L&L Hawaiian Barbecue — Restaurant in Castro Valley

This is our first time to dine at this Castro Valley, California branch. Truthfully, hubby & I had better experiences whenever we dined at the L & L Hawaiian Barbecue along Hesperian Ave in Hayward near Kaiser Sleepy Hollow. Tonight, hubby ordered the seafood platter (fish filet, breaded shrimp) with BBQ beef, while I ordered the garlic shrimp platter. Both platters come with a couple of rice scoops + a scoop of their signature macaroni salad. Pluses of this CV branch: speedy service, very reasonably priced items, above-average servings so that you get more than what you paid for, bold & delicious flavors, especially of the BBQ beef (per hubby), & it's a relatively quiet space. Minuses: my garlic shrimp was too salty for my taste, the staff could be a bit more friendly, & the decor/lighting could use some "flashy" update so that this branch could be more suitable for lingering, hanging out, & conversation. Overall impact: needs...

When I first moved here... they were a solid four stars. Shortly thereafter, they dropped to three. Today they've finally hit two stars.

Their customer service is atrocious. Any day now I expect them to answer the phone like "L&L What?". Also, don't expect any help trying to figure out what the name of something you want off of their menu. If you ask them a question like; "What's the name of the soups you have?" They answer back with "You tell me what soup."

When you go in to pick up your order... The young folks behind the counter are barely able to put their cell phones down long enough to take your money and mutter out a "thank you" before going right back to their cell phones (this includes the cook).

The quality of their food has slipped as well. the chicken is now really greasy. In addition, they charge extra now if you want brown rice instead of white. Very sad this place had a...

This L&L is small but there are a few tables to sit and dine in. At first it looks like it’s just a take out spot but when you go in you’ll see the tables. There’s a private parking lot which is always a plus in my book. They have a restroom also a plus!

We came when it first opened so there wasn’t a line. But they did have a few people picking up orders to go. We ordered BBQ chicken and rice, and Spam, eggs, and rice. It’s nothing special since we’ve been to a bunch of L&L’s but I am happy that they are consistent with the food.

They give a good amount for one person. But the Spam, eggs, rice was overloaded with rice. It was two scoops of rice then they put the spam on a bed of rice. So that’s a lot! But it’s all good!

The lady always thank us for purchase but she never smiled. Anyway, that’s is all I can say...