Nalu’s Island Grill

Reviews

• Yuki M.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  I'll be honest. I did not have very high expectations for this place because it's south OC 949 in Quail Hill at the foot of Shady Canyon where the gauge of "authentic ethnic food" is about as skewed as an IG "models" #nofilter pictures.
  
  At any rate, this plaza in general caters to the bleached tastebuds of people who think sushi rolls and teriyaki are Japanese food. I mean hell, there's a Daphne's here and people actually go. That's enough of an indicator in my book.
  
  So Nalu's Island Grill with it's kitschy decor and apathetic employees failed to wow me (as much as a counter service establish CAN "wow" a person) when I walked in. The menu is EXTENSIVE and I was rather surprised to find pho as an option.
  
  What the pho? Pass.
  
  My teachers ordered the spicy katsu plate and the beef katsu plate. I ordered the bento because I'm fat and wanted MOAR.
  
  Spicy katsu was by far the winner according to everyone else's opinion except mine. I thought it was fine but was a bit too saucy for my tastes.
  
  The beef katsu was flavorful and tender and not at all dry.
  
  The bento had everything in it: grilled beef and chicken, katsu, pulled pork, Mahi Mahi, and a sad little anorexic sliver of fried Spam. *shudder* The fish was off and the spam was unnecessary but everything else was decent and nothing was dry, though the pulled pork was mostly gristle and juice and not enough actual meat.
  
  Rice was fluffy.
  Macaroni salad was great.
  
  The dining area was essentially deserted which is good or bad depending on who you ask but I like dining in empty rooms because it means it's quiet. Also, I don't come here expecting five star cuisine so my rating is of course, relative.
  
  I think it also needs to be said that this place is not heavy or greasy or oily at all. Some may argue that it's not Hawaiian food unless you die of a heart attack mid-meal, but I appreciate the freshness and flavor without the flub. That factor alone is what brought this review up from three stars to four.
  
  Would I come back? Sure. I don't see why not. But I would avoid the fish and the spam.

• John D.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 26 May 2026

  Food is average. Service is what really sets this place up for a poor performance star review. Came here on a Monday around 2pm... nobody AT ALL inside the establishment besides the cashier and her chef. Ordered three spam musubis and told her I would swing by Daphnes to pick up a takeout order there.
  Long story short, went to daphnes, placed an order for two full plates.. waited around 20 min, then when it was done went back to Nalus to pick up the spam musubis (for my wife).
  
  Guess what? I saw three pieces of spam on the oven.. and the cashier said "oh im sorry, your order is almost done..give us five minutes..." I'm not trying to be a pre-madonna, but half an hour for three spam mediocre misubis is to ridiculous even for patient ole me. Nalu's you aren't omomo tea house-- if you have no customers inside your establishment, you should treat to-go orders first.
  
  Minus a star for having a slippery floor and no warning sign near the cashier register. Can anyone say slip and fall? Not sure who the owner of this place is.. but you are letting your cashiers and chefs get away with of leeway. Wouldnt be surprised if the restaurant is having inventory management issues as well (no receipt was given). I think then health inspector and ICE might want to pay them a visit... something doesnt seem right about this place.

• Andrew P.

  star star star star_border star_border 21 May 2026

  Had I reviewed Nalu's a few years ago when I first went, it probably would have been 5 stars.
  
  I remember ordering a poke-bowl and it was your standard issue, fish on top of rice/salad with fixings. I remember being very pleased.
  
  I went to Nalu's recenetly and got their poke-bowl. This thing that I received was a deconstructed plate of poke-bowl items, in a Panda-Express-like compartmentalized presentation. There was even a little side of pasta salad. Pasta salad? I mean, yes, it was tasty, but I've never had pasta salad in a poke-bowl.
  
  I did not get what I experienced when this place first opened, and that was a detriment to my experience there. The food quality is good, so your mileage may vary on your experience.

• Hannah H.

  star star star star_border star_border 14 May 2026

  Visited on a weekday lunch a little before 12pm. The lunch rush started right after I placed my order and the line was almost to the door. You place your order in the front and if dining in you will get a number and the food will be delivered to you.
  
  For lunch, I ordered the Tutu's sautéed salmon togo. The order did take a while to be ready. I would recommend calling ahead of time if you want to take out your meal. With the meal comes with rice, macaroni salad and another sort of coleslaw type salad. The entire meal was a little over $10 including tax.
  
  The salmon was good and tender and the soy garlic sauce on top was great. However, I do feel that the portion size for the sides are a little bit small for the price. Overall nice place to grab a decently healthy meal.

• Ali S.

  star star star star star_border 10 May 2026

  Solid Hawaiian restaurant. I think the quality of the food is better at the Laguna Niguel location for some reason. This place is close to the hospital for lunch. I recommend the mahi mahi and tilapia. Good mixed plates with similar flavor to Hawaii. Very reasonable prices.