Broke da mouth is the Hawai’ian Pidgin way of saying “insanely delicious” and that’s just what the food at Annandale’s new L&L Hawai’ian Barbecue is.
After months and months of waiting, the highly anticipated new food hotspot Garden Social, in the same strip mall as The Block in Annandale (4363 John Marr Dr), opened in early April. L&L Hawai’ian Barbecue, Tiger Sugar (boba), and the Garden Social bar are inside the food court and are already thriving with business. Garden Social is open from 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. every day.
They are doing so well, in fact, that when I tried it for the first time there was a line wrapping around the building and what I thought to be at most a 30 minute wait quickly turned into a 2 hour long endeavor after factoring in wait and eating time.
I personally did not mind this because I think the fact that it was so packed only speaks to how good their food is and how well this new spot will grow the Annandale community. However, for those worried, the wait time has decreased as the restaurant has been open for over a month.
Their menu is full of Hawai’ian comfort foods, with options ranging from the classic plate lunch, which includes an option of meat (teriyaki chicken, kalua pork, Hawai’ian BBQ beef, Hawai’ian BBQ short ribs, chicken katsu, fried fish, and garlic shrimp), rice and macaroni salad, to various flavors of musubi, and other Hawai’ian classics like the Loco Moco. They also offer “light” versions of their plate lunches for a healthier version of the classics.
Garden Social is the new hangout spot with a great vibe inside and out. This establishment will draw in customers from all over thanks to its cute design that incorporates Polynesian elements, lights and a fun outdoor area that has many tables and activities like cornhole in the lawn.
“I like L&L because of all the seating choices, and the chill vibe of the place. I always get the Spam musubi and it is always so good,” said freshman Elizabeth Porter.
L&L provides comfort for those who have noticed the lack of Hawai’ian and other Polynesian food in the area. It also gives others the opportunity to get a taste of the islands with their characteristic menu.
