Overview
L&L Hawai‘ian Barbecue in Kailua-Kona is a casual, quick-service plate-lunch spot in the L&L chain. The Google record identifies it as open and operating at 78-6831 Ali‘i Dr, with a low-price profile and a substantial review base, which fits a straightforward grab-and-go restaurant rather than a sit-down destination. The chain’s own Kailua-Kona location page for the matching phone number and address confirms this is the Keauhou/Ali‘i Drive outpost, not a different Kona branch. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
For a traveler, the main draw is predictable Hawaiian comfort food in a familiar format: plate lunches, katsu, barbecue chicken, loco moco, and similar staples. This is the kind of place that matters when you want a fast, filling meal without much ceremony, especially if you are staying in or driving through the Kailua-Kona / Keauhou side of town. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
L&L’s menu is centered on Hawaiian plate-lunch food: rice, macaroni salad, and a main protein, with chain-wide specialties that include barbecue chicken, chicken katsu, BBQ mix, loco moco, lau lau / kalua pork combinations, and SPAM saimin. That is the clearest indicator of what this Kona location is for: not fine dining, but dependable island-style comfort food served quickly. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Overall menu style: Hawaiian plate lunch and quick-service comfort food, with some Asian- and Pacific-influenced dishes folded into the lineup. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Notable dishes / specialties: BBQ chicken, chicken katsu, BBQ mix, loco moco, lau lau combo, and SPAM saimin are the clearest chain-verified signatures. Secondary review sources for Kona also repeatedly mention musubi, kalbi ribs, macaroni salad, and BBQ chicken as regular favorites. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Price expectations: Google marks it as inexpensive, and review language across sources frames it as affordable quick food rather than a splurge. A traveler should expect a budget-friendly, fast-casual meal. (restaurantji.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: It can be practical for mixed groups because the menu spans chicken, beef, pork, seafood, noodles, and rice plates. It is less useful for vegetarians or people seeking a highly health-focused menu; the food is built around heavy plate-lunch combinations, fried items, and rice-and-mac sides. This is an inference from the menu structure and common plate-lunch format. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This is a quick-service restaurant in a shopping-center setting, so the experience is mainly about speed and convenience rather than atmosphere. The Kona-area reviews and directory listings describe it as a practical takeout-friendly stop, and the chain’s location page shows mobile ordering is available for this site. (tripadvisor.com)
- Service model and seating style: Fast-casual / quick-service, with ordering built for grab-and-go and likely limited-frills dining. Mobile ordering is listed on the chain location page. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: No strong evidence of a destination dining room or distinctive design. The public descriptions lean bare-bones and functional rather than atmospheric. (tripadvisor.com)
- Amenities / practical features: Good for a straightforward meal after arriving in Kona, before beach time, or when you want food you can carry out and eat elsewhere; one review specifically mentions takeout and eating at a sunset-view spot nearby. (tripadvisor.com)
- Best fit: A quick, filling lunch or dinner for travelers who want familiar Hawaiian-style food without a long wait or a sit-down occasion. (restaurantji.com)
- Weaker fit: Visitors looking for a memorable ambiance, elevated cooking, or a special-occasion meal will likely find it too utilitarian. That is an inference supported by the repeated “quick service,” “bare-bones,” and “fast food” descriptions. (restaurantji.com)
History & Background
L&L is a long-running Hawaii-origin chain founded in Honolulu and centered on the plate lunch. The chain’s broader backstory is well established: Eddie Flores Jr. and Johnson Kam acquired the original L&L Drive-Inn and later expanded the concept as L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, bringing plate-lunch staples like loco moco, Spam musubi, and katsu to wider markets. For this specific Kona location, the available evidence is mostly operational rather than historical; there is not much separate local backstory beyond its place in the chain. (en.wikipedia.org)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Travelers who like this place tend to value speed, affordability, and the familiar comfort of Hawaiian plate-lunch food. Repeated positives include BBQ chicken, chicken katsu, loco moco, musubi, kalbi ribs, and solid portions. Some reviews also frame it as a reliable stop when arriving on the island or when you need a quick meal near the Kailua-Kona / Keauhou area. (restaurantji.com)
Common Gripes
The downside pattern is mixed but real: some reviewers describe food as bland, dry, or inconsistent, and a few individual comments mention service or quality issues. Those negatives appear across several review sources, but they do not dominate every account, so the caution is better treated as recurring-but-mixed rather than definitive. (tripadvisor.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- The Google record says daily hours are 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM; the chain’s Kona location page for this exact phone number/address also shows 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day, which supports that schedule. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- This is a walk-in / quick-order kind of place, not a reservation-driven restaurant. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- If you want the simplest, most reliable order, the best-supported crowd-pleasers are BBQ chicken, chicken katsu, BBQ mix, and loco moco. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- It is a sensible stop when you want cheap, filling food before or after beach time, or when you want something you can take elsewhere. (restaurantji.com)
- Expect a functional fast-food setting, not a polished dining room. If atmosphere matters more than convenience, this may not be the best choice. (tripadvisor.com)
Verification Notes
- Official chain location page matches the Google phone number and the 78-6831 Ali‘i Dr address for the Kona site, listed as Keauhou with suite D-155. This is the main identity confirmation point. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Google’s candidate address omitted the suite and used “Kailua-Kona, HI 96740”; the chain page gives 78-6831 Alii Dr., Ste. D-155, Kona, HI 96740. That looks like normal address sharpening rather than a true mismatch. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
- Business status appears operational. (hawaiianbarbecue.com)
Sources
- L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – Keauhou location page —
https://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/locations/keauhou— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for matching the Kona site to the provided phone number/address, confirming hours, and noting mobile ordering. - L&L Hawaiian Barbecue homepage —
https://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for chain-wide signature items and the menu’s core plate-lunch structure. - L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – Honokohau location page —
https://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/locations/honokohau— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful as a Kona-area comparator showing the chain’s local footprint and helping avoid location confusion. - Restaurantji – Kailua-Kona L&L Hawaiian Barbecue —
https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/kailua-kona/l-l-hawaiian-barbecue-/— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for recurring traveler-facing comments on affordability, portions, and commonly ordered dishes. - Tripadvisor – L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Kailua-Kona —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60872-d3143332-Reviews-L_L_Hawaiian_Barbecue-Kailua_Kona_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for recurring review patterns on convenience, takeout fit, and mixed food-quality sentiment. - Tripadvisor – older Kailua-Kona L&L listing —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60872-d2193497-Reviews-L_L_Hawaiian_Barbecue-Kailua_Kona_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful for secondary confirmation of the Kona area’s menu pattern and recurring criticism language. - MapQuest listing for 78-6831 Alii Dr —
https://www.mapquest.com/us/hawaii/ll-hawaiian-barbecue-528499601— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Useful as a corroborating directory source that recognizes the Ali‘i Drive Kona listing and general menu style. - L&L Hawaiian Barbecue corporate history reference —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%26L_Hawaiian_Barbecue— Retrieved 2026-04-02. Used only for broad chain history context; the specific Kona location itself has little publicly documented history.
