First off, let me say the food is really, really good. But, not good enough to put up with crappy service and subpar drinks.
This review is strictly about the drinks and the service. Husband, friend, and myself show up 1 1/2 hours prior to closing. Bar side is a little crowded (not super busy, though), and the dining side was practically empty. In total, there were 4 tables seated (including us). After being seated for 15 minutes with no one coming to take even a drink order, hubby goes to bar to order drinks himself. Bartender was obviously annoyed at having to stop chatting up the blondes to make a few drinks, since my White Ginger Martini was horrible. I can only assume it was filtered toilet water. Hubby asked hostess to have server come to our table on way back from bar. Uh oh, waiter was forced to work. Now he's bitter boy. Comes over, gives his name, says he's here to help if we have questions, and turns right around and bolts.... Thanks, Dick. I would've liked to order a different toilet drink, and maybe some food. Comes back 10 minutes later, takes order, leaves. Food comes, ordered sodas all around (cause the drinks taste like shit). He leaves again. 10 minutes later, he brings canned sodas and leaves. No "how you doing?" "is the food ok?" "can I be more inattentive?", nothing. Finally comes back and drops off check (guess I won't order any of the desserts we were debating about earlier).
As I said before, food was good. But, it wasn't good enough to put up with some lazy twat who has no business working with the public. And that bartender...... Learn how to make a drink.
For the amount of food and the price you pay, this place is worth it!
Went for dinner time and had the Kalua pig nachos as an appetizer. I really wish they would have warned us the portion size of it, it was a lot to handle! I had the seared ahi poke salad with the spicy poke sauce for the side. The waitress thought it was weird, but it was actually really good with it! And again, the portion size for that was more than enough. I'm not too sure exactly what my boyfriend had, but it seemed to be kalbi rib burger on Hawaiian bread? It was very flavorful, but messy to eat! I would give it 5 stars, but the service wasnt that great. Felt a little ignored half the time. Other than that, I would definitely come back!
I had to randomly yelp a restaurant from San Clemente and I have to say that I wZ pretty happy with my choice. We came on taco Tuesdays by accident and didn't realize the date so the entire menu was tacos and slight variations of appetizers.
The tacos were pretty big so don't think you're paying $4 for some tiny 3inch in diameter tacos. These Ade fairly hefty and comes with a good amount of stuffing. We had 4: Korean beef, ahi poke tuna, shrimp, and the kalua pig. I'd say they were all pretty good although personally I think ago turn in a taco didn't fit very well for me. O think my favorite ended up being the shrimp and the Kahlua pig for the texture and sauces. My boyfriend loved the beef one but I thought it was a bit too saucy for me.
Parking gets a bit crowded in their personal parking across the small street so we had to find street parking which wasn't too difficult. It was a small residential street so you could park along it. For us the residential parking was full too which was crazy!
So back on topic. The service was good and the atmosphere was very casual and a lot of people were there for the happy hour. Seems like a great place to hang out with friends! I would recommend this place again and I end up in San Clemente again, I would love to stop by for a cup of their sprunch: mix of sprite and fresh fruit punch.
Hapa J's is a little hidden gem down in san clemente! They split the restaurant into 2 sides, one which has a more formal dining vibe and the other is a casual/outside patio feel with surfing videos playing and ceiling fans.
When we first walked in we were told to sit any we'd like, so we sat down and it took about 5-10 minutes to even get a menu, but they seemed understaffed so i understood. The waitress then came over and asked if we wanted anything to drink, i ordered the SPRUNCH ($3.75) which was their fruit punch mixed with sprite! It's soo yummy! you must get this! it's also free refills too (: For food, we ordered the Hapa Nachos w/ Kahlua Pork & a mini order of loco moco. Here's what i thought about the food.
Loco Moco ($5.95) : The portion was good for a mini, it came with 1 scoop of mac. salad, 1 scoop of rice, 1 burger patty and 1 fried egg on top. The mac. salad was so good! it was creamy, light and had a hint of garlic to it. The loco moco itself was ok, the rice was too sticky, the gravy lacked flavor and the burger patty was a little bit chewy.
Hapa Nachos W/ Kahlua Pork ($9.95 + $3.75): The hapa nachos were the best part of coming here! they aren't kidding when they said it would be HUGEEE! this dish is enough to share with 6 people because it's massive! We opted to add Kahlua Pork for an additional cost of $3.75, but it was so worth it! the kahlua pork was tender, flavorful and delicious!do get the nachos when you come!
Overall, the best part was their sprunch and nachos i would come back next time and just get those 2 dishes and i'm set! Although, their service needs to be a bit better because it was hard to wave down the waitress and we would ask her to bring us something, but then she'd forget all about it. Other than that Hapa J's is a cool place to try out (:
They also have Island Happy Hour: Â 3:00pm-6:30pm (Wednesday thru Sunday) you get $2 off Lounge Pupu's, $3 Drafts, $3 off glasses of wine, and $6 Mai Tai's.
I'm from Kauai, missing home, needed some local grinds, Â heard of this new place, of course had to go.....LONG RICE Â ARE YOU KIDDING!!! Â They need to buy a rice cooker and Japanese rice, it is a staple in Hawaii.. Â OMG Â very disappointing :-(
The mac salad, no taste WHAT?? Â
Drinks were good, service good thats about it.
Love, love, love this place! Â My favorite restaurant in San Clemente....
I've been here a handful of times and every-time I go, I order the ahi poke in some form or another and I am NEVER disappointed.
The ahi poke trio (3 varieties of Poke; Spicy tobiko, Shoyu, and Sesame), the ahi salad (mesculan mixed greens, won-ton chips, seared ahi poke, & finished with a yuzu (Japanese citrus) vinaigrette) and the spicy ahi poke bowl (sashimi grade ahi cube cut & mixed with our sesame seasoning and drizzled with our spicy aioli, served with white or brown rice and mixed greens) are FAB-U-LOSO! Â The ahi just melts in your mouth. Â If you can't tell.....I am a fan of the poke!
The prices are pretty reasonable considering the quality of fish that you are getting.
Go during Island Happy Hour: Â 3:00pm-6:30pm (Wednesday thru Sunday) you get
$2 off Lounge Pupu's, $3 Drafts, $3 off glasses of wine, and $6 Mai Tai's.  The mai tai's are yummy - could be a little stronger, but nonetheless yummy.  If you like  beer they have a nice selection of micro brews on tap that are quite tasty.
Last, but not least, the staff here is very friendly, efficient and attentive!
Finally came here after legoland with my sisters family. The food fell short but I would recommend the chicken, grilled fish tacos and the Haupia satisfied my sweet tooth too. Was hoping the Kailua pig was spot on but I've had much better. Â The service was spot on. Hostesses to wait staff were friendly and accommodating and the food came out in a timely manner. Â The establishment is large with two dining rooms and a large bar and it is well maintained and clean throughout.
Review Source:I had the combination plate which includes shoyu chicken, tonkatsu and beef ribs. Â The plate includes rice and macaroni salad.
The food was okay. Â Spending a lot of time in Hawaii, this place would be hard pressed to survive on the quality of the food.
The chicken was dry. Â The tonkatsu was deep fried too long in the fryer. Â The ribs were tasty, but over cooked. Â The rice was good, but the macaroni salad was a bit bland. Â They should include shaved carrots and celery in it.
The plate cost over $12 which is expensive for this type of food.
Good hawaiian food but not the best. Â They try to be a little more upscale serving hawaii plate lunches. Â While all of the food was good it was a little pricey. Â The mai tais here were delicious with many places i've tried in California completely messing them up. Â If I am ever driving down to San Diego or just in the area and craving Hawaiian food this is where I go.
Review Source:It's a cute place, but I wish the food was better. Â Being a Hawaii frequenter, I love a good plate lunch. Â This place did not impress me. Â I ordered the kalbi short ribs and hubby ordered loco moco. Â It is a very good portion size---leaves you full. Â But the food comes out on the smallest plate. Â Makes it very hard to enjoy. Â I had to be super careful cutting the meat off the bone so as not to have everything fall on the table. Â
The short ribs were tasty, but of the 3 pieces, two were quite gristly. Â I found the rice mushy and the mac salad not the best. Â Hubby's hamburger meat was kind of tough. Â I couldn't cut a piece off with my fork. Â Even with all that gravy, it wasn't tender enough. Â
I must say though, the fruit punch was delicious!! Â Order it! Â I gulped that down and there are free refills. Â
Service was good--attentive and friendly.
You can't go wrong with this place. I always order the Chicken Katsu and it always comes out amazing, and this place gets the portion size to price ratio just RIGHT. Â I tried this place for the first time and instantly fell in love, and went back again (who wouldn't). I thought this was going to be a fail, but it exceeded my expectations. Â I always leave full, and always leave with a doggy bag with food. Â Mini Coke bottles for 50 cents is a great price considering other places charge a dollar on up for a can of Coke. Â I would definitely add this to a list of date night eateries.
Review Source:I wanted to give it four stars because I was SOO excited after I saw my food ... the loco moco looked so delicious .. but once I started eating it I was disappointed when I realized the food was quite bland and tasteless.. the rice was pretty much porridge.. all mushy like rice cake almost.. the only flavor was the sriracha sauce i added to it.. the gravy was plain .. which surprised me because gravy is usually strong in flavor.. also the egg was over cooked so I didn't get to mix the yolk all over like I normally do..
.. on a more positive note the sliders were good.. you get 3 plus macaroni salad.. and their mimoas were decent too.. Maybe if I didn't have the loco moco this place would have been four stars...
5 stars for taco tues, the cute lady flippin' tortillas out front, mai tai'z w/ mint, tempura masubi, super chill atmosphere, hottie bar staff.... too bad im leaving so cal cause this is mi fave OC spot to bring old ° new ° borrowed°  n' blue friends. Not totally sure of the owner- but if its him.... witch I feel it is so...
& hate to admit it-
but,
im so in love.
Locally famous (South Orange County) restaurant. Â Consistently good service with reliably delicious food. Â You get items on the menu you won't find at most any mainland restaurant which are both unique and presented in a very beautiful manor! Â Portions are adequate for a moderate eater, so big eaters may not be happy with the giant portions so many other restaurants serve of often ho-hum food. Â Think quality over quantity here. Â But Hapa J's food has unique flavor that is always super yummy, at least to me and everyone I go there with! Â
On a unique note, their female servers are very pretty, yet very friendly and down to earth! Â (Not so typical Newport Beach restaurant servers here).
You gotta navigate their menu and business hours, but once you get into the groove, you'll keep coming back for more. Â Taco Tuesdays are crazy busy, but for obviously terrific food!
Way to go, Justin!!
Stopped by mid-afternoon for a late lunch and really enjoyed it. Â The Hawaiian menu was a fun departure from the norm and food was really good. Â There are two sides to the restaurant with a bar connecting them. Â One side is almost like a beach shack (a rally nice one) and the other has a more zen feel. Â The beach shack side was showing continuous video of surfers, which added to the atmosphere. Â
Although it was quiet at the time of day I was there (which was nice) I plan to go back some evening when I imagine it will be even more fun.
Prices reasonable, service good, food interesting and good, bathroom clean - what more can you ask?
Came for lunch on a Saturday. Â It wasn't very busy, but it was surprisingly loud. Â It was hard to hear the people at my table talking.
The Service ---
The service was great. Â Our table was a little small so server was very nice about letting us switch and even put 2 tables together for us. Â She was very friendly. Â Our waters were never empty and the food came out quickly.
The Food ---
I go the Loco Moco. Â Unfortunately, it wasn't one of the better ones I've had. Â The meat was tough and it seemed smaller than I'm used to. Â However, I was pretty stuffed when I was done with it. Â The potato mac salad was good, although nothing special. Â We also got the Cheesecake Lollipops. Â It came with 4 and they were pretty small. Â Bite sized which I guess makes sense since it's called cheesecake lollipops. Â You just would think that you'd get more for what you're paying. Â The chocolate cheesecake was the best. Â I was pretty disappointed with the food. Â I should have gotten the Man Fries!
The Prices ---
My Loco Moco was $10 and the Cheesecake Lollipops were $7.75. Â My Loco Moco was one of the cheaper entrees on the menu.
I've had better Hawaiian food for cheaper. Â I would only come back to try the Man Fries. Â The service was really good though.
Tonight was our first time here and we'll definitely be back! Â We loved the kalua pork sliders and the poke salad. Â We also enjoyed the Maui onion french soup, which was super flavorful and cheesy, and the Blue Hawaii cocktail. The place is huge and even though it was busy we had no problem getting a table on a Saturday night. Â Our waitress was great. Very attentive and helpful and made some great recommendations. Â Next time we plan on coming to try their taco Tuesday.
Review Source:Driving home from Anaheim I remember my friend raving about a place in SJC that had some bomb fries with kalua pork. Â I called him and he told me: "Hapa J's......Man Fries bro! Â Thats all you need to know." Â
Hapa J's is located about a mile off the freeway. Â Parking is located across the street so be on the look out for a sign pointing to that lot for Hapa J's customers.
I was immediately greeted by the bartenders when I walked in and was shown towards the dining area. Â I was handed a menu and without looking, I told the waitress: "I was told to order Man Fries." Â She quickly acknowledged and asked if I wanted anything to drink. Â I opted for the Plantation Iced Tea which is iced tea mixed with pineapple juice. Â
WARNING: Man Fries can easily feed 2, 4 or 5 people easy! Â The size of this dish is huge! Â Literally served on a serving dish, it arrived extremely hot (plate). Â You can't even tell there were fries in this dish with how much kalua pork was covering everything. Â Topped on the kalua pork is this sweet sauce similar to BBQ, white sauce and cheese. Â This thing is epic! Â The kalua pork is soft, juicy and plentiful. Â It can actually be perceived is overkill.... but that's what sets it apart from all the other dishes! Â The fries were crisp and the cheese just adds another layer of gewy epicness. Â If I was on that show, Man vs Food, I would've been considered SPANKED! Â I barely ate a quarter of it, honestly! Â Another waiter walked by and asked how I was doing and I told him "White Flag!". Â He chuckled and said "I expected at least half.... but good try!" Â He came back with 2 to-go boxes.... TWO boxes! Â That's how big this dish is! Â
Service was great! Â The decor and atmosphere is just right. Â Definitely a place to stop over whenever heading to or from San Diego.
I REALLY love this Hawaiian restaurant. Â The service makes you feel at home. Â The happy hour is great! Â The $5 bowls are perfect for making the hungry belly satisfied. Â
I have two wild toddlers and they are so kid friendly! Â Everything I have have had here is awesome. Â Seriously! Â We discovered the secret menu hidden in the art work of the menu. Â Had the fried spam musubi...and oh my! Â The man fries are ridic ya'll. Â HUGE mound of fries topped with kalua pork and all sorts of juicy sauces and cheese and...I am not sure...but it is da bomb!
I highly recommend this place for great food, fun atmosphere, even a night out. Â Full of super cool staff and patrons.
We've been regulars since Hapa J's opened 3 years ago and they just keep getting better. Â Locals have definitely discovered this place for incredibly delicious food at awesome prices in a nice but laid-back environment, so it's always filled with surfers and families.
The key is the consistent outstanding service. Â Many of the servers have been there a while now, which is an indication that they are treated well if they stick around that long. Â Justin, the owner is still hustling bringing out food or bussing table but always has time to say hello and thank you for your business instead of just hanging out at the bar acting like a typical owner
They set the bar for training their staff well, every server is so attentive to the little details. Â You have a primary server, but they all work together on every table. Yesterday, they dropped off a couple of items and a server took my iced tea to refill it. Â When the next server came by to serve my entree, she noticed that I didn't have a drink and asked if she could get me anything. Â She wasn't our primary server, so wouldn't have known if I ordered one originally, but she took the time to notice to make sure I had everything I needed. This is not an isolated thing, this happens every time we're dining.
It's the little things that add up to a complete experience, and we'd rather spend our money at Hapa J's than anywhere else.
Thank goodness there is a decent Hawaiian grinds place in So. OC! Â Hapa J's is completely legit! Â I think the best meal we've had there was the macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi for Valentines Day - wild caught fresh Mahi-Mahi crusted with macadamia nuts & served with Okinawan sweet potatoes, poached baby Shangai cabbage finished with a vanilla infused white wine butter sauce. Â Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of it, as I was too busy making out with it!
I did, however, take a photo of the Kalua Pig Nachos that I had on another occasion (see attached). Â Hapa Nachos $9.75 - house made tortilla chips, cheddar jack cheese, drizzled with an avocado sour cream sauce, chipotle aioli, and mild black bean salsa with the option of adding kalua pig for an additional cost. Â O.M.G. Â It's as if I had died and gone to kalua pig heaven! Â The nachos are MASSIVE and meant to be shared! Â The photo I attached shows the nachos with a Li Hing Hui margarita! Â I don't mess around.
On a recent trip, I had their Pocho Doggs $11.75 - 2 Portugese Sausage boiled in Primo Hawaiian Lager, served on a Hawaiian sweet hot dog bun & garnished with diced jalapenos, garlic aioli, asian mustard, sauteed onions, & furikake. Â Served with Maui style kettle chips (see attached). Â Oh yeah.
The wait staff is very friendly, ESPECIALLY the bartenders! Â They reminded me of the North Shore movie actors - haole but filled with aloha! Â Definitely eye-candy! Â The restaurant has 2 big rooms - one for regular customers and the other for, what appears to be, large parties. Â There is parking across the street in the small lot or you'll need to find street parking. Â The restaurant itself is filled with aloha, from the decorations to the service to the food!
If you're ever in San Clemente or in the vicinity (perhaps on your way to San Diego), add this to your must-have Hawaiian grinds list!
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This seems to be one of those places where you have to know what to order. The Kalua pork quesadillas are hands-down my favorite item here. I usually order this as a meal rather than as an appetizer (so I don't have to share!). In fact, these things are so good that they are what prompts me to make the over 200-mile round-trip just for a meal. The meat is tender and juicy, and the avocado sour cream sauce and chipotle aioli are so flavorful, with just the right amount of kick to not overpower the meat.
We stopped in here on a whim. We were in the area because the DH's company had business at the nearby army base in the morning, and so we came together so we could enjoy the beach afterwards. Now that the DH works for a new company, we have no other reason to go out there, so we don't come here as often as we'd like, which is a probably a good thing for our waistlines.
I would never have tried this dish and become a loyal customer if I hadn't had a coupon for a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees, so I'm sad that they seem to have gotten rid of that, but oh, well. I guess it wasn't a profitable enough promotion.
Several of the fancier dishes are winners, and considering that this is a casual, beachy place, I was surprised at how they plated their non-bowl (why their "bowls" are served on plates, I'll never know) items in such a gourmet fashion. The ahi poke trio, sea bass, summer rolls and their desserts especially are beautifully presented. I also once had some kind of skirt steak special that was really amazing: the steak was perfectly cooked to order (as rare as you dare), every accompanying side perfectly complementary.
The view and the ambience are nice, although the trendy bitches who start to crawl out of the woodwork after the sun sets, poking at their salads while sucking down 700-calorie pina coladas, annoy the hell out of me. I prefer lunchtime or happy hour when the quesadillas are $2 off. Parking is easier during that time as well.
As for the service, I have never had bad service here. I can hardly believe the people describing their awful service experiences here went to the same place as me. Every server I've had here was friendly and expedient, even during busier times. Maybe the problems are only on the bar side, because I've only ever eaten in the left dining room, with its perfect view of the ocean.
On the other hand, I haven't been crazy about a lot of the other items I've tried that don't involve their heavenly pork, particularly the lunch items. The burgers are nothing special. The "shrimp truck" I had here once was so awful it made me angry I didn't order the quesadillas. The shrimp were as translucent, raw and slimy as amaebi sushi. I don't expect that in a scampi style shrimp, so I was utterly unprepared for the mouthfeel. It made me think of the time my best friend's sister, as a little girl, found a Raisinet on the ground and ate it... only to discover it was a poop. But hey, at least she didn't pay $13.50 for it.
I like sweets that are not cloyingly sweet, so most of their desserts are better to look at than to eat imho, although I liked the cheesecake lollipops one of the desserts came with (but honestly the cheesecake lollipops were the only part I liked). I think it was a brownie a la mode in a martini glass, but it just tasted like sugar sludge. They've since done away with the brownie part and now serve the lollipops on their own... a wise move.
Also, the pot stickers are quite possibly the worst rendition of a pot sticker I have ever had the misfortune of eating. Good thing the DH isn't nicknamed "The Finisher" for nothing.
One minor nitpick: they need to learn how to spell. It's prix fixe, not pre fixed. It does not mean "fixed in advance." Prix fixe is French for fixed price, spelled like Grand Prix, not the spelling term. And 's a plural doth not make (except with numbers and individual letters).
My few complaints result in taking away two stars, but if you avoid everything bad and stick to the good stuff, it's a five star experience, so I'm giving it an overall four stars. Here's the rundown:
5 stars for Kalua pork quesadillas
5 stars for that steak thingy
4.5 stars for service (no complaints, I've just had better... but I've also had much, much worse)
4 stars for presentation
3.5 stars for ambience (4 stars for lunchtime/happy hour, 2 for dinnertime)
3.5 stars for cheesecake lollipops and dessert presentation
2 stars for burgers and bowls that don't involve Kalua pork
negative 1 star for shrimp truck
Came here with the fam and had a great time! Had the Ahi Poke salad and it was DELICIOUS! It was so fresh and you get a ton of Ahi.
Prior to your meal you get fresh edamame :).
The decor is cute and casual with tables for groups and a bar. It seems like a good date place.
I'm definitely coming back when I'm in the area!
We love this place!
Justin and his staff do a great job as the service is comfortable not stuffy and they are on top of it. Normally we sit in the restaurant area but today decided to partake in their Happy Hour specials at the bar.
Loved the $3 drafts we both went with a Primo (Hawaiian beer) and indulged in the coconut shrimp which was perfectly cooked - batter was light and not greasy. Loved the mango sweet and sour sauce provided which complemented the shrimp nicely. We then moved on to the sliders and picked the beef over the pulled pork as we had pork recently and in the mood for a burger. There was 3 generous portions with a side order of fries that were lightly seasoned and not greasy. The sliders are served on King's Hawaiian sweet rolls which are delicious and complement the BBQ sauce, grilled onions and melted oozing white cheese! Â YUM! We stopped there but could go on as we enjoy many of their starters and entrees.
Happa J's is a great place to escape as there is nothing like it in OC. If you are looking for a great vibe, comfortable surroundings with great people and fantastic food then you will want to check out Happa J's!
Absolutely love this restaurant. The owner Justin and all the employees  make this restautant worth supporting often. We usually only go for lunch because their spicy poke bowl is the best. Gotta try their fresh mango margarita and can't beat their sub zero tap beers... SO REFRESHING! (Hint: if you like spicy order the Pele Wings, words can't do them justice)
Try them out... you won't be dissapointed!
AWESOME place to grub!! First off don't let the area or the name fool you! I've been to many restaurants in the oc and this place is my fav by far! honestly, this place should NEVER be associated w/the oc! Im not joking because it's very true. Perfect place hit up before or after hitting up the beach.
Every time i find a decent hawaiian joint the first thing i have to try is the loco moco. This usually makes it or breaks it for me. As surprised as i was with the quick service the food was exceptional! I have also had the "mixed plate" which includes healthy(big) portion of chicken katsu, kalbi short ribs and shoyu chicken(sweet and falls right off the bone). The kalua quesadillas are a little pricey but def full of flavor and worth trying. I usually come in for lunch because the place is on my way up to orange county or la.
One thing i regret trying and im sure i will try the next time im in the area are the "hapa fries." I would def have to get it "man style" which includes kalua pork!!
Hapa J's is hands down my favorite restaurant. I've grown up in San Clemente and am SO happy with this place. Every time I go in there, I am pleased with what I eat. A couple days ago, I had the pocho dogs (sp?) and they were fantastic. I'm also a huge fan of the thai beef salad. The drinks are awesome as well - try the Brasilian honey!
Another thing I love about Hapa J's is the atmosphere. It's cozy, beautiful, warm, and welcoming. If you are ever in San Clemente, make sure you check this place out! You won't regret it.
This place is hopping with people. Â Went after a session at Dog Patch and Doheny. Â Our server was Casie. Â She seemed to be in a hurry most of the time and wasn't very personable. Â Never checked to see how we were doing, once our food arrived and didn't thank us, when she picked up the check.
The tacos were big, but flavor was very small. Â Tortillas were homemade, but too thick.
I think other items on the menu would be worth trying, though. Â Hope we get a different server.
Ok so I have to add to my previous review and add a star because we went EARLY this time to Taco Tuesday and it is AMAZING! Love the Poke taco, and Kalua Pig Taco. Hubby digs all of the above and the breakfast Poche Taco with scrambled egg, Â portuguese sausage, & salsa. Took another Poke taco and a Kalbi taco home with us. YUM YUM.
Oh and the fresh mango margis are TDF. I want to be embalmed in them!
Despite excellent service and a trendy ambiance, I was unimpressed with Hapa J's.
First off, we dined for dinner and their menu was heavy on the appetizers (Pupu's) and light on actual entrees and everything was overpriced.
I wanted to try the blacked salmon sandwich, but they didn't have it that night and substituted it for an albacore tuna melt. It was fine, flavorful, but very heavy. The accompanying mac salad was clean-tasting.
Their version of a french onion soup was over-seasoned and extremely rich and heavy. The coconut shrimp was OK, but overpriced for the small amount one was getting.
Finally, we were seated at 6:25 PM, and their happy hour ended at 6:30 PM. Despite being newcomers and our server not coming to take our order right away because he was busy, they would not honor us the happy hour prices because our order was placed a few minutes after 6:30 PM.
Though I felt it was incredibly technical, it's fair and our server was nice about it.
I'll also be fair and nice by saying everything about Hapa J's was acceptable and the service was good, but there's no draw for me to come back again.
This is an update after trying dinner on Saturday night as opposed to Friday night dinner or weekend lunch.
Four of us went to Hapa J's and I was ready for the luau plate... Â alas it wasn't available, and neither was the mixed plate - only on Fridays. Â I thought that might be the case but wasn't sure.
So I went with the kalbi braised short ribs, my wife had fried rice, and our guests had the crab cakes and the chicken yaki soba. Â Two out of four was a bit disappointing.
The braised short ribs (well one large rib on a large bed of mashed potatoes) were very good - tender, tasty, but could have used more kalbi taste. Â The crab cakes were also very good - large, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Â
The fried rice and yaki soba were less of a hit. Â I tried my wife's fried rice and it was bland and pretty soggy. Â The yaki soba was also pretty bland and pretty greasy... the veggies in it were also a bit overcooked. Â
One thing I will say - you won't go hungry at Hapa J's - the portion sizes are very large.
So, the moral of the story is: Â Go for lunch or go on Friday night and order the luau plate or mixed plate - they're both good riffs on traditional local plate lunches. Â Funny - that's what someone once told me about Hapa J's - and she was absolutely right.
This place is a solid 4.
This was my first meal EVER in San Clemente. My boyfriend just moved down here and we drove around to see what looked good and found Hapa J's to be the most welcoming.
Walking in, I saw the bar and the big TVs with the Laker game going. Already felt like I was going to like the place. My boyfriend and I were seated in a nice big booth where the TVs had college basketball going. We asked our server to change it to the Laker game and she did so without giving us any problems at all. After getting settled into our booth, I felt like I was in a big cozy cabin, it felt nice.
Took a good look at the menu and decided I wanted the spicy ahi poke bowl. The boyfriend wanted something reeally spicy and asked our server what she thought would be good. She recommended the potstickers with the special chili sauce on it. My boyfriend ordered it at a level 7 but the server suggested a 5 and offered to bring more sauce if he wanted it to be more spicy. Good call on her because the chefs apparently use ghost chilis as well as habanero.
The potstickers were tasty and spicy, but just a little soggy for my taste. The ahi poke bowl was deeeelish. It came with this amazing spicy aioli and a little bit of seeaweed salad and ginger. I ordered it with brown rice and spring mix salad. The salad dressing was good, but just a little too much dressing for me.
One thing I would like to note is how quickly our food came out. Literally 3 minutes after we ordered, our food was sitting right in front of us. It was pretty nicely plated too.
We also order 2 beers..the Hawaiian wheat one I wanted was all out so the server suggested something similar which tasted like a Hef, yum. We didn't know it was happy hour, so it was kind of nice to see that we got our beers for half off when we received the bill.
Although I know this place is far from authentic, our server was amazing and very personable and the food was delicious and reasonably priced. I will definitely be back.
Love.
Growing up in Hawaii, I'm always excited to get some delicious Hawaiian eats. Â So, I was very excited to go to Hapa Js. Â The closest decent Hawaiian food on the East Coast to my knowledge is L&L's in lower Manhattan, which isn't bad actually. Â But I figure California being so close to Hawaii geographically, the food has got to be better here.
We began our meal with the man fries (fries topped with cheese and kahlua pig). Â That was good but didn't take me back to my childhood. Â On it's own as an appetizer, however, it's quite good - perfect game food. Â I ordered the Poke Trio. Â This wasn't bad - better than anything that I've tried on the east coast. Â It was good but something was still missing - I'm not sure if it was the limu (red seaweed). Â But it's raw fish, and I'm always open to eating sashimi. Â So I enjoyed it on that level. Â I ordered a lunch special that included kahlua pig and rice, macaroni salad, lomi lomi salmon, and haupia. Â The kahlua pig was well done and satisfied my Hawaiian craving. Â Macaroni salad was okay and the lomi lomi salmon was bland. Â All in all, I would eat here again but not better than the food I grew up on in Hawaii.
Un Hapa.
I was looking forward to trying this place out and apparently my expectations were too high.
This place is for the class of 1990 having their reunion after they've been stuck in San Clemente for 20 years.
It's so loud that when I left it took me 3 hours before I could stop hearing the voices of all the loud South San Clementians.
Here's how it went down:
I met a friend there at 6:15pm -- 15 minutes before Happy Hour was over. How can you complain about a $3 draft? Stone IPA - yum.
The server started off okay and then dive bomb to gone-gone. We each ordered a Happy Hour drink and my friend ordered 2 appetizers before the 6:30pm cut-off. I told the waitress I wasn't ready to decide on an app but I would be shortly (hinting at prior to the cut-off). Well, "Miss wants to have higher tips," didn't show up again. A runner dropped off the drinks after 5 minutes. 5 more minutes later another runner dropped off my friends apps (The "man" fries and poke because she read good reviews on Yelp. Of course, "man" fries - because sexism = uber meat).
Service was sh*tty from there on out. After 15 minutes she came to check on us and then I could order something. She wasn't good at helping with suggestions and wasn't good at hiding what she didn't like - which seemed like almost everything. She wasn't shy to suggest the salmon dinner special for $17.75 saying it was much better than the not appealing sounding Jerk Salmon sandwich [that was how she "sold" it to me -- I didn't know any different].
The Salmon was clearly super farm raised Atlantic (how does any restaurant continue to dare to serve such horrible fish?). It was cooked nicely, but it was bland from it's poor upbringing. The mash potatoes were delicious. The strange stringy "cabbage" on top, though, made me think of fish bones. A little unappetizing. Overall, though, it was an okay fish done in by it's poor quality salmon -- which is sad because the presentation itself was very nice.
Crappy server gave us our check a hundred years later - she didn't even ask if we wanted to see the dessert menu - which we did.
I got the Lava Cake which was really nice and the presentation was quite beautiful.
Unfortunately, the service and the amazingly, over-loud atmosphere, coupled with way too many individuals in my age-category (25-35 year-olds stuck in San Clemente for way too long - gross -- and I'm one of the gross ones stuck here for too long, too, but it's so Southern San Clemente it made me feel uber-gross).
I won't come back. Too loud and bad service. Also, serving such cheap fish? For Hawaiian fusion-fare, I would expect some better treated fish.
Et tu brute? Happa j's! What hath I done wrong? As a religious taco Tuesday go-er I've come to expect a certain level of customer service and friendly attitudes.
Any other night this place would be a 4 stars but Unfortunately that wasn't the case this evening. In probably the most immature act of customer service I've ever experienced, within 30 seconds, our initial waitress (liz) stared down my client, walked away in the middle of me ordering my drink and proceeded to hide behind a curtain as she told the manager that we treated her "extremely rude".
1. Liz, have you never had a job?! The people at the DMV have better people skills than you. You may want to go back to saddleback for a few customer service modules.
2. Manager, sure your waitresses feelings could have been hurt but wouldn't it make more sense that it's because of her own issues rather than the weekly locals who know everyone else by name besides the new girl? It was completely unprofessional to come and have an attitude with us as if we had done something gravely wrong within our first three minuets in the restaurant.
But we stayed, I ate great poke tacos, And dealt with Liz's dirty looks from behind her curtain with a smile on my face.
Your better than her Hapa, it's not you, it's her...
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