Hawaiian Soul — Restaurant in Vancouver

I was impressed by the quality of the food, and by the friendliness and dedication of the owners! Great people and a great place to stop for lunch and a visit.

If we’re going to talk about Hawaiian Soul, then we also have to talk about Community Soul… and dreams and working hard for those dreams and supporting your neighbors and all the magic that entails. The Saint Johns/Saint James corridor is a constant flow of potential, flowing north and south, dividing the city and the county. And then of course you have Minnehaha running from East to West with Hawaiian Soul nestled right there at the crux. Every time I think of the Minnehaha,, I think of Longfellow and the words,“Hear a roaring and a rushing,
Hear the Falls of Minnehaha.” And I think of the poor Native American woman of that name.

I would like to see more food trucks like Hawaiian Soul pop up along that corridor like mushrooms, there is a constant flow of traffic, plenty of potential business coming to, and fro always going somewhere. Plenty of customers, plenty of hungry people. As they, the rising river raises all boats. I think the more that corridor has to offer, the more business would come.

But anyway, back to community and food trucks and dreams. Food trucks in general and Hawaiian Soul included are one of the prime examples of the American dream. Without the huge investments or corporate servitude they exemplify normal people actually having dreams and getting down in the weeds and making them work. And I mean right down in the knuckle busting, long nights, creative thinking, community creating, kind of work that is what the magic of dreams is about.

It’s one of the reasons when you walk up to Hawaiian Soul, you recognize those folks, it’s because they are your neighbors and they are glad to see you and they are grateful to be there and you feel welcome. People don’t just wake up and decide to start slinging hash in good cart, they have to start with a kernel of a dream. They have to have a passion. I would be willing to bet that if you compared nationally reviews of restaurants to food carts you would find that food carts get substantially better reviews and there is a reason for that. And that is dreams.

Look, get the Spam Musubi! It is the absolute bomb! I know it sounds a little strange, but once you’ve had it you’re hooked for life. I had the Garlic Chicken which was great, but I’m having the ribs next time, they looked to die for. I got to sit and visit with family for a little while and they were the best! I could have...

cash only atm in the store next to the food truck. One picnic table available under a pop up tent to eat there with your friends and loved ones.

Absolute treasure. The chef is from Kauai and knows what he is doing! Terrific service from him and his wife (?) The truffle French fries were amazing. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The bread for the veggie Patty was soft, the sauce was delicious and fresh lettuce and tomato inside. The veggie Patty was a bit crispy. I’d recommend adding a bit of moisture to the recipe. I love that there is a vegetarian option. Growing up in Hawai’i I would usually just order rice and Mac salad when I went to plate lunch places. My friends ordered chicken katsu, spam musubi, and poke. They both are from Big Island and gave their approval. The desert looks small for $5 but oh my goodness, the buggahz is WORTH it!!! So much flavor and texture. Unlike anything I’ve had before. So creamy, yet the kulolo texture was still there. Definitely...

I'm still waiting to have a full meal from this place. I drive by it several times a week taking my kids to and from school. But my dinner schedule just never coincides with being able to stop and order. (Wife works late so dinner is late) Except that one time when I had no cash (cash only joint).

The one other time I was able to stop and try anything at all was when I just picked up a musubi snack. It was great. And when I was chatting with them they offered a sample of kalua pig with their hibiscus slaw. All three things were fantastic! Musubi done right with furikake and all, kalua pig a bit smokey and well seasoned, and that hibiscus slaw was a beautiful, vibrant, bight counterpoint to the meaty savoriness.

Definitely looking forward to when the stars align for me to pick up dinner for the whole family from here. Keep up the...