Set in the heart of Makawao Town, Ohana Island Grindz takes the world back to a simpler time with their home-style meals and endlessly friendly service. Saimin is the star of the show, for sure, but their plate lunches, waffles, and more all promise to delight. Takeout is available, but dining-in lets you feel like a part of the family. Seating is limited, however, so be prepared for a bit of a wait if you want to stick around and enjoy your food onsite.
If you’d like a traditional breakfast plate, you’ll want to come in before 11am. But if you miss the mark, that’s all right because they serve many of their most popular items all day, including Acai Bowls and Belgian Style Waffles. Plate lunches, sandwiches, and salads round out the rest of their daily menu. On Friday and Saturday each week, they stay open well past their normal afternoon closing time to serve the community Hawaiian-style dinners. Lau Lau, Hamburger Steak, and many other delicious items come out of the kitchen all evening long to finish off the week right.
No matter when you come in, the delightful smell of homecooked food will waft your way as soon as you open the front door. Their team gets to work early in the morning to start prepping and slow cooking their kalua pork and other tender meats. Cooking from scratch takes time, after all, and they’re always happy to put in the work so you can enjoy your meal to the fullest. Beyond that, they prepare their banana bread, cinnamon rolls, s’mores brownies, and other baked goods, and then wrap them up tight for grab-and-go goodness.
Their most popular items are:
Loco Moco
When nothing else will do but classic flavors done right, start your day with the Loco Moco. Available before 11am each day, this dish starts with two housemade burger patties put over two scoops of rice. Over that, you get two over-easy eggs before it all gets smothered in flavorful gravy.
Birthday Cake Waffle
If you prefer to start your day off with a true celebration, treat yourself to the Birthday Cake Waffle. To create this Belgian-style waffle, the chef first prepares the bright and colorful birthday cake sprinkle batter. Once the waffles come out of the iron, they get a hearty topping of whipped cream and even more sprinkles.
‘Ohana Saimin
Served all day, the ‘Ohana Saimin brings people in from far and wide, and for good reason. This dish features traditional ramen noodles set in a rich broth. After that, the chef elevates the flavors even more by piling on the egg, char siu, spam, fishcake, and green onions.
Smoky Seasoned Beef Brisket
The Smoky Seasoned Beef Brisket plate lunch is a great choice whenever you want beefy deliciousness. The team starts this dish well before opening by slow cooking Maui Cattle Company beef brisket. Once it’s super tender and juicy, they slice up the brisket and put it alongside white rice and either potato mac salad or a green salad.
In addition to delighting the crowds with home-cooked flavors, this diner serves as an ice cream shop. Using locally made ice cream, they happily create single-scoop bowls and cones, sundaes, and floats galore. If you’d like to go even bigger, their Ice Cream Nachos are the way to go. With that selection, you get two scoops of ice cream covered in ice cream cone pieces and whatever toppings you want.
Insider Tips:
– If you’ll need snacks for the road, ask about their baked goods at the end of your visit.
– They do not have a dedicated parking lot, so plan to find street parking.
– When you’re in a hurry to get your food and go, call in your order well before arriving.