Pono Hawaiian Grill
The recipes came off Maui with the owner the room calls Braddah Timmy, and the stage has carried Willie K, John Cruz, Makana, Led Kaapana and George Kahumoku by the venue's own account. Fifteen craft taps behind the bar on Union Street.
Why go
Plate lunch and poke are the trade, and the food side of the record is thin: the venue names the bowls and not what goes in them, and nothing we could cite describes a single build. What it does name is the music, and those are not filler names. Led Kaapana and George Kahumoku are slack-key players with real records behind them, and John Cruz and Willie K are among the best-known voices to come off the islands. Pono's own line is that Our stage has been graced by many of legends such as Willie K, Maoli, John Cruz, Makana, Led Kaapana, George Kahumoku, Andy Bumatai and many more,
and Aloha Fridays are when island musicians play. It runs as a sports bar the rest of the week, with seven screens downtown.
Order this / avoid
- Order: a poke bowl or a teriyaki bowl. The kitchen calls the recipes Braddah Timmy's family ones from Maui, and that is as far as the record goes.1
- Avoid: Monday, when the downtown room is dark. Friday and Saturday it runs to 11pm.
What locals & experts say
- Pono, on where the food comes from: the room serves
island style street food with recipes straight from Braddah Timmy's home island of Maui.
1 - The record is thin here. No bylined review was read this pass, and the musician list is the venue's own claim rather than a checked booking history.
Good to know
- Timing: closed Monday. Tuesday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday to 11pm, Sunday to 9:30pm.
- Which door: 120 Union Street downtown. There is a second room in Capitola with its own drinks list.
- Drinking: fifteen craft taps and a full island bar downtown.
Verdict
could-visit — A Maui cook's family recipes running as plate lunch and poke on Union Street, with fifteen craft taps and a stage the venue says has held Willie K, John Cruz, Makana, Led Kaapana and George Kahumoku. The music is the part that separates it from every other poke counter, and Aloha Fridays are when it happens. It stays at could-visit because nothing citable describes a single bowl, and a Hawaiian room should be judged on the plate before the playlist.