Rutt’s Hawaiian Cafe

Ono kine grinds!!! Gotta keep an eye out when looking for this spot. They have 3 stalls in the back of the restaurant if you can’t find any on the road. I got the Original Hawaiian Royale with fried rice. It’s pretty much just all the topping of what’s on a dry mein but instead of noodles it’s rice. GENIUS!!! My dad got the short ribs. I tried a piece of the short ribs that my dad ordered. The meat was so soft. As for service the 2 guys working in the morning was nice and attentive.

Kings Hawaiian Bread French Toast with coconut syrup and cinnamon. Side of Char Sui and Spam. Can of cold Kona Coffee. Hangover defeated! Seriously this place is good for you!

Best Value. Inexpensive. Tasty. I won’t claim that this is the best food in the world, but for the price, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This has quickly become my favorite place in the neighborhood. It’s hard for me not to come here at least 1 – 2 a week.
I love the fact that it is Breakfast all day as I could eat Breakfast 83 days a week. However, the food is so tasty here that I have never had breakfast yet! The Hawaiin Royale has 2 different types of meet and is probably considered the specialty. Although I am starting to love the Kahlua Pork as my favorite. There’s at least 3 sizes per plate and a Jr. plate is more than big enough for me. So, if you’re hungry and on a budget this is the place to go.
Staff is friendly even when ordering to go. An outdoor patio & a diner like interior. No frills. Little ambience, but that’s not why you go here.

Got Rutt’s Catering for my boyfriend’s birthday party! It was awesome and delicious; everyone loved the food and thought it went perfect with our hawaiian themed party. They delivered to our beach party on time and still warm!
We got the following:
–Full Sheet of BBQ Chicken Musubi
–Half Sheet of Pineapple Fried Rice
–Half Shee of Vegetarian Chow Fun
–Half Sheet of Island Chicken Skewers
–Half Sheet of Boneless Short Ribs
–3 Dozen cutlery /​utensils /​plates
Everything was delicious and would recommend this place to just go to eat too!

Hawaiian spam musubi = 5 stars!!!
Service = 5 stars!!!
Value = 5 stars!!!
I’m so glad a friend suggested I try this place today. The service here is outstanding. The courteousness I experienced over the phone and in person was something I haven’t felt in a while, and it was refreshing: Helpful! Efficient! Kind! Friendly! Genuine!

A unique offering in Culver. Think a low frill, greasy spoon meats a little taste of ‘da islands. I originally came to this place while trying to satisfy a random itch for Loco Moco. I can say that their version does not disappoint, a well seasoned hamburger drowned in gravy and topped with a fried egg. Add two scoops of rice and macaroni salad, and you got a good stand in for the plate lunch meals you find in Hawaii (not to mention a day and half worth of calories). Since then, I’ve added a hot bowl of Saimin to my list of recs (both are handy hang over cures, especially considering this place is open early).
However, I must say, that their fried royales are the stars of the show. A royale is kind of an omelette with many fixings over rice a la American Chinese Chop Suey. The ‘fried’ version combines everything together to make an awesome fried rice. If you are like me and have cast off an irrational fear of processed meats, I suggest getting the spam/​portuguese sausage/​kalua pork/​char siu combo. It’s an amazing value for money, and topped off with a spiral of Sriracha makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
They also have a fridge full of different cans of Hawaiian Sun, just in case you need an overdose of sugar to wash down that grease.

The food is good here, but the service can be hit and miss. We had a party of 8 that were gonna eat and have a meeting. We were told to sit outside while they got our tables ready. Few minutes later, we were then told to leave that table for other customers and we stood on the sidewalk.
After about 40 minutes waiter tells us a table in the back will be ready for us in 10 minutes. Few minutes later a party of 5 showed up. Less than a minute later, they were given the table that was being set up for us. We stood on the sidewalk like fools for an hour and left hungry and mad. We had to postpone our meeting. No apologies or anything… zero fucks were given by the waiters
We also picked rutts to cater this event in September which the meeting is about. Not a good look for our event. I have second thoughts about them catering for us now

I knew of Rutt’s by word of mouth and my office used them for a lunch order. So we decided to order from Rutt’s for catering for a small party at our home. We had the kalua pork sliders, Hawaiian style meatballs, bbq chicken and mac salad. We all loved the food, especially the sliders and mac salad! The ordering process was easy to do online and was thankful Rutt’s accommodated us on a day’s notice. Our order was ready on time and was packed in a handy reusable carrier.
Thanks for the great experience and delicious food! Can’t wait to actually come to the restaurant for a meal and try other items.

FOOD/​/​
— Hawaiian fried saimin: it was pretty yummy. The noodles and the fish cake were pretty tasty! I liked the onions, yes i know weird. But the meat was a little dry and it was slightly oily. Otherwise pretty good.
— Haupia: coconut is meh for me but the pudding was really tasty. It was nice and creamy too!
PARKING & SERVICE/​/​slightly difficult to find side street parking. The waiter, man with rad accent haha, was really friendly too.

I don’t know why I don’t go to this place more often… it’s decently priced, portions are huge and the food is delicious! There’s a real homey vibe to this place, like you’re eating a nice home-​cooked meal. If you’re looking for Hawaiian food and don’t want to eat at the chain restaurants (L&L, Ono’s), Rutt’s is the spot for you!
Their menu is pretty diverse and you can combine almost anything you want. Even though there are breakfast items on the menu, you can order that all day long; the same goes for lunch items. I got an order of the combo plate (kalbi, bbq chicken and char sui). Looking back, I should’ve ordered just the mixed plate special. The only difference is one less scoop of rice in the mixed plate special but you also get to enjoy 3 different meats. Two scoops is definitely plenty since I didn’t even finish my 3^rd scoop. All of the meats were tender and flavorful! My favorite was definitely the kalbi where you can eat it right off of the bone. The BBQ chicken was a little dry but all you gotta do is put on Hawaiian BBQ sauce that’s on the table and you’re good to go! We also got an order of spam musubi and it was alright. I was expecting better. In my opinion, it’s over-​priced at $ 2.45 each but sometimes you just gotta satisfy that craving when going to a Hawaiian spot.
At the end of day, Rutt’s is a fantastic spot if you’re in the mood for Hawaiian.

Downgraded because of their ladies restroom. Yesterday was the first time I tried to use their restroom. The restroom was tiny, almost like an airplane’s restroom. Making it more unpleasant was the trash can. It was overflowing with used paper towels (I hope they were only those). And it was only around 12:30 pm. Nevertheless, for such a tiny restroom, they could have at least made sure the trash can was not overflowing. But then it would still be a tiny, tiny restroom. Therefore, if you come here, don’t use their restrooms.
As for the review about food and parking, please refer to my prior review.
BTW, service is good.
Thanks for reading.

Love may be too strong a word but maybe not. These folks do Hawaiian right. I can’t tell you what the best dishes on the menu are because I haven’t tried them all… yet.
When I sat down and looked at the menu, I couldn’t decide what to order. The people at the next table suggested the Original Hawaiian Royale. Best. Suggestion. Ever!
Service was excellent. Friendly, quick, etc. Obviously if you hit them at peak times you will have a short wait to get seated but that’s really a sign of how good they are and besides, you can make new friends amongst the other people waiting for a table. This place is definitely worth the effort.

This place is great. Don’t get caught up in the looks from the street, it is a great down home place inside.
Loved the food. Have had Hawaiian all over LA and this is as good as it gets. The normal standard fare is there (except the Chicken Katsu) so no matter what you want you can get it. Next time I need to save room for the Shaved Ice.
Kalua Pork — great flavor
Char Sui — this was great as well
Kal-​Bi — this too was good but probably my least favorite. To Note, I generally don’t get this but it was recommended and if you like the Short Ribs, these are darn good.
Mac salad is very flavorful and just the right consistency.
All in all Loved this place. The service was fantastic. We WILL BE BACK.

I don’t get the four star rating. Grisly bits of food that tasted old and reheated on a dirty diner grill. BBQ chicken was served all cut up into small pieces, and short ribs were of low quality. Everything on the plate was lukewarm, and nothing tasted freshly made. Rice was room temperature and dried out. Mac salad needed more flavor. Even the coke was flat. Everything tasted like I got to the party as it was ending, and I had to make do with the reject leftovers. Yuck.
Décor was sad and non-​existent. How difficult is it to pull off a happy Hawaiian vibe? Throw up some surfboards and add some color, for goodness sake! Colorful and charming from the outside; not so much on the inside. Did not dig the tired 70s vibe in here; a little too retro for me.
Service also sad and non-​existent. Definitely no aloha spirit here. I’m not a fan, and do not need to return.

Irritated… Again. I don’t know why I do this to myself. I ordered pick up thru Unilocal and of course when I arrive to pick up the food, they manage to find the order and put it in with the kitchen. So I get to stand around and wait while they start cooking it. While my pregnant wife is idling in the car outside. Not exactly what I had in mind.
Then we get home and open up our dinners. I’d asked for the gravy on the side for her hamburger steak plate. Completely ignored.
And I ordered a loco moco. Which as anyone who has ever had one knows… Comes with eggs sunny side up or over easy on top. Not… Scrambled eggs.
Seriously. Palm to face. Is it too much to ask that people pay attention to what the hell they’re doing???

I came here on Sunday right after church with a group of friends– 12 of us in total including children. The server was extremely nice. The place was packed with people and the food was good.
The problem is that we had to sit outside (on the sidewalk tables) and we were freezing, which made our experience extremely uncomfortable. The service was extremely slow as well. I had to leave and could no longer wait for them to bring the bill — so I left my money with my friends and left.
I will come back. I am hoping that this was an un-​usual rush and that next time I go — the kitchen is no so backed-​up. And next time I go — I will be smart enough to say that I do not want to sit at those tables. They do have outside sitting that is semi-​enclosed on the side — and it looked, not cold.

They say this place can cure hangovers and I have to believe it because I came on a Saturday morning and it looks like a lot of people were recovering from the night before.
Food portion is very generous and food quality is slightly above average (solid 6 for me). It gets the job done with speedy service to add. If you have never had Portuguese sausage before, I recommend staying clear of it here unless it’s finely sliced, it can taste a bit gamey.
There is usually a long wait so prepare for that as well.

I hate to do this because I never feel compelled enough to take the time to do this. I’ve been a server for a long time so this is especially hard to do. Also, when I first discovered this place, I loved it. Everything about it, I loved. The food, the old school Hawaiian feel, and even the people working there. That was until recently. A couple of times I’ve been here recently and the service steadily declined. You can just see and feel that the people working here absolutely hate it and they’re miserable. I can read people really well and it’s just the overall vibe I’ve gotten as of late. As bad as that is, that really wasn’t what finally made me decide to type up this post.
I’ve ordered food for pick up 2 times in the past 2 weeks and both times I picked up the food, I had to feel this mean looking ladies negative vibe and wait for her to finish talking to her co worker even though she knew I was there waiting to be noticed. I usually don’t even trip off that shit. It’s like whatever but I’ve noticed it’s always this lady that’s got the stankiest attitude of all these bad servers. I ordered a spam and eggs and came 15 minutes after the order was placed thinking it’ll probably be ready by the time I get there. Nope, I was wrong. I end up waiting for almost 10 minutes more (for spam and eggs!). My break was basically over by the time I got back to my office. Wait, it gets better. I finally get my order and both times I didn’t bother to open the bag because I trusted my order would be right. I get to my office with my food and open it only to find out that an item is missing. This happened for both times I ordered through Unilocal at this restaurant. It’s never happened anywhere else I ordered through eat 24/​Yelp. So the common denominator here is the restaurant. They’re the ones that can’t get it right. First order, I ordered a spam and eggs lunch special. I open up the box and there’s spam but NO eggs. Seriously wtf. Who eats spam with no eggs unless it’s a musubi?! I was pissed but I’m a patient dude especially because I know mistakes are made every so often in the food and beverage industry so whatever it’s all good. I ate my spam (no eggs) and rice and you didn’t hear a peep from me about it.
I decided to give it another shot and I ordered for pickup again today because even though I’ve noticed a decline in their operation, I still love Hawaiian food and this is the closest and most authentic option nearby. So I ordered a bbq chicken lunch plate with macaroni salad (which was clearly stated on my order) and once again after dealing with that old mean ass lady with mean ass eyes, I leave with my food and arrive at the office to open box of rice and chicken and no macaroni salad. Not to mention, the order was skimped af like they were forcing everyone to be on a diet. I paid $ 7 for a small ass portion of chicken and one scoop of rice (no macaroni salad). Also, I typed in my special request for them to put a side of siracha in the bag and guess what wasn’t in the bag and guess what I had to ask the mean ass lady for? Yup. Siracha! Even when it clearly said it in the order. When I asked for it, she gave me 2 sides like I really needed all that siracha or it felt like she was like «here take your siracha and gtfo already!». I usually tip through Unilocal so it’s added on the total but not today because of my last experience and I definitely don’t regret it.
Maybe I’m being too hard and maybe this chick can’t read or reads poorly. Who knows? Whatever the case, they lost a customer and I’ll no longer recommend any of my people to check this joint out. Smh if this was a real Hawaiian joint, they would embody that real Hawaiian vibe and spirit. By that, I mean they would be friendly and more welcoming. Their food is alright still but service dropped off big time over here, even when it doesn’t even look busy. It’s primarily because of the pissed off ladies that work here because I’ve been here at night and the servers weren’t bad. They weren’t great but they weren’t bad either.
This post probably won’t make a difference but who gives af. Moral of the story to the servers in the day time over there, if you don’t like your job or where you work, find something else because it’s obvious and it’s hurting the owners business. For the record, I only gave this place 2 stars because the food is still pretty good, skimped, but pretty good. Too bad I won’t be back. I’d rather go to L&L just to avoid that old mean ass lady lol. It’s a shame man because I used to really enjoy this joint.

The place was ok. But, was not feeling Ohana. Maybe next time I go it will be better. Food wise that is.

Have the people who ate there eaten in Hawaii before?
Maybe it’s like eating in Mexico. Quick tip home made fries are not French fries. They do not have French fries. In Hawaii we do not make teriyaki bowels or Portuguese sausage breakfast bowels.

So far the best place to go for food I’d find in Hawaii while still in LA.
The food is great, even compared to food back home. If they served the food, plate lunch style, it’d definitely be a decent one back home in Hawaii.
Nothing fancy, but just good food done the way it should be… just like how it would be back home at the neighborhood café.

I’ve been going to Rutt’s for over a decade. And when you’re craving Hawaiian food, there is no other place with in a half hour. For this reason without argue this is the best place around. I grew up with Hawaiian food and this place serves pretty authentic food. I mean it’s a darn good comparison for being in Culver City area. For the food and price I rate them 5 stars! I’ve had several Loco Moco plates here, mahi mahi fish and other dishes, none of which I can complain about. The macaroni is pretty good too. Not the best but it’s still good.
The location is on Washington boulevard, which is a pretty busy street, but parking isn’t too hard. Now the restaurant isn’t too large and luckily they opened up outdoor seating on the side some time ago. This place will get packed for breakfast. It didn’t always used to be like that, but Rutts has stood the test of time and flourished. There’s some seating out in front so you can bring pets.
So customer service isn’t aloha! I’d rate them a 3, the food a 4 and the price a 5. Overall this hole in the wall place is where I drive a half hour for good eats.

This should be a 5 star, I’m docking one star because of the lack of parking and because the seating is so cramped up.
Now the good stuff. The service is amazing, everyone is always smiling and they always check on you to make sure everything is ok. The food is soooooo good. Hawaiian style. The food is made to order, very large portions and the prices are very good for the quality.
This is a bucket list type of hidden gem in Culver City.

The food is still good but comparing with years ago, apparently they raise up the price but cut off the portions. Now you pay more than $ 15 to get ²⁄₃ out of what used to be and only costed $ 10.
spam musubi — **** recommend
kal-​bi — *** flavorful
kahlua pork — *** average taste
teriyaki beef — *** tasted ok
char sui — * very dry
miso soup — ** so so
green salad — ** not fresh

I decided to give this place another try, I ordered the Kalua pork bowl with over easy eggs. It was delicious! I also tried their Portuguese sausage bowl which is really good as well.
I like this place because it’s affordable and the portions are huge.
I also like the vibe of this place, small mom and pop restaurant that gives you that home type of feeling. Great Hawaiian food for a decent price.

Up came the sun
I went to da kine
A haiku I will opine
Into da restaurant I go
Whoa! Plenny of police stay here!
Shoots I better feed da meter
Da staff are not local
So I ordered da mocoloco
Order come plenny fast
Macaroni salad and salsa
Made by ohana
Next time I come with a braddah

I’m a big fan of Rutt’s! They have a really fun laidback style and are really consistent with quality and prices. I keep coming back for the pretty good quality and the amazing quantity.
Spam Royale: Basically any of their royales are good. It’s just like a fried rice but with a whole lot more! The different sizes are convenient for different levels of hunger! I’ve gotten the royales with spam and kalua pork and both times they were exactly what I needed.
Hawaiian French Toast: They make french toast out of hawaiian sweet rolls, but it was a little different than what I expected. It was drier than I thought, but still a solid effort. I’ll probably give it another chance sometime in the future!

My all time favorite is the Original Royal fried rice style top it with their homemade salsa… YUM! Fried rice style is everything mixed together as oppose to serving it on top of white rice. There is plenty of meat and eggs in this dish. I usually order a medium and still have food left over. Throughout the years I’ve tried the short ribs, lau lau, Kalua pork, all good, but I’m always drawn to the Royal as the best thing here. The service is always attentive and friendly. Parking cable a challenge on the weekends so be prepared for a wait as it gets very crowded.

Saw a recent post from a friend claiming that this place has the best Hawaiian food in Los Angeles. Sure enough, I had to visit this place to see it for myself. As I digged for more information about this place, I noticed that this place was featured in Guy Fieri’s «Diners, Drive-in’s, and Dives» in Season 20 Episode 1 titled «California Cruisin». Very Neat-​O!
Location/​Parking: Located between Lindblade St. and Grand View Blvd. on Washington Blvd. Plenty of street parking on Washington Blvd or surrounding residential streets. A bit on the sketchy side at night… walk a bit on the caution side if you decided to visit at night.
Establishment/​Ambiance: Small relaxing place to eat and resembles a bit like a diner with limited seatings. There is a outdoor patio with heated lamps if you want to eat outside.
Cost efficient?: Yes, very economical!
Service: Service was lovely. My waitress for that night was very friendly and attentive. She also suggested some good eats. Food came out fast, but there was one little hiccup. She charged me for tea when I only ordered hot water with lemon slices. Everything was fixed on the bill and she apologized for the mix up.
Food: Must get their most talked about Royales. I ended up deciding on the original, which came with scramble eggs, portuguese sausages, char siu, onions, bean sprouts, and a hawaiian roll. Had a lot of flavor and you can ask them to make it less oily. I would recommend getting the jr. size (if you eat by yourself), because it’s good enough for one person. If you want more for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, get the King size! Add veggies and a extra Hawaiian roll and you’ll be set. You can also run to a supermarket and get some bread to enjoy your leftovers.
Food for thought: Haven’t ate a lot of Hawaiian places (L&L, Shakas, Roy’s, Ono’s), but something about mom and pop diners like this place has a special place in my heart.

Were I a drinking man… Rutt’s would be my hair of dog.
With huge portions of fresh ingredient put together in wonderful mash-​up ways, you can’t go wrong. I’ve only attended for a breakfast as of this review, but it was just what the doctor ordered. Potatoes, Rice, Spam, Veggies that didn’t come from a frozen veggie medley bag, but with Veggie Medley Prices make this a pretty awesome place to stop in. It’s popular, so there mayyyyy be a wait… but it could definitely be worse.
I sat outside, in the Cabana style dining area. It had a pretty genuine feel, while maintainng a silliness that kept the children that were dining here entertained. From Coconut-​husk lantern to goofy Sharks posted on the walls, it’s definitely thematically apt.
The coffee is okay. In a perfect world, they’d diversify this a bit, and maybe offer some soy or almond milk for picky cretins like myself… but outside of that… top notch.

Low prices and hits the right spot! I used to live nearby and this was my go to spot for a quick and hearty breakfast.
Pro move here is to get the Medium Classic Royale. Be sure to order with the King’s Hawaiian roll and smother with the Teriyaki and Sriracha WWE tag team combo. The French toast is also pretty good and is made with King’s Hawaiian bread because why not.

I don’t know what’s in the pancakes but they are some of the best I’ve had. They are light, fluffy with just enough sweetness. These pancakes are comparable to the Du-Par’s if you know what I’m talking about. I even just might say I like Rutts better… Yup! My favorite go to is the loco moco. I love that they have jr, regular or large size options for their entrees and breakfast is served all day. You can’t go wrong with that! All of their royales are also great too. Parking isn’t too bad, a few meters on the Main Street and some neighborhood parking. And I’ve personally never had a problem with the wait, but the excellent service makes up for any of that.

When you’re just craving that hearty breakfast that involves portuguese sausage (!!!) this is the place to go! A plate of portuguese sausage, bacon, eggs, rice, and kona coffee is my fave to get here. Not too much of a fan of their macaroni salad. One really bad thing about this place is the flies if you sit outside, they’re notorious! Even if it seems like a nice day to be outside, just be seated inside and your dining experience will be much more pleasant.

Item ordered: Large breakfast bowl — corned beef hash, 3 eggs sunny side up.
I’ve come here several times, the food is always great. I came here this time because I was craving corned beef hash with rice. It’s such a simple dish, but it’s comfort food for me. I love eggs, so I got the large breakfast bowl which includes 3 eggs. My main tip for this place is to just order the regular size bowl even though it only has 3 eggs. To me the regular breakfast bowl is more bang for the buck. You get almost the same amount of corned beef hash as the large bowl. With the large bowl you get basically more rice and the extra egg.
Great place though, still one of my favorite hawaiian places

After reading the generally positive reviews, I was looking forward to having some good Hawaiian food here on a Sunday afternoon. However, the meal was just alright for me. We ordered the lau lau (which had a lot of food and which my dad liked), a junior size of the royals fried rice plate, and the mixed plate special that came with rice, macaroni salad, Korean ribs, BBQ chicken, and kalua pork. The fried rice plate and the pork were alright. My favorite meat was the BBQ chicken, but the Korean ribs were very chewy and hard to eat. Another thing that was bothering us during the meal were a couple flies that kept hovering around our food no matter how many times we tried to swat them away.
We had plenty of leftovers to take home, and they tasted fine once we reheated them. Also, this place seems to do a lot of catering work (as advertised all over the menu), so that’s an option if your guests/​co-​workers are fans of Hawaiian food. Our meal was okay, but next time I’d try somewhere else for a Hawaiian lunch.

I wish Rutt’s made my breakfast every morning. We ordered a Kalua Park Royale regular-​size to split. Don’t forget to request the free roll it comes with — a sweet Hawaiian bun! If you don’t ask for it, they won’t give it to you, as stated in the fine print of their menu. We got our royale fried, and it was delicious — the pork was juicy and flavorful. Next time I’ll probably get the largest size for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
P. s. Skip the Kona iced coffee. It comes from a can.

If you are looking for great Hawaiian grub at a decent price, then this place is for you. Don’t expect fancy plates or anything.
Came here after picking up a friend from the airport. It was fairly close by, a quick 5 min drive up the 405 would get you here (without traffic of course). I was feeling ready to down some dinner, and Rutt’s definitely hit the spot.
I ordered a Royale with char sui bbq pork. I believe it also came with a dinner roll. They also have different sizes available to suit your different insatiable levels. Mine was around a I-​need-​some-​food-​right-​now level so I ordered more.
Anyway, since I don’t usually get Hawaiian food, I found the Royale to be very much like some Chinese fried rice. However, I loved how it felt really refreshing and not greasy. Also the bean sprouts were a nice touch to balance out the palate.
I will definitely come back to check out the rest of the menu.