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Three bowls of poke sit on a stone counter at Seasweets.
A selection of poke at Seasweets.
Seasweets Poke

15 Places to Find Heavenly Hawaiian Food in Portland

Where to find everything from poke to mac salad and loco moco

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A selection of poke at Seasweets.
| Seasweets Poke

Despite more than 2,500 miles separating Oregon and Hawaii, Hawaii is the state with the second largest contribution to Oregon’s population growth. The city’s restaurant scene reflects that influx: The Portland area has a number of restaurants and food trucks serving ‘ono grinds like loco moco, shoyu chicken, and plate lunches complete with big fat scoops of mac salad and rice. And while the cuisine’s most traditional offerings getting menu representation are often meat- and seafood-focused, Portland’s Hawaiian restaurants often incorporate Asian fusion as well as vegan- and -vegetarian-friendly options. Here are 15 places to sample some of the best Hawaiian food in town, from bright and fresh poke to old-school plate lunch.

Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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L & L Hawaiian Barbecue

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This Beaverton L&L is the Honolulu-based chain’s only remaining outpost in Oregon, so here’s a chance to try barbecue beef bowls, garlic shrimp, and four types of musubi (Spam, barbecue chicken, chicken katsu, Portuguese sausage) without the wait. Delivery is available via UberEats or Postmates, and L&L offers some seating outside.

Roxy's Island Grill

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For a slight step up from L&L, diners can walk a block over to one of three Roxy’s located in an A-frame structure that looks like it could’ve been a former IHOP. The best bets are the garlic fried chicken or shoyu chicken — and even pre-COVID it was recommended to get food to-go due to limited seating. Order online for pickup.

Hapa Howies NW

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Northwest Portland food cart Hapa Howie’s serves classic Hawaiian plate lunches, plus comforting dishes like loco moco, Kalua pig smoked with kiawe wood, Spam and eggs, and mac salad, of course. The cart even has a vegetarian-friendly tofu on offer, battered and fried in egg and dressed in sweet garlic or spicy barbecue sauce. Hapa Howie’s offers pickup or delivery through DoorDash.

Wailua Shave Ice Portland

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This tiny downtown shop that has food truck roots in Kauai commanded lines when it first opened. These Hawaiian snow cones use finely shaved ice piled into fluff flavored with fresh fruit and all-natural syrups to craft traditionally tropical styles like Da Mango One (mango fruit and juice with condensed milk). The cafe also occasionally serves some special only-in-Portland concoctions, like one using Tea Bar’s Mint Majik (peppermint tea and spirulina). Wailua has implemented pickup procedures, but online pre-ordering is a must.

Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille

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This restaurant just south of downtown near John’s Landing has all the requisite Hawaiian trappings, but its big family-style combos like the Big Kahuna Platter and Karate King’s Feast make it a hit for at-home luaus. The fun-loving restaurant also serves mainstays like shoyu hot dogs with rice and eggs. Curbside pickup is available or use GrubHub, UberEats, or DoorDash for delivery.

Smokin Fire Fish

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This North Portland Hawaiian food outpost features chef Chris Cha’s wide menu of creations: avocado or tempura shrimp musubi with shoyu sauce, furikake garlic fries, and one-, two-, or three-meat plate lunch specials. There’s also seven different poke dishes to choose from, or you can build your own; it comes either Hawaiian style on rice or house style topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, tobiko, tamago, spicy mayo, and shoyu glaze. Order pick-up online via their website.

GrindWitTryz

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This food cart-turned-Alberta destination serves generous portions of Hawaiian classics as well as creative interpretations of quintessential dishes — like “Hawaiian nachos,” wonton chips topped with poke and kalua pig. Plus, the restaurant also offers the occasional Filipino special, such as a recurring halo-halo, which translates to “mix-mix” and describes the frozen dessert’s parfait-like layers. Menu specials are posted on Instagram, so keep an eye out over there; otherwise, a combo plate of ono chicken and garlic shrimp is sure to please.

Ate-Oh-Ate

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Named for the Hawaiian 808 area code, this casual counter-service restaurant with two eastside branches has most of the classics covered, as well as the Aina burger topped with crispy pork belly, spicy mayonnaise, and kimchi relish. Vegans looking for Hawaiian food will find a couple excellent options, from teriyaki grilled tofu (also available “spicy Korean-style”) to curry bowls. Diners can call to make to go orders or by using UberEats, DoorDash, Caviar, or Grubhub for pick-up or delivery; the restaurant is also open for dine-in.

808 Grinds Food Cart – Gigantic Brewery

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The food cart at Gigantic Brewery specializes in plate lunches that include garlic furikake fries and saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup complete with char siu and those jagged-edged pink-and-white swirled fish cakes (kamaboko). Order online for takeout, or order delivery through Uber Eats. For those located west of Portland, the Beaverton cafe has the same menu, and some tables set outside, but all the food is still packaged to-go.

SeaSweets Poke

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Never mind that poke isn’t traditionally served on rice, raw fish makes a fitting star ingredient in the world’s current love affair with build-a-bowl meals. Chef Ian Hung trained under celebrated Hawaiian chef Alan Wong, and the fish is prepared the traditional way, pre-marinated — Hung gets creative with extras like runny-yolked sous-vide eggs and shichimi guacamole. This minimalist, fast-casual spot accepts online orders for pickup or use Postmates, Grubhub, Caviar, DoorDash, or UberEats for delivery. 

Noho's Hawaiian Cafe

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Portland respects its elders: Noho’s is one of the longest-standing Portland Hawaiian restaurants (the now-shuttered Clinton Street location was established in 1994). The menu is more wide-ranging than others, from grilled Korean-cut ribs available in multiple guises (the sweet-hot version is the move) to teriyaki chicken. If the traditional white rice and mac salad feels like too much, Noho’s offers large appetizer portions of most meats a la carte. Online ordering is available for takeout.

Mgwalexs Hawaiian Grill

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No-frills food truck Mgwalexs — inside an old trailer on Northeast Cully — serves bites like spam musubi and potstickers alongside pineapple chicken, two- and three-meat combo plates, burgers and gyros, and stand-out sides like a peppery and flavorful mac salad that’s garnered a cult following. They also import cans of Hawaiian Sun fruit drinks from the islands.

Ohana Hawaiian Cafe

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This casual cafe (with a branch in Milwaukie) has more combo plates than the competition, so it’s easy to sample three classics like teriyaki beef, kalua pork, and wild-caught garlic mahi mahi all at once, even if solo. Ohana also has a large selection of desserts, from an Okinawan purple sweet potato pie on a macadamia crust to a Kauai coffee creme brulee. This is one of the only Hawaiian restaurants in town that serves the island staple poi.

lolani's Plate Lunch

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This Southeast 82nd food cart is serving tasty and satisfying Hawaiian dishes in the plate lunch category, delivering large portions of crowd-pleasers like tender guava chicken, crispy fried mochiko chicken, and juicy pork adobo. On occasion, lolani’s Plate Lunch also makes a mean version of lau lau, little parcels of pork and fish wrapped in steamed ti and luau leaves — it’s available as an add-on to a two-dish combo plate, for particularly hungry visitors.

Lei'd Back Hawaiian Cuisine

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A six-minute drive up 82nd from lolani’s Plate Lunch in a food cart pod on SE 82nd, Lei’d Back is whipping up popular Hawaiian plates inspired by family recipes: huli huli chicken, kalua pork sliders, and chicken katsu — breaded chicken served with a scoop of white rice and mac salad topped with scallions. Also of note: the grilled pineapple skewer, pineapple mango slaw, Spam musubi, and island-style sweet ribs. Order pick-up or delivery on DoorDash.

L & L Hawaiian Barbecue

This Beaverton L&L is the Honolulu-based chain’s only remaining outpost in Oregon, so here’s a chance to try barbecue beef bowls, garlic shrimp, and four types of musubi (Spam, barbecue chicken, chicken katsu, Portuguese sausage) without the wait. Delivery is available via UberEats or Postmates, and L&L offers some seating outside.

Roxy's Island Grill

For a slight step up from L&L, diners can walk a block over to one of three Roxy’s located in an A-frame structure that looks like it could’ve been a former IHOP. The best bets are the garlic fried chicken or shoyu chicken — and even pre-COVID it was recommended to get food to-go due to limited seating. Order online for pickup.

Hapa Howies NW

Northwest Portland food cart Hapa Howie’s serves classic Hawaiian plate lunches, plus comforting dishes like loco moco, Kalua pig smoked with kiawe wood, Spam and eggs, and mac salad, of course. The cart even has a vegetarian-friendly tofu on offer, battered and fried in egg and dressed in sweet garlic or spicy barbecue sauce. Hapa Howie’s offers pickup or delivery through DoorDash.

Wailua Shave Ice Portland

This tiny downtown shop that has food truck roots in Kauai commanded lines when it first opened. These Hawaiian snow cones use finely shaved ice piled into fluff flavored with fresh fruit and all-natural syrups to craft traditionally tropical styles like Da Mango One (mango fruit and juice with condensed milk). The cafe also occasionally serves some special only-in-Portland concoctions, like one using Tea Bar’s Mint Majik (peppermint tea and spirulina). Wailua has implemented pickup procedures, but online pre-ordering is a must.

Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille

This restaurant just south of downtown near John’s Landing has all the requisite Hawaiian trappings, but its big family-style combos like the Big Kahuna Platter and Karate King’s Feast make it a hit for at-home luaus. The fun-loving restaurant also serves mainstays like shoyu hot dogs with rice and eggs. Curbside pickup is available or use GrubHub, UberEats, or DoorDash for delivery.

Smokin Fire Fish

This North Portland Hawaiian food outpost features chef Chris Cha’s wide menu of creations: avocado or tempura shrimp musubi with shoyu sauce, furikake garlic fries, and one-, two-, or three-meat plate lunch specials. There’s also seven different poke dishes to choose from, or you can build your own; it comes either Hawaiian style on rice or house style topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, tobiko, tamago, spicy mayo, and shoyu glaze. Order pick-up online via their website.

GrindWitTryz

This food cart-turned-Alberta destination serves generous portions of Hawaiian classics as well as creative interpretations of quintessential dishes — like “Hawaiian nachos,” wonton chips topped with poke and kalua pig. Plus, the restaurant also offers the occasional Filipino special, such as a recurring halo-halo, which translates to “mix-mix” and describes the frozen dessert’s parfait-like layers. Menu specials are posted on Instagram, so keep an eye out over there; otherwise, a combo plate of ono chicken and garlic shrimp is sure to please.

Ate-Oh-Ate

Named for the Hawaiian 808 area code, this casual counter-service restaurant with two eastside branches has most of the classics covered, as well as the Aina burger topped with crispy pork belly, spicy mayonnaise, and kimchi relish. Vegans looking for Hawaiian food will find a couple excellent options, from teriyaki grilled tofu (also available “spicy Korean-style”) to curry bowls. Diners can call to make to go orders or by using UberEats, DoorDash, Caviar, or Grubhub for pick-up or delivery; the restaurant is also open for dine-in.

808 Grinds Food Cart – Gigantic Brewery

The food cart at Gigantic Brewery specializes in plate lunches that include garlic furikake fries and saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup complete with char siu and those jagged-edged pink-and-white swirled fish cakes (kamaboko). Order online for takeout, or order delivery through Uber Eats. For those located west of Portland, the Beaverton cafe has the same menu, and some tables set outside, but all the food is still packaged to-go.

SeaSweets Poke

Never mind that poke isn’t traditionally served on rice, raw fish makes a fitting star ingredient in the world’s current love affair with build-a-bowl meals. Chef Ian Hung trained under celebrated Hawaiian chef Alan Wong, and the fish is prepared the traditional way, pre-marinated — Hung gets creative with extras like runny-yolked sous-vide eggs and shichimi guacamole. This minimalist, fast-casual spot accepts online orders for pickup or use Postmates, Grubhub, Caviar, DoorDash, or UberEats for delivery. 

Noho's Hawaiian Cafe

Portland respects its elders: Noho’s is one of the longest-standing Portland Hawaiian restaurants (the now-shuttered Clinton Street location was established in 1994). The menu is more wide-ranging than others, from grilled Korean-cut ribs available in multiple guises (the sweet-hot version is the move) to teriyaki chicken. If the traditional white rice and mac salad feels like too much, Noho’s offers large appetizer portions of most meats a la carte. Online ordering is available for takeout.

Mgwalexs Hawaiian Grill

No-frills food truck Mgwalexs — inside an old trailer on Northeast Cully — serves bites like spam musubi and potstickers alongside pineapple chicken, two- and three-meat combo plates, burgers and gyros, and stand-out sides like a peppery and flavorful mac salad that’s garnered a cult following. They also import cans of Hawaiian Sun fruit drinks from the islands.

Ohana Hawaiian Cafe

This casual cafe (with a branch in Milwaukie) has more combo plates than the competition, so it’s easy to sample three classics like teriyaki beef, kalua pork, and wild-caught garlic mahi mahi all at once, even if solo. Ohana also has a large selection of desserts, from an Okinawan purple sweet potato pie on a macadamia crust to a Kauai coffee creme brulee. This is one of the only Hawaiian restaurants in town that serves the island staple poi.

lolani's Plate Lunch

This Southeast 82nd food cart is serving tasty and satisfying Hawaiian dishes in the plate lunch category, delivering large portions of crowd-pleasers like tender guava chicken, crispy fried mochiko chicken, and juicy pork adobo. On occasion, lolani’s Plate Lunch also makes a mean version of lau lau, little parcels of pork and fish wrapped in steamed ti and luau leaves — it’s available as an add-on to a two-dish combo plate, for particularly hungry visitors.

Lei'd Back Hawaiian Cuisine

A six-minute drive up 82nd from lolani’s Plate Lunch in a food cart pod on SE 82nd, Lei’d Back is whipping up popular Hawaiian plates inspired by family recipes: huli huli chicken, kalua pork sliders, and chicken katsu — breaded chicken served with a scoop of white rice and mac salad topped with scallions. Also of note: the grilled pineapple skewer, pineapple mango slaw, Spam musubi, and island-style sweet ribs. Order pick-up or delivery on DoorDash.

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