Sky Barnhart

The state’s best 100 Hawaiian-style ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurants.

Aloha Mixed Plate… Gotta grind: Kalua pig, kalbi ribs, coconut prawns, lau lau, chow fun, shoyu chicken. Seating: Make house! (can seat up to 130 guests at 36 tables) Parking: No sweat! (20 stalls available, plus street parking)… Established: 1997.

First of all, great packaging! The promo edition (though I doubt they sell them like this!) came tucked into a plastic to-go container with a “Puka Guide” napkin and chopsticks.

The book is the newest updated version by local-style foodies Donovan Dela Cruz, a Honolulu City Councilman, and Jodi Endo Chai, Hawai‘i Government Employees Association communications officer. Dela Cruz and Chai previously published The Okazu Guide, The Puka Guide and the Omiyage Guide.

“These are the places that you only hear about by word-of-mouth,” the authors explained. “…They don’t serve anything fancy—no trendy cuisine that’s ‘infused’ or ‘caramelized.’ They serve comfort food, home cooking just like Mom used to make.”

So if you’re in the mood for pulehu ribs, teri burgers, manapua, saimin or hot dog musubi, but don’t know where to go—this is the book to pick up. The book is divided into sections for each island, with each “puka” garnering a photo, quote from the owner, hours, location, specialty dishes, and extra info like parking and seating.

There is also space for “Notes,”—the authors want you to use it as a “workbook as much as a guidebook”—but how many people are actually going to carry the book around and take notes?

Many of the entries include “Puka Trivia,” such as for Tokyo Tei Restaurant: “Kyutaro Kitagawa, a former sumo wrestler in Japan, opened Tokyo Tei in 1935 to support his family. He had to change the name of the restaurant to ‘Rainbow Grill’ during World War II.”

More than half the book is about O‘ahu, so take it with you when you go visit friends and family over there. Sadly, the Maui section (divided into Central, West and Upcountry) seems a little thin, with only two entries listed for Upcountry: Komoda Store & Bakery (of course, no one else makes cream puffs like that!) and Pauwela Café, which seems like an unusual choice with its health-conscious cuisine.

There are two token entries for Lana‘i and Moloka‘i: Blue Ginger Café in Lana‘i City and Kanemitsu Bakery & Restaurant in Kaunakakai—both good ones (cinnamon Moloka‘i Bread!)

 Although the Maui section hits the hot spots—Tasty Crust, Sam Sato’s, Honokowai Okazuya, Take Home Maui—quite a few, especially in the Wailuku area, are missing. Guess it’s all the better for their loyal customers that they remain known only to them...

“Many of these businesses are family-owned, passed down from generation to generation,” Dela Cruz and Chai write. “….Regardless of how these little eateries came to be, we’re delighted that they’re still around. And though they may be small in size, they’re a big part of our lives—and of today’s island culture.”

Let’s hope the “pukas” stay around for many years to come—it would be heartening to see the Maui section grow fatter in the next edition.

3 out of 5 Shakas