Holy Smokes

You have to stop and have lunch or dinner. We were staying in Waikiki and drove up twice to eat! Charlie and his son are wonderful hosts and chefs! This was the best shrimp I have ever had, not a morsel of food left on any of our plates. My dad is allergic to shellfish so he had a steak and it was also outstanding. Charlie also made us a special dessert of grilled pineapple with taro ice cream. We discovered Holy Smokes a few years ago and still talk about our meals.

HOLY SMOKES is right! This is one damn good place to eat! Shrimp trucks are popular on Oahu, but this one is hands down the best. Giovanni’s, Fumi’s, Romi’s pale in comparison. The owner, Charles only uses the freshest, meatiest of shrimp (unlike the aforementioned trucks) and fire grills them in your choice of 3 mouthwatering sauces: butter scampi sauce, spicy cajun sauce, or a sweet coconut sauce (with freshly grated coconut). It’s a tough call on which sauce is the best, I personally love all of them.
Besides shrimp he also grills steaks and fresh fish. He takes pride in his culinary creations and it shows. Oh btw, did I mention the grilled corn smothered in fresh garlic, sea salt and capers? Yum.
Luckily my brother, his girlfriend and I stumbled across this place and we thank the food gods for it. Charles sat with us and chatted while cooking up the shrimp.
There’s limited seating outdoors near Charles’ RV so there could be potential for a long wait, but it’s worth it. Plus, you’re in Hawaii, there’s no rush, sit back and relax! Give this place a try and support a decent guy!

If you are planning a trip to Hawaii there is one experience you must try. They are called shimp trucks and they are located all along the North Shore on Oahu. Shrimp trucks are exactly what they are called — old ice cream trucks turned into mini kitchens were fresh spicy shrimp is sold by the boatload (or the… whatever they pull shrimp out of the water in). There are a number of different companies that line the shoreline and each one offers a little twist — but the best one i have ever been to is called Holy Smokes! It is located right in Haleiwa across from McDonalds — along with two other trucks and a thai truck (which for some reason seems silly to sell thai out of the back of a truck, whereas selling shrimp is super cool).
Now for the good stuff! Holy Smokes sells awfully good shrimp (in a spicy garlic and capers sauce) and great steaks and crab legs (both of which taste awesome!). The place is run by a local guy and his son who are super friendly and always want to a make sure you’re happy. But what sets this place apart is the amount of food you get — Holy Smokes sells the largest portions on the island (couple that with super tasty spicy garlic and capers shrimp) and you will be running for your car before you finish this article.
Insider note: remember you are buying a plate lunch of seafood out of the back of a broke-​down truck in Hawaii. Not really the recipe for a squeaky clean kitchen or restaurant codes — but suck it up you’re in Hawaii.