Pono Pacific Kitchen

Jason Stillman

year ago

This place is amazing! Every plate that was ordered tasted amazing! The service was fast and efficient. Our waitress was amazing. She did a great job dealing with our entire party, especially the crazy one in the group! Everyone wanted to try everyone’s dinner and no one was disappointed!

Angela Johnson

year ago

Delicious! Don’t miss this hidden gem in Grover Beach. The freshest fishes and a well trained staff. The happy hour is a real thrill is you love a good deal. The She Crab soup is something to talk about!

Luis Valente

5 months ago

We had a great time at this restaurant. Every dish was carefully prepared and full of flavor. Our waiter provided lots of suggestions for both food and wine and they were excellent. The Manhattan Sea Scallops were divine! We also enjoyed three different starters (clams, Ahi tuna tartare and calamari) and three different desserts. The wine, an Albariño from SLO, was also very nice. I strongly recommend this restaurant.

Julie Park

year ago

You all know that I’m a foodie and finding a good eatery is part of the adventure of traveling. We went to a lovely restaurant called Pono Pacific Kitchen at Grover Beach and it was such a treat! We started with the clams that were in a delicious broth perfectly seasoned then moved onto the Halcyon salad. A visually delightful dish. The butterfish did not disappoint, a local favorite that sells out practically daily and we understood why. Wow it was perfectly marinated and melt in your mouth soft. The parfait was a perfect blend of layered chocolate, peanut butter mousse, and vanilla. Servers were outstanding and the owner, Ashley, was a beautiful hostess! If you need an amazing meal then your next stop is Pono. Your palate will thank you! ❤️

Kelly K

5 months ago

Best restaurant my husband and I have been to… the fish is high quality, crab cakes were so delicious and the main course was so flavorful and every spoon full was exquisite. I ordered the mushroom gnocchi and my husband had the local butterfish. We have never had fish before that melted in our mouth, it was complex and all the flavors and textures completed each other perfectly. Service was friendly and attentive. We loved just being in the ambiance and felt very relaxed and we will be back for sure!!! Do not miss out on this experience. And order the apple crisp, don’t think twice. Beautiful restaurant, from the people to the food to the decor.

d leks

7 months ago

As a bartender in a restaurant and definite foodie this exceeded expectations! Even the bread and Brie butter was to die for we got the clams appetizer and bread and butter and for the main course had the butterfish🤤 the best piece of fish I’ve ever had in my life! Finished with the pono parfait, great atmosphere great service beyond excellent food! 100 percent recommend will be back for sure🤙🏼 owner and husband who’s the chef super friendly thank you Ashley and Preston you two have created an amazing establishment.

wladimir wlassowsky

year ago

Beautiful, sleek, fashionable space, yet intimate and welcoming. Fortunately the food matches and exceeds it. An amazing display of Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Rim fusion cuisine, excellently executed. Local Misoyake Black Cod was generous and matched with rich delicious miso/butter sauce streaked with Yuzu. Omg yum. We also had the fried chicken with caviar (trout roe), and that was spot on. We received a warm welcome during dinner from the co-owner/hostess, and had a nice conversation with her. Her husband/chef had cooked at several restaurants in Hawaii, and it showed, in the best way possible. Definitely a YES.

Léa Lounda

6 months ago

One of the best restaurants I’ve tasted in the USA! Honestly it made my whole trip with my husband, I was impressed of the service. The waiter was passionate and had all the details like a gastronomic restaurant. The butter fish is marinated for 5 days, melting in your mouth, just disappears! The bread??! The best I had in the states. And I’m French okay? Honestly I would give it more stars if I could!

Lynn Sayre-Carstairs

3 months ago

This is my fourth trip to Pono and my first in about a year. Old friends who are new transplants wanted to try this restaurant and it was as good as I remembered. We shared the calamari as we studied the menu. I had the hamachi appetizer which was fabulous and an arugula winter salad whereas my friends had the butterfish ( their specialty) and the bouillabaisse . All were wonderful! The homemade chocolate mouse and coffee ice cream was shared. We will be back!

Gordon M.

3 months ago

I cannot speak more highly of our experience here. Three of us came for a birthday celebration on a cool Thursday evening. Our reservation was fairly early in the evening so the tables were still filling up as we dined. The staff was tremendous every step of the way from greeting to dessert menu with our waiter offering warm and enthusiastic banter, particularly about the food and wine as one would expect. The atmosphere was quiet without feeling stuffy and was perfectly lit throughout, I can't even recall if there was any music because if there was it was that seamless. A great place for a long meal. For starters we enjoyed calamari and the blue crab soup. The calamari was delicious with a good sauce and crunchy coating that stayed on. The meat wasn't tough or too small as well. But the soup, that soup was incredible... Rich, creamy, smooth and dominated by a briny crab flavor that was not one milligram too salty. I didn't order it as a starter, but I did order it for dessert later (literally). The barbecue oysters had an intense smoky sauce on them that I loved but my dining companions did not as it did dominate the oyster flavor. We got a range of mains; the top seller, the scallops, a grilled ahi dish, and my swordfish entree. The prices reflect the quality of ingredients and every element of the dishes was savored and scraped from the plate. The peppey au poive sauce with the ahi comes to mind as something we dipped everything we could in. Perfect cooks across the board with the ahi being a little more on the pleasantly warm through side rather than the incredibly thick cuts in similar ahi steak dishes, without being dry or overdone though. If I recall the swordfish came with a scalloped potato and broccoli rabe and those sides where half the reason I got it. We all ordered a dessert which was rare, everything was portioned out so nicely that we left full but not stuffed. The tangerine creme brulee did not lack on the tangerine flavor and didn't disappear