Overview
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Hanalei is a casual, quick-service Hawaiian plate-lunch spot on Kuhio Highway. The identity is straightforward and well anchored: the Google Places record, the official Hanalei location page, and the restaurant’s own site all point to the same business at 5-5190 Kuhio Hwy with the same phone number and a daily 11:00 AM–8:30 PM schedule. (hanaleilandl.com)
For travelers, the main reason to care is that this is a familiar L&L format in a North Shore setting: easy, informal, affordable, and geared toward plate lunches and takeaway as much as dine-in. It is not trying to be a destination restaurant in the fine-dining sense; it is a practical food stop for people who want a filling island-style meal without much ceremony. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
The menu sits in the classic Hawaiian plate-lunch lane: grilled meats, fried chicken katsu, rice, macaroni salad, and comfort-food combinations built for a quick, substantial meal. The official L&L site highlights BBQ Chicken, Chicken Katsu, BBQ Mix, Loco Moco, Lau Lau Combo, and SPAM Saimin as core items, which gives a pretty clear picture of the food style. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Overall menu style: Hawaiian plate lunches and fast-casual comfort food; a chain-style menu rather than a chef-driven or highly local-only menu. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Notable dishes / specialties:
- BBQ Chicken
- Chicken Katsu
- BBQ Mix
- Loco Moco
- Lau Lau Combo
- SPAM Saimin (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Traveler-friendly spend expectations: Google Places lists it at price level 1, which points to budget-friendly pricing by island standards. (hanaleilandl.com)
- Dietary usefulness or limits: The menu is most useful for people who want meat-and-rice plates; it appears less naturally suited to vegetarian, vegan, or lighter-diet needs. Some third-party listings mention vegetarian options, but the core identity remains meat-forward. (restaurantji.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This is a casual, no-frills, quick-service restaurant rather than a sit-down place built around lingering. Third-party listing data suggests outdoor seating and no reservations, which fits the standard L&L model: order, wait, eat, and move on. (restaurantji.com)
- Service model and seating style: Quick-service / takeout-friendly; outdoor seating is reported by third-party listings, and reservations are not accepted. (restaurantji.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: Practical and casual, not a polished dining room. The experience is more about convenience and familiar plate-lunch comfort than ambiance. This is an inference from the chain format and the review pattern, rather than a quoted design description. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Useful visitor features: Easy roadside Hanalei location on Kuhio Highway; parking is described by third-party listing data as easy to find in the nearby shopping center. (restaurantji.com)
- Best fit: A fast lunch, a low-commitment dinner, a family stop, or a practical meal between beach/road activities. (restaurantji.com)
- Weaker fit: A special-occasion dinner, a place-seeking traveler looking for design or service polish, or anyone prioritizing a quiet, slow meal. This is an editorial inference based on the service model and review patterns. (restaurantji.com)
History & Background
The available evidence does not surface a deep local origin story specific to the Hanalei branch. What is meaningful here is the broader L&L identity: the company describes itself as rooted in the Hawaiian plate-lunch tradition, and its locations are individually owned and operated. That matters because it explains why the menu and experience can feel familiar across sites while still varying somewhat by location. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Review summaries cluster around the same strengths: filling portions, familiar Hawaiian comfort-food items, and easy, practical service. Third-party review summaries repeatedly call out chicken katsu, kalua pork and cabbage, loco moco, spam musubi, teriyaki steak, and seafood/fried shrimp as customer favorites. Some summaries also mention the mac salad and fries as standouts. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
The main downside signal is mixed service and uneven execution. Review summaries mention that the location can get busy, food may take a while, and service can have occasional issues. The overall ratings are middling rather than poor, which suggests a place people use for convenience and familiar food even when it is not consistently excellent. These complaints appear moderately supported rather than isolated, based on the recurring review summaries and the Google rating context. (restaurantji.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Official and site-published hours are daily, 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM. The Hanalei location page and the restaurant’s own site agree on that schedule. (hanaleilandl.com)
- Expect a walk-in, quick-service experience; third-party listings say reservations are not accepted. (restaurantji.com)
- If you want a smoother visit, go outside peak lunch and dinner windows, since review summaries say the location can get busy and orders may take a while. (restaurantji.com)
- The place is on Kuhio Highway in Hanalei, which makes it a convenient North Shore stop rather than a detour restaurant. (hanaleilandl.com)
- For the most reliable ordering, focus on the items that define the chain well: katsu, BBQ chicken, BBQ mix, loco moco, lau lau, and spam saimin. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
Verification Notes
- Official name, address, and phone are consistent across Google Places and the official Hanalei location/menu pages: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, 5-5190 Kuhio Hwy, Hanalei, HI 96714, (808) 826-7388. (hanaleilandl.com)
- Website is consistent as
https://www.hanaleilandl.com/in the provided Google record and the official site ecosystem; the broader chain also routes through the corporate L&L site to the Hanalei location page. (hanaleilandl.com) - Operational status appears current: Google lists it as OPERATIONAL, and the official pages show active hours and online ordering links. (hanaleilandl.com)
- No major verification issues found. (hanaleilandl.com)
Sources
- Google Places record for L&L Hawaiian Barbecue —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=221999904867773739— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for identity anchoring, operational status, rating, price level, hours, and address. - Official Hanalei menu / contact page —
https://www.hanaleilandl.com/menu/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for confirming the exact Hanalei address, phone number, and daily hours. - Official L&L location page for Hanalei —
https://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/locations/hanalei— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for confirming the store location and contact details from the brand’s own location directory. - Official L&L corporate homepage —
https://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for menu identity, signature dishes, and the company’s own description of the plate-lunch tradition; also notes that locations are individually owned and operated. - Restaurantji Hanalei listing —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/hanalei/l-l-hawaiian-barbecue-/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for recurring review-pattern signals: common favorites, no-reservation posture, outdoor seating, and mixed comments on busyness/service. Some atmosphere and practicality notes here are editorial inferences from the listing’s review summaries. - Tripadvisor Hanalei listing —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60612-d3396767-Reviews-L_L_Barbecue-Hanalei_Kauai_Hawaii.html— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful as a secondary confirmation that the Hanalei L&L is a real, reviewed destination with menu items tied to the usual plate-lunch lineup; the open result did not yield enough stable detail for deeper use.
