Hawaiian Drive Inn is a to-go counter in the Excelsior, built around hearty Hawaiian plate-lunch cooking rather than a sit-down dining room. The katsu comes fried until audibly crunchy, and the loco moco's beef patties are consistently juicy and tender. Portions run large across the board — the musubi is often stuffed to the point where the seaweed can barely hold it together.
Sides are a lesser part of the operation: the mac salad tends toward bland and overcooked, and the rice can arrive on the mushy side. The draw here is the mains and the portion sizes, not the extras.
Sides are a lesser part of the operation: the mac salad tends toward bland and overcooked, and the rice can arrive on the mushy side. The draw here is the mains and the portion sizes, not the extras.