iLava Hawaiian Barbecue

Damn, why didn't anyone tell me how good this food was.... look, I finally had iLava Hawaiian Barbecue for delivery and WOW--this food showed up like it had something to prove. Everything arrived hot, fresh, and smelling so good I forgot I was supposed to plate it. Straight out of the container and into my heart. The portions are MASSIVE. Like, "this box feels heavier than my responsibilities" massive. The meat was insanely tender and flavorful, drenched in that smoky, savory goodness that somehow survived the delivery journey perfectly. Not dry. Not sad. Just thriving. Mac salad was still creamy and delicious (delivery mac salad is risky, and this PASSED). Rice was fluffy and plentiful, clearly there to support the star of the show like a loyal sidekick. I fully intended to save some f

My first time having iLava and it was AMAZING! From the ambiance, to the service, to the food itself, all 10/10, would recommend to anyone. They let you customize your combo order, so I had to try their chicken katsu as well as their lau lau, which both exceeded my expectations. And I saved the yummy Mac salad for the end! 😋 to top it off their smoothies are great too. I got the Hawaiian sunset. Come try their food!!

Omg this place is absolutely delicious me and my are truck drivers and we were stuck at our drop spot so we decided to come here for food and when I say we was not disappointed at all man they are very cheap they give you alot of food and they even put cabbage at the bottom of the plate we had so much meat on our plate I wish we woulda brought extra to take with us but we definitely will be returning again when we come back to Oakland

The food was tasty but I was very underwhelmed by the portion size. Based on the reviews, I thought I'd be getting a decent amount of food especially cuz this spot is in the HOOD. But unfortunately, when the nice lady handed me the bag it was light as heck. I was like awwww damn it... very little food. The two scoops of rice were like the equivalent to a proper scoop of rice. Mac salad was tasty but tiny. If this place doesn't skimp it's easy a 5/5 but portion sizes are very small especially in the hood...maybe people are used to restaurants giving so little nowadays..... It was first and probably last time. Despite L&L not being nearly as tasty, offers more food at a cheaper price. This was about $20 after tax n take out "tip".

Hawaiian Barbecue is hard to compare to what's found on the islands, but wow, did iLava Hawaiian Barbecue blow me away. Food was ready for pickup and still hot! We did the family meal: -Galbi short ribs: flavorful with good char, meaty and good rendered fat -Kalua pork: juicy, smoky and not overly salty -Teriyaki chicken: also juicy and hella flavorful -Mac Salad: creamy and well balanced -Crab Ragoon: has good ratio of crab to cream cheese -Garlic Shrimp Plate: brought me back to the North Shore of Oahu with that Kahuku flavor DEF RECOMMENDED! FLAVORS AND PORTIONS ARE WORTH IT