L&L Hawaiian BBQ — Restaurant in Fresno

I recently visited this spot and unfortunately had a pretty disappointing experience — especially considering I have a shellfish allergy and was trying to be extra cautious.

The person who took my order didn't speak English, which normally wouldn’t bother me. But the issue was that I couldn’t get a clear answer to a very important question: Are the fryers for shrimp separate from those used for chicken or beef? It’s a serious health concern for me, not a preference.

After struggling for several minutes to explain what I meant, I was eventually told the shrimp is cooked in a separate fryer. That was reassuring — until I watched them cook my girlfriend’s chicken in the same fryer he had just claimed was only for shrimp. That completely undermined what he told us and put my health at risk.

I ordered beef, which was cooked on a flat-top stove, so that part seemed okay. Later, when an English-speaking worker arrived, I asked him again about the fryers. This time, I was told the truth: shrimp and chicken are cooked in the same fryer. I pointed out that might violate California food safety regulations, and he told me it was fine because they “have a disclaimer.” Then, with a lot of attitude, he told me to “look it up.”

Well, I did.

Under the California Retail Food Code (CalCode), Section 113986, restaurants are required to prevent cross-contamination, especially when it comes to known allergens like shellfish. This law specifically mandates using separate equipment or preparing food in ways that avoid contaminating one food with another. It’s not just about cleanliness — it’s about preventing serious allergic reactions. A disclaimer does not override this responsibility.

The food itself was okay, but the place felt run-down, and the overall customer service — especially around a legitimate health concern — was careless and dismissive.

If you have any kind of food allergy, I’d strongly suggest being cautious here. I definitely won’t...

They get one star and that's just because they make you give a star. Their service is aweful!! They served us undercooked rice, got upset when i complained and asked them to remake the meal. Tried to hand the whole meals back, was told dont worry about it, just keep it, they'll bring me my food when the rice is done.... waited about an hour for rice to be done, then they brought me rice. Nothing but rice. I asked why they didnt remake the whole meal, waiting as long as we had, everything was cold but the rice. They REFUSED to remake the meal, and told the manager would call me about the service... 2 days goes by, no call, so i call them. They tell me to call back, the manager/owner wasnt in... tried for 2 days more until they refused to even answer my call. Took it to facebook, when i finally got a response it was the owner calling me a drug addict saying i was being belligerent with customers and staff... lies. I was pregnant with my 4th baby, we go to L&L because im from Hawaii and crave the food constantly. Even though their food is a sad attempt, its as close as I can get here in the valley... The owner is a disrespectful slanderous liar. When we went, we had a very nice conversation with a customer waiting on rice as well (his food hadnt been prepared yet), I DO NOT USE DRUGS OF ANY KIND and DEFINITELY DIDN'T appreciate his bs comment about me. Used to go there a lot; but after the level of disrespect and trash-talk given to myself and my family during a visit, i will never go back to this establishment!! Horrible!! L&L should close you down for being such an AWEFUL example of the amazingly tasty food made by this...

I just have to say it bothers me greatly to leave such a bad review for a local company. The list of issues are many here. I'm currently typing this from inside the restaurant.

The front of house was my first problem. The man/woman that took my order had long nails with visible dirt under them, I just kinda shrugged this off because I was already here. After heading back I saw that all the tables had something on them, crumbs, stains, liquid etc. Once haven taken my seat towards the back I noticed stained tiles and missing tiles across the floor as well as damaged and visibly wet ceiling tiles. While seated I can here the staff very loudly speaking in what us otherwise an empty location.

Furthermore my food finally arrived. Room temperature rice and Katsu chicken with sauce that is visibly watered down as you can see the seperation. Just plain embarrassing for a place that used to be good.

UPDATE. I was promised it would get better and offered a free revisit. 3 years later And now they are paying for 5 star reviews, people are getting sick from the food, and it's filthier than ever. Shut...