Andy F.
Yelp
Ray's Kiawe Broiled Chicken has become somewhat of a must stop (for tourists) along with Matsumoto Shave Ice and Giovanni's Shrimp Truck when you go to Hale'iwa. I've had the latter two, but never Ray's. Why? I'm not sure myself, but I finally made it, so let's see what the fuss is all about.
This Ray's is only open on the weekends located in Hale'iwa, right next to Malama Market with plenty of parking in a dirt lot. You can watch the chickens rotating over the hot Kiawe coals.
$12.50 for a whole chicken, $7 half, $9 for two scoops of rice with a half chicken. Also has Coleslaw, drinks, and grandma's sauce.
Since we're here, I might as well get a chicken for the family. We ordered 3 whole chickens. They can chop it for you as well, but I'm really big pieces. Also got a small cup of Grandma's Sauce.
The aroma of the chicken was amazing in the car, and the drive home was too long!
The first bite was.....super salty. I guess it was a heavy hand on that specific part of the chicken because the rest of the chicken was....also salty, but not overbearing. You definitely get the smoky, sweet kiawe charcoal taste. Other than that, it was decent and unique. You won't find it like this at many places. The chicken was slow cooked, so the breast portion was on the dry side, but the bones were very tasty.
As for Grandma's Sauce....the ingredients lists soy sauce, vinegar, and chili pepper. This sauce was more soy sauce, meaning added more saltiness to the already salty chicken, but I did like the subtle spiciness and twang.
Overall, similar to Giovanni's Shrimp truck and Matsumoto's Shave Ice, Ray's Kiawe Broiled Chicken isn't the greatest or all that good, but tourists seem to love it since it's unique to them. I have family friends who visit Hawaii every year, before Covid, and they always go to these places. For me, and maybe most tourists, once is enough. Service was friendly. Be prepared to wait for your chicken if it's busy!