If you're visiting Waimānalo and looking for authentic local food, skip the chains and stop by…read moreKeneke's. This isn't a sit-down restaurant--it's a local walk-up spot where you order at the window, pick up your food, and enjoy it at the outdoor seating area. It's simple, relaxed, and full of local charm. Keneke's has been serving the community for many years, and despite all the changes and new competition, they continue to do what they've always done: serve delicious local food with genuine aloha. The portions are generous, the prices are fair, and the food is consistently satisfying. Whether you're a local or just visiting the island, it's one of those places that makes you feel welcome. What stands out even more than the food is the people. Every time I've been there, I've been treated with kindness, humility, and genuine aloha. One day I only wanted a small chicken salad that wasn't on the menu, and they happily made one just for me. They even worked with my limited budget instead of turning me away. That's the kind of customer service that stays with you. I've also seen how they support the local community by giving opportunities to people who are struggling or who might have a hard time finding work elsewhere. Businesses with that kind of heart deserve to be recognized. When people ask me where to grab a quick bite in Waimānalo, Keneke's is my recommendation every time. As for Kalapawai, my own experience has been different. I found the portions to be smaller for the price, and because of my personal experiences there, I no longer recommend it. Others may have different experiences, but for me, I'd rather support a longtime local business that has consistently shown kindness, generosity, and the true spirit of aloha. Mahalo to everyone at Keneke's for serving great food, treating people with respect, and keeping the aloha spirit alive. I'll gladly continue recommending you to both locals and visitors.

This place has been here a long time. Its right off the main highway right next to 711…read more It an old style drive inn. Parking is in the front and back (maybe 15 spots). There is an old skool walk up ordering window that you order through. There is a dining area to the side of the window. It used to be an inclosed open patio and used to have a roof but now its more of an outside dining area half shade half sun. It's cool they have some scripture painted on the wall too. The kitchen is all screened in to prevent flies from coming into the kitchen so you know the food is safe. The food is your typical plate lunch burger fare. (Pic of menu) The portions are fair to huge and are a decent value. The food was good and the staff was cool. The only thing is...and I hope the owner or staff is reading this. I don't know why but there a lot of flies outside maybe from other issues close by I know it didnt effect the safety of the food but Please buy one of those fly bag traps From home depot to reduce flies outside. I think it would go a long way with aesthetics when dining outside!! Good safe food...fair pricing..good portions just control the flies outside.

Roadside stand with great food and great prices. I come for the squid laulau. Friendly service but…read morecash only.

My wife saw a post on IG. Being on the windward side we decided to try them…read more There located in Waimanalo across Kenekes. They have a tent on Kalanianiole Hwy. We bought a Laulau combo plate, squid luau and Gandule rice. The laulau combo came with Two scoops rice,Laulau, chicken long rice and spaghetti noodle salad. The Laulau although snall had a good amount of pork and good flavor. Chicken long rice was good but was a little flat in the chicken broth . The squid luau was on the coconut milk side. If you like coconut this is a good choice.The squid was finely diced. You get some squid in every bite. My wife gave a thumbs up to the Gandule rice. Fast and friendly service. Portions a worth the price Enjoy

Best chicken we have ever had. The other reviews are correct, the chicken meat is indeed fall off…read morethe bone. The skin is crispy. There's a nice Smokey flavor to it. They have sauces you can add on. Also the place is cash only!

Young entrepreneur growing his chicken! The chicken was…read morecrispy outside, Smokey and fall off the bone literally. The all chicken without rice was 25$ but warning it can feed 4-5 people. They are generous and super nice. Cash or venmo. Lastly you can't beat the views

After much anticipation due to them being closed for the holidays and working through figuring out…read moretheir schedule, we finally got a chance to head over to their evening location for a taste of that fresh Big Island lobster! They park their truck in what I overheard is on the property of one of their friends (what a cool friend!) and as such there isn't really much ambience on the street - next door there is a dive bar and there's not much else going on in the evenings, but they get credit for at least putting out some charming tables out front for customers, and making the best to work with what they've got. I ordered the combo, lobsta roll + lobster bisque. On a chilly night this hit the spot. The lobster was definitely fresh, although I felt like the roll took away from the flavor on some bites. Maybe the lobster wasn't packed in like I'm used to but hey, quality over quantity is okay by me. The bisque didn't blow me away but it was solid. Service was friendly and prompt, and I appreciate their efforts in using compostables over single use plastics (aside from the admittedly cute lobster pinned on top of the sandwich, which might i suggest to make this more Ocean Friendly by making it a paper flag)? I'm always mindful of the impact of single use trash/plastics guys, if you haven't noticed from my previous reviews. With all that said, I appreciate their use and support of locally caught lobsters which not only supports our local fisherman but also ensures the freshest and therefore most delicious seafood option, and for that they have my support. Totally worth their reasonable prices for what you get. I'll be back again when the craving for lobster rolls rolls back in, although their poke does look pretty bomb diggity so maybe I will try that too! Maybe this time I'll check 'em out in the daytime at their other location - I have a feeling the daytime vibe will feel more energetic!

Let me start by I wasn't expecting too much. I ended up driving around a couple times cuz I didn't…read moreknow where they were located but once I found the truck it was situated in a parking lot with plenty of parking. They have a nice set up with a table and some chairs under an umbrella in case you decide you want to eat there. I ordered their lobster roll and lobster bisque combo for $20. The lobster bisque came out in a small to go cup and was served with a small toasted square of Kings sweet bread and some fresh herbs. The bisque was good with chunks of lobster meet, a creamy stock, and a little bit of cauliflower. I was surprised by this but I ended up liking it as it added some texture without taking away from the lobster. The lobster roll was served on a perfectly toasted Kings roll with a side of lemon. The lobster tasted like it was grilled with butter and then they add some greens, radish sprouts, and a little but of egg salad. It seemed like he used a whole lobster for the lobster roll (albeit a small one) as there was a healthy mix of tail and claw meet. I liked how he added some egg salad and again it added a surprise to the roll without taking away the focus from the lobster. I ended up ordering another roll and left pleasantly full. I spent some time talking to Dustin afterwards and he's still trying to get the feel for things and he's also trying to figure out where he'll set up in town. He expects business to pick up significantly when he does but for now hurry up and head over to his Kailua spot before word gets out and you have to wait in line.

Meh. I feel like the quality of Mike's has gone downhill…read more I stopped by yesterday during a trip to the North Shore to get some lunch. I got the #9 plate, which is kalua pork, huli chicken, and I got mac salad. The kalua pork meat itself was fine. Not gristly and not too fatty. However, barely any smoke taste to it and was fairly bland. The huli chicken didn't have crispy skin. It seemed lukewarm like it had been cooked a while earlier and was just sitting. The sauce is amazing and I do think it's delicious with the sauce. Rice was just rice. Meh. Even adding shoyu didn't add much flavor to it, to be honest. The mac salad is extremely bland. I don't know if they need to add some acid to the mayonnaise or more salt, but it was pasty and no flavor. I would honestly skip getting the mac salad next time and get regular salad! That's how bad this mac salad was. Two slices of pineapple on the plate were fresh and flavorful. I did enjoy these. Service was okay. I had asked if they still honored kama'aina discount and was told no. That's fine; I understand not all places offer discounts. I don't know when kama'aina discount stopped being offered, but back in the day I used to receive it when asking. I did notice though that two guys who ordered before me got a "mahalo, braddah" in a friendly tone but I got a terse "thanks." Guess haole girls don't get mahalos even if local. It's just uncomfortable when certain people get friendly, effusive mahalos and others get terse thanks, like I didn't want to be serving you food today. Maybe cause it was Mother's Day and they didn't want to be there? Sure didn't feel like 'ohana today. So many flies around, it made eating uncomfortable. A few fly fans on tables but not at the one where I was seated, so it was basically like constantly shooing away flies and trying to take a bite of food super fast before they came back on my food. Probably I should have taken my food away and gone to the beer garden nearby with fewer flies. Meh. I used to really like Mike's but I will stick to Da Bald Guy and Seven Brothers when I visit the sugar mill in the future.

Checked in around noon on a Monday. Parking was pretty easy, the lot offers plenty of spaces on…read moreeither side of the Seven Brothers main shops. Definitely worth stopping in at Seven Brothers Restaurant and or the bakery as well. Back to Mikes, You'll walk up and spot signage plus the yellow signature bus shack. I'd seen Mikes Huli Chicken on an episode of Diners Drive Ins and Dives and Guy said "the skin is as crispy as it gets next to being fried." That never left my memory. This being my next visit since seeing that episode, I had to try it. What did I order? - Mikes Huli Chicken Plate $17: 4/5 Stars - Chicken is a nice half chicken portion, perfectly juicy, nicely slight char taste. Crispy skin? Unfortunately no. - The Mac salad is nice. - Generous serving of rice *** Mikes Huli sauce is delicious! Be sure to find the self serve bottle and the to go sauce cups and get you some extra. You'll walk up and place your order at the window, pay, cash or card, then find yourself a seat. The cashier was simple and quick to the point. No small talk. The seating area within mikes truck is a decent size accommodating roughly 15 to 20 people. Outside, there additional tables as well. Overall, I'd say if you're in the area, give it a try, it will neither blow your socks off nor disappoint. Mikes is a solid Huli Chicken plate. It simply delivers satisfying meal.

Garlic chicken!…read more December 31, 2015 There were only a few items on the menu, eight to be exact, and I was happy with my order! I selected the Garlic Chicken (#7) and the chicken was crispy, tasty, and juicy in the inside. The meal came with two scoops of rice and green salad. It was a good size portion. Well, for $12 I expected it to be, at least! Other items offered at this food truck was Local Fish (#6), Salt and Pepper Shrimp (#5), Kahuku Garlic Shrimp, Pineapple Shrimp (#2), Spicy Garlic Shrimp (#3), and Coconut Shrimp (#4)... He was the only food truck at this location at the time so he made bank. $7.00 for a mini and $11.99 for a regular plate. Fries is $2.50/ea. A can of soda is $1 each. The owner was nice and friendly. Cash only basis as with most food trucks. Was able to try this food truck while he was on location at Sandy Beach Park. Review #0408

Nothing less than great!…read more We spent a few hours on Sandy Beach. Feeling a bit hungry we spotted this Food Truck on the parking lot of Sandy Beach. With the blue paintjob it's impossible to miss. We ordered some Ice-Tea, Wings, Garlic Shrimp and Fish'n'Chips. And I can say that the food was nothing less than fantastic! The shrimps had a good size and were cooked to perfection. Nice garlic flavour, nicely balanced. The Wings were hot and crispy. The Fish was very fresh and tender. We didn't expect much, but ended up with one of the best Food Truck meals we've had on Hawaii. Prices are about 12$ a meal....about average compared to other trucks....but more than fair considering the quality. Sandy Beach is the perfect spot to hang out a bit and grab some good food at this Truck. Highly recommended!

Just recently got diagnosed as diabetic and unfortunately I cant smash terriburger and fries…read moreanymore without regretting life 2 hours later. So I was forced to try Grindz and their chicken Cesar salad. The chicken was thinly sliced and marinated over carmalized onions, so tender. This is a family/restaurant that Genuinely cares about the product they serve. So whether you are looking for a healthier option or wanting something on the lighter side. Give em a shot.

Loved the Wagyu Burger - it was juicy and tasty, and it hit the spot! Definitely recommend that,…read moreand also the Watermelon Salad. The salad was a good portion size and the ingredients were fresh and delicious - who knew you could get such an awesome salad from a food truck! I got to try their soup of the day too which was made from scratch and was a tomato fennel soup - super yummy! I almost wanted to go back for second serving. It appears that they have a standard menu and also a specials menu which offers a nice variety and selection of items such as sandwiches, salads, melts, etc. The truck was clean and the staff polite and helpful. I was pleasantly surprised to learn they take both cash and card! I've seen this truck up at Sandy's and also at Mililani Tech Park, but I learned they do catering and events as well. Overall, I would highly recommend!

We hired Teppan Legend last minute and they were able to accommodate us for our short turn around…read moretime. They were professional, nice, and kind. They set everything up on their own. We didn't have to do anything. Our event ran late but they were very patient with us. Kevin was super cool! The food and entertainment were top notch. We didn't finish all of our food and at it for next few days. It was so good! Everyone loved the ribeye and fried rice! Super good. Very enjoyable. Would recommend!

It was the first time seeing Teppan Legend at the Waikele what da truck. Special appearance!…read more Ordered their Spicy Korean Chicken on noodles and Furikake Salmon on Fried rice. The portion was huge! Easily made 2 meals out of each plate! It was so good! The kimchee was da bomb! The service was friendly and fast. The crowd wasn't crazy due to bad traffic. They do catering, definitely would recommend them.