The Hibachi — Restaurant in Oʻahu

I don't come out to the Windward side often enough...so I tend to forget the offerings on this side of the island...and how beautiful it can be. Parking is also usually more challenging in most places. Good thing The Hibachi has its own lot in the back. I think they have another location in town as well. This place is more of a Hybrid; liquor store / Restaurant. There is some outdoor seating available, lots of liquor and local snacks available to purchase. The staff is friendly and helpful. They have some of the best Poké bowls on the island. The flavors and offerings are very unique and I haven't seen similar dishes elsewhere.

They sell Poké by the pound, and allow you to mix it in one bowl. They were nice enough to let us pick three types of Poké. The young gent helping us said any more than three gets tricky in a bowl and we're probably better off getting additional Poké separately. He let us try a few samples as well.

~ Custom mixed Poké Bowl: Spicy Scallops - 5/5 Perfectly done. I find ti harder to come across a good Scallops Poké these days...let alone one that is this tasty.

Special ( Black Pepper?) 5/5 Amazing. Haven't tasted anything like this before. That pepper flavor was brilliant! Nice little kick to it without being overwhelming. I could clearly identify the pepper...most definitely not other spices or chilies. So unique!

Citrus Ponzu - 4/5 This one was the weakest of the three we tried. I actually think it would have been good if we didn't try other two flavors before. The Citrus Ponzu flavor wasn't as strong as we liked.

We really wanted to try the Thai Basil, but alas they ran out. Oh NO! We'll just need to...

I went back to Hibachi after the pandemic and the poke has drastically declined. I remember their poke was so good before. I asked if the poke was fresh, and they said yes. I got their most popular choice poke spicy tobiko and regular ahi and added sauce to it. The fish looked old and tasted old. The color looks pink like the quality you get from previously frozen kind from safeway. The smell was off too. You can tell the fish wasn't fresh because the color looked like old fish that sat in the back of the fridge for days. I eat a lot of poke in town and been to high end sushi spots so i know what fresh ahi taste like and this wasn't it. I was pretty disappointed. The shape and sizes were all irregular and uneven and some chunks were way larger than some. The ponzu sauce didn't taste good at all, too sour no flavor. The meal was so underwhelming $18 for 2 choices. By the time i ate half, i couldn't finish it. My first time tossing poke away due to quality :( For the price point, i was disappointed and probably would not come back. Sorry Hibachi, this is my...

Little tucked away local poké spot over in Kailua. Set up more like a convenience store, this little shop has some of the most unique poké you can get on Oahu. My personal favorite is the Thai chili and basil. They have a lot of variety in not just flavor but proteins as well. Scallop, octopus, and a variety of fish are available here for poké bowls. They also have land based proteins such as lamb and beef. The side are intriguing as well with a bit of a Korean bias to them. You simply order a size and select the poké you want then what size. Price is determined by weight. Speaking of price, it comparable to most poké shops on the island. They have a selection os drinks, to include alcohol, to grab along with your food. Overall, a solid poké shop, one to swing by when over on the windward side...