Having a Hilo Loco at Leilani's Cafe

I recently had a morning appointment in North PB. I decided to skip my usual breakfast....I've been doing a lot of Overnight Oats recently. I skipped breakfast because I'd be close to Leilani's Cafe and it seemed like a good time to have a Hilo Loco. It was a tad past 830 in the morning, most of the morning coffee folks had gone, and the remote workers have started hitting up the coffee chops in the area, so Leilani's wasn't busy at all.

 It had been over 2 years since I'd last had a Hilo Loco from Leilani's and it was (of course) a takeout order. This time, with no one eating outdoors, I felt comfortable having my Hilo Loco at one of the (farthest) tables on the lanai. In terms of prices, the Hilo Loco had gone up a buck since October of 2020; it's now $13.75.

There's something about the vibe I get from Leilani's that always takes me back to the "old days", you know, when Da Kine's was in PB, Kealani's in Encinitas was still open. And whenever I do a post on Leilani's I often get too wordy. From my Leilani's Hawaiian Restaurant post, when they had a place in Serra Mesa (I believe this spot was being renovated):

"I've noticed that here on the mainland, we have been inundated with a number of "Hawaiian BBQ" joints. So it goes without saying that most people I've met think that Hawaiian BBQ is the ubiquitous "plate lunch". Nothing wrong with that, but the plate lunch is much more than the corporate Hawaiian BBQ, which when done well, is a good value(there are several L&L locations in Honolulu that I like), but when done with only the profit margin in mind(which happens often), is really lousy. If you grew up in Hawaii, you're sure to have your favorite(s), whether it's Rainbow Drive-In(my personal favorite), Masu's(RIP Masu's), Richie's, Zippy's, Cafe 100, Grace's, or any number of places, and there are many. You'd also realize that there is life beyond the BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef, and all the generic items served in those Hawaiian BBQ places. Each one of the places mentioned above have their own versions of the "standards", each with it's own "food personality" of sorts. In addition, other "standards" like Beef Stew, Sweet Sour Pork, Chili, Mochiko Chicken, etc, are also available."

Ok, 'nuff said.

You know, I totally expected to be called to the window to pick-up my locomoco, but the really nice young lady brought it out to me.

   So, how was this? First off, the rice isn't as well coated as before, though it still has a decent spiciness and some nice chunks of Portuguese Sausage. The burger has always been lean and without filler, which makes it nice and beefy if a bit more chewy than others.

I had thought that the gravy at Leilani's tended to be on the "gloppy" side, but this was nice and smooth with a creamy tongue feel. There's some beefiness to it, though it was on the ssalty side for my taste.

The egg, well this says it all......nice and runny....just perfect.

In the end Leilani's delivered pretty much as expected. Not a perfect loco moco, but one that's comforting and for some reason always brings back memories. Hard to believe I first did a post on Leilani's back in 2006! Man, what were you doing in November of 2006? Well, maybe I don't want to know......it'll make me feel "REALLY" old!

Leilani's Cafe
5109 Cass St.
San Diego, CA 92109
Hours:
Daily 7am - 2pm

This one is for "FOY" ChrisR who went to UH Hilo and is always nice enough to let me know where he is finding (or not finding) good grindz in town! 

Comments

[kat]

nice! oh em gee masu’s! blast from the past!

[Sandy]

I do miss the Serra Mesa location because PB is out of the way for me. That said, I did go to Leilani's a few months ago, dined in the patio and had leftovers for another meal.

[Kirk]

I know Kat! Everytime I visit Leilani's it brings back memories of places like that!

That Serra Mesa location was really convenient at the time since my office was close by Sandy. Glad you were able to visit recently and got your "fix"!