If someone asked me about a Hawaiian restaurant in Kansas, I used to automatically think of Hawaiian Bros, but this past week, I was introduced to a new Hawaiian restaurant, Mo’Bettahs. 

In August, Mo’Bettahs’ opened its doors in the old KFC building, which is located on the northeast side of 75th and Metcalf. Mo’Bettahs, a Utah-based chain, specializes in Hawaiian style food. 

When I walked in the white, brick building, I ordered and paid for my food at a counter before sitting at a table of my choosing. The interior of the restaurant was very clean with mint green walls, wooden tables and decorative surfboards hanging on the walls. 

Mo’Bettahs serves three sizes of plates: mini at $9.59, regular at $13.59 and Ekolu — meaning “Da Big Boy ” at $17.99. The mini and regular come with a choice of two meats and Ekolu is served with three. Each plate also comes with white or brown rice and macaroni salad. A salad can be substituted for one of the sides with a 75 cent upcharge. Katsu or teriyaki sauce is included. 

The choices of meat consist of teriyaki chicken, katsu chicken, pulehu chicken, kalua pig, shrimp tempura or an extra dollar for teriyaki steak. 

At the gray, metal counter, I ordered a mini plate with katsu chicken and kalua pig. The katsu chicken is a crispy, boneless and breaded chicken thigh. The kalua pig are tender pieces of shredded pork that have been slow roasted for over 10 hours. 

I received my food in a styrofoam box with a ticket time of less than five minutes. 

Of the meats, my favorite was definitely the kalua pig. The pieces of pork were soft and juicy with the perfect amount of salt. I enjoyed the flavor of the breast meat of the chicken, but parts of the breading were over-fried, making it hard to chew. 

The white rice complimented well with the teriyaki sauce. The macaroni salad was creamy and had the perfect crunch due to the mixed in carrot shreds. 

I definitely got the most out of my money as the portion sizes were big and the food was filling. I ended up taking half of my plate home to eat for another meal. 

Overall, I would recommend Mo’Bettahs to anyone looking for Hawaiin cuisine or simply a quick bite to eat in a relaxing atmosphere. A second location in the Kansas City area is planned to open toward the end of 2022 in Olathe.