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Sometimes you just need a change up—something to get you out of a rut. That’s true in sports when a pitcher throws an off-speed pitch when a fastball is expected, or when running a draw play on third and long.
It’s also true when it comes to picking a place to grab a bite to eat. If you have been searching for that change up to your dining out, I suggest Hawaiian Bros Island Grill in Gretna.
The “plate lunch”-inspired restaurant has locations in nine states, opening in Nebraska in the spring of 2024. The concept is based on a culinary tradition born on the plantations of Hawaii. It’s simply a plate with white, sushi-style rice, macaroni salad and a protein of your choice in large, small, or classic size. Mostly chicken rules the menu roost at Hawaiian Bros except when it comes to the Luau Pig featuring roasted Kalua Pork seasoned with Hawaiian sea salt. Justin Coogan, the director of operations for the Hodges Franchise Group, says the pork is smoked overnight for 15 hours with the seasoned salt rub, and this effort does not go unnoticed.
The Luau plate is served with a pineapple-infused BBQ sauce packet of which I asked for a second because the taste worked so well with the pork. Roasted pork can sometimes be a little dry or even bland for me, but Hawaiian Bros does it right. It was juicy, with a nice smoky flavor, and the BBQ sauce topped it off perfectly. We ordered the classic size and when mixing the meat with the rice, it was a good-sized meal. This was my favorite of the four dishes we ordered.
None of us were particularly fond of the macaroni salad. It’s fine for a couple of bites, but it doesn’t have much flavor, and unlike what it says on the menu, it did not keep us coming back for more.
It was a different story with the Huli Huli chicken, the restaurant’s signature dish. The chunks of sliced grilled chicken are served with a sort of sweet teriyaki sauce that everyone at the table enjoyed. Again, I suggest a second packet of teriyaki sauce to go over the chicken and the rice, too. This dish goes back to the origins of the restaurant, when two brothers, Cameron and Tyler McNie, helped operate a family eatery in Eugene, Oregon that had a native Hawaiian as its chef. Eventually, they teamed up to open the first Hawaiian Bros location in Belton, Missouri, in 2017.
One of the most unique things about the concept is everything is made fresh. Except for the ice cream, of course, nothing is frozen.
If you are looking for a little more spice in your plate lunch, the Molokai and the Kilauea are your best bets. Those two grilled dishes come with a little more heat that hits you after the second bite. The only difference is that the Kilauea has more of a sweet flavor with the extra spice.
Everything else is the same with those two plates, but it’s the Honolulu that offers the biggest change up among the chicken dishes. Unlike the others, the Honolulu comes with garlic, green onions and sesame. This is the one that reminded me the most of the plate lunches you get from the food trucks when visiting Hawaii. Justin says the Honolulu option has been the most popular at the Gretna location when it comes to the chicken dishes.
As for sides, we tried the Spam Musubi, which is grilled spam over rice held together with seaweed. You can get slightly better versions of this at other places in the metro but for the price of $3.50 each, it was worth it. I would suggest saving the stomach space for the side of pineapple and/or the Dole soft serve ice cream.
The soft serve comes in pineapple, raspberry or a swirl of the two flavors. It’s a huge serving big enough for two and the two flavors complement each other. It’s elevated by putting some of the fresh pineapple into the dish.
Justin says they will replace the raspberry with lime in the near future.
Speaking of the near future, the next Omaha location will be at 114th and Dodge in the old Boston Market spot. In total, the Hodges Franchise Group plans to have five locations in Omaha and Lincoln.
The original location is in Gretna, just off 1-80 and Hwy 370, and is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Despite not having a large menu, Hawaiian Bros has a good enough variety to please the whole family and provide you with a nice change up.
This article originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
