What the Truck is always a good choice for our family because we live very close and everyone gets something they want. Barbecue, lechon, corndogs, mochi, churro sundaes, naan, teas, coffee, vaifala, & pork hash. I usually go for something barbecued or grilled just because it seems like they are making a lot of effort to be there and it smells so good. read more

Much better experience this time around. Felt a Nice change in the variety of vendors present. Saw the increase of customers for a few vendors too! read more

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You will not believe that last night 2/6/2026 was my first time here! VIRGIN LOL! Located in the Waikele Shopping Center (lot where the old K Mart was). Parking was so easy to find, we got there a little after 5 pm. First place we stop at was Mama Mercy's but they didn't have her famous empanadas, so then we headed to Joja's for their smash burgers and truffle fries. We were happy we got in line because shortly after, they were sold out. We ordered two smash burgers and truffle fries and the wait was a little over an hour but I must say, it was the best burger I ever had!!! The fries were perfectly fried and so damn tasty!!! While waiting we ordered food from a Himalayan food vendor and my goodness, soooooo good (we wanted to try foods that we normally don't eat). We also got drinks, Sunrise from Dragon Teagirls was the best, the Smashed Lemons lemonade was a little too sweet for me but it was still yummy (I gave the rest to my boyfriend who was at home lol). The strawberry shortcake parfait from Ruby's ended our food and it was perfectly delicious! It started pouring rain pretty heavy and we retreated to Grandma's Pasteles where the owner gave us a free pastele empanada that was so delicious and we bought 12 Pasteles (11 frozen and 1 fresh). There was alot of people and the best part is that it's pet friendly! Lots of room to walk (I hate super crowded places) around and check out all the vendors there. I will definitely head back there whenever I can, BEST FIRST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!! read more

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I've lived down the road from this for the past 3 years & finally made it a point to check it out. I love this concept. Reminds me of Food truck alley at MTP, but a much bigger scale. Such an awesome variety of food vendors. Chamorro, Mexican, local, sweet treats, cool drinks, bbq, Filipino. I could go on & on. Is it crowded? Yes. Is it loud? Yes. Is there parking? Yes. Is it fun? Yes! Yes! Yes! Karaoke tent, a few crafty type vendor tents, a good handful of standing tables to eat at. My suggestion is pack a chair, come early & find close parking. Pick & choose a few dishes. Retreat back to car or grassy area, pop a squat and enjoy! read more

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Happy Food Truck Friday! Located at Waikele Center by Lowe's, What The Truck happens on the First and Third Friday of every month from 4pm to 8pm. Check their Instagram page for the list of vendors and the map. I went early (they were still setting up) to avoid the crowd and get better parking. It's a popular, free family event that's pet friendly. There are many kinds of vendors - not only Food, beverages, and snacks, but also jewelry and cute stuff! I got some Miffy stickers, but didn't get the vendor's name. Go check 'em out and support small local businesses! Note: there was a live bunny (in a playpen at the host's boith) across the road from the convenient restroom! read more

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Date: 1/17/25 Visit: 1st Pros: lots of parking and a variety of food trucks. Cons: dishes were pricier than expected. I ordered the gyro and while it was tasty, I felt it cost more than expected. There was a wait for my food, as it was cooked to order, and perhaps a new cashier because I didn't get a receipt and a time frame when my food would be ready. Hubby got the Korean street tacos. They were tasty but messy and he wishes more napkins were available. Overall a good experience! Expect crowds of people, a wait for your food because it's made-to-order and to bring extra napkins. read more

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I thought this was called the night market, but I finally found this post to be able to write a review. I've been going at least once a month since last year, seeing more vendors appearing at each event. Today there were more new food vendors that we wanted to try, but was too many, so we had to choose which foods we really wanted. I went to my usual place to get my turkey tails and pisupo, but the truck I wanted to get my fried noodles wasn't there, and this other truck was sold out of it already at 6p. It was really crowded with longer lines, and popular items were sold out earlier tonight, perhaps because of the lion dance at 5p. Other friday nights they have a live band. Great place to try different plate lunches, drinks and goodies at the food tents and trucks, which I wrote a review for the specific vendors I go to. However, go earlier in the night because they run out of food by 7pm. Although it says it closes at 8p, my son once went at 7:30p and they were all already closing down, so he couldn't buy anything. Lots of parking both ewa and diamond head sides of the tents and truck since it is at the lower waikele outlet mall starting in front of starbucks, spanding to about 5 - 6 parking rows across. read more

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Pricey food to go. No place to sit and enjoy the food. They should have some sort of entertainment while people are eating and walking around. read more

My husband and I went for the first time last night and loved it! I had two orders of the Birria Taco plate (3 tacos with consume and a side of a slice of lemon and chopped onion and cilantro for $14). I also got the ceviche (mixed) for $20. We also got ramen and a garlic chicken plate. I loved everything. I didn't get to eat everything we ordered but I did taste it all! The atmosphere was amazing. They had live music and the people there were all very attentive and friendly. I especially like that they didn't have any smoke or alcohol. Oh, I also stopped by the Nana Seamoss vendor and I had some samples. I ended up buying the mango flavored Seamoss gel. I totally recommend anyone to stop by on a 1st or 3rd Friday at the Waikele Center. You will be happy you supported local and you will leave with a happy tummy. Oh. I also recommend paying with cash for a faster transaction. When going try to stop and several vendors to spread the support and also get a taste of many options. If you don't like the first vendor I'm sure you'll like the next one. read more

What The Truck?! - Ramen Spot Beach...I had the veggie miso ramen bowl - Food Trucks Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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Hit or miss, depending.... Da BALD GUY chopped steak, made to order, EXCELLENT! But was disappointed in their famous braised kalbi since it was pre-made, soft & tender, but lacking in kalbi flavor. It needs to have some sort of drizzle of sauce... read more

What The Truck event in Waikele happens on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. I attended the April 19, 2024 event after I finished work in Waianae. It's been quite a long time since I last attended an event at the Waikele Shopping Center. I drove around the parking area and there were some stalls for compact vehicles. I found an area that said additional parking behind the wooden barricades. The stalls were pretty much empty. There were few individuals riding their mopeds in the area. I parked the vehicle and proceeded to the food truck event. As I was walking around the What The Truck event I noticed a bunch of food trucks and booths. I even seen one booth selling shirts, another booth selling caps, and of course there was a section for the security. I spotted some event goers with their fur babies. Pet friendly event...that's pretty cool. Friday night was pretty busy with a lot of event goers. There was music being played near one area that had an older male shaping balloons into swords. One of the booths I went to was Ono Viet. I ordered the BBQ meat and spring rolls. A choice of having BBQ beef or BBQ chicken....I opted to get both with the spring rolls. There was pickled carrots and daikon as well as lettuce for vegetables. The BBQ meat was placed on top of vermicelli noodles. There were two spring rolls. The cost of the plate was $18.00. The next booth I went to was Smoked. They had smoked pork plates or grilled pork plates. One of the workers was asking event goers if they wanted to sample the smoke pork. I tried one piece of smoke pork and ended up ordering a plate of smoke pork...it comes with two scoop of rice and corn. The cost of the plate was $12.00. My last stop for the night was Ruby's 2.0 for dessert. I ordered the 3 piece triple chocolate cupcake with cream cheese, dozen shortbread tarts with peanut butter topping, and a strawberry banana parfait. Overall cost for the items was around $30.00. I took everything back to the vehicle and headed homeward bound. Once I got home I heated up the smoked pork plate. I noticed there were a little bit of white onions with the smoked pork. I added shoyu to the rice and black pepper to the corn. I finished everything. I was still hungry so I heated the spring rolls and the BBQ meat on a separate plate. I managed to eat majority of everything from Ono Viet. I left a little bit of the vegetables. I was getting kind of stuff from all the food. I think I can squeeze in a little dessert from Ruby's. I ate two pieces of the shortbread tarts that Friday night and finished the rest on Saturday night. I ended up eating a couple bites of the strawberry banana parfait then took a short nap before finishing up the balance of the parfait cup. I saved the 3 piece triple chocolate cupcake for Sunday night. All the desserts from Ruby's was absolutely delicious. Looking forward to attend the next What The Truck event and try some of the other food vendors if my work schedule permits. read more

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Great selection of the ummm "higher echelon" food trucks and mobile food vendors on this side of the Island. Pros: - Lots of free parking. - Good layout with vendors spaced far enough apart but still contained in a walk able area. - Lots of places to sit and eat. - All vendors accept at least one form of cashless payment. - Lots of different foods from smoky, juicy Texas BBQ to in your face spiced up momos, samosas and aloo chop from Nepal to protein packed gyros loaded with the crispiest fries ever! Even some fun creative flavor combos of andagi. Cons: - Some vendors, to rename nameless, markup their products (several dollars per plate) to help pay for the cost of participation. Tips: - Bring a thermal bag big enough to carry the typical full size plate lunch containers. - Bring extra aluminum foil. Some vendors are NOT setup for takeout. - Bring your own water or drinks (non alcoholic) if you do not intend to try specialty drinks (boba or juices) from vendors. Every first and third Friday of the month. Check their website "upcoming events" page for a full list of vendors for each event. Over 20 visits and each time, new foodie discoveries. read more

What the Truck Waikele Shopping Center (Safeway side). Lots of free parking, beautiful weather, safe and clean environment. Lots of families enjoying the day exploring the diverse culinarily delights from a multitude of food trucks. All the vendors were very welcoming and very informative about their cuisine. A venue that is perfect for foodies and families. read more

I saw this event on Facebook and it said 60+ vendors. There was maybe half of that. A bunch of the food trucks were actually closed when we got there about 6 o'clock. So I'm not sure if they closed because they sold out or because it was raining. It was supposed to be 4 o'clock to 8:00 PM. The lines were very long. We went to Jenny's Birria, it was almost an hour just to stand in line to order food and then to get it. We tried a few lumpia which neither of them were authentic Shanghai lumpia. It was more of a eggroll because authentic lumpia does not have vegetables. overall it was pretty disappointing. read more

What The Truck?! - Food Trucks Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Waikele 1st and 3rd fridays of every month. All types of food. Love the gyros tent, sliders tent. Food made fresh so you'll have to wait awhile but worth it. For the sliders, get there early, line starts up fast. Burger sliders are great. Atmosphere is great like a state fair feeling. No tables to sit, only stand up ones. Open air fun time checking out 50 + tents! read more

Recommend this events , especially to support our Local Vendors. They should provide benches and tables for customers to eat their purchases. It's a great place to try out the many dishes offered. read more

We just left the airport and came here straight before going to our hotel. We were all very hungry and there were lots of places we could have gotten food from but we decided on ReecieB's food truck. We were very disappointed I wish we didn't order all our food from this place. It took over 40 mins. from the line to purchase food and for the food to come out. Everything was cold and cloyingly sweet! The shoyu poke and sauce for the fried noodles tastes the same. The wonton nachos were hard and cold, I thought they would be freshly fried. The seared ahi was was over cooked and dry. $80 wasted! We were supposed to check out the other vendors but since we were so disappointed we decide against it. Too bad there were other food I wanted to try. I wish there's a dining area or a place to sit and eat. read more

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Love What The Truck! They offer different vendors at the events which is awesome! There's some regular vendors & there are new ones or regular ones that aren't there every event, so you need to check them out every week! The food is always amazing with a few surprises! The lines may be long but you know it must be yummy! Always support local! read more

If you've been to Waikele near the old Kmart, this food truck event is held in that parking lot. You'll know when you get there, hard to miss. Aside from the usual Leonards Malasadas, Taste Tea, Laverns, Dick's Lechon, and the shaved ice stand... there are different varieties of food, drink, and dessert pop up stands or trucks. I like the turn out. I also like the fact that dogs are not snobbed like the First Friday in Mililani (but I do understand the reasons.) We brought our pup in her bag, we saw some in strollers and more being walked on leashes. In the midst of the couple rows of trucks/stands, there are also tables available. Super awesome! It was drizzling a bit but nothing major. Can't complain, we know this is an outside event. I had been putting off my visit for some reason and I'm glad we decided to check it out this time around. I didn't pick up any food but we did get some Vaifala and churros. Both were delish. Next time I'll be sure to try an actual food dish just because. Overall, I like the parking situation. This side of Waikele doesn't really have parking issues. The layout is nice. I can't really say how great prices are... but just the variety, the seating and location is good enough for me! read more

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So awesome, family and I had a blast!! Great food, kind service, and the ambiance was so fun and welcoming! Definitely worth stopping by and keeping an eye on the next date! read more

Don't show up close to closing! That's what we did and the vendor I was looking forward to seeing was sold out of what I wanted to pick up.. We came around 7pm and they close at 8pm. Every first Friday of the month from 4pm-8pm there are many food trucks and vendors in the parking lot by Petco and former K-mart. It was very packed when we went. I can only imagine the long lines at the vendor I wanted to see had I shown up earlier. Besides food and desserts, there were squishmellows and Waipahu HS gear for sale from what I could remember. It was our first time at this event and probably won't be our last. It's nice to try other food options available beside the same ole fast foods around and to support local. read more

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I love this market. Local vendors, local people, Local style food, and really cool vibe!!! So easy to get to, right off the freeway and tons of parking. You can go and check out all the cool shopping and then grab dinner then a bunch of snacks for later! There are only a few markets I think are worth the time, and this is one of my top three on Oahu. read more

Love going to What the Truck, plenty of options to choose from. Everything is delicious!

Fun, good food and entertainment. Go early food runs out. It felt safe and was spacious with lots of trucks

Variety is lacking...lots of the same food. I appreciate the hard working food truck operators. Just lots of the same stuff.

Too many people no social distancing! Great selection of dessert! However food not so much. Did order from one food truck and it took over an hour to get my food! An hour! When taking someone's order you should inform them of the wait time. Instead of trying to catch up on the orders they kept taking more orders. At least say thank you for waiting. Gave a lot of food and it was ok however not enough to justify the long wait times. Never again will I patronize that truck. read more

This is an awesome event, tons of options, fresh everything, totally an experience when it comes to food trucks. I recommend finding the event and attending read more

Great place to go the first friday of the month. Plenty of parking and lots of options so come hungry!! Some places had really long lines - I was going to wait to try it out but I looked it up and some places have store fronts so I'm gonna just check them out there. Other places I checked their ig and will probably try and catch them another time. Many places didnt have a very long wait so we checked out those options. There have all different types of dinner food and desserts so there is something for everyone. Pricing is a little high but that is normal for food trucks. I will definitely be back because today I ate lunch late so I didnt have an appetite and didnt get anything. read more

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Loved going to this event!! It was our first time this past weekend and we loved it. Visiting from the mainland and wanted something with more energy. Lots of food options as well as music too. Family friendly and lots of parking! Previous reviewer gives 2 stars for an event with lots of guests? Telling you to go to a restaurant? SO if there were less people there and short lines you would give it 5 stars? Sounds like a snooze fest if you ask me. Stay home and Postmates if you don't want to be around people. If you want to actually socialize and enjoy being outdoors go to this event! So much fun! read more

I just recently started going to this event after seeing it for so long! I really enjoy it and just like others, I have my favorite vendors but also enjoying trying new ones. Amongst my favorites are Hometown BBQ, T8ste Buds. Sofrito Rico, Sabor Mexicano, Cake'd in Grace and Andagi by Nixxie. Hometown has the best brisket ever! So tender and flavor full. T8ste Buds has awesome sushi "tacos"! Love the "shell." Sofrito Rico has amazing Gandule rice and they have this sandwich called the Tripleta that is amazing! Sabor Mexicano has amazing Birria Tacos, Cake'd in Grace has delicious funnel cakes and I think they use their daughters as workers and those girls are so sweet! I love that they are young and working hard and seem to really enjoy it! Great parenting at work! Andagi by Nixxie is also great! The Andagi is perfect! All these establishments also have great service and I enjoy supporting each one of them. It's also nice to see families out and about and people enjoying themselves again. Would definitely recommend this event to anyone! read more

Good variety of food. Our choice was MEDIUM RARE (not sure if name is correct) who does the lobster sandwich. Gads! It was yummy!!!!!!! Presentation perfect. Taste, indescribable. Get a cold drink too. Served in a mason jar with 4 whole, canned lychee. A bargain at $4. And the cashier and servers are so friendly. read more

i went to "what the truck" this evening july 1st with much anticipation of discovering good food there. as i walked thru the area i chose happy belly food truck. i waited over 30 minutes for my food and it wasnt worth the wait at all. food was bland and everything is bathed in a basic mayo shiracha sauce that everyone else has. the salad had no dressing on it. i will never go back to happy belly again and encourage all to not try there too unless you want a bad experience of tasteless food and an extremely long wait for your food too. be smart and try the other options available! read more