Ohana Hawaiian BBQ, located in the Breeze Hill Shopping Center at the corner of Hacienda Drive and S. Melrose Drive in Vista, entices customers with Hawaiian hospitality and big-island style.

Part of a chain that has 30 locations spread throughout Northern California, Hawaii and now Southern California, owner Jason decided Vista would be the perfect spot to launch a franchise.

“We’ve got everything for everybody and the locals have been very supportive,” he said.

When you walk in the door at Ohana, soft strains of Hawaiian slide guitar will greet you and balmy blues and oranges will give you a warm feeling of “aloha.” An engineer by training, Jason made sure the restaurant’s design would feel spacious and accommodating for diners looking for more than just a fast-food quickie. Real wood chairs and marble table tops combined with simply streamlined décor give Ohana more of an upscale ambience.

The restaurant carries many hard-to-find products imported from the islands, including Hawaiian Sun sodas in tropical flavors like guava, lilikoi passion fruit and orange-mango, as well as homemade smoothies. The Hawaiian Sunrise ($3.25) blends passion fruit, mango and papaya.

Then there is the menu, which has lots of fun, traditional dishes for mainlanders to try.

The Loco Moco Bowl ($4.50) will make uninitiated diners curious to try a taste of authentic Hawaiian comfort food. At more than a pound, the bowl is filled with steamed rice and grilled cabbage and then topped with your choice of a beef or SPAM patty, gravy and a sunny-side-up egg. For a hearty appetite, this bowl is “supa,” just like the menu says.

SPAM is a delicacy in Hawaii, where locals consume more SPAM than anywhere else on the planet. And so, at Ohana, there are several SPAM selections on the menu, including SPAM musubi ($3 for two pieces) which is grilled Spam served nigiri sushi-style, on rice with a seaweed wrap.

And saimin ($4), a traditional noodle soup similar to ramen noodles, served in a mirin broth with chopped green onions and seaweed flakes, can be topped with your choice of BBQ chicken or beef, chicken katsu (breaded, fried chicken) or grilled SPAM.

With Ohana’s huge combo plates ($7.50), diners get an opportunity to mix and match two items, served with rice and macaroni salad (another island tradition). Try the loco moco combined with pineapple chicken katsu, or panko-breaded shrimp with Hawaiian roast pork.

I tried the Hawaiian beef short ribs, sliced thin and marinated until totally tender and the BBQ chicken; both were light and tasty.

Jason, who owned a sushi restaurant in San Dimas before opening Ohana’s, looks at freshness and quality of product the same way he did when he was buying sushi-grade seafood from premium vendors.

“My last restaurant was known for quality,” he says. “I treat the ingredients delicately, to guarantee freshness for the customer.”

And though open less than three months, his attention to detail is paying off. Ohana already attracts a bustling lunch crowd from nearby businesses and the Vista courthouse. At night, couples and families come in, with ample seating for parties large and small. And Ohana has attracted a weekend following with local church groups, as well as some catering for church events and the Vista High School football team.

Every item on Ohana’s menu is available in half and full pan sizes for easy catering. A 54-piece full-size pan of Hawaiian BBQ chicken will run you $69, up to $91 for a full pan of BBQ beef short ribs.

The Family Meal ($24) serves four and includes your choice of three items, steamed rice and macaroni salad.

For more information or to place an order, call (760) 643-1226, or visit Ohana’s second location at 459-2 College Blvd in Oceanside. On the Web, look for them at www.hawaiianislandbbq.com.