Noelani’s Island Grill
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Noelani’s Island Grill : Your #1 Delicious Hawaiian Getaway
The Hawaiian experience right here in San Carlos at Noelani’s Island Grill
Noelani’s Island Grill is a Hawaiian-Asian fusion restaurant located in beautiful San Carlos. We offer that Hawaii experience through tasty food, tropical cocktails, island ambiance, and aloha-spirited service.
In the kitchen, her hard working Chefs re-create Hawaiian family recipes using the freshest seafood, meats, poultry, and produce. At the bar, mixologist and owner Noelani Maestrini crafts cocktails that transport guests straight to her Hawaiian homeland.
We don’t accept reservations, seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Unless you’re a larger group of 7 or more we’ll accommodate a reservation.
You’ll leave Noelani’s feeling like you’ve just been transported to Hawaii. See you soon!
Noelani’s Island Grill – Bringing Aloha Vibes to San Carlos
For those craving a taste of the Hawaiian islands right here in San Carlos, Noelani’s Island Grill delivers authentic flavors, warm hospitality, and a laid-back ambiance that transports you straight to paradise. From the live music to the tropical drinks, every aspect of the dining experience at Noelani’s is designed to capture the spirit of Hawaii.
7 Dishes You Can’t Miss
- Shaka Chicken – This dish is a fan favorite, and for good reason. The chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, drizzled with a combination of sriracha wasabi aioli and unagi sauce, giving it a unique, flavorful kick. Many diners rave about this must-try item!
- Kalua Pig and Cabbage – A classic Hawaiian dish, the Kalua pig is slow-cooked to perfection, tender, and packed with smoky flavor. Often paired with cabbage, it’s a simple yet flavorful comfort food that brings the taste of Hawaii to the mainland.
- Tsunami Fries – These crispy, thin-cut shoestring fries are topped with a delicious mix of sriracha, wasabi aioli, and unagi sauce, then sprinkled with furikake seasoning. It’s the perfect side dish or snack that keeps you reaching for more.
- Kaka’ako Nachos – A twist on traditional nachos, these are made with crispy taro chips and topped with poke, creating a delicious fusion of textures and flavors. The poke is fresh, and the taro chips offer a light, crispy base that sets this dish apart from standard nachos.
- Guava Skirt Steak – Tender, juicy, and marinated in a guava-based sauce, this skirt steak is a flavorful favorite among meat lovers. Served with rice and macaroni salad, it’s a hearty dish that’s sure to satisfy your appetite.
- Spam Musubi – A beloved Hawaiian snack, this dish features slices of grilled Spam layered with rice and wrapped in seaweed. It’s a simple yet iconic dish that Noelani’s does exceptionally well, often ordered as an appetizer or side.
- Loco Moco – A traditional Hawaiian comfort food, Noelani’s Loco Moco features a juicy hamburger patty topped with a fried egg, all drenched in rich brown gravy, served over rice. The dish is both hearty and satisfying, making it a popular choice for those seeking a filling meal.
The Experience Beyond the Food
At Noelani’s, it’s not just about the food – it’s the entire experience. With live Hawaiian music on weekends, friendly and attentive staff, and a cozy outdoor patio with heat lamps for cooler evenings, the restaurant creates a true Hawaiian atmosphere. Whether you’re stopping by for a quick lunch or celebrating a special occasion, you’ll feel the Aloha spirit in every detail.
A Local Favorite for Every Occasion
Noelani’s Island Grill is perfect for family gatherings, date nights, or a casual meal with friends. From their expansive drink menu featuring tropical cocktails like the Ube Colada to the incredible dessert options like malasadas served with ice cream, this restaurant offers something for everyone.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to relive memories of Hawaii or simply want to try something new, Noelani’s Island Grill offers an unforgettable dining experience. With its delicious menu, warm service, and laid-back vibe, this San Carlos gem is a must-visit for anyone craving the flavors of the islands.
Sources: Official Website | Franco.tv
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Top Reviews
Ana M. 
Fremont, CA
What’s not to like about Noelanis?!!! I bring all my friends from out of town here and this year we celebrated mother’s day and father’s day here too. Food is great and there’s always a cocktail for everyone.
Kris P.
Dublin, CA
Not sure how I’ve never heard about this place before. Grew up in Hawaii, so always on the lookout for a taste of home. This is in a nice area of San Carlos, never thought SC had a nice small town feel. Walked in, good vibe inside, bustling, with front outside sidewalk seating, inside seating (a touch loud for some when there’s live music), and a “backyard” patio section. Mix of high tops, standard tables, and sofa.
Ordered musubis, the shaka chicken, katsu, saimin, and the Big Island Pie. Musubi was good, comes with 8 mini pieces. They give teri sauce on the side, but traditionally, its already inside with the rice soaking in. The shaka chicken was really good, crispy with a hint of garlic. Really like this one. Katsu was ok, was hoping for better, but oh well. Saimin was plentiful as well, but the taste from S&S was a little bit off. Locals will know. The Big Island Pie was solid. So so good, not sure where they get it, but must try.
Overall, great vibe here, especially when there’s live music. Got a chance to talk to Rick and he jams C&K so friggin’ amazing. Staff are pleasant as well, wish they wore Hawaiian stuff (or maybe they can wear fake lei)…
Robert C.
Burlingame, CA
Came on Sunday for brunch. The food is good, and this little spot exudes island vibes! A good range of entrees and apps that you could expect to get on the islands. Friendly staff, comfortable homey seating, and fun tropical drinks. I highly recommend for anyone wanting some Aloha authenticity. If your only experience with Hawaiian food is plate lunches from L&L (which is good in its own right), try this — it’s a gem!
We had live music for Sunday Brunch. The sign indicates they also have it Fridays/Saturdays
Rochelle D.
San Jose, CA
Love this place! Shaka Chicken is my go to. The breading is light and crispy with the nice savory sauce that accompanies it.
I also have yet to try a bad cocktail drink here which I don’t think that exists. That have so many options.
Reeven S.
San Jose, CA
Noelani’s Island Grill is a rare find in the Bay Area when it comes to Hawaiian cuisine. If you’re looking for high-quality Hawaiian food paired with exceptional customer service, this place is an absolute gem.
We chose to celebrate a birthday here and reserved a table for a group of 10. The restaurant was incredibly accommodating, and our server was friendly and attentive. They even went the extra mile by providing us with sparklers for the birthday cake when they learned we didn’t have candles. They even gave us an additional sparkler when our initial pictures didn’t turn out perfectly. It was a thoughtful gesture that made the celebration even more special.
The menu at Noelani’s offers reasonably priced dishes, and the portions are generous, as expected. I ordered the guava skirt steak, and it was a flavor explosion. The marinade was exceptional, and the steak was cooked to perfection.
To complement the meal, their drinks were a standout. They were not only strong but also incredibly tasty. I highly recommend trying the Mauna Kea Punch!
Yolanda A.
Newark, CA
Sooo delicious!! Amazing drink and food! The service was a little slow at the beginning, but picked up nicely. We were their on Saturday- my granddaughter recommended Noelani’s since she had eaten here before. Drinks were great! We had the ribs for appetizers,we had the chicken teriyaki, prawns in some AMAZING sauce, pig (pork) tacos – everything was delicious! Loved the potato/mac salad!
Elle G.
Mountain View, CA
Stopped by last Friday evening to celebrate a family member’s birthday we were accommodated for a large party of 11 people. I have been here plenty of times before but not with a party this large so I was curious how the customer service would vary fortunately enough the customer service was great and consistent even with a large party they were very patient, knowledgeable about the menu and kindly answered any questions we had. Of course the ambience here is always perfect as there is typically calming live music that remind me of being in Hawaii lol as far as the food
Appetizers:
Coconut Shrimp- these are delicious but only very few shrimp come in one serving so not worth it for me I wouldn’t order again
Poke Sampler- this was a great serving size and the poke tasted great !
French Fries- these were ok, they were ordered for the children in our party but still good
Main Entrees:
Hawaiian short ribs dinner- this is my usual plate here highly recommend it as it’s the most delicious plate on the menu
Chicken teriyaki dinner- if you love chicken you’ll love this plate it’s not my first choice but it’s simple and good.
Chicken Katsu- First time trying this and it was OK.
Guava skirt steak- very good choice steak is pre cut into thin slices and well marinated not dry and cooked perfectly another top choice.
Mamas spicy garlic prawns: These I had high expectations for but ultimately the taste just wasn’t there so I wouldn’t order these again
Dessert:
Hula Island Pie: yummmmm my favorite definitely can share this with about 4 to 5 people because it’s huge !!
All in all this was great !!!! Overall experience was lovely and food was delicious!!!!! For a fun evening , a romantic date it works ! Family friendly of course and there’s a full bar for the adults. I had a virgin pina colada it was delicious, but the alcoholic drinks are super creative and definitely Instagram worthy !
Hannah M.
Fremont, CA
Came here with my husband after running an errand in SF. It was pretty spur of the moment but reviews were good and the food looked good too!
We ordered 3 sliders to start while we looked over the menu more. We both love spam so we did 2 spam and one beef. The sliders weren’t anything super fancy but they were good! The spam was yummy of course but the beef one was a surprise. It was a juicy little burger patty that was well seasoned and flavorful considering it was just beef, Mayo, and a little Hawaiian roll (we ordered the slaw on the side).
My husband got the loco moco with spam rice and he loved it, cleared the whole bowl. I got the Shaka chicken plate. The chicken was hella good! I want to go back just for the chicken. I ate all of it but it was a large serving, I probably could have had left overs. It came with a potato salad and slaw. The slaw is good but I wasn’t feeling the potato salad. I’m also pregnant though so my taste buds swing all over the place sometimes. It definitely wasn’t bad, i just didn’t want to eat it lol.
My husband also got 2 drinks, both of which were really good.
Lastly, when we came in, a party of like 40 bikers (motorcycle) came in right after us. They had the back out door patio set up for some kind of meet up for them. I was concerned our food might take a while cause of this but there was no big delay and our waiter was on it. So I was impressed with how they handled all of that too!
Neleh H.
Union City, CA
Came here to meet friends- really happening on a weekend night- seems like everyone was celebrating a birthday. Reservations were ready in time, there was a live performer, kids were not fans of their poke bowls – but adults were all happy w our food & drinks and dessert.
Fish tacos, pork tacos, miso salmon all yummy.
Prices are really reasonable. Parking on the street about a block away was easy. Staff were really efficient & friendly- worth return visit!
Krista R.
San Carlos, CA
This place was poppin on a Friday night. They were busy, had a band playing, the vibe was great I wanted to just hang with everyone that was the vibe I got from them place. I got some coconut Margarita which was AMAZING!!!!! I’ve never had a coconut Marg before and I would have 6 more if they wouldn’t have put me on my ass after maybe 2. I ordered the sliders one of each they were good. And the coconut shrimp hit the spot bc I was craving those so bad. Def recommend this place.
Diego R.
Los Gatos, CA
Aloha,
My Ohana raved about the food @ Noelani’s for many years but yesterday was our first chance of eating here. It was ONOLICIOUS!
We tried the Shaka chicken, pork belly/ pine apple pupus and the chicken katsu. Everyone really enjoyed their choices, it was cooked perfectly.
The table service was great, our waitress was awesome. She always checked up on us.
Reservations are only allowed for a party of 7 or more so being a popular place be prepared to wait . We arrived around 5 pm and it was busy. Luckily we were able to be seated within 5 mins outside underneath the heaters.
A hui hou!
Kathleen W.
San Francisco, CA
We’re not usually in this part of the area and after some research, we tried this place.
I loved how friendly and welcoming the staff was from the moment we approached the entrance. We came for Happy Hour so my partner got a nonalcoholic beer, kalua pig quesadilla, fried chicken and the fish tacos.
The kalua pig is the best I have ever had !! The fried chicken was good and I was originally going to order kalua pig tacos but we wanted to diversify a bit. The grilled fish is okay but fried would have been the way to go and kalua pig is the ultimate choice.
It was delicious and we’ll be back for another happy hour ~
Rose P.
Redondo Beach, CA
I honestly don’t know which to rave more about, the authentic Hawaiian (no I’m not Hawaiian but I’ve been to Hawaii — all islands except Lanai, a plethora of times) food, the aloha service or the laid back “feel like you’re in Hawaii not the mainland” ambiance. All I know is, food? 5 stars. Service? 5 stars. Cocktails? 5 stars. I’ll be back tomorrow.
Nancy C.
Belmont, CA
Quick take: Aloha vibe
First time I ate here was with my staff from work. The menu, ambiance, and service is all on point. Drinks are pretty and delicious. Food was very good. We ordered everything. Lol I think the food came out faster than I could get around our large table for pics.
Second time we came in just to order a drunknat the bar. We had a terrible dinner down the street and needed a drink and change in scenery.
Thank you for the great service both times. We will be back again!
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