L&l Hawaiian Barbecue San Jose

I went Friday 8/17/23 and the service was great. The woman taking orders was friendly and very efficient... wow! I ordered the BBQ and Chicken & fried fish combo for abt $16 and it was cooked perfectly. Nice portions. More than I can eat in one sitting so I made two meals out of it. The place is just simple table and chairs, but serves its purpose.

My colleague had been telling me what great food L&L Hawaiian Barbecue serves. She said it was the closest to the food she had when she was in Hawaii. I decided to try it today but had no idea where to start. When I walked in, there weren't very many people inside. But considering it was between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m., I wasn't too surprised. There was a gentleman waiting and a group of others having lunch. I was approached by Howard (the cashier), but I needed more time, which he graciously gave me. When the gentleman got his order, I asked him if he could recommend anything. He very kindly told me he was partial the #2 BBQ Platter (or combo). He said he couldn't recommend anything else because the #2 was all he ever had. Then a lady came in, saw I was new, and recommended any of the bowls. Finally, I spoke with Howard. He explained some of the terminology and then he asked me what foods I prefer more. In the end, I went for the #2 just as a place to start. But I REALLY appreciated the time Howard took to walk me through the menu and offer his guidance. He also let me know if I didn't want the macaroni salad that comes along with the #2 or the white rice, then I could swap with any of the things listed on the whiteboard in the restaurant. So I swapped with French fries (which looked good in the menu picture). And so I got my overflowing-with-food box home (just see my picture--the box barely closed!) and sat down to lunch. To a VERY hearty and GOOD lunch! There were ribs and beef and chicken--all grilled to perfection. Almost melt-in-your-mouth tender. (And there was a lettuce salad under the meat.) So I'll go back to try the bowl and some other items on the menu. Because what I had was good. I recommend the restaurant and this location specifically because Howard had excellent customer service. (But I gave 3 🌟 to the ambience because, frankly, I was expecting something a little more Hawaiian-y in décor.)