Big Kahuna Hawaiian BBQ-Clays Mill Rd — Restaurant in Lexington

Family of four (2 adults, 10 year old, 14 month old) Food was not horrible, but bad enough that myself, 10 year, and 14 month old did not want to eat a second bite. Was “fine” but just poor flavor, weird consistency, or just did not like it. My husband on the other hand, did semi finish his food, but still said it wasn’t the greatest and wouldn’t search it out. What really drops it to a lower rating is the service. Not necessarily directed to us, but one gentleman that took our order and moved off to the side. Shortly after we paid/sat down, the employee started to deshell/Devein shrimp for himself to eat at the pick up counter. He was eating with his fingers, wiping his hands on himself/napkin to turn around and handle the food for takeout/dine in. One other customer even pointed out that he probably shouldn’t be doing it and did go to the back somewhere to eat. But it made me uncomfortable that he felt okay enough to eat like that to then turn around to handle food, what was he doing in the back that we couldn’t see. Not necessarily bad, but same said employee and the cook staff kept saying Alexis over and over. Nothing wrong with it, but just slightly annoying to hear. All in all, we were excited to try some Hawaiian food, as we are from Bedford, IN and don’t have anything like this around us, but we won’t be coming back and if we see more Big Kahuna we most likely won’t...

I’d been eagerly waiting for Big Kahuna to open this new location, and let me tell you—it absolutely lives up to the hype! Being from LA, where we have some incredible Hawaiian food, my expectations were high, and this spot did not disappoint.

From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel right at home—so warm and welcoming, like visiting old friends. The food? Absolutely incredible. We came as a group and shared several dishes, and every single one was fresh, flavorful, and made to order. The Pork Katsu was crispy and juicy, the Spam Musubi had just the right balance of flavors and textures, and the Mac Salad? Perfection. It reminded me of my favorite spots back in LA, creamy and well-seasoned. Even the tofu dish, which I wouldn’t normally go for, was amazing! And of course, the sticky rice was cooked just right—something so simple but so important.

I already can’t wait to come back and work my way through the rest of the menu. If you haven’t been...

If you have been to the one downtown you already know what the food is like. This is a new location and definitely easier to park and visit. The environment is similar with some additional murals of Pulp Fiction on the wall and a cool surfboard mounted in the corner. Nothing wrong with the layout but the downtown location definitely beats it with a unique and different feel but the parking hands down is better at this location. While the crew is friendly enough the service is pretty simple. You stand in line, order your food, and you get called up to grab it yourself when it's ready hence the average rating. The food however is definitely the highlight. Limited menu but the team is good at preparing it. I have had both the burgers and the teriyaki chicken platters between two different visits and both tasted great! Very excited about having this new location on this side...