A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Wahiawā
Visit Wahiawā for affordable mom-and-pop spots specializing in everything from pastries to huli huli chicken.
Smoked Chicken with Spanish Rice, Coleslaw and Cornbread at Chicken in a Barrel
In the summer of 2018, my partner and I hopped in his pick-up truck and drove to Wahiawā in search of the Sunset Smokehouse truck. Having eaten our way through the best BBQ shacks in Texas, sampling from masters such as Louie Muellers and Franklins, we had high hopes. James Kim from Austin, Texas delivered. His salt and pepper-crusted, oak-smoked brisket transported me back to those smoky dining rooms in Texas tearing into fatty slices of beef that glistened like diamonds. Sunset Smokehouse eventually moved into a brick-and-mortar space behind its truck and more recently moved to Kakaʻako, but in the early days, this is the spot that put Wahiawā on the map for me.
The courtyard behind Surfers Coffee
Wahiawā (Wahi-a-wā), or “place of noise,” is not just a former plantation town, it is the former pineapple capital of the world; a legacy that produced an abundance of hard-working immigrant families who opened affordable places to eat generous portions of locally-influenced foods from their homelands.
Until 1899 when colonists arrived to settle, the place we now know as Wahiawā was the valley of the former ahupuaʻa of Lihuʻe, situated in between the Waiʻanae and Koʻolau mountains. This is where Hawaiian armies were trained and royalty was born. Just off the Kamehameha highway, less than a mile south of Green World Coffee Farm (which is too touristy for my liking) are the Kūkaniloko Birthstones – one of Oʻahus most culturally significant landmarks. This is where women would come to give birth to aliʻi, hugging the rock silently as she meditated on the mountain range.
Wahiawā Botanical Garden
In 1900 James Drummond Dole purchased 61 acres of this land. Three years later, with the arrival of immigrant contract workers and workers transferring from the sugarcane plantations, he began processing pineapple. One year later, Wahiawā had the biggest pineapple industry in the world, with pineapple fields and camps surrounding the town. The Hawaiian Pineapple Growers Association actively recruited Sakadas from the Philippines. They were the largest ethnic group to work the pineapple fields. Despite harsh working conditions and very low pay, many immigrants speak fondly of the pineapple era and living in the camps.
Māluawai, Guieb Cafe, Surfers Coffee
Along with Big Ag, the US military also moved in. The town of Wahiawā now comprises immigrant residents and business owners settled from the plantation era, while its perimeter is a mix of agricultural land and military training grounds. This is where Wheeler Airfield and Schofield Barracks - the headquarters of the US Army Hawaii - are located. Lake Wilson, or Kaukonahua – Hawaii's second-largest reservoir – surrounds Wahiawā on three sides. The 400-acre body of water was created by building a dam in order to provide water for the Dole Pineapple Plantation fields.
Uncles Pizza on the lake
Early in the pandemic, I stood elbow to elbow with two dozen volunteers in a Wahiawā parking lot, slapping stickers onto 500 boxes of rescued food before loading them into the cars waiting in line around the block. Jo Soeung – a private chef from Baguio, Philippines who specialized in educating the world about the indigenous foods of the cordillera (mountain) region of her hometown – was one of the volunteers. We got to talking and she recommended a nearby coffee house called Surfer’s Coffee.
If Sunset Smokehouse was my introduction to Wahiawā, Surfer’s Coffee is what kept me coming back. Sometimes I just want to go somewhere where nobody knows me, sit at a weathered wooden table by a shade-drawn window, and lose myself in my laptop with a warm latte and a giant cinnamon roll spackled with thick cream cheese icing. This non-profit neighborhood hub with its wood-paneled walls, big brown leather armchairs, and library-meets-surf-shack-vibe fits that bill perfectly. I come as often as I can and enjoy spending a few hours hanging out on the tiny block between Olive Ave. and California Ave. on Kamehameha highway where it is located along with a few other fun shops.
Ray’s Kiawe Chicken and Maui Mike’s Fire-Roasted Chicken
There are so many places to grab a good meal in Wahiawā and the close proximity of everything makes it easy to food hop. Below is a list of my favorites and how I would spend a full day here.
Taqueria El Ranchero
Navigating Wahiawā is easy. Everything seems to be “down the street” or “around the corner.”
Take the 52 bus from town
Weather in Wahiawā is usually warm, sometimes muggy, but mostly dry with temperatures ranging from the low 60s-70s in the winter and 80s in the summer.
Pupusas Hawaiʻi
My perfect day in Wahiawā:
9:00-10:00 am - Brazilian Pilāo Coffee and acai bowl on the lake at Māluawai
10:15 am-12 pm - Hang out at Surfer’s Coffee
12 pm-12:45 pm - Shop at Santo Loco, The Vintage and Niu
1 pm-1:45 pm - Lunch at JRs Jamaican Jerk
2 pm-4 pm - Stroll around Wahiawa Botanical Garden
4:15-4:45 pm - Stop by the Papusas Hawaiʻi truck
5:00 pm - Mead tasting at Manoa Meadery
6:15 pm - Taquería el Ranchero for dinner in the Cantina
7:30 pm - Black Sheep ice cream for dessert
Roast pork and Char Siu at Po Sing (Mililani)
Food and beverage recommendations in Wahiawā:
Pupusas Hawaii - Pull off Kam Hwy just north of Wahiawa Tues-Sat 11am-5pm to get fresh made pupusas hot off the grill and agua fresca.
Surfers Coffee for a Latte or Tiger Shark dirty chai and a cinnamon roll or vegan donut
Black Sheep Ice Cream - Grab a scoop of Once You Go Black (black sesame) or Mochi Mama (brown sugar milk tea cream w/ mochi) or one of the other amazing flavors. They also make house-made waffle cones to order!
Kilani bakery for walnut brownies
Taqueria el ranchero for tacos de tripas, lengua and al pastor with an ice cold Pacifico
Jrs Jamaican Jerk for jerk chicken with coconut rice and peas (black beans), mac salad, a pine and ginger drink (pineapple agua fresca) and/or a sorrel drink (Jamaican hibiscus). Don’t arrive until at least 12pm. They open at 11am, but it takes them a while to get set up.
Charmaine’s moa betta cookies - Currently only doing wholesale orders. Slated to reopen in 2024!
Maui Mikes for juicy, rotisserie chicken. I like their smoked BBQ sauce and baked beans as a side.
Ray’s kiawe broiled chicken truck pulls up to 1011 California Ave on Tuesdays 10am-4pm. They serve huli huli chicken cooked over hot coals with a dipping sauce of shoyu, vinegar and Hawaiian chiles.
Barrio Cafe - (Close Sundays)
Shige’s saimin for Wonton Mein. (Closed Sunday and Monday)
Chicken in a barrel for smoked whole chickens, Spanish rice, coleslaw and grilled cakey cornbread smothered in honey butter.
Māluawai for acai bowls and Brazilian coffee. Go downstairs for front-row seating on the lake.
Uncles pizza - NY Style pizza on the lake. Try the Hot Jimmy with garlic, spinach, sausage and pepperoni.
Ohana Sub & Deli - A REAL sub/hoagie on O'ahu! The owners are super sweet and the entire staff celebrates when they see you've left a tip, as if they have just won the lottery. I recommend the Shaka Shaka (pepperoni, salami and bologna w/ provolone.)
Guieb Cafe - Bangsilog for breakfast – a Filipino dish made with crisp fried milkfish, diced tomatoes and onions, garlic rice and over easy eggs.
Po Sing - Amazing roast pork and char siu by the pound. (Mililani)
Sweetland Farms for goat cheese panna cotta. Tours are led every Saturday. (Fridays and Saturdays)
Manoa Honey and Mead for a tasting of four different meads or a bee-to-mead tour
Jrs Jamaican Jerk
Other places of interest:
Santo Loco - A hip, community-focused skate and surf shop founded in Germany. Small but cute selection of women’s clothes. Lots of rad clothes for guys. Surf and skate books, magazines and art in addition to everything you need surf related.
Get lost for an hour inside the 27-acre Wahiawa Botanical Garden
The Vintage - A non-profit boutique, run by the Surfing The Nations Organization, full of antique kitchenware, typewriters (I want one!), retro island clothes and accessories. Proceeds all go to charity.
NUI - A sweet little boutique full of cute (and AFFORDABLE) women's clothing and accessories. Similar to Mahina and Eden in Love.
