Ma’ono

The fried chicken is awesome. We got the whole order, which is enough for about two meals for two people. The included biscuits and gravy were pretty good as well. The garlic greens were very tasty.
Neat space in the junction, definitely check it out.

Whoa! I haven’t eaten at a restaurant where literally everything I tasted was 5-​star worthy!
Roasted carrots: perfectly crisp and yet tender, sesame seeds, lemon? Perfect.
Roasted broccoli: spicy, complex, yum!!!
Curry Fried Rice: spice-​heavy, sinus-​clearing, enlightening!
Sweet Rolls: comes with a butter that I would love to be embalmed in.
Chicken: You must order ahead to reserve your chickens! Best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten.
This is a great place to come with a group. Everyone left happy!

Amazing fried chicken! Love the combo of fried food and Asian. The chicken is moist and yummy! We loved the Mac and cheese. The selection of whiskey is also outstanding. Very fun place to come out to on a Friday night.

Came in on a Wednesday evening with a friend of mine who lives nearby. I had previously heard great things about this place and was excited to try the fried chicken. We ordered the fried chicken, a side of the broccoli, and the grapefruit hefeweizen as our drinks.
The fried chicken came with a side of rice, kimchee, and gochujang dipping sauce. The food is good. The chicken breading tastes like it may be battered in mochiko flour which gives it a nice crispness and it was seasoned well except for the fact that it was a lot salty. In fact the broccoli in the cheese and kimchee sauce was also super salty. I think the highlight of the meal was the rice (which was cooked to perfection) and their kimchee (which was really good and I’m Korean and eat kimchee almost everyday). Don’t get me wrong, it tastes good but the balance was off and just a little to heavy on saltiness which is why I will probably not be going back here when I’m craving fried chicken.

Wow… this place rocks. Fried chicken, coconut french toast and bottomless mimosa. What is there not to love? Enuff said… look at the pics.

When you got a hankering for fancy hawaiian food, come here! My favorites are the loco moco and saimin. They managed to somehow made simple dishes and kicked it up a notch.
I honestly, didn’t think the chicken was anything drool worthy (especially for the price). It’s pretty average so I recommend skipping it and getting the other dishes.
This places gets busy so just make a reservation since the wait can get pretty long.

Ma’ono brunch is delish! We made a reservation on Open Table and reserved a chicken, showed up, sat down, started drinking and eating like we were on vacation. We are not on vacation.
A whole chicken for 4 people was a bit too much, but a half chicken may not have been enough. I was pretty happy to put chicken on a biscuit and put gravy on it. It was simply scrumptious. Not sure if it’s worth the cost, but between 4 people it worked out fine. Then I also ordered the coconut french toast, which was also pretty yummy. The fiancé had Curry-​Bacon Fried Rice & Eggs and basically licked the bowl. I’m a huge jerk and failed to consider that our friends don’t eat pork, but in spite of my absentmindedness they seemed happy with whatever they ordered. Oopsy!
I ordered bottomless mimosas for $ 12 and I definitely got my money’s worth. Even better, the glass was truly never empty.
Super yum. If we weren’t moving out of Seattle next week, I’d probably come back here.

Ordered their popular twice fried chicken — half order was just the perfect amount for three people (went with my husband and mom). It’s suggested you call in ahead to reserve your table and chicken since it is twice fried. Twice fried and twice pricey. I’d pay $$ for amazingly good food, but their twice fried chicken didn’t give us the «wow» factor that makes the $$ justified. Just tasted like a typical fried chicken for me.
We also ordered the kimchee mac and cheese, loco moco and bacon fried rice — my husband loved the kimchee mac and cheese — just the perfect amount of cheesiness and spiciness.
Service was great — everyone was friendly. The restaurant and rest room was A+ clean.
Unlikely to come back, but it’s one of those «must try at least once and see the hype for yourself.» If twice fried chicken is your thing — try this place, but be prepared for $$.

Ma’ono: upscale Hawaiian in West Seattle. My crew and I sat at the bar because the wait for tables was going to be around 30 minutes. The restaurant space is on the small side, with the bar taking up most of the indoor space.
I had the Manapua which is a hawaiin pork that is enveloped in a soft dough. It was more of an appetizer, so I decided to eat some of my crew’s food. One person in my party had the Tostada and another had the Chicken Nugget French Toast. Every dish was handled with such precision and care. I tried the other two dishes and they were bursting with flavor! The Chicken Nugget French Toast sounds odd, but it is so delicious. The chicken was different than any other chicken that I have ever eaten. It had a more crumbly tofu texture, but I know it wasn’t tofu. The exterior of the chicken was light & crispy, but you could taste the light presence of the oil.
The service is pretty fast, especially since it seems like Ma’ono is always busy. They must have it down to an art. I wish I had gotten the chance to try the fried chicken. Next time Ma’ono.

No clue what all the excitement about this place is.
On Thursday night, my boyfriend and I went to try it out. We were super stoked to try their fried chicken (because you know, it’s in their name and all). We got the Ahi, a half order of the fried chicken, side of pea vines, and side bacon fried rice.
The chicken came with a small side of kimchee which, along with the pea vines and ahi, were good. The bacon fried rice was forgettable, and the fried chicken was TERRIBLE. On the menu it says that it is «twice fried,» which to me should have been a red flag from the beginning. Sure enough, the exterior of the chicken was so dark, very dry and crunchy, and just inedible. There is no reason to umami spice it if you can’t even eat the exterior. I had one of the smaller pieces to eat first and ended up throwing 50% of it into our bowl for bones and didn’t eat another piece.
Overall, not worth $ 20 for 5 pieces of some super burnt and dry chicken. I’d rather go to Safeway to get fried chicken.

Weekday night dinner: ½ fried chicken, kimchee mac, and beef tartare. Amazing chicken, ½ chicken was more than the two of us could handle. That special sauce is ridiculously finger lickin’ good. Mac was meh and tartare had good flavor, had a strong spice to it.

Traveled to Seattle from Monterey, CA and multiple people suggested eating here…
It did not disappoint!!!
We reserved 2 whole chickens ahead of time for our group of 7 which was the perfect amount to share and still have room to try other menu items. The chicken was A-​MAZING!!! Juicy & crispy, I wish they shipped them nationwide
For the entrée I ordered the Fatty Saimin… I cannot possibly fit how I felt about this dish in this small space. I LOVE IT. EVERYONE AT MY TABLE LOVED IT. Do not miss this dish!

My sister and I came here a couple of days ago for restaurant week because they had okonomiyaki as one of their items on their restaurant week menu! We’ve been dying to try some so we knew we had to go :] Definitely make a reservation, fortunately we did before coming and it was busy when we got here.
From the Restaurant Week menu, we ordered:
Appetizers:
Calamari– It was really good, I loved the light batter and the sauce that it came with.
Papaya Salad– Came in a small bowl, portion size could’ve been better but it was light and had a nice dressing to it.
Main Entrée:
Okonomiyaki– We both got this and if you don’t know what this is, it’s like a japanese pancake mixed with assorted stuff. This one was vegetarian, it had maitake mushrooms, green garlic, smoked sweet potato with that sauce and kewpie drizzled on top. It also came with a side of perfectly cooked rice with bits of nori. This was soooooo GOOOOODD!!! I wish they had this on their regular menu, but this was only just for restaurant week.
Desserts:
Pineapple cheesecake-​My sister didn’t like the crust, but she did enjoy the main cheesecake part and the pineapples on top.
Kona Coffee Ice Cream-​I thought was delicious if you like coffee flavored ice cream: D
Overall, we were really satisfied with this place and their service. Our first time having okonomiyaki and it did not disappoint! I would definitely love to come back here again to try the other items on their everyday menu.

You have to go in knowing that this is a popular neighborhood spot. So, if you show up on the weekend without a reservation, you’re going to wait a bit. That being said, we showed up on a Thursday at 7:30p with a reservation and still waited 45min for our table. This is the only real negative mark I have. The food and drinks were fantastic. The full bar boasts some great specialty cocktails that have a Japanese/​Hawaiian twist on some classics.
I enjoyed the Knox Manhattan: Old Overholt Rye Whiskey, Carpano Antica Formula, Fernet Branca, Orange Bitters. Quite lovely.
For apps I was able to sample the fried rice which had a curry and bacon component to it. Not greasy as I’ve seen in some. Packed full of flavor and a perfect crunch. The manapua were a touch sweeter than I’ve had before but in a good way. It balanced with the tang of the sauce they’re served with. A friend at the table was even able to part with a piece of the fried chicken. Perfectly crispy, not greasy and spiced to perfection. The meat was moist and tender. Highly recommended. Oh, and the Brussel sprouts, char, balsamic, perfection.
For my main I had the Fatty Saimin ramen. Rich smoked pork & pork fat broth, kalua pig, bacon, cured egg, scallion, furikake. The broth was nothing short of sublime. Fatty indeed but without too much floating humiliation on the top. It’s also worth mentioning that there wasn’t too much of it. I mean, you savored it but the other components weren’t drowning in it. Each of the components were cooked perfectly and the noodles had just the slightest bite to them. Awesome!
The delightful meal finished on a good note with banana cream pie. A thick and hearty crust dusted with sesame seeds and a filling dotted with fresh chunks of banana and a hearty/​thick cream. Finished with freshly whipped cream. It wasn’t overly sweet which I appreciate.
Overall: they certainly know how to control the oil. Temp is a hard thing to nail over different applications like fries, chicken, etc. The ambience is a touch on the loud side but not intolerable. The ingredients are solid and there is certainly a level of skill in the kitchen comparable to higher priced venues.

The fried chicken was beyond amazing. The sauces and kimchi were the perfect accompaniments and we also ordered the brussels sprouts and fried rice to go with the chicken. I’ve tried my share of fried chicken in the day but this one definitely tops the Seattle list. The trek to West Seattle is well wort it.

My wife and I celebrated my birthday here for dinner and have been wanting to check this place out and questioned the $ 40 dollar whole fried chicken. As someone who used to spend their summers in Maui as a kid I am very familiar with Hawaiian style fried chicken.
Upon pulling up to the street where Ma’ono is located we see people packed inside and a few outside the door which is already a good sign. Glad I made reservations because those that didn’t were in for a long wait or just left because the amount of people who made reservations still waiting to be seated… yes it was that packed!
So lets get to the food. For starters my wife order a whiskey cocktail and Spam Musubi (*which by the way was $ 6 — for that price they better give me super physical strength for a couple hours cuz in Hawaii you can get a Spam Musubi at 7 – 11 for a buck and change). Sure enough it was just a regular Spam Musubi for just one! I’m thinking in my head, I could have bought one can of Spam, fried that up and cook some rice use my musubi maker and sprinkle the same seasoning on it making 6+ Musubis all for under $ 5. So for those who have had Spam Musubi’s I rate a big negative «NO» on this purchase — highway robbery! …and to those who haven’t and don’t mind wasting $ 6 sure why not.
For the entrée we ordered the Warm Portuguese Sweet Rolls, Curry and Bacon Fried Rice, Ma’Ono Saimin, Newaukum Valley Farm Butter Lettuce, and half order of the Fried Chicken (*you must reserved your order of chicken as you confirm your reservation to be seated over the phone)
Breakdown:
Warm Portuguese Sweet Rolls — typical hawaiian style bread with delicious butter
Curry and Bacon Fried Rice — very salty with the combination amount of bacon and curry
Ma’Ono Saimin — An even flavor of the soups saltiness with all the components to absorb it in
Newaukum Valley Farm Butter Lettuce — very fresh taste of the radishes and sauce with the butter lettuce
Half order of the Fried Chicken — Now this is why I gave a four star instead of a two, for $ 21 you can get a half order to split for two if you are just curious why it is so damn expensive. The way it is cooked double fried while the meat inside is still juicy and the outside is super crunchy, then dab some of the sauces given… thats some good fried chicken bruddah!
Throughout the entire night my wife and I kept saying — «‘but that chicken tho!» even when we finished eating our Banana Cream Pie with a birthday candle on top for dessert.
We ended up taking one piece of chicken, a roll, a little bit of the Butter lettuce and a good chunk of that salty fried rice home.
So if you are looking for something new to go to for dinner, then this would be a decent spot to hit up!
Happy Eats Everyone!

Some of the best fried chicken that I have ever eaten! It could easily be the best but I hate when people use that term loosely. The fact that you have to call 24 hours in advance should tell you it’s good but not how amazing it is. It’s some next level fried chicken.
They have you call 24 hours in advance because they cook it, deep fry it and let it sit until you arrive when they deep fry it again. It gets extra crunchy and delicious with their cooking process. The chicken itself is pretty delicious as well once you crunch through to it. Try the chili sauce, I loved it!
The kimchi is fantastic and a bit on the spicy side which I really like. It’s not out of this world but it’s very tasty.
The rice also comes with a bit of seaweed which gives it an unusual taste that is easygoing and adds a new flavor.

Just an update. My fiancé was unable to hold down very much food for quite some time after that. MUCH longer than the 4 days in my last review. I thought it was over and I was wrong. Living in a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom unit with someone who is constantly getting sick really isn’t fun. He ended up taking time off work and going to see a doctor.
This part is not a big deal, but he opted to stay in for Superbowl 50 instead of going out to watch it with his friends. Why? Because he wasn’t sure how well his illness would hold up and didn’t wanna be running to the relieve his sharp stomach pains. He’s being referred out to a specialist now. I’m thoroughly pissed off at this restaurant’s lack of quality control. ANYTHING is better than this garbage.

I really liked their two times, deep fried chicken wings and that hearty country gravy! You can pour that gravy all over anything and it’ll be superbly delicious!
Their biscuits were nicely crunchy. Drizzle that syrup that they provide and it’ll be the perfect combo with the fried chicken! I was nomming away.
I don’t recommend their Ramen because their broth lacked that homely flavor that I seek in ramen broth and the spam with Kailua pork wasn’t all that great or complimentary with the ramen as a whole. Skip! You’ve been warned. I asked for hot sauce too and they gave me the typical Sriracha. A deal breaker for me. Real ramen is served with the peppery spicy seeds, but this wasn’t.
Their rolls were nice and fluffily warm. Service was attentive and got it done.
2 times deep fried chicken for the win! Then, those biscuits with it!

We stopped by Ma’ono for an early dinner, and were seated right away (had a reservation). It is a long and narrow space, and we were close to the kitchen to see all of the action. We reserved a half-​order of chicken already with our reservation, but wanted to try some other dishes and probably over-​ordered for just the two of us. We got:
Sweet rolls: these were hot and really tasty. You get some whipped pan drippings with it, and you spread it on like butter.
Fried chicken: we got 5 pieces of Asian-​style cut up chicken, which was crispy and non-​greasy. Very good.
Pea vines: just ok, a little too lemony for my taste
Idaho trout: this was good, although be prepared for lots of little bones in the fish
Next time I stop by, I would want to bring more people so that I can sample more dishes. Overall, this a nice restaurant in the Junction area of West Seattle if you want your Hawaiian-​style food fix.