L&L Hawaiian Barbecue in Salt Lake City Puts Unique Spin on Barbecue

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is about as close as one can get to Hawaii without actually shoveling out the airfare and money for hotel expenses.

Located at 358 South 700 East In Salt Lake City, Utah, L&L offers some Hawaiian classics as main dishes and as combination plates with macaroni salad and rice. These are offered in barbecued chicken, barbecued beef short ribs and chicken katsu, which is a cracker crumb breaded chicken fillet that's deep fried. Chicken katsu is served with a dipping sauce that's totally awesome. Use some on the rice and it's totally money (as Guy Fieri would say).

The restaurant also features Lau Lau and Kalua pork combo, with is pork chuck wrapped in a taro leaf -- a Hawaiian traditional dish. There's also Mahi Mahi (Dorado or dolphin fish). For those adventurous types, try the Musubi. It's basically Hawaiian sushi, but better than regular sushi. Picture a block of rice topped with either fried Portuguese sausage or Spam with a little seaweed to hold it all together.

For those nursing a sore belly or not into the spicy or sweet, try the Loco Moco, which is rice and two hamburger patties topped with two sunny-side up eggs and brown gravy. It's widely known Hawaiians know how to party, so why wouldn't they have made the ideal morning-after wake-up breakfast before hitting the waves for some killer surfing?

There's fountain drinks, or you could splurge a little and get some killer Hawaiian sodas such as passion fruit, which really complement each dish. The food is always hot and fresh. My only complaint is the macaroni salad lacks any real flavor other than the mayo they use. However, I give them props on using real Hawaiian soy instead of Chinese soy for the rice. Hawaiian soy is a bit sweeter and blends better with the other sauces.
Don't leave without picking up a brown bag full of freshly fried up Hawaiian doughnuts. Well, that's not what they're called, but I forgot the real name. They're basically balls of fried, sweet dough coated lightly in cinnamon and sugar. Talk about decadent! They're best when piping hot, but they'll sit OK in the bag on the counter for a few days. Watch the grease pattern grow as each day passes by.

Although it may seem L&L isn't too friendly to the ultra health conscious types. On the contrary, the restaurants offer salmon, garlic shrimp and other fish dishes that all the skinny people seemed to be ordering. So they must be good as well.

For less than $7 you can get a combo plate and a fountain drink. Starting Nov. 9 through the end of November, the restaurant is offering a $3.99 special for the chicken barbecue that includes rice, mac salad and two big pieces of chicken (per their Facebook fan page). Now that's a deal, folks!

The décor helps immerse you in the Hawaiian spirit. The restaurant plays music from the island -- some traditional and some more modern artists. And the surf boards are really eye-catching. My folks always said if you want to know a good place to go that's "ethnic" see where the people of that ethnic group go out to eat.
At L&L, there was a steady flow of both white, black and people of Hawaiian/Polynesian extraction coming in and placing orders. Granted the white Styrofoam containers you get aren't the most attractive, this food speaks for itself so any fancy plates are totally unnecessary. And when you're done you can just pitch your box out on your way out the door -- pondering when you might be able to come back again and try something different or take on your new favorite.