Kawaihae

#local #legend Only open during lunch but definitely worth the trip. Everything on the menu is solid and tasty. We had the chicken katsu combo platter which includes a side of rice and mac salad. Food also included special sauces which are unique and very delicious. Highly recommended!!!

I got the Nori Chicken plate and it was as good as it sounds. The pieces of chicken were tender, juicy, fried perfectly and wrapped in Nori. I wish we could get this in California. It came with a salad and the dressing was so good. The lettuce and other veggies were so fresh.

A great spot for takeout. Limited hours and the parking lot can be crammed, but worth it. My Korean chicken lunch plate was awesome! We had yummy chicken, rice and macaroni salad. The next day we were craving it and wanted to go back!

Excellent food. Went to Hawaii end of May and we wanted plate lunch. Place was in a small strip mall Food was exactly what we wanted. Ordered korean chicken, Teri chicken and combo katsu and shrimp. The korean ckn was our fave but all of it was so ono. Hours are limited but so worth it

Super fresh sushi that tasted like it came right out of the ocean. My fiancée emphatically stated that it was the best spicy tuna roll she'd ever had. Just be mindful that it's just a window on the side of a building, so don't plan to sit and eat it there. They make it on the spot, so prepare to wait 15-20, but it's definitely worth the wait.

The Ahi sushi rolls, with the most fresh ginger, were onolicious! I could eat them everyday.

How to do it: Drive up, park, ring bell and the window slides open. Order and hang out while your items are made by hand by a nice guy. There is no place to eat it so take it home or eat in your car. There are normal fish items, and one vegetarian roll with avo and veggies. The veggie rolls was good. One per person seems about right.

We called our order in - ready to go at 20 minutes (we had a later lunch, like 1:15 so didn't have to deal with the lunch rush & lines). Delish, refreshing, nice size portions, great value, nice customer service - food wasn't "knock your socks off" but it was good. Would def return. Took our lunch to Spencer Beach Park (1-1/2 miles away) - kicked back at the picnic tables and enjoyed the good life!

Super yummy, tasty, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside! Such a good price too!

Incredible!! We ate here multiple times in one week and could have even more. The bowls were my personal favorite, but my husband loved the plates with the macaroni salad. High quality fresh ahi, and the spicy was perfect (no mayo here!!). The customer service was excellent--really kind folks at the takeout window. It's 100% takeout, and you can call ahead. Located in a group of stores that have art, consignment fashion, and mini mart type items. Can't wait to go back next time we are visiting Big Island.

An Ono find! We got the ahi roll, korean chicken rice bowl, and chicken Katsu bento. We were very satisfied with all 3! The ingredients were fresh and made with aloha. Good value for Ono grindz.The cashier was super kind! Good to take to the beach or eat after the beach. There is no seating available. I recommend going early before the fresh ahi runs out! Will definitely come back!

Diamond in the ruff. Sorry no food pics, however I will post the pic of our lunch location. This is a walk up window to order with no in or outside seating. Fresh food and excellent prices. Good portion size and they don't skimp on the meat. Wait was about 20 min after ordering. We snuck over to "Da market" and got some poke to snack on while waiting. Was legit poke highly recommend. Definitely going back soon for another round at the kitchen and try some different items. Oh yeah, they take cards and the guy working the window was extremely nice! What the wifey and I scored: Spicy tuna cut roll (large chunks of tuna not ground ) - delicious Korean chicken salad - every bite was bomb! Beef bowl - thin beef teriyaki flavor. I'd give this a 4.5 but the rice in the bowl wasn't sticky enough for me. Don't let the rice issue hold you back from checking this place out, may have just been an off day. My cut roll had sticky rice.

Kawaihae Marketplace Order: * Two fish order of shoyu tuna poke, scallop poke with side of pickled garlic cloves over rice Pros: * Very friendly staff (owners?). Courteous, very patient and welcoming. * Casual neighborhood Hawaiian roadside vibe * Countertop (no seating) where you can stand and eat * Large chunks of tuna, yet all very tender. I'm usually a bit worried that shoyu poke will be too salty, but the flavors were extremely smooth and well balanced. * The scallop poke is also very tender and well balanced in flavor. If you're used to seared scallop or spicy scallop sushi, you may find this to have a slightly fishy tone to it, but I think it's in the best, fresh oceanic sense, letting you know this is real, fresh shellfish. * I was worried about getting pickled garlic, but after trying a sample, I found the pickling to really mellow out the natural spicy bite that garlic has, while still providing the crunch of garlic, which added a nice textural counterbalance to the seafood. * They also have a selection of other hot foods and desserts that look tasty. * Parking was fairly easy - I never noticed anyone struggling to get a spot. Cons: * Ideally, I would have liked somewhere to sit and eat, other than in my car, but eating at the standing only counter is sufficient. Comments: * Great find if you're looking for a casual spot for high quality, reasonably priced poke with a super casual roadside convenience store vibe.

Overpriced - dinky portions - the owners talk waaaaay too much. The food looks pretty.

This is a little out of the way from the resorts in Waikoloa but I think it's worth your drive to get some good cheap sushi. It's a very small take out place. It is only open for a few hours a day (it closes at 2PM as of June 2022). I think there is one guy who works there. So it's kind of slow. The wait it about 15 minutes per customer. One time we had to wait about 30 minutes. Another time about 15 minutes. So it really depends on how many people are waiting for food. Stop by here and grab some sushi on your way to Hapuna beach.

Wonderful baked goods fresh and great service! So much variety, and all of presented well. A guy could end up with a very fattening addiction here!

Stopped here for lunch. I recommend calling in advance cuz it takes around 30-40 mins for the food to be ready and that way you're not standing around waiting. I tried the tuna sushi roll and Korean chicken bento box. Soooo yummy. One of the best lunch spots on this side of the island

This is another one of those great Yelp finds. Kawaihae Kitchen is literally a small kitchen in a roadside strip mall with the owner making each dish by hand. They are only open for lunch with a limited menu of plate lunches and other specials. Parking can be tight since they share the location with a popular shave ice stand and a few other eateries. I arrived at the beginning of the lunch rush mid week, but was quickly told their would be a 20-30 min wait due to a bunch of phone in orders. That is usually a good sign, so I placed an order for fish & chips and explored the art gallery and other restaurants in the area. After a while, I returned and got an amazing take out order of fresh fried fish with amazing French fries, macaroni salad, and condiments. There is no real seating at the restaurant, so I took my order to the nearby Spencer Beach Park. It is a close and short option to eat by the water under a grove of shade trees. The fish was cooked perfectly with a great fresh flavor. The fries were thick and crisp with a generous portion. Even the macaroni salad was very good and homemade. This is a great option for those visiting the area. If you venture outside the tourist areas on Hawaii, you can often find gems like the Kawaihae Kitchen. You may have to tolerate some hassle compared to the bigger places catering to tourists, but this local kitchen has some amazing food that fits the location.

Great spot on Kohala coast, Kona side of Big Island for delicious local takeout. Love their Korean fried chicken, very umami flavors - had mine in a fresh green salad to alleviate my guilt of eating fried (not so healthy but worth every bite!) chicken. My friend opted for their Poke bowl. We took our eats down to nearby Spencer Beach Park to enjoy the views while savoring our ono lunch.

We waited a long time over the years to come here and were disappointed again and again to see it closed -- so we were were really excited and delighted to see it open on this trip to the Big Island. We anticipated a very good local style meal, based on reviews. But it seems that many of the 5 star reviews were from over 10 years ago -- this certainly did not reflect the quality of our experience. We got chicken katsu and shrimp tempura -- and they were a total utter disappointment. The food was dry, overcooked, and hard -- even the rice was a tiny scoop of gumminess. We can't recommend this restaurant. We are dedicated to supporting local mom and pop businesses over the resorts. Give this place a try, but be prepared for a long wait (we were the second persons in line when the restaurant opened and waited an hour for our food) and maybe not a great meal.

We stopped in for a quick lunch and it was so good! This is a really small shop with Hawaiian plate lunch where food is cooked fresh and there is limited seating outside (I think 2-3 tables). Staff was super friendly and everything was served piping hot. We ended up getting 3 plate lunches and the portion sizes were huge. Everything was super good, especially the nori chicken and korean chicken! It seemed like most of the meat dishes including teriyaki were fried. They also seem to have poke and bento box type lunches w/ pickled radish and spam which also looked really good. It's located in the back of a strip mall next to an art gallery and they accept cash + card.

I have tried 3 times to get a plate lunch or bento from this place and each time I go, the place is "temporarily" closed. For me, 3 strikes and your out. Go to Kohala Burger or Seafood Bar & Grille!!

A small restaurant with delicious food! The menu is pretty limited and there is also limited seating. You'll probably have to wait a while for the food to come out because only 1 man works the entire restaurant! Patience is key! I ordered: A rice bowl w/ teriyaki chicken and spicy ahi ($9.95): everything served over a bed of greens, avocado, wasabi+ginger. Teriyaki chicken actually comes fried (which I didn't like when I found out upon ordering), but the coating is actually very light and crispy! The teriyaki sauce gives it sweetness which made it more tasty. The ahi is bought from the fish market across the street so it was super fresh! I liked the spicy sauce as it wasn't heavy; 4.5/5 starts My group had a lot of people so I felt kind of bad to make him so busy haha but the food was great!

Great food and great service. Are go to place every time we visit family in Waimea.Food portions are large.

Evertime I go there closed.Is the shop still open. Went there last week Wednesday and this past Friday and it was closed.

Incredible that this one guy can produce so much great food in such a tiny little kitchen. You need to be patient--it is a one man show and he prepares each meal with extreme care. We had the teriyaki and chicken Katy's bento boxes. They both came on a huge bed of rice flavored with some seaweed and served with a slab of Spam and pickled daikon radish. There are tables outside. Afterward, go next door for some excellent shave ice!

Every time in the area, I stop here. The salad and rolls are so good. We got the shrimp roll and was so happy! Also the plate lunch and every option on the menu tastes fresh and delicious. It's so good I forget to take a pic. Then its all gone! Every time I've gone, Ethan is the one taking orders and cooking. He's friendly and pretty fast for only one guy in the kitchen. I'll tell everyone to eat here. :)

Super fresh ahi, crisp fried tempura and chicken, and great portion. What's not to like? Delicious poke. Like it better than the shop on the other end.

Great food and portion sizes. So delicious!!!!! Will definitely come again. The wait time is a little long, but worth it.

Literally a hole in the wall in a converted office building but the sushi portions and teriyaki plate lunch hit the spot! Would definitely recommend!

Delicious food! Take out window service. I think it is run solely by one person, so takes some time to prepare. But so worth it!! Had the veggie sushi rolls, teriyaki chicken plate lunch, shrimp tempura plate lunch, and chicken teriyaki rice bowl. Everything was awesome! Definitely worth a drive out of the resorts for this.

I ordered the Korean chicken salad for lunch. It took about 35min to get my food, but it was delicious. I would definitely order it again, but next time I would order ahead to avoid some of the wait.

You'd probably drive past and never notice this little food stand. Luckily we read the reviews and called ahead to order the Korean fried chicken plate for a picnic lunch. The chicken, rice and macaroni salad were exactly what you hope for when you order a plate lunch in Hawaii. So tasty you can't help but eat too much! Very friendly staff too.

Quality food with great customer service, Ethan is amazing and would 10/10 recommend this spot :) Ahí sushi was especially delicious!

Great service, delicious food! We had the korean chicken bowl and tempura shrimp plate. Highly recommend both but the chicken was the star of the show.

Doesn't look like much and it is totally not much! Highly recommend NOT EATING there quality & cleanliness was very disturbing. Fish was border line spoiled and they were very unfriendl. DONT WASTE YOUR MEAL HERE!!

Update: So we were back in the Big Island in June, 2022 and so glad to see Kawaihae Kitchen has made it through the pandemic and were still in business. As alway, we made several stops and the food was as good as the first time we visited so many years ago. Seriously, please continue to support this wonderful establishment so that it is around for many years to come! Just as awesome as it ever was!!

Kawaihae is take-out only, which was perfect for our beach hopping on the northwestern part of Hawaii. The food was made to order by the sole employee - anything cooked takes ~10-20 minutes. The employee was friendly. We had a poke bowl and a shrimp bowl. The shrimp was good, the rice probably sat in the rice maker too long, and the poke was OK. Given the remote location, it's a reasonable choice for your beach picnic.

Ate breakfast a few times and got food to go. Delicious food, great prices and friendly staff. Would definitely return on my next trip.

My husband & I absolutely love these plate lunches- especially the Korean chicken plate! This spot is most times busy, so have grace if your order takes a little longer than normal. There are 2 people max working at a time, and working hard, which totally deserves a good tip! The owner is awesome & so generous. Also, every plate lunch with meat in it was SO TENDER and delicious. Support small businesses!

This man handles everything in this small restaurant from cooking to cashier. Small menu but everything you need for Hawaiian plate lunch is there! I highly recommend for your quick lunch stop. My Korean chicken was delicious and Mac salad was the best! Just be aware there is no dining area. Takeout only. Glad I stoped by here.

My personal favorite plate lunch spot on the island. The ahi rolls are especially delicious. My go to is the Paniolo Beef Plate. Thanks for being there for the community.

The menu is limited I enjoyed the Korean salad. It was bey tasty with the crispy chicken. The dressing was like a Chinese chicken salad. The Teri beef was thinly sliced and some Teri flavor. Not much but a hint of it for taste buds. The spam musi

I don't understand how they have so much good reviews. I came here for lunch with a work group and was excited to have some food that wasn't hotel resort food. Half of our group got tacos and burgers at the spot next to it and half us opted to dine here. The man is a one man show and seriously needs help. He told us it would be a 15 minute wait but when we came back in 15 minutes, he didn't even start our order yet. There were many other people waiting a long time for their food as well. The half of our group that got tacos and burgers nearby had already gotten their food and finished it while we were still waiting for another 30-45 minutes. After 45 minutes of waiting, he completed most of the plates but didn't even put my order on the grill yet. We waited for almost 1 hour of take out food. The food tasted decent and was definitely not an hour wait worth. He still managed to forget one of my coworker's orders and screwed up another coworker's order. He gave decent portions but the food wasn't totally amazing. His prices were also pretty expensive which I wouldn't had mind too much if he had gotten it done within the 15 minutes. Unless he gets some help at the store, I don't know if this place would survive much longer.

Friendly folks and budget prices but I guess you get what you pay for. Not sure why the food gets good reviews. The mac salad and rice had that day-old color and dried out texture and hence bland taste. No matter where the white rice was: sushi roll, plate or bowl, it was just dried and sort of lifeless. My friend's teriyaki chicken wasn't cooked through and looked more like sesame chicken. She took a couple bites and took it back. The owner was accommodating, and offered her another dish - she chose the tempura shrimp bowl which was edible but long story short . . . We won't be going back.

Pretty good for a one time visit. We had the Korean spicy chicken and Mac and cheese. Also had the spam musubi for $2.25. Too much rice for thin piece of spam, but it was served hot and tasty. The one man operation was very pleasant, we then walked across the street to Hale I'a Da Fish House, where they were less friendly... I had the excellent seaweed salad and the odd to me spicy poke $12.99 lb. it was tomatoey Spent the morning biking and snorkeling, then in the evening manta ray night viewing.

Really chill place. Owner moved here from the mainland many years ago and found this shop and has been running it ever since. Really nice guy and decent poke bowl.

One man show here! After placing order waited 25-30 minutes to pick up. We drove 15 minutes back home and food was still warm and a perfect mid afternoon meal!

Bottom Line: A good choice for take out sushi, salads and bento. Open for lunch only. 3rd stop on my ono grinds tour is also in Kawaihae, right across the street from the 2nd stop the Hale I'a Da Fish House. LOL, Kawaihae is only 2 blocks long, everything is next to everything. This is one of my favorite places serving up salads, sushi, bento boxes and plate lunches. It's a small family owned business which is a take out lunch only place. In fact, they are only open from 11AM-2PM Monday to Friday. I had to take a star off because of the extremely limited hours. Other than that, I LOVE the food and people here. We had a large Korean chicken salad, tempura shrimp roll and spicy tuna roll. Everything was so ono. Really fresh vegetables and a nice dressing for the salad. The Korean chicken was good too. As other reviewers have mentioned, the tempura shrimp does not have tempura batter but a panko coating. It tastes fine and actually works better when rolled in a maki. The spicy tuna roll was great. The service was great, waited only 10 minutes and lots of aloha which I liked. I'll definitely be back. Check it out. Tip: It's on the first floor of the big yellow building. Get there at 11AM when it first opens and you get your food fast.

Perfect place to stop by and grab lunch to go and enjoy and nearby beach. I had the ahi tuna bowl, which was perfect lunch portion, tasty and fresh tuna. The kids had the 5 shrimp bento box, rice, egg, and spam piece, again a good lunch portion. Hubby had the Korean chicken bowl, which he said was 'meh.' Lunch was packaged up, napkins and utensils Ina bag ready to take to the beach. Good prices, and friendly guy at counter.