I am writing this post with a heavy heart because I know K&M Drive Inn is a new locally owned family business but it wouldn’t be my blog if I wasn’t honest with my own experience. They are located in the same building as Alicia’s Market and I thought their food looked good in pictures and the menu prices? Spectacular! In fact, I was actually considering an office lunch order from them for a training. Something told me that we needed to do a dry run before committing, and good thing we did.
First of all, we wanted to call in our order before heading over so it would be ready when we arrived. It went from the phone ringing non-stop, to the phone ringing shortening (I’m assuming the denial of our call) and then finally, just straight to voicemail. That experience alone did not help me want to trust them with a bigger office order.
When we got there, there were a bunch of people at the window. Good sign right? Sure. I guess an office had put in an order earlier that morning and they all walked down to pay for each plate individually. Oh my. That took…quite a while. Also, the food wasn’t not ready when they requested for it to be ready when they called it in early in the morning! The other office folks were very nice but after I waited out all the payments and finally could order at the window, there was no apologies for the wait or anything. In fact, she seemed like she didn’t even want to help us. Did not feel good.
In the end, I’ll judge the food as is. By taste. None of us were pleased with our dishes…I’ll just share the pics below.
Fry Pork Ribs | $10.95
Not my dish, but was not enjoyed by the diner. Dry and flavorless, the sauce they serve with it was also weird. It’s supposed to be a hot chili sauce but it was just spicy and somehow flavorless too. How do you acheive that??
BBQ Chicken | $10.95
My dish. So I ordered this dish expecting BBQ chicken like you get from other Drive Inns, you know? Just boneless chicken thighs that is grilled. This one was sliced chicken thighs in an American BBQ sauce. It was odd. It didn’t taste bad but when you were expecting something else, it’s a little jarring you know?
HBS (Hamburger Steak) Plate | $10.95
Okay, this person enjoyed the hamburger steak but do you see the garnish? They garnish all their dishes with green onions and cilantro. I find it kind of funny and think people who hate cilantro (which is probably a lot) would not like or expect this addition. So if you don’t like cilantro, make sure you tell them you don’t want it.
Lao Sausage | $13.95
The way their menu is laid out, it looked like lao sausage was a protein option for their chow fun stirfry so that’s what I was trying to order. I was told it was only a plate. Okay, I got the plate. The sausage itself is good and spicy! The sauce, it’s the same sauce as the pork ribs. Spicy yet flavorless. It was so odd. And I am a saucy person (wink) and I just threw it out. What a waste, and I hate wasting but it was that inedible to me.
In the end, a disappointment. Maybe I’ll give them a try again later when they’ve adjusted to running this restaurant. It doesn’t look like they are hurting for business, their prices are great and the food is okay. I just don’t think it’s worth the drive out there for me.
They’ve been featured in a local Facebook page. It’s because they have really cheap breakfasts and the guys, and it is all guys, who bought from there just raved about it. The only thing I don’t like about such recommendations is that the majority of diners here, their criteria is if you get a lot then it means it’s great. It’s just the thinking here and it’s so annoying because a lot of food doesn’t mean quality. If you have junk food, you have tons of junk food. So it’s interesting that you offer this counterbalance to all the raves. A few did showcase the other dishes but they didn’t mention anything other than it tasted good. The one Drive-In that gets mentioned a lot is Lucky Box in Kalihi.
Thank you N! I think you’re right, a lot of people give a lot of credit to big portions. I did try lucky box but only their cold ginger chicken which I liked!
bummer, good thing you checked them out before doing a big order
Right?! Whew.
o, sad! The parking must suck too, being next to Alicia’s, which is why I rarely go. In fact, not since their fire, a long, time ago.
You know what was amazing? The day I went, the lot was empty. Pretty nuts! Lotta people grabbing and going fast at Alicia’s. They still only operate a front counter at the door.
Good review, thanks! I hate disappointing food.
Thanks Aunty! And I agree, it’s a bummer!
Awwww, too bad. But good to know.
Yes! Gotta go back north shore grinds….