At most barbecue chains the sides are a decision. At Ono Hawaiian BBQ they are the format. Two scoops of steamed white rice and one scoop of macaroni salad arrive with every regular plate, at no extra charge, and there is no menu board where you pick between them. That single fact changes how you should read the whole menu.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Side | Price | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| Steamed Rice | $2.99 | Only to stretch a shared meal |
| Macaroni Salad | $4.49 | Yes, if you want a second scoop |
| Fresh Mix Salad | $4.49 | The only green thing on the board |
| Crab Rangoon | $4.49 | Not Hawaiian, ordered anyway |
| Spam Musubi | $6.49 | The best add-on, full stop |
| Crispy Shrimp (appetizer) | $8.49 | Only if sharing |
| Fresh Mix Salad with Protein | $11.49 | A meal, not a side |
The two-scoop standard
The plate lunch came out of plantation-era Hawaii, where field workers carried tin lunch pails: rice for bulk, something cold and creamy to cut it, and one hot protein. Ono Hawaiian BBQ still builds every plate that way. A regular plate is two scoops of rice, one scoop of mac and a full protein portion. A Mini Meal ($10.49–$10.99) drops to one scoop of rice, keeps the scoop of mac, and cuts the protein.
The financial consequence is the one people miss when comparing chains. A $12.49 Hawaiian BBQ Chicken plate is a complete meal with a starch and a cold side already in the price. A $12.49 order at most mainland barbecue chains is meat and a bun, with sides billed separately at three dollars apiece. That is the real comparison, and it is why the Ono Hawaiian BBQ menu prices better than it first looks.
The macaroni salad, properly explained
Hawaiian mac salad is not mainland macaroni salad and judging it by that standard is how people end up pushing it to the edge of the tray. The pasta is deliberately overcooked so it absorbs mayonnaise and turns creamy rather than dressed. There is no celery, no mustard, no relish and no vinegar bite — just macaroni, a lot of mayonnaise, grated carrot, salt and pepper.
Its job is temperature and texture contrast against a hot, sweet, char-grilled protein. Eating a plate lunch without it is like eating Texas brisket without the pickle: technically possible, structurally worse. It is also about 300 calories a scoop, which is worth knowing but is not a reason to skip it.
Every side you can order separately
Ranked, honestly
- Macaroni salad — the one that defines the format. Free on the plate, $4.49 alone.
- Spam Musubi ($6.49) — technically in the Musubi & Appetizers section rather than the sides list, and the most underrated thing on the menu. Grilled Spam, teriyaki glaze, rice, nori.
- Steamed cabbage — not sold separately, but it comes with Kalua Pork with Cabbage ($12.99) and it is the only cooked vegetable on the menu.
- Fresh Mix Salad ($4.49) — plain green salad. It exists to solve a problem, not to be enjoyed.
- Steamed Rice ($2.99) — pointless as a solo order given every plate already includes two scoops.
- Crab Rangoon ($4.49) — cream cheese in a fried wrapper, no connection to Hawaii whatsoever, and consistently ordered regardless.
How to modify the standard
Three requests most locations will accommodate, though this varies restaurant to restaurant across the roughly 90 stores:
- One scoop of rice instead of two — saves about 200 calories and reduces the volume of food you will not finish.
- Extra mac instead of rice — sometimes free, sometimes charged as a $4.49 side. Ask before assuming.
- Salad in place of rice — usually treated as an upcharge toward the $11.49 Fresh Mix Salad with Protein.
One rule for takeout: never microwave the macaroni salad. Take the lid off, eat it cold, and reheat only the rice and protein. For how the glazes interact with all this, see the Ono Hawaiian BBQ sauce guide.