Mahaloha Burger Waikiki — Restaurant in Honolulu

I ended up here on a whim as the place I wanted to eat at, Ezogiku, closed down. I wanted to lay on the floor and cry as I LOVE ramen. But before I could start my tantrum, I noticed Mahaloa Burger, a place I had bookmarked for their Ala Moana Center location. I love burgers too so I was equally as excited. Turns out this is the chain's first location, with their second being in Kailua and third in Ala Moana Center.

ATMOSPHERE: They're located in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center's food court on level two. Seating is all open-air communal.

MENU: Burgers, hot dogs, salads, shakes, smoothies.

FOOD: Mushroom Swiss This was a huge burger for being a single patty and boasted a bargain price to boot. The burgers are made with beef from Hawaii Island and were super juicy and flavorful. There was lots of gooey Swiss cheese along with onions, tomatoes and lettuce, but not too many mushrooms. Simple and satisfying.

French Fries Some may like it but some won't as they're coated with something that keeps them crispy even after they cool down. I saw that they offer tater tots after the fact, darn it.

SERVICE: The gal at the counter was very robotic with no smile or personality. Food delivery took about 5 minutes. They offer packets of mayo but the ketchup and mustard are in pumps though the ramekins have no lids. Hello?! How are we supposed to take it to go?

TIP: Unfortunately there are no combos so everything is ala carte.

OVERALL: Good pricing,...

RECOMMENDATION - I liked the BBQ burger and fries. My son and wife, thought it wasn't worth coming back. (5:30 - Tuesday in May) (3 adults)

VALUE - $60 - 3.5/5 BBQ Bacon Burger - 3.5/5 - I liked it. We ordered two these. My son said he'd give his a 4/5 stars. He said he liked the burger. Didn't like the onion ring inside, it was too hard he said. Avocado swiss - 3/5 - my wife got this. She said it didn't have flavor. Bacon cheese fries - 2/5 - My son got these. Said it tasted good going in, but now he's feeling pretty bad. lol. Fries - 4/5. I liked mine, but the wife and my son didn't like them much.

PORTION SIZE- 4/5 Portions were large. Approprioate.

SERVICE- 4/5 The young woman had one airpod in an ear and talked really quietly. She was very nice, but moved slowly and seemed like she had a hard time hearing us. If I were her manager, I'd say drop the airpod, speak louder and move quicker. :)

ATMOSPHERE - 4/5 It was a fast food place in a food court. As good as that gets, I guess. It was all good. Eating area was clean. Lots of people, but easy to find a place to eat.

Hamburger joint - MY FAVORITE BURGERS: HiHo - Los Angeles Tanner’s Prime - Oceanside - Prime Burger The Stand - Onion Stack Burger In-n-out - Double Single, extra lettuce

My favorite fries Five...

So I heard of this place as one of the “Best” Burgers in Honolulu and as a huge burger person, I was intrigued! Being that this is my first time here in Hawaii, everything here is an experience, even the smallest activities and interactions!

The Burger here GREAT! I loved it, my girlfriend loved it, we really enjoyed our meal. It was juicy, their secret sauce was awesome, the whole burger was very tasty. However, the experience is half the battle, and our experience wasn’t great. It’s almost like it cast a shadow over the food and we couldn’t fully enjoy it.

Our interaction was with an “Ericka D.”, her tone was rude from the start and it seems like every customer that approached her got the same interaction. It almost seemed as if I couldn’t even have time to think about my order, that she needed it immediately so she can continue doing something else other than the job she accepted. As if anything else was better than servicing us or other customers.

I really really enjoyed the burger, but the experience with Ericka ruined it. I leave Hawaii here in a few days, debating on the idea of even coming back...