Kai Store

Kai store is a little shack-​like structure on the side of the road in Hilo. Inside, there is not much to choose from but we only come here for specific items — the dried fish, poi and kulolo. My favorites are the dried ahi and dried marlin. I haven’t tried the smoked varieties yet but fully intend to on my next Hilo trip. They also have dried aku and opelu but I haven’t tried them yet either.
The dried ahi is moist but firm and not too fishy tasting — its my fav! The marlin is also moist and not too dried out but it has a little more fishy taste — very good. Don’t forget to buy fresh poi to go with your dried fish. The poi is really ono!
The other item we seek when going to Kai store is the kulolo. It is always slightly burnt but in a good way — kind of a burnt sugar taste or caramel. I don’t usually come across this kind of kulolo and I love that it is unique and not the same as all the others.
They also sell Fijian kava which I haven’t tried yet personally but I have been told that it is strong and guuud :)
The kulolo was only $ 7 and the marlin was $ 12 for a 1lb bag. I can’t recall how much the ahi was but I am pretty sure it was $ 12 also.
The guy who runs the register is always very very friendly. Parking can be a real bear so be prepared for a tight squeeze! And be careful because parking is very close to the road.

This is where my mom and grandma pick up their poi from. It’s definitely the cheapest one you can find and not watered down like the mainstream poi.
We came here for the kulolo and dried fish. The kulolo has that caramelized sort of burnt sugar taste and is a little more corse and is darker in color that sets it apart from the Kaua’i kulolo. Don’t get me wrong, the Kaua’i kulolo is really good but I like this one better flavor wise. $ 7.00 a block. Compare that to Honolulu prices! You be paying at least $ 4.00 more.
They didn’t have ahi and the aku had a lot of blood compared to red meat you can see in the picture. The opelu was fileted in half but still had the bones inside. We ended up cleaning out the dried marlin and was nice enough to leave some kulolo behind. $ 12.00 for a 1 lb bag of marlin.
Really nice guy working inside. The parking is… tight. I dont recall lines on the ground but just make pretend there is. Kinda gotta park in a angle because the freaking road is right there behind you.

Kai Store locate up the street from KTA is almost your forgotten Mom & Pops store of yesteryear.
We stopped into this small little store on our way to Maebo Noodle Factory after seeing the dried fish sign displayed in front of the store.
Yes I’m the kind of person who LOVES Dried Aku and Dried Opelu.
Once entering this old store you notice they carry just the essentials you need for a pit stop like drinks, snacks, funky shirts, dried fish and what? Maebo Chips? We told the older gentleman that we were on our way to Maebo and his response was that he was a little cheaper… Ahem. Not going to say why. We just grabbed a couple a bags Wonton chips, Cookies, Dried Opelu and Dried Aku. If you’re a Dried Aku kind of person then you know that for $ 20 this is not a bad deal for a bunch of 6−7inch pieces.
*I’m really glad we made a stop at this Old School Store. I would give this store *3 stars, but because of the good deals we got here *4 stars.
*Parking available in front and on the side of the Store.

Located at the corner of Kilauea Avenue and Puainako Street (within close proximity to KTA, the main grocery store in town), this is the original homegrown «7−11» that I grew up with in the 80’s and 90’s. Your local convenience store owned by the same family for several generations, usually employed by the same handful of people, and typically stocked with a nice selection of drinks (soda, water, alcohol), cigarettes, candies (chocolates, gum, sugary stuff, etc.) and magazines (both the «G» and «R» rated kine … I believe they kept the Playboys and Hustlers in the back behind the cashier, though).
It’s been there since small kid «hanabata» time and is still thriving and in business today. Back then, 7 – 11 was too far away from my house to walk to, so me and the neighborhood kids would go here to buy soda, candies and snacks (you gotta remember now, Big Island no mo’ bus system like O’ahu — you either drive, know someone who drive, or you walk ‘em!).
If you looked old enough back then, you probably could get away with buying cigarettes or alcohol without ID. Good luck now, though, since they’ve come a long ways since then.
Hanabata days, it was just the convenience store around the corner. Come mid 1990’s, and the ‘ohana (family) who also owned the land beneath the store decided to diversify their business. On a rotating schedule, they had people coming in selling sweet corn, propane, poke, etc.
This apparently successful venture has continued into today, although I don’t know what the current schedule of vendors is since I live in O’ahu now and can’t just hop into my car and go check. Next time I’m in Hilo, though, I go check ‘um out and will update this review.
Some tips:
— They’re not 24 – 7 like 7 – 11 — at least last time I was there — so please call ahead before you go.
— Their assortment of food, drinks, etc. won’t be as extensive as 7 – 11, either, but go there because you’re supporting a kama’aina locally-​owned and operated business.
— When they have their vendors there, parking can be pretty limited (vendors set up shop on the right hand side of the store).
— Traffic at that corner can be nuts, especially in the morning before school (8 AM) and «pau hana» time (4 PM and later) when people get off of work. Both of these streets are only two-​lane roads (1 lane this way, 1 lane that way).
— In 2003, Maebo Noodle Factory, the same company that produces the famous One-​Ton Chips in Hilo, broke ground on a new modern facility. If you’re wondering what that huge metal conglomerate is situated close right next to Kai Store, now you know.
REVIEW #3