FAKA'S Island Grill — Restaurant in Santa Ana

Good Faka'n Food!! We enjoyed everything we tried. Katsu sando was really good (ask for a knife, too messy to keep it whole and eat it). The slightly mustardy sauce goes well on the katsu fried chicken and the slaw adds a nice tang without overpowering. We also tried the trio of tacos. For anyone confused (as we were) with the Longanisa taco that says Portuguese sausage in the description, its sort of like a combination of the two, maybe more like chorizo? We could taste a slight sweetness like longanisa but it was meaty like Portuguese sausage, kind of hard to explain but its good. The katsu spam was also good, but our favorite was the porkbelly. If we ordered this again, we'd probably get 2 pork and 1 longanisa. The wonton nachos were really good, but if you don't like spicy, ask for the sauce on the side. Might want to do that anyway because the wonton chips get soggy if you don't eat fast enough, but they're really good! They were out of burger patty so no loco moco 😢 but the katsu plate was legit. The sauce is a bit on the sweet side FYI. We also shared a So'mo fries which were really good as well.

This location is inside the 4th Street Market. There are two city parking garages behind the restaurant which offer the first 2 hours free. Faka's also validates if you ask, that extends your parking to 3 hours. There are tables and chairs (food court style) and a public restroom that's fairly well kept. You can also take your food to go or order via delivery service, whatever works.

For anyone with food allergies, they were very accommodating. I messaged them ahead of time to make sure of what items might contain things I was allergic to and I was easily able to avoid any issues. Thanks, Dave!!

I absolutely recommend you...

I was looking forward to trying this place out.  Only to be disappointed that they don't serve loco moco and pork belly anymore.  Second day in a row for my hunt of a loco moco and struck out.  This place is located in a food hall.  They had at least 10+ dining options here. The person who helped me was super nice and apologetic.  Sadly, at the time I placed my order, the menu wasn't working either.

I ordered:

Kalua pork all rice:  My husband had to settle for this since there was no loco moco.  It was shredded pork and a little dry.  It lacked something.  Maybe if it was a kalua pork with cabbage, it would be juicier and flavorful.

Garlic shrimp w/ chicken katsu:  I was surprised this was a fried shrimp with no shell and was coated in the chili sauce.  The shrimp was a good size as well. Chicken katsu was tasty. It wasn't the standard panko breading. It had flavor that it didn't need the sweet chili sauce.

Crispy spam musubi:  I had looked forward to this, but instead, what was in the bag was furikake fries.  He had assured me everything was there and even highly recommended the crispy spam musubi.  He said it's typically his lunch break snack. Fail.

POG agua fresca: I was surprised this was something they still had on the menu.  It was delightfully tasty and not overly sweet like an agua fresca

Overall, the food was good.   I honestly wouldn't have come here had I known there was no loco moco.  So it was a good experience to try...

Faka's is as traditional as it is pretentiously trendy. Don't get me wrong, the food they serve is absolutely delicious to their targeted demographic I'm sure, but I am never one to be positive just for the sake of positive demeanor itself. Let me delve into why it is I offer this place one star.

To begin my rant I'll state that I cannot stand trendy food, and would not have dined here had I not been treated to it on someone else's dollar. As charming as traditional food may be, the pretentious pricing and presentation of roach coach food has always turned me off. The ambiance can save such food from this opinion, keeping me distracted from the cuisine, but I was failed in that aspect as well.

When it comes to ambiance I try to avoid the look and feel of an obnoxious mall food court, and had I known Faka's is centered in what seems to be an ostentatious, hipsteresque, lounge style food court I would have avoided it at all costs. This isn't to say I don't fit in to such a place, only to say I'd rather pretend I don't and avoid it altogether.

Had it not been for the traditional style of the shrimp, leaving the shell on and deep frying it, I may have had a higher opinion of the whole situation. However, I was left with the "avoid at all costs" verdict. If I'm ever feeling frisky I may return here once more and revise my review, until then I'll try to ignore the...