L&l Hawaiian Barbecue - Sarasota

I’m originally from Hawaii and still spend six months of the year there. I’ve visited L&L Sarasota twice, and both times the chicken katsu was overly cooked. It was so crispy that it could be broken in half! That's not how it should be! On the bright side, the katsu sauce was tasty.

I had no idea this place existed until I discovered it on Yelp. I attempted to place an online order, but ran into some technical issues. It's located in a shopping center and is more of a grab-and-go spot, although there are tables available if you want to sit down. I ordered at the counter, and about 20 minutes later, I was on my way with my food. It was delicious! My last visit to this restaurant was in Hawaii, so it was a pleasant surprise to find it in Sarasota.

I think the food is excellent, but I found the short ribs to be overpriced at $7 for just one. They also removed the platter from the menu, which meant I couldn’t order a full meal. The food was tasty, but the portions were quite large; the spam roll was my favorite. The short rib sliders were good but didn’t stand out. The staff was very friendly, and the restaurant was spotless. However, I ended up spending nearly $40, and I didn't feel it was worth that much.

I was looking for a casual spot with healthy options on New Year's Day and found this restaurant on Yelp. It met my needs perfectly. I ordered the light grilled salmon, which came with a salad and a small scoop of rice, and it was quite tasty. My husband opted for the kudzu chicken platter, which was delicious—definitely not healthy, but wonderfully crispy, and the gravy was flavorful. We weren’t fans of the macaroni salad, but that’s just a matter of personal preference. Our son had the light BBQ chicken and enjoyed it, while his fiancée was happy with her pulled pork bowl. The service was satisfactory. I would return if I’m in the area and in the mood for this kind of food.

I had such a wonderful experience visiting this restaurant and enjoying a taste of Hawaii after being away from the islands for a decade. I'm so glad they opened! I really hope they consider opening a location on the Space Coast soon; there are plenty of Hawaiians on this side of the state who would appreciate it. We drove three hours to get there, and it was definitely worth the trip. I even brought a couple of plates home for my family!