Hawaiian Restaurants near Hauula, HI

“I've been a Kaya's Store customer for over 70 years, from back when it was a small general store providing Punalu'u families everything from hardware, ropes and wire, screen, fishing tackle and glass boxes and spears, plumbing parts, cook- & table-ware, groceries, local fruits and vegetables, kerosene, paper kites and string, Duncan yo-yos, gasoline & oil, cold drinks in a iced cooler and treats for kids like popsicles, li hing mui, red ginger, rock candy and candy bars. Kaya's was always a warm and welcoming place, run by a wonderful family. Family members knew their local customers by name and offered helpful advice and tips on home repairs, fishing, gardening and recipes for local-style dishes. Today, they offer an array of superbly-prepared dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My recommendations are too plentiful to list - one should order with confidence, you won't be disappointed. My advice is to keep coming back and try them all! Kaya's also offers a helpful array of well-chosen foods, drinks and staples for weekly sustainment or for those quick, last minute items to complete a meal preparation. Thank you Kaya's ... mahalo pia for a lifetime of irreplaceable and still on-going service and wonderful memories.“

“In planning to relive a memorable dining experience and coming from Waikiki, I did not want to come up to Hauula just to get a plate of food. I did a Yelp search and this was one of two businesses that had a 4+ star rating so I bookmarked it as another stop. Using Google maps on my phone, we reached here a little after 11 am on a Monday morning. A gentleman was seated at one of the tables under the tent who we later learned is part of the business. As we walked up to the truck, we read the menu posted on the truck ( After reading it, I asked the lady who manned the truck for her recommendation and she answered without hesitation. A few minutes later, we both were under the tent and eating our spicy garlic lemon shrimp plate ( At first glance, I was surprised by the size of the shrimp which I would almost categorize as prawns. Need proof of how much I like it... burp ( The sauce was delicious and not overly spicy. My experience with shrimp truck plates is limited as I've only dined at that famous Haleiwa one across from the McD's as you enter town. I liked this more and the accompaniments were certainly more interesting... I enjoy canned corn and don't start me about pineapples. The sweetness of both contrasted well with the tangy, spicy, garlicky sauce on the shrimp and my rice. Before leaving, I was curious and asked the lady's nationality and name. Big thanks to Ms. Zhao or Zhou (sp) for steering us to an enjoyable lunch (she's from a Northeastern province in China). I wouldn't hesitate to stop here again next time I'm in the area. *** Nice to find it is Judy C. approved too ( as I just read her review as well as Nadine's (“

“big j's combo (4.8/5): comes with rice with pulehu ribs and garlic shrimp. the ribs were AMAZING! they are thick and grilled/charred perfectly, i would come back just for these ribs alone. the garlic shrimp was too mayo-y(?) for my liking, but the actual shrimp were a good size and so good! great option to get if you want surf & turf, but the ribs are where it's at. when i came here in august 2023, the restaurant was to-go only. they had a table blocking the entrance to the restaurant, where a staff member would take orders and payment. the woman who took my order was so so friendly! since you couldn't enter the restaurant, there was only 2-3 tables outside where everyone shared seating. i highly recommend this place if you're used to eating the standard thin galbi ribs, this will change your life!“

“One man working when we went, and he was doing such a great job! The pork is so delicious. This is what Hawaiian food is all about. This girl truly shows the rawness of how great things can be. Nothing fancy but great food, great prices and happy place to be.“

“I have been to 3 luau’s now, and this one was by far the best! The energy of the show was just fantastic! This is a family ran business, and the whole family participated! You can tell these performers enjoy working together AND have a love for their culture. It was an absolute pleasure to participate and watch. The food was AMAZING! The chicken and pork were so tender and flavorful. The macaroni salad was delicious. Everything from start to finish was so well done. Even the rain couldn’t stop this show! I will be recommending this luau to everyone I know!“

“While going around the island, my fiance and I decided to pay a visit to Da Bald Guy after seeing this being featured on a Netflix Series "Street Food: USA". This famous father/son food truck is located off Kamehameha Hwy nestled right next to other food trucks and is open from 6-2 PM Monday thru Saturday til they're sold out-- so come early! WHAT WE ORDERED: Call my fiance and I super Filipino, but we both share a meal during trips or vacations so that we can try different flavors and varieties of food so we're not just stuck eating one particular dish! For lunch, we decided to share the Furikake Crusted Salmon alongside with our order of Garlic Shrimp from Romy's. Furikake Salmon is a solid meal that always hits especially on lazy days in which you don't really want to cook. After waiting 15 minutes or so food and finding seating, our meal finally arrived. And honestly, we've never had Salmon Furikake like theirs before! The flavors, nice crust, and freshness of the Salmon had us mind blown. This meal also came with rice and mac salad. I'm not huge on mac salad, but their mac salad was also delicious! The one thing we regret is not coming earlier to order the combo plate, but we'll definitely be back to try more! We're glad to say Da Bald Guy is not just instagram worthy but definitely the drive and wait was worth it! 10/10 recommend! THINGS TO KNOW: - CARD/CASH ACCEPTED - OPEN 6-2PM UNTIL SOLD OUT - LIMITED PARKING/SEATING“

“The food here is da bomb! My daughter suggested the tsunami nachos and we loved it! Second plate is poke bowl with laos style poke this is my favorite. Thank you Ryan and Khannie for your awesome food and the love and aloha that you share with the customers. Such a wonderful feeling when eating at Rys Poke Shack will definitely be back again“

“Very popular stop along east scenic drive, worth a stop. Ordered Luau pig, their chicken long rice resembles Asian chicken rice noodle, super flavorful. On top of that, their sweet lady comes with a blend of ice-cream and coconut milk based dessert but not super sweet in western standards of dessert. Highly recommended chicken long rice if you are rice noodle fan and their sweet lady on a humid Hawaiian summer.“

“Wife told me there was a Huli huli chick that everyone raved about(ray's) but didn't remember the name and we ended up being here in a mistake. Food was great chicken was delicious it's different than ray's but I love both. The seasoning here is more sweet I believe the seasoning was inspired by Japanese with garlic soy and mirin, which my wife liked a lot. The service is great, the lady's that works there shows what hospitality is.“

“the food goes without question, it's so good. the burgers are big juicy and craveable. given the choice between laie and kahuku i will always choose kahuku. recently they have been so fast about getting food out and when i asked about it was told it's under new management so it's gonna stay that way!“

“The girls at Pupukea were friendly and fast! Our meals were prepared perfectly and were actually the BEST food we ate on a week vacation with restaurants running up to $200 a meal! We’ve decided finding the right taco truck is huge in Hawaii and THIS is it.“

“Super friendly and they have good pork and chicken. Found on Google while driving and as I walked through the maze of food carts looking for them, a man cooking at a grill called out asking how I was and if I wanted a sample of what he was making. Starting talking and realized this was the spot I was looking for. More of a tent and table setup, not in a truck/cart. Good eats, recommend supporting them.“

“We loved our food from the Hukilau Cafe! We ordered breakfast before going on a hike and it was super filling, delicious, and both dishes were very generous portions. We ordered the Hungry Hawaiian and the Veggie Breakfast with grilled potatoes. The service was great, they were very friendly and we will be going back when we visit in the future.“

“We were served by Mike and Ocean, suggesting great beverages, appetizers, and main courses.  The Aji sashimi appetizer was incredible, as was the Paloma and the pineapple, mai tai signature drink for main course we had to catch up the day, a fresh mahi-mahi cooked beautifully and was tender. The other course was the seafood trio with tiger, prawns, mahi-mahi, and scallops. the scallops were a bit overcooked, and upon sharing with our waiter, the dish was whisked away, remedied, and the scallops were fantastic. An amazing overall experience, to be expected and not always given. props to Mike and Ocean, the manager on duty, and the chefs for a great experience that exceeded our expectations. Aloha.“

“This was one of the best food trucks I've eaten from. Tita's is situated in the Hukilau Marketplace right by the entrance of the Polynesian Cultural Centre (PCC). It's a great place to stop by and fuel up before entering the PCC as I didn't see many food places in there.The food here was delicious, well cooked and very flavourful, and the portions were quite large (hard to tell from my pics). It's definitely well worth the money if you arrive hungry. There's about a 10 minute wait for them to prepare your food, but there are some tables and chairs with umbrellas to shield you from the sun right in front of the truck, so you can relax while you wait for them to call your number.“

“Not much to catch your eye when you drive by, but the service was top notch and the food was delicious (first time having garlic shrimp and yes, it was rich and creamy). Also had the coconut shrimp. I was reading reviews closer while eating and wish I would have tried to the steak instead of the coconut shrimp as it seems to be a fan favorite. The black cat is a fan of the garlic shrimp - highly recommend sharing what you have leftover with the little buddy.Parking: Parking was limited, but there are 5-6 spots behind the food truck.“

“Great food and friendly service. Don't let the location or the outside appearance scare you off, this is an excellent place for a quick and cheap meal. We fed an adult and 2 kids for breakfast for $14 total. Can't beat that anywhere in Hawaii. We'll be back.“

“I accidentally discovered Coral Kingdom while driving around Oahu a year ago. It honestly doesn't look like a place I would usually eat; the space itself is mainly a gift/jewelry shop with a counter inside. But once I parked and smelled that fresh food outside on the grill, I knew I made the right decision. I was happy to be able to visit again this year, and found the food to be as delicious as I remembered. I opt for the spicy grilled shrimp, which is not so spicy that it loses flavor. Last year there was only outside seating at picnic benches and a few small tables. This year the seating inside was open. Service is always quick, and there is plenty of parking.“