L&L Hawaiian Fries Review: Any Aloha in Their Fries?

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue (also known as L&L in Hawaii) is a fast-food chain that has over 200 locations, primarily in Hawaii, where the restaurant originates from. The original location opened on Liliha Street in Honolulu in 1952 and transformed into a chain in 1976. They are known and loved for their amazing Hawaiian comfort food like their Loco Moco, the Chicken Katsu, and their Kalua Pork. And unlike burgers, L&L serves their food as a "plate" that mixes and matches main and sides. Unfortunately, there’s not much information or reviews on their fries. Are the fries as good as the most popular menu items or are they just a side? To find out, The Fries Blog team traveled to the island of O'ahu.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, HI.

We were genuinely excited to visit L&L because it indeed is the largest fast-food chain from Hawaii and we are always in search for new, regional chains to review. Yes, we know that L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is now available in California and other West Coast states, but we thought the only way to review it correctly was to visit Hawaii itself.

Texture (3/10)

The fries were crinkled, but the ridges didn’t provide any crunch or crisp. It was almost like they were for show and not bosltering the actual texture. The skin lacked the golden color that should have been on these crinkle fries. There was nothing to make up for this, other than the small amount of crisp on some parts of a few fries. This was very disappointing, especially because these fries were crinkled, giving them the opportunity to have more crisp and crunch than a regular fry. As a comparison, take a look at crinkled fries from Sonic, which had phenomenal texture.

The crinkles are certainly present. However, the fries are not golden brown. It almost feels like they took it out of the fryer prematurely?

Flavor (2/10)

The taste of these fries was like an old t-shirt with no design. It’s clear that there’s no care nor passion put in, and it’s just boring in general. The same applies to these fries. There is a sprinkle of salt, and the rest you taste is bland potato. There was also no flavor from the oil so we think they used basic canola. The fries are probably meant to go along with and complement the main dish, but they should still be able to be tasty and enjoyable. This is the definition of bare minimum and we couldn't eat the fries without ketchup (despite how hungry we were).

Shape (4/10)

The fries were crinkled, but those extra ridges weren't defined well. The ridges were so weak that some sides didn’t even have them. The ridges were soft and not hard from crisp and frying. They were not consistent in length, and they were the average width of a fry. They curved a little bit, which means that there wasn’t enough stuffing. This was again disappointing. Now to be fair, many of the fries were "good looking" and some of them were extremely long. But we are judging these on the overall set and L&L fries simply did not live up to what it could be.

The inconsistencies are visbile amongst the fries sticks. Some of them had great shape but unforunately, the inconsistency was beyond the graceful tolerance levels.

Presentation (2/10)

We cannot say that there was an iota effort nor intention to present these fries in any manner. Their objective was clearly to contain the fried potato in a package for carrying it away. It would be an overstatement to even compare this to McDonald’s or any other fast-food restaurant. Simply put, the fries were put into a wax paper bag with no logo nor design. This could have come from anyone's kitchen. The fries are just dumped into it, and that’s about it. There isn’t much to say or rate because there is no presentation.

No logo. Cheapest bag material that can hold fried potatoes. They didn't even bother filling it to the brim.

Experience (4/10)

The fries took such a long time to be prepared, because they were freshly cooked. We appreciate the fresh frying but it just was not worth the long wait. Even sit-down restaurants would make fresh fries faster. The fries were about $6, which is not worth the quality of the fries, even considering Hawaiian cost of living. The amount of fries that you get is acceptable, but again, there is nothing that was outstanding. It is 100% clear to us that fries are not L&L's priority nor a popular item.

Hawaiian comfort food is defined with a "plate". L&L has defined the fast-food variant.

Texture	3
Flavor	2
Shape	4
Presentation	2
Experience	4
Overall	3.0 / 10

Conclusion

Overall, the main problem with these fries is that they cannot be viewed even as a side dish. It is very disappointing that L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has not prioritized fried potato sticks, which is why they lack flavor, character and the presentation. They just cannot be sold by itself as it erodes the trust and respect for the restaurant chain. They might complement the main dishes well, but here at The Fries Blog, that simply isn’t what we believe the world should be. We do not feel these fries deserve a review as the creator never put in effort.

There's a variety of savory menu items at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.