North Shore Grinds

My only knock on North Shore Grinds is that they’ve taken all of my money. I’d consider the restaurant to be a whole in the wall conveniently located in Palolo. The food is mainly Hawaiian served plate lunch style. I’ve eaten there 19 times (I know because my punch card is one meal away from two free plate lunches) and the food has been consistently great! They have so many menu options that I sit there for at least 10 minutes trying to decide what to get. The price averages around $ 10 a plate but there’s enough food to last me a meal and a snack for later. I highly recommended their NY steak and shrimp plate. I’ve had a lot of plate lunches in my 4 years on Oahu and this restaurant is one of the best.

My wife and i were looking fir a place to grab some dinner, decided to give them a try since they were open. Boy were we happy we did! The woman working was great! Very nice. I got a steak which was cooked perfectly med.rare. my wife got the chicken katsu which was much better than others we’ve had! Nice little spot to get some quick grub!

After a long and grueling hike at lanipo ridge, we were hungry, exhausted and decided to stop at the first place that looked open.
The guy working the counter was really patient while two indecisive exhausted humans looked at the menu dazed and confused. Btw the prices here!!! Very inexpensive. In the end you get what you pay for though.
I ordered the chicken teriyaki/​katsu and Ken ordered laulau w. Lomi lomi and chicken long rice. He also got a side order of charsu pork dish I cannot remember.
Honestly the food wasn’t great. The chicken katsu was delicious and I would recommend but everything else here is a NOOP. I was so hungry and I just didn’t care. My chicken teriyaki was dry. Kens laulau looked reheated from the freezer (?). I normally take bites of his food but it did not look appetizing. He said the long rice was one of the worst he had. Also the pork tasted boiled?! Ew.
Maybe we went on an off day… But maybe not.

I love this place!!! They catered for my sons bday and I got nonstop compliments about the food. It was fresh, yummy, and held on throughout the BBQ. One thing I really liked was that the owner came and delivered the food to Waialae beach park. It made the day a bit less stressful and it was great seeing your guests really enjoying the food. We had:
Teri steak– amazing!
Mahi mahi– sauce was Ono! Fish was tender and not dry!
Chicken katsu– juicy and breading was crispy!
Mac salad– so good!
I definitely recommend this place for catering especially if you are going to be close by!

The food is great, but it’s a shame when you don’t get good customer service. The Korean lady who answers the phone and takes orders at the front creates an uneasy vibe for the place and just isn’t friendly at all. It’s like if you want the food bad enough, you have to push through and deal with her to get it. Is it worth it? Sometimes. Come on, lady, smile and take pride in where you work or just quit.

The chicken katsu is served with BBQ-​horseradish dip which is the BOMB! Parking is limited to street only. Small dining area, clean and stocked with condiments like shoyu and Tabasco. Price per plate $ 8-​$ 12/​avg.

This is hole in the wall restaurant on 10^th Avenue in Kaimuki/​Palolo area. I ordered the seared ahi with cilantro pesto with brown rice and tossed salad. The portion is not bad and for me I believe one order can feed 2 people. I love how they have healthy options here and good local dishes.

Not a fan of this establishment. Decided to venture out and find another spot for Hawaiian food. Ordered the kalua and laulau combo with a side of chicken long rice. Chicken long rice is an unreal craving for me, and I just wasn’t a fan.
There was piece of hair in my bowl, okay that happens. But what really turned my tummy was the fact that the chicken had a gray tinge to it. Although it may still be edible, it looked as if the chicken was sitting open and and unrefrigerated for a period of time and then cooked.
Staff was not friendly, and I phone ordered my food gave them about fifteen minutes to prepare the order. I waited an additional twenty minutes for my food.
Parking seemed only limited to street parking.
Nothing too great to come back for, will opt to find another place for Hawaiian food.

Based on posts of the past, by highly qualified reviewers, I’m willing to believe that I got there on an «off» day. Really off.
I ordered ahead, by phone. An older japanese woman answered, whose accent was so thick, I wasn’t sure if she got the order right (I doubt she was anymore certain than I was). Upon arrival, she was there, standing at the narrow french door that serves as their sales window, kitchen entry, and pass-​over. Her accent was actually thicker, in person.
It’s a pure local dive, off the beaten path (3 blocks deep into Kaimuki), therefore very little attention has been paid to the beaten up décor. Parking is all «on the street». So, if these kinds of places are supposed to be «all about the food», in this case, that’s unfortunate.
Kalbi. Teri beef. Hamburger steak. They all tasted exactly the same. Every scrap of meat was overdone, 1 click shy of «burnt». They all had the same sweet brown sauce (not gravy) on them. The rice was mushy. Included with the meal was a scoop of mayonnaise, modestly dusted with a few pieces of overcooked, mealy macaroni.
The lau lau was ok. Thank goodness they don’t make it themselves (I asked). The chicken long rice was strange. Extremely dry, and everything, even the noodles, sported a brownish tinge.
I awarded this restaurant 2 stars (instead of 1) based upon the preponderance of positive past reviews, and the fact that nothing was TERRIBLE. Oh, there was nothing great, or even «good» — everything we ate hovered between «poor» and «fair» … mostly poor. It looks like a failing business that is on it’s last legs — I hope not.

Not friendly and they were out of what I tried to order. Can’t comment on the food…

North Shore Grinds is so good after a surf sesh! It’s one of those places where you’ve passed by numerous times but never really noticed it. I love the Korean lady — she’s so funny, helpful, and gives great service.
I love the Lau Lau and chicken long rice plate or the Kalua pig and chicken long rice plate.
It’s never too crowded which is super convenient. As great as Rainbow’s is, due to how busy they are all the time it’s always such a mission to go there. I never have to worry about that at North Shore Grinds. The prices are great too!
Often times, when I don’t know what I want to eat for lunch I end up at North Shore Grinds — PERFECT!
I recommend!

This is a true hidden gem. I stumbled on this place about 12 years ago, and it was finding an oasis in the Kalahari desert. It is without a doubt the top 3 local plate lunches in the island. The chicken katsu with the horseradish bbq sauce is worthy of a mouthgasam!
The only flaw with the place is there is no parking, it’s all street parking around the palolo residences. Oh, and the food takes some time to get to you, but that just shows the quality… No L & L generic wannabe Hawaiian bbq here!

The food was delicious authentic Hawaiian food. I had the Char Siu Pork with Teri Chicken and my wife had the Spicy Pork. Both were delicious with large portions at a nice price. We would come here again just for the food. As we went to leave the lady that ran the place gave us a North Shore Grinds beach bag (posted a picture) that we used our entire trip. We were going to post to Unilocal even before we got the bag because we eat Hawaiian food all the time and this was by far one of the best. The dining area is extremely small but it’s worth coming here.

Korean mama San is bossy and food wasn’t good. We asked her what was a popular dish and the response we got was: «people come from all over the world. Everything is good.» Simply put, this was very unhelpful. There’s also nothing north shore about this place. Ended up getting the charsiu chicken combo– it was meh. Gfs seared ahi was fishy. Boneless Kalbi was soaked in Teri sauce. Only went here bc your kitchen was closed.

Our family ate here the other night and ordered six different plate lunches. Everybody shared because we just wanted to try everything because it all
Looked so good. Here’s what we got: chicken Katsu with horseradish Katsu sauce, teriyaki chicken, Kalua pig and long rice, cilantro pesto ahi, pulehu ribs, and mahi mahi with papaya salsa. Got to be the best plate lunch on the island.

We tried about 4 other spots’ mac salad during our week-​long vacation and honestly, North Shore Grinds had the best mac salad, IMHO. ‘Twasn’t bland at all, had a nice garlicky twist to it as well. My boyfriend enjoyed his chicken katsu plate — he rated the katsu and the sauce the best that he’d had as well.
Inside was a very small, 6-​table, home-​looking restaurant that looked like your auntie’s kitchen and dining room. Prices were cheap and reasonable, especially for mini-​plates. I myself had the teri-​steak and it was a little too sweet for me, but that’s what teriyaki is right?
If near the area, would recommend trying the katsu and mac salad — pass on the side salad. Appreciate the fact that they don’t charge extra for brown rice!

I’ve been eating here for decades now. By far the best kept secret in kaimuki and possibly all of Honolulu.
The cilantro pesto is amazing. The blend of sweetness is just lovely. It tastes so much better than it looks.
This place is one of my all time favourite treats for lunch.

A friend and I stopped by this hole-​in-​the-​wall in Kaimuki for dinner around 7 p.m. on a weeknight. I was in search of the best chicken katsu on the island and read pretty good reviews about this one … at least, about the horseradish katsu sauce that accompanied the entrée.
My friend loves katsu as well and felt like getting the regular plate, so I was free to try something else. So, after perusing the mini plates menu, sandwich menu and the specials for the day, I decided on one of the other entrees.
This hole-​in-​the-​wall is kind of in a neighborhood, so you just have depend on street parking and hope there’s a spot close by. It’s not in a plaza or shopping center, and when it’s dark, it can be really hard to see the sign. But, if you notice you’re close to a gas station, then you’re in the general vicinity.
My friend and I were just grateful that there was seating in the eatery — there were a few tables covered with tablecloths, which gave it a homey feel; I had to ask for water and the lady who took my order (who also served as the cashier and answered phones) poured us two red cups once she had a break in her duties. Definitely a small operation here, but there were two other couples in there eating besides my friend and me.
I probably wouldn’t return to this place unless there was something I really wanted to try, just because I prefer other plate lunch destinations. However, I did enjoy my entrée and would order it again. My friend’s katsu, though, was a disaster. The sauce was on point, but the rest of the meal wasn’t.
Details below:
«Chicken Katsu with BBQ Horseradish Dip»: This entrée came with the breaded chicken katsu, BBQ horseradish dip, your choice of salad (he got mac salad) and a hefty scoop of white rice. Initially, when the food came out, it looked promising – the chicken looked like it was sufficiently cooked; the mac salad was creamy and didn’t look overrun with mayo. But one bite into the dish, my friend frowned. I took a piece of katsu and could immediately understand the reasoning behind his dissatisfaction. The katsu was really bland; it had no taste on its own. I actually prefer katsu without the katsu sauce – it’s usually tasty and flavorful enough to not use sauce – but not in the case of this katsu. It really needs that horseradish dip! Fortunately, they gave a large container of horseradish BBQ sauce for dipping and that saved the meal. As my friend said, «I felt like I was eating an entire place of rice because the katsu was so bland.» I really enjoyed the mac salad, but it gave my friend an upset stomach. Perhaps the cook was just off that day, but I would not get the katsu from here ever again. The katsu sauce, yes; katsu itself, no thanks.
«Herb-​Crusted Mahi Mahi with Lemon Cream»: I was glad I got this entrée and didn’t have to suffer the katsu. The plate consisted of four pieces of mahi – two were bigger, two were smaller – and the whole fish was swimming in the lemon cream sauce. It was buttery and delicious and bursting with flavor. I loved how the mahi was tasty, yet light. The herb crusted exterior was on point and gave the fish the extra texture and subtle crunchiness I was looking for. I enjoyed the mac salad because it was creamy and tasty, but the mayo taste wasn’t too prevalent and there also wasn’t too many other ingredients (shredded carrots, etc.). I didn’t like the consistency of the white rice (too hard and grainy) so I gave it to my friend. But, all in all, I was pleased with my mahi entrée.
«Seared Ahi with Cilantro Pesto»: I didn’t get this entrée because I didn’t feel like spending too much on dinner (I knew we were going somewhere for dessert), but I’m curious to see what that cilantro pesto tastes like. If I ever find myself at North Shore Grinds again, I may consider getting this entrée because I love seared ahi.
«Garlic Calamari with Roasted Pepper Cream»: This was the other entrée I considered getting, but I was nervous that the roasted pepper cream would be too much for me to handle. So, I passed on the calamari this time, but if I’m dining with someone who can stand heat, I may consider getting it (and giving it to my dining companion if it’s too spicy for me). I do love garlic and calamari, though, so here’s to hoping that this dish is tasty and the roasted peppers aren’t overwhelming.

You know your great…
Thank you for your magical food hidden on 10^th ave.
Don’t ever change.
Much love and Aloha

This place has been in the Kaimuki/​Palolo area for quite sometime now… I wanna say I came here many moons ago, like in the late 90’s, or early 2000… but haven’t been back till today.
After reading a few great reviews from my fellow Unilocal buddies — bruddah Brian M, bruddah Eric Robert R., & Kristen K. As well as looking at a few photos posted by my Unilocal buddies — Larlar S., & Lori I… pics really help ya know!
A guy like me usually likes to look at the pics over reading… same thing applied when I was going to skool! Of course if ya did that… look what you can possibly become! Buwahahahaha!
Yeah, I drive around… and sometimes I fly, then drive… I fix stuff, then I look for da grindages! A simple life…
Well, after looking at too many of the delicious food photos on Unilocal,I was convinced to give North Shore Grinds another try! Jumped into my car & took my coworker to North Shore Grinds to get da grindages!
What can I say about the place… a very small hole in the wall place. As you walk into the joint, there is a small door which is kinda cut in ½ where you would order your food & pay. Inside the joint is like 4 tables…3 of the tables are small where you can probably sit 4 people max per table, and the other table was longer where you could probably sit 6 to 8 people.
The A/​C was blowing cold today, so the room was very comfortable… especially since the last few days felt like death! As it was just so hot & humid!!!
Upon scanning the wall menu, I decided on getting the Teri Beef & Teri Chicken Combo with brown rice & toss salad. My coworker got the Meat Jun & Mahi Mahi Combo with white rice & toss salad.
What can I say about the grub-​a-​dub-​dub??? Well, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch today! The teri beef was delicious! It was soft chunks of meat… not the thinly cut meat like you would get on a normal plate lunch. The teri chicken was boneless, and both meats had the delicious teri sauce on top it, which I enjoyed a lot! The sauce was very flavorful, and it had a slight sweetness about it.
As for my coworker… he had asked for white rice, but if you see in the photo… they messed up and gave him the brown rice (he ate anyway). He also mentioned that they did not cook his Meat Jun right, as the meat jun coating was not cooked thoroughly. He loved the mahi mahi, and the cream sauce that came with it. I guess the cream sauce had complemented the mahi very well.
There is no parking at all for this place, so you will need to do the street parking thing. The place was packed today, with a lot of people coming in/​out for take out. When we got there for lunch today, there was absolutely no seating at all (as every table was taken), but lucky for us, a nice gentleman allowed us to share his table with us.
Although the prices of the plate lunches are on the slightly higher side — (paid $ 23.41 for the two plate lunches, + 2 bottled water) you can clearly taste the food quality… as the ingredients were very fresh.
Don’t forget gang… get a «punch card!» If you eat there like 20 times, after you fill up the card, you can get a free t-​shirt and a choice of either a insulated sport pack, or a insulated tote bag, or you can get 2 plate lunches. Not a bad deal if I say so myself…
Last of all… food is a solid 5, but I had to take a star off, as service was not so friendly. The lady who was taking my order today appeared to be angry so something… not sure what was going on with that. 1^st thing that came to my mind was the (AKL) — «Angry Korean Lady» of Ah-​Lang Restaurant. Lol!