Discovering Hawaii Through Food: Where the locals eat
by: Derek Paivaposted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 01:02 PM
Kauai
Pono Market
Kauai takes poke seriously. Everyone has his or her own favorite poke stop, but ours is Pono Market in Kapaa, where the ahi shoyu poke is some of the best we’ve tasted. That’s not all, of course. You can get sushi here. The plate lunch menu changes daily, but there’s always great Hawaiian food. It’s not a restaurant, though. Mainly a place to pick up and go.
4-1300 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa, (808) 822-4581
MauiPukalani Superette
This bustling local grocery store not only sells fresh Maui meats and produce, but also has a kitchen with 16 employees, turning out a dizzying array of local foods, from kim chee to poke, from chow fun noodles to bacon and egg musubi. A nice place to stock up for a picnic Upcountry.
15 Makawao Ave., Pukalani, (808) 572-7616
Big Island of Hawaii
Hawaiian Style Café
This 47-seat eatery in Waimea has the best loco moco in the Islands. The “small” loco comes with a full pound of Big Island forage-fed ground beef, with a heaping portion of grilled onions, a fried egg and gravy. If you can finish a large order—two pounds of ground beef—you get two free 10-inch pancakes. (Is that a reward or punishment?) Go early because they close when they run out of food. In fact, call first, because they close whenever they feel like it.
64-1290 Kawaihae Road, Waimea, (808) 885-4295
Photos: Diamond Head Grill (pg. 1) by David Croxford; Pukalani Superette (pg.2) by John Heckathorn
Check out these related HawaiiMagazine.com posts:
Chinese restaurants in Honolulu
Discovering Hawaii Through Food: Where the locals eat, part 2
Kalua pig! Loco moco! Pancakes? Travel Channel's Man v. Food takes on Hawaii.


















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