Hawaiian Chicken

These guys dominate the Culver City Farmers Market and I look forward to them every Tuesday. Best Hawaiian chicken I’ve had plus the mac salad is amazing. I highly recommend the mixed plate — though I get mine without vegetables. Lieu (sp?) is awesome and keeps things running fast (they didn’t used to) and is one of the most friendly and personable people I’ve come across.

With a queue line that evokes suppressed memories of the DMV, the Hawaiian Chicken stand at the farmers market is the best Friday lunch in DTLA. Despite the line, the wait is usually quick, and the service is lightning fast. There have been times when I have received my food before my change (that said, for your mix-​plate, bring a $ 10 and a $ 1 and save yourself the trouble of change).
They do so well each week that I almost feel sorry for the other vendors.

Apparently the brick-​and-​mortar operation is closed, but their mobile unit is alive and kicking. Indeed, they are by far the most popular vendor at the DTLA farmers market on Friday at Hope and 4^th. The line is long, but moves fast. Delicious chicken, accompanied by your choice of rice, macaroni and cheese, and/​or field greens. The fresh, slightly sweet hot sauce is tasty on everything — ask nicely, and they will give you twice the sauce.

Great Hawaiian chicken

This tent always has a huge line at the farmer’s market, and I used to like it, but the quality has degraded so much. The chicken is very fatty dark meat, and the mac salad now basically tastes like pasta with nothing but butter on it. I don’t know what happened but it certainly isn’t worth $ 10 a plate.

In reference to the one in china town. Closed at 11:30am on a Thursday. I guess this is not a lunch spot, or they are closed for good. Was apprehensive going at all as it’s in a sketchy building and doesn’t really look like there’s any traffic ever, will not be going again. Assuming this place is closed down.

Chicken is good, but i’m not sure what the rave is all about. came with rice and mac&cheese. they ran out of salad at the farmers market so they gave extra chicken instead to compensat, which was nice of them. a nice go-​to for lunch on fridays at the 333 s. hope farmers market. but again, that long line… i just don’t get it?

I think I forget to chew when I eat sometimes…
I came here for lunch at the Farmers Market and I ordered the large combo which comes with chicken, rice, macaroni salad, and salad.
Chicken– Some of the best hawaiian chicken I ever had, especially with the hot sauce
Macaroni salad– Solid, not bad
Salad w/​Sesame dressing– Pretty good
All of this cost me about $ 10, cash only.
So why a 3 star? Normally, I would give this place 4 stars; however, they have been cutting down on the proportions lately, which is a huge bummer.
Overall, it’s a solid lunch meal, however, I wish they gave me larger proportions.

A Hawaiian BBQ in the Chinatown area? Wow. The food here is just like any other HI BBQ. It’s nice to have an alternative to Chinese food in this area (although the Chinese food here is pretty yummy in some places).

It’s been three weeks since my first taste of Hawaiian Chicken, and I’ve already started to look forward to it throughout the work week. I’ve gone to the farmers market in the Bank of America courtyard every week for the last three weeks, and I might be developing a Pavlovian response to the approach of lunchtime Friday.
Hawaiian Chicken appears to be a roving restaurant that sets up at farmers markets around the city. There also might be a brick and mortar, but I’m not terribly interested when I can walk to obtain the chicken. The stand is immediately visible in the Bank of America plaza, with a tent for service adjacent to a large grilling station where many employees toil away making an impossible amount of chicken in the open air. There’s usually a line, but don’t let it scare you. Service is crazy fast, and a long line can take as little as a minute. Once you order, your food is ready by the time you extract cash and put your wallet away. You take your plastic bag and help yourself to salad dressing, napkins, utensils, and the like.
The menu is small and limited, just a variation of sizes and sides for the central Hawaiian chicken. You can get a mini bowl, or a mixed plate, or a Big Kahuna, which is the same stuff in a bigger size. You can order a side of macaroni salad. That’s about the extent of the variety. I get the mini bowl or the mixed plate, depending on my mood and my desire for leftovers. The mini bowl ($ 7) is just the chicken over a mound of white rice, but while it comes in a small container, it is plenty filling. The mixed plate ($ 10) brings more chicken with rice, macaroni salad, and some greens. The sides are all decent, and I do like the cool supple mac salad, but they’re mostly irrelevant. The main attraction is obviously the chicken, and that stuff is delicious. It’s moist and juicy, in tender hunks, and the semi-​sweet soy and sugar marinade works well with the aggressive char of the grill. Even the flattest pieces are never dry. The chicken is great with white rice, and each order comes with a small container of a spicy sauce that is some softer variation of sriracha. It hits the spot.
I love trying new eateries, but I am happier when I have a few reliable meals that become delicious habits. As long as I work downtown, I will hit the Friday farmers market for lunch. I’m not sure I’ll ever wander from Hawaiian Chicken. It’s only Tuesday, but after writing this review, I’m salivating like a dog. Friday can’t come soon enough.

My friends gush about Hawaiian Chicken and will seriously start salivating if they talk about it long enough.
I timed it early at the Korean Festival and was able to get a plate within a minute of standing in line, which made me relieved because I know their line can get pretty long. The people who took my order was really nice, very personable.
Even though I was SUPER full, I swear I spent a minute completely mesmerized by the rotating chickens. Almost bought a second plate to take home, but I ran out of cash! Next time!
The chicken is magical, moist and the perfect amount of flavor. The plates come with rice and salad (I think); reminds me of some of the best plate lunches I’ve had back in Hawaii when I lived there.
I can’t tell you offhand where they’ll be, but they do various Farmer’s Markets in the greater LA area regularly and you can find out when/​where on twitter.

This is for their spot at the Century City Farmer’s Mkt on Thursdays. This is the only food spot in the farmers market which has a line that rivals a ride at magic mountain. And its well worth it. If you get there by 11:15, you should be ok and be able to get your food quickly.
They do one thing only and they do it right, hawaiian chicken. It is cooked over an open flame and they have fans which blow into the direction of the main market which just wets your appetite. The chicken itself has a very nice char on it and the marinade is a nice touch. The key and kicker to this meal is the sauce you get on the side. It’s a little taste of awesomeness.
It doesn’t get 5 stars because it would have to blow me away. But this is pretty tasty. Do the combo the first time, chicken, rice, salad and mac salad.

This place is awesome. I used to go every Thursday when I worked Century City. Religiously! The chicken is marinated and cooked over an open fire. Not sure if they use kiawe or what. But there is a subtle sweet flavor and a good char as well. The kicker is the sauce, which is unbelievable. Best sauce I’ve ever had. I always asked for extra and they always gave it. I would pay if they need me to, no questions asked. There is a reason I came here every Thursday for over a year. Large chicken, no rice, over salad, extra sauce, keep the change. The guy working there is really nice too.

Anything but a 5-​star review for Hawaiian Chicken represents everything that is wrong with this website. There is no better lunch in town. The wait can be long, but I could think of worse places to wait than 75-​degree Los Angeles, and it’s never really more than 20 minutes if you plan appropriately. Some might say it’s a touch pricey, but with 20-​minute lines from 11:30 — 2:00, seems like if anything they should raise prices! The chicken is all dark meat, but that’s why it’s so tasty, and the mac salad is just mayo-​filled goodness. Bottom line, actions speak louder than words, and there’s a reason this place has the long line when every other stand at the CC farmer’s market has no line at all. Also, don’t forget to get extra sauce… that stuff is delicious. HAIL CHICKEN!

I can’t believe this hasnt been reviewed by me but we took our mom out here a couple years ago for her birthday and it was pretty kitchy as they had the whole hawaiian bar scene going on inside this obscure location.
From what I could remember the food was pretty good and the price reasonable. Havent had the chance to come back but one of these days i will be back

Every Thursday you can find the Hawaiian Chicken stand at the Century City Farmers Market. It’s the stall with the incredibly long line snaking through the rest of the market!
So yeah, it’s popular with the Century City office crowd. REALLY popular. And after the two times that I’ve been willing to endure the line and get some chicken, I don’t really understand why it’s so popular (especially when compared to the nearby food stalls — which are just as tasty, about the same price or often cheaper (!), and have usually no line at all)!
The chicken is grilled right there in the open and it was served with some salad (aka lettuce) and rice. It’s good and can definitely fill you up, especially if you order anything more than the small size. There’s nothing revolutionary about the flavor or the texture, it’s grilled chicken. Meh, maybe I’m just the one-​in-​a-​thousand who’s immune to the seductive power of Hawaiian Chicken (dot com?!).

I’ll be honest, I look forward to work on Thursdays. Why? Because it’s farmer’s market day in Century City down the street from where I work. And what’s so special about the farmer’s market? The Hawaiian Chicken booth!
Ok, so the line gets heeeeeella long, especially as of recent. but it does move along pretty quickly because the cashier and the workers are pretty quick with it. The chicken is pretty damn bomb and fresh of the grill. They have 3 sizes: small ($ 7), large ($ 9), and the big kahuna ($ 12). 10 out of 10 times I’ll order the small with salad only (instead of rice). I’ll often regret waiting in the long line up until the point where I’m about 5 customers away. The hot sauce has just the right amount of spice for me. If I don’t have my hawaiian chicken on Thursday for whatever reason I feel a bit empty inside, as if my day isn’t complete w/​o it.
Hmm. what the heck do they put in that stuff to make me feel that way? Hmmm? Hmmm?

Wah! Tried to order their Huli Huli Chicken and was told they JUST gave the last batch to the large party that came before us. It’s a pretty randomly located place in the middle of Chinatown owned by Koreans serving Hawaiian food — go figure. So instead, we ordered the guava chicken, the kalbi teriyaki chicken plate, and the katsu. Portions were not huge — I’d say they were regular-​sized. The three of us wiped out everything, so I wished the portions were a little bit larger. Skip the katsu — it was a little dry. The guava chicken was deliciously sweet and tender. While the kalbi was not the best I’ve had, it was certainly different from the typical kalbi you can get at Korean restaurants. It was basically kalbi meat with a slightly different but good flavor. The meat was also tender. Didn’t care for the macaroni salad — the one at the Loft and L&Ls is better. My fFriends loved the hot sauce. Would come back — although beware. They did not have half the things ilsted on their menu (they were also out of Shoyu chicken), either bc they ran out or bc they didn’t serve them anymore. The waiter said they were in the process of updating their menu, so hopefully by now it’s been updated!

ugh. the first time i had this place, i was thinking, i gotta bring Nacho here. how i regret coming back and ruining that memory and subjecting Nacho to such a terrible meal.
1) Awkward service. If you spot the short old asian lady who moves around kind of slowly, stay away from her. Oh but too bad, she’s probably the only one around and there’s not enough people eating that you might end up having someone else wait on you.
When we walked in, someone from the gazebo came out, seated us and gave us menus. The old lady pushed so hard to sell the Xango juice, we felt uncomfortably awkward. She brought a shot out on a tray and we politely refused it. We ain’t paying $ 3 for a shot of mystery juice! The mystery waiter, whom we later suspect is a family friend, came out of the gazebo where he was hanging with his friends, and said it’s on him. Even more awkwardness. The old lady made us feel awkward the whole night. Serving our dessert when dinner had just arrived. Taking our check and then sitting down at the bar and watched Korean drama. Oh hello. The credit card doesn’t magically swipe itself.
The whole night was awkward moment after awkward moment.
2) Xango juice. What the heck is that? Tastes like bad pomegranite /​raspberry. It’s made with mangosteen but i know mangosteen is white. The juice wasn’t. We didn’t like it. and if we had to pay $ 3, we’d ask for a refund. Wasn’t there some old-​school blog site called Xanga? Is that even still around?
3) Huli Huli chicken. Oh no they didn’t. I definitely remember what real Huli Huli chicken tastes like and this ain’t it. The original Huli-​Huli is cooked over a fire on racks that are manually flipped over. Our chicken looked baked. Also, real Huli Huli chicken is half a chicken, not a whole or quartered, served here. The smoke of the Huli Huli chicken would have been detectable miles away (no joke, it’s true in hawaii) and I couldn’t even smell anything from the chicken itself. True fail.
4) Haupia. Nacho loves haupia and we order it whenever we can. This Haupia was _​teh suck_​ (yes, i come from a quiet corner of the nerd world). You can see the lower half of the haupia is more translucent than the top. How could that be, you say? Well, my friend, the f-​kers just flipped the thing over so you see solid white and think you got yourself some coconut milk treat! Too bad there’s no coconut taste.
5) Seared Ahi. This was the worst thing all night. Look at the color of this thing (see pics). It’s disgusting. Did they buy it at some discount market where food is expired or near expiration? It also tasted pretty crappy. I regret swallowing my first piece — I bet you I have hepatitis now.
The mac salad wasn’t great but wasn’t disasterous.
The only thing they did right was the complimentary orange slices. But unlike the sweet ones at Nagao or any other Japanese place that serves orange, they didn’t peel a part of the orange first.
Sore disappointment here all around. I was so sad when I left this place. Their name is HawaiianChicken com yet their website is HawaiianChickenCa com. And 3 out of the 5 times I tried to come here to eat during their business hours, the damn place is pitch-​black and closed. Someone Fail-​blog this place!

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE about the props being given here for the chicken. I was expecting mecca after reading the reviews and raves about this place. I’m sorry — Huli-​huli chicken should not taste like regular average lightly salted rotisserie chicken. If that’s the case, I can go to Ralph’s Grocery Store and huli-​huli myself to death (incidentally the rotisserie chicken at Ralph’s is better).
Authentic Huli-​huli chicken has a subtle sweet flavor, some distinctly charred spots, and unbeatable flavor. In other words, they would have to haul your ass away from the real thing because you’d pretty much be going at it like a pack of dogs — that’s what we call «ono» and «da kine.»
Don’t get me wrong,
is still a great place. So why is this place so great despite its mediocre rotisserie chicken? They’ve got other dishes that really impress me. I’d have to say that I’ve never had better beef kalbi — ever! (Korean bbq ribs). I’m going back just for this alone. This place gets 5 stars for its Kalbi (damn, I’ve had some gourmet kalbi in my time even from the long ago famous family-​run Azeka’s Market in Maui — which use to ship it’s Korean BBQ ribs worldwide.
The Poke (pokee) was extremely well presented — and tasty. These guys do poke right and you just can’t beat Hawaiian style poke — so there you have it – go here for the Kalbi and the poke, but don’t disappoint yourself with the chicken. Cool place to hang out and they do have a bar.
They also need some work on their steamed rice. They didn’t really have the sticky rice going on here — which is an absolute must when you’re serving these kinds of dishes and you’re using the word «Hawaiian» in the title of your restaurant. Rice is a little more than a side dish to us islanders. It’s an important medium in Hawaiian food and it shouldn’t be sub-​par. These guys should spring for some Hinode or Tsurumai decent calrose rice.
The chef mentioned they cook 4 pounds of kalua pig every Friday night. It’s hard to screw up kalua pig so this might be one I’ll have to try at some point.
Live entertainment was very good. Place was empty at 7:30 p.m. My party of three and one other couple the whole time we were there. They should change the name to Hawaiian Kalbi and pay homage to their best dish here.
Mahalo