Hukilau Cafe

The Hukilau Cafe, located in Lai'e, Hawaii, is probably best known among many people for one of two reasons: it was featured in the hit movie "50 First Dates," and it was also featured on the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food."

Hukilau Cafe was featured in the hit movie "50 First Dates"

It was actually Hukilau Cafe's "Loco Moco" that was chosen here, not the Hukilau burger

My father and I split a Hukilau burger ($5.25), mainly due to watching "Man v. Food."

I really like the layers here

I thought it was OK. I thought the grilled onion brought a nice crunch to the burger. But it is the teriyaki beef in the burger that separates this burger from others I've had. The teriyaki beef was moist and had good flavor. The egg was there, but I felt it got lost a little in the mix. Fried eggs are OK, but overeasy eggs (with the runny yolk) are a heck of a lot better in burgers, in my book. The runny yolk would act as another sauce for the burger. The beef patty was thin and practically well-done, yet retained a little moisture (so they probably use something like 80/20). I'd prefer a leaner, fatter patty cooked to about medium-rare to medium.

Hukilau Cafe serves a good burger, but as a person from Hawaii who's eaten a bunch of teriyaki beef, I don't see the big deal. Perhaps to someone who never (or rarely) had such flavors before, it's mind-blowing, but it just is a slightly above-average burger to me. Plus, it's over $5 to get one of these, and I'd rather pay that money for a more quality beef patty or an exotic wild game burger. 5.75/10