a plan to get myself to K-​town every week these coming months in order to try every single flavor. I was able to try the banana and the coconut.
Enjoyed both flavors as well as my kids. It cost $ 5 for a dozen.
–Banana — Banana Mac Nut –Chocolate –Guava –Taro –Praline –Coconut Balls
It reminded me of Andagi. Crisp outside, soft chewy texture inside (it’s mochi), rolled out in sugar, and perfectly sized to pop in your mouth one after another. You also get to choose a dipping sauce between chocolate, coconut, or maple.
**Macarons**
I thought I was finished with my fixation on macarons but I guess not. Everytime I see a store selling it I have to try it. Who know’s I might be walking away from another sweet tooth pleaser. I tried the green tea, haupia, haupia chocolate, and the coffee. I enjoyed all of the macarons I munched on. My husband liked the cake like texture of the outershell cookie. I deeply regretted not ordering more as each macaron was consumed. Here is a picture of my goodies:
Service:
Awesome!!! The staff was very helpful. They offered me to try the poke before i decided on it. The staff offered me to try more samples as I waited for my food. The owner kept on popping out thanking customers and taking pictures with them. He kept on wishing me Happy Mothers Day and took a picture with me as well. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time as he was cooking, prepping, and helping customers.
Hours of Operation
Monday-​Friday
Open 3pm-​10pm
Saturday
9am– 10pm
Sunday
8am-​8am
Other Info:
–They have a Facebook page
–They accept Cash and Credit Card
–There is no place sit :(
–Good luck on finding street parking.
I can’t wait to try the other plate lunches and of course to get my sweet tooth fix.