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Although I've only had their food a handful of times, I always look forward to finding this food truck at one of the local markets. The first time I tried them was the the full moon market in kapolei and I was struck with so much delight! You can also find their truck in Hawaii Kai on Saturday mornings. The best description of this food truck is the best of both worlds, when 2 worlds collide. They are a couple with Peruvian and Laos backgrounds which they bring to their cuisine. Who knew southeast Asian food and Latin American food could blend so well. I always order their version of Lomo Saltado. They incorporate well seasoned steak, fresh vegetables, rice topped with garlic, and an amazing sauce to top it all off. Highly recommend checking this truck out when you spot them!
Love Laotian and Peruvian Food, so we went to the Pearlridge Night Market specifically to try Khao and Papas. Ordered the anticucho and short rib plate ($23). Our food was ready in about 10 mins. One skewer and one short ribs cut in half (3 bones), served with cucumber slices, pickled veggies, and chili sauce. There was a lot of rice. The flavor was ok - wouldve liked the anticucho to be grilled a bit longer. Thought it was pricey for what it was.
Honolulu Magazine's best food truck of 2024. Laos and Peruvian fusion. Guessing most of us in Hawaii have very little experience with either cuisines since we don't have too many restaurant examples to sample the authentic thing, keep an open mind. If taste good, that's all that matters. The beef anticuchos over sticky rice with jeow mak len (Lao spicy tomato sauce) and salted mustard cabbage just works. The anticuchos is beautifully seasoned with flavors of garlic, cumin, pepper and a smoky chili flavor coming through. Well cooked. Tender. It pairs amazingly well with the accompanying sauce made from charred tomatoes, shallots and mild chilies that enhances the earthy spices of the beef. Fish sauce boosts the umami. The tallarines saltado AKA Peruvian shrimp spaghetti a little more challenging. It is loaded with well sautéed shrimp and onions seasoned with sweet soy, vinegar, and garlic then topped with fresh tomatoes, scallions, cilantro. Mix in the provided salsa verde to ramp up the creaminess. It's interesting. While the brightness of the fresh veg and salsa verde brighten the dish, there is so much soy / vinegar liquid remaining that the more you mix, the stronger it gets. Dump out the residual liquid before mixing it up. Finally, the "Peruvian fruit punch" is a must get. Fruity, backed by cinnamon and ginger. Oh so good! Very friendly service. Follow on IG for locations. Very creative and definitely worth expanding your flavor boundaries for.
My friend and I visited this vender at the Village Night Market at Pearlridge. They don't seem to be consistently there, only from time to time at the entry area of the market. We got the sticky rice beef skewers plate. They were out of sticky rice which was a huge bummer but they said we could replace with either fries or jasmine rice. We requested a mix of both and they said if that is the case, there would be less of both starches. We said it was fine and put our orders in. The wait was pretty long, around 20-30 minutes which is kind of crazy in my opinion especially since it is just one plate with rice, fries, and two skewers. The beef skewers were pretty flavorful and tender. However, I wouldn't say it was super special and unique than other dishes I've had before. I would recommend for this but I would also personally never get this again, although I would love to try their lemon grass fried chicken.
Hubby was looking for a particular food truck at Pearlridge so we did some shopping first and at the end, he was hangry. Lucky for us, it didn't show up and we ran into this place instead. The food was just so amazing, that we couldn't put it down & ate it all up with no leftovers. The meat dish was so flavorful and don't get me started on the amazing shrimp and noodles. It was absolutely on point with that. But I do have a tip, grab plenty of napkins and don't wear white cuz the dripping juices as good as it is from the food is a bit of a mess. We both spilled some drippings on the table, on our clothes, and my purse......maybe wear a bib if you can. So yes on this place for sure.
So good!!!! I love fusion food and it was a good balance of flavors especially since Laotian and Peruvian food are both very flavorful. I went here because I saw a friend of mine eating it! It looked so good and they let me try it and game over, I had to get one. It is rich. I do recommend sharing it as it's a lot and the richness can get to your stomach and also considering the fried-ness and beefiness of it. Atmosphere - It's right at the entrance to Bellows Station where you really can't miss seeing the food trucks. There's a bunch of them so choose your truck! Service - Easy and they communicate well. They would let me know how soon it's coming out. I believe one of the owners if not both of them were there so they were nice! Cost - It was $18 for the dish itself and then with tip and whatever then around $20 - $22. I shared this with my partner because it was too much to eat for one person and it's rich. Parking - Park wherever there is space on the dirt part in front of the trucks. People are coming and going so I never had to wait for parking or "circle". I definitely want to try their other dishes the next time I come here!
Fantastic! Discovered this scrumptious truck at the Bayview Tuesday, night market. My Shrimp pasta TALLARIN SALTADO, was hefty and absolutely delicious! While $20, it probably could feed two and came with a very generous portion of shrimp. The Salsa Verde, served in a side soufflé cup, took it to epic! Next time I am going to get two of those cups of green deliciousness! Can't wait to try their other offerings!
I'm a fan of Peruvian food now. It's a combination of having a good friend from Peru and finding places like Khao and Papas. The anticucho skewers is a gateway food item. It's flavorful and tender. The meal with the sticky rice and sides just packs a punch. Eat the skewers alone and it's delicious. Pour some of the salsa on it and it's awesome. The salsa adds a nice spicy kick to it. The pickled vegetables were fresh, clean and crispy. A real balanced flavor throughout the entire plate. No greasiness. I hope to try all the items soon. I'm confident it will be delicious. The service was excellent. I'm glad I happened to find you.
If you like carne asada fries go ahead and order the lomo steak fries!! For $18, you get a huge plate that is totally worth the price. Everything tasted so fresh! I couldn't tell you what the sauces were made of but they were perfectly spicy! Service was great but it did take a pretty long time even though there wasn't much of a line. These fries were definitely worth the wait! We saw their food truck at a craft fair.
Bummer I couldn't check in because yelp stated that I was too far from their restaurant located on the east side, but their food truck was at the "What the Truck" event in Waikele, which we haven't seen in previous waikele night market events. Lomo Saltado Plate - 3 stars - For $22, this plate would have been great if it wasn't so salty. Pretty good portion, but it had more fries under the meat stir fried with onions, tomato and cilantro. Service was ok, but wait was a little long because of the event and made to order, so we left to buy other things and returned to pick up our plate. Lots of parking since it was at the Lower waikele what the truck event.
Peruvian and Lao flavors are found here... Not a combination I'm familiar with though what an interesting concept for sure. Wai Kai with it's stunning water views has been home to many events and this is one that I've discovered and what a find! The staff tried to answer my question the best they can but you know I'm still clueless all in all it just looks an sounds amazing so I decided to have a bite here. Glancing at the menu they all are very meat based with one having shrimp I was glancing at the K/P Lomo Nachos and after much explaining I was ready to order that until right on the ordering window there's a "Specials" menu of "Lao Style Salchipapas" using Lao Sausages, Hotdogs, piled on thick fries topped with House Aioli, Lao Pickled Veggies and green onions. I just had to get this special cause it's fries lol...I could get the regular menu at any time I just had to try this loaded Lao Style fries. Get extra sauce is my recommendation as it was just amazing! The herbs and hints of ginger perhaps it's so flavorful and complimented the meat and fries so perfectly...munch munch munch what a bougie feast! They are everywhere so follow them on Instagram @khaoandpapas for their schedule. Thank you!
6 months ago
This is my first review of 2026! Tonight I enjoyed the sticky rice with chicken anticucho and it is my favorite meal of 2026 so far. The chicken thighs were beautifully seasoned and slightly charred. The meat was cooked all the way through yet still juicy with bone in thigh. The purple sticky rice was perfectly done and I love the texture of sticky rice in general. The plate also came with sliced cucumbers and pickled mustard greens (reminiscent of Vietnamese pickled mustard greens - but in a much more vibrant green color). My favorite part of the meal was the tart and aromatic sauce that came in the meal. If you're not a fan of lime juice and fish sauce, you may want to use sparingly. However, I was thoroughly enjoying the sauce and when accompanied with a bit of the mustard greens, it toned down the sour aspect of the flavor profile. Overall, so delicious and I would love to find them again and enjoy more of their menu items! read more
Navigating Oahu's mobile food scene means knowing where to look. Khao and Papas is one of those itinerant food trucks with a constantly changing dynamic schedule, popping up in another place almost daily. Using Yelp's Mobile Food Trucks search will identify them but you need to use another app to actually find out where they are. I ran across them on a weekend in my neighborhood and stopped by. The food is a fusion of Peruvian and Laotian by husband-wife team, Juan Ching and Kim Thepsenavong. There is a long history of Japanese cuisine fusing with Peruvian - it's called Nikkei. But other Asian cuisines, especially Southeast Asian, also blend seamlessly with Peruvian staples. Think about the heavy use of pepper and spice in Laotian cuisine. You've been in restaurants where the heat scale is hot, Thai hot, and Laotian hot. Peppers were only introduced into Southeast Asia in the 16th century. Peru is one of the recognized birthplaces of peppers, with over 300 varieties and a 7,500 year history of cultivation. Peruvian Laotian fusion works when you do it right. I had a beef anticuchos skewers plate with Laotian accompaniments. The anticuchos had a nice smokey sweet dark color from aji panca paste. The rice was Laotian, with black and white grains of sticky rice. There was pickled Laotian som pak, a vinegar marinated mustard cabbage. A fine blended salsa-like jeow mak len, full of charred tomato smokiness, savory paedek fish sauce, garlic, shallot, bird's eye chiles, and lime, was terrific on top of the marinated beef. I hope I run into Khao and Papas again one day so I can try their grilled chicken. Until then, I have the memory of a fine take-out plate of Peruvian Laotian fusion comfort food. read more
Although I've only had their food a handful of times, I always look forward to finding this food truck at one of the local markets. The first time I tried them was the the full moon market in kapolei and I was struck with so much delight! You can also find their truck in Hawaii Kai on Saturday mornings. The best description of this food truck is the best of both worlds, when 2 worlds collide. They are a couple with Peruvian and Laos backgrounds which they bring to their cuisine. Who knew southeast Asian food and Latin American food could blend so well. I always order their version of Lomo Saltado. They incorporate well seasoned steak, fresh vegetables, rice topped with garlic, and an amazing sauce to top it all off. Highly recommend checking this truck out when you spot them! read more
7 months ago
Love Laotian and Peruvian Food, so we went to the Pearlridge Night Market specifically to try Khao and Papas. Ordered the anticucho and short rib plate ($23). Our food was ready in about 10 mins. One skewer and one short ribs cut in half (3 bones), served with cucumber slices, pickled veggies, and chili sauce. There was a lot of rice. The flavor was ok - wouldve liked the anticucho to be grilled a bit longer. Thought it was pricey for what it was. read more
Business owner information
Juan C.
Thank you Michele for stopping by and for your review. Your feedback…
13 days ago
Honolulu Magazine's best food truck of 2024. Laos and Peruvian fusion. Guessing most of us in Hawaii have very little experience with either cuisines since we don't have too many restaurant examples to sample the authentic thing, keep an open mind. If taste good, that's all that matters. The beef anticuchos over sticky rice with jeow mak len (Lao spicy tomato sauce) and salted mustard cabbage just works. The anticuchos is beautifully seasoned with flavors of garlic, cumin, pepper and a smoky chili flavor coming through. Well cooked. Tender. It pairs amazingly well with the accompanying sauce made from charred tomatoes, shallots and mild chilies that enhances the earthy spices of the beef. Fish sauce boosts the umami. The tallarines saltado AKA Peruvian shrimp spaghetti a little more challenging. It is loaded with well sautéed shrimp and onions seasoned with sweet soy, vinegar, and garlic then topped with fresh tomatoes, scallions, cilantro. Mix in the provided salsa verde to ramp up the creaminess. It's interesting. While the brightness of the fresh veg and salsa verde brighten the dish, there is so much soy / vinegar liquid remaining that the more you mix, the stronger it gets. Dump out the residual liquid before mixing it up. Finally, the "Peruvian fruit punch" is a must get. Fruity, backed by cinnamon and ginger. Oh so good! Very friendly service. Follow on IG for locations. Very creative and definitely worth expanding your flavor boundaries for. read more
My friend and I visited this vender at the Village Night Market at Pearlridge. They don't seem to be consistently there, only from time to time at the entry area of the market. We got the sticky rice beef skewers plate. They were out of sticky rice which was a huge bummer but they said we could replace with either fries or jasmine rice. We requested a mix of both and they said if that is the case, there would be less of both starches. We said it was fine and put our orders in. The wait was pretty long, around 20-30 minutes which is kind of crazy in my opinion especially since it is just one plate with rice, fries, and two skewers. The beef skewers were pretty flavorful and tender. However, I wouldn't say it was super special and unique than other dishes I've had before. I would recommend for this but I would also personally never get this again, although I would love to try their lemon grass fried chicken. read more
Business owner information
Juan C.
Mahalo Xin for stopping by and for your review! We appreciate the…
Hubby was looking for a particular food truck at Pearlridge so we did some shopping first and at the end, he was hangry. Lucky for us, it didn't show up and we ran into this place instead. The food was just so amazing, that we couldn't put it down & ate it all up with no leftovers. The meat dish was so flavorful and don't get me started on the amazing shrimp and noodles. It was absolutely on point with that. But I do have a tip, grab plenty of napkins and don't wear white cuz the dripping juices as good as it is from the food is a bit of a mess. We both spilled some drippings on the table, on our clothes, and my purse......maybe wear a bib if you can. So yes on this place for sure. read more
So good!!!! I love fusion food and it was a good balance of flavors especially since Laotian and Peruvian food are both very flavorful. I went here because I saw a friend of mine eating it! It looked so good and they let me try it and game over, I had to get one. It is rich. I do recommend sharing it as it's a lot and the richness can get to your stomach and also considering the fried-ness and beefiness of it. Atmosphere - It's right at the entrance to Bellows Station where you really can't miss seeing the food trucks. There's a bunch of them so choose your truck! Service - Easy and they communicate well. They would let me know how soon it's coming out. I believe one of the owners if not both of them were there so they were nice! Cost - It was $18 for the dish itself and then with tip and whatever then around $20 - $22. I shared this with my partner because it was too much to eat for one person and it's rich. Parking - Park wherever there is space on the dirt part in front of the trucks. People are coming and going so I never had to wait for parking or "circle". I definitely want to try their other dishes the next time I come here! read more
Fantastic! Discovered this scrumptious truck at the Bayview Tuesday, night market. My Shrimp pasta TALLARIN SALTADO, was hefty and absolutely delicious! While $20, it probably could feed two and came with a very generous portion of shrimp. The Salsa Verde, served in a side soufflé cup, took it to epic! Next time I am going to get two of those cups of green deliciousness! Can't wait to try their other offerings! read more
2 months ago
5 months ago
A true hidden‑gem food truck serving incredible Peruvian and Lao dishes. I ordered the two‑choice plate and my wife had the rice, fries, and steak everything was packed with flavor and the portions were generous. If you're in Hawaii, this spot absolutely deserves a visit. read more
I'm a fan of Peruvian food now. It's a combination of having a good friend from Peru and finding places like Khao and Papas. The anticucho skewers is a gateway food item. It's flavorful and tender. The meal with the sticky rice and sides just packs a punch. Eat the skewers alone and it's delicious. Pour some of the salsa on it and it's awesome. The salsa adds a nice spicy kick to it. The pickled vegetables were fresh, clean and crispy. A real balanced flavor throughout the entire plate. No greasiness. I hope to try all the items soon. I'm confident it will be delicious. The service was excellent. I'm glad I happened to find you. read more
5 months ago
This is the most AMAZING food truck!! Seriously some of the best quality and tasting food on the island - A MUST TRY! Plus their new location on University Ave has plenty of parking! read more
If you like carne asada fries go ahead and order the lomo steak fries!! For $18, you get a huge plate that is totally worth the price. Everything tasted so fresh! I couldn't tell you what the sauces were made of but they were perfectly spicy! Service was great but it did take a pretty long time even though there wasn't much of a line. These fries were definitely worth the wait! We saw their food truck at a craft fair. read more
Bummer I couldn't check in because yelp stated that I was too far from their restaurant located on the east side, but their food truck was at the "What the Truck" event in Waikele, which we haven't seen in previous waikele night market events. Lomo Saltado Plate - 3 stars - For $22, this plate would have been great if it wasn't so salty. Pretty good portion, but it had more fries under the meat stir fried with onions, tomato and cilantro. Service was ok, but wait was a little long because of the event and made to order, so we left to buy other things and returned to pick up our plate. Lots of parking since it was at the Lower waikele what the truck event. read more
Business owner information
Juan C.
Aloha Val! Thank you for taking time and for your honest review.…
Peruvian and Lao flavors are found here... Not a combination I'm familiar with though what an interesting concept for sure. Wai Kai with it's stunning water views has been home to many events and this is one that I've discovered and what a find! The staff tried to answer my question the best they can but you know I'm still clueless all in all it just looks an sounds amazing so I decided to have a bite here. Glancing at the menu they all are very meat based with one having shrimp I was glancing at the K/P Lomo Nachos and after much explaining I was ready to order that until right on the ordering window there's a "Specials" menu of "Lao Style Salchipapas" using Lao Sausages, Hotdogs, piled on thick fries topped with House Aioli, Lao Pickled Veggies and green onions. I just had to get this special cause it's fries lol...I could get the regular menu at any time I just had to try this loaded Lao Style fries. Get extra sauce is my recommendation as it was just amazing! The herbs and hints of ginger perhaps it's so flavorful and complimented the meat and fries so perfectly...munch munch munch what a bougie feast! They are everywhere so follow them on Instagram @khaoandpapas for their schedule. Thank you! read more
5 months ago
1 year ago
Khao and Papas was in my neighborhood when I had the chance to try their foods. I am a southeast Asian girl myself so when I briefly passed by their truck, the aromatics caught my attention immediately, and even though I had never heard of a Lao x Peruvian fusion before, the smells were good enough to pique my interest. I ordered the lemongrass fried chicken with sticky rice, and a short rib/beef skewer combo. The chicken was BOMB. It is made to-order so it was beautifully golden and crispy. The beef and short rib were heavily seasoned so you get this burst of flavor in each bite. The sauce tho... sooo good! It is tangy and has a kick to it - absolutely great with the chicken. This whole food experience was ecstatic. read more
1 year ago
If you're on the hunt for good Peruvian food on Oahu or just want to try something new, don't skip out on this food truck. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this food truck at a night market. I got there early so there wasn't a line yet. I ordered the Shrimp Tallarin Saltado. It's a shrimp stir fry noodles with red onions, green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and Peruvian salsa verde. This plate was $20. It's soooo good that weeks later, I could still taste it. The spices wasn't overpowering. It felt very balanced. It's definitely worth trying! read more
1 year ago
I first stumbled across them at Hawaii Kai Malama Market then stalked their instagram to see where their next pop-up would be, caught them in Mililani. The steak skewers are incredible, the fries were amazing as well! Great portions, great flavor. read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
Prior to ordering from Khao and Papas, I've never tried Peruvian/Laos style food. Trying the Lomo Steak Fries and Lomo Steak Nachos were the perfect introduction to this culture. Full of flavor, spices, and taste. The appearance of the truck is very bright & welcoming. The owners are really awesome people. Diligent, honest, and friendly. The ordering experience is always on point. Patient, open to questions, easy to talk to - what's there not to love about Khao and Papas. I highly recommend giving them a try (if you haven't already done so). read more
Business owner information
Juan C.
Aloha Branden! Thank you so much for taking time and for your awesome…
2 years ago
Beautiful couple with a lovely story about Khao & Papas. Definitely a must try! We first tried the Lomo Steak Fries at the Village Market and loved it so much that we went yesterday to the Kaneohe Night Market for more! Excellent service. Follow them on IG @kahoandpapas to find out where they'll be. read more
5 stars for flavors. 4 stars for price. Two beef skewers with some kinda salsa sauce and pickled veggies on the side with purple rice. The flavors were AMAZING. Definitely something different. If this plate was around $15, I'd probably rate this place 5 stars, but for $19, I'd want a little more in my plate. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Congratulations to Khao and Papas for winning food truck of the year! It's well deserved. Truly incredible food. Disclaimer. Khao and Papas operate a food truck at the same location as my wife and I. We frequently park side by side. Ok. THEIR FOOD IS INCREDIBLE. AMAZING. FANTASTIC. DELICIOUS AF. Today I had their shrimp on pasta. $20. A large serving of perfectly cooked shrimp and pasta, with a few veggies and a soy based sauce, with a side cup of spicy sauce that makes this dish 11 outta 10. Last week we had French fries and mixed vegetables and melted cheese with another sauce to die for. I'm suggesting then name it Hawaiian Poutine. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
Food is delicious!! Got to try the shrimp chaufa and lemongrass chicken wings! Amazing flavor profile and side sauces that came in each plate elevated it to another level! Tried it at mililani craft fair, it did take some time to get our food but just be patient it's worth the wait! read more
Business owner information
Juan C.
Aloha Chelsea! Thank you so much for taking the time and for your…
3 years ago
I had been passing through the Waikele area when I'd come across Khao and Papas at the "what the truck" food truck event there. The truck caught my eye because Lao Peruvian cuisine is something I've never heard of. I ended up ordering the anticucho beef, which is beef strips on a skewer. The texture was amazing; it was a food truck, so I wasn't sure if the thin beef strips would be dry (which they very much weren't ) due to the high heat used. They were perfectly cooked and NOT at all dry. The seasoning and flavor was excellent. The customer service there was wonderful as well. I would highly recommend stopping by. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
Business owner information
Juan C.
Thank you Simone for stopping by and for your review! We are glad you…
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1110 University Ave
Honolulu , HI 96826
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(808) 291-7906
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Khao and Papas - peruvian - Updated August 2026
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