(UPDATE 2020): The fabulous food trucks we’ve come to love on 2380 Kuhio Ave have moved! While not as easy of a walk as it use to be, the food trucks have moved to the corner of Ala Moana and Ward Ave. So if you are shopping at the Ala Moana Center, skip the food court and try the food trucks!
If you are traveling to Waikiki soon, you may want to add their delicious food trucks to your itinerary. The growing number of trucks add an illustrious variety of dining to the beautiful island of Hawaii, with a choice for everyone in the family. Not only do you get to enjoy local food but you also get to enjoy the scenery.
The Waikiki food truck scene features 12+ food trucks. Some vendors offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with plates ranging from $10 and $16. If you are worried about where to sit, they have outdoor seating available for those who want to enjoy their food outdoors. Most of the vendors accept credit and debit cards but in case they do not, there is an ATM located nearby. These vendors feature everything from seafood, Latin, Japanese, Polynesian, soft served ice cream and more!
The best food trucks in Waikiki:
- Blue Ocean Seafood & Steak
- Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood
- Fisherman’s Tacos
- Leilani’s Island Tacos
- Kamitoku Ramen
- Makana Kitchen
- Gilligans Beach Shack
- DA Spot
- Mami’s Empanadas
- Ken’s Kitchen
- Indian Grill Hawaii
- Banán
Where are most of the food trucks located? Rapid development continues to drive the food trucks to various locations around Waikiki. For now, however, most of them can be found on the corner of Ala Moana and Ward Ave.
Since there is a growing niche for food trucks in the area, each truck brings something personal and unique to the scene. With their home-style flavors and recipes, the vendors typically tend to get their ingredients locally, to make their specialized dishes. Local ingredients, such as shrimp, fish and even the fruits they use to make their smoothies and ice cream, inhabit every dish they make. The food truck scene is a huge benefit for the local economy and producers. Trust me, it tastes like nothing else in the world.
If you are concerned about the cleanliness of food trucks… you don’t have to worry! Food trucks require the same certification and inspection from the health department that restaurants do. They are inspected by the fire department as well to make sure everything is safe and being properly maintained. Food trucks have to get all of the required permits and certifications in order to run their business. Without the proper paperwork and permits, they face the same fines and penalties like restaurants.
Seafood Trucks –
Blue Ocean Seafood & Steak
Phone: (808) 498-1040
Hours: 10AM-10PM Everyday
Prices starting at $13.00
They offer a variety of chicken, shrimp, steak, pizza, burgers and fruit cups.
Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood
Phone: (808) 518-1462
Hours: 10AM-10PM EverydayPrices starting at $11.00
What they offer: Fresh local fish, shrimp, steak, chicken and burgers.
Taco Trucks –
Fisherman’s Tacos
Phone: (808) 260-5866
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 11AM-10PMPrices starting at $11.00 What they offer: Chicken, beef, chorizo, shrimp, fish, and vegetarian tacos.
Leilani’s Island Tacos
Phone: (808) 306-0036
Hours: 4PM-10PM EverydayPrices starting at $10.00
What they offer: Chicken, crab cake, shrimp, bean sprout tacos as well as chicken and crab cake burgers.
Japanese Food Trucks
Kamitoku Ramen
Phone: 808-469-2505
Hours: 11AM-10PM EverydayPrices starting at $10.00 What they offer: They have several different ramen noodles featuring beefy wild, beefy lite, beefy miso, and beefy cold.
Korean Food Trucks –
Makana Kitchen
Hours: 11AM-9PM EverydayPrices starting at $3.00
What they offer: Chicken/beef/veggie bowls, dumplings, ramen, and fried chicken.
Variety Trucks –
Gilligans Beach Shack
Phone: (808) 927-9869
Location: 1651 Ala Moana Blvd.
Hours: 11AM-7PM EverydayPrices starting at $11.95
What they offer: They feature different flavor shrimp, teriyaki steak bites, fish & chips, and taco plates. They even have shaved ice.
DA Spot
Phone: (808) 941-1313
Hours: 11AM-9PM Monday-Friday prices starting at $10.00
What they offer: They offer a variety of options from main entrees, sandwiches, smoothies, and desserts.
Columbian Food Trucks –
Mami’s Empanadas
Phone: (808) 202-4920
Hours: 12PM-9PM Everyday prices starting at $3.00
What they offer: They have various empanadas, burgers, arepas and lunch specials.
Polynesian Food Trucks –
Ken’s Kitchen
Phone: (808) 218-0537
Location: 2238 Lauula St.
Hours: 11AM-10PM EverydayPrices starting at $9.00 What they offer: Pork belly kimchee, ginger pork, garlic shrimp, salmon, and chicken.
Indian Food Trucks –
Indian Grill Hawaii
Phone: 808-827-8344
Hours: 11AM-10PM Monday-Friday
6PM-10PM Saturday-Sunday prices starting at $11.00
What they offer: They offer different wraps and other plates featuring chicken, shrimp, and other vegetarian options.
Ice Cream Food Trucks –
Banán
Phone: (808) 258-2718
Location:2301 Kalakaua Ave.
Hours: 9AM-7PM EverydayPrices starting at $7.00
Food Trucks Heaven feature various flavors of soft serve like ice cream using local ingredients. Tourism makes the food truck vending very competitive. Food truck vendors not only have to impress, but also bring locals to the scene. They achieve this by offering a large variety of ethnic foods. When in Waikiki enjoy some of their finest food that they have to offer while supporting local businesses!
What else is there to do after I finish eating?
What else is there to do in Waikiki? After checking out the food trucks there is much to do while visiting Waikiki. Once you are finished with the hospitality of the food trucks, check out the other popular tourist attractions. Found on nearby Kūhiō Avenue, only a couple of blocks from the beach, the Princess Ka’iulani Statue, King David Kalakaua Statue, and the Lucoral Museum.
You can catch the Kuhio Beach Torch Lighting and Hula Show. This show features hula dancing and Hawaiian music every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 6:30-7:30 depending on the weather. Another tourist attraction is the Moana Surf Rider Hotel. This was the first hotel to open on Waikiki in 1901. They feature a free one-hour tour every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 AM. This hotel helped put Waikiki on the map for tourism. You can also take a cruise on the Maita’i Catamaran which offers different tour times throughout the day. Not only is it for sightseeing but they offer sunset tours to enjoy the beauty that Hawaii has to offer. One of the last things you should see is the famous surfer Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, A.K.A the “Father of modern surfing” statue. He grew up surfing and teaching others to surf on Waikiki beach. He went on to be an Olympic medalist for swimming and was even inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. His legacy lives on in Waikiki beach.
Related Questions:
When is Eat The Street Festival?
Eat The Street started in 2011 and is located at the Kaka’ako Park (747 Ala Moana Blvd). Eat The Street is the last Friday of each month from 4 pm to 9 pm.
When is 5-Star Park opening?
Many enjoyed Pau Hana Market which has closed. The food trucks from Pau Hana seek to find a new home as 5-Star Park. 5 Star is planning a grand opening in the Summer of 2019. The dream of 5 Star Park is to feature the best 5-star food trucks in Oahu.
