Shaka Hawaiian BBQ — Restaurant in The Colony

Just went to Shaka Hawaiian BBQ and it has taken over the top spot for me for Hawaiian BBQ in the DFW area for me. I have been to only two other places here in DFW that I would consider true Hawaiian BBQ, and Shaka is doing it right. I got the Blue Plate Chicken Combo and it was amazing. There were two scoops of steamed rice, one scoop of mac salad, grilled cabbage, a huge piece of teriyaki grilled chicken and another piece of katsu chicken.

My number one test of true Hawaiian BBQ is the mac salad, and it definitely passed the test. The teriyaki chicken was very flavorful and they had taken the time to get the fat off of the chicken so it was very lean but moist and full of flavor. The seasonings were right on the mark. So many Hawaiian BBQ places have really greasy chicken, but Shaka has taken care of this by paying attention to their preparation.

The Katsu chicken was also cooked perfectly and had a very crispy coating to the chicken that stood up well to the sauce. Between the two types of chicken, the portion size will actually feed me for two meals which is not a bad thing and just means I get to have double the pleasure.

On a service counter near the soda machine, they have small containers of extra teriyaki sauce and a large container of Katsu sauce that you can serve yourself from. Both sauces tasted great and were just the right consistency for the sauce.

When we visited they had only been open for four days. We were there early for the dinner rush and were happy to see that the number of customers coming into the restaurant just continued to grow as we approached the dinner hour. Use the address for the business and then go to the west side of the building where they are located. This location allows them to have a drive through on the backside of the restaurant.

You could also tell that this was a family making their dream of creating a business come true. I hope that everyone will get to try Shaka Hawaiian BBQ and become a fan because we need to keep great quality locally owned restaurants like this going...

Let me preface my review by stating that I am not usually a fan of mainland-based Hawaiian style restaurants. This is probably due to the fact that I basically lived there for a number of years, back when my adopted dad and his wife owned and operated an exotic flower growing operation there. Anyway, there were so many great little roadside stands, food trucks, and traditional brick and mortar (Mom and Pop) joints to choose from that I quickly became enamored with Hawaiian style cuisine.

Over the years, I've traveled all around the lower 48 states, that makeup the US mainland, and have ran across numerous so-called "Hawaiian" restaurants. And only a handful of them were decent places to eat. So, when I stumbled across Shaka Hawaiian BBQ, I was understandably skeptical. But, since I love good Hawaiian food, I went ahead and grabbed some takeout. And, surprisingly, their food was great! I've eaten there several times since, including having their food delivered via Postmates, and it has been delicious each and every time. Their combo plates allow you to get multiple meat dishes and come with veggies, two scoops of rice, and a scoop of their fabulous macaroni salad. But, unlike many places, they will allow you to switch up your sides without charging you an extra fee. So, when you look at my photographs, you will see my plates have two scoops of macaroni salad and one scoop of rice. So far, I've had their Loco Moco and combo plates that have included grilled barbecued Hawaiian style chicken, barbecue beef, chicken katsu (crispy breaded chicken fillet), shrimp, fried white fish, teriyaki chicken, and kalua pork (slow-roasted shredded/pulled pork). Shaka's grilled meats are succulent and their fried offerings are crispy on the outside and tinder and juicy on the inside. For some reason, the photographs of their bbq beef looks really dark but, in reality, it too was perfectly cooked...

I’ve had a so so experience with the Hawaiian chain restaurant in the area and happy to have found Shaka. So far one of the best Hawaiian restaurants I’ve tried outside of Hawaii.

Let’s start with the very friendly service. The person at the register had the vibe from the island.

One of my favorite Hawaiian dishes is loco moco. This one hit all the marks. Al dente rice topped with a super tender/moist hamburger party, smothered with savory gravy and topped with two sunny side up fried egg. It was perfect. The gravy was rich and umami and the fried eggs had this crispy rim adding texture and flavor from the maillard reaction. The macaroni salad was very good too… garlicky and not too heavy on the mayo.

Next is the kalbi ribs, while they are not the famous Helena’s type of papikaula short ribs, these are fresh short ribs with a sweet and savory marinate and charred in the grill. Very tasty too.

Finally, kudos for keeping the soda machine clean. The water didn’t taste like bleach but good soft water.

Overall the meal was great, service was super friendly and great value based on the price and portions...