Rutt's Hawaiian Cafe & Catering West LA — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I came across this restaurant online while looking for spots in the Mar Vista area. The fact that it had been featured on the Food Network show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" caught my attention. I initially wanted to check it out for dinner but a relatively early closing time of 8:30pm meant I had to postpone my visit a day and I came for brunch instead.

The restaurant itself is small and unassuming, in an older building. Minimal decor, save for a thatch roofed outside seating area, give it an old school hole in the wall feel. I walked from where I was staying, but some street side parking is available as well.

The menu is fairly comprehensive and features their traditional scrambles (aka the "Royale") as well as omelettes, pancakes, plate lunches/dinners, burgers, and more. Unfortunately I didn't have the time or appetite to try them all but I did try the classic Royale, which is an egg and meat scramble with spring onions and bean sprouts served over rice, with a Hawaiian roll on the side. I opted for the "original" which included Portuguese sausage and Chinese style Char Siu BBQ pork.

I must say that I was quite impressed, especially for the price. Each dish is offered in 3 sizes, small, medium and large. I opted for a medium with extra meat and I must say that was quite an ample portion (and I do tend to eat quite a bit). The meat was fresh and tasty, the onions and bean sprouts add fresh texture, and the rice base gives it a very Hawaiian taste. The unique combination of flavors and textures was very satisfying! Keep in mind that this isn't fine dining, but a simple diner serving classic Hawaiian style dishes - one of the original fusion cuisines, combining influences from all around the world.

Our server was friendly and courteous, and even threw in an extra cup of coffee on the house when we order 2 cups to go after our meal. I do feel like it is hard these days to spend about $10 a person and leave a restaurant truly stuffed and satisfied, but Rutt's proved that it is still in fact possible. Again, nothing fancy, but definitely unique and extremely filling. I can see myself as a regular here, if I lived close by. I will have to come back and try some of their other options in the future. They also offer catering for small and...

This is 1 Rut I'd love to be stuck in. Ok 2 T's, probably makes this place better. Famous for their Hawaiian sweetbread French toast, imagine cinnabon, but instead of frosting, syrup. Mostly the soft airy bread can really be eaten in like 10 bites for a regular size, so don't think this will fill you up. A weekend of partying I ate a Jr. Loco Moco, Jr. Spam & Kalua pork combo and the regular French toast. Juice and water and all under $15.

The loco moco rice was a tad dry, but all my other dishes had what I thought to be the steamy top of the top, but my loco must have been the last scoops. I asked for extra gravy because you can't have too much gravy and white rice. The egg was perfection, perfectly sunny side up. The beef patty could have used a little more seasoning and onions in general, but very good. Mac salad was dense and rich. Spam was meant to be fried like this, and the kalua pork was soft and flavorful, keep it moist with the teriyaki and gravy and egg and you've got a powerful aphrodisiac (scientifically unproven).

Royale, oh mighty king of kings breakfast. Open scrambled omelet of meats and, rice and teriyaki sauce you are the epitome of fuels needed to do Kona. Sorry that's the triathlete in my talking. Don't sleep on the size the Jr and something else should do you right and the King to go along with anything else will probably have you kneeling to a different kind og throne. Sorry to get off topic it's the carne asada fries of Hawaiian breakfast foods, I just wish they had a combo with like a random mix of menu meats. Spam, pork, bacon, chicken, hamburger and teriyaki beef would be amazing even if only a little of each.

Of course when you Hawaiian the lunch plates are key, but I had to save those for another time as I already ate my fill. I'll be back to try more of your vaunted menu.

Unassuming and small, can get packed, so put your name in and sit where a table opens up first, don't' be picky about inside or out. Not great for big groups, OK was pulpy and service was a little slow, but with food this good and prices this low it's still...

The Original Hawaiian Royal w/ Fried Rice - Portugeuse Sausage, Char Sui (Chinese BBQ Pork), Eggs, Fried Rice, Sprouts, Onions / 5⭐! Spam Masubi - spam, rice, sauce, seawood wrap / 5⭐! Hawaiian-style Macaroni Salad / 5⭐!

I am a fan of Hawaiian food partly because it is a wonderfully, eclectic blend of influences from other cuisines and has evolved far enough to have its own distinct culinary identity.

Rutt's Hawaiian Cafe, an LA Hawaiian cafe with a few locations around the SoCal area, fully embraces the food that makes Hawaii special. Their menu includes a large list of island favorites. I was drawn towards the Royale dish, which is something that isn't available at lots of other Hawaiian places.

A Royale is an egg/omelette dish mixed with rice and fillings. I went with their original which includes sausage and char sui and I went for the fried rice version. It was amazing! So much flavor with all the ingredients mixed together. Every bite was magic. It was also insanely filling. I used some of the bbq sauces on the table to add a bit more kick.

I love Hawaiian style macaroni salad as well as spam masubi. Had I known how big the royale was, I'd probably have just ordered that but I was keen to try some other items. No regrets! The spam masubi is always a fun dish to have. It is a nice savory/sweet combo and hit the spot. Their take on the macaroni salad was also excellent.

The restaruant is bright and colorful. I like that a large copy of the menu greets you at the door. There are lots of seats inside and outside on a patio. The servers were friendly and helpful. My server is who convinced me to try the royale. There is a very small parking lot connected to the restaurant but it also looked like there was lots of easy street parking.

If you love Hawaiian cuisine or if you are curious what makes a great Hawaiian dish, give Rutt's a try! They have been open for a long time and have a lot of great food in their friendly,...