We dined at Pono Pacific Kitchen in Grover Beach, California right at 4PM today to try out the new Hawaiian restaurant in the West End of Grover Beach named Pono Pacific Kitchen.
It's a higher end restaurant with a 1 page food menu and excellent service. They currently only serve dinner and have no lunch time hours. They have a couple of kid's options off the menu, which I appreciate very much!
At the center of the restaurant is a bar, fully stocked with an inviting vibe. The doors are all open in the front of the house to let the fresh air come in with a main entrance that you should enter through where you'll be greeted by a smiling hostess.
I ordered the Pan Seared Scallops while my husband ordered the Braised Short Rib as our entrees and shared the Blue Crab Cakes. While the Blue Crab Cakes only came with two, the entrees size were very nice! We left there full and happy.
See my instagram video reel of my first dining experience at Pono Pacific Kitchen.
I highly recommending going on their website and using Open Table to make reservations as there have been many times where I drove by and it looked busy! They are open in the evenings at 4PM for dinner. They change their closed days by season so check with their social media or website to find the latest changes on their operating hours.
My 2023 Update:
Pau Hana at Pono Pacific Kitchen
We came back to Pono Pacific Kitchen 9 months later for their Pau Hana (means 'happy hour') and sat at one of their high tops by the bar on the different side of the room as our first visit. Vibe is totally different and I totally dig it! Facing the door, I love seeing the hustle and bustle of the host stand and happy people coming in for some delicious food. We ordered food their Pau Hana menu that's available only from 4PM - 6PM. We shared 4 dishes: Shishito Peppers, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Spicy Tuna Nachos, Chargrilled Oysters. I ordered the Ruby Soho Saketini and it was so refreshing. The dishes were all great! I want to note that even though the chargrilled oysters are chargrilled to melt the cheese on top, the oysters are still raw at the bottom, which I'm totally okay with but wanted to mention it for those who can't eat raw seafood. See my pictures from my pau hana below.
Pono Pacific Kitchen Address: 228 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433
Other Suggested Hawaiian Restaurants:
See other restaurants that I recommend in San Luis Obispo County.
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
@sanluisobispomom