When looking for good food in Hawaii if you ask anyone where to eat on the North Shore of Oahu [averagetraveller.com] they’ll probably point you at the shrimp trucks in the town of Kahuku. While the shrimp trucks are good, my favorite roadside food stop in Kahuku is Tita’s Grill and Catering. More of a roadside food shack than a truck, Tita’s offers a broad range of classic Hawaiian fare.
Just 10 minutes North of the Polynesian Cultural Center, we decided to skip the famous but pricey Cultural Center Luau and try Tita’s Grill for some of the most popular food in Hawaii: garlic shrimp and plate lunches. Arriving around 6pm on a weeknight we found plenty of space at the patio tables, although there was a bit of a line-up with many people getting take-out. I was looking forward to trying some of their famous Polynesian bread, but when the person in front of us in line asked for a loaf they were told that they had sold out for the day. They had one loaf left that had a large air pocket in it so they gave it to them for free. We just missed out!
In the end not getting the bread was probably for the best as the serving sizes at Tita’s are enormous. I tried the Kila Moco which is basically the everything on it Loco Moco. 2 scoops of rice, 2 homemade burger patties topped with 2 fried eggs(!), 2 portions of fried spam, Portuguese sausage, mac salad, and a big ladle of brown gravy. I shouldn’t have eaten it all, but I did with very little effort. I don’t ever want to find out what how many calories from fat come in that foam box. Seriously, please don’t tell me. What I do know is that the yummy count is through the roof!
There was a bit of a wait for our food after we ordered it, but there were a lot of take-out orders ahead of us and I suspect a single cook in the kitchen pushing everything out. Despite that, with plenty of parking, friendly service, huge portions, and good food Tita’s Grill is an easy recommendation for me to make! Plus they gave us free chocolate cake (which we ate back in the hotel that night). More pics below the map.
Food in Hawaii: Tita’s Grill and Catering
56-485 Kamehameha Hwy,
Kahuku, HI, United States
+1 808-293-2225
Mon-Fri 7 am – 7 pm
Sat 7 am – 4 pm
Looks like some ‘ono grindz’ to me! Will keep this place in mind!
Ono grindz indeed! I’ve been recommending it to anyone who tells me they’re going to the Cultural Center!
I’ll have the chocolate cake and the prawns please.
The chocolate cake was not too sweet and not too dense. It’s nothing fancy but perfect after a heavy meal!
Looks yummy 🙂
Wow, the gravy looks like a meal in itself. Glad it was yummy.
Yes. You have to treat this like a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal and turn off your left brain!
I’m curious about Hawaiian food. What else is typically Hawaiian? Is it similar to that of other Polynesian islands?
I’d guess it’s not common to the other islands simply because Hawaii seems to have had so much influence from American and Asian cultures. I haven’t been to the other islands but I assume that they are more traditional. One day soon I hope to find out for myself!
Shacks provide some of the best food out there! Looks good and I’d love to have some right now.
I… I don’t know what to say besides O.M.G…
– Maria Alexandra
That’s great recommendation! So glad to have found your blog. I’ve searched around while doing my research online and yeah most of the people would talk about the shrimp place. It’s really nice to see other independent recommendations like yours!