Hawaiian Drive Inn — Restaurant in San Francisco

Hawaiian Drive Inn #28 , is my weekly lunch indulgence ( Trade Joe Salads the other 4 days normally). But once a week is about right to keep my craving for a meat heavy meal sated. The plates come with Rice, and Macaroni Salad with the regular plates getting 2 scoops of Rice, and the minis a single scoop. (The Macaroni Salad is warm, simple and yet very tasty) Meats are cooked on a grill, and are tender and well marinated, and the Panko covered Chicken that will go into the deep fryer is pounded flat, and is oh so good. My favorites are the Chicken Katsu, and Teriyaki Steak but they also have Korean Style Ribs, Chops, and Fish.

One of the more popular offerings seems to be the Musubi that can be made with things like Spam, and Portuguese Sausage (This is sort of like Sushi but at the same time its not).

The couple that mans the front are efficient, and somewhat friendly and during the weekday it is not hard to find parking.

Prices are reasonable, and you can expect the following. Regular size plates run about $7 - $8 Mini size plates cost about $5 Musubi is $1.80 per piece but a few of them easily make a filling meal. Sandwiches / Burgers if that is your speed are less then $3

Parking is easy but it is metered, and patrolled so bring some dimes and nickles. Food cooks fast but if you might want to call ahead, and place your order so it is ready for pickup. Balboa High School is only 2 short blocks away so expect to see the kids, and some of the teachers here during school days getting...

2025 update. Hawaiian Drive Inn still serves up a lot, and I mean a lot of food. There is enough food for two light meals. This evening, I got their fried fish $12.50 and a loco moco $13. There's an option to go with all macaroni salad instead of rice. The gravy mixed with the hamburger patty with a fried egg tasted great. There's something special with that combo. Although, maybe I should have gotten a single scoop of rice instead of all mac salad. As for the fried fish, that tasted OK. It needed more tarter sauce than the single cup. Service was fine. It took about 10 minutes for my food to be ready as there were a few people in front of me. There still isn't anywhere to sit. The dining area is closed. Take-out only.

Original review: There's an obscene amount of chicken in their chicken katsu plate $10.50. They double stacked it in the container. This dish tasted OK. It needed the katsu sauce for it to taste OK. The little cheeseburger $3.50 was disappointing. It was missing regular cheese burger ingredients like lettuce, tomato and onions. This hole in the wall restaurant didn't have seating due to Covid, so to-go only. Waiting for your food on the street can be chilly so bring a windbreaker. Good job staff at...

It is a small Hawaiian food joint in the Outer Mission with not many amenities. Having said that, their Hawaiian BBQ Cheeseburgers are so good, that I usually order one when I am in the area. I ordered the combo, which comes with fries, which were nothing notable, and a drink, which has included those Hawaiian fruit drinks, and the first time I ate here, I had the passionfruit drink. Since then, I have come here several times, only to order their BBQ cheeseburger, which they make to order. Their storefront looks like they have probably been there for decades. Their overall menu is typical Hawaiian food, however I have tried very little of it, as I am stuck on their BBQ Cheeseburger, considering there are few places I know of that makes a memorable...