Ohana Kitchen — Restaurant in Exeter

As a Native Hawaiian living on the mainland for 7 years, I was so excited when Ohana Kitchen first opened in Portsmouth. I’ve been trying their poke bowls and other items over the years, hoping for improvement, but unfortunately, they continue to disappoint. The bowls have become more and more expensive—now around $23-$24 for a single bowl—but they lack the traditional mana of a Hawaiian poke bowl. We spend an average of $60 per visit here for 2 people.

It’s especially confusing because the owners mention they were former residents of Maui, so they should know what authentic poke bowls are like. If they’ve spent any time on the island, they’d know the local spots like Foodland and Tamura’s, where poke bowls are simple, fresh, and filled with fish—not overwhelmed with unnecessary extras. I don’t understand why Ohana Kitchen’s menu and DIY bowls push for so much fluff, and why it’s difficult to get a proper amount of fish without paying extra. Even when you do, the portion is still lacking. As someone from Hawaiʻi, it’s disheartening to see this ‘āina being represented in such a way.

They force you to customize your bowl if you want a tradition bowl, but the amount of fish provided is barely enough for a true poke experience. I often have to order 3-4 times the protein just to get a decent amount of fish; otherwise, the bowl is filled with rice and unnecessary extras. I understand fish is expensive on the mainland, but if you’re charging this much, the fish should be the star, not an afterthought.

In Hawaiʻi, we get massive poke bowls for $10-$14 max, despite the higher cost of living and wages, and it’s frustrating to pay more for less here. It feels like pulling teeth to get enough fish, even when paying for extras.

While I appreciate that they attempt to include Hawaiian staples like musubi, it doesn’t have the pono it needs. In my ʻohana, we make our own poke bowls, katsu, and musubi with more aloha and authenticity. If we can do it at home, what’s missing here? It’s not surprising since the owners aren’t Hawaiian, and they seem to have started this business simply after visiting Hawaiʻi. I would love to see them consult with actual Native Hawaiians on their recipes because, while I understand they are catering to mainland clientele, it feels like they’re using Hawaiian culture for profit.

Every time my husband and I eat here, we always joke that we could open our own spot and easily outshine every so-called “Hawaiian” restaurant around here. Lucky for you, we’ll be moving back home to Maui soon! None of these haole-owned places are doing the food the justice it deserves. If you’re going to embrace and profit off someone else’s culture, then show it the kuleana and respect it...

Love the food. Zero complaints there. Unfortunately, several times that we’ve ordered our portion sizes are never consistent. Sometimes they’re so full a rubber band has to keep it intact other times the bowl is barely filled to the line. Ordered extra chicken, weighed the chicken we were given (to make sure I wasn’t making an issue of nothing), and it was barely 3 ounces. For what’s charged, which is almost 20$, just expect a little more bang for my buck. Also, our kids bowl was spicier than the regular poke bowls. Not sure if that is intentional, but our daughter did not like it at all. We called to give feedback, and were told the chicken is portioned with a scoop and unlikely a mistake. It had the same portion size as the kids bowl, that had 1 chicken portion, ours had extra. To reiterate, whatever you do, make it consistent so your customers know what to expect. Unfortunately we won’t be ordering...

Best to go here during peak hours ..lunch time 12-1:30 or dinner time, not in between. Get delivery? Sadly it is not the place to sit while you're working, studying, meeting a friend for lunch unless your under 30...Apparently when it's not busy the music goes up for the kids in the kitchen. I mentioned how loud it was to the girl taking my order, she giggled a few times but nothing changed..I also mentioned this to the male who brought me my change after I ordered. I understand there version of loud music is completely different which is why it's not welcoming ...not about the customer unless its busy?

For the price this was disappointing. Apparently rhe kids behind the counter have no clue or interest in accomadating who's there once...