Literally the best shrimp I ever had. Absolutely delicious!!…read more I don't say that lightly either. It was otherworldly!! The staff was great too!!!! I'll be back!

Giovanni's is one of those places where memory does a remarkable amount of the seasoning. I've been…read moreeating here across decades. Enough visits that this is no longer about catching them on a bad afternoon, ordering the wrong thing or failing to understand what the place is supposed to be. I've tried the different shrimp, stood in the lines, eaten at the tables, navigated the parking, brought people here and returned because, for a very long time, Giovanni's was simply one of those places you went when you were on this side of the island. At some point, repetition becomes evidence. The truck itself has become an artifact. Covered in signatures, battered by time, photographed millions of times. There was probably a period when all of that felt charming. Now it mostly feels tired. There is a difference between patina and neglect and the surrounding experience has increasingly crossed that line for me. Flies, crowded tables, overflowing activity, rough parking, heat, trash nearby. You can romanticize rustic only so far before rustic starts asking for a pressure washer. Then there is the service, which has consistently been the hardest part for me to understand. I don't need anyone performing hospitality like they're auditioning for a resort commercial, but basic warmth costs nothing. Too often the interaction here feels impatient and transactional, as though the customer is somehow inconveniencing the operation by showing up to buy the food. After enough visits, you stop calling that an off day. And then there is the plate. The shrimp itself is actually the least offensive part. It is generally cooked reasonably well. Tender enough, rarely destroyed and when you get a good batch you can understand why this formula became so popular. Everything around it drags it down. The rice has repeatedly been soft, clumped and bordering on mushy. I am annoyingly particular about rice, but rice is not some decorative substance placed beneath the main event. It matters. When half the plate is rice, screwing it up is not a minor detail. The garlic is abundant, certainly, but abundance and care are different things. It often arrives more like a wet mass of processed garlic than the fragrance and texture you get from properly chopped fresh cloves. Add the butter and oil and you certainly get intensity, but after several bites the whole thing becomes heavy rather than interesting. The little salad on the side generally feels like an afterthought that has been waiting for someone to remember it. And that is ultimately my problem with Giovanni's. The entire experience feels as though its reputation arrived at the destination years before the restaurant did and everyone decided there was no longer much reason to keep improving. People will continue coming. Of course they will. The name is famous, the truck is recognizable, the photographs are practically mandatory and nostalgia is one hell of a business model. I understand it because it worked on me for years. But strip away the mythology and ask a brutally simple question: If this exact plate came from an unknown truck with no history, no signatures and no reputation, would you still wait in line for it? I wouldn't. Two stars. The shrimp can still be decent and I have too many memories here to pretend the place means nothing to me. But nostalgia should bring you back to a restaurant. It shouldn't be responsible for making the food taste better. I kept returning because tradition can turn habit into taste. I'm done confusing the two.

If you're looking for garlic shrimp on the North Shore, Aloha Shrimp is my go-to spot. I actually…read moreprefer it over Giovanni's for two simple reasons: the line is never crazy long, and the shrimp isn't swimming in grease. The food is packed with flavor without feeling heavy afterward. I'm more of a low-key, mom-and-pop kind of guy, and this shrimp truck fits that vibe perfectly. I usually order the classic garlic shrimp, but today I decided to try the spicy lemon garlic shrimp--and wow. It was so good I honestly wished I could turn around and order it all over again. If you're driving the North Shore and craving garlic shrimp, don't overlook Aloha Shrimp. It's consistently delicious, the service is quick, and it's one of those places I keep coming back to

We spotted Aloha Shrimp on our way to Kahuku from the side of the island we were coming from and…read moredecided to give it a try. We ordered the spicy shrimp and added extra spicy sauce on the side. There was a bit of a wait, but we weren't in a rush so it didn't bother us. We brought our food over to Kahuku Beer Garden, and it was definitely worth it. The shrimp was flavorful, saucy, and had a really nice kick without being overwhelming. It was so good that we got curious about the butter garlic shrimp and ended up going back the same day to grab another plate to take home. The butter garlic shrimp was just as good--rich, garlicky, and super satisfying. Overall, the shrimp tasted fresh, portions were solid, and both flavors delivered. Definitely worth a stop if you're heading toward Kahuku or planning on circling around the island. * didn't get to take a picture of the butter garlic shrimp plate

The kalbi was so tender and charred nicely. I liked its slightly sweet marinade and the japchae…read morethat came on the side. Since the food is freshly cooked, there was a slight wait. You get a good portion of food per order! Definitely try it out, I left full and satisfied! I was probably so distracted by how good the food was that I forgot my purse at the dining area. The owners found it and held onto it for me. It was so nice of them. Thank you so much for keeping it safe!! I'm so grateful for you guys!

Meat is well marinated and cooked. Service is quick and simple. FYI: cash only food truck.read more

Where can you get freshly cooked breakfasts for $5 in this day and age ordered and prepared with a…read moresmile. Clean picnic tables to eat in front of the food truck. Thanks for researching on Yelp and treating us for breakfast Doc

I'm so grateful he does pop ups in town because venturing out to Kahuku takes a bit of planning. So…read morefar my favorites would have to be hands down the Ribeye and Shrimp plates. The ribeye is super tender and both plates have so much flavor packed into it! I tried the Braised Boneless Kalbi and it is good and super soft! But the flavor isn't my cup of tea; I prefer my kalbi to be LA kalbi style so just something to keep in mind if that's what you were expecting Each plate can easily be shared between two people which gives you more room to try other items hehe I highly recommend coming super early for his pop ups because the lines gets ridiculously long. He is always our first stop of the list because you just can't risk certain items running out! (Trust me, I had this happen to me the first time and I was a very sad camper with what was left)

Had heard about Eighty Chicken Sandwiches from a couple pre-trip searches and wanted to make it one…read moreof our must-go dining stops on this trip. We drove up to get there just before noon on a Saturday. It was rainy, so the numbers were a bit light in the area, but there were still thirteen people in line when the truck opened for business. The owner was fun, friendly, and engaging the customers in conversations while prepping the food. There are times when I think some food truck owners take on the role of a short order cook and get annoyed that you don't understand "how" you're supposed to order; that was certainly NOT the case here. You just need to decide if you want a hot or regular sandwich and whether you want bleu cheese or special sauce. We got one hot and one regular, but the chicken is HUGE and two adults can easily share one sandwich. I'm torn, because while we would probably order just one sandwich next time, I also want to support the business and get two. The chicken was as good as everyone told us and had incredible crispy batter. The fries though...those were maybe the best I've ever had. I don't normally love the double cooked style fry, but could live off those and never get tired of them. FYI...we took ours to eat at the Beer Garden about 100 yards to the west and that's a winning combo.

Love Eighty Chicken Sandwiches! Chef Adam is great. He's obviously in this for the joy of it and…read morewants his customers to have a good time. He gives excellent clear directions on how to order your sandwich. I love that the concept is simple. Order the number of sandwiches you need for your party. Do you want spicy or not? (Spicy is delicious and not too spicy at all.) Do you want blue cheese sauce or "dat sauce" which is like fry sauce? No drinks available so bring your own or take it to the beer garden nearby and get an adult beverage. Cash or Venmo only. The price is $20 for a huge chicken sandwich, delicious fries, and your side of sauce along with a cup of ketchup. My sandwich was MASSIVE. Honestly, you could split with another person--but I always want my own. Well worth the drive out to get it. Saturdays and Sundays only; check his Instagram for updates.

Checked in around noon on a Monday. Parking was pretty easy, the lot offers plenty of spaces on…read moreeither side of the Seven Brothers main shops. Definitely worth stopping in at Seven Brothers Restaurant and or the bakery as well. Back to Mikes, You'll walk up and spot signage plus the yellow signature bus shack. I'd seen Mikes Huli Chicken on an episode of Diners Drive Ins and Dives and Guy said "the skin is as crispy as it gets next to being fried." That never left my memory. This being my next visit since seeing that episode, I had to try it. What did I order? - Mikes Huli Chicken Plate $17: 4/5 Stars - Chicken is a nice half chicken portion, perfectly juicy, nicely slight char taste. Crispy skin? Unfortunately no. - The Mac salad is nice. - Generous serving of rice *** Mikes Huli sauce is delicious! Be sure to find the self serve bottle and the to go sauce cups and get you some extra. You'll walk up and place your order at the window, pay, cash or card, then find yourself a seat. The cashier was simple and quick to the point. No small talk. The seating area within mikes truck is a decent size accommodating roughly 15 to 20 people. Outside, there additional tables as well. Overall, I'd say if you're in the area, give it a try, it will neither blow your socks off nor disappoint. Mikes is a solid Huli Chicken plate. It simply delivers satisfying meal.

Meh. I feel like the quality of Mike's has gone downhill…read more I stopped by yesterday during a trip to the North Shore to get some lunch. I got the #9 plate, which is kalua pork, huli chicken, and I got mac salad. The kalua pork meat itself was fine. Not gristly and not too fatty. However, barely any smoke taste to it and was fairly bland. The huli chicken didn't have crispy skin. It seemed lukewarm like it had been cooked a while earlier and was just sitting. The sauce is amazing and I do think it's delicious with the sauce. Rice was just rice. Meh. Even adding shoyu didn't add much flavor to it, to be honest. The mac salad is extremely bland. I don't know if they need to add some acid to the mayonnaise or more salt, but it was pasty and no flavor. I would honestly skip getting the mac salad next time and get regular salad! That's how bad this mac salad was. Two slices of pineapple on the plate were fresh and flavorful. I did enjoy these. Service was okay. I had asked if they still honored kama'aina discount and was told no. That's fine; I understand not all places offer discounts. I don't know when kama'aina discount stopped being offered, but back in the day I used to receive it when asking. I did notice though that two guys who ordered before me got a "mahalo, braddah" in a friendly tone but I got a terse "thanks." Guess haole girls don't get mahalos even if local. It's just uncomfortable when certain people get friendly, effusive mahalos and others get terse thanks, like I didn't want to be serving you food today. Maybe cause it was Mother's Day and they didn't want to be there? Sure didn't feel like 'ohana today. So many flies around, it made eating uncomfortable. A few fly fans on tables but not at the one where I was seated, so it was basically like constantly shooing away flies and trying to take a bite of food super fast before they came back on my food. Probably I should have taken my food away and gone to the beer garden nearby with fewer flies. Meh. I used to really like Mike's but I will stick to Da Bald Guy and Seven Brothers when I visit the sugar mill in the future.

This is one of the taco food trucks at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I ordered the chicken…read morenachos. And boy oh boy. A whole lot of chicken. Ingredients were fresh. And the service was quite nice. There is seating right out near the front and you can sit and enjoy your meal. By the way, we returned on Sunday and they are closed on Sunday and Wednesday.

So, my teenager got a bean and cheese burrito with rice and beans on the side and green salsa. She…read moresaid it was good. Unfortunately, she threw it up a couple of hours later (and then some) and felt sick the rest of the evening. But at least the food was good. ‍ lol

This is a spectacular bakery for both savory and sweet tooth fans. We came here specifically…read morebecause our dog's name is Kiwi and how could we not try it out? This is not a sit and eat kind of place but a grab and go kind of place. You are making the drive not for the ambiance but for the food itself. We got a mix of mince and cheese pies and chicken curry pies, as well as their sausage wrapped in pastry dough. I can easily give the chicken and curry pie 5 stars, but the mince and cheese was even better. Both very savory, and the crust was still flakey and the pies were still warm by the time I got to our rental after walking 15 minutes in the rain. This is definitely a repeat worthy place. We got cream puffs for desert and they didn't disappoint either. Flakey dough, chocolate drizzle on top. Service was very fast as we were the only ones there but as we were leaving a family of 3 showed up. I'm not sure how much the tiny shop makes in a day, but several of the meat pies were sold out. We arrived around 12:30 on a Thursday.

Aloha, I just had the Butter Chicken pie…read more It was very tasty. Do they cook the ingredients from scratch? Or is this a purchased ingredient? The butter chicken tasted like the Sukki's I get. Nothing wrong if so, however I thought these were very homemade & priced as if scratch kitchen homemade. Anyone know? Please advise. I also bought the curry and will have that tomorrow.