Aloha Hawaiian BBQ

A few months ago we were driving down Princess Anne Road and happened to notice this small Hawaiian restaurant. We decided we definitely had to try it at some point.



About a month ago I was in the same area alone and stopped in. I ordered their Kalua Pork plate lunch. What better bellweather for Hawaiian food quality than this classic dish? While it was delicious, it was not that classic, salty and smoky Hawaiian flavor I love. It was actually almost sweet, like some marinated and shredded pork rather than the traditional imu cooked version. What a disappointment.



This week, while the boys went off to do - well, whatever it is boys do, the girls asked to try this place for lunch. So, we went to give it another try. I decided to try their mixed plate, which includes teri beef, teri chicken, and kal bi.

The teri chicken was excellent, the teri beef was pretty good, but the kal bi was lacking that distinct Korean flavor like in the islands. There was fresh steamed cabbage under the beef, which I enjoyed and made me feel better about this meal having at least something green in it.

All of my kanaka friends would say that the sides really tell the quality of the overall Hawaiian experience, so I must report them here. The rice was adequate, not under or over cooked, and sticky enough. I'm not fond of mac salad, but I had to take a taste so that I can report that the pasta was overcooked and the sauce was bland.

The girls each ordered their favorite, spam musubi. They loved that it came with sauce to dip. We would expect that this sauce would be teriyaki, but it tasted very sweet, so we're not sure what it was exactly. They enjoyed it, however. I took a bite, and they were good and warm, and very large. A decent musubi.

Overall, it's pretty decent for the only Hawaiian option way over here in Virginia, so I would definitely recommend it.

Aloha Hawaiian BBQ
5260 Princess Anne Road
Virginia Beach, VA
757-499-5999
http://www.alohahawaiianbbqva.com/