Waialua General Store — Local services in Oʻahu

Apparently poke has taken hold on the mainland. But what I see online - slices of perfectly cut avocado topped with ginger served next to a little bit of fish cushioned Instagram-perfect over a poofy bed of rice bears no resemblance to what I’ve come to associate with ‘’great’ poke. To me, poke is a simple dish executed cleanly in a utilitarian style. And Waialua General does that better than anyone. Absolute hole in the wall. No seating. Disheveled store. But an incredibly warm staff that dishes up some of the freshest, no-nonsense perfectly sauced poke imaginable. It is what you will dream about back on the mainland! Finish it off with their fried mochi balls for a savory dessert and thank me later for the...

Shout out to the Lawi-an family! Absolutely killing the Poke game! The store is a small mom and pop family restaurant in a tiny whole in the wall shop. Absolutely has to be the best kept secret of the North Shore. The spicy poke literally/figuratively hits every taste bud. Spicy, sweet, crunchy, soft, umami, texture contrast. Literally everything! Everything that comes out of this place is made with love. Skip the super busy places in Haleiwa. Head to the other side of town and head to the...

My family is visiting from Texas and we wanted to try to find the best poke on the island. We found it here, along with the best lumpia and mochi. We were amazed with the friendliness of the staff the second we walked in the door, and that kindness made our day. We are so happy that we were refered to this gem before we left back to Texas and Waialua General Store will be our first stop the next time that we...