When Gilbert Sakaguchi opened his first Magoo’s pizzeria on the famous Waikiki strip more than 40 years ago, he had no idea what success the business would bring.
“Even for a small space, they would sometimes do more than 400 deliveries in one day,” says Marshall Sakaguchi, son of the business owner.
Today, longtime and new customers alike can enjoy Magoo’s gourmet, brick oven pizza at its new food truck of the same name.
“We decided to utilize a food truck in order to keep overhead costs low,” says Sakaguchi. “It allows us to focus more on maintaining high quality ingredients and maximizing the flavor of every dish.”
Since opening last month, Magoo’s already has cultivated an impressive fan base.
“People come up all the time and comment on how they used to order pizza from the original location back in the 1970s,” says Marshall. “Eating here brings back a nostalgia that other businesses can’t reproduce.”
Favorite pizzas include Magoo’s “Famous Combination” Pizza (starting at $9.50), a sizzling symphony of pepperoni, mushroom, pork sausage, bell peppers and black olives. For those looking to satisfy varying tastes, Magoo’s Potpourri Pizza (starting at $9.50) is a tasty option, as each quarter of the pizza offers different toppings.
One of Magoo’s most valuable trade secrets is the pizzeria’s homemade sauce.
“Our pizza sauce is completely made from scratch and consists of almost 20 different spices,” explains Marshall. “Only my father and uncle know the exact recipe.”
Diners also will notice Magoo’s pizza crusts are never too thick or paper-thin.
“We make it a point to always prepare fresh dough for each day and never freeze it,” he says. “Because of that, the pizza crust always has the perfect thickness — a medium between thin and hand-tossed.”
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- Sean Murphy pulls out a Hot Pastrami Sandwich (starting at $7.85) from the vulcan oven.
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- Pastrami Sandwich (hot or cold, starting at $7.85)
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- Magoo’s “Famous Combination” Pizza (starting at $9.50)
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- Hot Ham and Mushroom Sandwich (starting at $7.95)
The food truck also boasts an impressive array of hot and cold sandwiches. Stand-out choices include Hot Ham and Mushroom Sandwich (starting at $7.95), as well as the famous Pastrami Sandwich (starting at $7.85).
“Our ingredients are all fresh and individually prepped,” Marshall says. “Even our meat, including the pastrami, is of a higher grade and has just the right amount of fattiness to give it that smoky, rich flavor.”
In the coming weeks, Magoo’s also will be serving a number of comfort food dinner options, such as the classic Chicken Dinner ($9.50), a dry-rub, oven-roasted chicken with a choice of rice or french fries, as well as a potato salad made with crab, olives and red potatoes. Another popular dinner option is Fish and Chips Dinner ($9.50), which includes a rustically prepared white fish with homemade tartar sauce.
As a small business, Magoo’s offers advantages that one would not normally receive at a larger chain pizzeria. Customers oftentimes will see the cooks constantly opening and closing the oven every two to three minutes, ensuring that each pizza is rising and sizzling at the ideal rate.
“This isn’t fast food,” says Marshall. “We have to pay constant attention to everything we make if we want the quality to be right.”
Magoo’s Pizza also offers delivery service.
Magoo’s Pizza
1006 Kapahulu Ave., Honolulu
739-5000
Monday–Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight
Honolulu, HI 96816
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