TEX 808 BBQ + Brews Moanalua — Restaurant in Honolulu

Wasn’t sure what to expect, as I heard mixed reviews from coworkers, but having eaten BBQ all over the US, I think 808 is pretty solid mid-tier. Honestly, all BBQ meat is expensive and it’s HI so I won’t factor in the cost as much, but rating it by service and food quality alone, I wasn’t disappointed.

The single meat plate was a lot of food, and came with like 50% more brisket than I was anticipating. The meat was well cooked, super tender, and there was very little fat to trim off. Was the flavor of the meat by itself among the best I’ve had? No. But it’s pretty difficult to find brisket at that level. So the provided barbecue sauce was necessary. I opted for the “sweet” sauce which was slightly sweet, tangy, smokey with a little spice. Different than what I was expecting, and I liked it, but only one cup was provided. It wasn’t enough for the quantity of meat. Nbd, I will just ask for 2 cups of sauce next time; 2 should be the norm, or they should go to a larger size of sauce cup imo.

For the two sides, I ordered mac & cheese and potato salad. Also wanted to try the “nana puddin” for dessert. The mac and cheese was creamy and reminded me of chick fil a’s a little bit, but could have used a little more of that cheesy bite/sharpness in the aftertaste. The potato salad was the drier type I prefer with onions, but despite how good it looked, the flavor was pretty weak. It definitely needed a little salt and some dill or some other herb, because it just tasted like plain potato chunks, although the texture was perfect. The banana pudding met expectations, was a little sweeter and runnier than I expected, but kind of expensive for the quantity provided.

As for service, they finished up a large order from the customers in front of me pretty fast given the number of plates. My order then was assembled in a couple minutes. They were pretty friendly too and it was a welcoming atmosphere in there. I can’t say the same for Timmy T’s next door. Overall, I was happy with my experience at Tex 808 and intend to go back to try a couple more items (esp other sides) when I get another...

Was picking up an order for my husband who couldn't get off the ship. My husband is having some technical issues with providing a verification screenshot with his name on the order he placed in Uber Eats. I get that there are some issues with instances of stealing orders that need verification. This big white guy with a beard, one of the crew by the cashier, didn’t get his name as he was yelling at me and making gestures of sort of accusations of being a fraud customer for picking up an order that my husband put in AND I provided a screenshot of my husband’s name with their restaurant name telling his order is ready. Now, I don’t do much of reviews but damn this man should know how to handle things like this without making a scene. At least give some ground compassion and respect to your customers since you are in the field of providing customer services as well. I even politely approach you, SIR, all else while you are doubting my inquiries. You got a bad day? Don’t try to spread it out to other people knowing you are in the business of food and customer services. HIGHLY DON’T RECOMMEND. NEVER GOING NOR BUYING TO THIS RESTAURANT AGAIN. Even if the food MIGHT TASTE great. And even I’m a small business supporter. Customer service still gives a bit of a pointer on how you do business. -0 /-star if only there is an option. If you are the owner of this restaurant, start making better choices man on how to deal with customer service. Everything can be done gently and professionally, no need to yell out in the restaurant. Bad...

So my son suggested this place for great BBQ and since we're from Texas I wanted to see if they had what it takes to carry the Texas name. I ordered the 2 meat plate cause being not only a BBQ connoisseur, I also have many years smoking briskets and ribs myself. The pork ribs were pretty good, not amazing but were good enough. The potato salad was actually very good as well. Where it went downhill was the brisket, although it had potential, the smoke and flavor profile didn't really meet Texas standards but would have been average but the biggest thing I noticed was how the cutter sliced the pieces. When I told them I wanted brisket, I told them to cut the slices on the point which is the more marbled part but when you slice the point area, the brisket needs to be turned 90 degrees so you slice against the grain, my slices were with the grain which made it tough when it didn't have to be. I wanted to mention this to the employees so they would learn how to properly slice brisket depending on which portion you are cutting whether it be the flat or point but my wife said leave it alone. So I wanted to let the owner know with this review that your cutter needs to be properly taught how to slice brisket depending on which portion is being sliced. Holding Texas in your name is important to carry tradition, I hope this constructive criticism will help with slice training...