Have now revisited Aloha BBQ on several occasions. Why?
Because it is an undiscovered gem.
Freakazoid Freddy uses four criteria to judge a restaurant:
Food: If the food's that good, a lot of other things can be forgiven.
Service: I'll go back to mediocre places if I'm treated well.
Atmosphere: If I like hanging out there, I'll put up with mediocre food.
Value: Doesn't mean inexpensive; it's all relative to what you're getting. In Renton, the Melrose is not inexpensive, but it's a good value.
Aloha BBQ: The food is good to excellent, service is friendly and attentive, atmosphere is cozy, seats around 14 or so, and the value!! That's the thing..It's kind of unusual food, they feature daily specials that almost always include a fish...tonight was hasa hasa (mackerel), previously is was butterfish (black cod)..dishes are served with rice and three salads.
At many Hawaiian restaurants, salad means potato or macaroni..
Aloha lets you choose between potato, macaroni, pickled radish, green salad, seaweed salad, kim chee...Portions are rather large, prices are from several decades ago.
Where else can you get a fresh seafood meal for 5.99?
There is also a daily steak special. tonight's was t-bone, for 9.99, and it was probably twelve ounces.
At this point, may I suggest that this is one of Renton's best restaurants?
16 comments:
The wife and I went down to this Aloha BBQ and didn't quite like the experience (well, of course, we didn't order anything to eat, and I'll tell you why...) I asked if their seafood platter was fresh and they said it was frozen, and they didn't have any fresh fish on their special, they had a lot of meat selections, some Filipino selections, and their salads, you said you didn't like L&L's mac salad, well, Aloha BBQ has all those kim chees and other spicy sides that you can't even imagine what it taste like... who would call their restaurant a Hawaiian restaurant when they don't even look Hawaiian, real Hawaiians! These people look more Asian to me, and that's probably why they're serving so much spicy kim chee, takuan, fried ika or whatever it is, and they really are Asians to be serving lumpia and pancit or adobo, these food are not good for one's intestines, they are fatty and useless. At least at L&L you can say it is Hawaiian because they have lots of Hawaiian choices and they are a big name with 3 restaurants here in WA state alone! not to mention those in Hawaii. Aloha BBQ??? Never heard of them until now. Undiscovered gem? Yes, certainly, undiscovered and probably will not be discovered much too often, this basically looks like a mom & pop operation and although we have not personally ordered or tasted their food, I'm pretty sure it must be an experiment who are just trying to make their customers guinea pigs and trying to make money out of that... So if you're going to make such good comments about them, try not to make any comparisons with well known restaurants like L&L, a name that people love and trust!!!
So, in order to have "real" Hawaiian food, you have to be ethnically Hawaiian?
The folks at Aloha BBQ are Filipinos from Hawaii, and the cook there worked for many years at a Japanese restaurant in Hawaii, so, no, they don't only have Hawaiian food but also Filipino and Japanese.
I don't think I ever said I didn't like L & L. I just said I didn't like mac salad, which they serve with everything.
The fact that L & L has 3 restaurants in this state doesn't make them good, just that they're a chain, and the fact that Aloha BBQ is a mom and pop place desn't make them bad...If you follow that logic,
McDonald's must be a great restaurant, for there are so many in this state.
As I said, I'm not that familiar with Hawaiian food, certainly not an expert about it.
I just know what I like, and I NEVER
put down a restaurant without trying their food.
I do know seafood, and frozen doesn't mean bad, either. Some techniques of freezing(flash freezing aboard the ship) often means that the fish is better quality than "fresh" fish that's been sitting around a while.
Maybe you should go back and actually order their food.
By the way, they do have lumpia there, but no adobo or pancit, so it doesn't sound like you were really prepared to give them a chance.
Me, I'm not Hawaiian and can't vouch for their authenticity, but I still like the place a lot.
Good food is good food, and if I'm eating great soul food cooked by Norwegians, that doesn't bother me.
we tried to hit aloha last night (weds), but sadly they were mysteriously closed. so we ended up at L&L, which we'd been to before. i like it all, except the aforementioned macaroni salad.
but the BBQ beef there is tasty, and we got some extra teri sauce for the rice. it tastes like teriyaki sauce -- ginger, soy, etc. but a little lighter and sweeter. very nice.
still, i'm looking forward to hitting aloha on an open night.
I had no idea how passionate people were about Hawaiian BBQ when I first blogged about Aloha three weeks ago.
Since then they've become our default restaurant: Not too far, inexpensive, friendly, good tasting.
One correction I need to make: when I first reviwed the place, I may have suggested that the fish was "fresh".
What I meant was that it tasted fresh, not that I was aware of whether it have ever been frozen.
I don't want to put down L & L, and never meant to. They are different kind of restaurants..
L & L is a chain that gives you good food and lots of it in a fast foody atmosphere on styrofoam or paper plates at reasonable prices.
Aloha is a tiny place which is not strictly Hawaiian but a Hawaiian/ Asian fusion, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino influences. They're food is served in nice ceramic bowls.
Prices are about the same in both places, though Aloha almost always has three daily specials. The regular menu big entrees with three salads run between 5.99-8.99, and daily specials between 5.99-12.99.
From neither place will you leave hungry.
who the heck do you think you are? For one yes they are Hawaiian you dont know them so dont judge and for another they know more about Hawaiian food. Did you live there for most of your life?
No didnt think so
and yes they are Fillipino so thats why they have other items that arent just hawaiian so get off your high horse and try there food once and then you decide if you like them or not
The Aloha BBQ is so much more than a BBQ joint. If you order the specials you get a lovingly prepared home cooked meal. There is something universal in its appeal! If you decline the rice and choose ocean salad it becomes so nourishing! The portions are so big maybe you should eat some as leftovers for lunch and not stuff yourself-don't be a pig! I love the relaxed atmosphere and extended family.Also love to watch TV while I eat.Call me crazy!
While the regular menu items are always really good, and I'm partial to the Kalbi ribs, the specials are really special.
Tonight it included a ridiculously delicious fried squash blossoms stuffed with mozarella.
Sure it's Hawaiian, and a whole lot more.
The first time I visited this site, I was rather taken aback by the reviews made by Freakazoid Freddy concerning our restaurant, only because we were just starting out and I suppose I never expected to read about our restaurant on the web; however, I do appreciate the assessment made on our behalf.
As soon as I read the review prepared by “Mr & Mrs Anonymous”, it dawned on me what effect this had on my previous employers when they received their reviews by their patrons and why they were very meticulous in every decision they made concerning their business, and why I feel it obligatory on my part to notate my thoughts on this blogger, so as to clear the air, so to speak, on comments that appear to have become unnecessarily overbearing.
Aloha BBQ is owned and operated, not by an inherent Hawaiian. My grandfather on my dad’s side was of Spanish descent, while his wife was a Filipino. My mothers side is strictly Filipino. My father was an immigrant who moved to Hawaii as a young teen. I was born in the Philippines, but moved to Hawaii when I was 4 years old. So, does this mean that I am less a Filipino for spending only 4 years of my life in the Philippines, or does that make me a native Hawaiian for having been raised in Hawaii…? Whatever equation of my Spanish/Filipino DNA formulates to, in my heart, I am still a Hawaiian, who is now a Washingtonian. Whatsoever, I am, as everyone else is, an atom of the human population.
I don’t think Aloha BBQ should be measured up to L&L. I grew up with the original L&L in Hawaii and loved their food. But neither of their original owners are ethnically Hawaiian. L&L is a big franchise, and I wouldn’t want to be compared to them (I am not in their league) furthermore, who is Aloha BBQ to be matched up to such a major conglomerate.
Our food at Aloha BBQ is simply a multi-culture of Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, American, Japanese, Mediterranean, and anything that we’ve tasted and loved and are able to prepare for others who have the panache of “experimenting” the world’s profuse array of vegetations, meat, poultry, and seafood, whether they are the common potato and mac salads or the mild to spicy kim chee or kelp from the deepest blue sea to the flash frozen scallops and mahi mahi of Hawaii or the Black Cod “Butterfish” of Alaska.
We only live once, and if we are able, we should at least give God’s gift of our senses a chance to experiment - the sense to smell, taste, feel, and touch… all these things we at times take granted for and before too long, we lose them without having had any appreciation for what the world around us can bring.
Our operation at Aloha BBQ is setup in a “mom & pop” setting, which is not going to change anytime soon. My husband and I are hoping that one day our children will be able to run this venture in the future.
Returning to the real issues I wanted to make clarification on, in reading the comments made by several bloggers, thank you for coming to Aloha BBQ’s defense, however unnecessary. The review reported by “Mr & Mrs Anynomous” was a direct, matter-of-fact consideration of their personal thoughts concerning Aloha BBQ. I regard their comments as “creative criticism”, it brings a sort of a “challenge” offering Aloha BBQ the incentive to make necessary adjustments where applicable, and perhaps, help improve in the quality of our food and service. I would like to thank “Mr & Mrs Anonymous” for their opinion, and hope one day you will be able to give Aloha BBQ an appraisal firsthand on its flavor and preparation.
It saddens me, however, to note that many comments have been made directing disparaging remarks which I feel is exceedingly gratuitous and almost malicious. Please, the world is filled with horrendous aggression, is it really necessary to put these down in writing?
Aloha BBQ appreciates the attention and “passion” of its customers, but when it gets this far, I personally believe, and am humbly requesting, that this bitterness be left alone to the bitter melons that we will be serving with our Pinakbet next week.
Advertising is good for a new-found company, and for my part, the most effective advertising and the utmost compliment that any customer can give is: 1) through word-of-mouth (be it in a positive or negative outlook), and 2) by returning as a satisfied customer.
Dear Aloha BBQ business owner:
After reading your comments, I realized now that the threats I received left and right from the other commentators do not belong to you.
I can relate to the way they were throwing their threats, not understanding their passion for coming to Aloha BBQ's defense, howevever, they should understand that a review is an open expression of ones thoughts and opinions, not the start of a cold-war. In light of this matter, I do appreciate knowing that you, the owner of Aloha BBQ, are a modest and respectable person. I did not mean to downgrade your restaurant in any way, and perhaps I have in the way that I wrote my comments, please forgive me.
If your invitation to try out your restaurant is still open, it will be my privilege to accept.
As regards to those who were threatening, it was truly uncalled for to write them down, and most certainly very childish on your part. Nevertheless, if Aloha BBQ is as good as you claim, then strive to keep their business going, not ruining them by making them look as though they were attacking a person's point of view.
hawaiianchef: if anyone is being childish, it's you. If in any way you are affiliated with Aloha BBQ, you are making them look bad, if you are just a loyal supporter, you should just stop. I've apologized for my errors and accepted them, do the same and stop being profane and childish! This is not a war...it's just food.
My thanks to all who commented here, hopefully there's peace in the valley now?
So has anybody tried the Kauai Family restaurant @ 6th and Michigan in Seattle?
Someone told me it was great but I haven't been.
Lutefisk is indeed Norwegian, very traditional but a lot of Norwegians don't like it.
It is soaked in a lye solution for a few weeks so the texture changes and becomes sort of like fish flavored jello?
It also has a strong odor.
It is traditionally served warmed with butter, and tastes better than it looks and smells.
Every July at the Ballard Seafood Fest there is a lutefisk eating contest and they are often short of contestants. I entered and lost.
Kalbi rib eating contest I'd compete for sure, but lutefisk is something you'd need to grow up eating to truly appreciate.
Aloha had a fresh grilled salmon special tonight, and Oh My God! was it good! perfectly fresh and tender, served with grilled asparagus..This place is funny in that you can get a hamburger and fries if you want, but you can also get things that stand up to the best in town. A few days ago they had bacon wrapped asparagus. Mmmm! Bacon!
Aloha had a fresh grilled salmon special tonight, and Oh My God! was it good! perfectly fresh and tender, served with grilled asparagus..This place is funny in that you can get a hamburger and fries if you want, but you can also get things that stand up to the best in town. A few days ago they had bacon wrapped asparagus. Mmmm! Bacon!
Peace in the valley? What's been going on? Talk about being passionate about food, makes me almost lose my appetite!
I wrote a comment on Aloha BBQ in Judy's book, not realizing there were more reviews in this website.
I've already mentioned my experience at Kauai Family Restaurant in Georgetown, and also in PAC Island Grill, L&L, I have also been to Bobby's and the Kona Kitchen. Still, I believe that out of all these, the tastiest food presentation is awarded to Aloha BBQ. I have still to try their other menus, but will continue to venture other diners and restaurants.
I drove by a few of weeks ago to Aloha and couldn't find parking, so I just ran out and grabbed a menu. I noticed that Frekazoid Freddie mentioned something about hasa hasa and butterfish, but its not on their menu. How often do they have these seafood specials? And what do these fishes taste or compare to? I have yet to try out Aloha but each time I pass there there is either no parking space or there probably is some far away and it was raining at the time or they're closed. What are their hours? I work as a security guard at SEATAC and would love to have a place to eat after 9pm which in a lot of places are already closed. Are they opened for breakfast, cause if they are that would be ideal! Too, I've read a lot of "controversy" on this page about Aloha and L&L, and really, who cares who really is Hawaiian and who isn't? As long as the food taste great, right? But I really think that Aloha should have designated parking for their restaurant, cause it really sucks to be walking in the rain!
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