Jackie's Diner — Restaurant in Oʻahu

Jackie's was my go to place for Hawaiian food up until today's visit. My husband and I came in late afternoon around 4pm. We were seated in the booth directly across the cash register. When I seen the first sign of unsanitary food preparation I should have walked out. They were cutting the tomatoes for the Lomi Salmon and mixing it in the same sink they wash the dishes in. The sink that was used was directly behind the cash register to the right. Straight up NASTY. My husband and I continued to stay. Than during our meal I had to use the restroom. There is nothing sanitary about this restaurant. To wash your hands you are literally washing it with a bar of soap use by everyone and the roaches in this place. Second sign of unsanitary conditions. NASTY. Lastly we were finished with our food I was so upset at what I had witnessed to this point. I look to the food prep area where they keep the warm food to serve. A roach was going in and out of the food compartments. It went almost in to every area that food was stored. It crawled on the rice spoon on to another spoon and right in to the butter bucket. I had to take photos at this point and even a video. As long as I live I will never come back to this restaurant to eat. I will notify the department of health along with this photos and video and a copy of this review which I will be posting across a social platforms. Jackies once was a go to place for Hawaiian/ Puerto Rican food. Now it's a place of discuss and unsanitary food...

Here we go, going on Google maps and filtering restaurants nearby with the highest ratings. We found this spot. In the hood it seemed but hey we love hole in the wall, mom and pop spots to eat at. They've been open for 25 years and had really good reviews. The strip is FULL of restaurant options to choose from. We weren't sure about the menu and decided to go with whatever combos they had. When the food arrived it didn't look appetizing. Reminded me of cafeteria food portrayed in movies lol womp womp womp. Boy we are some adventurous eaters. We went with the poi, which is taro like mashed potatoes is what I assumed from our waiters description. Nooo! It was watery, slimy, bland, and not very yummy taro. The pork was just like pulled pork, would have tasted better in a taro bun. It was a disappointing visit but happy to try different things. Everyone got different tastebuds and I think this spot is better for locals than tourists like myself. It requires an acquired taste I believe. For example, we grew up on dried squid and homemade green soy milk but not everyone thinks those things are delicious like we do. Acquired taste. Beef stew was good and the meat in that leaf (reminded me of a Mediterranean...

Jackie's Diner is a hidden gem in Aiea. The food is delicious and the service is excellent.

[FOOD] I had the LAU LAU & STEW PLATE opting for the tripe stew with poi. While the tripe stew was okay the LAU LAU was excellent. The leaves in the lau lau was really moist and had a great flavor, same thing with the meat inside though I wish the fat was little bit bigger. The POl had a nice middle ground between being sweet and sour, suffice it to say there was nothing left when I was done. That being said the food was so good that I will definitely come back and eat it again and again.

[SERVICE] The service was excellent. I asked if the poi was sour but she wasn't sure so she disappeared for a second and returned with a spoon of it so I could judge it for myself which I really appreciated. Throughout the meal she would come back several times to see if everything was alright.

[RECOMMENDATIONS] I highly recommend the COMBINATION PLATE, which comes with lau lau, kalua pork, chicken long rice, lomi salmon and your choice of rice or poi along with haupia for dessert.

Overall a great experience at Jackie's Diner. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great...