Jackie's Diner - Aiea

Absolutely delicious! The pastels and arroz con gandules were fantastic! They had an incredibly authentic flavor and were also very affordable. I highly recommend this place to anyone who loves Puerto Rican cuisine.

Mouthwater. OMG! I really love the pastels from there! I get a hot and a normal... so good with the Bakalau salad! Hits the spot:

Hawaiian Puertorrican Pasteles. Four Coños! You could have five Coños, but they don't have a beer! At any rate you need to try their bacalao salad is a mixture of watercress, salad, onions, tomatoes and cold brewed cod with olive oil and vinegar. Okay, my mouth is watering. Then you have two choices the hot or regular pastel. I have the regular and then ask for their homemade chili sauce. They make Haupia (coconut tembleque) that is very good.

As a proud Puerto Rican, I'm very particular about my food. I've tried pasteles and gallo pinto at various places and was often disappointed. However, the Puerto Rican food at this restaurant was DELICIOUS! The filling for the pasteles had a lot of meat, and the gandules rice was really good. I do wish there had been more galletas; I could count them on my fingers. The bacalao salad was tasty, but the bacalao got a bit lost amongst the salad—I was hoping for a side of bacalao instead. I understand it's an expensive ingredient, though! The macaroni salad was fantastic as well. Overall, I enjoyed the food and will definitely come back—there’s always room for improvement. The place was very clean and sanitary. My husband also enjoyed the Hawaiian food, and we both agreed to return for lunch or dinner. Thank you! I’ll give you a five-star rating when you add more rice!

I absolutely love this restaurant! My parents used to bring us here when we were kids. Moving away was tough because I really missed the food and one particular waitress who has been there forever; she was always so friendly and had the biggest smile! I recently visited again, and everything was just as I remembered—the food was still fantastic, and Aunty was still serving. I genuinely adore this place and always look forward to coming back!