Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken

Absolutely delicious and reasonably priced! Service was super nice as well!

This is one of my favorite places to go whenever I go North Shore side. The chicken is roasted over kiawe wood, and you can choose between half a chicken or a whole chicken. I always get the whole chicken, because why not?! The chicken is cooked perfectly, and is moist. It also does well as leftovers, as it doesn’t dry out like other roasted chickens would.
PROS:
— Casual and laid back atmosphere.
— Size options of the chickens (half or whole). Go big or go home.
— The prices are worth it.
— The workers are nice, and do their best to balance customer service, speed, and efficiency.
CONS:
— There isn’t much room to eat your chicken there. There are about 3 or 4 long tables, and they’re usually full. My family and I usually go to a nearby park, with extra napkins and place so we can eat our chickens comfortably.

Love love love this chicken! The chicken and pineapple coleslaw is SO tasty and we get food from here almost monthly, whenever we hit the beach in Haleiwa! The staff is so friendly and the food prices so reasonable! (Just make sure you arrive before a Japanese tourist bus does, or else you will be waiting in a very long line, haha!!). Oh, they got shade now too! Best huli huli chicken evah!

Very long wait, which was ok. But the chicken was undercooked and smelled a lot better than it tasted. I actually could not resist it by its smell. The mediocre taste was a letdown. However, the pineapple coleslaw was by far the best coleslaw I have eaten on the island thus far.

I’ve always wondered what everyone was raving about for this chicken place. Then I’ve experienced it and realized… I think it was the tourists that are loving it. As a local, I should have expected this. I fell into this tourist trap.
On a round island road trip to Haleiwa, I thought I would stop here and actually try this chicken place. There was a line… every time I come here. I ordered half of a chicken that cost me $ 6. Opened up the container and realized there was 5 small piece of chicken. You’ve got to be kidding me. Okay… tried a piece, it was salty!!! Only the skin was seasoned. That chicken hardly had any meat. I was staring at the chicken on the grill… gosh they look so anorexic. Do they starve those poor little chicken?
This place was no big deal. Only tourist would get pulled into these traps. Anorexic chickens sure are expensive. Maui Mike has better tasting chicken. You can’t fool me anymore after this. I’m very disappointed.

Probably the best chicken I’ve had so far my trip. Super moist and great flavor. Totally recommended if you are in the area. The pineapple coleslaw is AMAZING!

Shrimp isn’t the only delicious thing you can get on this side of the island
Just a couple more miles up from the famous Giovanni’s shrimp truck (Haleiwa) is the best chicken you can imagine AND IT ISN’T FRIED! WHAT A HEALTHY PLUS
You know your chicken is fresh and cooking just right because there’s a giant rotisserie spinning in front of your eyes hypnotizing you to buy. We came right before the lunch rush (11:00 AM) so we were able to order right away. We got two whole chicken plates ($ 20) to feed 10 people and it was just enough to satisfy our bellys before our next food stop.
When you bite into the chicken, you’ll immediately be greeted by the oh so delicious crispy skin and the juicy meat. It’s seriously nothing I have ever eaten before. It’ll make you quickly go for the next bite. Just be careful of flinging the juiciness on other people, whoops.
Only fried chicken has given me the same satisfaction but with Ray’s chicken, you won’t feel the guilt of eating fried oily batter. The only downside is there’s no tables so you would probably have to eat in the car.
This place probably isn’t as well known because they’re only open on the weekends. If you so happen to be in this area on Saturday/​Sunday and you’re planning to get some Giovanni’s shrimp, take the extra drive and get some of Ray’s chicken too! You won’t find anything like this back in town.

This chicken was as good as everyone says! It was very moist and so flavorful. It also had that smokey flavor that I love. At first we were going to order a whole chicken, but then we thought, «mmm that might be too much chicken, and what if we don’t even like it». So we decided to get the lunch plate which included a scoop of rice, pineapple coleslaw, and half a chicken. After finishing our plate we were wishing we had ordered the whole chicken lol. Too bad we were already on the other side of the island.

Probably the best roasted chicken I’ve ever had! Seasoning is inside out I suggest to get the sauce which is .50 but a must. Chickens are small in size meaning they are natural. Must eat. Worth the drive when your in town

This place was recommended to us by a friend as a «must eat» on Oahu and they were right. We got there before 12 and there was already a short line. The line moved very quickly.
I ordered one whole chicken to share with the hubby. The chicken was out of this world. Perfectly seasoned. Perfectly cooked. The breast was so moist. Whole chicken $ 10. Half chicken $ 6. We also ordered a side of their pineapple coleslaw ($ 2). It was fantastic and was a good accompaniment to the salty and spiced chicken. Two scoops of rice was $ 1.50. Drinks were also $ 1.50. We got a whole chicken and some sides and drinks all for under $ 20.
It was so good that we are going back again today. I believe that they are only there on weekends (according to the time posted on Unilocal).
We’ve decided to get our own whole chickens and we are not sharing anything today… it was that good.
If you happen to find yourself on the north shore of Oahu I highly recommend this place and Giovanni’s shrimp truck. We’ve tried other garlic shrimp joints here, but Giovanni’s truly blows them all out of the crystal blue water.

If you love SIMPLE barbecued chicken, then this place is for YOU!
Freshly marinated and grilled chicken right before you!
You can either get a whole chicken for $ 10 or get a lunch plate for $ 8.50.
The meat is very tender and juicy. Their dry rub marinade is delicious.
As long as you don’t mind a side of flies flying around, it’s some good chicken.

Best thing I ate on the island!!! We heard about these incredible places through the food network and knew we had to find one. When you see a line forming out of a tent, you know you gotta stop. The chicken was INCREDIBLE! So juicy and the skin was perfectly crispy. I normally don’t like coleslaw but DAMN!!! it was sooooo good! Now this place is only here on Saturday and Sunday so you gotta hit up the North Shore those days to hit this gem! I can’t wait to come back and eat!!!

When you tell people you’re visiting Hawaii, and ask for food suggestions, some people will tell you «grilled chicken on the side of the road, usually it’s a fundraiser.»
This infamous «fundraiser» chicken has been on my mind since I started coming to visit HI with my boyfriend to see his family. Since we’re usually here for a week, it’s hard to catch these «side of the road» set ups because they only happen on the weekend. Luckily, on NYE of 2015 something spectacular happened! While driving through Haleiwa, I finally saw it! This infamous chicken grilling on the side of the road.
The closest we’ve gotten to this is Mike’s on the other side of the island and even then it didn’t quite fit the description of what everyone was talking about.
Ray’s totally got it going on. A simple menu and set up. Chicken, rice and cold slaw. No fuss, no muss. We ordered a whole chicken and two pineapple cold slaws to go. We also got the secret sauce (spicy soy sauce with some vinegar it tasted like)
Even 30 minutes later, the chicken was pretty warm. Every piece was seasoned well and perfectly moist. I can’t quite describe this «grilled chicken» but the best comparison I can give you from something in the states is El Pollo Loco with a slight Asian flavor. The whole chicken was plenty for me and my boyfriend and even when we filled ourselves up, there were leftovers for later.
The cold slaw is pretty basic, but very delicious with the pineapple. Adds a little sweetness to the salt you’re getting with the chicken. The secret sauce reminds me of what us Filipinos call «sawsawan» a dipping sauce typical used for fish or egg rolls.
If you’re fortunate to see them take some chicken to go and make a beach picnic out of it! You seriously won’t regret it!

This place was ONOlicious! Definitely a «must» visit location. This may not be a fancy sit down restaurant, ok it’s not even a restaurant and there’s no where to sit and eat, but this place makes ONOlicious chicken! I don’t like coleslaw at all but this place makes a pineapple coleslaw that I actually liked. I hope one day this place becomes a nice «mom n pop» type shop. I’d like to sit down enjoy their food.
The only thing i don’t like are the flies and no place to sit and eat.

I’ve been wanting to try place every single time I go up to North Shore.
$ 8.50 plate lunch consists of half chicken, two scoops of rice and cole slaw.
The huli huli chicken was juicy inside and the skin was tasty and semi crispy. The cole slaw was super fresh and it had pieces of fresh pineapple. The warm rice complemented the chicken perfectly. It came with the sauce, but seriously… no sauce needed.
The workers were friendly and helpful. This place must be super popular… there were about 8 workers working under that small tent. Every single one of them was BUSY… I didn’t see anyone standing around doing nothing.
BROKE DA MOUTH!
QUICK TIP: LOCATED RIGHT NEXT TO MALAMA MARKET!
4 stars! This is why I love Hawaii!
Ray’s Kiawe Broiled Chicken is yummylicious!

Ray’s Kiawe Chicken is out of this world! You will find it on a dusty parking lot in Haleiwa, but don’t get me wrong, this place is popular and very busy… even with the lack of tables and chairs. The chicken skin is crispy and brown and the meat is tender and flavorful. We drive to Haleiwa just to get Ray’s Chicken. The chickens are small so a whole chicken could feed one hungry person. The line is long, but it goes fast. Be prepared to eat in your car; you want to eat that crispy skin as soon as possible!

MIYup Franny. I totz agree HANDS DOWN UBER BEST chicken i have ever tasted !!! The skin was so crispy and it seemed like it was minimally marinated with spices… good LAWD I will just have the pictures soeak for itself. Will i come back here again… HEKK YEAHHH!

Ray’s is an outdoor grill and you know you’re there by the smoke from the very large chicken grill. The smell is heavenly. There are always locals and tourists alike taking photos here and it’s welcomed. The chicken is worth the cost: $ 10 a bird. Just get in line, pay cash, and within two minutes you’ll have a take away plate with your chicken!
There is nowhere to sit, this is just an outdoor grill, so you’ll seep people standing, sitting on nearby rocks, or even on the bus stop bench eating. It is located to the left of the parking lot of the only grocery store in the area (right side of the road coming from Honolulu). Don’t try to park in the grocery store lot: it’s impossible to find a spot, it’s very small, and traffic is impossible. What you do is park across the street at the Bank of Hawaii/​Pizza Bob’s lot. It’s located behind the building and there are many places there to park. The lot is hidden from the street.
I believe, if you’re a tourist, it’s best to sit in your rental car and dine. You’ll have air conditioning, a comfortable seat, music, and it’s clean. If you want something to drink, just go into Pizza Bob’s and order a soda to-​go. To the left of the ordering counter is the restrooms. Use them. There are also some small shops at the parking lot, so check them out while you’re there.
Cheers!

I found this place due to its high ratings on Unilocal,and will add another 5 star review to the mix. The site is not even a food truck like I was expecting; it’s a food stand in the corner of a grocery store parking lot. The chicken was really tasty – so good, that I can’t recall ever having better chicken, even at fancy restaurants. For a half chicken plate it was about $ 7.50 or so, fairly priced given its awesome reputation. The people behind the table were really nice.

Saturdays and Sundays you can find Ray’s at Kam Swap Meet across Pearl Ridge mall and at Haleiwa. Tuesdays and Fridays, they are in Wahiawa.
1011 California Ave
Wahiawa Hi
They have the best huli huli chicken on the island. However, out of the three different locations, the chickens cooked at the Haleiwa location has better quality control and better taste.