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    Tapas Kitchen

    4.7 (19 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Tapas Kitchen Photos

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    Spicy garlic shrimp, chicken nachos

    Only one lady working so might be a little wait but the food was really good, shrimp tasted fresh, flavorful, and the rice also soaked up the spicy garlic oil well tasted really good. Enough salad to combat the butteriness of the spicy garlic butter. The chicken nachos were also good , chicken was seasoned and overall had a great experience! Would highly recommend checking out

    Andy F.

    A true hidden gem in Waikiki. It's so hidden that no Yelper discovered it until the same time I went to it, and it's been there for a couple of years! Tapas Kitchen is your typical food truck. It's a one woman show who does all the work, and everything's made to order. Only open from 3-9pm everyday except Wednesday. This food truck is located on a small dead end road, Lauula St. Be careful as this street is separated. You'll take a left onto Lewers St. from Kalakaua Ave., and the next left is where you'll find Tapas Kitchen. There's parking stalls in front and behind the food truck. Pay via QR code. The food here is majority Mexican with a hint of Taiwanese and local food--from birria tacos to Bao Buns. There's tables and chairs set up outside, so there's a street food feel. We started with the Garlic Shrimp. This was quite good. The shrimp was perfectly cooked--soft shell and plump meat. And obviously nice and garlicky. With the shrimp on top, the rice soaked up all the oil and garlicky goodness. The Chicken Wings were fried and seasoned very well. A nice chili kick with a hint of sour from the lime. The meat was tender and tasty. Fried Shrimp was good! It wasn't the flattened style that was pictured on the menu, but the straightened style. I prefer this way a lot more as the flattened style overcooks easily and the meat is too thin to appreciate the shrimp. Next was a treat, a special off the menu sort of treat, fried oysters! Moist and juicy meat. Fried exceptionally! Thinking about it makes me want to go get more! Finished off with an Açaí Bowl to (sort of) balance out the fried food fiesta. Typical ingredients, but they were fresh. Overall, a nice "snack" in Waikiki. It definitely had the street food vibe with hot and fresh food immediately to your table, and a friendly and sociable owner/chef. It was definitely more comfortable away from the busy streets and sidewalks. Can't wait to come back to try more things. It's Waikiki prices for sure, but if it's good, why not?

    Oh my god, how can it be so delicious? This beef is so fresh and delicious. The service is also very good

    Hidden gem. Took a bit of sleuthing to find. Follow your ears (loud music) to the taco truck in the alley next to the gated park. Take the short cut through the walkway next to Skin Deep tattoo parlor. We ordered the garlic shrimp, pork belly bao and carnitas nachos. The owner was very nice and a one woman show. Food was made to order and we waited about 25min, but it was worth it. It was so scrumptious there were no leftovers. Garlic shrimp super tasty. Nachos were very yummy...didn't taste like your typical LA nachos and I can't put my finger on it, but it was unique and delicious. Just remember to let the steam out or your crispy chips will become soft, but still yummy. The pork buns were tender. Would come back again to try other dishes!

    Spicy garlic shrimp. Delicious.

    So good! The shrimp has a lot of flavor. We loved it!!!! If you come to Hawaii, everyone will be so satisfied

    Laura T.

    Very convenient spot in the Waikiki area. Super friendly staff and very helpful with questions on the menu. The sitting area is ample and not hot since you get a nice breeze yet not windy. I had the coconut fish, serving size perfect. The rice had a nice taste, but slightly dry.

    I think everyone should try out this place! This place is like a secret, hidden in the wall, paradise for food. The shrimp plate I got was .... INSANE! Definitely comparable to my favorite at north shore. This is equivalent! Awesome food! Chill vibes. MUST TRY!

    Birria chimichanga
    Mellowie L.

    Oh man, the shrimp is large! Fresh green salad on the side. You don't need to go to the North Shore to queue up; you can also find garlic fried shrimp in Waikiki! Just walk to the back of busy Kalakaua Ave, down a small alley, it's only 1 minute away. There are tables where you can dine. Right next to the food truck, there is a park where you can enjoy your meal in a peaceful environment away from the busy streets. As a local, I will definitely visit this food truck again for their delicious garlic shrimp. The owner is super kind. Highly recommended! Meter parking lot is right next too

    Birria Tacos

    The birria tacos were very tasty and portions were generous. The owner was super friendly too.

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    2 years ago

    Wow the tacos and garlic shrimp were delicious! We've tried the restaurants here and this food truck has been the best.

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    Waikiki Garlic Shack - Coconut Shrimp plate

    Waikiki Garlic Shack

    4.5(143 reviews)
    0.6 miWaikiki
    $$

    I was looking for a quick hot lunch (3 days of eating poke will do that to ya) and this popped up…read moreon Yelp so I wandered over. It's in an area with a few other food stalls and I didn't know what to expect but I'm so glad I tried it. I ordered the angry shrimp plate and the 6pc coconut shrimp a la carte ($13.95). The coconut shrimp is outta this world. Coated with breading with flakes of coconut, the crispy, crunchy exterior is so satisfying to bite into and unveils the juicy shrimp underneath. I loved the sauces it came with too -- it paired so well with the shrimp. The angry shrimp plate comes with two scoops of furikake rice and a small side salad. Whatever is in the salad dressing is seriously addictive and the angry shrimp is wonderful when paired with the rice. The sauce made me want two more scoops of white rice. I preferred my beloved coconut shrimp more but all in all these were excellent dishes. I might need to get this again and that's high praise considering the abundance of good food in Oahu.

    AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! Disrespectful service & completely unacceptable behavior!!…read more My boyfriend and I placed two separate orders for a total of 4 platters and 2 drinks. During my boyfriend's transaction, he didn't realize it was cashless, and the employee, Mitchel T, repeatedly pressured him to put his cash in the tip jar - mentioning things like a ski trip and family to convince him to hand the cash over as tip. It quickly became uncomfortable. When picking up our first order (2 platters, 2 drinks), the same employee asked if I could carry everything. I said I'd try, but instead of giving me the drinks, he handed me only the 2 platters and angrily sighed before setting the drinks back down. As I went back for the drinks, he instead handed me the remaining two platters. I turn to set those down and while doing so I guess he thought now I would be able to handle carrying 2 platters and 2 drinks. Because I didn't grab the drinks this second go around, the worker called me a "F***ING IDIOT." When I said, "that's rude," he doubled down - telling another customer I was an idiot because he was "busy" (there was only one person in line). My boyfriend calmly tried to address it, but the employee refused, completely ignored him, and continued glaring at us as we left. Other customers also expressed how rudely treated they were at this location. We spent nearly $100 to be treated with hostility. Completely unacceptable.

    Photos
    Waikiki Garlic Shack - Food truck "court" including the angry shrimp!

    Food truck "court" including the angry shrimp!

    Waikiki Garlic Shack - #1 Angry Shrimp

    #1 Angry Shrimp

    Waikiki Garlic Shack - Miso butterfish with braised mushroom and onion sauce, arugula, and rice

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    Miso butterfish with braised mushroom and onion sauce, arugula, and rice

    Sam's Kitchen

    Sam's Kitchen

    4.0(1.4k reviews)
    0.5 miWaikiki
    $$

    Dave is the Bartender/Manager here. Excellent service! Super friendly quick on the pour, and eager…read moreto please! They just started opening up for lunch time about a month ago - something they haven't done before, and people have been attending! Sheva (Seven) - was my bartender today - very friendly super engaging and always quick to entertain with fun trivia facts! Beer prices are fairly priced, see the pics I posted to see everything. No price gauging on wine AT ALL!! (Other places charge $15 for a chardonnay, and vary the prices of the wine depending on the type; now granted if they going higher end and longer age in a barrel I can understand - but for a bottle cali wine you can get @ Target for the same brand at $15 - ya know there are some mark ups!) Anyhoooo.... Let's talk the food: belly so happy taking leftovers home! Alright so Step 1: Choice of protein: fish, beef, chicken, tofu, vegetables. I asked for half chicken & half vegetable combo (they were EXTREMELY accomodating on that request)!!!!! Step 2: Pick yer sauce! They have 5 main sauces, pic enclosed. I went with the Spicy Teri Garlic! (trust me foodies it fiiiiiire! Step 3/Final Step: Choose da sides (again on the menu pic) I went for the combo - salad, rice, and potato/mac salad! Now for specialty drinks: Their Bloody Harry (a unique Bloody Mary) is completely worth it! Uses a unique homemade infused vodka that hands down you will NOT find anywhere else on island! Glass is rimmed with salt AND peppercorns, again another unique feature to this beverage! There is also a new beverage called Wonka Lada, which looks very much like something you'd see out of Willy Wonka's factory and/or if you really geeking out making comparisons to Monster's Inc! And others have compared it to something out of Warcraft, I can't say anyone is wrong! Smoothy style especially for those needing a nice cold fix! Li ing mui on the rim. Gives all the piña colada vibes with a strong hit of ube! This is one of those that hits you afterward!!!! Great vibe there are tables all around and even a small hot tub/pool area to give more to the atmosphere look! So don't complain if plastic cups are used because hotel has a no glass policy around the pool. This establishment has been here since last November. And don't think yer gonna get bored sitting here! Bar top is really solid hard wood!! There are all sorts of decor that each time you come here it almost a game of find this item! Tribal masks from Africa, Traditional tiki faces, bonsai trees, Hula instruments, saddles, tapa style roofing, beware the lobsters running amuck! Hmmm maybe a promotion needs to be done where what item is new hiding amongst all the decor for a special prize or something? And yes for you folks who are die hard sports fans - there are 2 televisions - everything comes from streaming services - so treat them nicely with yer tips and maybe they can get more power to more of what u wanna see! (hint hint hint) Overall this place is a huuuge 100/10! So bring tyler gang here! Oh in case u asked the bar is inside the Bamboo resort (fun fact this building been here for 100 years!)! And don't worry super close to the bus lines so for those who need an extra lift yer covered! (unless you ubered or lyfted or drove, rode yer own bike/scooter/skateboard or did yer own two feet here! Yes your mouths and eyes are watering to get over here! So easy way to know yer in the right spot is to see the vintage Yellow Woody sitting out front! Just please don't climb in it for photo ops - that would really make everyone sad. Yes Yelpers I "will be back"! Enjoy and help support these local folks running the place!

    Hawaiian garlic shrimp is a iconic local dish, not technically traditional Hawaiian food, featuring…read moreshell-on shrimp tossed in a pungent garlic-butter sauce, heavily popularized by North Shore, Oahu food trucks since the mid-1970s. With the recent flood happening at the end of March, and our trip being in early April, going to North Shore wasn't advised. While we have some great Hawaiian garlic shrimp spots in Arizona, we had to at least try to get some garlic shrimp while on Oahu. We gave this place a try just because we were already in the building. It wasn't a choice we made prior because honestly, I would have suggested trying a more well-known spot like two miles away, haha! We shared a $14 Shrimp with Original Garlic sauce on it and made it a combo with rice, a scoop of potato mac salad, and regular salad, $14 + $6. Sam's Kitchen was okay. I would have loved to have the shell-on but this place does not offer shell-on shrimp. Still, they make a decent garlic shrimp.

    Photos
    Sam's Kitchen - View of the pool from our table.

    View of the pool from our table.

    Sam's Kitchen - Orig garlic shrmp & tery-garlic steak

    Orig garlic shrmp & tery-garlic steak

    Sam's Kitchen - Glass of wine

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    Glass of wine

    Chee Hoo BBQ - Combo Platter

    Chee Hoo BBQ

    3.6(81 reviews)
    0.3 miWaikiki
    $$

    This was my first time. I like that they offer 3 sides with your meat. I had the baked beans,…read morecoleslaw and potato salad. All three were very tasty. Not your standard sides. I would just order the sides that is how good they were. I ordered the ribs. It came with 4 ribs. The sauce was really good and the ribs were meaty but not fall off the bone tender. I suggest sturdier utensils as my fork broke on the first rib. I also suggest offering extra sauce (for a fee) and provide a hand wipe for after dinner. I would also like to see a brisket Sammy. I certainly be back. The staff were friendly yet slow to acknowledge us waiting. It is located in the food court and finding a table can be a challenge in peak eating times.

    They're located in Kuhio's food hall. This place was popping at 8PM on a Saturday night…read more I ordered the Chee Hoo combo which came with beef brisket, baby back ribs, smoked sausage, and short ribs. It was ~$30 and easily shareable with 2-3 people. Everything tasted great and I loved the smokey flavor and bbq sauce. Beef brisket and short rib were kinda tough and chewy. It came with three sides so I got cole slaw, potato salad, and Mac and cheese. Cole slaw and Mac and cheese were solid; Potato salad was just alright. They also gave one warm bun too. The reason I gave 3 stars was because service was extremely slow. It seemed like they were short staff and had one person at the cash register AND getting the food. He would take a few orders, and then grab the food. When I arrived, he was grabbing food for multiple folks so then I stood there waiting like 15 just to place my order. Then when he restarted and took my order, he took like 5 more orders before grabbing the food so then I waited even longer for another 15 min. That's 30 min of waiting! Also he wasn't serving food in the order that orders were received so it felt actually felt even longer. There needs to be a better system! Surprisingly he did a employee discount on my order. Not sure if it's because it was close to closing time. Btw they charge extra if you order to-go because of the supplies for packaging. I think food is alright but wouldn't return and wait that long for bbq.

    Photos
    Chee Hoo BBQ - Varios Options

    Varios Options

    Chee Hoo BBQ - Kalbi Shortrib Plate with beans, mac & cheese, and cole slaw.

    Kalbi Shortrib Plate with beans, mac & cheese, and cole slaw.

    Chee Hoo BBQ - This is the sign inside the International Shopping area.

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    This is the sign inside the International Shopping area.

    Waikiki Chicken In Paradise - Chicken Loco Moco!

    Waikiki Chicken In Paradise

    4.6(18 reviews)
    0.5 miWaikiki

    Nothing against Waikiki Chicken in Paradise, but I'm not going to lie - I had no idea the mini food…read moretruck park they're located in even existed, let alone had them on my list of bookmarks. However, after having to abandon our original dinner plans, we were no less intrigued after randomly stumbling across this place. While they may not have been our first choice for dinner, coming here was far more appealing than eating fast food or at the nearby IHOP! Although seeing so many folks at this mini food truck park may have been what caught our attention, it was the boxes of fried chicken on nearly every table that swayed us to try Waikiki Chicken in Paradise in particular. After skimming the menu, it wasn't hard to see why they were such a popular choice - everything on it sounded great. Granted, that's not overly difficult when there are only eight items to choose from, but tough to argue with the likes of fried chicken loco moco, fried chicken curry rice, fried chicken sandwiches, chicken & croffle, and fish & chips! Since we saw how big the portion were and didn't want anything too heavy (read: sadly, no loco moco or Japanese curry), we opted to split a FRIED CHICKEN RICE PLATE ($16.95) which came with a Fried Chicken Cutlet over White Rice with Mac Salad & Green Salad. Funny enough, despite already having a sense of how much food they give, I was still surprised by the generous portion size. As for how it all tasted, this was great. The breading on the chicken reminded me of Popeye's (though, without the spice), the batter was crispy, and the chicken itself was rather moist. As for the sides, the mac salad was pretty good, but the salad was a little heavy on dressing. If there was one thing I could change about our order, I think I'd want to see how it would taste with a sauce or glaze. At the very least, I'd definitely go with a different dipping sauce, like their Pineapple Ginger, Lilikoi Mayo, or Guava BBQ, as the Honey Mustard we went with tasted a bit generic. Of course, we could've solved both problems if we had gone with the Fried Chicken Loco Moco or Fried Chicken Curry Rice instead! I guess I'll just have to wait until the next time I'm in Waikiki!

    We got the Fried Chicken Meal and it was pretty solid! the chicken was so crispy and wasn't dry at…read moreall! fries were great and the mac salad was solid. the service was good, they were super nice and patient. this place is tucked in with a couple other food trucks/stalls and it's in such a cute area! there's seats and tables outside and it feels lively especially at night! definitely a place to check out if you're craving a somewhat filling meal!

    Photos
    Waikiki Chicken In Paradise - Outside

    Outside

    Waikiki Chicken In Paradise - Fried Chicken Sando

    Fried Chicken Sando

    Waikiki Chicken In Paradise - Fried chicken, fish, and taters

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    Fried chicken, fish, and taters

    Tapas Kitchen - foodtrucks - Updated May 2026

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