Pahoa Fresh Fish — Restaurant in Hawaii

If I could give zero stars-I would. . I am a retired military veteran. I've had 2 bad experiences in this restaurant with the same middle aged woman behind the counter 7/6/2020. The first time my husband and I experienced her dismissive attitude-she was too busy sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette outside the restaurant to take an order. She barked "We're closing!!" at us. They weren't even close to closing. She could have taken another order.

Today, I decided to call in my order and was told it would be ready in 15 to 20 minutes. I arrived 30 minutes after I placed the order. When I walked in, there was no greeting or acknowledgement of my presence. I stood in front of the counter and still there was no acknowledgement of my presence. I did not want to interrupt her because I was waiting for her to acknowledge me first. I began looking at the soda fridge next to the cash register to allow her time to finish what she was doing. The middle aged lady behind the counter then serviced a regular customer who had just walked in behind me (I gathered because they called each other by name). After the regular customer left, the middle aged lady still did not acknowledge me or ask if I was there to pick up an order. She turned her back on me and started acting busy. I gave her the benefit of the doubt thinking she may need some time to put food in the fryer and then would allow me to pay for my order. Two male customers then walked in after that and she looked OVER my head and waved the first one forward to pick up his food and pay. Then she looked OVER my head again and waved the second one forward and allowed him to pick up his food and pay. She then turned her back on me again and started acting busy. After being rudely dismissed 4 times, I stepped closer to the counter keeping my social distancing of 6 feet) and asked her if she was aware that I was there to pick up an order. You would think any customer inside the store was there for a pick up because there were no tables or chairs because dining in was not an option. She looked at me with a stupid look on her face, feigning surprise and she said "oh. I thought you had ordered already!"lol... Wow... just wow... I then asked her how she managed to overlook me after taking three customers ahead of me and continue to ignore me? I'm not sure if she just didn't like my looks, thought I was a pesky tourist (I am a local) or was just having a bad day and decided she needed to take it out on a female customer she just didn't like the looks of. Regardless of her intentions, I think I was beyond patient and gave her the benefit of the doubt. I hope this middle aged, tired looking, rude person is not the owner of this business. I hope this person is someone that was properly interviewed and given the position to be the face of this business. I hope the owner of this business reads this review and gives this disrespectful, rude, and apparently unconscious to the world person's job to someone who would actually appreciate this business's reputation. Do you know how many hard working people with excellent work ethics and with exemplary interpersonal skills are looking for jobs these days?? My suggestions to this business is to find a new fresh employee who isn't barking at customers and openly discriminating against military veterans who are just trying to order a meal without complications. What a disappointment. I will not recommend your business to anyone...

I am a fish and chip snob. WAY back in my youth I was a backpacker on a budget. I was lucky enough to spend six months in Sydney Australia. As I mentioned I was on a budget, and all I could afford was the all you could eat Chinese restaurant in Bondi Beach, and the fish and chip hole in the wall in Kings Cross. I lived in the Cross, and the fish and chip were cheaper so I had that almost everyday. I lived off of it, I love it, it's in my top 5 favorite dishes in the universe!!! To make my snobbiness even more annoying, I have since earned an associates degree in culinary management, and have obsessed on perfecting this since I left Aus. I have been all over the US, and more, and honestly I have been disappointed much more often than not. So, my review... not beer battered. But that's a lot to ask for, so no a biggie. So my biggest problem is that the tartar sauce sucks!!!! It tastes like there are using miriclewhip, not real mayo. And the same goes for the coleslaw. I feel they need to use a better recipes, and real mayo for both. But at the end of the day they are the best fish and chips in Pahoa, and the freshness of the fish ( the Mahi Mahi is my favorite ) almost make up for slaw, and the tartar sauce. And waffle fries just don't go with fish and...

Phenomenal fish n chips! Broke da mouth! Every time... Best I have had in a long time! Top 5 for sure! They have several fish to choose from; typically 4 different kinds. Mahi Mahi is always my go to favorite! Fish always seems to be fresh, and the mahi mahi has a lot of flavor. Got be local fishers they buy from! I always see their refrigorator packed with what looks like fresh fish. Nice sized pieces of fish that come out crispy, yet juicy; not undercooked, and certainly not dried out from overlooking! And the potato chips are really cherry too! Maybe even better than the fish... nah nah nah... If they can make that a consistent theme, then whenever I think of fish n chips, I'll be thinking of this place! Not really a dine in kind of place, but I don't mind the take out. I usually judge a place based on the quality of their Cole slaw or Mac salad, and even though their Cole slaw is good, I would still come here even if it wasn't... Can't afford to eat out all the time but for the price you get a more than fair amount of fish! Gonna be...