Kau Kau Grill — Restaurant in Honolulu

The former food truck (their truck is still operating; check them out on Channel Street) has a brick and mortar!! On Mapunapuna, across from All Trans Hawaii and down the street from Fisher Hawaii Mapunapuna, this is a small joint pumping out big flavors.

15-seat place with 2 tables and a counter/bar, serving plate lunches that are as good in Styrofoam containers as in an expensive restaurant presentation. Simple menu, pretty basic but well done and clean.

No kids menu but the plates are plentiful enough to share, especially if your little one likes BBQ.

Sub Mac salad for "tossed salad," at no charge. The "tossed salad" is a fresh spinach salad, simply dressed with a splash of poppy seed dressing. Mac salad is simple but a nice counter to the meats. Sub the white rice for their "Krazy rice" for a small charge ($1 at this writing)...it is worth it.

Fountain drinks, free refills. Pepsi products.

Clientele are locals, guys in yellow safety shirts, business men in Aloha shirts, and pretty much everyone who knows where to go for good food and low drama in Mapunapuna. No dressing up needed. 'Be comfy, eat well, and be happy' is pretty much the vibe here.

Parking is tight. Maybe a 5 car lot. Park on the street or if you have the time to make a few passes on Mapunapuna, there is a fairly high turnover so you'll likely land a spot quickly. Minus 1 star for parking & short hours (open only 10-230p). Would love dinner plates here.

Call-in orders recommended for large orders (over 4 plates). Credit cards accepted. Credit card order receipts emailed to you on request. Nice--no overstuffed wallet or extra paper.

No WiFi or public restroom. Come for the food and the customer service. They remember regulars and are nice all around.

Expect to wait 5-10 minutes for your food. Wait is worth it. Plates are heavy.

Recommend and...

What a find, da kine is located in a desolated industrial like area. A few other small food take out places adjacent.

No dine in, strictly takeout, opens at 1000, they were already slammed with take out orders, luckily we online ordered in advance.

Opened the door and your basically in their kitchen/storage areas, they work hard and make it work. Staff friendly and efficient to a fault.

Now let's get to their broke da mouth plate lunches. For a small place they have an extensive menu, small or regular plates, can make your own combos.

Smoked meat & onions. Meat was tender and had a rich chocolatey smokey flavor profile, onions cooked not soft with with a slight crunch, all over rice and a separate small container of the spaghetti salad side which came with all the other plate lunches.

Roast pork & gravy plate lunch. Chunks of tender shredded pork slathered in tasty brown gravy. Gravy lovers wet dream.

BBQ ribs plate- rib meat tender and falling off the bone. Meat had a slight smokey crust, perfection. This would rival other rib places but at an affordable cost

Btw, we ordered the small plate which was more than enough, I was told the large plates are humungous.

I'm still salivating on how well each plate lunch held their own, now this is how you become a successful business.

Michelin star reviewers, if you're out there, they deserve a minimum 1 star rating, do your job.

Aloha, until we meet again on...

Heard so many good things about this place so I had to try it out. The food is really good and portions are decent. Price is medium to high for a plate lunch but you get quality food. $14 for one item and $19 for combo. Plate lunches com with two scoops rice and macaroni salad. Got two combination plates try some of the best sellers. BBQ ribs are a must have and they are as good as people say. Palehi ribs are tasty and not overcooked but mine was a little salty for me. Garlic Ahi was cooked through and still moist, flavorful and with lots of garlic. Garlic shrimp was tasty and about as good as Giovanni's shrimp truck in Wahiawa. Combos had about 5 shrimp, three ribs, 6 short ribs pieces and two pieces of Ahi. Will be back again to try their other items. If you in the area you should...