Pono Hawaiian Grill — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

We spent the day exploring Santa Cruz and stumbled upon Pono Hawaiian Grill—what a great find! Located in a lively part of town, the atmosphere is casual and welcoming, perfect for a laid-back meal after a day at the beach. Parking was a bit quirky with mostly street options, but we lucked out and found a spot just steps away from the entrance. Upon walking in, we noticed that ordering is done at the counter, with payment and tipping upfront before seating yourself. While we were initially expecting a more traditional sit-down restaurant with table service, the system worked smoothly, and the staff was friendly and efficient. Now for the food—wow! Everything we ordered was packed with bold island flavors and generous portions, true to Hawaiian style. The Da Loco Moco was hearty and comforting, with a perfectly cooked egg on top and rich gravy. The Pork Lau Lau was tender and flavorful, wrapped in taro leaves that gave it an earthy, authentic taste. The Traditional Shoyu Poke Bowl was incredibly fresh with just the right amount of seasoning, and the Mahi Mahi Katsu was crispy on the outside and flaky inside—perfectly cooked. The portions were definitely on the larger side, so next time we’d probably order one less dish and share everything family-style. It’s a great spot to experience classic Hawaiian comfort food, and the relaxed vibe made it easy to enjoy our meal without feeling rushed. Overall, Pono Hawaiian Grill gave us a flavorful, satisfying experience that added something special to our Santa Cruz visit. We’ll definitely be back the next time...

Don’t even bother, recommend Hula Island grill instead, they have excellent Hawaiian cuisine and great service.

Food - 1/5 I am adding photos of the “Chinese chicken salad” which came with no cabbage, very little unseasoned meat and when we asked for it they gave us some raw cabbage on the side. Even their own menu mentions “fried cabbage” in the description. Dressing - miserable Fries - dry and lukewarm

Rude service - when we brought up the issue of missing cabbage from Chinese salad, the bartender(male) who came to check got rude saying “that’s the way we do it, you got fried wontons with the salad let me check if that’s on the menu” , then proceeds to say “don’t shout at me” and I was so surprised because I wasn’t even shouting. Unacceptable.

Wait for food - place is half empty on a Saturday night(good reason for it) and the wait for food was 30 minutes + Some people who arrived after us randomly got the same dishes before us. The four people seated infront of us got their dishes 15 minutes apart and all of them ate at different times lol

For the same price point, there are loads of other places you could visit and be a satisfied customer.

Additions to the review: The restaurant’s reply is exactly why you the avoid visiting the place. They kinda prove...

Very disappointed. My husband is Hawaiian and this was a disgrace to Hawaiians. It's more like a McDonalds Hawaiian food place. It's just as bad as L&L.

Cons: *My husband ordered the Da Ali'i ,$22! It was horrible. *The Lau Lau came to us cold because the 2 ditzy blonde waiters were busy on their phones sitting at a table in their aprons chillin and our food sat at window. *original lau lau has a fatty fish on it to help keep the meat soft. His lau lau had no fish in it with the pork. *the customer service is horrible. Like i said they had 2 young waitresses who didnt want to do anything. We asked them to clean our table because it was sticky and she had an attitide about it. They wanted to be on their phone constantly or flirt with the young guys that came in. the lomi salmon that comes with his combo wasnt great, either was the poi and the Haupia. *I ordered the Chicken katsu. Sad to L&L was better. *the chicken katsu wasnt very warm, hard skin, like it had been sitting. *mac salad had no flavor. *no parking *have to stand in door way to order *order drinks SEPARATELY from bar and then wait in a long line for refill because there is 1 bartender.

Pros: *Keiki menu *baby changing station *10 min from boardwalk *dog...