Homestyle Hawaiian is a tiny little place near Mesa College serving up some grand Hawaiian food. It’s not in the strip mall where K Sandwiches is, but in another strip mall behind that one. The first time Jake and I went here we passed it a few times before we actually found it. It’s totally tucked away in the corner and there don’t seem to really be any other businesses operating on that side. But, this tiny little joint does put out some tasty food.
I originally came here with a Groupon and then forgot to do a post about the food there. Since my hard drive crash, I lost a lot of data (*silent weeping*) and no longer have those photos to share. But I do remember that Jake and I both got lemonades and some of the Kalua Pig. The Kalua Pig is very tender and moist from what I remember.
On our next visit, we had yet another Groupon and Jake, S. and I shared a couple of plate lunches and some more of their fine lemonade.
[Peach Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade]
These are big 32oz suckers. They’re made by hand right when you order them. They squeeze the lemons fresh and then add the flavoring and some kind of sugar syrup and mix the drink up in a big container they just shake, shake and shake some more.
Jake got the peach and I got the strawberry. Mine was a little too sweet this time (versus the last time we had it) but it was still delicious. I like it to have a little more tartness, just so you know you’re actually drinking lemonade. I love that they put the lemon rinds into your drink as well.
[Lava Chicken plate – $7]
Jake ordered the Lava Chicken plate, which comes with a scoop of macaroni salad and a scoop of rice (you can also get a little salad of greens if you don’t want one of those). The lava chicken is the katsu but with a “lava” sauce on it, a spicy sauce that’s tossed over the chicken katsu.
I didn’t think it was particularly spicy, but I loved the sauce and their katsu. It’s super crispy and the chicken is nice and juicy on the inside. The coating is light and very crunchy and the “lava” sauce gives it a wonderful spicy-sweet flavor that I really enjoyed.
I actually enjoyed it so much that I asked Jake (with a slightly puppy dog look) if we could trade dishes. Turns out I didn’t need to use any puppy dog tactics since he liked my dish more than his. Score.
[Teriyaki Beef Plate – $7]
Can I say first that I don’t like this photo? Serves me right for taking a photo in direct sunlight.
That washed out part on the left is rice and macaroni salad, yet again.
The teriyaki beef is grilled up and served with (guess what) teriyaki sauce. The beef is a bit chewy, but the overall sauce is quite tasty. I couldn’t tell you why I didn’t enjoy this one as much, simply put, I adore crunchy things more than grilled things. Jake loved the flavor on this beef and was quite happy to switch plates with me.
His son, S., also preferred the beef to the chicken, so I got to have most of the lava chicken we had given him. Like father, like son.
[Peanut Butter frozen yogurt – child size – $2.45 / 1 topping – $0.45]
After lunch, we drove around the block, back over to the “K Sandwiches” side of the street to drop in and get some dessert at Rockie’s Frozen Yogurt.
Jake and I had done the exact same thing as last time, except this time we knew what to except.
We shared a small, kid’s size peanut butter frozen yogurt. Since I was slow, we got a topping of Reese’s in a cup. The frozen yogurt is nice and creamy. The peanut butter flavor isn’t overly strong, but you know you’re eating peanut butter flavor. Usually they would put the topping in the bottom, but since I decided afterwards, they put it on the side for us. It was kind of nice to dip your spoon in every once in awhile.
I still can’t believe that this is a *small*. Jake and I couldn’t even finish it between the two of us.
We got S. his own cup and he bet us a quarter he could finish the whole thing.
He did. Jake gave him a quarter and he spent it immediately in one of the candy/toy machines inside the shop.
I think he got a bouncy ball.
All in all, a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon lunch and dessert!
Homestyle Hawaiian
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111-5000
(858) 571-LUAU
Rockie’s Frozen Yogurt
7612 Linda Vista Road Suite 114
Linda Vista, CA 92111
(858) 268-0991
I bought the same Groupon! The portions are huge at Homestyle Hawaiian and we couldn’t finish our separate plates. I need to go back and try their lemonade.
Hi Darlene – The lemonade is pretty tasty – they have a good variety of flavors but I keep going for the strawberry. They do have good sized portions. We didn’t have leftovers this time since there were three of us, so it was the perfect amount!
I like the Lava Chicken but I always get the Korean Chicken when I’m here. I’ll have to try the strawberry lemonade next time.
I’ve only been here a few times so I haven’t had the Korean Chicken yet. There’s still a bunch of things left to try!
Peanut Butter frozen yogurt I love it. The picture looks so tasty.
I LOVE home style Hawaiian! It is right down the street from my house! I first tried it at my friends moms birthday party where they had it catered, absolutely delicious 🙂 and you can never go wrong with Rocky’s! Their serving portion is ridiculous, we love it 🙂 im really glad I found your blog, I love seeing your posts about the restaurants around me! I’m a huge foodie so this blog is a great find for me 🙂
Hi Caroline! Homestyle Hawaiian is really good. Which reminds me now that we haven’t been in awhile! I do love that lava chicken… Rocky’s is crazy with their portion sizes but it’s a lot of fun! I can’t imagine anyone getting a large… holy cow. I’m glad you found the blog, too. Thanks so much for your comments, I appreciate them! 🙂