My brother found this place, and it was pretty good. The beef short ribs were a little tough but seasoned well! I had the beef stew, and it was pretty decent, with no complaints. My wife had the fried Ahi, and that was really good! There were 2 servers when we went. 1 one was exceptional. The other waitresses had an attitude and was being short with everyone. I suck at remembering names, but the waitresses that was exceptional was a little chubby. I apologize for the description, but I want to make sure the correct waitresses get the recognition!!!

Dining in Helena’s Hawaiian Food as a tourist, I had a good experience in Hawaiian food. I tried Laulau, Pipikaula Short Rib, Fried Butterfish Collar, and Haupia, having a taste of Hawaiian food culture, though the taste didn’t appeal to me much, for I grew up with another type of alien food culture, but it was absolutely worth trying. Looking at the attractive green taro leaves on the wall by the sides of the Hawaiian woman who I believe must be the founder of the business, I realized the significance of the taro leaves - they symbolize their best known food Laulau, a cuisine of meat wrapped up with taro leaf.

Delicious! Best Hawaiian food on Oahu. We were able to order online and pick up so there was no wait. We loved that we could order ala cart so we were able to try a lot of the dishes. Quality and flavor was really good. I was happy to have Mac salad that was balanced well as opposed to ones that are often overly sweet or too much Mayo. The short rib was a favorite for everyone, as well as the luau chicken. We loved how smoky the pork was too. Honestly everything tasted delicious and we were all impressed. We’ll be back next trip for sure!

Please do yourself a favor and come try Helena’s if you haven’t had Hawaiian food. It’s seriously so delicious and feels like home. The short ribs was our favorites. We ordered it twice while we were there. We also ordered the fried butterfish collar, watercress soup with beef, beef stew, laulau and luau squid. The coconut jelly was a really nice dessert that comes with the meal. Highly recommend Helena’s for local food. The only issue is the parking situation. There is very limited parking space so you may have to wait for someone to leave and park in their spot. We waited about 15 minutes and were able to park. Once parked, make sure to put your name and party size down at the kiosk in the front by the door. The wait was really short too. Enjoy and we can’t wait to be back!

It's been over 10 years since I came here. The place looks a bit more spacious and cleaner. The lines are just as long as I remembered it. It was a good thing that we got there right before opening. We ordered a good amount of food to share for our early lunch. The kalbi ribs were amazing as well as the chicken long rice. The soup had a good flavor as well as the pulled pork. Overall, this is a good place that you should check out.

What to do when in Hawaii and you’re looking for authentic Hawaiian food that’s made from airhead ingredients, passion and a love of food. The answer is short and straight to the point, you go to Helena’s Hawaiian Food. Let’s get the obvious out in the open. If you were to pass by Helena’s, you might not give it a second thought and keep it moving but Yelp and Google reviews suggest that you need to give them a try and we’re glad that we did. Sometimes there can be a line but we came at the right time and were seated promptly. Our waitress quickly greeted us and helped us navigate the menu since we weren’t familiar with Hawaiian cuisine. We tried the short ribs, the LauLau, beef stew, Fries ButterFiah Collar. Everything and I mean everything was delicious, my favorite however was the short ribs. They were so delicious that we order three servings. The atmosphere is very welcoming, warm and simple. Helena’s focuses on the food not the decor so what you see is what you get and that is a deep dive into Hawaiian cuisine at a reasonable price. I highly recommend Helena’s and a word of advice before you go is to check out their menu and understand what food is what. That will help you make the best decision possible but honestly you can’t go wrong. Aloha!

Saw good reviews on Google so wanted to try it out for local Hawaiian food. The staff was very very rude as soon as I entered. The food tasted good but the quantity of Menu D (almost $40 pp) was inadequate (I paid $84- for the food in the picture ). We had one good server though (she made my visit bearable- unlike the other lady who was extremely mean) Parking is very tough in the area. The restaurant is expensive for the food , the staff and poor ambience . Would not recommend.

Authentic Hawaiian cuisine, decent portions and reasonably prices. The pipikaula short ribs are a must-try! Very warm, prompt, and attentive service. Definitely recommend.

I love coming here and was the food we craved the most for after leaving Hawaii. You do not want to miss the Short ribs Pipikaula style, eat it with a piece of raw onion. And to top off the meal Haupia is good too. We usually order take out because lines are long and it's quick and easy online. Usually sneak a few bites in the parking lot before leaving while everything is off the grill They are closed on weekends(+Monday) and parking is always a pain around here.

The quintessential Hawaiian food experience, always a wait because everyone knows Helena's is the gold standard. One of the places I make sure to go back to every time I'm on the island and a place were I love to take first timers as well to get a feel for Hawaii food. Even at 10:30am there was a 7 party line, so plan ahead of you want to eat inside.

Delicious food but be prepared for a potentially long wait with limited parking - check-in via Yelp before arriving. Take out options are available as well. The short ribs and butterfish collar were especially good. Serving size left a bit to be desired considering we spent roughly $40 for two people, which would be a decent portion size at most other restaurants on the island. Definitely worth the visit though, especially given the history of the store.

Authentic Hawaiian food. Staff was considerate and patient with me. They explained the traditional way to eat their food. I discovered I am not a big Poi fan but the pork and coconut jelly were very delicious. It was expensive considering the portion sizes and atmosphere. It is basically a hole in the wall.

This restaurant is certainly off the usual beaten path for tourists, however, if you're in the area, it's certainly worth the trip. We stopped in for lunch prior to going to the Bishop Museum. The atmosphere inside and outside is nothing fancy. The service was excellent and friendly and the local Hawaiian food was exactly with my wife and I were looking for on our visit. If only we had more time to try the different dishes.

Local favorite for authentic Hawaiian food. Be sure to order the beef short ribs! Menu D recommended for a first timer sampler.

I was traveling in Honolulu for 1 week and have been eating out at a lot of amazing restaurants. Helena’s have beat it all. The moment you walk in, you feel like you are at home. The food here are nourishing to the soul. Loved every bite I had here. Was almost mad I couldn’t be here for longer. Thank you Helena’s for a memorable meal! Highly highly recommend fried butterfish collar! It melts in the mouth. The texture of the fish is perfect.

Definitely my favorite Hawaiian food on the island! The fried butterfish came out super hot and crispy, the squid luau was great, the beef shortribs thick and flavorful - everything super good! Service is super fast and friendly, and we got lucky on a weekday for late lunch - had tables immediately available and parking outside.

Yep, the food and service are good. We got the short rib, lau lau, and lomi lomi salmon, and all were tasty. Servers were very nice and took the time to explain to us how to eat the food. We also got a free serving of haupia at the end, which was great! The food was definitely on the more authentic side. However, the wait is INSANE. We got here on the earlier side of dinner time and still had to wait almost an hour. There's a parking lot in front, but the spots are guaranteed to be taken already. Street parking is also very difficult to find nearby, and they have very few tables right now due to COVID-19. All things considered, I didn't think this place was worth the wait, but I'm sure it would be better without the restrictions and it still deserves 5 stars in a vacuum.

We went to Helena's twice in our trip and wanted to go back again! First time, line for dine in was long but we didn't mind. Ordered take out and got it within 10 minutes. We couldn't find anywhere close to eat but couldn't wait! Second time we ate in and it was even better! Their Kaluah pig was amazing as was everything else we had! Staff are excellent, food is delicious and serving time so quick! Go to Helena's, you won't regret it!

So I’ve eaten here before and noticed I never did a review came back and I loved their food even more this time. I didn’t remember that it was this good. We ordered everything ala cart and just shared. Ordered kalua pig, tripe stew, fried ahi tuna, Pipikaula Style Short Ribs, lomi salmon, and steamed rice. We wanted to try the butter fish but they ran out. Nonetheless, the food was so good not sure we would have ordered the ahi if they had the butterfish and we loved the ahi so much we ordered another order after we were almost done eating. Short ribs were very meaty, juicy and just overall packed with flavor. Kalua pig was very tasty not dry and just so good with rice. Parking is not the best, very limited and tight spaces but it’s worth the hassle. Once you get there you add your name to the yelp waitlist so it’s easy peasy. Staff is very friendly and efficient. You can tell that they have a good system down to turn the tables so everyone can have their delicious food. The restaurant is not fancy at all but it’s clean and the food is bomb.

Haven't had Helena's in over 5 YEARS, and when I came home in December 2021, they were CLOSED on the only day I could go! We finally got the chance to go today for lunch, and I was SO HAPPY they had everything we wanted: Combo D, Chicken Long Rice, Lau Lau, Poi, Opihi, and Fried Butterfish Collar. Everything was oni, service was awesome, and it was cool to see both locals and tourists enjoying the best Hawaiian food on Oahu!

Awesome dining experience. Waitresses were extremely nice and the waiting time was much shorter than expected. The restaurant is surprisingly clean and tidy inside. The food is phenomenal!!!! We love most dishes with taros including Lau Lau and squid. Their tripe stew was so tender and flavorful and we just wanted to dump everything into our mouth. The dessert was refreshing and tasty. I have to admit that we could not enjoy the poi, the fermented taro. But it was a good try. One advice is that you need to be patient to get the parking slot in front of the restaurant.

Recommended by a local guide and was not disappointed! I’ll share my 2 cents Short rib: fantastic! taste like dry aged steak. I’d size up from the small for 2 next time. 4/5 piece with bone wasn’t a whole lot. Chicken long rice: tricky name. Glassy noodles soak in chicken broth no broth though Poi: my absolutely least fav. Not fan of the texture. And the taste was sour. Maybe aged according someone else. No idea was it supposed to be? Kalua pig: go with cabbage and eat up with rice! Salmon lomi was a good pair too. Laulau: didn’t like the taste of the leaves. Pork or fish filling wasn’t prominent to me. Dessert thing: taste like coconut tapioca. Neutral on that one Location: not great part of town. Hard to find parking too

Very authentic tasty and quick service. A little pricey bit one of the best Hawaiian restaurants around

Solid four stars! Waited for forty minutes but was seated, service was very friendly even though they were packed. I order combo B and I loved the short ribs which are fried crispy on the outside. I wasn’t a big fan of poi (didn’t take off starts for that) but the pork was me had juice but was still a bit dry. The almond tofu dessert is a nice touch after salt.

The pork was great and the onion and salt really complimented it well. It was surprising the difference it made. The short ribs were out of this world. There was a perfectly caramelized crisp to the outside of the meat like nothing I have ever had. Such a good place

The food was good, but the portions were extremely small. Also, the menu is extremely simple for an out of towner. I'm from California and I didn't know what I was really ordering. They should probably have a better marketing style. I got Poi instead of rice, not knowing what Poi was, however; I did not like the poi at all. After we finished our food, we ordered pizza due to the extremely small portions. I asked what Poi was, and the cashier tried her best to explain, but I do not recommend it at all! I do not recommend this place due to the portions, especially because my plate itself was almost $20, and I had to fill up on pizza after I finished my meal.

We got 4 things including pulled pork which was really juicy an flavorful. It was one of my favorite things from here. We also got the poke which tasted pretty fresh and had a salsa flavor. The short ribs were amazing and had a very nice taste. The green stuff and the poi were pretty good. Additionally the service here was nice and the people were friendly.

The best food!! Definitely worth the wait. One of the servers told us what to do with the extras, the onions and salt, and it was super helpful! If you're in Hawaii, you need to go here.