L&L Hawaiian BBQ says 'Aloha' to San Antonio

Ramen burger at the L&L Hawaiian BBQ San Antonio Ramen burger at the L&L Hawaiian BBQ San Antonio Photo: Kolten Parker/San Antonio Express-News Photo: Kolten Parker/San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close L&L Hawaiian BBQ says 'Aloha' to San Antonio 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Move over red enchiladas, there's a new comfort food in San Antonio.

L&L Hawaiian Grill, an Asian, Pacific and American fusion restaurant, opened its first location in South Texas on Wednesday in the Alamo City to dozens of eager guests.

S.A.'s newest hot spot is located near the Alamo Heights area at 1302 Austin Highway.

The fast-food joint boasts “Hawaiian comfort foods” such as katsu, musubi, ramen as well as short ribs, fish and shrimp.

But the restaurant's claim to fame is a new take on the age-old hamburger: the ramen burger, said Sarah Yee, owner of the San Antonio location.

“There have been no innovations for the hamburger in years,” she said. “The ramen burger is the latest craze, people everywhere are rushing to try it. And we are riding that wave.”

A quarter-pound hamburger patty served between two slabs of ramen with a “special sauce” with a type of teriyaki or soy flavor actually is better than it sounds.

The ramen is tender and juicy on the inside, but the outside is grilled for a nice light brown crisp, creating a similar consistency to a hamburger bun, with a different flavor.

The sweet soy sauce nicely ties the flavors together. The ramen burger is priced at $5.79.

When asked why San Antonio, Yee, who is from Oahu but has lived in San Antonio for seven years, said many military members who have been stationed in Hawaii or Asian countries have a craving for this type of cuisine that is hard to find off the islands.

“It's Military City USA,” said Yee. “There is a pinned up demand for this comfort food that people in San Antonio, until now, couldn't find anywhere.”

Doreen Palumbo, who lives in San Antonio but originally is from Pearl City in Oahu, said she eagerly has been waiting for the restaurant to open, and the food exceeded her expectations.

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L&L's menu

“I'm really glad it is finally opened,” said Palumbo, who ordered the seafood and grill combo ($10.89), which includes breaded fish and shrimp with grilled chicken, beef or ribs. But, she said on her next visit, she'd try the ramen burger.

Most of the menu items are priced between $4 and $9 and some of the products, such as the tropical drink Hawaiian Sun and Lau Lau, are imported from Hawaii.

The restaurant, which has seating for about 34, is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week located at 1302-1 Austin Highway, next to Shipley's Doughnuts on the Vandiver Road intersection.

L&L Hawaiian Grill has 200 locations around the world and including a new spot in Guam and Indonesia. The only other Texas location is in Plano.

Staff writer Edwin Delgado contributed to this report.

kparker@express-news.net