A couple days ago we were told to go to Sam's Kitchen, the garlic shrimp is amazing! So we took that advice and went for a stroll in search of these tasty shrimps. When we first arrived the place was busy, which is a good sign! We glanced over the menu and proceeded to place our order. A few minutes later they brought our food out to us and we immediately dove in. YES!!!! When ended up getting spicy garlic steak and spicy garlic shrimp bowls and devoured them like we haven't eaten all day. Man, that hit the spot!! After our meal we went back up to order a couple cups of plantation tea, which we highly recommend! We still have a little over a week in our honeymoon so there is a high possibility that we will be returning to eat here. The staff are incredibly nice and I would give it more stars if that was a option. Thank you for the delicious food, our bellies thank you!!

We are staying at the Royal Hawaiian for the week, we have eaten everywhere. This is a true hole in the wall, not much ambiance, and no alcohol, so not the typical place we would land on… we had spicy garlic shrimp and rice the last time we were here at a shrimp shack on the North Shore when we were on a bus tour and so we decided to Google best shrimp to see if we could find something comparable in the area. I must share that this was the best meal any of us enjoyed all week, it pretty much tied with our favorite $100 pp Sunday Brunch at Orchid’s. The spicy shrimp and rice is exceptional!!! Just like the authentic dishes you will find on the North Shore. Just get it. You will thank me. Just amazing.

The food was great and came out fast. The staff is very pleasant! the shrimp was cooked good and they have a few flavors. The potato Mac salad is bomb! But my absolute favorite is the guava juice! Definitely get the guava juice!

Fries were amazing, super crispy. I also really liked the vinegrette on the salad. Proteins were good.

Mahalo iā 'oe !! Especially for the area and value for money, this hidden gem joint is simply the best shrimp I tasted around the Waikiki strip area, period. This mom and pop style popup serves up some dope and super yummy grub, fantastic plentiful fresh portions of jumbo shrimp with an array of awesome slow cooked garlic and Pineapple oil marinades! The locals hype is real and worth it, trust me. Staff are great, very nice people and very talented at whipping up incredible food at lightning speed. Great vibe, environment and place to relax and chow down on some tasty grub in a cool, laid back and no fuss atmosphere. Avoid paying the same price or more for less tasty and or loved good food and make the smart choice to eat here. Support local businesses!

Everything was on point. Highly recommend. I had shrimp and poke. Hubz had steak. We both got the plate. Everything was GOODT! The lady that works at the front was really sweet also.

5/5! After not being satisfied with Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, I had to get my Spicy Garlic Shrimp fix somewhere. I stumbled upon Sam's Kitchen as it was near my hotel and decided to give it a try. Here's the verdict. The Food: Since I was craving some spicy garlic shrimp, I had to get that. It came with two side, so I opted for the Mac salad and salad. The garlic shrimp was absolutely delicious! The flavor from the spices and garlic just blended well with the shrimp. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the size was generous. Mac salad was decent, so nothing to rave home about, but the main player here was for sure the shrimp. The Service: Service was good. Staff was friendly and got my order out in a timely manner. It's more of a take out spot so not much service was needed. You order at a kiosk basically. The Atmosphere: It's located on the side of a building near the main streets of Waikiki, so it's convenient to walk too. There's some seating in the back of the restaurant and some tables nearby in front as well. Overall, a 5/5! Definitely recommend giving Sam's Kitchen a try. Quick eat and delicious food.

Wow what a shocking hidden gem to fill a serious need for good shrimp & late night food in Waikiki! Everyone knows some of the best shrimp is located on the north shore, but you’d be missing out on some phenomenal shrimp here at Sam’s kitchen if you didn’t give them a try! The shrimps themselves were massive, fresh, cooked perfectly and the best quality that I had on the trip. I got the spicy and the garlic versions which were both good. I wish the garlic version had a bit more garlic on it, but that’s just a preference thing. Asking for hot sauce really brought the dishes together. I’d suggest getting the plate option that comes with rice and salad, and trying the Mac salad too. To be able to eat fresh seafood, late at night in a tourist spot, at a reasonable price is truly a gift. Mohammad who took our order was super nice too and kept thanking us for visiting the restaurant. There’s lots of seating too, don’t sleep on this spot it’s fantastic!

These shrimps don't play-- also the Mac salad has potato in it-- nice innovation, Sam. Even the little green salad was nicely dressed. The rice is dense kind of like sticky rice, which I prefer. When I was a vegan I used to smash rice like that down into a chewy slab and it was the closest thing I had to steak. Last time I was here I had the dry curry shrimp, which were actually my favorite-- but it looks like they put that on the weekly special menu only-- way to keep them coming back for more, Sam. Someone let me know if the other items other than shrimp are good-- after the last time I was here I always remembered the name as "Sam's Shrimp Shack" so I didn't even realize they do other stuff.

A hidden gem I found on my last day! The Ahi poke was very fresh and delicious I highly recommend trying. The portion was very generous and the shrimps were super delicious and fresh as well. I wish I had more time in Hawaii because I would have definitely gone here more than once if I had discord it sooner! Must try place for sure and will definitely return here when I come back.

Hole in the wall sidewalk joint with good food. Love the street ambience and the older guy that hustles business out front. A little different way of ordering. You order the protein (shrimp, chicken, beef) and then the sides. Then choose the sauce they put over the top. Portions are good. We liked it and would make this a stop if we come back to Honolulu some day.

Really popular food stand in the heart of Waikiki. This place was so good I came back for some more garlic shrimp and their NY sirloin. You can customize your box to have a salad, rice or macaroni salad. The shrimp and sirloin were seasoned perfectly with plenty of garlic. Packed with plenty of flavor the steak was cooked perfectly and reminded me of Vietnamese shaky beef. Value wise you get a lot of food. They stuff each box with so much of the entree and sides. Staff here is really friendly as well. Even late into the evening our food came out really quickly. They have seating in the back and front with cool graffiti on the walls. I'll definitely be back to try their fresh tuna dishes.

Ordered the Matsuri Shrimp & Medium Well Steak w/ Garlic Sauce...YUMMY GOODNESS!!! Highly recommend! Great customer service! Outdoor dining. Family friendly! Ask for Verna, she's the best and recommends the best dishes!

This place is quite the hidden gem, with a delicious menu and generous portion of food. My husband had the Garlic Shrimp plate and I had the Aloha Poke…we inhaled both so quick. We really wanted to eat here one last time before we left, but the business hours do not match up with what Google stated =[ When I am back in Waikiki; I will definitely be revisiting Sam’s Kitchen again.

Food was amazing, we got the spicy garlic prawns which were soooo surprisingly good. we enjoyed every bite and would say it lived up to the hype. Only complaint (hence the 4⭐️) is the service from the aunty at the cashier who snapped at us for having 1 question about the menu. But looking at the reviews it looks like it’s nothing new. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We love this place so much we had to hit it up 2 times on our trip. We had the Garlic Shrimp and Garlic Steak. Both were great, but we couldn't get enough of the Garlic Shrimp. The portions are good. You have to order at the booth first and they give you a number. Go find an open table and then they'll deliver the food to you.

We order the Garlic Shrimp with rice and macaroni salad and my husband had the garlic steak is the only place budget friendly that is open late

Picked up some spicy garlic chicken with fries. Food was decent but nothing I'd go out of my way to try again. Chicken portion was disappointingly small. Literally got 5 bite size pieces of chicken for $15+. Lady taking orders also wasn't particularly friendly or welcoming.

The closest local plates and experience you can get within Waikiki. Great food (garlic shrimp, fresh fish poke, steak, and pineapple teriyaki chicken). Great vibe. Great owner (Sam!).

Fantastic late night bite! Ordering was quick and easy, the staff was wonderful and friendly, the food was out in less than 5 minutes, and it was absolutely delicious. Based on reviews, I ordered the garlic shrimp. It did not disappoint! I found myself wanting seconds. I was also happy to support a local business. Sam’s kitchen is a must!

We got the steak with the garlic sauce, white rice, Mac salad,🥬leafy green salad. The other entree was the shrimp with spicy garlic sauce and white rice. Both were sooo delicious! We spoke to the assistant about the cuisine and she stated it was a Japanese Hawaiian influence. Sam's is a great choice if staying in Waikiki and a budget friendly one too.

This place came up on every "best cheap eats" in Honolulu - and they weren't wrong. Even a little. Walked over, and almost walked past it. Literally a door in the wall. Felt a little sketch at first, but odd can be good and at Sam's it definitely is. Has the spicy garlic shrimp, tofu, and a side order of rice. Easily enough for two, and under $20. I would 100% go there again!

Since we live close by we decided to take it back home to enjoy. The org garlic shrimp is the bomb! Their fries are so so crispy (it's so addicting I had to get one more order before flying home) the spicy garlic sauce wasn't that good though. Their website pricing is outdated, so to know the true pricing try ordering online first. After you finished paying , keep the receipt because the receipt comes in two parts. When your food is ready they come and rip the top part of your receipt as proof the order is for you so don't throw away your receipt!!

For our last meal before heading to the airport, we really wanted some Hawaiian food. This, sadly, was not what we were looking for. The shrimp was good, fresh and nicely portioned. The salad is potato instead of the traditional Mac which was not clear and was super disappointing. The greens were crisp and fresh but laden with a super sweet dressing. Not good. Do not order the chicken, it was so bad. The garlic teriyaki sauce is heavy and somehow the chicken was stringy and dry. We threw away the chicken plate, neither of us could eat it. The scene is cool - order at a cart and sit in an alley-type space with graffiti, string lights and fun music. Decent price by Waikiki standards. If I were to go back I would order greens, no dressing, with steak or shrimp on top with a side of fries.

Sam is a character but the food at his kitchen is wonderful down home Hawaiian. The garlic shrimp the best we’ve had anywhere in Oahu and the sauces for the entrees are also a delight. If you can handle eating out of to go containers and little ambiance, the food is worth it.

Food is very good. Friendly people. Service is not as quick as you might expect, but the food makes up for it. There is seating in front and the back but not a ton. Prices are reasonable and you get a good amount of food. I enjoyed the tofu.

Had the Matsuri shrimp and plantation tea. Randomly picked this place and was blown away at how good it was. Berna was very helpful!

Back home on da island & this was the first meal for the Mrs & I. Would recommend calling ahead but you can eat there, they have plenty of tables. The shrimp, chicken & steak were all fantastic!!! So glad to see a small/local place make it through the 'demic. The portions were ridiculously large, just look at the photos. You gotta eat here, period.

Found it on Google after going to diamondhead. Easy to find, parking at the mall next door Easy to order, food came out within 10 min. Very tasty (we had beef, chicken, and lots of shrimp). Pineapple iced tea excellent as well. Nice people Definitely repeat

The food here was so full of flavor. I got the spicy garlic chicken and it was so delicious. Everything is made to order so your food comes out hot. The cashier we placed our order with was friendly and also answered any questions we had. After placing our order the food was ready within 10 minutes. The seating area is a covered patio decorated with tons of plants, paintings and surf boards.