Flavor-Packed Plate Lunches

Two Choice Combo with Pulehu Beef Short Ribs and Spicy Ahi Poke

Kau Kau Grill in Mapunapuna, and its original food truck in Honolulu, continues to build a following of customers, including many who are there daily for its tasty local-style plate lunches.

Owners Miles Oyasato and Ty Takishita started their food truck operation in 2013 on Kapiolani Boulevard (now located at Hawaii Foreign Trade Zone, Pier No. 2, near Kakaako), and expanded to a second location as a brick-and-mortar last March.

“The food truck attracts many office workers in Town and tourists,” says manager Ryan Souza. “And our Mapunapuna restaurant is in an industrial area, so we get a lot of construction workers and customers from nearby businesses, as well as people from the whole Salt Lake area.

“A lot of them like our food. It’s packed with flavor, and it’s big portions, so it’s filling and worth your money.”

Known for its local-style plate lunches, Kau Kau Grill’s menu features about a dozen island favorite dishes. The best-seller is Barbecue Baby Back Ribs ($10), while another popular choice is Fried Saimin Combo ($10), featuring local style “Manapua Man-kine” fried saimin made with Okuhara noodles, kamaboko, Spam, carrots, onions and green onions. Order it as a combo and choose any of the meats on the option list, such as Teri Chicken.

Kau Kau’s yummy plate lunches come with rice and homemade spaghetti mac salad.

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Manager Ryan Souza recommends “Any Two Choice Combo,” of which he says the most popular is Pulehu Beef Shorts Ribs and Spicy Ahi Poke ($15, plus $2 for Poke and $2 for Pulehu short ribs). “The Pulehu Beef Short Ribs are soaked overnight in a homemade marinade, and then grilled to order. The poke has a nice sweet flavor to it; it’s not too spicy. And it’s fresh and has a nice texture,” he says.

Kau Kau Grill

Kitchen And Eatery:
852 Mapunapuna St.
476-5888
Monday-Saturday, 10 A.M.-2:30 P.M.

Food Truck Location:
Hawaii Foreign Trade Zone,
521 Ala Moana Blvd., Pier No. 2
284-8293
Monday, Wednesday And Friday, 10 A.M.-1:30 P.M