Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill: Aloha from Utah! {GIVEAWAY}
The only real taste of Hawaiian food I’ve had while living in Utah, including the years I was in college at BYU, was a fabulous hole-in-the-wall in Provo called the Bamboo Hut (the original Bamboo Hut, mind you) and the occasional Hawaiian shave (not shaved) ice stand. Of course I don’t mind traveling to the Hawaiian islands for authentic Hawaiian food, but it does put a dent in a non-existent travel budget. More to my checkbook’s liking is Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill, a fairly new Utah restaurant with locations in both Midvale (MIPO) and Logan (NOLOPO).
I’m not sure about the Logan location but the Pounders Grill in Sandy was tucked away in a strip mall you’d totally miss if it weren’t for the Kneaders that catches your eye. It is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the best sense of the word: nondescript, minimalistic furnishings, solid fan base (have you seen Pounders’ Facebook page?) and yummy food.
Nathan and I headed to Pounders to see what the hype was all about. The place definitely had that high-school/college co-ed atmosphere with a wall full of signatures, jerseys and even your local camo-adorned Tiki.
Looking at the menu we had no idea what Chicken Katsu, Papa Lani Chicken or Kalbi tasted like, and the gal behind the counter had a hard time describing them. Fortunately Pounders is happy to provide a sample plate with a few bites of the different types of dishes so you can more easily decide. I loved the Chicken Katsu, Kalua Pork and Kalbi, so of course I got my way when we ordered the Kahuna plate lunch (2 scoops of rice, 3 choices of meat and 1 serving of salad).
Here’s how it arrived (nothing like Styrofoam containers in case you need to leave immediately because your 12-year-old, who’s babysitting, is having issues with your 10-year-old…again):
Here’s the salad (not too impressed but I do love crunchy won ton strips!):
And here’s our Kahuna plate—YUM:
My kids would totally LOVE the Chicken Katsu (top right). Is it heresy to say it rivals Chick-fil-A’s chicken pieces? The side of macaroni salad was actually quite good, and we had no problem cleaning our plate.
Of course we couldn’t leave without trying their cakes, a favorite of pretty much everyone. We sampled both the coconut:
And the chocolate (that’s a condensed milk frosting with what I believe is crystallized coconut):
My favorite was definitely the coconut—I could have bathed in that cake! I should have ordered two or three more for the road (and I literally mean the drive home).
My final thoughts? Though Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill wouldn’t be my first choice for lunch with girlfriends or a nice date night, it is fabulous for quick-and-yummy takeout or a fun family dinner. And Pounders also caters; I would totally have them cater a family get-together! Summer is always the high season for reunions and Pounders would be a great option if you don’t want the work of coordinating a potluck or barbecuing 500 frozen patties. Throw in some pineapple, a Mormon margarita or Driven Mojito and a few coconut bras and you’re all set!
It’s GIVEAWAY time!
Pounders is giving away one (1) $20 gift certificate to one lucky ITRML reader!
To enter to win, leave a comment on this post. For additional entries you can do any of the following; just leave a separate comment for each one you do:
- Check out Pounders’ menu and tell us what you’d most like to try.
- Follow PoundersGrill on Twitter and leave a comment.
- Subscribe to isthisREALLYmylife.com (just click the RSS icon in the top right corner).
- Become a fan of is this REALLY my life? on Facebook.
- Tweet and/or Facebook about this giveaway and leave the URL of your tweet/status update.
This giveaway ends at midnight on Friday, May 28th.
Disclaimer: Nathan and I were provided with a meal in exchange for this review.
* CONGRATULATIONS to Stacey! She is the winner of the Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill giveaway! (We had 30 comments but one of those was mine, hence the “29″ in the Random.org box. Just wanted to clarify.)
A big thank-you to all who took the time to read, salivate and enter. My readers rock!
You can read more about the inspiration for this site 
OK, so I drive past this place, almost daily, after my morning Route 44 run, and I have never been there! I need to change that ASAP!
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I’ve been a huge fan of Pounders since they opened up SOLOPO! I’ve had the pleasure to eat at NOLOPO, SOLOPO, and MIPO and the food is delicious whatever location you go to. I can’t get enough of the Kalua Pork and I love the Terryaki Beef. Good stuff all around!
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I usually keep my love for plate lunches a secret… especially from my Polynesian husband:)
But I’m letting the secret out now. I LOVE plate lunches!! I hope I win.
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I follow Pounders Grill on Twitter.
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I had the same problem the first time of not knowing what exactly the menu items were, and the person behind the counter wasnt really a ton of help either, but the other customers were GREAT! The chimed right in telling me what I should order. It was great.
You forgot to mention how good the pounder sauce was! YUM! I actually put it on my salad and it was sooo yummy. It was nice to have a cold refreshing salad with my meal. I liked that part.
I was really impressed with Pounders and thier ownership! Great place..
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Emily Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Ryley, to be honest, the person behind the counter wasn’t a ton of help when we were there either. If I hadn’t known about the sample plate ahead of time I’d have never known what to order. And yes! The Pounders sauce is really, really good! Can’t believe I forgot to mention that!
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I follow @PoundersGrill
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I will just have to check this out!
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That meat! Those cakes! Everything looks so good! I need to branch out of the Utah County scene to come try it out!
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Just checked out the menu. Everything looks great! The Pounders chicken, Kalua Pork, or Papa Lani Chicken. I’d probably want to try all of their sauces!
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Just sent some Twitter love
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Already a fan of Is This Really My Life on Facebook. Does that still count? :)
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I still haven’t been here! What is wrong with me?!?!?!?! I want to try the sample plate.
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follow pounders on twitter
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I am a long time subscriber of your wonderment!
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I was a fan on facebook before all this like nonsense came out.
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I tweeted.
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I want to eat the katsu chicken and kahlua pork. And the cake!
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I like Pounders on Facebook!
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I’m a follower of Poundersgrill on Twitter.
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I’ve been hearing a lot about this place lately. We had a place like this where we lived in CA that we loved. I think I may have to try this out soon!
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Checked out the menu and I’m a big fan of Teriyaki Chicken. Boring, but I love it! (I’m not food adventurous.)
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Following them on Twitter.
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Following via RSS feed.
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FB fan of ITRML
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RT’d yours
twitter.com/staceymay
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I subscribe to that sexy little RSS feed of yours.
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We rarely get down to Utah County, but Pounders might give us the perfect excuse! Any word on a Pounders in Davis or Weber County in the near future?
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ooh , this looks good. I wanna try it out.
I follow them on twitter.
AND I might just have to stop by sooner than the giveaway ends.
We are in an eating out slump.
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Love your pics, Em!! What a fun post! I would LOVE to try Pounders, especially since they’re like two seconds from my house. ;)
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