While visiting Hanalei, we were curious about the food options available in the area, and Wake Up Delicious looked to be highly rated, so we wanted to stop by and see what was up. We have visited this restaurant twice during our stay in Princeville, once on a Friday and one on a Monday. We missed the breakfast menu on Friday as we went in the afternoon (do note that there are two menus, and I think the lunch menu starts at 12PM.
The parking lot for the restaurant is a bit small, I think it's like 8-9 spots for all of the shops that Wake Up Delicious shares with - these spots could be taken during breakfast and lunch rushes. Luckily, you can find more parking spots street side or right across the street from the lot. There is more parking but do note that all of the spots fill up rather quickly.
There were lines during both visits, but the line moves pretty fast, I think we only had at most 10-12 minute wait times to get to the front to order. As other reviewers have mentioned, seating is very limited - there probably are 16 seats spread across 4 small tables and counter tops inside the restaurant, with 4 countertop seats just outside the restaurant next to the neighboring sandwich shop. It can get quite hot inside as there are lots of people and the kitchen cooking orders.
We got a couple of items, which I'll review down below:
Garlic Shrimp ($22) - I wanted to try the Garlic shrimp entree as many other reviewers have mentioned this item. The sauce is savory and has a delicious garlic flavor - they do give you a lot of sauce, and it goes a long way. The shrimps taste fresh and have a nice meaty and chewy texture and you get 6 of them. I think that there was slight confusion at the ordering counter as we wanted kimchi on the side, but they replaced our rice with kimchi, which was unfortunate.
Churro Waffles Half Portion ($14.50) - Super crispy waffles with smothered with churro seasoning with a mount of fresh whip cream with a caramel drizzle in the middle - what's not to love about that? If you a sweet tooth, you definitely will have a great time with this entree. The hot waffle and the refreshing cold cream pair great with each other. The waffle has that nice thin crispy exterior with a soft chewy waffle interior. The flavors encapsulate the feeling of eating a wider churro perfectly. More reasonably priced as even the half portion is generous. I think this was one of the more unique items on the menu that I would come back to Wake Up Delicious for if I'm back in Hanalei.
Kalua Pork Burrito ($20) - A pretty tasty burrito that is super indulgent! This burrito is filled with egg, strands of kalua pork, and crispy hash browns in the middle. The scrambled eggs and kaula pork were very hearty and it contrasts very nicely with the crispy hash browns in the middle. There is also a generous amount of cheese that glues all of the contents together. The burrito comes out whole, I sliced it in half so the cross section could be seen. As tasty as this burrito is, I think that $20 for a burrito definitely leans expensive.
For Princeville, I think that the food at Wake Up Delicious is solid - generous portions that are more meant for sharing. I think that most items on the menu are pricey, but I think that is just the Princeville effect as almost every restaurant that I have seen in the downtown mall area has everything almost $5-10 over what I would expect something to cost. I think that most things on the menu here taste good, and I would skip the chocolate chip cookie. If you are in the Hanalei area, I think that Wake Up Delicious would be a decent pick. read more