Coconut Kenny’s

I’ve been a frequent visitor to Coconut Kenny’s for the last few years. In that time I’ve tried a great deal of the menu and generally enjoyed much of the food. King Mahalo’s claim to fame as the most popular sandwich in Bellingham isn’t far from the truth; it’s really, really good.
But I’ve come here for a different reason. The food isn’t what’s at fault here, and I feel like some of the actual problems with this chain need to be brought to light. In my opinion, restaurants shouldn’t feel the need to appropriate the imagery of other cultures as a marketing ploy, and especially not as poorly as this one does.
Coconut Kenny’s has stolen the imagery and motifs of Hawaii and adapted them into their average restaurant as a means of evoking the feelings of ‘relaxation’ and ‘tropical paradise’. Do you know about ventriloquism? It’s the act of talking without ones mouth moving, to throw it into another area. Ethnic ventriloquism is usually defined as the use of another culture (typically in literature) or race to attack the inadequacies of the social order defined by the writer’s own culture.
Past authors like Herman Melville (Moby Dick, Typee) have done this as a way to voice concern and disagreement with their own governments back in a time where being politically correct about non-​white races wasn’t an issue. The manner in which Coconut Kenny’s does this is almost even more insidious since they’re doing it in a time period that is much more socially and culturally conscious.
They don’t use the image of another culture to attack anything, its purely used as enticement; as an advertisement. It almost feels like indifference. To differentiate themselves from other pizza and sandwich places, they’ve hung up bamboo and made the roof seem thatched. They’ve put tiki-​torches around the area and named the sandwiches after Hawaiian words and places. Maui Cheesesteak? It literally has nothing to do with the island of Maui, and I’m pretty sure that choice was made on the basis of Maui kind of rhyming with Philly.
The most Hawaiian thing in the whole establishment is their bread. Hawaiian fluffy bread is used for every sandwich, and stands as probably the single most culturally relevant food item in their kitchen. I have little to no doubt that most of the white people employed at Coconut Kenny’s have never once taken the time to consider the lack of legitimately island based food-​stuffs. Their food isn’t imported from there, and the people working there don’t care.
I don’t mean to scare anyone off from the establishment. Their pizzas and sandwiches are good, and the employees are friendly and helpful. I only wish to instill a sense of the colonial narratives being relayed through their brand into the consumer. Next time you decide to go to a Coconut Kenny’s, be it the Bellingham branch or any other, just keep in mind the fact that it is indeed NOT a slice of paradise at all. It’s just a fucking sandwich shop.

In our current phase of thin crust pizza, we usually wrinkle our nose at any crust thicker than 3 mm. However, we will make an exception for the Coconut Kenny’s pie anytime. It had a thick crust, but not too thick, just the right amount of sauce and a good char at the sausage toppings. But it was the crispy edge (due to a lot of oil or butter) that gave a nice crunchy bite to balance the thickness. We also had a side salad that was super fresh and a mouthwatering side of cheese balls with melted cheese oozing over bread balls — the bacon we added on top gave it goodness. To wash it down, we were able to try one of four Coconut Kenny brews. In time, we tried the Island Hefe which was slightly fruity and very refreshing.
This will go on the map as one of our roadside finds going to and from Seattle and Vancouver.

The Gluten-​Free Crust they have here is fantastic! I ordered the Gluten-​Free Margarita with a twist and it was probably one of the best pizzas I’ve had in a long time! I would definitely recommend! If you’re more into spicy foods my boyfriend ordered the Volcano pizza and was not disappointed! Great service and quick too!

When we first walked in, there was a strange odour? that soon disappeared after we got settled. Now onto the food…
Delicious pizza and sandwiches here! We had their popular, recommended pizza, Big Kahuna?, which was tasty and filling; dough was very good. It was on the salty side from all the meats, otherwise very good. We liked the cilantro in it!
The special of the day was a saucy sandwich filled with chicken and bbq sauce. The bun was like a brioche, soft and light to compliment the filling. One sandwich can feed two people.
Order and pay at counter. Fun, Hawaiian themed décor. Small restaurant but lots of room when we came for a late weekday lunch. Single stall washrooms. Street parking.
Would come again to try their other recommended items. Thanks, Unilocalers!

Easily the best pizza in town if you like deep dish! Their sandwiches are also amazing and will easily feed two people. My favorite pizza is the Waikiki. You won’t find pizza like this anywhere else. The restaurant is pretty small but they also deliver to Kulshan just a half block up the street.

I was up in Bellingham for Business yesterday. I was looking for a place to get a bite to eat before my 150 mile drive back home in the evening & hopefully miss some traffic. Looked on Unilocal & Coconut Kenny’s came up with all their stars & who doesn’t like pizza ??
Wow. .. Not sure which pizza I got but it was their Thursday special & it was Great !! Highly recommend Coconut Kenny’s. Had TV’s in there too for the March madness parade.

Great pizza. Super good sandwiches. And fun environment. No wonder why there are three of them now.

We’re always looking for a great grub spot and were sooooo excited we happened in here today! Hubs got the king mahalo and I got the French dip. Huge portions and February the special is all sandwiches $ 5.99. We would have paid full price and still thought it was a great value!

Pizza is amazing! I went a half hour before closing time which is 9:00 pm and they were awesome enough to stay open a half hour later as a couple of late night ers rolled in.
Pizza comes out nice and hot and the staff is very friendly.
I would recommend coming here.
Oh yea, get the cinnamon balls. To die for!

Something is seriously wrong with me… I’ve lived in Bellingham for over 10 years now and the first time I ate at this place was a couple months ago. I even lived in the neighborhood when the Trader Joe’s used to be the Red Apple and never went. This is the best pizza in Bellingham, without question. I’ve now been there twice and had good experiences both times. Definitely order the Cheese Balls: Hawaiian bread balls smothered in cheese and garlic. I’ve tried slices of the Kailua Kona, Pake, Huki-​Huki, and Maui Wowie… all delicious in their own special way.

Thanks fellow Unilocalers for guiding us here. Great casual place. Order at the register and food is brought out. Low and behold, we got there at 5:58 and made it just in the nick before happy hour ended! 20% taken off the tab. Sweet! Food came out quickly.
We had the big kahuna and the salad with pulled pork. It was awesome. We had a lot of left over pizza.
We will come back again!

I was surprised to have found this local gem in Bellingham area. Very delicious pizza. We tried the BIG KAHUNA pizza and a Caesar salad. I would definitely come again next time I visit. The staff were very friendly and helpful too.

Best deep dish pizza I have ever had. Plenty of cheese and toppings.
I really like the chill atmosphere too. Order at the counter and grab a booth. get your own fountain pop.
Brewery is ½ a block away too :)

I don’t know why Coconut Kenny’s has such a great reputation. I ate there once, getting a pizza to bring over to Kulshan’s. Notable: the wait. Not Notable: the food. The pizza can best be described as a disappointing and overpriced wad of grease that I immediately regretted. I will say that Coconut Kenny’s is better-​known for their sandwiches, but I haven’t had the desire to return after my mundane experience with the pizza.

Delicious food! We were in town for a quick visit and decided to try this place based upon Unilocal recommendations and we were not disappointed! The cheese balls were scrumptious and the Big Kahuna pizza left me wanting more! Great atmosphere and staff!

Coconut Kenny’s feels more like a novelty than anything else, but their pizza is pretty solid. The biggest factor in not rating them higher is that the cost seems a bit high for what you get, like I am paying for a brand rather than the food. I find the cheese balls a little overrated and always seem to give me heartburn, but my husband loves them. I’ve never had a BAD pizza from Coconut Kenny’s (and sometimes it’s been quite good), but sometimes I’ve come away feeling like I spent too much on something that could have been better.

We’ve been on family vacation and this was by far the best value. HUGE portions and reasonable prices.
Because of the Unilocal reviews, we split King Mahalo and a half order or cheese balls. They did not disappoint. Delicious! We also tried their home brews, the Sunset Red and the Islander Hefe and they were wonderful as well.
The environment was fun and welcoming and so was the staff.
This would normally earn a restaurant my highest mark — 4 stars — but they get 5 stars! I need to emphasize that I don’t hand those out easily. We were originally served the wrong sandwich. They not only apologized and got us the correct sandwich quickly, but also kept the first sandwich wrapped and in the warmer so that we could take it back to our hotel. So we also bought chips and drinks and took it all back for our teenage sons.
Thank you, Coconut Kenny’s, for doing the right thing. Some might say I shouldn’t give five stars because someone «just did their job,» but stellar customer service is getting harder and harder to find. The way this restaurant handled the problem turned what might otherwise have been a negative dining experience to an exceptional experience.
That’s worth 5 stars in my book.

I would definitely come back here. ordered their Maui and Kahuna pizza. Lots of meat. And the pizza are huge. The place is not busy though.
I guess they do mostly take out.
YOu have to help yourself to water. Not much service. Basically order and sit yourself down kind of place. Had their wings as well and meatballs. Very flavorful. Décor is quite interesting and does matches the theme of Hawaii.
Best part is that they have free parking at the back.

Came here for a snack after the movie.. Love this place! The sandwich was fresh, huge and on special for $ 5.99! We got a small pan pizza and it was really good sized too. Great toppings, baked fresh to order and the island theme is way cool.
We will be back. You should try it. really really good food.

Coconut Kenny’s Hawaiian themed, casual and one might call it corny, but I love it.
You basically seat yourself, order at the counter and they’ll bring you your food. Drinks, napkins, utencils and take out boxes are self serve. Everyone and everything including the Island theme music makes for a relaxing atmosphere.
The menu consists of pizza and sandwiches with minimal salads and desserts. Most of the items have a Hawaiian twist to them and overall enjoyable. This isn’t 5 star dining, but your kids and including the big kid in you will enjoy it.